If you have been looking for a business of your own to start, you may have considered gift baskets. Gift baskets are very popular, and this time of year they are even more popular as the holidays approach. While anyone can buy a regular present, there is something about a gift basket that makes many people think so much more thought was put into the present.

If you are creative and have a great feel for what people want, this may be a great way to make money for you.

What Gift Baskets to Sell

There are a number of styles of gift baskets you can sell. Some of the popular themes include:

Gourmet food items
Baby Baskets
Spa and Bath Gif Baskets
Business Themes
House Warming Gifts
Romantic Fun Baskets
Wedding or Anniversary Baskets
Holiday Baskets
Birthday Baskets
Holiday Baskets

You can choose just one or two of these categories when beginning your gift basket business or decide that you would like to have a few in each category to try and capture a larger audience.

Which selling strategy you are going for will depend on who you expect to be your customer base. Consider where and how you will be selling your baskets and what types of people will likely be there to make purchases. This will help you come up with a good idea of which baskets will do the best.

Making Gift Baskets

Once you are ready to get going in your gift basket making business, you can either do a trial run or jump in with both feet.

If you want to do a trial run, you should purchase the items to make a couple of baskets and come up with a couple of creations. Show these to people you know so they can let you know what they think and what they would pay for them.

Once you are ready to really get to work, you should not be paying retail for any of the items related to your business. You need to take advantage of wholesale buying. Wholesale buying is where you go directly to the manufacturer or distributor of the items you are trying to sell and purchase the items in bulk at wholesale cost (usually 50% or more below retail).

In addition to getting the items you want to put in your baskets at wholesale prices, you should also make sure to get all your decorative items such as the baskets, wrapping paper, ribbons, etc at wholesale prices as well.

Setting a Price

Once you have put your baskets together, you need to set a price. Add up the cost of all the items involved in the basket (including the wrapping items) and add on the cost of your labor. Double this total and you have a pretty good starting price for your baskets.

Source by Stephen Sikes

Defense is one of the most important parts of basketball. It may not get much recognition in terms of highlights and top plays, but it is very important to be able to succeed in team basketball. It is harder to defeat a team with solid defense, than it is to defeat a team with great offense.

As the famous saying goes, “Offense wins games, defense wins Championships” Here are the top 12 most important things to emphasize on defense. Each of these elements is important for each team to have success in defense.

1. Always Stop the Ball: When coming down for defense, the priority of each defensive team is to stop the ball. This means that you will have to immediately defend the player with the ball. This is to stop the point of attack and slow down the offense.

2. Keep Low: As individuals on defense, it is important to keep low. This means that a defender should have his knees bent and his buttocks down. This allows the defensive player to move and react quickly.

3. Keep your Hands Up: It is important to always keep your hands up when defending an offensive player. This is so that you can tap or tip a ball if it is close enough. This also puts the defensive player in position to intercept a pass or block a shot.

4. Deny all Passes: In team defense, denial is one of the most basic and effective ways of stopping the offense. Never allow a team to pass the ball around to the player that they want. The defense should deny passing angles and stay in front of the ball at all times, making it hard for the offense to move the ball around.

5. Keep your eyes on the Ball: Each defensive player must always know where the man they are guarding is and also where the ball is. This way, a defensive player can react to each play and adjust their defense.

6. Move on the Pass: Most coaches will tell you to move on the pass, not the catch. What this means it that you should start moving and adjusting as soon as the pass is made, and not just when the receiving player has already caught the ball. This makes it tougher for the offense to run their plays and creates opportunities for the defense to intercept the ball on the pass.

7. Quick Help: Quickly helping on defense is important, especially if there are mismatches on the defensive side of the floor. Helping quickly will give the offense less time to react and rotate the ball to an opening in the defense. “Help Defense” is an essential defensive strategy that can lead to an offensive turnover or violation.

8. Active hands: Active hands and ball pressure makes the offenses lag and slow down. This puts pressure on every player that handles the ball to make plays or make the correct pass. Keeping pressure also slows down the tempo of the offense and creates opportunities for the defense to make a play.

