Gift Basket Tips

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Designing a Gift Basket to Cut Costs

Choose a basket that packs easily and fills quickly with fewer products. A shallow basket is wide from handle to handle, yet narrow across the front and back. The benefits of this type of basket:

• Shallow baskets cut time and costs as the basket is prepared to hold products because less packing paper is needed.
• Wide fronts and narrow centers mean fewer products are needed to fill the baskets which also saves in costs.

Select a tall sturdy product to anchor the design. It can also be used as a stabilizer for the rest of the products in the basket. Choosing a product that will compliment the color scheme of the basket theme will add interest to the overall design.

Select another tall product for the left side of the basket that is slightly shorter than the product used in the center. This will give the basket a rounded appearance. Choose a product that compliments the color scheme but is not the focal point of the basket. The right side of the gift basket can be created to match the left or you can use a different product to create a rounded fan shape of the basket.

Select a product for the left front of the basket that fills the space between the product in the back and the front of the basket. It should be slightly shorter so you create a tier effect. Select two smaller products to fill the space on the right side of the basket. You might have to adjust some of the packing paper you started with to create a pocket which will help secure the products. Use either double sided tape or glue dots to add additional security to the products.

Use a colored shred that compliments the color of the theme to fill in between the products. You can also use silk flowers or greenery to and dimension and fill in some of the spaces between the products. If the basket is a Christmas gift you can add ornaments as a filler to set the mood of the basket. Either add a bow to the handle or shrink wrap and then add a bow and you've got an excellent gift for someone special.

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