You might want a traditional woven wicker basket, but there are other options. An Easter bonnet or sports helmet, a colorful serving bowl, even a catcher’s mitt can hold gifts – and may be more welcome and useful to the person receiving your gift. Create a handle or carrying cradle to round out the basket metaphor for whichever container you use.

The standard plastic grass is always available. You can find paper confetti and grass that are more elegant at many craft stores, or create your own with a paper shredder. A soft Spanish moss is quite elegant; colored sand may be a fun touch in sports-themed baskets. Fluffy bath scrubbies, a nest of colorful tissue paper, or colored potpourri provide other options for holding your gifts. The basket grass should coordinate with the container and the theme, and may actually be part of the gift itself.

An Easter gift basket would not seem right without chocolate, jelly beans, and an Easter egg. Even here, you can be creative. Jelly beans come in a variety of styles and flavors. Chocolatiers sell high-quality chocolate molded into flowers, cars, sports figures, dogs or cats, and more: why settle for the commonplace bunny? In addition to dyed or chocolate Easter eggs, consider soaps and bath products or beautifully smooth stone paperweights in the shape of an egg, or painted Russian eggs.

Golf aficionados will be surprised – and pleased – with golf-ball “eggs” in their basket. Complement these basic components according to your selected theme. Add colorful golf tees to complement the round white eggs, bath salts with soaps, kitchen accessories, and other colorful elements. Add seasonal fruit if the recipient is health-conscious, or consider other items that would be especially meaningful to that person.

If your Easter gift basket is designed to promote a business or service, make sure that it is included in the theme – but don’t overpower the beauty of the basket with the message. Use a variety of locally-produced items when sending an Easter basket as a care package to someone far away.

Regardless of your previous experience, a visit to the craft department is sure to give you dozens of ideas for moving beyond the basic Easter basket. You will have a world of fun creating unique and interesting gifts which are sure to please those who receive them.

To make your own basket, you will need to purchase some gift basket supplies. Let’s start with your gift container. A gift basket can be made out of any container. You can use wicker baskets, wood crates, wood baskets, metal tins, plastic pails, wire baskets or photo boxes. You basket can be made out of plastic, metal or any other materials. They may have a handle or not.

You can also use gift boxes with or without handles. Some even uses gift bags, stiff plastic ones, paper gift bags, muslin bags or metallic bags. No matter what kind you’d want, you will have a lot to choose from. All these come in different sizes and colors. If you’ve been receiving gift baskets before, you can even re-use these old gifts. If you do not have any container available in your home, be sure to buy all other supplies before buying your container so that you will know which size is most appropriate.

Next you’ll need fillers. Fillers are the stuff found at the basket’s bottom that acts as the base, which raises the gifts. They are also used for filling spaces in between the gifts to prevent the gifts from moving around. You can use tissue paper as filler — tissue paper comes in sheets and different colors. You can also use newspaper as the base filler, just be sure to cover it with a layer of thin tissue since the ink from newspapers can rub off. Often used fillers are shredded papers. There are also fillers made of heavier paper shreds, cellophane shreds, wood shreds, tissue paper shreds and metallic shreds. You can also use straws or fabrics as fillers.

Next supplies you’ll need are wraps. Most common wraps are made from cellophane. Cellophane comes in assorted colors, tints and prints. If you’re making a food gift basket, be sure to use FDA-approved cellophane. You can also use shrink-wraps. These are films of transparent plastic that is used to wrap the basket then when heat is applied to it; it will shrink to create a snug-fitting seal. This too comes in assorted colors and tints. Another wrap you can use are tulle netting. This is sheer and fine and is the same netting that is often used in veils.

To complete your gift basket, you’ll need to buy your gifts. You can put anything in your gift basket. Food, candles, clothes, potpourri or any personal item you’d want to give the receiver. To beautify your gift basket, you’ll need to buy bows and ribbons. These can be bought in any craft shop. They come in an assortment of colors, sizes and textures. You can also buy any more adornments. Lastly, be sure to buy your enclosure cards. This is where you write your wishes for the person receiving your gift basket and of course your name. So go now and have fun making your gift basket.

