It’s that time of year again, Christmas. You are probably trying to figure out what to give your friends and loved ones as presents this year, especially the writer in the family. I think that choosing just the right gift for a writer or budding writer can be a little mind-boggling. After all, how much more that paper, pen and a computer does a writer need? Well, you would be surprised.

First of all, almost all writers are avid readers, so a good book is always appreciated. Secondly, depending on what type of writing, the writer you know does, can trigger many creative gifts that you can give them. For instance, if you know a copywriter, maybe a little gift basket containing the latest book by an accomplished copywriter plus an assortment of other goodies to include colored markers, a great pen and a small pocket notebook. I know as a copywriter myself, that would be a great gift.

However, if you have a writer whose focus is on writing novels such as mystery novels, you may want to consider putting together a gift basket that contains several new mystery novels by various writers in addition to other writing related implements. The point is that when shopping for the writer in your family, skip the fru, fru, and lacy things and give them something related to their type of writing that can be used and will be cherished for a long time to come. Keep it simple. It doesn’t have to be a big elaborate gift basket. Just make sure to include items that will not only stimulate their imaginations, provide them with new knowledge about a particular style of writing and also helps make the writing easier.

It takes just a little planning and a list of items for the gift basket. You can even visit your local bookstore for ideas and suggestions for filling the basket. It will definitely be worth the trip and will most certainly put a smile on the face of the writer receiving the gift. You can bet that it will be one of their most cherished gifts. Who knows, they may even write you a touching thank you note that you will cherish.

Source by Lorraine Cote

What I am going to tell you about gift basket making thoughts & gift basket ideas is a treasure. Making a gift basket is an art and if you are good enough to prepare the right basket then you would be able to see the smiles on everyone’s faces. Looking for a place where you can get all the best ideas to make an appealing gift basket then boy you have come to the right place, we will tell you how.

Here we would like to you a complete list of things and ideas to make or create exclusive items that would put to shame some of the professionally gift baskets available in the market, all you need is imagination and implementing the whole idea properly.

· Delicious food packing are one of the most sort after gifts packing done today. A basket package having gourmet pasta one or two, paprika, tongs, garlic olive oil or virgin olive oil, Tabasco sauce, spices such as oregano, chili powder, dried red peppers, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, white pepper, thyme, or a mixture of spices, sauces of the likes of chili sauce, HP sauce, plum sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce or Szechwan sauce, hot pickles plus an additional recipe book shall be nice to round it off. If you like to have more in the basket then flavored teas, herbal teas, cleavers, olives or chopsticks would be fine as well.

· For those who are wine collectors or like wines then what better gift than a gift basket containing wine. Such baskets are ideal for Christmas, for New Year, Thanksgiving and at any occasion. Take a small pretty looking tub or the conventional basket and place good wines either red or white or of them, place some wine glasses, corkscrew, pack some snacks as well like fine cheese, dry fruits, roasted nuts, and the odd Swiss chocolates would make the basket complete.

· Quite a lot of people love craft. In every family there exists an admirer of craftwork. If you are making one that has craft material in it them it should have a painting kit, glue gun having glue sticks, wood sticks, acrylic colors, fabric or glass painting kit, gel candles, water oil, craft knife, set of brushes, beads, candle making kits, pine cones, candle wax, dried flowers, wreath hangers, grape vine wreath, ribbons, oasis foams, arts & crafts material, DIY books, DIY project kits or pattern books.

* For the newborn you can have some baby bath kits, baby blankets, baby photo album, diapers and all sorts of goodies that are there in the market.

With the above listed ideas there should be no dirt of thoughts to make a great gift basket. I sincerely hope that we have listed all that can be done to prepare a proper and elegant gift basket. The list can be endless but that we have told you encompass a wide range of possibilities to choose from. Put a small handwritten note so that the person will remember you for a long time and I think this note shall be the perfect finishing material.

Source by Angela B. Smith

It is a common trend to present gift baskets on festivals or on special occasions, but most of the people are unable to decide about the items that they are going to use for filling the gift baskets. Therefore, through this article we are going to offer you some tips about the items that you can put in the gift basket that you have planned to make for the festival or for some special occasion. We all know that every person who receives the gift basket expects that it will contain those items that he can use in his daily life or it will contain some edible items commonly used by everybody.

