Decorating your Gift Basket
For starters, wrapping cellophane paper around the outside of the basket and everything that is contained inside is the best thing that anyone could do for a gift basket. Considering the fact that cellophane paper is just about the only way that gift baskets are ever wrapped you will probably be hard pressed to find anything else. Of course you can always use another type of shrink wrap paper underneath the cellophane plastic outer wrapping, but this is only usually done if the gift basket is filled with fruits or other awkward gifts.
The outside wrapping of the gift basket, though, is just the start of decorating the outside of the gift basket. There are so many other things that one can do in order to make the outside look pretty and creative. For starters, curling ribbons and taping them on the outside of the cellophane paper or other outer wrapping will add a creative and beautiful decoration to the outside of the gift basket. There are plenty of colors in which ribbons can be purchased as well so making good use of colors is also another tip if ribbons are going to be taped to the gift basket.
Of course you also don't want to forget about the loose ends of the wrapping paper, either. The top of the gift basket will more than likely need to be tied somehow and this is where some other use of the ribbons can be used. One suggestion that you have is to simply tie a small bow around the top of the cellophane or other wrapping paper of the gift basket, but another interesting thing to do would be to make the ribbon a very long one. You can either be creative and wrap it multiple times around the base of the gift basket or you can do another creative thing by attaching a helium balloon to the top of the gift basket as well!
One also doesn't want to forget about the gift tag that should go on a gift basket, either. Making sure that the recipient knows who the gift basket is from is very crucial. One can either by plain gift tags or they can even make their own at home! Altogether, though, all of these things are great suggestions if wanting to make the most out of decorating a gift basket!
Alternatives To Gift Baskets
When searching for the perfect gift for one of your family members or even one of your friends there is usually a whole lot of pressure to buy the right thing simply because you don't want to disappoint anyone. There are times when you just don't know what to buy, and everyone has those experiences as well. Some people choose to take their time when buying gifts while others like to get it done as quickly as possible. One route that many people take when they find that buying gifts is too difficult is to purchase gift baskets for their friends and families. Gift baskets can be good gifts for multiple reasons; one of them being that the recipient will receive a whole plethora of smaller gifts instead of one.
However, some people may consider gift baskets to be some of the most impersonal gifts they could ever get (even less so than cash!) just because it shows that the person who's buying it doesn't really know him or her at all. Of course, this doesn't go for gift baskets that have a theme running through them, like sports memorabilia and the like. But simply because gift baskets can be seen as impersonal means that if you aren't sure what to get for your close friends or family then maybe it's time to finally ask them what they've always wanted. Until you know that piece of information, though, here are some ideas to check out that can be used as alternatives to gift baskets:
Board Games
Unless you know the person really well and know that he or she doesn't like the thought of board games, buying a board game usually always is something that plenty of people enjoy. Whether it's buying a relatively older game with a new twist, such as a new version of Monopoly, or buying one of the latest games on the market that is also fun, such as Mad Gab, there are plenty of choices in retail stores that you'll have to make. Nevertheless, though, hopefully you can see how board games can be used as alternative gifts to gift baskets!
Gift Cards
Even though gift cards are essentially a trade of cash, buying gift cards for your friends and family can be a unique thing to do. Of course this requires knowing exactly where the recipient likes to shop, but these are the perfect alternative to a gift basket. Instead of putting your money into one large basket that may contain a bunch of things that your friends and family dislike, placing all of the money that you'd be spending on the individual on a store gift card is a great idea! Of course, you may just want to include a little bit more money on the gift card than you would have actually spent, but buying a gift cards is a great present for someone whom you don't know what to buy.
Of course, there are plenty of other perfect gifts that are great ideas and alternatives to gift baskets. Oftentimes gift baskets come in big, bulky packages anyway so buying something that is less cumbersome is a good idea!
Sending a Gift Basket College Care Package
Every year high school graduates go off to college with the intent of being all they can be and making their parents the most proud of them that they have ever been. College is an exciting time in many high school graduates' life, but the whole experience can also be really stressful as well. Because college and college courses are so much different from the way that high school was traditionally held there are some students who may feel frustrated, stressed, confused, and even sad by the time final exam week comes rolling around. If you are the parent of one of these college students, though, one suggestion that you may probably have heard about is sending gift basket college care packages to your college student.
