Homemade
Gift Basket Ideas

Here are my homemade gift basket ideas and secrets I use to make stunning baskets while keeping costs down. If you are looking for a homemade gift basket idea, these tips will help you put together something beautiful! This page has the best general techniques and style hints I have found. The links take you to pages where you will find specific ideas for what items to put together, creative containers and theme related trimmings.

Secret #1
Save money by knowing where to shop - I like to shop at thrift stores. Garage sales can be good from time to time and discount/closeout stores have nice things also, but I can usually find the best prices with the least amount of effort at a thrift store. Most thrift stores have more baskets than they know what to do with and you can pick them up for a dollar or less. I can also find a wide variety of dishes, utensils, linens, scarves, tools, sports equipment - you name it. When I'm there I think of a theme, but I keep my eyes and mind open to alternatives. Often one special item I discover can take me in a whole new direction much better than planned. Save money by knowing when to shop - I like to shop garage sales during the middle of summer when everyone is getting rid of decorations to make room for new. I hit the department and discount stores the week after each major holiday and stock up on ribbon, seasonal foods, greenery and flowers. To me it is a treasure hunt!

Secret #2
Consider any container you find for a gift "basket" - I have used some of these: buckets, watering cans, large bowels, plastic storage containers, wash tubs, styrofoam or plastic cooler chests and insulated bags (you can give items that need to be refrigerated), cookie jars, mugs and pitchers, trays, trash cans, etc.

Secret #3
Turn an impersonal gift card or certificate into a personal and thoughtful gift by selecting a few inexpensive items to go with it. For example, I would give a video rental gift card with a bag of popcorn, drink mix, and small bag of candy in a large paper cup.
Click here to see other great homemade gift basket ideas like this!

Secret #4
If you own or have access to a paper shredder, you will have packing material in no time. You can mix red and green paper for Christmas or red, white and blue for July 4th. You can also fold paper into a fan and cut it into strips. You can use raffia or "grass" from a craft store. Other possibilities are peanuts or peanut shells (the real kind), tissue paper, saw dust, fabric, etc. The pros have a number of little tricks for making things stick where they want them. I use rubber bands, twist ties, hot glue gun, florist's foam, chunks of soft foam, newspaper balls, long thin sticks, and thin wire or a combination of all of these! You can buy clear or colored celophane for wrapping the entire basket. I like colored Reynolds Wrap for smaller baskets or for wrapping individual items.

If you need homemade gift basket ideas for anyone who likes food, click here:

Gourmet Holiday Gift Basket Ideas