Gift Basket Ideas
Breakfast Basket - Fill a basket or a large juice pitcher with gourmet pancakes mixes, 2 or more gourmet coffees, jams, spatula, wooden spoon, mugs, maple syrup, maple candies, and your favorite breakfast recipes
Lovers' Basket - NOT just for newlyweds! :)) Include several scented candles, a cassette tape with romantic music, a good bottle of wine or brandy, two glasses, and a bottle of massage oil, some good chocolates, and a cardboard note to hang on the door that says "Do Not Disturb". Include a card with instructions to read "Close the door, turn off the phone. Enjoy together your precious time alone
Tea Time Basket - Include some interesting teas, and a small jar of honey. Add homemade jams or jellies with crackers or a small loaf of homemade bread and a copy of If Teacups Could Talk. Decorate with ribbon and an interesting kitchen utensil attached to the handle (a teaspoon or honey dipper perhaps...).
Gift for teacher - Fill a basket with fun pencils, "reward" toys, erasers, Post-It notepads, Award pads, etc. Decorate the basket with a "school" theme - instead of ribbon around the rim,glue on a row of pink erasers, alternating with some cute large plastic clips. Coffee Lover's Basket - Get a bunch of the small packets of flavored coffees for the coffee lover to sample. Add some chocolate dipped cinnamon sticks, butter cookies, a special coffee cup, a jar of homemade Hot Chocolate Mix. Dip a spoon in melted chocolate - allow it to harden, wrap in cellophane and tied w/ a pretty ribbon. Attach the spoon to the handle. (This is my favorite kind of basket... Can you tell I'm a coffee lover?)
Pamper Me" Bath Basket - Fill a basket with some homemade bath salts, lotions, etc.), along with lufa, scented candle, and a cardboard note to hang on the door that says "Pampering, Do Not Disturb
The Ultimate Chocolate Basket: A pkg of Hershey’s bars, triple fudge brownies, better than sex chocolate cake, red velvet torte, chocolate truffles, German chocolate brownies, 3 different types of fudge, chocolate syrup, yoo-hoo in the can, a few boxes of chocolate pudding, and chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate/fudge butter cookies, homemade hot cocoa powder and a box of cocoa krispies.
The Wearable Art Basket: An Ironing board cover, some iron ons. Fusible web, some pretty fabrics for appliqué, an assortment of fabric paints and pens. Rhinestone studs, and the metal studs, a box of Band-Aids and a candy bar.
The Baker's Basket: A recipe for something that you made that someone liked, along with all the premeasured ingredients (within reason) and a pack of recipe cards - perhaps a bottle of extract or some food coloring.<o:p>
You can turn any basket into a great special occasion gift - baskets with a personalized "theme" will always be a big hit. There are so many different ways to decorate a basket, there's really no limit to what you can do with a simple basket, some ribbon, and a few decorations.
Suggested Materials:
Wicker basket with handle
Hot glue gun
Ribbon
Dried or silk flowers, leaves, etc.
Thin wire
Wire cutters
Needle nose pliers
Stuff to put in the basket
Tips for decorating:
Use silk flowers for baskets to be used in a bathroom - they'll be less susceptible to water/moisture damage than dried flowers.
Decorate the basket with ribbon! Measure a length of ribbon to go around the lip of the basket. Twist it into a narrow rope and glue it around the rim. You can also wind matching ribbon around the handle, securing the ends with dabs of hot glue.
I like to buy silk flowers that have multiple stems and then separate them; snipping off to the lengths I want with wire cutters. Use wire to hold in place, and hot glue where needed.
Line the inside of the basket with plastic wrap, tissue, straw or colored confetti. Then fill the basket with stuff!
TEEN AGED GIRLS Find a small to medium sized basket and line with pink tissue paper or raffia grass. Buy a sampler pack of flavored lip glosses, powders, lotions, a makeup kit and a light sporty fragrance and artistically arrange. Don't forget bracelets, rings, watches, earrings, and necklaces. Wrap in colored cellophane and tie with a bow.