Items to include are:
Small stuffed animals
Rattles
Mobiles
Learning toys
Diapers
Fluffy blanket
Receiving blankets
Bibs
Baby cup
Bath toys
Softer balls
Teething toys
Musical toys
Sleepers
Bath lotion
Baby powder
Baby utensils
Baby dish
Baby bowl
Child’s sunscreen
Child’s pool toys

These are just a few ideas that you can use to create a beautiful gift basket for a baby boy. Start buying items head of time so you can find the best selections at the best prices.

First, start with a wicker basket. They come on many shapes and sizes. If you have a budget, keep that in mind as you select your basket. The bigger it is, the more items you’ll need to fill it with. If you have a can of spray paint around your house, you can use it to give the basket some color. Next, line it with a pretty cloth napkin or a piece of material. This will keep the bottom of the basket nice and smooth looking. Use one large enough that some of the edges hang over the edge of the basket.

Now comes the fun part! Think about what that person likes to do. Do they have a hobby or interest? Is there a certain sport they like or a team they are a fan of? Do they like a specific color? These are the questions you’ll need to ask yourself before you purchase anything for the basket.

You can wrap some, or all, of the items individually if you choose before placing them into the gift basket. Try to arrange them in an interesting way and be sure that smaller items don’t get lost in the bottom. You can top it off with some cellophane or just a nice big bow on the basket handle.

There you have it! An easy gift that can meet any budget.

Start with a wicker basket. You can find gift basket supplies at most craft stores and you may even have luck finding a like-new basket at a thrift shop for very little money.

Spray paint the basket red for an extra touch. Check your paint supply before you purchase a new can because you won’t need much.

Use some material, a cloth napkin or a handkerchief to line the bottom. Try to have one large enough to hang over the sides. If you’re using a solid color, try white – it will look nice with the red. You can also try to use a pattern with hearts on it. Don’t use anything to feminine though, remember it’s for a man.

Now for the fillings! You’ll want something romantic, but also items that are personal for their likes and hobbies. If they enjoy movies, buy a romantic comedy on DVD. If they like reading, buy a book of love poems. Do they work on a computer? Purchase a specially made screen saver with your picture on it, surrounded by hearts. You can get it downloaded to a CD that you can add to the basket. Think of what they like to do and how you can turn it into something romantic. A little imagination goes a long way!!

Next, go to your favorite bakery and pick up some Valentine Day cookies. Try to get a nice assortment. For the final empty spots, you can use candy. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding Valentine candy in single servings that you can tuck in where ever it needs to be filled. You can also pick up little Valentine trinkets like a keychain or a mug to include in the basket.

Also – this basket can be easily adjusted for a woman.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Start with a wicker basket. There are many shapes and sizes to you to choose from. Spray paint them green, red, silver or gold. See if you have any of these colors on hand before you buy them Use what you have first.

Find a complimentary color cloth napkin to line the bottom.  For a red basket, silver is nice and visa versa. I like the green and gold combination also. Try to find a large one so the corners hang over the edge of the basket.

Start filling it with Christmas items. Christmas ornaments are a great item to use in a gift basket like this. Look for Christmas mugs, pencils, pot holders, dish towels, trinkets, pins and other assorted items to give your basket a festive look. These items don’t have to be expensive.

Nest, think about the person you’re giving the gift basket to. What do they enjoy doing? What are their hobbies? Do they have a favorite movie, place or sport? Use what you know to fill the rest of the basket with items just for them.

If they enjoy camping, add in a new flashlight and some warm socks.
If they like cars, pick up the latest issue of a car magazine and a new key ring.
A bird watcher may like a pair of binoculars and a field guide.
An ice cream lover may appreciate an ice cream scoop and some new ice cream bowls.
If they play the lottery add some lottery tickets, a few interesting looking pencils and some special coins to use for scratching the tickets.

Last, fill in the empty spots with some Christmas candy. Tuck in a few candy canes and some chocolate here and there. Some Christmas cookies would also be a welcomed treat.

Happy Holidays!