Be a day-maker! DIY gift baskets to say thanks

Looking to create upscale DIY gift baskets to send a special thank you to a special nurse, doc, teacher or care provider? Here are our ideas to say “thanks a bunch” for your service – a simple act of gratitude that can make someone’s day.

Homemade gift baskets are a thoughtful treat for anyone who has gone out their way for you, and might be an especially kind gesture this spring. Maybe you want to express your gratitude for some sage professional advice you received pro bono. Or perhaps it’s for a friend who supplied groceries, a relative keeping your kids, your IT guy that saved your bacon, or a neighbor watching your house and mailbox while you’ve been hospitalized. These generous folks probably aren’t expecting a gift – it’s what friends do, right? Your sincere gesture of gratitude is always much appreciated, however, a delightful surprise.

There are dozens of gift basket ideas floating around – from the tired, re-gifted basket stocked with end cap oddities to the super-cool, artisanal collection of one-of-a-kind finds. Ready-made combos can get expensive, so why not DIY and get a more personalized gift as well?

How do you arrange your DIY gift baskets so they look upscale, modern, and worthy for your generous friend? Read on for ideas to craft some special DIY gift baskets, no matter what a recipient’s interest or your DIY skills.

Acts of Gratitude – Our favorite DIY gift baskets to say thank you

Our “rules” for creating the best-ever gift baskets:

1. Never gift anything you wouldn’t want to receive. It doesn’t matter if you found the item on clearance, or have been itching to re-gift it from the back of your closet – If you don’t want it, don’t gift it.
2. Choose a nice basket, or go disposable. It makes no sense to buy a basket your friend will toss. Choose one that’s trendy, neutral and suits your friend. Keep in mind your “basket” doesn’t have to be a basket! Wooden or wire crates and crafted boxes give a nice rustic look. And we love those sliding-lid wooden wine boxes for smaller gifts. If you can’t find a good-looking container, opt for a disposable one. Be creative, but don’t forget the container’s purpose – to hold something your friend will appreciate.
3. Determine an appropriate price point for your DIY gift baskets, and build accordingly. You don’t have to pay sticker price (we love a good sale), however, the items shouldn’t look like they spent most of life in a clearance aisle. The perceived value of your gift basket should suit the gratitude of the service. For instance, say your recipient is a lawyer friend who read over a contract for you, but insisted you not pay her. You might consider your basket value to be comparable to what your friend would have earned in the time she spent reviewing your contract. Need to add a little something extra? Gift cards can complement nearly any theme and make a nice addition to round out the value of your gift basket.
4. Customize your gift basket. Build your DIY gift baskets around the interests of your recipient. It should be clear that your gift is about what they like, not just what you like to DIY.
5. Create visual appeal. To get that “wow” factor, choose items of varying size, texture, curiosity or use. That unique tool, an eye-popping splash of color, that unusual label on an item, the locally made find…you get the idea. Opening a present with such appeal is just fun, fun, fun.
6. Include a hand-written thank you note. Enough said!

The Cocktail Gift Basket for your fun, fruity friends:

We like this gift basket idea in lieu of a wine and cheese theme (which is always a winner, too). We gifted this little basket to a friend who didn’t drink wine but enjoyed trying new fruity drinks. It was a fun gift basket to build! At the time, Moscow Mules were all the rage, so that was our general “theme” here. Cocktails usually aren’t my go-to drink, but this basket made us want to grab a cold copper mug and sip away…

Materials:

1. A good basket. We chose this wire basket in a medium-large size.
2. Basket filler to help prop up the basket contents. We used white tissue paper, but newspaper, a fun towel, or paper shreds could also do the trick.
3. Good liquor. The sales person at your wine and spirits shop can help you determine which brands are best. They can also suggest additional ingredients if you have a particular drink around which you’re building your basket. We started with a basic vodka and added a fun secondary (blood orange) vodka for variety.
4. Something soft (or textured). We added in a white bar towel – clean and neutral.
5. Something fresh for garnishes. We put in a small pot of fresh basil (you can use any other herb you like), plus fresh lemons, limes and blood oranges.
6. Any “extras.” If you’re looking to add some value to your basket, here’s your chance. We tucked in a few copper mugs because it went with our theme and brought our basket value to what we felt was appropriate for the occasion. You can also add increase the value by adding a shaker, bar tools, coasters, or a gift card.

Instructions:

1. Remove any price tags from the items. Make sure all fresh items are washed and looking good.
2. Layer filler into your basket.
3. Arrange all items in your basket, keeping in mind the best looking baskets have some variation in height, color and dimension.
4. Write a thank-you note to your recipient and tuck it inside the basket
5. Gift away!

