Fruit baskets Article

Civil War Uniforms: 9 Universal Tips on HOW TO Choose Accurate yet Inexpensive Buttons

Civil War Uniforms: 9 Universal Tips on HOW TO Choose Accurate yet Inexpensive Buttons

by: Paula and Coach McCoach

1. Get yourself some good buttons. Stay away from plastic and modern buttons. Go with glass, bone, shell, metal, porcelain, 2-hole cat?s eye or Mother of Pearl.

2. Metal buttons are authentic but they have the potential to rust and stain your fabric. Some of the sutlers that sell fabric and sewing items have buttons. Or I have a ton of buttons I might be talked into parting with. Email me at coach@civilwaruniforms.net or visit http://www.civilwaruniforms.net

3. Variety of period buttons including Goodyear and natural substances. Many of these buttons are good for vests.

4. Buttons can also be found at flea markets, antique stores, in old button baskets, tins or jars. Frequently, you can buy a whole jar of buttons for $3 ? check out the buttons in it, and if you find a substantial amount of antique buttons, it certainly is worth it.

5. Sometimes the jar is as valuable as the buttons! I have found jars full of buttons with a hundred dollar button in it. Small items like buttons can make a huge difference and increase the value of your shirt, jacket, pants, etc.

6. Try to get all brass buttons not plated. Waterbury is good. Original buttons are a bit pricey but not out of the question. If you are getting the U.S. Eagle buttons, sutlers have them.

7. Stay away from the ones that are plated. I personally just use coin buttons. If you are doing a state regiment, you may want to go with state seal buttons, but I feel that limits your impression.

8. ?I? buttons are good for a generic look. For late war buttons, you can use go the Tate Script ?I? which were coming in later in the war.

9. U.S. buttons can go both ways: U.S. or Confederate. It would not be unusual to see an Eagle button on a Confederate uniform.

By Paula and Coach McCoach http://www.civilwaruniforms.net

About The Author

Paula and Coach McCoach

Coach McCoach invites you to subscribe to the Civil War Uniform News where you will receive information weekly on every possible Civil War Uniform item! These tips will help you have an accurate impression and save tons of time and money in the process! You do not have to spend a lot of money to have a good impression, and Civil War Uniforms will show you how!

You will also receive a free uniforms course for subscribing. Click on this link to subscribe - http://www.civilwaruniforms.net

If you need the information about Civil War Uniforms NOW, go to http://www.civilwaruniforms.net and purchase a Civil War Uniforms Course.

Ten Easy Steps to Great Kid Party Food

Ten Easy Steps to Great Kid Party Food

by: Patricia B. Jensen

This simple guide to kid party food turns your kids party into a fun food fest.

Learn what turns kids on when it comes to party fare, and how to make it quick, easy, and impressive.

Ten Easy Steps to Great Kids Party Food will show you how to think like a kid when it comes to celebratory snacking!

1. Make in Advance - Do as much food preparation prior to your party as possible. A variety of kid party food can be made ahead and stored for the big day, such as popcorn balls, jello jigglers, and snack mixes in ziploc bags.

2. Keep it Simple and Fresh - Kids really do know what?s good for them, and will often gravitate to simple healthy foods first. Provide lots of natural choices such as vegetables with cream cheese based dips and salsas, fresh fruit fondue or chocolate dipped strawberries. Bugs on a log (cream-cheese filled celery, topped with raisins), and fish in the stream (cream-cheese filled celery, topped with goldfish crackers) are great healthy options too.

3. Try Quick Favorites - Tried-and-true kid party foods have stood the test of time and many a child?s fickle taste buds. Stick with the originals you can whip up quick, such as pigs in a blanket, nachos, and microwave s?mores.

4. Color and Create - The more colorful it is, the better it will taste! At least kids seem to think so! Let kids color and decorate their own cookies or cupcakes using assorted frostings and food colorings, sprinkles, mini M & M?s, chocolate morsels, gummies, etc.

