How to Make Gift Baskets
by Alexa
Gift baskets, whether they’re candy gift baskets or another gift basket, can be a simple yet elegant solution for most gift-giving situations. While some people might feel intimidated by the prospect of articulating an aesthetically pleasing presentation, you really shouldn’t be. Anyone can learn how to make gift baskets.
By adhering to a solid foundation of design principles and by considering a few simple tips, you can put together a beautiful and thoughtful gift basket for anyone on any occasion, whether you need cookie gift baskets filled with treats or a wine gift basket.
Don’t feel restricted by some traditional notion of a gift basket. You can use any kind of container — not just a classic basket — and you can fit all sorts of goodies into those containers. You can be perfectly successful with a traditional approach, but don’t be afraid to think outside the basket (bad pun fully intended). Sometimes gift baskets for men and gift baskets for women require different approaches and different presentations.
So let’s get started making gift baskets.
Materials You May Require to Create Your Gift Basket
- A basket or appropriate container for your chosen theme (see below for both container ideas and theme ideas).
- About 3 Yards of ribbon or a pre-made bow.
- Cellophane – I suggest a 2 yard or 2 meter roll, but if your ambition aims higher, be sure you have enough cellophane on hand to wrap it up. You should also consider whether you’ll want clear or colored cellophane to match your theme.
- A gift tag, preferably one that can be attached in a number of ways. In other words, don’t just go with a sticker gift tag unless you already know exactly how you’ll work it into your final basket presentation.
- I suggest having both a couple twist ties and a few rubber bands handy to help you gather portions of your inserted gifts as well as for gathering the cellophane wrap to finish your basket off.
- A roll of standard gift-wrapping tape would be a good idea as well. It may not be necessary in all cases, but it can help in a number of areas, including securing the arrangement of your gifts within the basket.
- Your gifts! Of course, have everything you intend to put in the basket on hand already when you begin assembling your gift basket. And of course, given my obvious fondness for candy gift baskets, I personally think just about any gift can use a little candy!
Determine Your Gift Basket Theme And Select An Appropriate Basket
- Think about the individual’s personality and interests. What makes him or her tick? What lights up his or her eyes? Is she the sort whose heart melts at the sight of chocolate gift baskets? Learning how to make a gift basket is about learning how to appeal to your subject’s sensibilities.
- A tight theme can really bring more character to a gift basket. Would a certain movie strike a chord with your lucky recipient? Would a favorite musical artist elicit his or her joy? Would a sea-oriented theme soothe him or her or would a brightly colored sports theme work best?
- When you consider a theme, consider what gifts that theme might entail.
- Remember to think outside the basket!
- For more mature folks, you could consider a rustic theme with a metal bucket, you could utilize a lovely bit of pottery or you could just use a nice big, strong bowl.
- For the children you might consider a toy dump truck or some brightly colored sand buckets.
- Did you have a type of basket in mind when you started? Do you want it to be bucket-style or do you want one with a handle? Remember to pick one with appropriate color, style and size for the theme you’ve chosen. You should also consider the depth of the basket and how your selected theme and gifts will work with that depth.
Select And Buy Your Gift Basket Gifts
- Now that you’ve chosen your theme and basket, it’s time to brainstorm ideas for gifts that will both fit the theme and fit nicely into your chosen container.
- Try to go with a variety; if you can, you want both items that will sit tight within the basket and items that will rise above the rest of the arrangement and flow outwards for greater spacial diversity and interest.
- If you struggle to come up with ideas for your theme, just sit down and write a list of related items. Don’t stress about it! Just write down whatever pops into your head. You’d be surprised how handy a good brainstorming session can be. You can always toss aside the silly, useless ideas; I assure you some great ones will slip into your list if you give it a chance!
How to Arrange And Assemble Your Gift Basket
- A common trick of the basket-making trade is to use packing peanuts for a foundation beneath the gifts. For most baskets, you want the illusion of a bountiful of goods pouring out of the basket into the gift recipient’s arms. This packing peanut foundation lifts and exposes all the goodies for the presentation.
- Over the packing peanuts, affix a distinct layer of tissue paper, some nice cloth (an elegant cloth napkin will do just fine) or a gift bag. Remember to slightly overfill the basket as in most cases the gift basket contents will eventually weigh down the peanuts and sink further into the basket.
- Start inserting your goodies (you remembered the candy, right? *wink* ). I suggest placing the tallest and largest gifts towards the center and back. Remember to consider both appearance and weight when achieving balance.
- This is where the tape, rubber bands and twist ties might help: Use them to hold specific parts of your arrangement in place. The way a couple of items sit together might be pivotal to the basket’s appearance, so don’t be afraid to tape them up.
- You might also anchor everything by taping them to the handle or to the edge of the container. You can also kind of hold some parts in place by sinking them a little into the peanuts.
- Speaking of securing, you’ll want to secure any possible breakable items.
- One thing that can add more character to a basket than you realize is the balance of small and large items. I usually keep large items center and back, medium-sized items towards the edges, and then slip the smaller items between.
- At this point, what tiny items can really finish it off? How about an elegant wrapped candy or two, a pine cone or a silk flower? Such items add surprising grace notes that really give the basket distinction.
How to Wrap It Up
- Place a generous amount of the cellophane (most baskets require about 2 meters/yards) on a large, flat surface with the side you want facing outwards from the center of the basket faced down on the surface.
- Place your beautiful new gift basket right in the middle.
- Now gather the cellophane upwards, starting with the short sides then moving to the long sides.
- Pull them up and above the gift basket then either secure the cellophane with a rubber band or tie them with a twist tie.
- At this point you can attach a pre-made bow or add your own ribbon and bow. I like some nice tails from the ribbon to add a little grace.
- Now tie or tape your gift tag.
- Keep the cellophane use simple. Don’t try to perfect it, but rather let it create a nice set of folds and shapes by itself.
I hope this helps you learn how to make gift baskets. The important part is to not feel intimidated by the process and to try to enjoy your gift basket’s creation. Your creativity will flow with your confidence and your enjoyment will radiate from your beautiful new gift basket.