Are you a little intimidated about making a great looking homemade gift basket? Are you stuck for some ideas to make a great homemade gift basket? You've come to the right place. I'll give you some tips and techniques, as well as ideas to create the perfect homemade gift basket.
When I first started making gift baskets, my end product didn't look as nice as the store bought variety. I couldn't get my products to stay put. I tried to have items in the back of the basket to be taller than the front, but they would slip down or turn sideways...it was a mess! Over the years, I've learned how to iron out those problems and I want to share some of those tips with you. When you can eliminate a lot of the trial and error, you'll be making great homemade gift baskets in no time.
You'll need to have a few supplies on hand: A container of some sort. It doesn't necessarily have to be a basket. It could be a tin container, a fabric covered basket, a hat box, or even a pair of shoes! Crazy, I know, but think about it. People love gift baskets because they have a variety of products in them and they can also re-use the container. A pair of shoes is a perfect reusable gift.
Cellophane wrap or shrink wrap. This can come in the form of bags, sheets, or on a roll. There are varieties that are colored or clear, or clear with a design on it. I like to keep several varieties on hand, and since I like to make gift baskets, I buy mine on a roll. I also really like to use shrink wrap because when you heat it, the wrap tightens up around your products and helps to hold them securely.
Filler. This can be colorful tissue paper, colorful shredded paper, brown wrapping paper, or straw for more rustic looking arrangements. I like to use all of the above, depending on the type of gift basket I'm putting together.
Ribbons and bows. This is pretty self-explanatory. There are so many varieties out there, but I especially recommend wired ribbon. It holds it's shape beautifully and is very forgiving for making bows, particularly if you're not an expert at it.
Scissors, tape or glue dots, dowel rods, and dry floral foam.
ASSEMBLING YOUR GREAT HOMEMADE GIFT BASKET
First, cut a piece of your cellophane or shrink wrap in a square or circle and place it under your container. You'll need to make sure it is an extra big piece to cover all of the items within the container. You can always cut off excess, but if there's not enough, you'll have to start again.
Take your container and put a small block of floral in the bottom. It's very easy to cut with a knife or with one blade of your scissors. Make the foam so that is as high as your container. Surround the foam with some of your filler, making sure to hide the foam.
Next, take the item that you want to stand tallest in the back and secure a dowel rod to the back of it with some tape. Make sure your dowel rod does not extend higher than the top of the object. For example, if you are using a packet of coffee as your highest object, have the dowel rod come to the upper middle of the back of the coffee packet. Put the other end of the dowel rod down into the floral foam. You can repeat this process, if necessary, for shorter items on either side of your tallest item.
Place the rest of your items into the container, arranging them so that each is as visible as possible. To keep each item in place, put a glue dot or piece of tape on each one, and tape it to the next item. Glue dots work really well for this, and they remove easily.
Once you have the items in place, gather your cellophane around the package and secure it at the top with some ribbon. Make sure it's tightly secured, then you can add a bow on top of the ribbon.
If you are using shrink wrap, use a blow dryer on a high heat setting and slowly go back and forth over the wrap. Don't hold the blow dryer too close, though. When the wrap cools, it will shrink up over your items and you will have just made a fabulous homemade gift basket!
I love to provide tips, techniques and resources for making the perfect homemade gift basket. I give details on specific themed baskets, as well as definitions for some of your supplies. For more information, check out my blog site: [http://greatgiftbasketideas.blogspot.com]
No comments:
Post a Comment