5. Smooth & Creamy - Arm yourself with a crushed ice maker or blender and you?re ready to try any of these refreshing combinations: smoothies, snow cones, ice cream sodas or milk shakes. Another ?smooth and creamy? alternative is to have kids make their own ice cream sundaes or layer fruit and yogurt for easy parfaits.

6. Crisp & Crunchy - Don?t be a slave to unhealthy snacks. Crisp and crunchy goes way beyond potato chips! Experiment with whole wheat crackers, sweet cereals, peanuts (always check for allergies), pretzels, and crunchy snack mixes combining raisins, coconut and other dried fruits for sweetness.

7. Vary Ingredients - Just imagine the many unique sandwiches that can be made just by using different kinds of bread such as English muffins, tacos, pitas, small deli rolls, or tortilla wraps. They same goes for the sweets. Try fruit pops, pudding, cupcakes or mini donuts instead of the traditional cake and ice cream dessert.

8. Proper Presentation - Serve drinks in fancy plastic cocktail glasses, or colorful cups for toddlers. Serve dip in a hollowed-out pumpkin, squash or round bread. Serve chips, pretzels and munchies in themed containers such as disposable foil pie plates for a cowboy party, Chinese noodle boxes for a karate party.

9. Surprise Them! - Kids love surprises and food is no exception. Imagine their delight when they bite into a hamburger with taco filling, or a slice of cake with jello filling. Try hiding a jellybean surprise inside a cupcake, or add a small container of dry ice (with holes punched in it) to your party punch to make a bubbling brew!

10. Stash an Extra Supply - It?s always wise to keep some extra snacks on hand for surprise guests. Siblings may show up uninvited and tax your food reserves, so be prepared!

About The Author

Patricia B. Jensen is a mother of three and kids party enthusiast. She is the webmaster and owner of Kids-Party-Paradise.com - a complete resource for kids party ideas including invitations, cakes, decorations, games, costumes, favors, and food.

For all the latest party news, read her Kids Party Blog.

Gift Giving Ideas - That Won?t Break The Budget For That Special Man!

Gift Giving Ideas - That Won?t Break The Budget For That Special Man!

by: Donna Hamer

Deciding what to give that special man in your life for Christmas can be frustrating and often difficult.

Instead of going into debt each time you purchase a present, why not give a gift from the heart?

Simple gift giving ideas are easy to make and with a little bit of know how look like a professionally created gift. By using your imagination and creating a gift tailored specially for that special man in your life, watch the look of surprise when he opens his gift especially created by you!.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Golf Mad

Get a metal bucket. Fill it with different colored golf balls and tees. Later the bucket can be used for storage of their balls, but can also be used to putt a few balls into it (when they need some practice!). Include a personalized hand towel and a hat and maybe some sunscreen.

Sports Mad

Take their favorite sports and build the theme around this basket. For instance in they are into baseball, get a baseball cap and use this as the basket. Fill it with tickets to the next match, a ball, a mitt. Include any items with their logo.

Gone Potty

Use a large terra cotta plant pot, personalize the pot by painting it with acrylic paints. Fill the pot with gardening gloves, hand trowel, hand rake and a selection of vegetable and/or flower seeds

Car Crazy

Here?s a gift that every male loves. Get a plastic bucket and fill it with cleaning products for their car. Include car shampoo, car wax, a chamois, ice scraper, along with tire cleaner etc.

Book Worm

If he is an avid reader purchase a gift voucher from your local bookstore, tuck it in a gift bag along with a drinking mug. Include a couple of envelopes of hot chocolate mix or maybe herbal tea bags (whatever their drink preference is).

Once you have put your gift basket together, wrap it with cellophane paper and tie a nice ribbon around the basket.

About The Author

Donna Hamer is the author and publisher of 101 Themed Gift Basket Ideas. For a Free 5 part Mini Course on how to create your own ?Gift Baskets? visit http://www.101giftbasketideas.com.

For Mother and Baby ? What Do You Give? A Gift Basket of course!