9. Box out: Boxing out and getting the rebound is essential in every defense. Getting the rebound will ensure that the offensive team will only get one shot at the basket. This defensive maneuver, commonly called “One and done” limits opportunities for the offense and puts the offensive side under a lot of pressure.

10. Communication. Communication is the most important aspect of any defense. Solid team defense is exponentially stronger than great individual defense. This means every player on the defensive side of the team must communicate with one another so that they can move, adjust or compensate for every action made by the offense.

Source by Coach Jase Tillman

Christmas is an extremely busy time of year. By the time you get you shopping done, gifts wrapped and your cookies and cakes baked, it’s likely you don’t have the energy left to put into extravagant decorating. Although less than energetic, you still want your home decorated for Christmas. After all, Christmas is just not the same without lights and decorations.

Decorating your home for Christmas doesn’t have to be stressful. There are many things you can do and items you can use to dress up your home for this wonderful season. One suggestion when decorating your home for Christmas is using ribbon. If you have a decorating theme for Christmas, regarding color, choose ribbon to correspond with your theme. You can tie ribbons to all sorts of items in your home such as chair backs, wreathes, basket handles, stair railings and even doorknobs. Ribbons and bows are very festive. A good idea is to choose ribbon which can be easily untied and retied. This way you can reuse the ribbon another Christmas season.

Using holiday tableware is nice when decorating your home for Christmas. Search your home for anything Christmas, plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, any piece of tableware that has a Christmas theme. Make sure to use these items each and every meal, every day throughout the Christmas season. Another good idea is to buy a few pieces each year. In time you’ll have enough tableware to serve the entire community.

Lighting is important when decorating your home for Christmas. During the month of December turn off your lights. Make use of your candles in every room of your home. Place candles on the dining table, on the coffee and end tables in the living room and perhaps place a nice scented pillar candle in the bathroom. Don’t just put them there for decorations but also make sure to light them each night. If you have a fireplace, make sure to light it and enjoy it. A fireplace creates a cozy atmosphere which is nice when guests are visiting.

Decorating your home for Christmas should always include a Christmas tree. After decorating the tree with your homemade ornaments and strung popcorn, use the leftover branches to make arrangements for your home. Put the greens in a basket or bowl, add pinecones, bows and ornaments. Use the branches to make swags to hang over doors throughout your home. Take the evergreen sprigs and place them around your home, on windows, on a bookcase shelf or on a ledge. Evergreen branches and sprigs certainly reflect Christmas. Not only do they look nice but they spread a lovely aroma throughout the home.

Christmas is a time for celebrating. It’s a time to pull out all the stops. Snow is always nice for Christmas. When decorating your home for Christmas, why not use snow, artificial snow to add a sparkle to your home. Sprinkle it on the dining table, the hutch or the fireplace. Use ornaments which reflect light and hang them around your home, from doors or even indoor trees and plants. This will definitely look dazzling at night as the candle light flickers off the ornaments. Decorating your home for Christmas shouldn’t be a dreadful task but a delightful experience. One thing to remember when decorating your home for Christmas is not to over-think your plan. Keep it simple because simplicity is elegant and beautiful.

Source by Gail Logan

It can be a challenge when an occasion comes up to decide what gift is right to give. Some gifts are too cheap, others are too expensive and some are just completely inappropriate. But there is one gift, that no matter what the occasion it is for, it is always deeply appreciated. Those are affordable gift baskets.

There are probably a lot more occasions to give a gift basket than you may think. Many people can only think of a few instances to send a gift basket mainly because that is when they may have received one. Here are just a few suggestions to give you some ideas for when the perfect gift is an affordable gift basket.

– Birthdays are great occasions for giving a gift basket instead of some gift that may not be as meaningful.
– Mother’s and Father’s Day both are good occasions for a great fruit basket.
– A great way to show appreciation is by giving corporate fruit or specialty gift baskets.
– Christmas gift baskets for friends and family are always well-received.
– Gift baskets as congratulation gifts for graduation, weddings or even babies makes an awesome present.
– Instead of the standard Easter baskets, give fruit baskets.

