Making Homemade Gift Baskets

If you have decided that making homemade gift baskets will be part of your holiday gift giving this year here are a few guidelines to help you get started:

1.Plan, plan and plan some more! The key to successfully making homemade Christmas gift baskets (especially if you are making more than one) is to have a plan. Map out what you want to do for each gift basket, what to include and how much you want to spend. That way you won’t end up with a gift basket that only has two small items and another basket that was supposed to cost $20 that ended up costing $80.

2.Shop the sales. Once you have a list of what you want to include in your gift baskets that allows you to shop the sales. By planning ahead you might be able to find that perfect item or items for your gift baskets at much lower than you budgeted for. In addition you might have your creativity sparked by finding something at a great price that just might make your gift basket just that much more special!

3.Plan your time! While the majority of your time might be taken up in the shopping or making of the items for your gift basket do not forget to set aside enough time to put your baskets together. After all your careful planning, shopping and designing you do not want to find yourself simply throwing your gift baskets together at the last minute. Many people find that a wonderful holiday tradition can be established by gathering family and friends together to help assemble gift baskets.

Now that you have a plan, are shopping the sales and have your time set to put the baskets together, here are some ideas for gift baskets:

For the Italian food lover-

In a colorful colander (pasta strainer) put the following things

•A bag of artisan pasta
•A jar of gourmet pasta sauce
•A micro grater for parmesan cheese
•A pasta spoon
•A cookbook of Italian recipes

Dress it up with some colorful checked napkins and pasta bowls!

For the spa lover-

In a beautiful, waterproof container (so it can be kept near the tub) put the following things

•An aromatherapy candle
•Hand milled soaps
•Scented lotion and body wash
•A loofah and pedicure brush
•Pedicure tools and lotions
•A favorite color of nail polish

Dress it up with a gift certificate to nearby spa!