For Mother and Baby ? What Do You Give? A Gift Basket of course!

by: Donna Hamer

The choice for a baby or an infant gift can be a difficult one. One of the best baby or infant gifts that you can give is a gift basket. A gift basket is that one present that comes in many shapes, themes and of course price ranges. A gift basket is lovely gift to for a baby shower.

The diversity of gift baskets is never-ending. For a baby or newborn you can give a diaper gift basket or a baby necessities gift basket. If you?d prefer there is a baby bath time basket or an everlasting baby time capsule basket. In fact the list is endless.

Here is a simple basket that you can easily create yourself:

For the Gift Basket use a Baby Bath or try a Bucket. Then fill it with the following;

A ton of baby product coupons;

A Rubber Duck;

Bottles of lotion and baby oil;

Small toy books for baby;

Teething ring;

A few bottles;

2 pacifiers;

A few sturdy bibs;

A few sleepers;

A receiving blanket;

To add a little extra you could put together for mom:

Lotions;

Bath salts;

Pretty soaps;

Candles;

A few books;

Coupon holder with coupons in it. (Moms love these! ; )

Or try a small basket of:

Baby oil;

Baby bath wash;

A washcloth;

A rubber Duck;

Baby powder;

and baby lotion.

For Mom a picture frame, a disposable camera to record the event, a record book, photo album, along with a voucher for photo finishing.

When you are finished, wrap the Gift Basket with cellophane paper and a nice ribbon to give it a finishing touch. Tie a gift tag with a message for that added touch and include a pair of booties.

About The Author

Donna Hamer is the author and publisher of eBook ?101 Gift Basket Ideas?. For a Free 5 part Mini Course on how to create your own ?Personalized Gift Baskets? visit http://www.101giftbasketideas.com.

Gift Baskets ? A Gift For the Person Who Has Everything!

Gift Baskets ? A Gift For the Person Who Has Everything!

by: Donna Hamer

Ever wondered what to give the ?Person Who Has Everything?? A Gift Basket could be just the thing. Have you been from shop to shop and thought ?Yes This is It? and then discounted the gift because it wasn?t really what you wanted.

My best friend has everything and when I say everything, ?I Mean Everything?. She has either been given or purchased every conceivable gadget available in the last 5 years. She loves to shop. One of her motto?s is ?Shop Til you Drop, Spend Til the End?. And she lives by that rule!

When it comes to gifts for my friend ? she is ?The Hardest Person to Buy For?. Oh did I tell you, she even has a kitchen sink on her car key tag !

It was while looking for a present for my friend that I thought ?What About A Gift Basket?. I was in a specialized shop and the sign said ?For the Person Who Has Everything? and the light turned on.

I?m not sure if you are aware but these days gift baskets have changed. No longer are they the old style cane baskets (although there are some very attractive cane baskets available on today?s market). Today Gift Baskets came in all shapes and sizes. In fact, it is basically up to your imagination as to what a ?Gift Basket? should be. You can use old shoes, buckets, calico bags, pot plant holders in fact anything that holds what items you purchase to fill the basket with.

Gift Baskets are lots of fun to create and very easy to make. Gone are the days of saying? oh I?m not creative enough to make a professional looking basket. Anyone can make a professional looking basket ? as long as you have some imagination and a willingness to give it a try.

If you are stuck for a present for that ?Person Who Has Everything? then a Gift Basket is for you!

Firstly decide on a theme or if you aren?t sure then write down the interests of the recipient ie. golf or tennis, shopping etc. You could even base it around a coming event. Once you have made the list, work your way through it until you find something that stands out that would fit into your Gift Basket ?theme?.

For today?s basket lets say your friend loves to entertain and one of her favorite meals is ?Italian? food.

You could choose a selection of baskets for this theme; today we will use a large pasta bowl as our ?basket? or a large cooking pot. Our basket needs to be large enough to hold the goodies that we are going to purchase so that we can then turn this into a Professional Looking ?Gift Basket?. If neither of these ideas appeals to you, let your imagination take over and choose something that fits into your theme selection.

Next take yourself down to the local supermarket or deli who specialize in gourmet foods. Set yourself a budget as to what you want to spend and then go about buying non-perishable items to fill the basket. Speak to the shop attendant to ensure that the items you are purchasing fit into your theme. Buy different colors and types of pasta to give variety of color and shape to your basket.

