I want to make some gift baskets (not gift in a jars, I have lots of recipes for them) Any ideas? What have others used?
Sheri from Modesto, CA
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I love making gift baskets! They make wonderful, frugal gifts. One year I made a gift basket for virtually everyone on our Christmas gift list.
The baskets are easy to find at thrift stores or yard sales, or I have used a shoebox covered with any type of gift wrap or wallpaper. To cover the basket, I usually use the large clear plastic bags you can buy at the dollar stores. Usually they come two in a package for a dollar. Also, I use shredded wastepaper to partially fill each basket, which brings the items up high enough to look pretty.
What I like best is coming up with the theme for each basket and deciding what to put in it. Here are some I have done:
Apples. For a friend who has all kinds of apple decor in her kitchen, I made an apple shaped potholder, designed an apple saying and printed it out and framed it, made a jar of apple cake mix, and even made a notepad with an apple theme.
Winter Picnic. For my nephew and his toddler son, I made a basket with all the fixings for an indoor picnic. A couple of red checked napkins, some cheese crackers, pudding cups, plastic utensils, some giant ants cut out of black construction paper, a small photo album to record photos of the picnic, and some drink boxes.
Heart basket. For my niece, a heart themed basket with a heart shaped handmade sachet (using fabric scraps and some potpourri), little wooden birdhouse painted with hearts, a heart shaped Sculpey pin, and some small candies in a heart shaped candy dish I found at a thrift store. I even found a pretty used heart shaped basket for this one.
Movie night. A couple of inexpensive videocassettes (or DVD's), some microwave popcorn, drink mix or drink boxes, and a bag of candy.
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You can make a gift basket with any theme at all. Just think of the recipient and what they enjoy, and create the theme with that in mind.
You can have so much fun with this! In fact, I think you have inspired me to make gift baskets this year for Christmas. Good luck with your gift baskets.
zballoongirl
I love giving and getting homemade gift baskets! If you are really tight for money use a smaller basket and it fills much quicker. I buy baskets after Christmas when they are discounted and save them for the next year. To make my baskets look more professional I use glue dots to hold items in place and I use shrink wrap that you use a hair dryer on and it shrinks the plastic around the gift. I have made spa baskets with bath soaps, oils, and candles; I have made baskets with wine, crackers, cheese spreads (there are some types that don't require refrigeration) along with some pretty wine glasses, if I know a person's musical preference I will add a CD of their favorite artist. I made a sewing basket for a friend that likes to sew, and filled it with all sorts of notions, spools of thread, and a pair of pinking shears that I knew that she had wanted.
Home Organization Basket - notepads, calendar, organizer, folders, clock, phone
* Honeymoon/Romance Basket - negligee, perfume, lotion, Throw Blanket, hot chocolate or sparkling cider with 2 mugs or glasses, picnic basket
* Gourmet/Kitchen Basket - pasta, fancy dressings, crystal pitcher, apron, hot pads, ice cream maker
* Gardening Basket - seeds, flower pot, water can, gardening gloves, garden tools, lawnchairs
* Mrs. Fix-It Basket - small tool case, scissors, sewing basket, hammer
* Homemaking Basket - laundry basket, pillows, blankets, dustbuster, air freshener
* Memory Maker Basket - photo albums, picture frames, guest book, journals
Hi there, This sound like wonderful ideas. I'd like to offer my help as well. I sell PC and we have several items that are $5 or less you could add to the baskets. Like orange peelers ($.75), Season Best Cookbooks ($1), Quikut Paring Knives ($1.25), Pan Scrapers ($1.75), Bamboo Tongs ($2), My Safety Cutter ($2.50) etc...plus about 30 more items.
Should you be interested in looking feel free to email and I will send you the link to my website, so you can see for yourself.
Best of Holiday Luck!
Stacey
I love giving gift baskets because I can pick up things here and there through out the year and not have to cost to absorb all at once. Here are a couple of my favorite:
Movie Basket: For this instead of a basket I buy one of those pop in the tub popcorn buckets and a gift certificate to the video store. I add all sorts of candy or other snacks. The nice thing about this is you can make a couple of baskets if you buy the larger bags of candy and split the contents up between your pop corn tubs. I wrap this in pretty cellophane wrap that I find at the local dollar store
Rest and Relaxation: To a basket I add bath salts, body wash, bubble bath, etc. I use whatever I find on sale or clearance. I may also add a loofah or poof, a couple of votive candles and inexpensive glass holders. Walmart has the glass holders for less than $1 each and they can be decorated with glass paint if you are crafty. I may also add a gift certificate to a bookstore for a good read or if I am sure of what the person likes to read I will include a book by their favorite author..
I did a really nice basket for a wedding gift for a couple who truly had everything! I went to the Cost Plus and for less than I would have spent at a department store on a piece of china or something like that I put toghether a gourmet food basket complete with a bottle of wine.
The possiblities for gift baskets are endless depending on your budget...
Here's an article I wrote about it:
www.thriftyfun.com/
Also if you search in the box on top for Gift Basket, you will find lots of ideas.
Susan from ThriftyFun
I LOVE ALL THE WONDERFUL IDEAS.CAN'T WAIT TO USE SOME OF THEM MYSELF
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