| Often when I need to purchase a gift I will give a | | | | A young child's summer birthday almost always |
| home made gift basket. They are fun to shop for, | | | | started with a large pail and shovel and then we |
| fun to put together and are always appreciated by | | | | added in toys, trucks, cars and stuffed animals. |
| the recipient. | | | | Of course adults love baskets too. For weddings and |
| When my kids were young and my friends were all | | | | wedding showers an empty dish drainer makes a |
| having their first babies, I created baby gift baskets. | | | | wonderful "basket" to load the other gifts into. Again, |
| I started with an empty infant bath tub. I filled it with | | | | I'd try to get lots of items a first time home owner |
| all kinds of things a first time mother might need:o | | | | would need:o hand held can openero vegetable |
| baby shampooo baby washo towelso washclothso | | | | peelero spatulao poultry scissorso pot holderso rolling |
| blanketso nail clipperso comb/brush seto bath toyso | | | | pino meat thermometero strainero egg slicero potato |
| pacifierso baby spoono bookso mobileso | | | | masher |
| thermometer | | | | Of course all of these suggestions are just thought |
| As my kids got older and we were giving birthday | | | | starters. Once in the store, the ideas of what you |
| gifts to kids I again opted to make my own gift | | | | can add are just endless. |
| baskets. For young girls we often gave either an arts | | | | Here are a few more ideas of themed baskets you |
| and craft basket, or a makeup basket. | | | | can make:o wine and cheese baskets (use a large ice |
| We'd often start with a plastic storage tub. We'd get | | | | bucket as a base)o bathroom product baskets (use a |
| a large set of pens, or markers or even chalk. We'd | | | | bathroom garbage can as your base)o going off to |
| buy a huge tablet of paper, either drawing paper or | | | | college baskets (use a storage crate as your base)o |
| construction paper. We'd add rubber stamps, hole | | | | chocolate baskets (use a melting pot as your base)o |
| punches, glue, lanyard string, and for older kids, we'd | | | | coffee and/or tea baskets (use coffee mugs as your |
| add idea books. | | | | base)o gardening basket (use a pail as your base)o |
| Our makeup baskets were fun to put together. We | | | | tool basket (fill an empty tool chest with lots of |
| often started with a pedicure tub that all the items | | | | tools) |
| could be stored in. Depending on the age of the child, | | | | Often times I've asked other guests to contribute to |
| we'd buy lip gloss, eye shadow, blush, eye lash | | | | the basket, making a very nice gift for the recipient |
| curlers and sometimes a hair straightener or hair | | | | and giving us the opportunity to include all the items |
| crimper. | | | | we want to give. |
| For boys, we loved to buy empty collector card | | | | Baskets can be large or small, from one person or |
| albums and then buy many sets of beginner cards | | | | from a group of people. You can use either |
| from various sports. If we knew the child loved a | | | | cellophane or wrapping paper to finish off the basket. |
| certain t.v. show, we'd try to get cards from that t.v. | | | | Use your imagination and create baskets you know |
| show as well. | | | | the recipient will enjoy! |