I am very in love with giving big baskets/bags full of homemade goodies for the holidays. There's something so satisfying about seeing all sorts of treats wrapped up in their own packaging waiting for someone to taste. This year wasn't an exception, but I did take a slightly different, slightly less labor intensive route.
I realized while I was trolling the farmer's market in December that there are plenty of really nice goodies and ingredients for sale, grown and packaged by nice local farmers, that people would enjoy just as much (arguably more depending on how successful your baking goes) than strictly homemade things. I still made a handful of treats, but I combined them with some of my favorite things from the market.
Made:
Granola
Chestnut Poundcake (wrapped up in parchment and baker's twine for cute factor)
Toffee
Picked from the backyard:
Tangerines
Bay Leaves
Purchased from the market:
Smoked heirloom tomatoes
Chili Garlic pistachios
Jam
Heirloom beans
Plus in this particular basket (for Carol... hi Carol!) I added one of those cute 2010 tea towels from Hello Handmade.
I don't think I'm ever going back to making everything myself. This was is so much more manageable and so much more interesting. AND so much more reliable. I made pear vodka one year and it fermented. Always nice to give people rotten gifts.
And nobody would be sad to get a pretty basket some time OTHER than December... but I never remember to give these during the rest of the year. Mental note: baskets of treats make good summertime birthday and fall housewarming presents too.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
gift baskets... the semi DIY way
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17 comments:
I'd absolutely love to receive this basket! Each item is so thoughtfully done. My first foray into homemade gift baskets this year involved lots of booze (vanilla vodka, jalapeno vodka, other homemade drink mixin's), but I'd love to be a little less freshman year bender with my homemade selections for loved ones next year. Thanks - as always - for the inspiration.
Kristina, you are such an inspiration! I wish I had the diligence to make things from scratch and put together such lovely gift baskets as you did for Christmas...and all of the other DIY projects you do.Perhaps this year I will start doing more homemade projects.
Have any ideas for other small projects that I can start now, that aren't too hard?
Anyway, you are amazing, and if I lived in Cali I would love to have lunch with you, but sadly I live in VA.
xo, Lisa
great ideas - and i do baskets for almost any occasion, but especially for baby showers as it puts things the mother needs immediately right at her fingertips.
Oh my... I would love a basket like this!!! Next year, I will do baskets for my family and friends. One year, I filled up picnic baskets with all kinds of goodies and my parents loved it!! Hope all is well... you always inspire me!! xo
Beautiful gifts! I would LOVE to receive such a 'horn of plenty'!
My friend turned the gift basket idea into a little business, check her out at: http://www.littlebirdbaskets.com/
I don't think I could imagine a more lovely gift to receive!
Brilliant!
Great idea, and I like the touch of store bought, touch of homemade, touch of homegrown stuff from the yard component. Excellent!
Wow, what a lovely gift! I made DIY baskets this year, but I wish I would have gone your route and mixed in a few local favorites. In the end, all the crafting left me tired and weeping in a corner. It was out of control. I made soaps and washcloths, along with cookies, hard pretzels, candied citrus peels, and caramels. Tasty, but I'm still wondering if it was all worth it. Thanks for inspiration for next year's go around. Your basket is beautiful!
putting me to shame with that stupendous gift basket. how is the john irving? i'm tempted to read it, but don't know of anyone who's actually read it yet.
xo, katie
this is such a great idea! i lvoe every little thing you put in here. it would a lovely gift to receive.
I spy with my little eye, a sweet and happy Weck jar.
WE ARE NEEDING OF A CHICKEN UPDATE. It is a 'mergency.
i also love giving (and recieving!) something like this for new babies. we were treated to several of these when our baby came. and while a meal is fabulous, sometimes a baskets of snacks and treats is equally nice, doesn't have to be consumed right away and requires less coordination from the new parents on when they want a meal. and then we had a pretty basket to fill and pass along for the next baby in the hood.
Thank you so much for bringing up this it was so informative. Will certainly visit your site more often now.
vitton
There are a lot of online stores which give good discounts on various gift baskets like sympathy gift baskets and the best part of purchasing online is that you can go for the best available deal.
Thanks for updating such wonderful gift idea. And the best part is gift baskets can be given on any occasion. Food Gift Baskets
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