by Heather Bernard

Created on: September 24, 2009   Last Updated: September 26, 2009

We all have those people we love but are totally baffled about when it comes to presents. Especially in this tough economy it is important to express your love in a touching but not budget busting way. Baskets are a wonderful way to express love and gratitude at birthdays, wedding, baby showers and even to clients. Let's face it, now is the time to really tell those loyal customers how much we appreciate them. It is usually repeat business that makes you or breaks you.

1.) Have a theme-This is where it gets really fun. Have a wedding shower coming up? Prepare a basket with all the ingredients of a meal and paste the recipe on the front of it. Have a baby shower? Pick up little items like diaper rash cream, burp rags, a few little toys, and then top it off with a certificate for a night of baby sitting. Another cute and really practical idea is a a movie themed basket (this is one of the most popular). Buy a large popcorn bowl(place newspaper in the bottom if necessary to showcase the goodies you are giving them) put a box of popcorn, fancy sodas, root beer mugs, movie theater candies, and a movie or DVD (If you want to be really fancy put a gift certificate to the movies in this). Have a special gardener you need a gift for? Get a wrapped garden hose and decorate the outside of the basket with it, fill the basket with seeds, mulch, and a fun wind chime. A cute sentimental birthday gift could include candy or popular items from their childhood. If you have a bigger budget you could get them one small item for every year(or ten years if they are older) of their life. Baskets are great for kids parties as well! Make a super hero kits, a dress up basket or animal themed basket for fun.

2.) Have a budget- This is actually the most crucial part of basket making! Don't get carried away and always have a general idea how much you want to spend before you go. One of the beautiful parts about giving baskets is it gives you the ability to be flexible in what you get. Always keep an open mind and keep an eye out for sales! Don't forget dollar store or local discount store and see what their specials are.

3.) Putting it all together- Okay one of the most difficult parts of making baskets is deciding what to kind of basket to use. Now there are many arts and crafts stores that sell all sorts of baskets of different sizes and shapes, so it is always best to buy your basket before you buy the goodies you want to put in it(it helps to know how much you have to buy). Keep an eye out for creative baskets to use as well! (sand buckets, vases, ) Make sure you stack the larger items in the back (add more newspaper to the bottom of your basket if you need more room) and then the smaller items up front. Now for the finishing touches, you can use cellophane (usually available at craft stores), or you can gift-wrap your basket (this tends to work well for kids baskets) and then top it off with a bow at the top!

Remember the more personalized the better and the more fun you have with it the more amazing they turn out!

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