These are just a few occasions when that perfect gift can be a gift basket. However, it can be tricky when it comes time to find affordable gift baskets. You will find that it is very expensive and time consuming if you were to buy all the fruit, gifts and flowers to put a basket together yourself. Not only that, but getting a homemade gift basket delivered can be even more of a headache than putting it together.

But online florists also have awesome specialty fruit, floral and regular or gourmet food gift baskets. That means you can go online, place an order for a great gift basket and have it delivered. Instead of spending hours trying to figure out your own gift basket or spending lots of money for a gift basket from a company that only makes gift baskets, you can save both time and money by having a florist put one together and deliver it for you. And with just a couple of hours notice, the florist can even have the gift basket delivered the same day.

Affordable gift baskets make great gifts for any occasion and the recipients always appreciate them. Save time, save money and save headaches by going online and having a great gift basket delivered for your next gift giving occasion. You’ll appreciate how easy it is, and the recipient will love the gift.

Source by Jon Harwokey

Send gifts to Pakistan through internet, is the best idea for those Pakistanis who left Pakistan due to business, job, education, wedding or any reason. Leaving own country is not an easy task and at the time someone leaves country also leave their loved ones like parents, husband or wife, sisters, brothers, friends and many other important people.

If you left country and wanted to send gifts in Pakistan, you can order online through online gift shops. You can easily order any occasional gift like birthday, engagement, anniversary etc, if you want to say thank you or sorry you can order best flowers from these gifts services. The gift delivery service is available for same day and next day with free and express delivery more than 150 cities of Pakistan.

The gift service provides you full opportunity of choosing your best gift according to the event in Pakistan. For example you are sending gift to some one on anniversary, flowers will be the nice pick. You can choose from the flower basket, Red roses basket, Lilies Bunch, Bouquet of roses or flowers in Vase and with flowers you can also add few good items like cake, chocolates or a branded perfume. Same as you can send gift for birthday or any other occasion.

If you are sending gift for special event and wanted to send Eid gift in Pakistan you can select from the vast range of gifts for Eid day like local desi Mithai, Fruit Baskets, Cakes form Hotel or famous bakers, Flower Bouquet and also you can send food item like KFC, Pizza, Biryani etc.

If you are sending gifts for Valentine’s day the Red Roses are first one you must be pick and with Roses there are many other cool items you could choose as valentine present like Heart shape chocolate box, Heart shape stuff, Teddy Bear etc.

Finding gift for the wedding ceremony is also very exciting what should have to sent to bride and groom. The easiest way is just to send a five start hotel Wedding Cake also there are lot of other gift item you can send as wedding gift i.e. Special Large Basket of international flowers, perfume for men and women and sweets (Desi Mithai) . All these personalized gifts can be delivered same day with Free wrapping and free delivery.

Free delivery is possible 365 days of a year. Same gift delivery service for cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Jehlum, MirPur, Gujrat, Quetta, Hyderabad, Mardan, Nawabshah, Peshawar & Rahim Yaar Khan. Just place order and choose the date you wish to deliver your gift will reach at the destination within same day you ordered.

Source by RITA FARNANDEZ

Diaper cakes are a perfect gift idea because they provide mom and baby with much needed supplies while still allowing you to add a little originality and creativity. Combine your imagination with the party theme or nursery color scheme, add in a few extra special accessories, and you will have a gift that will thrill the mom or mom-to-be, and be remembered for years to come. In fact, pictures of these stunning creations are guaranteed an honored place in the pages of every family’s memory scrapbook.

Choosing a Diaper Cake Color Scheme:

In addition to diapers, your cake will likely include other items for the new baby’s room such as blankets, stuffed animals, or picture frames. Choosing a color scheme or theme that matches the nursery will ensure that your thoughtful gifts are both useful and complementary to the décor.

You may also choose the color based on the new baby’s gender or select a neutral tone that is appropriate for either a boy or girl and will fit well with any decorating style.

Cover your cake in a blanket of icing using a bath towel, quilt, or crib sheet that matches your chosen color scheme. Add complementary ribbon such as pink for a girl, blue for a boy, yellow for a Winnie-the-Pooh nursery, or green for a jungle themed room. Complete your creation with matching flowers or accessories.

