Moms deserve the world. They are so often caregivers, cheerleaders, housekeepers, personal chefs, therapists, taxi drivers, and so much more all rolled into one. How do you find the perfect gift for someone who does so much? Well, the short answer is to gift something that comes from the heart. This can be anything from a macaroni necklace or a family portrait to a gift basket that’s full of things that would bring her joy. While you can certainly buy a one-size-fits-all gift basket, we like the idea of making one that caters especially to our own dear mothers, so we thought we would share some tips on creating beautiful baskets.
We like to create themes for our baskets to help them feel cohesive. If mom loves to garden, seedlings, new garden gloves & tools, organic fertilizers, gardening magazines, and pots for plants are great ideas. If mom’s a cook, try gifting her a new apron, gourmet jams or oils, fancy spices, and some beautiful cookbooks. You might even throw in an issue of Cooking with Paula Deen magazine! And if mom is an amateur movie critic, consider gourmet popcorn, a snuggly blanket, a bottle of wine, a Netflix gift certificate, and some of her favorite movie snacks.
Paula will use anything as a basket, from a more traditional wicker look to a pretty pail or milk crate. The real key though is in stuffing it full of paper and Easter grass so that none of your beautiful gifts fall to the bottom, making the basket fall a little flat in the looks department. So be sure to get a nice, stiff paper to fill the bottom, and then top it with your favorite Easter grass—Paula prefers the paper grass over the plastic because it’s more supportive. Now, as you’re arranging all your gifts in the basket, you need a secret weapon—clear tape, and lots of it! Tape things to the basket handle, if you have one, and tape things to each other so they don’t flop around in your basket.
Once all your gifts are inside and you’re happy with the way it looks, it’s time to wrap it. Paula likes using clear cellophane, but it’s available in all sorts of colors and patterns. Cut it to the appropriate length that it will have a nice, long tail at the top, and then, before tying it together at the top, fold and tape the sides, so they lie flat. Now, gather the material at the top, and secure it closed with a wire before decorating it with ribbons and bows. And Paula always likes to add something beautiful, like a pick of some sort, popping out the top of her baskets. Voilà! You’ve got yourself a beautiful, heartfelt gift for mom.
Now, if you’d rather hear tips from the Lady herself, enjoy this 2016 Paula Deen Club Live Event, where she and her assistant, Eddie, make a beautiful basket for mom.
