A “24 Karat Baby Basket” is always a favorite for any family with a new arrival. A family-oriented business enjoys celebrating the life events of their employees. When they wanted to do something special for someone who just had a baby, we created the perfect gift. Starting with a laundry basket, we filled it with items needed for any newborn such as a blanket, disposable diapers, rattles, bath items, and a teddy bear. We also included some surprises like a sterling silver sippy-cup with matching fork and spoon.

Say the words “gift basket” and most people automatically think “fruit basket.” They are normally a good choice for a real fruit-lover or someone with dietary restrictions, but should be used sparingly. For this particular gift, a company that sends foreign language instructors around the country wanted to say “thank you” to one teacher after a particularly long deployment. They sent a fruit basket to his hotel and sent an identical gift to his family as a thank you for their sacrifice. Fruit cannot be shipped, remember, but I can help you with the perfect basket through the partnerships I’ve developed in other parts of the country.

What woman doesn’t want to receive a basket like this as a thank you for a job well done? To show appreciation for a female executive who had just completed a major assignment, a client sent a “Pamper Me Spa.” Although they didn’t think the woman, a real “go getter,” would enjoy it, they accepted my suggestion. A beautiful basket filled with bath salts, bubble bath, rose petal soap, body lotion, a foot massager, foot cream, a scented candle, and herbal tea arrived at her desk. Many women never buy these products for themselves, but really enjoy the feeling of luxury they bring. The “Pamper Me Spa” is the perfect personal touch. Later, I got a call from my client saying the basket was a hit and that the woman mentioned she had never gotten anything like this ever before and loved it!

Every basket has its own story and this is especially true with the Barebones Birthday. Clients have a lot of fun thinking about the person, their occupation, interests, hobbies, sports, favorite color, and even their favorite foods when we plan these baskets. The contents always fit the age of the recipient and can be customized with any special subject such as a decade birthday celebration, an action hero, a holiday that is close, or something related to our region. Around the greater Washington area, for example, the Redskins are a popular birthday theme.

“I want to give my office staff a special gift… an adventure in unique food.” A “Deluxe Gourmet Food” basket began with those words from a client who wanted to reward his staff for working long days and extra hours on a project. I hunted for items that went far beyond the normal cheese squares, crackers, nuts, and hard candy. When the office staff gathered to sample the goodies, they found such things as Olive Fennel Black Pepper Biscuits, Merlot Cheddar Cheese, Smoked Salmon, Delicious Dutch Chocolate Pastry Sweet Sticks, Decadent Berry Bonbons, and Old Fashioned Peppermint Sticks. Each basket does become an adventure!

With their unofficial company motto “We work hard and we play hard,” I knew the “Power Play” was the perfect gift a corporate client could give one of their staff for an outstanding accomplishment. This basket blends action items and corporate branding around a specific theme, which, in this case, was golf. Snack foods were used as accents to enhance the major items in the wicker basket including great things to take along for a day at the course. The Power Play offers our clients endless gift options.

The front of the box says it all! Inside, the recipients are going to discover all kinds of snack foods to get them through the day. This is the perfect selection when you don't know what to send. In this case, the owner of a promotional products company wanted to say “thank you” to a client for business completed. She caused quite a stir when she showed up at their office in the middle of the afternoon with this “Junk Food Junkie” under her arm. Later she told me, “You would have thought I was giving away diamonds!” Everyone on the staff found something they enjoyed. This basket of goodies made their afternoon special.

This basket looks elegant in the formality of a corporate boardroom, an executive’s office, or in the hotel suite of a special guest. One of my clients asked me to help them find a special way to welcome their Board of Directors to an annual meeting. They wanted the basket to include some gourmet snack foods and a personalized item, so we customized a “Boardroom” for each of them. We filled the baskets with unique snacks and then added a special gift – two engraved crystal champagne flutes that we store for our client in our shop. A gift like this set a positive tone for the meeting, expressing deep appreciation for all the hard work being accomplished.

One of the first questions I have to ask when someone orders a “Get Well Soon” gift is, “What is the nature of the illness?” The answer sometimes involves us in a very difficult situation and time in someone’s life. This particular basket was for a young woman who broke her ankle. Comfort items are always a winner, so we included chicken noodle soup, Get Well cookies, Choc Aid milk chocolate shaped like a bandage, and tea. We can also add little surprises such as rock candy stirrers for the tea, magazines, puzzles, books, journals, lotions, and even a small stuffed animal. We want each basket to perfectly fit the situation and be a comfort to the person.

The “Action Attraction” is designed around a specific theme involving sports, fund raisers, or action-related activities. One of my clients was holding a golf tournament and needed a door prize. He hadn’t really thought about using a basket until I told him about the customized “Action Attraction.” We designed this basket for his tournament with useful gear for a day at the course and other golf-related items. My client not only loved it but saw ways he could use customized baskets in other situations.

Some occasions are easily remembered using smaller baskets. Our Small Basket Boutique offers clients a large number of littler options, such as the “Seashore,” “Thanks a Latte,” or a “Branding Mini-Basket.” One of my clients works for a BMW dealership and gives a BMW Mini-Basket to every customer with their keys to a new car. The colors, navy, black and silver are BMW's corporate colors. A woman came in a week after buying a car and said, “I want to get another basket.” He started to give her one when she said, “No, I also want the car that goes with it.” He ended up selling her a second BMW. Oh, the power of a basket!

Nothing says magic like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I worked with Sleight-of-Hand Studios designing a special basket that they would give at the launch of a newly designed website, a large graphics project, or major photographic assignment. They wanted it to match their business motto, “When Your Image Needs a Little Magic…” I used a top hat for the basket, filled it with bottle of wine provided by the Studio, and some elegant snack foods. We also included a rabbit dressed in a little embroidered vest with their company logo. Many of these Sleight-of-Hand mascots now permanently reside on the office bookshelves or credenzas of executives around the area.

Real estate agents, title companies, builders, or developers love giving their clients one of our Italian Dinners. This particular basket was given by a Realtor to a client who moved into their new home. With all the excitement of settling furniture and personal items, the family didn’t have time to go to the store, so this gift arrived at just the right time. In this one basket the recipient has everything needed for their first meal in the new house – pasta, sauce, bread sticks, Italian cookies, biscotti, beverages, and even a colander – it's a complete Italian dinner and a lasting memory.