Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Mission: Secret Santa

I have a fever, y'all, and the only cure is makin' gift baskets!  Seriously, it's a sickness.  I get it from my mama.  She kinda started the whole thing.  It's a cheap way to make things look like a million bucks.  I think you know by now that I don't believe in blowing money when I can take five minutes to really think about who a person is and try to encapsulate that in a basket.  Ha ha.  I'm mostly just a really, really cheap person.

I've done some form of gift basket every year since I was 23 or so.  It started super small.  Just throwing some books or something in a basket and getting that shrink wrap bag from the dollar store.  Then I started having these crazy sessions where I'd bake for two days straight and do an assembly line thing.  One year I made baskets for all 13 members of the comedy troupe I was in.  Another time, I made dessert and breakfast baskets for some coworkers.  As I type this, there is curling ribbon everywhere because I'm about to make some stuff for a fundraiser tomorrow.

Today's mission: find a suitable gift for a doctor I hadn't met before lunchtime today.  Price: $25.  I started by asking what kind of stuff he likes.  All I got from the ladies at my internship was that he likes books.  Dammit.  I'd have to get a gift card.  Those are so...impersonal.  But not if it's wrapped in a gift basket!

First I got some things from the dollar store (basket, curling ribbon, garland, cards, etc):


All of this was 8 bucks (exceptin' the gift cards), but I only used 5 bucks worth of stuff.  Then I decided to add some cuteness to it.  Check out this card!  The tree is eating the gift cards.  I took some tea I had in my house and wrapped them with ribbon.


Next, I thought long and hard about what to make.  I made the choc chip cookies, sugar cookies, and gingerbread biscotti from VCIYCJ.  I made Cheesy Quackers for the tin, but decided to keep them for myself.  Hee hee.  The doctor got pretzels instead!  I wrapped all of it up nice and purty like.


Then I put everything into the basket.  The basket includes 6 different types of tea, the aforementioned cookies and pretzels, and some chocolate peppermint coffee that I got from Target for $1.  Check that dollar section when you walk into the store.  You find some gems for sure!


This last pic is kinda crappy, but I was running late to my internship.  I couldn't find the shrink wrap bag and didn't feel like weaving through the people at the dollar store so I just got this gingerbead one instead.


And there you have it!  It's a fun and pretty easy way to personalize a gift card.  Just use your supreme baking or crafty skills and 5 bucks.  And nothing goes better with some books than gingerbread biscotti and English breakfast tea!

9 comments:

Andrea said...

You make that basket thing look easy but, really, it's because you're so clever! You have some very lucky friends and acquaintances!

celine said...

lookin' good! lucky peeps who are getting one of these...

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

How CUTE! Everything looks awesome.

J.von said...

It's really gorgeous! I love giving presents in clusters, too.

The Kuntrageous Vegan said...

i need to get back to doing this! i have no idea how i forgot lol. at least the last minute stuff i do will be cheap :)

Tami said...

What great gift baskets! You really have a way with them.

Becks Bakes said...

Your gift baskets are wonderful, Mo!
It only cost $5 more to put together, but it looks so much more impressive and personal, and lets the recipients know that you care :)

I might have to check out the £1 shops now!

jessy said...

man, i never thought to make some gift baskets before, Monique - that's such an awesome idea! i love it the most! i wish i didn't already do my christmas shopping, because i would have done the baskets. i'm gonna have to follow your lead and make them happen next year, fo 'sho! there's so much awesomeness - you're too good! :)

Brandi said...

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