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Gift Basket Ideas to Make Yourself

Homemade gift baskets are not just fun to make but can also save a great deal of money if you are looking for gifts to give on a budget. Baskets can be as small or elaborate as you wish and can be tailored to any occasion and for people of all tastes.

You don’t even have to be ‘crafty’ or particularly artistic. Hopefully you will find some inspiration for gift basket ideas to make yourself here but you may also find that once you have started your own ideas will suggest themselves.

A container

This doesn’t have to be a wicker basket although these can often be picked up very cheaply at dollar shops, discount stores and yard sales. Also consider a pail or a tin container – the type normally used for garden plants. Wire baskets are another option. There are also many decorative boxes available that may fit in with your theme. You can choose a container that is a gift in itself such as a glass bowl or pottery vase.

Presentation

There is no doubt that this will be the make or break of the success of your gift basket. There are several things to consider:

• Before you line your homemade gift basket, consider its depth. You may need to use crumpled paper or cardboard to act as a platform to raise the items you will be placing in it so that they don’t look lost in the bottom. These can also be used to create different effects for your basket. For example, so that your basket has a sloping effect – lower at the front and higher at the back.

• Lining – You can use a variety of materials to line and fill your gift basket which will act as a ‘bed’ for displaying your gifts on. Shredded paper, raffia, straw and tissue paper can all be used as a base and for padding out or holding your items in place. One particularly effective liner to use is fabric. Materials such as silk or satin which drape easily and catch the light can make a very sumptuous and eye catching lining. Fabrics come in such a vast variety of textures, colours and patterns that they can easily be matched to the type of basket you are trying to create. Remnants or scraps of material can be picked up very cheaply or buy garments from charity stores to cut up.

• Wrapping and finishing off – Use cellophane, plain or coloured, to wrap your gift basket. Place your basket in the middle of the sheet and gather the edges at the top of the basket. Secure with ribbon or raffia. Large bows for bigger baskets can look good.

• Gift confetti – there is a huge variety of gift confetti now available in all shapes, colour and size. Consider sprinkling something appropriate over the lining or just before wrapping. It doesn’t matter that it will move about, this will just add to the effect.

Homemade Gift Basket Themes

Sometimes the overall theme will be obvious, for example, new baby gift basket or wedding. You may also just wish to make up a basket of random items that you feel the receiver would like. There are no rules, it’s up to you. If you are lacking inspiration for gift selection it is sometimes easier to pick a theme. Below are a few ideas to get you started:

• Health booster gift basket – this can be filled with things such as essential oils, aromatherapy toiletries, herbal tea, hand held massager and relaxing foot soak.

• Chocolate lovers gift basket – chocolate recipe book, luxury hot chocolate, chocolate cake and, of course, chocolate!

• Gardeners gift basket – packets of seeds, gardening gloves, plant markers, gardeners twine and ‘gardener’s hands’ hand cream.

• Cosy day at home indulgence gift basket – scented candles, bath pillow, chocolates, bath soaks, bottle of wine or hot chocolate.

• Cooks gift basket – herbs and spices, speciality preserves or vinegars, gift book for writing recipes in, speciality pasta, gourmet sauces.

• The Fisherman’s gift basket – fishing accessories such as hooks, floats, sinkers and lures and fishing themed gifts such as a wine stopper or keyring.

Also check out coworker’s Christmas gift ideas.

When selecting gifts for your basket do keep a thought to the size of them or you may well find yourself having to discard some items.

For an extra touch try using a color theme for your basket. This doesn’t have to be all red or blue for instance, but could be pastel colored, shimmering golds and coppers or you could use autumnal hues.

Gift baskets that you have made yourself will be far more satisfying than just buying something ready made. The chances are that your gift recipient will also appreciate it much more knowing the time and effort that has gone into selecting and presenting the gifts.

Article by Outofstress.com expert author ‘Deneice Arthurton’. © 2010 Outofstress.com. Do not reproduce.