Sending one of these gift baskets that are essentially care packages for your child will actually help him or her de-stress from the goings-on and the hustle and bustle of everyday college life. Here are some of the things that can be included in the gift basket for your teenager, though, and also some reasons why these care packages may help him or her at college:
Favorite Foods
There are plenty of businesses out there on the World Wide Web and in the real world that sell college care packages as gift baskets. With these gift baskets, though, come a whole lot of different food and candy products that you college student will love. Chances are that if the student is a typical college student then he or she will probably be eating Ramen noodles just about everyday. You're in luck, though, because there are also gift basket care packages that include Ramen Noodles. On the other hand, custom gift baskets that can be prepared by companies may include foods and candy that you specify!
Homesick Remedy
If you have ever sent your college student a gift basket care package then chances are that you have also gotten many thanks for doing so. The reason for this is, though, that many college students typically feel homesick after being left at college for weeks on end without seeing anyone familiar from their family or friends. Gift basket care packages, though, are a simple and fun reminder to those college students that want to see their family members and miss the smell and taste of their mother's home cooking!
Of course there are plenty of other options for making a gift basket care package for a college student as well. One option is to buy a pre-packaged gift basket from a gift basket company, but on the other hand a more creative way in which one can give a care package of this sort is to create the gift basket by themselves. This is also probably one of the things that will be more appreciated because the time was actually taken to include special things from home! Altogether, though, care packages in the form of gift baskets can be some of the best presents that college students ever receive while on campus!
Giving a Gift Basket for Christmas
Christmas time comes once every year, but the fact that it comes only once a year makes buying gifts for the people in your family and circle of friends all the more difficult. Many people feel a certain kind of pressure to buy just exactly the right type of perfect Christmas gift that they may actually become too caught up in the commercial side of Christmas. However, this is not to say that buying the right kind of Christmas gift isn't important, because it really is. But there are all sorts of things on the market that would make for a "perfect" Christmas gift that how are you supposed to choose? One option that you have that you may not have thought about before is buying a gift basket for that hard-to-buy person. Gift baskets can be a wonderful thing to buy, especially for a Christmas gift, and many people choose to do this each year.
Of course, pre-made Christmas gift baskets are not your only choice when looking into this type of gift. On the contrary, a good thing to add to this gift would be your own personality and style, so creating an actual gift basket is something that a lot of people choose to do as well! Even though you may have trouble deciding what to put in the gift basket, here are some ideas for future holiday gifts:
Breads
All sorts of people love a variety of breads and there are many types of holiday breads that you can fill your gift basket with. In addition, your whole gift basket could possibly be a variety bread basket, but chances are the person you're buying it or preparing it for will love it all the same. However, if you're going to make a variety gift basket filled with breads, like pumpkin or spice, one gift basket suggestion would be to actually fill the rest of the basket to the brim with other types of gifts.
Stocking stuffers
This is where small stocking stuffer gifts come in. Even though you may have the majority of the gift basket filled with breads to eat and enjoy, you may be left with a pretty empty void for the spaces in between. Stocking stuffers, such as lottery tickets, playing cards, pens, pencils, and other stationary gifts are perfect to put in your gift basket alongside the breads that have already been made!
Of course, there are many other choices that one has when creating their own gift basket and they're certainly not limited to stocking stuffers and breads for their holiday basket. However, these suggestions definitely are some of the better ones for your Christmas gift basket, but on the other hand you may also have other ideas for your friend or family member that you're buying for. If that's the case then one is always free to purchase a whole variety of other small gifts and put those in their gift baskets instead, but just remember that stocking stuffers and loaves of bread will usually always be well received as holiday gift baskets!
