Craft Cottage - Gift Basket Assembly Tips

Skill Level:

Beginner

Crafting Time:

Less than 1 hour

Category:

Gift Wrapping

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Gift Basket Assembly Tips

If you’ve selected all the goodies for your gift basket and need some guidance assembling it, keep reading. Below we have listed some basic basket wrapping supplies, as well as some tips to help you make a gorgeous gift basket that you will be proud to give.

Supplies & Tools:

Basket
Paper*
Paper shreds
Cellophane
Pipe cleaners
Ribbon
Packing tape
Scissors

Optional:

Glue dots
Styrofoam
Bamboo skewers

*When using paper as a cushion in the bottom of the basket, you can use whatever paper you have on hand: kraft paper, newspaper, magazine pages, copy paper, tissue paper, etc.

Getting Started:

Choose a basket that is fairly sturdy and will not give way easily; it needs to be able to withstand the weight of the items inside.
Select a basket with a wide base. A round base tends to rock when heavy items are placed inside, so a flat-bottomed basket is preferable.
The preferred style of basket also depends on the items that you are putting inside. For example, if you are placing several bottles of lotion or wine inside, then a high-walled basket would be appropriate.
If your basket has high walls, use crumpled paper to add a cushion in the bottom of the basket. Keep in mind that the crumpled paper will yield under the weight of the gifts, so make sure you have enough paper to elevate the gifts to the desired height.
For a professional look, cover the crumpled paper with a layer of paper shreds before adding the gifts.

Arranging Tips:

The best way to arrange the items in the basket is to place the largest/heaviest items in the back, then place the shorter/smaller items in the front where they will be most visible. Finally, add very small items such as individually wrapped chocolates.
If you have several small packages that you want to display (such as snack-sized items), you can use bamboo skewers and packing tape to make them stand where they otherwise couldn’t. In order for this arranging method to work, you need to use Styrofoam inside the basket instead of crumpled paper. Attach a bamboo skewer to the back of a package with packing tape, then stick the skewer securely into the foam. If a skewer is too long, simply trim it to desired length.
Fragile items go on top or in front where they will not get crushed by the other items in the basket.
Stick items together with glue dots to prevent them from shifting around. Also use glue dots to adhere small candies to other items.
After all the items are in the basket, fill in any holes with paper shreds.

Wrapping Tips:

For wrapping our baskets, we prefer to use cellophane, which you can find at your local craft store on a roll (like wrapping paper) in the gift wrapping section. For a more feminine look, you could use tulle to wrap your gift basket. You can find tulle at your local fabric store; it is usually with the bridal fabrics.
When cutting cellophane (or tulle) to wrap your basket, too much is better than not enough because you can always trim the excess.
To wrap your basket, place it square on the cellophane and bring the rectangular flaps up, covering the front and back of the basket. Then scrunch the cellophane directly above the basket’s handle or tallest item. Holding the scrunched part in one hand, use your other hand to grab a pipe cleaner and wrap/tie the scrunched cellophane.
Tug the cellophane above the pipe cleaner to straighten the folds and make it look neat. Then gather the cellophane together in one hand about 8–12 inches above the pipe cleaner and trim the cellophane. Now you’ll have a nice &ldqou;fan” of cellophane on your basket.
To finish off the sides, fold the seams over and tape to secure. For a visual demonstration, check out this video.
Tie a bow around the cinched part of the basket (covering the pipe cleaner), and you’re done!