Anyone can do it, and for any mom or family on a budget you can do this within a reasonable price. I made two this year. One for my parents and one for my husbands mother and grandmother. I only wish I had gotten shots of the first basket. This is how you can make an amazing personalized gift for under 100 bucks for someone you really love. This is my first time doing this, although, working retail sure didn't hurt, I used to work at a Bath and Body works and a William Sonoma, which did give me a minor edge on how to place things in the basket.
First buying a basket, if you have a Michaels or a Christmas shop near by you can get one somewhere in the 6-10 dollar range, I got mine at a Christmas Shop in a gold wicker for only 6 bucks! A nice thing that not only holds the goods, but something they can use later one for other things around the house.
First think of the person and their individual likes, (you may even want to start collecting goodies through the year) My main focus was food, I started collecting things over a month ago, and tried to think what would match, items that can compliment one another. First thing is my mother in law loves wine. When I was in Atlanta I bought a wine gelee from Whole foods:
they were doing samplings and it was awesome. Cost 10$ kinda high, but this is my mother in law, a woman who helps me all the time, is an ear when I am upset, etc... and the gift comes from my hubby AND me. I knew from there I would pick up some nice water crackers, and a good Brei cheese to compliment it's flavor, 3.00 for the cheese and 2.39 for the crackers. Picking one thing and then getting other things to compliment makes it simple, and makes the basket feel more thought out, the person can also enjoy their goodies right away! You wouldn't give a kid a light up toy without the bulb and batteries would you? So don't to it to your giftee.Then I visited my local farmers market. The one we have out here in PA is: http://www.flinchbaughsorchard.com/
It's pretty awesome. Loads of unique food items, on the premise home made apple sauces, fruits etc... the first one was a yummy spice pumpkin pancake mix that I fell in love with a couple months back. Combined with local pure maple syrup, 3.00 for the mix, 6.00 for the syrup. Picked up a couple apples and a couple pears, less than 2 bucks. And some fresh local apple sauce, 3.50. and chocolate covered peanut brittle (YUM).
After my choices were made, I realized, they didn't have a nice pan to make the pancakes on... But I didn't have 30 or more to spend. So I got a square shallow Emeril flat pancake and egg pan at Ross for 15.00 a 30.00 dollar value!
After that I got a couple little scented candles for 1.50 each (each one a 5 dollar value, on sale, (hence why it's important to pick up random things that are nice when a deal comes up) and packed some nice Wilbur chocolate buds (approx a 5 dollar value). I bought a bag of the Wilbur buds for around 8 bucks, and divided them into three zip lock baggies, one for my mother in law, one for my grandmother in law, and some for me, he he he. Then after ziplocking I tied a bow around the top, and clipped off the zip lock part. Do not try to do this with Glad wrap, because it will look crappy, and unsanitary.
All together this gift for two cost us just under 60.00 bucks. Sixty might seem like a lot, but for two people it's not, and you don't have to always pick up the extra higher price items, like the 10 dollar wine gelee (wine jelly with flair) could have been subbed for just a nice fruit preserve for less, or take out the 5 dollar chocolates and just keep the local chocolate covered peanut brittle.
The basket I made for my folks was a tad less in price, more around 50, mostly cause I didn't need to supply a pan. But theirs was a little different. They live in GA and I just moved to PA so I made sure everything was local. A little taste of PA. Homemade pies, sodas, sweet potato chips and more. Even throwing in some little York peppermint patties, as I live in York PA. I threw in the pancake mix with the same syrup and applesauce.
While this is about saving money, it's also about making a gift that took alot more thought and time than a gift card. And while I love a good gift card, gifts from the heart, and ones who someone put time into, in my book make the memories, and is something your parents or in laws will NOT forget.
How to wrap this? Here is a little tip, Glad Wrap, he he, yup, colored or plain, just wrap it around. When wrapping something however with baked goodies, fruit or anything that is to be fridged until wrapping time, make sure to keep it cold till the morning of gift giving. And when arranging your basket make room for those items. Glad wrap should go all the way around the basket a couple times side to side, then clip it, and wrap again front to back a couple times. If you want to get really fancy, you can wrap up on each side till the top comes to a point, leave some hanging, like a spikey looking pony tail, and tie a bow around it at the top.
Last but not least, make it unique, not something they would just get for themselves, the idea of a gift is something someone would like to get for themselves, but probably wouldn't. Food is great because who doesn't love food? It's practical, and decadent when you choose the right stuff.
Now a good friend of mine said, her mother in law likes to make her own baked goods, etc, a great idea would be to make a cooking basket, full of nice organic flours, sugars, starches etc that would compliment her kitchen, a nice baking pan, some new spatulas, things like that. And remember you can get good stuff like this and discount places, like Burlington, TJMaxx, Marshals, Ross, Ollie's, that have good QUALITY items, that will not burn your wallet. Also shopping through the year is a great idea, alot of shops like Bath and Body works, etc, have semi-annual sales, where you can get all kinda of awesome goodies. Had I not been in the midst of being a new mom and moving this year, I probably would have done more of that.
Well I hope this helped, if you have any questions or need ideas, feel free to shoot me a message, and good luck with yours!
Wine Gelee: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81863612/cotes-du-rhone-rose-gourmet-wine-gelee
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