Giving the Perfect Wedding Gift Basket
Weddings are a happy time for everyone involved and the bride and the groom are probably ecstatic for the coming day to arrive so they can say "I Do" to each other! If you have ever attended a wedding, too, you will know that it is a truly joyous time for everyone seeing the couple getting married! When it comes to the wedding reception, though, many people have much more fun because they are able to unwind and relax. Gifts galore await the bride and the groom at the wedding reception and if you have ever purchased any sort of wedding gift then you have also probably spent countless hours trying to think of what to get the bride and the groom. If you have never thought of giving them a wedding gift basket, though, these can be awesome gifts for any couple.
There are all sorts of ways in which someone can be creative with their wedding gift basket as well. From making the actual basket by themselves to making sure that they put in everything special into the basket, wedding gift baskets are good presents to give that show your love and support.
A few of the good products that you may want to include with the wedding gift basket is bath products. Not only are bath products usually well received but there are a plethora of options out there as well. For example, bubble bath is actually something that many couples enjoy because they'll be able to use it whenever they feel like being intimate! If you are going to include bubble bath, though, a few of the other bath products that you must include are bath towels, wash cloths, and possibly even a few bars of soap.
Aside from bath products, though, there are plenty of other things to include with a wedding gift basket. For starters, how about putting in some things that they'll need for their kitchen? Unless one or both of them owns a house with a fully-stocked kitchen chances are that they'll need a few odds and ends to get them started. For example, spices and herbs, as well as coffee and teas are a good idea to include with the gift basket. Considering, however, that spices, herbs, coffees, and teas should not be the only thing in a wedding gift basket, you could even go a few steps further to include some cooking utensils that they'll probably need as well!
Many people might actually think that giving a gift basket to a couple who has just celebrated their wedding ceremony, though, is too impersonal and is also distasteful. On the contrary, though, if you put a lot of thought into how the gift basket will be presented and all of the products that you'll place in the gift basket yourself it can be a truly special gift to give to the two people in love! Furthermore, chances are that the wedding couple will receive duplicate gift items anyway, so this way creating a wedding gift basket will ensure that your gift is like no other gift they receive!
Do-It-Yourself Gift Baskets
The gift-giving season has many people scrambling to find the perfect gifts and presents for their loved ones, relatives, friends, business contacts, bosses, co-workers, employees, as well as for everyone else on the long list of people that presents have to be purchased for. Unfortunately the whole process of buying gifts when it comes to finding the right one is not always easy. There are some gifts that may be too expensive, too cheap, to gaudy, or to awkward to give that you may not know what to get at all. However, one gift that is always given every season by many people all over the globe is gift baskets.
On the other hand, there are still some gift baskets that may not be right for just everyone. Even though there are a plethora of gift basket companies on the market today that traditionally have their gift baskets setting out in grocery and retail stores across the nation, some of the so-called gifts that are included may be just a little weird to give to someone on your list. For this reason many people actually choose do-it-yourself gift baskets. These are the gift baskets that you can choose everything from the type of basket you give to what gifts are included with the gift.
When it comes to purchasing the actual gift basket part of the present there are hundreds of styles to choose from in boutique shops and retail stores in shopping malls and other places that you regularly go to. Of course another obvious option that you may have is to make your own gift basket. There are plenty of instructions for making your own gift basket that can be found online, and the directions range from the different types of material that is used all the way to creating unique shapes for the gift baskets as well!
After you've purchased the actual basket or made the basket it is then time to turn your attention towards filling it with gifts that are perfect for the person on your list to buy for. The gifts that go inside a gift basket don't have to be all that expensive at all either, which makes purchasing them all the more easier! A couple examples, though, of the gifts you may want to include in your do-it-yourself gift basket are gift cards, coffees, soaps, air fresheners, candies, accessories, as well as a variety of other smaller gifts that can be easily purchased in a retail department store!
Of course putting the finishing touches on the do-it-yourself gift basket is also good so that a bit of personality and style can be added to it, and even a colorful gift tag can be attached to the outside of the basket as well. But chances are that after you've finished the gift basket for your friends, family, co-workers, employers, and other people on your list and have carefully chosen each gift inside the basket yourself then they will love everything that they receive!
