This guest post was written by Gift Basket Gal.

It’s that time of year again…time to shop for your best (and crafty) friend’s birthday.  She’s always giving you creative gifts and this year you want to impress her with a gift she’ll wish she thought of herself.  With these tips you can make her a gift basket that she’ll love to look at and use!

Compared to the best gift baskets on the web, a homemade one can either look unprofessional or be just as striking if put together properly.  The main component to creating a successful gift basket is knowing your recipient.  Take advantage of Gift Basket Reviews to get a sense of what you want your finished basket to look like.  Many professional gift baskets come with an assortment of gourmet snacks, cheeses and wines.  However, if your recipient is the crafty type, you’ll probably want to indulge their hobbies and not their taste buds.

Scrapbooking is a very popular hobby and one that can translate into a gift basket gift.  You might be thinking, “I don’t know anything about scrapbooking. How can I make a gift basket based around that hobby?”  Conduct research online or visit your local craft store and ask an associate to help you get ideas.  Putting this gift together should be fun for you as the gift maker too, so stick to what you are comfortable with.  For example, if you don’t feel comfortable buying your recipient certain scrapbooking tools because either you don’t think they’ll use them or you don’t know what they’re for, then no worries.  You don’t have to fill this gift with absolutely every scrapbooking tool under the sun.  You can supplement a few scrapbooking tools with your recipient’s favorite candies or snacks.

Start your gift by choosing a basket or fun scrapbooking storage tote or container.  A scrapbooking tote with handles and pockets for storing tools such as scissors, pencils or paint brushes is perfect for the scrapbooker on the go.  A photo box makes a great container for your gift basket as well.  The lid of the photo box can be secured to the bottom of the box with a ribbon.

The supplies you purchase to fill the container are completely up to you.  If you know your recipient has many tools already, pick supplies such as colored paper, cut outs and decorations.  These are items that get used up and will need replenishing.  Another filler option for your gift basket is a gift certificate to a craft store so they can buy supplies they know they like and need.

Assembling the gift and making it presentable is the last step.  Make sure larger items (such as a pack of colored paper or card stock) are placed in the back of your container.  Smaller items should be placed in the front or along the sides.  Take a cue from the Best Gift Baskets online to see how the products in those gifts are displayed.  Finish off the gift with a ribbon or bow that matches or complements the colors of your tote, picture box, or basket.

When making your own gift basket as a gift for someone, the sky is the limit.  The size of your gift, quantity of items to include, and types of gifts is all up to you and the interests of your recipient.  This is why a homemade gift basket is able to rival some of the Best Gift Baskets online.