The Spring Herb Garden Starter Basket for fresh new gardeners

This is a fun gift basket idea for aspiring green-thumbs and newbie gardeners. We originally called it an “herb garden starter kit,” and gifted it to a new college grad to start an herb garden in her first apartment. Buying fresh herbs is always one of our favorite springtime activities, so this was up my alley (but you could also do something like small tomato or pepper plants. I still wish I would have bought a second one of those watering cans to keep for myself…

Materials:

1. A basket or wooden crate. We found a large wicker tray (not pictured) to use as the “basket” for this little herb garden. It had two handles on the sides and looked perfect.
2. Plants! Two of our faves (rosemary and lavender) are pictured here. We also included oregano, sage, and basil because they could be used as ingredients in some of the recipes we knew our recipient liked in recipes.
3. A cool watering can. Now don’t go digging up your old watering can from the basement storage! This should be a fun feature piece, consistent with the taste of your recipient. There are loads of options for watering cans out there! Another neat option would be a spritzer.
4. Brown Kraft paper and colored bakers’ twine, string, or ribbon. You can definitely use ceramic or decorative pots if you know the taste of your recipient. We weren’t sure how our gal would decorate her new apartment, so we didn’t add pots. Instead, we wrapped the herbs in brown Kraft paper and tied them up with colored baker’s twine.
5. Peat pots. More on pots…we didn’t know if our recipient would be planting her herb garden indoors or outside – the little peat pots were for starting new plants outside.
6. Something soft (or textured). We added in a white linen cloth…clean and neutral!
7. Any “extras.” Again, here’s your chance to add some extra value to your basket. To our basket, we added in garden tools (the little shovel), garden gloves (not pictured), garden decor (the “grow” rock), and copper plant markers. We tucked in some seeds and hand lotion for variety and to help the basket reach the value we felt appropriate. So many cute extras come to mind for a gardening theme, don’t you think?

Instructions:

1. Remove any price tags from the items. Make sure all plants are freshly watered and looking good. Clip off any brown or bruised leaves.
2. Wrap your herbs in brown Kraft Paper and twine (unless you’re using your own decorative pots.
3. Arrange all items in your basket, keeping in mind the best looking baskets have some variation in height, color and dimension.
4. Write a thank-you note to your recipient and tuck it inside the basket
5. Give it away!

The Spaaaah Basket for anyone who needs some “me” time (and who doesn’t want that right now?)

This little “spa” gift basket idea was for a nurse friend who’s had a rough few weeks. We wanted to keep the basket at a reasonable cost while still making our recipient feel special. So, we went with handcrafted items in a few scents we knew she would love and an inspirational book she’d been wanting to read. We have to admit…we DO plan to stock up on these handmade goat’s milk soaps again very soon. (They are simply lovely.)

Materials:

1. A basket or wooden crate. And really, so many different options could work nicely. We used a small, unfinished wooden tray for this gift, with the intent that our recipient would consider it disposable (unless she had a use in mind).
2. A good book. We added an inspirational book she’d mentioned. (Recall books that your recipient has enjoyed in the past, and select a title she hasn’t read with the same author or genre.) If magazines are more consistent with your friend’s taste, tuck in what she likes.
3. Bath salts, lotions, beauty products. We added some handmade lavender bath salts (we love the glass jar), and those cool wooden spoons. Our friend doesn’t care for scented lotions…so we left those out. Hopefully you’ll know what your recipient will find most appealing.
4. Artisan soaps or other specialty products. We love these handmade goat’s milk soaps because they are so deliciously aromatic and leave your skin feeling clean and soft. We couldn’t decide which scent to include, so we gave a little variety
5. Something soft (or textured). We added a couple of wash cloths and a fluffy white towel…clean and neutral! (Are we getting too predictable? 🙂 )
6. Any “extras.” This basket was a smaller value, so we kept the “extras” out. If you want to add in some value, good options might be a nice candle in a fresh, neutral scent, a pair of cozy slippers, a natural loofah sponge or pumice stone, fingernail polish in the hottest new shade, colorful nail files and/or a gift card.
7. Bonus: A branch of Eucalyptus…if you want. Not a value add, of course, but it sure smells good and looks pretty. And…we like green, living plants. ; )

Instructions:

1. Remove any price tags from the items.
2. Arrange all items in your basket, keeping in mind the best looking baskets have variation in height, color and dimension. For a pleasing visual appeal, use a small branch of Eucalyptus especially if it complements the other scents in your basket.
3. Write a thank-you note to your recipient and tuck it inside the basket
4. Gift it anytime!

What have been some of your favorite gift baskets to give OR receive?

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