Gift Baskets: The Perfect Solution for Hard-to-buy-For Person
When it comes to the Christmas season there are many different ways that you can shop for the people on your list. You can either take a list with you everywhere you go of all the different things that people like or you can simply ask the people in your life straight out what they want for Christmas. There are all sorts of ways to find the best gifts for everyone on your list, although chances are that there may just be those hard-to-buy-for people in your life that won't be pleased with anything that you buy for them. If this is the case, however, you may just want to invest in a gift basket for that individual! Indeed, there is nothing wrong with buying a gift basket if you have searched high and low for the perfect gift for a specific individual, and here are some things to think about if you're going to rely on gift baskets as the perfect gift solution:
Remember the Individual
Even though gift baskets may be an easy product or gift to come across in a store, though, you definitely still want to remember the individual that you're buying for. Because there are so many types of gift baskets on the market today may mean that you actually have to think before you buy one. In other words, there are plenty of different themes and styles that a gift basket can come in.
From sports memorabilia, like specific football teams all the way to gift cooking utensil and cookbooks, just about anything can be crammed into a gift basket these days. So before you go just picking one random gift basket off the shelf from a store you must be sure to examine it to make sure that it's a good gift basket for the person that you're buying. Of course, many gift baskets will have generic-type of gifts, such as candies and other types of food, which are perfect for those people that are so hard to buy gifts for!
Add Your Own Touch!
Another thing to remember about buying and giving a gift basket is that you should definitely include your personality with the gift basket as well. In other words there are probably some things that you can do in order to liven up the outside of the gift basket. One idea to take along would be to purchase a greeting card and attach it somehow to the gift basket itself. The outside of the gift basket can even be decorated to your liking as well, or the whole basket can be wrapped in wrapping paper complete with a bow and gift tag! There are all sorts of ways to add your style, creativity, and personality to this gift you are giving.
These are two of the most important aspects of giving gift baskets away that one should remember. Adding your own touch to the gift basket for the person you love, as well as buying the perfect themed-gift basket are both very important ideas when it comes to buying a gift basket!
Creating a Birthday Gift Basket
Birthdays are those extra-special occasions where you want to buy the right gift for your family member, but sometimes even the right birthday gift won't tell the person how you feel about them and how happy you are to have them in your life. What many people choose to do if this scenario arises, though, is to buy or create a birthday gift basket. Birthday gift baskets are great gifts to give because not only will they offer a variety of gifts to your family member or friend, but it is a chance to give the person multiple gifts as one single gift rather than simply handing him or her a small, neatly wrapped present. Even though there is something unique about buying a small birthday gift, baskets that include a whole range of gifts are sometimes considered even better!
Nevertheless, you may even have trouble deciding what type of gifts to put in your birthday gift basket, right? If you're like most people (and chances you are) then you're probably thinking that no amount of gift baskets or no matter how large a gift basket is will make your present sufficient. This may be true, but on the other hand you must consider the fact that you should try to actually spoil the person that you're buying for. If you truly want to spoil the birthday boy or girl then getting him or her a bunch of different gifts is a good idea!
The First Step
The first thing that you should probably do is to actually buy a basket so that you can create the gift basket that you want to give for a birthday. Even though it may not really matter what type of basket you buy, you will have to make sure that all the gifts you buy does fit nicely within the whole basket itself. Of course you won't be wrapping the basket in birthday wrapping paper (or perhaps you will be) but you may actually wrap it in some sort of cellophane wrapping paper.
Buying the Gifts
Of course, naturally the next thing that you'll want to do is actually buy the birthday gifts that you'll want included with the birthday gift basket. There are plenty of different fun options for doing this, but the best way to go about buying birthday presents for the whole basket is to think about what your family member or friend likes and dislikes!
Decorating the Outside
After you have all the gifts purchased and the whole gift basket wrapped how you are going to present it then it may actually be a good idea to decorate the outside of the basket itself. You can decorate it with streamers, birthday curls made out of ribbons, balloons, as well as a variety of other decorations. Perhaps you can even include a couple birthday candles that are taped to the outside or somehow stuck on the outside of the gift basket. All in all, though creating birthday gift baskets doesn't have to be a chore, but many people love doing it!
