How to Make Gift Baskets

 
It’s easy to learn how to make a bow. A big, beautiful, tied ribbon bow puts a perfect professional finishing touch on your gifts and gift baskets. And a hand-tied bow is always a perfect finish.  The florist’s bow has long been used in the floral and gift basket industry and for many years was somewhat of a trade secret.  Not anymore! And these ribbon bows will save money because they are cheap to make. 

Now with these easy instructions you can easily learn how to make and tie a small or big beautiful ribbon bow on every gift you buy or create and every gift basket you make.  You’ll save a lot of money too, because big bows are not cheap. You can buy a lot of ribbon with the money you save from making one big bow. You don’t need a bow maker, these are so simple to make.For colored bows, red ribbon bows are the most popular, followed by blue and yellow bows.  But use any color or pattern ribbon you like.  You can use silk, satin, velvet, wired or any type of ribbon.Now here are the instructions on how to make or tie a beautiful ribbon bow.First cut about eight to nine feet or so of ribbon.  Use any type of ribbon, any thickness. But at least one inch is best. Wired ribbon is easiest to work with. Experiment with different widths using cheap ribbon to get a feel for what works best.  Try the more expensive wire ribbon when you get proficient.Now, make a loop over your thumb to make the center of the bow.  If using thin ribbon use 2-3 times the length of your ribbon and make a larger number of loops, otherwise it’ll be flimsy. Tightly pinch the ribbon and twist it counterclockwise between your fingers and thumb.  The ribbon should have the right side (the side with the pattern, if any), facing out.Start from the top and work down. Make the loops in the ribbon the same size and return each time to the center.Slightly pinch and twist each loop under the original center loop and hold this stack with your thumb.  Make sure if there is a pattern on the ribbon that it’s facing out.The tail of the ribbon should come out the other side with each loop you make.Continue making loops until you’ve made a bow the size that you want.Now, twist a piece of wire around the center of the bow and wind it around tightly a few times.Twist the ends of the wire together behind the bow and leave enough so you can use it to attach the ribbon bow to a gift, gift basket, Christmas present, birthday present, bottle or any other object.Now pull, twist and fluff up your ribbon bow and you’re done!If you make a lot of bows you may want to seek out wholesale sources of ribbon.  You can find these on the Internet by typing in the words ‘wholesale ribbon.’Otherwise, you can find ribbon cheap at dollar-type stores.  Costco usually has great wired ribbon selections, especially around Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter and other holidays.Now, knowing this trade secret about how to make florist’s bows and with these instructions, you should be able to create, tie and make beautiful ribbon bows.Bows can be red, blue, or yellow.  They can be made of silk, satin, velvet, fabric or other something else.  They can be wired or not.Use your personalized bows on gift wrapping for your gifts, gift baskets, Christmas, presents, Christmas gifts, birthday presents, birthday gifts,  bottle gifts and for just about any kind of gift, gift basket or gift wrapped item. Copyright 2007

For more information on how to make gift baskets and how to start a gift basket business go to http://www.HowToMakeBeautifulGiftBaskets.com a website specializing in making gift baskets, gift basket business tips, help, blog, advice and resources including information on drop shipping gift baskets

by Helen Hecker 

Gift baskets are always popular and a great idea to give as a gift whether for Mother’s Day or any other time of the year. Moms love to receive gift baskets. Making your own gourmet ‘mom’ gift basket is cheap and easy.  You can fill your gift basket with a variety of inexpensive quality items; you have lots of choices.

  
I’ve put together a few great tips and ideas for making ‘mom’ gift baskets, complete with instructions on how to make them.  You can make inexpensive gift baskets or expensive gift baskets depending on your budget. You can easily customize each basket to your recipient.
First make a list of the mom’s hobbies and interests. List everything you can think of that might possibly pertain. 
Suggestions: sports, books, television shows, in-house hobbies,  outdoor recreation, camping, workshop, tools, golf, fishing, computer-related, environment friendly, golf, tennis, relaxation, food, chocolate, wine, spa, bath and body, fruit, cookie, etc.  These are just a few ideas.
You can find many inexpensive items or products for use in making your gift baskets or filling your gift baskets, at ‘dollar’ stores, craft stores, party stores, discount outlets, flea markets, close-out stores and even at garage sales providing the items are new, etc.
For gift containers you can use: any type of basket, wicker basket, straw basket, bucket, laundry basket, plastic container, purse, tin, seasonal container, large tea pot, large upside-down hat, red hat or plastic storage container-put lid underneath.
Other items or products: extra-large coffee mug, boot, potted plant holder, wire basket, large pasta bowl, large popcorn bowl, cooking pot, clay pot, colander, skillet, antique trunk, champagne bucket, hamper, Asian-style trunk or picnic basket.
For gift basket liner you can use:  tissue paper, shredded paper, shredded newspaper, tea towels, dish towels, hand towels, kitchen towels, colored towels, colored napkins, placemats, or fabric pieces.
For gift basket filler you can use:  shredded colored paper, straw, Easter basket grass, crumpled newspaper comics, a bed of wrapped chocolates or other wrapped candy.
For items in the container it’ll depend on the specialty or theme of the gift basket – in this case a mom. Here is a small random sampling to give you a few good ideas:
Gift certificate for massage or spa visit, scented oils, scented massage oils, gift certificate to favorite store, gift certificate for restaurant, loofah, fragrant candle, matches to light candles, CD of nature sounds, favorite artist CD, DVD of newer release movie, how-to video or CD, handwritten poem, perfume, cologne, watch, framed photo, inspirational book, spa pillows, bath pillows, spa supplies, bath and body products, facial and body scrubs, handmade soaps, fragrant soaps, shampoos, hand and foot lotion or fluffy towel.
 
