Making Your Own Gift Baskets—Step Two

The Container

After you’ve decided on a theme--whether by occasion, topic, or recipient, or a combination of those three—you now need to choose a container.

Pretty much anything will work as a container. I use the term ‘gift basket’ in a general way. Just be sure that it will hold the size and weight of the items you plan to include.

Personally, I love to make gifts as unique as possible. Use your imagination and be creative. Of course, if the recipient happens to love baskets, they would really appreciate an actual basket.

Where to look:

• Around the house

• Dollar store

• Wal-Mart

• Online sites such as Amazon.com or The Container Store

• Flea markets

• Yard sales

• Craft shops

Choose the container to complement the theme and the recipient. It also helps to have a general idea of the type of items you will include.

Examples:

• Get Well – a cardboard box decorated as a ‘first aid kit’

• Mother’s Day – a clay pot or planter; pretty tote bag

• Father’s Day – tool box; football-shaped rattan basket; toy golf bag

• Easter – actual woven basket; egg-shaped container

• House Warming – cardboard box decorated to look like a house; wooden crate made to look like a picket fence

• New Baby – diaper bag; Radio Flyer little red wagon

• Wedding – boxes in 3 different sizes (small, medium, large), stacked and decorated to look like a wedding cake

• Spa – cosmetic case; pink metal ‘bathtub’

• Snack foods – extra large popcorn box; bucket; decorative tin; small hamper

• Thanksgiving – wicker cornucopia

• Christmas – tin Santa sleigh, red or white

I like to choose containers that are practical as well as decorative. When the contents have been eaten or used, the container still serves a purpose—as well as being a keepsake.

Having decided on the container, you are now ready to select the contents—whether they are to be food items, bath products, toys, useful gadgets, or a combination.

Making Your Own Gift Baskets—Step One

Reasons for making your own:

If you can say yes to any of the questions below, then your answer could be to make your own gift basket. Whether you’re creative or ‘all thumbs’ there’s a version of a homemade basket for any level.

• Would you like to give an especially nice gift but only know of small items that are suitable for the recipient?

• Is your budget rather limited but you don’t want your gift to reflect that?

• Is there no particular, single item that would be suitable?

• Is your recipient somewhat hard to buy for and/or has unusual tastes?

• Want to give some of your tastiest goodies but want to ‘dress them up a bit?’

• Have close friends with large families and you just can’t afford to get something for everyone?

One of the great things about a gift basket is that it is a collection of items, not just one gift. Also, the possibilities for the contents are endless. You’re only limited by your imagination. Even the container you choose is a gift!

Getting started:

Now that you’ve decided to make that basket, the first thing you will need to do is decide on a theme.

It could be one simple theme or a combination of themes. Also consider the individual’s interests and specific likes and dislikes.

General list of themes

By occasion:

• Anniversary

• Birthday

• Congratulations

• Friendship

• Get Well

• Good Luck

• Holidays: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter….

• House Warming

• Just Because

• New Baby & Baby Shower: baby boy, baby girl, unisex

• Sympathy

• Thank You

• Wedding & Engagement

By topic:

• Assortment

• Baked goodies

• Beauty/Spa

• Cheese/Wine

• Chocolates/Candies

• Gourmet foods

• Snack foods

By recipient:

• Men

• Women

• Kids

• Seniors

Example:

Let’s say it’s for a lady’s birthday. This lady loves scented lotions, soaps, and a relaxing bath. Ta da! Excellent idea: a spa basket, decorated with birthday designs, with a card (homemade or store-bought) that is relevant to the entire theme. (I was the recipient of a basket of age-defying products….oh, my!)

Of course, you could go online or to your nearest gift shop and purchase a spa gift basket. But if you know this lady’s favorite scent or that she’s allergic to certain ingredients, then it would be a better idea to select the items yourself, keeping those things in mind.

[I’m allergic to lanolin and floral scents. One gentleman, courting me long-distance, sent me two different baskets with floral-scented products (rose and lavender). Sweet thought but unfortunate choices.]

