The foundation for the basket is a little three-inch wide tumbler filled with foam. I used floral foam, cutting a column of it and stuffing it in the tumbler. Instead of a tumbler, you can also use a tall, skinny box. You just need something that’s big enough to hold foam and that can then be surrounded by boxes of candy.

Line up four boxes of candy around the tumbler, holding them in place with two rubber bands. These candy boxes, like you’d find at a movie theatre, are perfect for making the “basket.”

Next, buy a variety of candy bars and packages in different shapes, and tape a wood skewer to the back with wide packing tape. The skewers will act like “stems” to be inserted into the foam.

Cut a piece of cellophane that’s about 10 inches by 10 inches, and poke the skewer through the center of the cellophane.

Insert the skewer into the foam, and the cellophane bunches at the bottom. It adds a nice decorative touch while hiding the foam.

Fill the basket with more candy, repeating the step with the cellophane for all the candy. Arrange them so the candy flares out and the basket looks more full.

Finally, wrap a ribbon around the candy basket to hide the rubber bands. Hmm, maybe we should include a tube of toothpaste in this basket, too.

I like using baskets that aren’t really baskets — like this colander. It serves as a basket, but it’s also useful and goes with the theme. They always sell great colored colanders at Ross or Marshall’s. 

The colander is also nice and deep so I can hide foam at the bottom of it. Line the colander with a sheet of tissue paper. Then place foam at the bottom (I used floral foam), and surround the foam in crumpled newspaper or butcher paper to keep the foam really snug. Then fold the tissue paper over to hide the foam underneath.

Next, tape skewers to the back of all your elements. These skewers will act like “stems” that will be inserted into the foam. For heavier objects, you can tape two skewers to them.

When you’re through, add tissue paper in any empty spots to fill up space and add some festive color. Bon appetit!

A popular gift basket to give is a spa basket. Now, I don’t think this is just something for ladies. Men also need skin care and pampering. Just saying.

Start with a basket. I like a deep basket, at least 6 inches, so there’s enough room to hide the foam inside.

Line the inside with some tissue paper. Then place some foam in the basket (I used floral foam), and crumple newspaper or butcher paper around the foam so it’s nice and snug.

Then cover up the foam with the tissue paper.

There’s a simple way to display the contents of the gift basket and keep them in the right position. Using packing tape, attach wooden skewers to the back of all your elements. The skewers act like “stems” for the elements. I then approach it like floral arranging, with each of the elements like a flower that I’m putting into the vase, I mean basket.

Then insert the skewer, pointy side down, into the foam in the basket. Especially if the individual elements are heavy, they want to sway around. To keep them in place, use glue dots to stick them to wherever they’re touching an adjacent element. 

Keep filling the basket with a variety of spa items, making sure to arrange the elements so that each one is visible. Include a candle and a bottle of wine too because we want total relaxation here. When you’re done, add tissue paper in empty spots to keep the items snug and add a dash of color to the basket. If you have heavy objects like a candle and a bottle of wine, keep them at opposite sides of the basket to keep the whole thing balanced. Wow, I think I’m keeping this basket for myself. I need some “me” time.