TEEN AGED BOYS Place a couple of their favorite c.d.s in the basket along with a pocket comb, cologne, and skin care products designed for males. <o:p> </o:p>
SMALLER CHILDREN
Using a medium sized basket, place a thin and soft blanket in as a liner. Select a couple of dolls, stuffed animals, cars, or whatever toys the child might enjoy inside. <o:p></o:p>
OLDER CHILDREN Big kids are wild about cartoon pencils and erasers, stickers and trading cards. Add small games (like a Game Boy along with accessories) and the latest Harry Potter book. <o:p></o:p>
BBQ FANSMake up a batch of your famous BBQ sauce and can it in a pretty jar. Add bags of chips, beer and/or cokes, homemade potato salad, and big soft cookies wrapped in colored cellophane. Line the basket with red gingham cloth napkins, and add a package of rolls and a can of baked beans. <o:p></o:p>
TEA OR COFFEE LOVERS Place gourmet tea or coffee in a basket along with cookies, tea cups or coffee mugs, pretty cloth napkins, and a ceramic tea pot (or coffee pot.) Add sugar cubes and flavored creamers. You could also include flavored syrups. If the person you are giving the gift to likes music or reading, throw in a c.d. or a novel.
FRUIT AND BREAD BASKETS Buy an assortment of various fruits and create a basket filled with fruits and nuts. Add homemade breads and rolls, or cookies, candies, or other goodies.
SWEETHEARTS A romantic gift idea would be to add sexy lingerie and massage oils into a basket. Include flowers, scented bubble bath, a soft jazzy c.d., candles and a bottle of champagne, along with two wine glasses.
ARTISTS How about creating a basket filled with art supplies? Include paint brushes, different types of paints, markers, pencils, and sketch books.
Football Fan -- For teenage boys, brothers, fathers and brothers-in-law! Fill a large bowl purchased at the dollar store with candy bars, bags of microwave popcorn, sodas, chips, dips, a favorite football flag or hat and a calendar of game days
Fisherman -- In a tackle box or fish bowl put hooks, bait, line, hot chocolate or sodas, trail mix, gloves, fishing magazines and a fish pillow.
Relaxing Basket -- Line a basket with a hand towel. Add a lavender candle, bath oil or bubble bath, bath salts, a favorite magazine or book, a poof and scented soap and a "Do Not Disturb" sign. (Make one out of a piece of cardboard
Coffee Lover -- In a basket, include flavored coffee packets, cinnamon sticks dipped in chocolate -- wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon -- cookie mix or cookies, flavored powdered creamer and a coffee cup
Baker's Delight -- Line a large mixing bowl with a dish towel. Add cookie mixes, hot chocolate mixes, brownie mix, muffin mix, a package of walnuts, measuring cups and pot holders
Ice Cream Lover -- Place tissue paper on the bottom of a basket. Add sundae dishes, an ice cream scoop, nuts, hot fudge sauce, butterscotch sauce, chocolate syrup, Maraschino cherries and a gift certificate for two half-gallons of ice cream
Soup Basket -- In a basket, stock pot or bean crock add large soup mugs, seven-bean soup, cornbread mix, cookie mix and oyster crackers wrapped in cellophane bags and tied with a ribbon
Nail Polish Basket -- In a pretty bucket or basket, add a variety of nail polish, emery boards, nail clippers, polish remover, cotton balls, hand cream, cuticle cream and a nail buffer
Family Night -- In a large bowl, add a puzzle or game, popcorn, candy bars, soda, hot chocolate mix and mugs
Cookie Delight -- In a basket lined with tissue paper, add two cookie mixes in cellophane bags or jars tied with ribbons, Russian Tea (also in a cellophane bag or small jar tied with ribbon), cookie cutters, a teacup and two pot holders
Dinner and a movie: box of pasta (this looks really nice if you buy the colorful pasta and put it in a mason jar, put a small piece of material over the top with a ribbon on the lid), jar of sauce, a jar of shaker cheese, could also include a clove of garlic or a shaker of Italian seasoning, a pasta spoon or wooden spoon with a ribbon tied on the handle, a pair of candles for romantic lighting, two cupcakes or a bag of gourmet cookies, and a gift certificate from the local movie rental place. This is also nice for new parents, as they won't be going out much in the next few months.
If anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear them...thanks Barbara