Next take yourself to a department store or kitchenware shop and purchase some really great utensils to go with the other items that you have purchased.

You could also add an ?Easy Step by Step Guide? if they need cooking help, or send them to a ?Cooking Lesson? for something extra.

Once you have gathered these items, it is time to begin to assemble your gift basket.

Depending upon the type of basket you have chosen you may need to fill the bottom of the basket with some shredded paper, as this will give the basket height. Place the items in the basket to give a layered effect. Layering items at different heights in the basket makes the overall design more pleasing to the eye.

Use small pieces of tape to hold items in place. Next wrap clear cellophane around the outside of the basket and tie the top with wired ribbon or curling ribbon to match the color scheme of your gift.

To finish off our basket make a gift tag and tuck a small item into the ribbon around the basket to give a professional look.

Congratulations ? you?ve done it?. ?A Present For the Person Who Has Everything? ? A Gift Basket!

About The Author

Donna Hamer is the author and publisher of 101 Gift Basket Ideas. For a Free 5 part Mini Course on how to create your own ?Personalized Gift Baskets? visit www.101giftbasketideas.com.

101queen@gmail.com

Gift Baskets - Create Simple Easy Gifts For the Person Who Has Everything!

Gift Baskets - Create Simple Easy Gifts For the Person Who Has Everything!

by: Donna Hamer

Have you ever thought about giving a personalized Gift Basket?

Is it just me or do you also get excited when you give a gift to your friends and family and you know they love it!

The downside you give a gift and you just know they hate it! Unfortunately you can?t always get it right because what seems right and the appropriate gift for you isn?t always right and appropriate for the person you are buying for.

Take my mother for instance, if you don?t buy her a gift say for Mothers Day you will be in the bad books for weeks. Now before you agree with her, let me ask you this ?What do you give someone who has everything?? If you could walk around this ladies house you would understand my problem!

Well over the years I have learnt how to stay in her good books by creating something different and unique every year. I also like to make it a gift that I make, so its personal and comes from the heart. Yes you guessed it a personalized ?gift basket?.

Leading up to the occasion, I take some time to think about things that Mum has said she liked over the year and things that she has pointed out in a book that she might like. Then I go about looking for items that would fit into a theme that I can put together into a ?Basket?. She loves ?glass bowls? so I try to use a glass bowl as the ?basket? for my gift and then fill it with items that she likes. It could be as simple as some pampering items or a night out to the movies such as popcorn, candies, a drink, chocolates and two movie tickets etc.

Gift Baskets can be all shapes and sizes, you are only limited by your imagination and of course your budget. A gift basket doesn?t have to be big and elaborate it can be something small. Presentation is the key to a stunning gift basket!

I have always struggled with ?creative talent? so when I discovered that making gift baskets was very simple, I became a talented person over night!

Something I have found funny since I learnt how easy it was to create a ?Gift Basket? is how many friends copy my ideas and give baskets to their friends.

I give ?Gift Baskets? for all occasions - from Christmas to Marriages, Arrival of a New Baby, Birthday Gifts for Boys or Girls, Leaving Party in fact the reasons are endless.

For a boys birthday, how easy is it to get a bucket, spade and sand digging equipment. A cool towel, hat or cap (write their name on the hat to give it a unique look), a stick of sunscreen or zinc cream. Then wrap it up !!

For a girl, they love lots of knick knacks or things they can make. Try putting together packets of beads in a container with compartments. Include some wire and hooks. Your local craft store can help you with the items required. You can create this ?Gift Basket? for less than $15.00 and they love it !

About The Author

Donna Hamer is the author and publisher of 101 Gift Basket Ideas. For a Free 5 part Mini Course on how to create your own ?Personalized Gift Baskets? visit www.101giftbasketideas.com.

