Gift Basket

Recently, I co-hosted a baby shower for a dear friend of mine who is adopting twins from Ethiopia.  Since she already has two older children and is experienced and well-stocked for the tasks of motherhood, we thought it would be fun to focus on drumming up some consumable items that new babies need - nappies (aka 'diapers'), wipes, shampoos, lotions, etc.  I read about an idea to have a gift basket raffle where guests can 'purchase' tickets by donating such items and thought I would give it a try.

I came up with this:

The "Date Night In" gift basket - very appropriate for soon-to-be parents.  (snicker)

Here's a better view of its contents:

Some DVDs, microwave popcorn, Pringles, some luxury toffee-almond popcorn, M&Ms, Starburst, and a few other goodies you might take along to the movie theatre - all packed into a basket, then wrapped in cellophane paper and tied off with a bow.  Simple, fairly inexpensive and so darn fun that my own family was begging to keep it (the ultimate sign of success on my part!)

The sky is the limit when it comes to designing a gift basket.  There are so many themes to choose from and they are very versatile gifts.  From luxury soaps to collectible toys, you can be as creative and budget-friendly as you like while simultaneously producing a homemade and meaningful gift.  The best part is they can be custom made to fit anyone on your gift-list or generic enough that anyone would love it. Possibly a solution for what to get Granny for her birthday, or that co-worker you have to play 'Secret Santa' for or even the kids' school teachers.  (Or piano teachers. Hint, hint).

And yes, it was successful for the baby shower as well.  Not only did our Mom-of-Honor go home with a load of baby consumables, one of our lucky guests made off with my Date-Night-In basket, which reportedly has been useful for several movie nights at home.