Gift Baskets are Perfect Gifts for any Occasion: Tips for Making Great Gift Baskets

The very idea of receiving a goodie bag filled with multiple presents is enough to make anyone's day. Gift baskets are so versatile that are not only great for all your big celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, you can create categories that others wouldn't have even thought of! Little sister starting college next month? Make her a hamper with stationary, cool tees and a poster. Want to thank your husband for assembling your new display cabinet? Put together small treats and his favourite snacks with a little handwritten note.

The possibilities are endless. The wonderful part is that making a gift hamper can be as exciting as receiving one. They come in very handy if selecting a single present is becoming somewhat of a challenge. Choosing smaller gifts is easier than buying one gift and if it's for a loved one then it's so much more fun giving them lots of presents.

Ready gift baskets and hampers are available in many stores and there are loads of options online as well but these often have limited choices and are often based on broad categories like birthdays or Valentine's Day. Making a gift basket yourself is so much more personal, and once you've got the taste for it you may not want to give any other kind of present.

Just like having a theme makes it so much easier to plan a party, the same applies to a gift basket. You can always pick random gifts and put them together in some sort of container but a theme will help focus your efforts and make it simpler to decorate it too. If you haven't already bought the gifts, having a theme will simplify the shopping process as well. For example, if you're putting together a gift basket for a friend's birthday and she likes to cook, making a hamper can become a challenge without a theme - how will you decide what kind of presents to put inside? You can settle on something like baking, or Thai food or exotic spices to center your gifts on.

This is the obvious next step, but while shopping keep your theme in mind and also how you could adapt one of the gifts to serve as a 'basket' for the other presents. A gift basket doesn't necessarily have to be inside a basket, it can be literally anything you like. Use a rolled up towel to secure gifts for a spa themed hamper, a baking pot for cooking essentials or a large coffee mug for stationary items. Be as creative as you can.

Use a mix of products ranging from small to big, things which aren't exactly related to your theme but will complement them nicely. A gift hamper for a book lover can have books, bookmarks, cozy socks, even a mug for coffee and some cookies to provide a complete experience. Try have some sort of idea about the presentation of your gift basket while shopping because a gift must also look good. You have everything you need for a basket for a coffee lover but the colours are kind of dull? Throw in a small brightly coloured journal or a book of coffee related quotes to balance it out.

After you have everything you need, arrange the contents in a visually appealing way. If your purchases don't quite come together the way you had in mind, you may need a few filler gifts or change the container. Take inspiration and help from the umpteen ideas for gift baskets available online.

Your gift must survive the trip from your home to the receiver's hands so it must not tip over, dismantle or end up looking like a pile of mess in any way so check to see if everything sits well. Start by placing the big items in the basket, taller items must go at the back, smaller in front, and items you want displayed prominently must be easily visible. Finish with the smaller items, use fillers such as candy or chocolate, flowers, stationary or notebooks to fill up empty space. These are inexpensive and will hardly affect your gift budget.

Does your gift look nice after arranging everything or could it do with some finishing touches? Wrapping the whole thing in clear cellophane paper is one way to go about it but it's kind of an old fashioned technique that mostly store bought gifts use and it doesn't look good with most things. Use ribbons, flowers, washi tape, coloured paper or sheets of clear wrapping with cute prints, or use the contents in a decorative manner.

If you're going for the whole store-like wrapped present then use any creative way to wrap it but since this is a homemade gift, personal touches like a handwritten note or tag will be more suitable. Tuck a few flowers inside, make an origami figure or bring it together with a piece of twine; the rustic handmade look will look far nicer. Make your gift look as appealing as you can so the receiver can't wait to see what's inside.

Use a sturdy wicker or cane basket, woven, cord or papier-mâché basket to arrange all the gifts. The size will depend on the size and number of gifts you have and must be sturdy enough to take the weight of all the items. You can even the basket entirely and use one of your gift components to hold the other items - a dish, bowl, mug, bucket, casserole - anything that fits with the theme of the gift basket.

Before you begin, arrange everything you will need, choose a big, clutter free workspace and collect all your gift items. Keep things like scissors, coloured tissue paper, glue, rubber bands, twine, scotch tape, ribbons and a permanent marker close at hand. If the container, base, or basket is low and you have gifts that are much taller in comparison you can glue a few items together, tie them up or use wooden skewers to prop them up; and you may need an extra pair of hands so have a helper ready to assist you when needed.

Start with the biggest item on your gift list and place in the center, everything else will be arranged around this. Place the bigger, taller items at the back, smaller in front. Ensure all the items are front facing and no labels or price tags are visible. It may take a few attempts and rearranging things before you like how it looks. Here on you will have to go by your own judgement, much like arranging flowers. Use soft items as fillers to fil in gaps, or use tissue paper.

Once all the gift items have gone in and you're satisfied with the arrangement, give it careful lookover. Are there gaps that would be better filled or covered? This is where filler gifts like flower, candy, chocolate, snacks and small soft toys come in. When everything is in place lift and move the basket to see if looks fine from different angles, if everything is stable inside or if certain items need to be secured better.

Do you have glass jars and bottles and other fragile items in your gift basket that need cushioning? Or do you many small items like individual packs of candy, chocolate and snacks that need to be propped up to be better displayed? The solution lies in items like shredded paper, flower bases and bamboo skewers.

Line the basket or container with plenty of paper to provide sufficient cushioning for glass items. Make sure it is insulated from other items with soft items. If there are many glass items first check if they are sturdy enough to be placed directly in the basket or they would be better off within their individula packaging. Jars of food items like jams, coffee and condiments are usually quite sturdy and can be lined up next to each other. Keep them fixed in place with pieces of styrofoam of shredded paper so they do not move around and clink against each other.

Smaller gift items can be glued or taped to bamboo skewers and secured to a piece of flower base placed at the bottom of the container. This works with taller containers, jars and vases or baskets. Using paper or tissue to keep the skewers in place will not work and they will fall limp after a while, so use flower base or a similar stiff material that can keep the individual skewers upright.