101queen@gmail.com

How to make Delicious, Natural Mouthwatering Liqueurs

How to make Delicious, Natural Mouthwatering Liqueurs

by: Mirko Davidovic

Liqueurs are alcoholic beverages usually 30% of alcohol by volume. They are sweet in nature with a variety of flavours.

Ethanol is an alcohol being used for consumption. It has excellent extracting capabilities from organic compounds such as fruits and herbs, which is what we are after.

The color, flavor and aroma will come from the type of fruit used . To make things interesting and certainly more robust, combination of two or more fruits will produce some interesting liqueurs to say the least. If we incorporate some of your favorite cooking extracts to this equation the possibilities are endless.

All of the liqueurs, whether natural or extract, have several main ingredients; the alcohol, sugar and some type of flavour.

Cherry Liqueur: this is the all time favourite, so we will use it as the main example.

Take 1 kg (approx. 2 lb.) of whole sour cherries, remove the stems, and wash them (fresh, pitted cherries are excellent as well). Organic cherries would be the best choice, however if none are available, make sure that you thoroughly wash the fruit.

The majority of orchards use pesticides during the growing season. Pesticides, being organic compounds, will end up in the liqueur unless you get rid of them.

Place the fruit in a sealable container, 1 gal. jar will suffice, and pour 1 kg (approx. 2 lb.) of white granulated sugar over the cherries.

Pour Vodka, 40% by vol., so that fruit is approx. ? ?- 1? submerged.

The sugar will sink to the bottom and cherries rise to the top with spacing in between. This is normal. Seal the container and leave it for several days.

Shake the jar several times to blend all the ingredients. Repeat this every other day or whenever you think of it. If you do not shake it, do not worry! The results will be the same it will just take a bit longer. Once the sugar is dissolved and you are happy with the color the liqueur is finished.

Strain it through the fine mesh strainer (cheesecloth. will do) and pour it in elegant bottle. It is ready to drink.

The cherries will have some kick to them and provide excellent garnish on desserts such as ice cream. They are also delicious to eat, as is.

The sugar that you added will produce the sweetness, typical of the liqueurs. If a less or sweeter liqueur is desired adjust the quantity correspondingly.

The fruit will give the colour and aroma to the liqueur. The alcohol and sugar will extract the juice from the cherries, which have enough volume to dilute the alcohol content of the liqueur to approx. 30% (it is approx. due to the variance of the juice content in the fruit).

The amount of time that it will take will depend on the sugar content and the temperature. Do not worry about the spoilage or fermentation since the sugar, in high enough concentration, will act as a preservative plus the alcohol content is high enough so that the bacteria or yeast cannot survive.

This method will work on any fresh fruit. Excellent results are obtained using the berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc.) peaches (sliced), apricots (sliced), pears, apples, bananas, coconut, oranges (peeled), nectarines, etc.

Some fruits, such as apples, should be cored and seeds taken out. Seeds of apples contain small amounts of cyanide, which you do not want in the liqueur. Cyanide is poisonous.

Interesting aromas and flavours can be obtained by blending two or more fruits. You are the creator so any combination is perfect.

Some herbs such as mint yield delicious liqueur.

Take ? lb. of fresh mint add 2 lb. of sugar, ? litre of water and place it in a 2 quart jar. Top it up with vodka and proceed as for fresh fruit. If more or less ?minty? taste is desired, adjust the quantity of fresh mint correspondingly

In your local wine supplier store, you can purchase liqueur extracts. To make liqueur you can use your favourite cooking extracts, such as vanilla, concentrated juice, food colouring can be used to enhance the colour, etc.

Extracts, as the word suggest, is the extraction of flavours, colour, and aroma from particular fruit, or the combination thereof, purified, and concentrated. Most often, however chemicals are added for enhancement.

ENJOY

About The Author

Mirko Davidovic is CEO of http://www.4income.net and http://www.winemakingplus.com. V.P. of a successful manufacturing corp. with formal education in Chemical Eng. , Biochemistry and Psychology.

Mirko's main objective is to empower individuals to achieve their financial dreams, celebrating with their own exquisite, mouthwatering wine.