Baby Shower Gift Baskets
When it comes to celebrating the birth of a baby the traditional thing to do would be to hold a baby shower for the pregnant women. Many people do this all over the world, and the baby shower is an important event because it includes pretty much every close friend and family member who is going to be a part of the baby's life in some way or another. But those who are having the baby shower can invite pretty much anyone that they want, however, many people have trouble finding the perfect give for the soon-to-be-mother.
An excellent gift for her and her unborn child, though, is a baby shower gift basket. There are plenty of ways to create the perfect baby shower gift basket and there are so many choices available that you'll probably have trouble deciding what to include and what to leave out of the gift basket. But here are some suggestions if a gift basket is what you're trying to create for the mother-to-be and her unborn boy or girl.
Baby Products
There are so many things that the mother is going to need right off the bat after the baby is born. Diapers are just one of those necessary items, although, diapers are also another frequently given gift. If you are going to include diapers in your gift basket, though, one suggestion for laying them out would be to line the inside border of the baby shower gift basket with diapers so that they are going all the way around.
A few of the other baby products that should be included are baby lotions, baby bath soap, baby wash cloths, and baby oils. All of these baby shower gifts are things that the mother will need for her baby when the little one arrives so preparing the mother with everything possible is a good idea!
Mother's Gifts
Of course you also don't want to leave out the mother when creating your baby shower gift basket. There are plenty of products that could be included for the mother-to-be, such as relaxation products that will help her to relax when she's worried about her pregnancy and the near-future birth. A few ideas to include would be stress balls, votive candles, as well as a variety of hot tea products. It may be also a good idea to include lotions and bath products for the mother as well. Lotions, such as stretch mark reduction cream, will definitely be much appreciated in the baby shower gift basket.
Simply put, there are many gifts and possibilities that one has when creating the perfect gift basket for a baby shower guest of honor. Chances are that no matter what you fill the gift basket with the mother will appreciate everything inside. Baby showers are the one event where creativity can show through, so you may just want to put on your thinking cap before going out to buy things to put in the baby shower gift basket in the first place!
Recycling Ideas for your Gift Basket
If you have ever been given a gift basket as a gift then chances are that you have also thought that it is too of an impersonal gift to receive, especially if it is not tailored to suit your needs and wants. However, many people simply buy generic gift baskets that are setting out in retail stores, department stores, and grocery stores in the hopes that they can give them to the certain people in their life that they have not bought a gift for yet. Even though you may not like the gift basket that was given to you there are actually several things you can do in order to recycle the gift basket instead of throwing it out.
Giving the Gift Basket Away
Chances are that if you're not too fond of gift baskets in the first place then you'll be at a loss for what to do after everything in the gift basket is all gone. However, instead of letting the basket sit around the house for days, months, and years on end then a great way to recycle it is to give it away to another friend or family relative. Of course before you do so you can always fill the gift basket with plenty of goodies, but chances are that the gift will be well received if the gift basket is given from the heart with products and things that you included yourself.
Gift Basket Centerpiece
Another creative way that your gift basket can be recycled is by making it a centerpiece for your dining room table or another part of your house! You may not have thought about buying a centerpiece before you were actually given the gift basket, so considering the fact that you thought previously that it was an impersonal gift, perhaps making it a centerpiece will make up for that ugly thought. Of course just placing the gift basket in the center of the table is not sufficient enough, but filling the basket to the brim full of goodies is a great idea to use. For example, many people like the smell of potpourri and the sweet-smelling potpourri can be a good way to fill the basket instead of just getting rid of it.
Fruit Baskets
One of the traditional ways that gift baskets sometimes are given away actually involves the fruit that many people enjoy. If you frequently have guests over to your house, though, one suggestion would be to constantly fill the gift basket with fruits and place it out in the open so that it will be readily accessible for all the friends and family members that you have stop by the house. Oranges, apples, and pears are just some of the great tasting fruits to fill your basket with, but there plenty of other options as well.
All in all, making your house look more beautiful or re-gifting the gift basket that you receive are two wonderful ways to make use of the gift basket you were originally given as a gift!
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