Flavored teas, green tea, specialty tea, herbal tea,  biscotti, tea infuser, healthy snacks, fancy chocolates, boxed chocolates, chocolate bars, hot chocolate mix, specialty coffee mix, homemade cookies, homemade brownies, homemade jams, popcorn, caramel corn,  giant-size boxed candy, candy canes, suckers, lollipops, apple, pear, orange, persimmon, mango, papaya, chips, pretzels, nuts, gourmet pasta, gourmet olive oil, pre-packaged food items, pancake mixes, brownie mixes, cookie mixes, wooden spoons, your best chocolate chip cookie recipe, Italian recipes, Mexican food recipes or other ethnic recipes, coffee mug, or potholders.
Garden trowel or other garden tools, garden gloves, work gloves, cold weather gloves, leather gloves, garden picks, seeds, hand lotion, flower pot , small tools, gadgets,  playing cards, travel-size games, small puzzles,  t-shirt, tickets to events,
small plant, disposable camera, a small book,
Computer-related items, mouse pad, yarn, painting or artist supplies, golf balls, golf tees, golf knick knacks, tennis balls, tennis knick knacks, key chains, small calendars or desk calendars, barometer, outdoor thermometer, science gadgets, electronic gadgets, health-related items, auto-related items or cinnamon sticks.
For gift basket wrapping you can use tulle netting or better yet, cellophane wrap. If you’re going to use a lot of cellophane you can purchase it in large rolls wholesale through the packaging specialty stores throughout the U.S. but should be easily found in craft stores.
 
Tie off the wrapped basket with ribbon. Wired fabric ribbon is best if you have it.
For bows:  You can use pre-packaged bows but making your own bow is easy and a better presentation if you can do it. Use a huge beautiful bow.
Assemble all your gift basket items, the tools you need, etc. Now line your selected gift container. Then stuff the selected filler into the gift basket to give added height to your items. Place, layer and arrange your selected items on the filler in the gift container. Put the larger items in the back, the smaller items in front.
Fill in the holes or prop up with more filler (shredded paper, Easter basket grass, wrapped chocolates, napkins or holiday napkins etc.)
Also you can use ‘picks’ of artificial flowers to fill in small open spots. 
Place your cellophane or other wrap under the gift basket.  Center the gift basket on the wrap.  Bring the cellophane or other wrap over the top of the gift basket and tie it with ribbon and/or a beautiful bow! Use ribbon and bows to match your theme colors. 
Tuck a personalized card in the ribbon and that’s it!
General tips: You can find fabric or wired ribbon cheaply at Costco — especially in the fall prior to Christmas or around holidays but often throughout the year in most stores. You can shred colored paper in a paper shredder.
Try to use non-perishable items except, of course, when making fruit baskets. Use freshly packaged food items; packaged crackers and cookies can go stale in a couple of months.
You can find filler flower ‘picks’ at garage sales cheaply. If you buy ‘picks’ wholesale they are usually around a dollar each.
 
Try not to mix chocolate or other food fragrant items with non-food fragrant items in the same basket.
Also there’s nothing like learning how to make gift baskets from a video or DVD for making cheap and easy gift baskets. You can view it over and over again and share it with your children, other family members and friends. You can even charge for classes with your new-found knowledge and/or start a home based business if you so desire. In any event, making a gourmet mom gift basket can be cheap and easy.

For more information on how to make gift baskets and how to start a gift basket business, go to http://www.HowToMakeBeautifulGiftBaskets.com  a website specializing in making gift baskets, gift basket business tips, help, advice and resources including information on drop shipping gift baskets