How to make a relaxation gift basket

When you’re planning a gift for a special woman in your life, you’ll want to pick something that's just right for them and suits their individual personality. Whether it’s your mother, grandmother, auntie, sister, daughter or niece, they deserve a gift that they’ll enjoy, brings a smile to their face and makes them feel good.

You may be shopping for Mother’s Day, a birthday, Christmas or simply to show your appreciation, but regardless of the occasion, a relaxation gift basket is always a good option. Giving you the opportunity to include multiple luxury items in the same gift set, you really can’t go wrong.

If you haven’t put a gift basket together before, you may be unaware of what goes and what doesn’t. At Heathcote & Ivory, we provide a selection of ideal gifts for creating the perfect gift basket. In this blog, we’ve offered tips on how you can assemble your own, what to include in it and any finishing touches you can make.

How to make a gift basket for a woman

Before you can decide on what you’re going to include in your gift basket, you should pay special attention to the purpose of the basket and the person you’re giving it to. One of the many benefits to gift baskets is that they’re totally customisable and you can create one with the intention of connecting it to a specific occasion or personalising it for the person who’s receiving it.

For instance, if you’re creating a basket for Easter, you could pad it out with hay and include a few sweet treats to match the occasion. Alternatively, if you’re making a Christmas gift basket, you can swap out the basket for a box, decorate it with wrapping paper, and when you’ve finished filling it, tie it up with a Christmas bow. You may even choose to be that little bit more creative. For example, if the person you were giving the basket to were a keen gardener, you could use an unused plastic plant pot to house the gifts, or if the basket is being gifted for halloween, use a suitably sized trick or treat bowl.

If you’re particularly creative, you could even make your own gift basket. As long as the material you’re using is sturdy enough to hold the items you’re putting in it, you could practically use anything, from strong cardboard or wood to plastic or crockery.

What to put in a gift basket

Once you’ve decided on the correct basket, you can pick the gifts you want to include. This is a fun process as you can pick an interesting mix of items from a selection of different options, and while you could focus on choosing some old favourites that the person receiving the basket will enjoy, you could also consider adding items that may be new to them.

Items you could include in your gift basket:

• A cosmetic bag
• A manicure set
• A shower cap
• A wash bag
• Bath fizzers
• Bath salts
• Body butter
• Body lotion
• Body mists
• Body wash
• Gift sets
• Hand cream
• Hand sanitiser
• Hand wash
• Lip balm
• Nail care sets
• Perfume
• Shower gel

How to wrap a gift basket

It’s true that finding a suitable basket and an interesting selection of gifts is where most of the challenge lies when it comes to creating a gift basket for your friend, family member or colleague. However, it’s equally as important that you decorate your gift basket in a way that suits the style you’re going for, appeals to the person you’re giving it to and makes it look as special as possible.

Instructions for wrapping your gift basket:

1. Start by adding a layer of tissue paper, shredded newspaper or something more bespoke to the style, such as straw or a blanket on the base. You can either add a thin layer for appearance or use a thicker layer in between each item to accentuate the gifts and provide padding to potentially fragile items.
2. You can now arrange your gifts in the basket. Although this looks like a quick and easy task, make sure that it looks good. For instance, you could do this by putting larger items at the back and smaller items at the front until it looks just right.
3. When you’re happy with how the basket looks, hold the items in place and bring the whole thing together by wrapping the basket in a cellophane sheet. To do this, lift up the basket, place the sheet underneath, pull all four corners around it and tie them together at the top using cord, wire or twine.
4. Assuming the cord, wire or twine you’ve used isn’t all that visually appealing, use a bow to cover it up and enhance the appearance of your basket. Either use a traditional tie-around bow or a one that sticks on.
5. If you want to add any finishing touches, you could then consider tying ribbon around your basket, spraying glitter over it or wrapping string around it for a more rustic look.