Baby Shower Cakes - More Than Just Dessert

Baby Shower Cakes - More Than Just Dessert

by: Debbie Pettitt

A baby shower is a way for family and friends to celebrate the expected arrival of a new baby with the parents-to-be. It is a joyous occasion and fun for all! But hosting a great baby shower takes some real planning. A very important part of the planning process is the cake. Every baby shower needs a cake, but the cake can serve as more than just a dessert--it can also double as a decoration, even a centerpiece!

Most baby showers have a theme, and the entire party is based on that theme. The cake is no exception and should also follow whatever theme you've chosen. If you're talented and can bake and decorate a cake (or know someone who can), you may want to have a home-made cake. Or you can order one from a bakery, making sure you place your order in plenty of time for the shower.

Once you've decided whether it will be home-made or store-bought, you will need to decide what type of cake to have. There are many different varieties of baby shower cakes to choose from. Some of them are listed below:

? Angelfood cake

? Butter cake

? Butterfly cake

? Carrot cake

? Cheesecake

? Chocolate cake

? Chiffon cake

? Cupcake

? Devil's food cake

? Fruit cake

? Gingerbread

? Ice cream cake

? Mooncake

? Pineapple upside down cake

? Pound cake

? Spice cake

? Sponge cake

Then there's the filling to consider:

? more icing

? different flavors of fruit preserves

? pudding

? custard

? whipped cream

? jams

? peanut butter

? pure chocolate

Not only should you consider what type of cake to have but also how you might be able to decorate the cake in a way that will make the baby shower celebration more special. Here are some ideas:

1. Belly Cake. One great idea is to design a baby shower cake and make it look like a pregnant belly. This can be done by placing a circular cake in front of a rectangular cake and frosting them together to resemble that of a pregnant belly.

2. Toy Blocks Cake. Another idea is to design a baby shower cake and make it look like children's toy blocks (either one large block or 3 to 4 smaller blocks). Toy block cakes can be further enhanced by surrounding them with candies or little toy cars.

3. An Autograph Cake. This is a great idea where "Congratulations" is the only word on the cake, leaving room for each of the guests to "sign" their own name in icing. A picture of the cake is taken when everyone has signed it, making a great keepsake for the parents-to-be.

4. A Character Cake. The cake can be made in the form of a character, such as Pooh Bear.

5. A Baby Bib Cake. Another idea similar to the character cake, but the cake looks like a baby bib.

There are so many different things you can do with a baby shower cake. Here are just a few other suggestions for cake shapes:

Baby Buggy

Baby Booties

Bassinet

Baby Bottle

Noah's Ark

There's also a "diaper" cake. But watch out--it's really made of diapers and not edible!

Of course, you can also experiment with creative ideas of your own, or check out the cake design book at your local grocery store or bakery for ideas. Remember that the 'goal' is not only to make a yummy dessert, but also a great centerpiece or decoration that will stand out in the memories of the parents-to-be. But don't forget, stick to the baby shower theme!

About The Author

Copyright 2006 by Debbie Pettitt who is webmaster for Baby Showers Made Simple, bringing you the latest information and resources to assist you in planning and hosting the most incredible baby shower! http://babyshowersmadesimple.com.

Sticking to a Gift Budget at Christmastime

Sticking to a Gift Budget at Christmastime

by: Stephanie Foster

The Christmas season is upon us, and with it one of the most difficult times to stick on a budget. It?s so easy to go overboard on gifts for those you love. There?s always some cute, cheap item that is just perfect, but when you find things like that over and over, they really add up.

It?s no fun being on a tight budget at this time of year. You wish you could give your kids the gifts they want the most, and give other family members just the right gift too.

There are several ways to give well thought out gifts at this time of year without overdoing it on credit cards or adding to your financial worries. All it takes is a little planning and creativity. Here are a few ideas.

Draw names.

You?ll still have to do the shopping for your kids, of course, but getting together with your siblings or other family members and drawing names can save a lot of money, as well as shopping time. This also allows a single, nicer gift to be given, as you can agree beforehand what should be spent on each person, and have it be a gift from all of you.

Give your time.

