Disregard the date on the photo -- I was actually in Vermont in October (cropping is one of those technical things this blog software snags on sometimes). My good friend Deb owns The Gingerbread Country Store on Highway 7 and she was gracious to allow me to take photos of some of her gift baskets. This is one of my favorites -- a wooden old-fashioned milk tote packed with pancake mix, maple syrup, cocoa, and homespun dish towels. Although Deb says most customers forego the container and choose a simple gift parcel (a shipping box), I love the look and the ‘souvenir-sentiments’ of the tote. Deb is a smart cookie for knowing and catering to her customers’ wishes, though, so she packs up their merchandise selections any way they want them. Nice work, Deb!

Made in Vermont is a theme that may not be flashy, but it continues to sell, year after year. The Gingerbread Country Store (Highway 7, Middlebury, Vermont) offers a wide variety of regional food and gifts, and offers gift basket and gift parcel service. Shown here, pancake mix, syrup, maple sugar candies, jams and homespun kitchen towels fill the hand-hewn tree block basket. Due to the cost of the container, customers often opt to have the fine Vermont products packed in a gift box rather than the basket. Samplings of regional products like these are shipped nationwide year ‘round.

Look what you can do to the back of a box bench! A decorative focal point on the back can pave the way for moving merchandise that may be too small or short for the space. Place a fluffy bow, a short square box -- use your imagination for resourceful ways to move merchandise.
(Box, box bench and ribbons courtesy of Nashville Wraps)

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diaper cake photo edited

Diaper cakes make a beautiful shower centerpiece. On the practical side, it is a useful gift for the mom-to-be. Plus, the diaper cake can provide an activity for the shower when guests are asked to guess how many diapers are in the cake.

This two-stack awesome cake uses 140 diapers. It measures 55 inches in diameter on the bottom, stands about 2 feet tall and weighs over 5 pounds. Each diaper is individually rolled in a cellophane wrapper, keeping the diapers clean and ready for baby. Wrapped in cello, the diapers can be tossed individually into a diaper bag or purse for on-the-go changes.

To make the cake, roll the diapers in a strip of cellophane. Tape the cello end to keep the diaper from unrolling. Line the inside of a hatbox with a shrink wrap bag, sized to fit the interior of the hatbox. Place the rolls upright in the shrink wrap bag inside the hatbox. Keep adding diapers until you can’t squeeze another diaper into the bottom. Pull the bag up just an inch or two above the rim of the hatbox. Apply heat to shrink the bag. Pull the bag up another inch and apply heat to shrink. Continue pulling up the bag and shrinking it until the circle of diapers is firm. Tie off the bag and trim it.

Add ribbons and other decoration as desired.

A video showing how to make this incredible diaper cake will soon be posted for members at Gift Basket Review Online (www.gbreview.com).

(I took this diaper cake to a baby shower and everyone LOVED it! Plus -- I took home 6 orders for future baby showers. This diaper cake with 140 diapers took two hours to make. The cost of the diapers, cello, shrink bag and ribbons was $25. Each cake sells for $75 plus, depending on the gifts attached to the top.)

Wow -- what a wild gift basket! The jungle theme is fun, eye-catching, but . . . is it profitable? This design was created for a competition, where points are earned more for presentation than practicality. Even so, this design would still turn heads AND generate a profit by doing just one thing: scaling back a bit on the enhancements.

To be practical, this gift basket needs just a touch of jungle greenery, and it would need to be placed so that the basket could be wrapped for delivery. Placement options:
1. Put a pot of live tropical plants to the left or right. Gather cello over the middle of the basket, leaving the plants outside the wrap.
2. Attach a permanent spray of jungle-themed enhancements near the front side of the container. The cello can lightly cover over the permanent spray during delivery.
3. Save the greenery for the bow on the cello, and only use just enough to get the theme across.

It’s a jungle out there with competition at every turn. One sure way to move ahead of the herd is to keep looking for innovative presentations. This basket was created for a gift basket competition some years ago (sorry -- designer is unknown), but the presentation still looks fresh and exciting. Look at all the techniques:
1. layered solid and patterned ribbon
2. zebra patterned tissue/fabric textural accent at the rim of the basket.
3. a striking product (tiger packaging) at the focal point of the basket. (You could wrap a product in an animal print found in scrapbook supplies, or a greeting card for example)
4. tiered height with placement of gift basket components
5. interesting angles of component placement

Good gift designs can hold their age -- and this one was great!

Gift totes are affordable alternatives to woven baskets. But, because most are made of paper, laminates, and lightweight plastics, the totes need a little support to hold products. A new video is available for download at www.gbreview.com. In it, you’ll see three ways to add support to a paper tote. The video download is free to members.

Towel origami has practical applications for gift baskets. Not only has towel origami proved itself as a hit with cruise ship guests, it is fast becoming a craft gift basket designers are using to help clients save money. The towels can be shaped into functional basket containers, complete with handles and a bottom that will support lightweight gift and/or gourmet components. Shown here, a kitchen towel is folded into a basket that can hold packets of coffee and a mug -- a perfect and inexpensive house warming gift.

Download the video to learn how to make the towel origami gift basket at www.gbreview.com. The video is free to GBR Online members, and available for a nominal charge to non-members.

What kind of shred do you use in your gift basket? Hopefully, your answer is “it depends”. Shred is available in different textures, material type, and weight, in addition to all the rich assortment of color and style.

Which shred you choose to use depends on three factors:
(1) the container
(2) the products to be packed
(3) preferred style

To determine the type of shred you may need, here is a brief overview of shreds and usage.

Types of Shred

1. Wood Excelsior: heavy, coarse shred with great support for heavy gift components.

2. Crinkle Shred (other trade names may be used, but the shred has a zig-zag appearance): medium weight with good support for moderate to heavy gift components.

3. Parchment Shred: medium weight with good support for moderate to somewhat heavy gift components.

4. Tissue Shred: light to medium weight with good support for light to moderate gift components. Best for totes, small gift packages, and shallow baskets, or to add texture and color as a decorative top layer over a more supportive base layer of shred.

5. Cellophane Shred: light weight with less support than other shreds. Good for totes, small packages and shallow baskets, or to add texture and color as a decorative top layer over a more supportive base layer of shred.

6. Metallic Shred: similar uses to cellophane shred.

8. Shred Blends: mixes of shreds that combine support shreds with decorative elements, such as cellophane and/or metallic.