By Abi Adeboyejo Email: abi.adeboyejo@yahoo.com
You have been invited to a friend’s house for the weekend and you know that propriety dictates you shouldn’t arrive there empty-handed.Why not take gift basket?
Simply put, a gift basket is a decorated basket that is filled with goodies, food treats, etc. We are more familiar with hampers at Christmas. It is basically the same idea but with a bit of a twist. I love giving gift baskets because I get to customise the basket according to the occasion or according to my recipient’s likes. You can give a fruit gift basket for almost any occasion.
I’ve given gift baskets to the same friends and family members very often but each time the contents of the basket are different.
What will you need?
- A basket of your choice with a strong handle
- Gift wrapping paper
- Clear wrapping paper (optional)
- Cello tape
- A pair of scissors
- At least four yards of poly ribbon ( 2 inches wide) or bows ( optional)
- A small card
- Fruits of your choice (at least five different types)
How will you make the gift basket?
Before actually making a fruit gift basket, make sure that the basket you have chosen is strong enough to hold all the fruits that you will put in it. Secondly, it is better to use fresh, blemish free fruits.
Now the structure of the basket depends on the size and number of fruits. If you have large number of fruits, you can try making a fruit pyramid. If the number of fruits is less, a horizontal arrangement can be useful.
Firstly, you can cover the inside of the basket (or outside as well, if you like) with a gift wrapping paper.
Place larger fruits like pineapple at the centre. Now start arranging other smaller fruits around it.
Make sure that the softer and smaller fruits like oranges and mangoes are not placed under any other fruits, as they might get squashed.
You can co-ordinate the fruits according to colour, alternating between yellow, red, green, red, etc.
Cover the basket with a transparent wrapping paper if you want the basket to be delivered to a longer distance. The sheet will protect the fruits, and also prevent them from falling off. Leave little gap at the sides to stop the fruits from getting sweaty from heat.
Lastly, decorate with a bow and stick a card.
Other ideas
Fruit basket centrepiece
You can also use a fruit basket as a centrepiece for a dinner or lunch party at home. You can either make a fruit basket as described above and place at the centre of the table, or make one using the easy method below:.
Cut fruits into shapes and slide them onto fruit skewers (or smaller cocktail sticks some people use as toothpicks!).Be creative and coordinate or contrast colours to make branches of the basket.
Fruits like bananas should be cut and inserted, and eaten quickly as they change colour if cut and kept for a long time.
Now, cut a juicy watermelon into half and stick all the skewers all around the watermelon to create a beautiful basket centrepiece.
Where can I get the items I need?
You will need to go the market yourself to choose the freshest fruits with minimal bruising. It is no use just buying from small roadside stalls. You can also find baskets in large markets, but you may have to ask around before you can locate a basket seller. If you can afford it, buy a couple more than you need and store at home for future use.
The wrapping paper, cello tape, ribbon and flowers can be purchased from party decoration shops. It is a good idea to buy a variety of wrapping paper and clear wrapping paper so that you can easily make gift baskets whenever you need them without going to the shops each time.
If you are too busy or need a gift basket in a hurry, there are a couple of small businesses run by inspirational women who can make different types of gift baskets to your specification. They even have catalogues! If you send me an email I will send you their contact details.
Remember, you can make a gift basket for any occasion: as a thank you gift, to apologise, baby christening, bridal showers, birthdays, anniversaries, to wish a person well after illness, as a condolence gift, valentine’s day, father’s day, worker’s day, Easter, new year, Christmas, Islamic festivals etc.
Finally:
I’d love to see pictures of your fruit gift baskets. Please send them to my email address above and we will try to publish as many of them as possible. Also, thanks to AP’s blog which inspired me to make my first gift basket many years ago, and Miss Ayoola O for her tips on where to buy items.
