Gift baskets make really good presents for any occasion--or even no occasion at all! Stores often sell them around holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and graduations. However, baskets can be gifts just to show someone you are thinking about them. Baskets can be great for men, too, and if you make them yourself, you can ensure that the basket is masculine enough for his liking. It’s easy to customize and make your own gift baskets for the people that you care about; here's how.
Instructions
1. Decide what kind of basket you want to make. Do you want to make a candy basket filled with all of their favorite treats? Is the person a chocolate lover? Is the recipient a perfume or flower lover? Is she obsessed with a particular character or theme? Perhaps you’d like to make that the focus of the items in your basket. For instance, if someone loves a certain character or superhero, you can design a basket filled with things that represent that character.
2. Purchase the items that focus on your chosen theme, buying things that reflect the receiver’s personality. For instance, if you are preparing a basket for someone who likes a particular character and loves to write, you might want to get a character journal or notebooks to include in that basket. The sky is the limit when it comes to the items you choose. Get your main items first, preferably at least one that is significantly larger than the others, to serve as your centerpiece. Consider buying less expensive items in addition to the main ones you choose, perhaps from a dollar store, which will support your theme and help give your basket more fullness.
3. Prepare your supplies. First, you want to decide what type of base you want to use. This could be a traditional basket, or something non-traditional. As long as it will hold the items you want it to, it really doesn’t matter. You will be using your creativity to design and decorate it anyway. Buy decorative paper to line your basket. You can be creative with this as well. For instance, if you are designing a basket for a comic book lover, you can line the basket with pages from comic books. You can choose colorful tissue paper. Don’t forget to buy cellophane sheets and ribbons to wrap the basket once you have finished filling it.
4. Arrange your basket. This is probably the most fun and creative part. Fill it with all of the wonderful goodies you’ve purchased. When you have finished, center the basket on a piece of cellophane paper large enough to cover it, and tie it at the top with a piece of ribbon.
