To begin, you should gather your supplies and basket stuffers. My favorite time of the year to do this is the day after Christmas. I go to the local shops that are itching to get rid of their holiday items and stock up. (This is my absolute favorite shopping day of the year!) You can find these things any time of year though and if you're creative, you might find great items already around the house.
You will need cellophane wrapping, basket filler (tissue paper, shredded paper, tinsel, or even the Sunday comics), a rubber band, wired ribbon, clear tape, and scissors.
There are a wealth of options available for your container. Of course, one of the most popular choices is a basket, but don't rule out flower pots, vases, mixing bowls, etc. Be creative and find a container that matches your theme.
One of the most important things about container choice is making sure that your basket looks full. You can help achieve this by use of decorative fillers, but starting with a container that is proportionate will make a big difference. In the photo above I only used a small notepad and Santa ornament, but the container made the fit look just right.
Now on to assembly tips! First, take the clear cellophane wrapping and position your container to that the short sides are on the left and right and you can unroll the wrap as you fit it to your container. I like to unroll enough wrap to have it go up the front and back and have about 6-8 inches that extends above your tallest basket stuffer.
Next, gather the wrap starting at each side and working towards the middle. A trick I learned here is to utilize a rubber band to secure the cellophane. It makes it much easier and more secure than trying to attach the decorative ribbon at this point and gives you more leeway to adjust a tweak the ribbon later. I gather my wrap pretty close to the top of the tallest basket stuffer to help hold things in place inside the basket.
You will find that your basket now has wings. This is a great time to reach in and adjust the contents to make sure everything is displayed just right. You may find that you need to secure your items together or to the container with a bit of tape here. Just reach inside and fuss. (Or add that one little thing you forgot like I always tend to do - such as the card!)
After that, simply fold and tape back the wings to the back of the container. One special note here is to make sure that you have clear tape. If you use the Scotch tape with satin finish it will jump right out at you off the cellophane and look rather tacky. You don't have to go out and buy a new roll of Scotch tape if you have packing tape around - just use that instead.
To complete the gift, use the ribbon to cover that rubber band and add a decorative touch. You can take creative liberties here too by using raffia, hair bows, and other items that coordinate with your theme. This is also a good place to tie on a gift tag if you don't want to require the recipient to open the gift to see who it's from (think baby and wedding showers) or add a baby rattle, holiday ornament, etc.
Finally, here are a few photos of some baskets I put together this year for the holidays. Happy gift giving!
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| This breakfast basket included homemade pancake mix, gourmet coffee and hot cocoa, a wire whisk, oven mitt, and recipes for unusual pancake ideas. |
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| A little holiday happiness basket for our family's $10 gift exchange included a snowman, painted spoon ornament, and Cake in a Cup mix) |
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| These baskets were made for some of our best friends and included coffee mugs, spiced tea, hot cocoa, and Cake in a Cup mixes. I also added some cuddly socks and little fun things for the kiddos. |
One last note! You can see the basket liners that I made in a couple of these photos. I found an incredibly easy tutorial for how to make these on YouTube. I also used the leftover fabric to make coasters that had cinnamon and cloves inside that smelled FABULOUS when your warm coffee mug sits on them. Here's the video!
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