How to Make Organic Gift Baskets

Organic gifts baskets make lovely and thoughtful gifts for many occasions, from new babies to new homes. For a personal touch, and to customize the contents for your recipients, avoid the ready-made baskets and assemble one yourself. To get started creating a one-of-a-kind organic gift basket, read on!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Organic basket, bag, or box
• Organic craft paper or cloth
• Organic filler items

1. Choose a basket theme
   For a fun gift, plan on creating the basket around a theme. Because organic items can sometimes be difficult to find, jot down 2 or 3 theme ideas that will help you to shop. For a new baby, the theme could be a color (blue, pink, etc.), an animal, or even a pattern (such as plaid or stripes or polka dots). For a co-worker, think hobbies or leisure activities. A theme for a housewarming gift could be cooking or yard decor or things for the home! Let your imagination go wild!

2. Find an organic basket
   The most challenging part of creating organic gift baskets is finding a basket (or other container) that is organic! Look in specialty shops, such as health food stores and bath/beauty shops, as well as major retailers. Organic bamboo is becoming more readily available, so look for a bamboo box or even a bamboo cutting board for a cooking-themed basket. Check online as well - several charitable organization help disadvantaged people from around the world market their handmade wares, and many of these items are organic. If you simply cannot find an organic basket, opt for one made of all natural or recycled materials.

3. Line the basket
   For a finished look, line the basket or box with either organic fabric or organic craft paper. Most large fabric and craft stores will carry at least a few items - look in the the fine art supplies for organic rice or other papers. For organic fabric, look for cotton or woven bamboo. You can also make the lining part of the gift - look for organic baby blankets, towels, dish cloths, etc.

4. Fill the basket
   Using the themes you identified in step one, start looking for relevant organic items. In general, you'll need at least 4 items for a small basket, and more for a larger one. For a spa theme, there are many options for organic lotions, creams, and sprays. For a cooking theme, look for organic pasta and sauce, along with bamboo cooking tools and an organic cotton apron. Organic gifts baskets for babies have many options, too - organic baby lotions, clothing, bedding, and even toys are readily available. If you run short on ideas, search online to spark your imagination - type "organic baby" (or whatever theme you've chosen) into any search engine and you'll find all sorts of great ideas.

5. Add finishing touches
   If you're hand-delivering the basket, then fore go the plastic covering and simply tie the basket with an organic cotton or bamboo ribbon (you can cut your own from a length of organic fabric). If you're mailing the basket, you'll need to shrink wrap it to keep the contents from moving around, but you can still add a ribbon and bow. Cut out decorative motifs from organic stationery or cards, and use those to finish off the basket as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't stress out if you have trouble finding organic items. Add what you can, then fill the rest with natural or fairtrade items.

[sonni57]

on 10/23/2009 Organic gift baskets sound like a great idea for a gift.

[godfather25]

on 10/22/2009 Good article on making organic gift baskets.

[godfather25]

on 10/22/2009 Good article on making organic gift baskets.