by Nikki-AC

Created on: June 17, 2009

Mother's Day is a very special time of year in which we honor and celebrate the special woman in our life that either gave us life or has been like a mother to us. One of my favorite presents to give my mom is a gift basket. Mother's Day gift baskets are fun to make, they can be tailored to suit the personality of the recipient, and allow you to showcase your creativity. They are also a good craft project to let the kid's help with.

To get started, choose a color scheme to suit Mom's personality and taste. Mix and match different hues and tints of her favorite shade. Keep the overall color scheme in mind when choosing shredded tissue paper, balloons, and ribbons. You can also incorporate different shades and variations of the color scheme when picking out gift items.

Next, you need to select a container to hold the gift items. You can use the standard wire or wicker basket in a standard oval or round shape or find one that is heart shaped. Other options for a holder could be a cute wastebasket, sturdy laundry basket, milk crate, or a nice piece of luggage. Before picking a container to hold the contents, consider the size, shape, and number of items you will be putting into the holder. Just make sure the size of the receptacle is large enough to accommodate the size and shape of the contents.

Now comes the fun part - shopping for items to fill the basket. There is no end to the list of goodies you can stuff into a mother's day gift basket. Lip balm, sunscreen, writing pens, sunglasses, glasses case, key chain, photo frame, first aid kit, flashlight, batteries, magazine subscription, pantyhose, perfume, jewelry, lotion, candles, packets of seeds, packets of tea or cocoa, coffee mug, journal, book of poetry, romance novels, throw blanket, candy, subscription to a fruit of the month club, small household tool set, postage stamps, books on gardening or home decorating, gardening gloves, music CD's, home video's of family memories, collage of family photographs, personalized stationary, gift cards, gas cards, car air freshener, or the always popular cold hard cash.

Once you decide on the container, color scheme, and gift items, it's time to assemble the basket. All you do is arrange everything neatly inside the container to create an attractive display. If you have a lot of bulky, heavy, or odd shaped items, you might need to use double-sided sticky tape to keep things from shifting around and possibly falling out. Shredded paper or tissue paper make good filler material for any empty spots and will add a festive touch as well. Finish it all off with some colorful ribbon or balloons and a card.

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