My craft tip is to stock up on any seasonal items that look versatile especially if it's 90% off or more. A little modpodge and floral paper flower accents changes the feel of the basket into spring/summer.
Easter basket - .39 cents, originally $3.99
Transparent giftwrap - .19 cents, originally $1.99
All the items inside the basket are items that I coupon. Estimate, I spent no more than $20 for everything when all the items inside would normally retail $85+.
Supplies:
Steps:
I want an idea on some things to place in a gift basket for someone to have in there hotel room, snacks, etc.
Betty from KY
Microwave popcorn, bottled water, tea bags, hot chocolate mix, coupons for hotel services, homemade cookies, refrigerator magnets with hotel logo and phone #, candles, champagne
Coffee singles and coffee creamer. How about a full size bar of soap? Those tiny things they give you in hotels are hard to handle. Magazines and paperback books.
Mints, gum, favorite candy bar or salty snack, small bottle of wine, bubble bath, coupon to local restaurant, piece of LOCAL collectable (as a souviner)
Depending onthe occasion--you can personalize it along that theme
Be sure to give personal items like shampoo, conditioner, lotion etc in small sample sizes. Also good are small packages of nuts, chocolate candy bars, chips or crackers. Shower caps and slippers are good too. Bottles of water go over well. Mostly these are things that are often forgotten when people pack. For the men don't forget shaving lotion and disposable shavers. And for out of towners include a copy of the daily newspaper.
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
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. If I really don't know what kind of gifts a person would like, I stick to food baskets, everyone likes food or they can share it with company during the holiday season. You could even use some of your recipes for gifts in a jar and other homemade mixes to add to the store bought snacks. I like zballongirl's idea about a movie night theme, you could buy a big "popcorn" bowl and fill it with the items instead of using a basket, and maybe add a gift certificate for a local video store if you don't know what kind of movies they like or don't want to go the added expense of buying DVDs. I hope that after you make your baskets you share some pictures with us to see your results!
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
If you run out of excelsior (or whatever that shredded stuff is called) for a gift basket you're putting together and don't want to make a trip to the store to buy more, try this.
Use a basket for this one. Put in a muffin pan, a whisk, muffin mix, mixing bowl, and pot holder. Put it in a pretty jar or seal-a-meal pouch and attach directions.
This page contains spring cleaning gift basket ideas. A spring cleaning gift basket can be a fun gift for a friend or neighbor.
A fun gift to give a friend or family member is a personalized Family Night basket. Include a movie, games, snacks, and more. If they have young children, consider a book. This page is about family night gift basket ideas.