Therefore, before choosing the items for the gift basket you have to do lot of planning, as you have to think about the person whom you are going to give the gift basket and choose those items, which will be useful for him or her. Nowadays, the trend of presenting themed gift baskets has become very popular as it becomes easy to choose the items that you can fill in the basket according to the theme. Now let us take up a theme based on the liking of the person for whom you are preparing the gift basket. If the person likes sweets then you can choose the snacks theme for filling the basket.

After deciding the theme according to the choice of the person, you will then have to start selecting the items that you want to put in the basket. As you know that, the person has a sweet tooth you should first make a list of the sweet items that you are going to put in the basket. Now let us say you can select few chocolate treats like one or two bags of good candies, assorted packet of chocolate bars, and other types of chocolate items. However, if the person has a sweet tooth but is not crazy about chocolates you can include some snacks items like cookies and sweet wafers or any other sweet item commonly liked by all the people.

Nevertheless, you should always choose the items for the gift basket according to the likes and dislikes of the person to whom you are gifting the basket. If you are thinking of filling your gift basket with items that are useful in the bathroom then you must first take into consideration that for whom you are preparing the gift basket. If the gift basket is for a man then you should include the shaving kit along with some mini shampoos, exotic soap, and cologne. If the gift basket is for a woman, you can replace the shaving kit with body wash, or other special items that she may need in the bathroom. 

Therefore, we can say that the best way to prepare the gift basket is, first decide about the theme that you are going to choose for filling the basket. Then you should select the size of the basket; according to the theme and size of the basket, you should prepare a list of the items complementing the theme. You should also find out the number of items you are going to require for filling the basket. If you want to get several gift basket ideas then access my signature where you will get the review about the resource from where you can get novel ideas for gift baskets.

Source by Sofi Emerald

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to pack a basket with delicious types of food, grab a blanket and head out for a relaxed summer picnic. Picnics are perfect for bonding with friends and family over foods that shout “summer is here!” There is something about the simplicity of a picnic that makes it very appealing.

Unfortunately, there are several ways for an enjoyable picnic to be ruined, and not all of these can be blamed on the weather. If you are careless in your planning, you may end up dropping or smashing your food, spending excessive amounts of time assembling the food onsite, or worst of all, ending up with spoiled food that smells terrible and tastes worse. These tips will help you plan for a perfect picnic so that you avoid the aforementioned tragedies.

Packing

There are several essential items that you will not want to be without when you have your picnic. These include the following:

-Picnic basket (or better yet, a cooler to keep everything fresh)
-Frozen bottles of water. Put them in the freezer the night before the picnic. When they melt, you’ll have icy cold water!
-Tablecloth or picnic blanket
-Outdoor dinnerware or paper plates
-Plastic utensils
-Hand Sanitizer
-Napkins
-Trash bags

Keep It Simple

This doesn’t mean that you need to eat bread and water, but if you plan foods that are easy to prepare and serve, you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor. The last thing you need when you arrive at your picnic spot is the hassle of preparing a complicated meal. Also, if you are packing a picnic basket instead of a cooler, you will want more perishable foods that last longer without refrigeration. Stick with easy foods like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, veggies, cookies, crackers, and so on.

Use Unique Picnic Recipes for Variety

If you want to pack a simple picnic lunch but are tired of the peanut butter sandwich routine, consider trying out a new recipe for a meal or dessert that can be made ahead of time and is easy to prepare once you arrive at your picnic location. Remember that whatever you make needs to be perishable. One great option that is quick, easy and tasty is to use a cake mix product to make your dessert before your picnic. This will give even the most inexperienced cook a variety of dessert options!

Source by chelsi woolz

Fruit basket gifts of oranges to those who suffer with shingles can reduce the impact of blister and scars over your body. Shingles, a virus, also called the Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV), causes chicken pox. This virus can lie dormant in your system for years without causing any problems. But, in situations when you are heavily stressed and exhausted it may attack your system cells. When you are under attack you will feel pain on your body and that can last for the day before blister start to appear. However, after the blisters have gone the pain can still persist. The chicken pox virus causes an itchy red rash starting over the face and torso and can spread to other parts of your body.