Make up coupons with favors you will do for the other person. This could be mowing the lawn for your parents or giving your husband a backrub. It could be babysitting a friend?s kids.

Share your talents.

If there?s something you do well that others have been expressing an interest in learning, give them a card saying you will teach them. This could be music lessons or it could be website design or organizing their home.

Note cards and stamped envelopes.

These are perfect for the person who loves to write. Find an attractive set and get some stamps, and you?re ready to go. You could even take this a step further and create your own design on plain cards.

Family calendar.

This one takes a fair bit of time, and you?ll need other family members to send you pictures, but makes a great gift. If they give you prints, you can make a collage, but if the photos are digital you can manipulate them for a wonderfully fun family calendar. Take the results to your local print shop and have them make them into calendars.

Make picture frames.

Get a cheap picture frame and decorate it with things that the recipient enjoys.

Bake!

Homemade treats are often welcome. If you have a great pie, cake or cookie recipe, you can be sure people will thank you even if they grumble something about calories.

Make Christmas ornaments.

There are all kinds of ideas for beautiful Christmas ornaments. You can buy the cheap clear glass balls and fill them or paint them. Another idea is to take a clear jar or vase, and put in some Christmas lights, then add potpourri. It looks beautiful when plugged in and smells great.

Make gift baskets or jars.

This doesn?t have to mean cheesy, handmade stuff that you really don?t do normally. You can make gift baskets with special items inside, such as bath salts and other items good for relaxation. You can print a card with a special recipe and include the ingredients in a jar.

The possibilities here are just about endless, both in terms of affordability and creativity. Think about the recipient?s hobbies and put something together that relates; garden gloves with a plant or seeds for a gardener, gourmet coffee with a cup for the coffee lover, and so forth.

You don?t have to go overboard with gifts to have a wonderful Christmas. A little planning goes a long way toward easing the financial strain that so many feel at this time of year. Getting creative with Christmas presents doesn?t only save money ? it makes the gifts more meaningful!

About The Author

Stephanie Foster is the owner of HomeWithTheKids.com, a resource for at-home parents. For more tips on living on a budget, please visit http://www.homewiththekids.com/moneymatters.htm and subscribe to the free newsletter.

Create A Gift Basket For A Golfer Lover!

Create A Gift Basket For A Golfer Lover!

by: Donna Hamer

The choice of what gift to give your family and friends can often be a difficult one. One of the best gifts that you can give is a gift basket. A gift basket is that one present that comes in many shapes, themes and of course, price ranges. A gift basket is easy and fun to make.

The diversity of gift baskets is never-ending. You can give a weekend pack gift basket or a relaxing gift basket (required after a weekend away playing golf) or a simple basket with balls and tees. The type of gift basket you choose and create is only limited by your imagination.

Here is a simple basket that you can easily create yourself for that special ?Golf Mad Person?:

Pick a gift basket style. I like to use either a Golf Bag or a bucket (try a metal or heavy plastic golf ball bucket, like the ones at a driving range) which later can be used for collection of practice balls.

Next select a variety of items that have a golf theme which will later be packed into the decorative basket that you have chosen especially for the recipient.

When selecting the gifts for the Golf Lover choose items such as golf balls, personalized golf balls, tees and ball markers, books about golfing, golfing coffee mugs, golf theme mouse pads, sunscreen, waterproof raingear, golfing shirts and handheld golf games.

To add a little extra to your gift basket for the Golf Lover include:

A cap with their name embroidered on the front, a personalized hand towel and a video on improving their golf game.

If you are on a budget try a small gift basket. I would suggest using a metal bucket and include some sunscreen, tees and balls.

When you are finished, wrap the Gift Basket with cellophane paper and raffia to give it a finishing touch. Use shredded paper inside the basket to hold the goodies in place. Tie a tee with a message attached to it for that added touch.

About The Author

Donna Hamer is the author and publisher of eBook ?101 Gift Basket Ideas?. For a Free 5 part Mini Course on how to create your own ?Personalized Gift Baskets? visit http://www.101giftbasketideas.com.