Choosing the Perfect Shape for Your Diaper Cake:

Although it requires a little extra time, you can make your cake truly unique by designing creative shapes that will have guests begging for your ‘recipe’. Elegant tiered cakes, stacked atop one another or separated by pedestals add class and sophistication to a very practical gift. Ice with receiving blankets and colorful sprinkles of pacifiers, baby socks, rattles, and stuffed animals.

Make a bassinet pattern from cardboard, use a ribbon to securely cover the outside with diapers, and fill the inside with baby items such as oil, powder, face cloths, and onesies. A baby blanket makes a great hood, and you can even transform your creation into a carriage by rolling additional diapers into wheels and adding a handle made from wire covered with washcloths or towels.

Cover the outside of a bushel basket with rolled diapers, line the bottom with baby blankets or crib sheets, and set a pair of large stuffed animals, rag dolls, or plush superheros inside. Make a boat pattern using diapers for the base and a washcloth for a sail. Of course, a stuffed teddy will make a great captain. Or, turn your boat into a Noah’s ark, adding in a twig ladder and pairs of animals. If you have the time and inclination you can even make Noah’s creatures yourself using baby washcloths and socks.

For a winter baby, use diapers to make a snowman from three different sized diaper rolls stacked on top of each other. Cover with white towels, add a scarf and hat, attach eyes and even a carrot nose – made from an orange wash cloth, of course! Wrap ribbon between each layer or glue buttons down the front to complete your personalized “Frosty”.

Are you expecting a little princess. Design a pink diaper castle. Welcoming a rambunctious little boy? Why not create a diaper tricycle? Or, make a platter of mini-cakes using individual diapers rolled and placed in cupcake containers.

Choosing Your Diaper Cake Accessories:

While diapers provide the base of your creation, it is the accessories that add the unique and personal touches. Welcome a little girl with a princess cake topped with a magic wand and bejeweled crown. Or, introduce the new addition to the excitement of tea parties by attaching mini cups, saucers, and teapots.

Follow a Winnie-the-Pooh theme by choosing Pooh covered items such as pacifiers, rattles, and socks. You could even have a plush Pooh climbing the side of your cake in an attempt to reach a bouncy Tigger perched at the top.

Are you welcoming a Christmas baby? Wrap your diaper cake in holly, top with a Santa hat, and include a special baby’s first Christmas ornament. Create a jungle themed cake by accessorizing with zebra print ribbon, jungle grasses, palm trees, and jungle animals. As an added touch, include a swinging monkey or a tree house.

By making diaper cakes you can give a unique and useful gift that can be customized to any theme and will receive top marks for presentation and creativity. And, for an eco-friendly option, you can even substitute cloth diapers for disposable ones and please the environmentally conscious mother-to-be.

Source by Nisha Williams

Cheap gift basket can be one of the best choices when you are looking for cheap gifts. There are varieties of cheap gift baskets but the most popular is the one that is packed with generous amount of goodies. The popular options to fill these baskets with are chocolates, cookies, fruits etc. These ingredients are relished by one and all. Also, it can be a treat to the eye as well if packed with some creativity.

If you want to experiment a little more then you can add a bottle of wine with your fruit basket. Also, wine makes a very good combination with cheese and chocolates too. If you want to play safe then you can always fall back to the tried and tested formula of flowers as gift basket. Flowers are again something that fit into the category of cheap gift baskets and above all, they are loved by almost everyone. If you think properly and choose wisely, gift baskets can fulfill the needs of every occasion. Be it a birthday or an engagement or arrival of a little one, you can customize a gift basket accordingly for all occasions. Moreover, gift baskets can also be made keeping your budget in mind.

Want some more ideas? Let’s see what else we can fit into this category of cheap gift baskets. You can use lot of other stuff like scented candles, handy craft items, imitation jewelry etc. Such products are not too expensive and are very much affordable by everyone. If you think creatively then sky is the limit for ideas, think about their likes and dislikes, add a bit of your logic to it and then top it up with some creativity and your unique cheap gift basket is ready.