Beginning to get any ideas? When you have a basic plan in mind, then the next step is choosing a container.

Coming Soon

Coming soon will be the first in a series on making your own gift baskets. Each post will focus on a different aspect of creating and making your own: deciding on a theme, choosing a container, selecting the contents, decorative touches, even packing and shipping info.

For project ideas, you can visit online craft sites, such as FaveCrafts Quick and Crafty. Also find gift tag designs and how-to info.

For detailed, step-by-step instructions for specific projects, check with your local library for books on gift basket making. Or purchase such books online. Several good ones are available at Amazon.com right now. Used paperback versions are available, starting at $2.23, for the best-selling The Perfect Gift Basket: How To Make a Fabulous Gift Basket for Any Occasion.

Holiday Care Packages

As the ladies in my church prepare to assemble and deliver Christmas baskets to shut-ins, I think of the individuals who have just had surgery, are coping with cancer treatments, or are simply unable to get out and about as most folks do. We visit and help however we can throughout the year, but we like to do something extra special for them on holidays.

Our baskets always include homemade bread and cookies, as well as fruit, nuts, and candies (sugar-free ones for diabetics).

Last month we delivered 284 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, to be distributed by Samaritan’s Purse ministries around the world. We do this annually, increasing the number each year, collecting items to be included all year long. Many hands are needed to assemble them and prayers are said over each one for the child who will receive it.

These boxes include personal care items, a stuffed animal and small toy, basic school supplies, and of course candies. It may be the only gift many of these children ever receive.

Care packages for soldiers overseas were also prepared and shipped last month. The children were responsible for this effort. They gave offerings to pay for postage and collected items to be enclosed. They also wrote letters to each soldier. (If you would like to send a care package but don’t know where to start, I’ve written an article with basic information plus names of web sites to which you can go for details.)

Whether it’s for an elderly person, a child, a family, a soldier, or a whole troop, brighten someone’s holiday this year by sending a gift basket you personally prepare or select one prepared for you.

May you experience the peace and joy of this Christmas season available to all who will believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Gift Basket Shopping on the Internet: Tips for Easier Searching

Surprise. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise…. One of my favorite methods of gift giving is to wrap related items individually, then wrap all of them in one big box. The recipient has one surprise after another.

Not feeling that creative? Shopping for individual items too time-consuming? The idea of someone else doing your gift shopping for you just not appealing--even if you know what type of gift you want?

From the comfort of your home, 24/7, you can shop online. With literally thousands of gift basket offerings to choose from, you’ll be sure to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list, and even for some you might not have thought of.

With gift baskets, even the container is a gift. And you have multiple items with the same theme, all contained in the same package. As an added bonus, they are specially handcrafted by experts and can even be personalized with a special message from you. Then they are delivered directly to the recipients’ front door.

But a quick google search for “gift baskets” will bring up 15,000,000 possibilities! Don’t get bogged down with hundreds of thousands of search results and just choose something on the first page.

For easier, quicker searching for the perfect gift basket, with that personal touch, for that special person, you will need to narrow your search by using a particular theme or who the gift is for.

Examples/Results

Thanksgiving gift baskets/14,500
Gourmet Thanksgiving gift baskets/6

Gift basket for Mom/43,800
Spa gift basket for Mom/4,950

Also from your google search, you will learn (usually under ‘sponsored links’) about which sites are rated ‘best’ for certain things. For instance, WineCountryGiftBaskets.com is rated “#1 Gift Baskets Web Site.” And GiftBaskets.com/Womens Baskets is the “Top Rated Gift Baskets for Women Site.”

An even simpler option is to use a shopping site like Amazon.com and search from within, using the same method to narrow your search. When you find what you actually want, then you’re ready to make the purchase right there.

If you still want more options, the suppliers are always listed. If you see gift baskets that you like and many of them are from the same supplier, go directly to their web site for a complete listing of their selections.

Whichever search option you choose, you will be able to find the perfect gift for that someone special for any occasion or even ‘just because.’

