Baskets Are Back! - Mitchell College

[Pages:3]Baskets Are Back!

Here are some basket ideas for inspiration...

Make a department gift basket so your group can choose the contents of the basket and tailor it to what people have on hand or are able to provide. The more people who go in on the basket, the more you can expand on your theme. Show your creativity by artfully arranging a basket of goodies.

Spa Basket People love baskets full of items meant for pampering themselves. Women may like scented soaps, bath oils and salts, facial cleansers, nail polish, lip glosses, body lotion or cosmetics. Men would enjoy soap on a rope, shaving gels, aftershave lotions, a shaving kit and extra razors. Baskets can also include fluffy washcloths and towels, incense or potpourri, scented candles, natural sea sponges, a pumice stone, a manicure kit, shampoo and conditioner.

Holiday Basket Christmas basket may include ornaments, candy canes, sugar cookies, ginger tea, seasonal figurines, candles, candle holders, seasonal flowers, wine, wine glasses, crackers and cheese, caviar, CD, DVD, Holiday Napkins, plates, cups, nuts, Nutcracker, cookies or baked goods, ornaments, Cheese ball or Sausage stick and crackers, tea lights or tapers, pine cones, Cinnamon sticks tied with red ribbon, Greenery - spruce, pine, cedar, holly, etc.

Movie Night Basket Instead of using a basket, cover a cardboard box with red and white striped paper to look like a popcorn box. Line the box with white or yellow tissue paper to look like "popcorn." Fill the box with DVDs, packages of microwave popcorn, flavored salts and boxes of candy. Fill in empty spaces with empty cardboard popcorn boxes. To make it a larger gift, include a popcorn maker with a bag of kernels and flavored oil. Toss in gift certificates to a local movie theater or a gift card to a movie-rental store. Wrap the basket in yellow or clear cellophane.

Candle Basket Use a basket with a thick weave, as candles can be heavy, and a thicker weave offers more support. Choose one dominant scent to build your basket theme around. For example, if you pick apple pie scent use red or scarlet tissue paper to line the basket. After lining the basket, add candles of various sizes, a candle lighter, a candle plate and a few decorative candle lids, which sit on top of the candles to make them burn evenly.

Baked Goods Basket Baked goods never go out of style. Nothing is more tempting than fresh-baked breads, cupcakes, cookies and muffins. Add a mug with some herbal teas or a jar of hot cocoa as a finishing touch.

Bath Basket Fill the basket with everything she'll need for a relaxing bath: fragrant soaps, bath salts, bubble bath, body wash, gel eye mask, bath pillow, puff ball, loofah, candles, body lotion, aroma therapy oils, body spray, soft towel, washcloths, pumice stone, back brush, relaxing music on CD, romance novel.

Coffee / Tea Drink Basket Assemble a basket full of gourmet coffees, mug, travel mug, creamer, flavored syrups, honey, miniature coffee grinder, spoon set and coasters. Hot teas, iced teas, mini tea cup and saucer, bag or loose tea, lemon, mugs, travel mug, DD gift card, etc.

Book Give a collection of reading materials. Choose a theme such as romance, mystery, history, or science fiction. Add a bookmark, book lamp, etc.

Sports Make a sports-themed basket for the sports enthusiast with different types of sports memorabilia.

Gardening Include bags of seeds to plant, gardening tools, small plant, book or magazine on gardening, gloves, tools, kneeling pad, watering can.

Baking Basket Use a large plastic mixing bowl, pan or mini-muffin pan. All Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Chocolate Chips, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a couple of recipes.

Kitchen or Space Saving Basket Use a laundry basket and fill it with Aluminum foil, Saran Wrap, GladWare, assorted sizes of zip lock bags, chip clips, things that people use every day.

Pasta Lovers Gift Basket Use a colander or bowl and put in Gourmet pasta & sauce, Tongs/pasta grabber, sun-dried tomatoes, Extra-virgin olive oil, Fancy olives, Spices: oregano, basil, garlic powder, Collection of your favorite pasta recipes hand-printed on recipe cards, Pasta cookbook.

Wine Lovers Basket Use a wine cooling bucket or basket and add wine glasses, wine, cheese and crackers, corkscrew, wine cork, coasters, wine glass tags.

Holiday Entertainment Basket Use a nice holiday basket and put in Holiday Napkins, Plates, Cups, Whole Mixed Nuts, Nutcracker, Cookies or baked goods, Holiday floral picks or ornaments for decorating, Cheese ball or Sausage stick and crackers.

Romantic Basket Use a gift basket and include romantic candles, massage oil, a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, and mints.

Breakfast Food Basket Include pancake or waffle mixes, maple syrup, jams, coffee beans, tea and mugs.

Cooking Basket Use red and white tissue paper. Add a cookbook or two, and use various kitchen utensils in the basket. The basket can be made for a specific kind of baking, like pastry or Chinese. Cater the items to that cuisine. Include a set of storage containers or bowls. A big-ticket item could be a type of pan or set of mixing bowls. Nonperishable ingredients, like baking powder or spices, could be included.

Beverage For a coffee lover, add various samples of coffee grounds and flavorings. Creative items include a miniature coffee grinder, spoon set and coasters. Use tea items for a tea-flavored basket, include a mini tea cup and saucer, bag or loose tea, flavored coffee, DD gift card, lemon, mugs, travel mug. Add a bag of marshmallows to a hot chocolate basket. For cocktails, add various mixes and shakers.

Below is some miscellaneous information that you might find helpful:

Gift Basket--Purchase a gift basket from the dollar store, resale shop, local craft store or Walmart. They come in different sizes. Choose a size that will fit all your products. You might want to wait to get your basket, bowl, pan or container until you have all the items you plan on including in it so you get the correct size. When finished placing items in the basket, wrap your basket with cellophane wrap and tie with curled ribbon.

Fillers -- Once you have obtained your items you can use the following as fillers: fabric, shredded paper, newspaper, colored paper, straw, Easter basket grass, tissue paper, Raffia, colored towels or cloth napkins.

Extra Items ? For any occasion add: Potpourri, Hot cider, special tea bags, special coffee or cocoa mixes, Mandarin oranges, tangerines, oranges or apples, unshelled nuts or packets of roasted nuts, wrapped candy or baked goods, small toys or puzzles, hand creams, lip gloss or Chapstick.

Finishing ? If you buy colored cellophane you can cover the entire container with it disguising what is inside. Tie a ribbon around the whole thing or paste a ribbon on top. Have fun!

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download