How to Make An Inexpensive, Last-Minute Gift Basket

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By Elander Guthrie
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Make An Inexpensive, Last-Minute Gift Basket

Not every gift has to be expensive to be special, and something that you made yourself can be even more meaningful and heartfelt than something you bought in the store.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A Basket or Other Container
Anything You Would Like to Put In The Basket

Step 1

Using a melt and pour soap base with a few drops of fragrance oil and coloring, you can quickly make up an assortment of homemade soaps that are perfect for gift baskets, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, anniversaries, and the like. There are also a variety of molds available if you would like to mold it into all manner of fun shapes. In a pinch, you could use just about any non-porous container to mold your soap. The great thing about melt and pour soaps is that they have already been cured, so they don't need any resting time once they've hardened.
Step 2

The same basic procedure can be used to make jar candles. You can use leftover mason or jelly jars as the container to hold your melted wax. Like soap, these can also be colored and scented accordingly.
Step 3

Even the most mediocre photograph can be given new life in the proper frame. Just have a clever or meaningful photograph printed to the proper size and slide it into an elegant frame. Be sure to choose a frame that is simple and neutral in design. Gift ideas are unlimited, considering the endless combinations. A festive holiday frame may be colorful, but you want something that the recipient can enjoy year-round.
Step 4

You could use the same framing concept with a quote or poem, using a desktop publishing program like Microsoft Publisher to give it a little pizazz.
Step 5

Beads and string can be found inexpensively at most craft stores, and can quickly be made into necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and more. Even a simple repeating pattern can be quite striking, especially if you use slightly different types of beads for the different colors.
Step 6

Recipes in a jar! This is a simple, quick, easy gift that can be made in no time at all with ingredients that most of us have on hand. Just layer the necessary dry ingredients for your favorite, cookie, muffin, or cake recipe in a mason jar and screw on the lid. You can even glue a bit of fabric around the top to make it look pretty.
Step 7

Simply take a basket and lay some cloth along the bottom, making sure to overlap the edges a little for appearance, and fill it up. Tying a ribbon around the handle finishes it up nicely. If you want to include a bottle of wine or sparkling cider, you could do this with an ice bucket to complete the effect.