Making Your Own Gift Basket: Step Four - Basket Assembly

Building a base

First, create a ‘base’ with your choice of filler in order to raise the gifts for best viewing.

If you have a tall, heavy item, you will need to place it first in the basket bottom to keep the basket from tipping over; your filler would go around it. Fill in to just below the top of the basket, leaving room for shred.

In choosing your filler, keep in mind that it will need to support the weight of the items. (Shred will not be supportive enough. Even if your items weigh very little, most likely you would need a good quantity of shred as filler and that can get expensive.)

Filler Suggestions:

* Newsprint – wad it firmly, but not too tightly

* Floral foam or Styrofoam – cut to fit your basket

* Cardboard form – cut/fold a piece to make a platform or turn an old box bottom upside down

* Certain gift items, such as kitchen towels or baby blankets

Next, if you haven‘t used gift items such as towels for filler, you will need to hide your base. Most professionals use shred, making a layer no thicker than an inch. There is a wide variety of types, sizes, and colors of shred. Choose the one that best complements your overall theme, as well as your colors.

Shreds: (all of these can be found at www.papermart.com)

* Tissue shreds

* Crinkled shreds, paper or metallic

* Fine cut shreds, paper or metallic, mirrorized or iridescent

* Angel hair shreds

* Cello shreds (‘Easter grass’ for example)

* Wood excelsior shreds, natural or colored (‘straw’)

* Floral moss

(Other sources for shreds include local crafts stores, as well as other online crafts supplies sites.)

You don’t have to purchase shreds, especially on a limited budget. You can make your own or get creative with other things that would serve the same purpose.

The main purpose of the filler and the shred is to lift and stabilize the gift items for a pleasing presentation. Professionals prefer to place everything on a level with the top edge of the basket. This creates more excitement than just piling things down inside the basket.

Arranging the Contents

Now, you’re ready to arrange the gifts. Create a general placement, starting with your largest item, placing the other items around it to see how they fit, and rearrange to best effect, before securing in place.

Basic arrangements professionals use:

* Symmetrical (probably the easiest): the highest point is in the center.

* Asymmetrical: the tallest item is on the left or right.

* Or, if you want to have an actual front and back to your basket, the smaller items can be placed at the front and taller items at the back.

In both arrangements, you begin with the tallest item, followed by the next smaller sizes down to the shortest, a stair step effect. For the symmetrical, the items would be placed all the way around your center piece. The asymmetrical would flow from one side to the other.

Securing the items in place

If your largest item is seated firmly in your base or in the bottom of the basket, that’s probably enough to secure it. If you’re using a basket with a handle and your item is taller than the handle, it’s probably a good idea to secure the item to the handle. Curling ribbon would be the simplest way to do that. Use a neutral color or a complementary color. (Some professionals use floral wire.)

Position the middle size items, then tuck the smallest items between the side of the basket and the other items. Some can be tucked tightly between two items. (For example, in a bath or spa gift basket, use washcloths.)

Decorative touches can also be used to secure or stabilize the gift items.

[Unless you’re planning on mailing your gift basket, there’s no need for extensive securing of the items. You just want them to stay in place and look pretty when you present your gift.]

Decorative touches

Unless the gift items themselves are fairly decorative, such as pretty candles or figurines or stuffed animals, you should add a few touches to catch the eye. Follow your theme when choosing these decorative touches.

Decorative suggestions for inside the basket

* Silk flowers

* Small knick-knacks reflecting the theme or the personality of the recipient

* Ornaments (not just Christmas ones)

* Pretty wrapping paper on not-so-pretty packages

* Small toys or stuffed animals

Example:

A spa basket for a lady at Easter would be lovely in spring colors. Silk flowers, like daisies, could be tucked in here and there. A few baby chicks or a bunny would certainly be appropriate.

Just simple touches are best. Don’t clutter your space and take away from the gifts. That’s why most professional gift basket designers call the decorative touches ‘enhancements.’ They are meant to enhance the overall look of your gift.

Finishing touches and wrapping the basket (optional) will be presented in the next post.