The internet is a wonderful time-saver that still allows you to do your own shopping and make it a very personal selection. In many cases, you just may find something as unique as the person for whom the gift is intended, without driving all over town.

Thanksgiving Gift Baskets

Harvest, Halloween, and Christmas items have been side by side in the stores for weeks now. While you’re munching on leftover ‘treats’ is as good a time as any to be thinking of Thanksgiving. Ideally, we should always be living in an attitude of thankfulness, counting our blessings great or small on a daily basis. But so many of us are busy just living that we don’t take the time to do that.

With the majority of the planning for Thanksgiving centered around the menu for a big family dinner, saying thank you to those people who are or have been blessings in your life may not rank high on your to-do list. Why not make it a priority to let them know they are appreciated?

Whether Mom is nearby or far away, why not surprise her with a Hugs for Mom Gift Basket? Is Dad a sports fan? Share his enthusiasm. From baseball to golf, there’s a gift basket for his favorite sport.

The Hugs for Mom Gift Basket is packaged in a wooden picket fence planter. It is a beautiful arrangement that includes an inspirational book (Mothers Are Forever), a ceramic picture frame for a 3x5 photo, a votive candle with a ceramic floral topper, bath sachet with bath salts, Wildflower Refreshing Body Glistening Spray, Chocolate Pecan Cookies, Vanilla Caramel Ice Tea, and Wildflower Honey.

A keepsake wicker football-shaped basket is the container for the Football Fanatic Gourmet Food Goodies & Snack Gift Basket. This basket is filled with “Tailgate & Celebrate” football-shaped pasta, pre-sliced savory salami, stone ground mustard, Honey mustard pretzel twists, crunchy Nikkis snack mix, Ghirardelli chocolates, fruity bonbon candies, and two jumbo-sized football-shaped cookies. (You are also given the option of scheduling the actual delivery date.)

Or send a coffee gift basket and plan a special visit to share a cup with them. Currently 20% off is the Coffee Lovers Care Package Gift Set--with an additional 15% off available from the manufacturer, Art of Appreciation. A keepsake coffee theme mug is added to a variety of premium coffees (Columbian, Morning Blend, Hazelnut, and Caramel Crème) and a Café Latte Drink Mix to enjoy with an assortment of cookies and biscotti. The Starbucks and Tazo Eye Opener is a collection of some of Starbucks most popular items and includes two brown Starbucks coffee mugs.

For any of the special ladies in your life, what about a spa gift basket to make them feel pampered? Spa baskets range from simple and fairly inexpensive to deluxe. At 54% off, the Spa-in-a-Basket is an especially sweet choice. This wicker chest with lid contains bath items in a ‘Honey Vanilla’ scent, ‘comfy’ slippers, and a massage tool.

Does your ‘honey-do’ list for your favorite guy get a little long sometimes? Let him know how much you appreciate him with a Mr. Handyman’s Toolbox of Treats Gift Tote, currently discounted 17%. A paperboard tool box tote is filled with premium coffee, savory beef salami, camembert cheese, black peppercorn crackers, jalapeno cheddar biscuits, Chocolate Espresso Cake, Too Good Gourmet Chocolate Chip Cookies, roasted peanuts, butter toffee caramel corn, butterscotch candy, and chocolate dipped cookie.

Especially for those who live far away or simply will be unable to be there for that special dinner, surprise them with a unique gift basket, chosen especially for them. Consider each person’s particular interests or tastes. There is literally something for everyone just a few clicks away.

When words are not enough, a thoughtfully chosen gift basket says it for you.

Halloween Gift Baskets

There’s still time to send Halloween gift baskets. And now is the perfect time to find spook-tacular deals on them! Some include free shipping, such as the Pirate’s Booty Halloween Gift Basket, a great autumn care package for the college student. Packed into this ‘treasure chest’ are three bottles of Jack Black root beer, Ghirardelli chocolates, smoked almonds, mixed nuts, crunchie munchies, and assorted favorites in candy bars.

