Janet Vogel asked:


Creating a gift basket for your child’s teacher is a great way to show your gratitude for the attention and assistance paid to your children. The time you dedicate to putting together an assortment of gift and food items, chosen just for the teacher, is your way of personalizing your gift as a gesture of your appreciation.

If the teacher drinks coffee, make this your theme. A natural colored wicker basket is the ideal container. Place straw, crumpled brown paper, or shredded newspaper in the basket before placing the gifts. Add a decorative coffee mug, gourmet coffee, envelopes of flavored coffee, and small packages of cookies or chocolate candy. You can wrap the finished gift in cello paper or a cello bag tied at the top with raffia or curly ribbon. Place the gift card in the basket with the gifts so it doesn’t get lost.

It’s not necessary to spend a great deal of money on these gift baskets. Visit your local dollar type store for baskets, organizers, or large coffee mugs to use as containers. They usually carry an assortment of colorful shred to use as filler, ribbons, bows, gift tags, and lots of small gift items that are nice when making gift baskets.

Movies, music, and sports are other themes that should be appropriate for many teachers. Simply choose a container, filler materials to help hold your gift items in place, and well wrapped food and gift items. Gift cards are always great gifts when you are unsure of the preferences of the teachers.

An assortment of bath products and aromatherapy items is a nice idea for a female teacher. Fill in empty spaces with rolled washcloths, bars of soap, votive candles, a loofah, net sponges, etc. If you include food gifts make sure they are well wrapped as the scents from the bath products may seep in.

Your gift basket can be as simple as a wicker basket lined with a colorful cloth napkin or tea towel. Place a loaf of freshly baked bread (or several muffins) wrapped in see through bags or wrap and tied with raffia in the same color as the napkin or tea towel. Add several tea bags and a couple of small jars of preserves or jelly.

boake moore asked:


Food gift baskets are popular gifts for birthdays, the holidays, or for any special occasion. Unfortunately, prepackaged gift baskets can be expensive! They also can be wasteful, as what are the odds that the recipient will like all the foods in the basket? So why not be creative and make your own custom food gift basket? You can fill it up with foods the recipient will appreciate, and you can control the cost. You also can include homemade treats, and what’s more personal than that?

When making a gift basket, it’s a good idea to include foods that are nonperishable, or at least foods that don’t go bad quickly. Choose food containers that are attractive and look nice together. Try to avoid foods that are too bulky. And most important, choose foods the recipient likes!

Here are some ideas for homemade food gift baskets, gourmet food gift baskets, healthy food gift baskets, and convenience food gift baskets. Choose one of these themes, or mix and match!

1)     Coffee or tea gift baskets are great ideas – they work well for the Holidays and for birthdays and special occasions.  Plus they are so easy to accessorize and add little nuggets of joy. Start with 3 or 4 different types of gourmet coffee – using a good assortment. Mix heavy with dark and light and even throw in coffee from different regions. A good variety is always well received. Then add some nice accessories like coffee mugs and travel accessories. Finally add some biscuits or crackers and even some flavored creamers if you like. Chocolates, Nuts and candies add a wonderful final touch.

2) Homemade food gift baskets are great for the holidays, college exam week, or anytime a little comfort food is needed. Dress up a gift basket of prepared foods with a few homemade items for a personal touch. Some ideas for homemade gift basket treats:

·         Cookies

·         Quick breads

·         Mini muffins

·         Fruitcake

·         Rice Krispie treats

·         Hand dipped chocolate covered fruits and cookies

·         Sealed jars of jam or jelly

·         Sealed jars of salsa

2) Gourmet food gift baskets make great housewarming or holiday gifts. They’re great for foodies who love to cook, or for anyone who could use a few gourmet meals. Gourmet condiments often are available in small containers, so you can fill a basket with a variety of gourmet treats. Some ideas:

·         Olive oil

·         Balsamic vinegar

·         Chutney

·         Gourmet mustard or similar jarred condiments

·         High quality chocolate bars, truffles, and other gourmet chocolates

·         Marzipan candy

·         Gourmet coffee or tea

·         Gourmet cocoa for hot chocolate

·         High quality, expensive spices, like saffron

·         Cheese (but check the shelf life)

3) Healthy food gift baskets. These will make a welcome change of pace during the holidays, when everyone’s bombarded by cookies and candies. For a good balance, add some of these healthy treats into other gift baskets as well. Some ideas:

·         Fruit with a long shelf life (apples, oranges, pears, etc.)

·         Dried fruit, nuts, and trail mix

·         Herbal tea or green tea

·         Organic cookies, crackers, or similar healthy snack foods

·         Mixes for hummus, vegetarian chili, fat free brownies, or other healthful items

·         Low fat granola

4) Convenience food gift baskets. These are ideal for a new mother who doesn’t have enough time or free hands to eat! Fill these gift baskets with foods that are tasty, energizing, and ready to eat. Here are some ideas:

·         Energy bars

·         Cereal bars

·         String cheese

·         Bananas

·         Goldfish crackers

·         Microwavable containers of soup

·         Cracker sandwiches with cheese or peanut butter filling