A gift is nothing if given without true feeling of love and care. So, whatever you decide to gift, do it with love and with all your happiness in your heart.

by Jatin Chawla

In asking yourself what is a good Christmas gift for a girlfriend, you have to break down the question.

That’s actually surprisingly easy when you take a little time to think about the woman on your gift list.

Just precisely is your relationship to your girlfriend – intimate, close or casual?

You don’t want to make the mistake of giving something that will be taken as a signal of intimacy to someone you intend to remain casual with. The reverse is also true.

What is your girlfriend interested in?

Hone in on what she would like, not what you want her to like, what you personally like or worst of all, what your Mother likes.

The worst gift my now ex-husband ever gave me for Christmas was an electric can opener, exactly like his Mother had just bought for herself. There’s a reason we are no longer together!

What do you want your gift to say to your girlfriend?

By this I’m talking subtext. What you give as a Christmas gift for a girlfriend will come back to bite you if you buy something that looks cheap, something that screams exorbitantly expensive or something that says “I got Mother to pick up an extra one of these while she was out shopping”

Is there a Christmas gift that hits the target every time?

Well you may beg to differ but I believe the best Christmas gift for a girlfriend, wife, partner, daughter or any other lady you might be buying for is a gift basket for women.

I’ll tell you why.

Themed gift baskets come in many and varied shapes and sizes, but always they look attractive. First impressions are important for any gift for a woman.

Items in a gift basket are an abundance of cute little packages, each one to be examined and unwrapped and exclaimed over separately, prolonging the joy of gift receiving.

Many of the items in gift hampers are consumables and after these gift items are used up, your girlfriend is happy to receive another basket on a different occasion.

Source by Andrea Jackson

What could be more enticing during the summer than to set out from your affordable Cape Town holiday accommodation to enjoy an al fresco picnic amongst the beautiful scenery and lovely beaches? Whether you are planning a family picnic or a romantic picnic for 2, there are so many lovely spots from which to choose. A picnic can be enjoyed on any of the beaches of but for those who choose not to mix their food with sand; this article suggests choice spots that specifically cater to picnics.

Silvermine Nature Reserve: The Silvermine reserve is part of the Table Mountain National park, between the suburbs of Tokai and Noordhoek. At the top of the mountain, on the old wagon road to Simonstown is a National Parks sign marking the entrance to the Silvermine Reservoir. There is a nominal entrance fee charged, and toilet facilities are available at the parking. A pleasant and easy walk, suitable for family outings, leads along a trail that meanders alongside a bubbling stream through lovely indigenous flora, with a number of boardwalks to cross the stream, ending at the Silvermine reservoir. Along the walk one may enjoy spectacular panoramic views across False Bay. There are a number of quaint stone benches and tables situated in shady nooks, where one can picnic or make use of the barbeque hearths, and enjoy a peaceful sojourn with nature. During the warmer weather one will enjoy a swim in the cool, clean blue water of the dam

Chapman’s Peak Drive is surely one of South Africa’s most spectacular coastal scenic drives, easily accessible from our Noordhoek guest house. The drive skirts the mountainside high above the Atlantic Ocean; following the rocky coastline hundreds of metres below, and winds through 114 bends and curves. One can almost never tire of the magnificent views from the sandy white beaches. There are a number of designated picnic spots along the Drive; each offering spectacular view spots where one can pull off the road and enjoy a picnic in a lovely setting, and where concrete tables and benches are thought fully provided. If you plan your picnic for the afternoon you will be bound to experience the majesty of the colourful sunsets over Hout Bay.

Oudekraal may be the city’s best kept secret picnic and bathing spot. Oudekraal is located between Camps Bay and Llandudno on the way between Cape Town to Hout bay, and is set against the awesome backdrop of the peaks of the 12 Apostles. There are a number of sheltered coves and small sandy beaches situated between the massive granite boulders, offering safe swimming, with some having picnic and barbecue sites sheltered beneath indigenous Milkwood trees, whilst others have spectacular views of mountain and ocean, and you will probably see the resident seal colony.