Other specials currently available are: Brainiac Halloween Gift Basket for Tween Boy and Sketchy Halloween Fun Gift Basket for Tween Girl.

The Brainiac Gift Basket comes with a felt Halloween light-up Jack-o-Lantern tote bag. It is filled with Happy Haunting Orange Hot Chocolate, Jelly Belly Deluxe Halloween Mix, Too Good Gourmet ‘Little Ghost Fun’ Chocolate Cookies, Zesty White Cheddar Popcorn, and Pretzel Pete’s Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels. Also included is The Brainiest Insaniest Ultimate Puzzle Book, which is a bonanza of mazes, word games, visual and logic puzzles, and more.

For the ‘tween’ girl in your life, the Sketchy Halloween Fun Gift Basket is a unique gift idea that features The Artist in Me, How to Draw Like Nobody Else, a book to help her develop her talent, improve her skills and discover how to express herself as only she can. The book is packed with three drawing pencils, a color wheel, a kneaded eraser, vine charcoal, oil pastels, charcoal drawing paper, and more. Also included: Jelly Belly Deluxe Halloween Mix, Too Good Gourmet ‘Little Bat Fun’ Snickerdoodle Cookies, Happy Haunting Hot Chocolate, and more. All is witch-ly packaged in a Trendy Spider Web Bag with Maribou Trim.

Or treat your favorite gourmet with a gourmet foods gift basket, a good choice for any occasion. Now at a discount is the Warm Sentiments Gourmet Food Gift Basket. This gift basket includes Cabernet Wine Cheese, Chardonnay Wine Cheese, Foccacia Crisp Crackers, premium Smoked Salmon, decadent Chocolate Truffles, English Toffee Cookie drenched in chocolate, Victorian Tea Cookies, Too Good Cookies, Apricot Medley Tea, and Enli-Tea-Ments Spring Tea. All this is packed into a basket that is ‘carefully hand crafted with flowers and ribbons.’ A gift message can be personalized to convey your feelings for your gourmet food loving recipient.

No tricks, just treats!

Thank You Gift Baskets

Don’t just count your blessings this year, merely reflecting on how thankful you are for those special people in your life. Let them know what a blessing they’ve been. Surprise them with a unique gift basket, chosen with their particular interests or tastes in mind.

Is there an avid golfer on your list? A book lover? A movie lover? An avid sports fan? A gourmet? A coffee lover? An executive? A handyman or do-it-yourselfer? A gardener? A college student?

There are gift baskets for everyone. You may also select personalized gift baskets.

Particularly if you live far away and will be unable to be there for Thanksgiving, send a Hugs for Mom gift basket. Or send a coffee gift basket and plan a special visit to share a cup with them. Perhaps a breakfast gift basket? A cookie gift basket?

Or simply choose a thank you gift basket for those who have been, and continue to be, a blessing.

Gift Basket Suggestions

For special occasions, holidays, or any day, gift baskets are a wonderful way of telling someone how much you care. There are gift baskets for women, for men, even for kids. There are birthday gift baskets, Valentine’s Day gift baskets, Mother’s Day gift baskets, Father’s Day gift baskets, anniversary gift baskets, wedding gift baskets, housewarming gift baskets, new baby gift baskets, congratulations gift baskets….

Gift baskets specifically for those occasions are available. Or you may want to choose a gift basket filled with the recipient’s favorite foods or snacks. Choose from offerings of candies, coffees, gourmet foods, Italian foods (even pasta in particular), kosher foods, healthy foods, sugar-free foods….

Perhaps Mom would love a spa gift basket. Make her feel pampered. Is Dad a sports fan? Share his enthusiasm. Anyone on your list love to watch movies? Send them a gift basket filled with popcorn and samplings of candies and snacks typically sold at the movie theaters for a night-at-the-movies at home.

There doesn’t have to be a special occasion or special reason to let someone know you care. When words are not enough, a unique gift basket, thoughtfully chosen, says it for you.