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You don't have to be a gift basket designer to create a nice gift for someone special. If you have a little extra time to do some shopping and some downtime at home to do the creating, personalized gift baskets are a wonderful way of expressing yourself to someone special for any occasion.

There are many benefits to creating your own, personalized gift. One being, you can select the perfect products for your basket and even include personalized items, such as a framed picture. I've even had clients give me hand knit items they made to include in custom gift baskets.

The key to creating a pleasing gift basket is to find one focus item and place it in the center of the basket. If you are looking for a professional look, find several items that somewhat match in color and theme and place them around the main item. Go for a balanced look, with items on either side, in front and/or behind the main product.

Adding embelishments is a fun way to dress up the gift basket. Many craft and discount stores have plastic flowers, fruits, and many other items that you can easily add to your baskets to make them look nice.

Now that you have the basics of what to put in the basket, here's a simple and inexpensive way to put it all together. Find a nice gift basket, or any "container" type of item, such as a flower pot, colander or gift box. Bunch up some newspaper or tissue paper and put it in the container. Top with shredded paper of your desired color. Place your items in the container as described above, so they are all visible at the top of the container. Don't be afraid to use some tape or glue dots to hold things in place. Many professionals use floral foam on the bottom and skewer the items into place with wooden sticks, although this is not necessary.

Wrap your basket with cello wrap or use cello basket bags and tie off with a nice ribbon and bow. Most craft stores carry cello wrap and bags, the latter being much simpler to use. Add a personalized card by hole-punching the corner and tie on with the ribbon. You're all set!

Creating a gift basket definitely takes time, patience and creativity. Many gift basket professionals charge anywhere from $10 - $40 per hour to create custom gift baskets! In the interest of saving money, try it yourself. If your interest lies in saving time or you need the gift shipped, you may opt to buy a unique and affordable basket from the gift basket professionals.