The holiday season (aka gift-giving season) is in full swing. Sometimes we struggle to come up with gift ideas that are unique and personal, but I have an idea that you can customize for anyone on your list, a gift basket! Now I know what you may be thinking, “Gift basket?? That sounds like time and money”, but that isn’t true. Creating a gift basket doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. I’ll make sure to explain the steps to take to create a cute gift basket for anyone on your gift list and I’ll give you an example as well :)
- Pick a theme (and a color scheme)
- Picking a theme shouldn’t be a hard task. The theme you pick will depend on the person you’re giving the basket to. Think of their likes and interests and pick a theme you think that they will enjoy. It’s also helpful to choose a color scheme that’ll help make the basket look more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing. The colors you choose can be based on the favorite colors of the person you’re gifting to or based on the theme you chose. For example, if the theme of your basket is a sports team you might want the colors to be the colors of the team, but if the theme is relaxation and pampering then you can just do the favorite color of the person you’re giving the gift to. The color scheme will come in handy when it comes time to embellish the basket.
- Example: My best friend loves makeup and her favorite color is light pink. By choosing a makeup theme for my basket I can add things to the basket that have to do with that such as a palette, brushes, or even a gift card to Ulta or Sephora.
- Pick a ‘basket’
- A gift basket doesn’t literally have to be in a basket. You can find a cute wooden box or plastic bin, honestly anything that can hold your items. You have to make sure that whatever you chose is big enough to hold everything that you want to include in it.
- Example: Since my friend loves the color pink I can get a wooden box, which you can easily find at a craft store such as A.C. Moore or Michaels, and paint it a light shade of pink to go with the color scheme.
- Add something edible
- This step is pretty self-explanatory. We all love food and what better thing to add to a gift basket than a snack! You can add their favorite kind of candy or you can make a sweet treat yourself. If they don’t have a sweet tooth, but love hot Cheetos then add a bag of those instead. Again, it’s all about what they like and enjoy.
- Example: my best friend loves Oreos, so instead of giving her a pack of plain Oreos, I decided to make chocolate covered Oreos. It’s a super simple way of taking a normal treat and making it your own. I covered the Oreos in white chocolate and added some pink sprinkles to them to stay within the color scheme.
- Add something fuzzy
- I know this might sound a bit random, but what is better for the holidays than something fuzzy? You can add something big like a fuzzy blanket or sweater or something small like fuzzy socks or gloves. This will add an element of texture to your basket and who doesn’t love something fluffy?
- Example: sticking to the color scheme I found a cute pair of pink fuzzy socks for my friend and they were only $1 at Walgreens!
- Add embellishments
- Now this is when you make the basket look pretty. You can add ribbon, crinkled paper shreds, glitter, the choice is yours. This is all about adding details that will be pleasing to the eye. Remember to stay within the color scheme to make the basket super aesthetically pleasing. You may also choose to wrap the basket in clear cellophane wrap and tie it together with a ribbon to add the perfect finishing touch.
- Example: To embellish the gift basket for my friend I chose to add white crinkle paper shreds to the wooden box and then I wrapped the whole box in clear cellophane wrap and tied it together with a pink ribbon. Lastly, I curled the ends of the ribbon with scissors to finish it all off.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to making a gift basket, but I hope that these steps will help you get an idea of what to include. It’s all about including items that the person you’re making the basket for will enjoy. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it’s all about making something personal for someone that you care about.