When I was a child, the rest of my family had chicken pox. I was spared because I was away from home the vast majority of time attending school. I only came home to sleep at nights and my room was away from the others and I had little contact with my siblings.

Years later, after I was married, my son had an attack of the chicken pox when he was 5 years old. I eventually had an attack of chicken pox also as I was home with him performing fatherly duties. I developed burning itching pains throughout my body with a strong fever that had me bed ridden for a few days. Within about a it had been over but my body started to experience strange tingling sensations in localized areas on my body.

This tingling effect wouldn’t go away until my Financial Director colleague asked why I was absent from work. I relayed my problems and he told me that I had shingles. He advised me to depart work immediately and buy a gallon of 100% Pure Florida oranges Juice immediately and drink two glasses at once. He advised that I should drink 2 glasses every two hours thereafter until the juice was finished. Later, the fruit basket gifts of oranges by my brother served me well also.

I knew that I had chicken pox but the strange sensation on my chest area muscles puzzled me. My colleague told me I had shingles and that chicken pox can kill if contract it as an adult and not when you were a child. I followed his instructions and by the following morning the many tingling sensations were gone. I finished the gallon of orange juice by the following day.

Later, I discovered that I had blisters on some areas of my body but these could hardly be noticed. When I told my friend and colleague he said that I was lucky because it could have been worse had I delayed the drinking of this orange juice. Based on the feedback he gave me I understand that I could have had many more blisters and scars so I got off practically unscathed.

My research later led me to determine that many of us not acting in a very timely manner when attacked by chicken pox might have hundreds or even many hundreds of ugly scars because of the  shingles throughout their body. These scars do not go away. They continue to be with you for life. I have seen good facial features of many people who were attacked by chicken pox blotted out by these ugly scars.

So, if you are attacked by chicken pox get yourself some orange juice and drink plenty of it. I learned that the high content of Vitamin C, in addition to other vitally necessary nutrients in oranges were the reason for eliminating the shingles.

There are other recommended accepted treatments for shingles. Eat a diet full of fresh vegetables and fruit on a regular basis to build a healthy immune system. You should also include vitamin-B12in your diet. An alternative would be to take vitamin supplements as a secondary source. Now is the time to get your fruit basket gifts to your favorite person for healthy living.

Source by trevor

Thanksgiving flowers are a wonderful way to brighten up your dining room during your Thanksgiving holiday dinner.  Each year, we celebrate the glorious bounty of the autumn harvest with our family and friends.  In the United States, Thanksgiving day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.  In Canada, Thanksgiving is commemorated on the second Monday in October.  

In both cases, Thanksgiving is a celebratory time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.  A proper Thanksgiving Day feast would be incomplete without a beautiful, fresh bouquet of flowers or a floral Thanksgiving table centerpiece; a cornucopia of autumn colors in red, yellow and orange.  The combination of deep autumn reds, oranges and yellows can be found in traditional Thanksgiving flowers, like chrysanthemums, sunflowers and gerberas. Other Thanksgiving flowers include carnations, solidago, monte casino and marigolds.

Thanksgiving Day flowers need not be limited to the dinner table, however.  Autumn flowers such as Daisies, Lilacs, Daffodils, and Dahlias are a wonderful way to show friends and family that you are thinking of them during the Thanksgiving holiday season.  When you send Thanksgiving flowers, you can be sure that the recipient will understand and appreciate your well-wishes.

Thanksgiving Day flowers that reflect the colors of Fall are generally thought to make the best flowers for Thanksgiving floral centerpieces.  Some of our favorite autumn flowers include carnations, lilies, cattails, solidago, and poms.  Thanksgiving flower baskets, with rich autmumn colors of yellow, rust, purple and orange really capture the essence of this colorful season.  The following are three of our favorite bouquets of fresh flowers or beautiful flowering plants to celebrate Thanksgiving Day:

Burst of Autumn is a soothing blend of yellow and orange blooms, arranged beautifully with oak and maple leaves.  Autumn Lights is a glorious autumn centerpiece, bursting with fragrant carnations and daisies; a welcome addition to a Thanksgiving celebration.  Fall Sunshine is a refreshing collection of purple and orange flowers, delivered in a delightful wicker basket.

Source by Christina Nielson