Perdekloof Picnic Site is on the way from Noordhoek to the Cape of Good Hope, Perdekloof is an extensive family picnic spot thoughtfully furnished by the City of with concrete table and benches, affording good shade areas amongst the many pine trees. There are also ample barbeque facilities. This is a great spot to enjoy the feeling of being out in the country, and far from the bustle of the city. From here you could continue to southwards, or drive over the mountain opposite the picnic spot via Red Hill Road to marvel at the truly awesome views from the top of the mountain across Simonstown and False Bay before descending to Simonstown.

Cape Point Nature reserve: The picnic spots at Buffels Bay and Bordjiesdrif lie within the National reserve and provide a lovely location with plenty of sun and sea. The unmatched beauty of this reserve will reward the distance that has to be travelled to get here. There are clean white sand beaches and tidal pools, as well as grassed picnic spots for the family to enjoy a day out. Here are some of the highest sea cliffs and freshest sea air in the world and is home to a variety of animals including baboons, Mountain Zebra and other plains game. It is open between 06:00 and 18:00 from October to March and between 07:00 and 17:00 from April to September.

Simonstown: Seaforth beach is a lovely venue for a family picnic, with sloping green lawns that overlook the sheltered bathing beach, so parents can keep an eye on the little ones at play. Boulders Beach, a little further on, will keep the little ones busy playing in the small sheltered bay. After enjoying a picnic that you have brought along, one can walk along the pathways past the penguin colony where cute black and white birds frolic in the waves. Boulders beach was recently voted the best family beach in the world by a leading UK journal. Further on southwards is a lovely small beach at Froggy Pond; situated right next to the road, where green lawns invite one to unpack a picnic and spend a few relaxing hours.

Wynberg Park: With over 22 hectares of ground, is a popular spot with a number of barbeque and picnic spots; a tree-shaded duck pond and fully-equipped kids play area. This popular family spot offers kids plenty of room to play and work up an appetite. Entrance to the park is free, and located on the corner of Klaasens and Trovato Link Roads, Wynberg

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens is renowned for its diverse floral kingdom and its magnificent setting against the Eastern slopes of Table Mountain. The Gardens are an ideal family picnic venue. In summer there are open-air concerts on Sunday evenings, so bring along a blanket, a picnic basket and some local wine to enjoy the gardens or the concerts. The Silvertree Deli and Restaurant has a selection of picnic baskets on offer. An entrance fee is payable to the Gardens.

Tokai Forest: The Constantia valley offers breathtaking vineyard and forests vistas. Situated on the edge of the Tokai forest is a centrally located, spacious picnic site shaded by pine trees. There is ample space for large families and is convenient to many enjoyable trails through the plantation. Tokai forest is carpeted in lush pine trees, eucalyptus trees, indigenous forest and wild flora, making it great for weekend family picnics. There is a nominal entrance fee.

Groot Constantia:More exclusive picnics can be enjoyed at Groot Constantia; the original wine farm of the Cape which is worth a visit whether you intend to enjoy a picnic or not. There are beautiful views from the grounds towards Muizenberg beach and the back of Table Mountain. Groot Constantia has some beautiful Dutch style buildings and the Manor house is open to the public as a museum. One can enjoy scenic walks through the peaceful gardens. There are 2 choices of picnic fare on offer”: Simon’s Terrace picnic offers a relaxed, tranquil experience on the rolling green lawns. Picnic baskets with delicious country fare can be pre-ordered and collected from the picnic kiosk, but they try to provide for impromptu orders. For your comfort, it is advised to bring your own chairs and blankets.The Jonkershuis restaurant is best known for our local Malay cuisine and is surrounded by ancient oak trees and the legendary Groot Constantia Vineyards, but also offers their Vineyard Picnic with a selection of local & imported delicacies and a Kiddies Picnic box. All Jonkershuis picnics come complete with utensils and picnic blankets are provided against a refundable deposit. There is a wide selection of wines on sale from the Estate in a delightful shop.

You will find a wide choice of restaurants, catering to all tastes and budgets, but a feast selected and prepared by yourself in the beautiful outdoors is bound to be a highlight of your affordable Cape Town holiday

Source by CapeTown holidays