The Ultimate Guide on How to Make a Gift Basket

Here at Goodly, we’re big believers in gift baskets! Themed gift baskets make for amazing, enticing and affordable gifts — but you have to pick the items precisely and pay attention to the presentation. Luckily, because we love them so much, we have some tips to share on the subject! So along with thinking about your giftee's likes and needs, our first tip is to think about:

the theme

Every gift basket worth its weight in goodies needs a theme or purpose. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be hard to figure that purpose or theme out with hundreds of options! If you’re having a hard time thinking of your options, though, keep in mind that you can look literally anywhere for inspiration! Consider the holiday at hand, the season surrounding you, a color that means something to them, a hobby they indulge in or hope to pursue or even always-welcomed wellness items.

the basket

Baskets are a classic container choice, and though they are tried and true, no container status-quo can contain you! Nothing is off-limits, and this is the best opportunity of all to play off your theme (and clearly showcase it if you’ve thought of something clever). With spring right around the corner, let’s consider a springtime theme. In this case, swapping out the baskets for planters or unique tote bags in spring styles has the potential to make your presentation that much more pronounced! Even if you choose to go with a basket (because they really are an awesome choice), you should always consider the color and style of basket carefully or add decorations. Embracing the springtime scenario again, a nice light wicker basket could benefit from something as simple as some wildflowers being woven through!

If you’re a creative person, you can always consider purchasing bases for your boxes and enhancing them, as well. No matter what, though, when it comes to choosing or making your container, we recommend that you err on the smaller side. Big baskets that are barely filled can often look barren, but a small basket filled to the brim will almost always look beautiful and bountiful! 

the best standout items

The best standout items are going to stand out and be significant to your recipient in particular, but most of the time, they will be an assortment of colors, textures and sizes that are going to make them the literal standout items that create visual interest in your basket, too! They should be exciting to see and support your theme, so while there are a lot of variables, standout items could look like the perfect hot or cold travel tumbler, a really cool book related to the theme, a luxury blanket, a special seasonal candle or bath products.

the best filler items

Good filler items are fun and functional — and the best filler items are both! You’ll want to select your secondary items as thoughtfully as you selected your standouts and cater them to your giftee as closely as possible! Affordable, functional and fun fillers include items like funny pens filled with personality in colorful packs, silly socks that speak to them, cocktail or coffee accessories, small keychains and anything else that they will see and instantly smile over — but more importantly, use and/or keep forever.

the best edibles

Snacks are an always sought-after, extremely versatile, easy to find and affordable filler in gift baskets! Because of their versatility, this is a filler that can be highly personalized and easily become a standout item! Whether it be certain flavors in the snacks that accent the theme, the shapes of the snacks that perfectly suit the theme, the shade of the snacks that match the theme or even the snack or brand name that speaks to the theme, the gesture of the snacks will absolutely be adored by the recipient. When choosing snacks, the only real thing to avoid is any allergies!

how you’ll pack them up

You probably have a good idea already of how you’ll pack your items into your container. Even if you have a vision, however, it’s important to note the steps you’ll need to take to get there!  

• preparing items — Luckily, there’s not much to be done when it comes to prepping your items. Just make sure they are clean (especially any fingerprint-prone items) and don’t forget to remove the price tags!
• stuffing — Whether you use tissue, confetti or even certain gift items themselves like clothing, you can stuff your basket beautifully with almost anything. Just be sure to prop some of your items up strategically with your stuffing to keep them from sinking down sadly into the basket!
• placing items — Items should be accessible one by one without causing an avalanche. Even though they’re in plain sight, your giftee should still be wondering what they are! When it comes to layering items in an avalanche-free fashion, just be sure that it's clear what's on top/next. Not only will this help you figure out how to make your items intriguing (for instance, folding funny socks in your gift basket into fun shapes or rolling them into roses to avoid them weaving through everything), but will also allow you to decide what order they get their items in! 

tight on time or energy?

Gift boxes are a great alternative for people who are unsure where to start or are on a tight schedule. If nothing else, cool and clever curated gift boxes can be a great place to spark your enthusiasm and invite some inspiration into your endeavor — and maybe even spark it so much so that you gift one to yourself and experience the satisfaction!