Homemade Diwali Gift Hampers
Why spend a bomb on buying gift hampers when you can so easily make them at home?
My fondest memories of Diwali are of guests and dear ones bringing baskets or trays wrapped in clear cellophane laden with a variety of goodies. I remember thinking that those really grand-looking hampers must cost a pretty penny. But it turned out that the most appealing and stunning hampers were homemade and much more economical. It just goes to show that the homemade gift hamper is second to none when compared to the store-bought hampers.
Here are some ideas for easy hampers that you can make at home:
The ‘no limit’ gift hamper
You will need:
- A large and shallow basket
- Clear cellophane
- Clear tape
- Scissors
- Ribbons or readymade bows
- Gifts
- The first thing to do is to place the basket in the center of a sheet of cellophane.
- Add the gifts to the basket and arrange them according to size.
Here are a few ideas for gifts to go in the hamper:
- Dry fruits and nuts wrapped in cellophane,
- Diyas decorated with sequins or rhinestones in gift boxes,
- The finest chocolates (Godiva or Lindt),
- Indian sweets that do not need refrigeration and have a longer shelf life,
- Chocolate covered cookies
- Organic soaps,
- Movie tickets for the latest box office hit.
- Gift vouchers from any clothing store/home store/handicraft store
- Imported jams
- Scented candles.
- Once you have placed the gifts in the basket, gather the ends of the cellophane and bunch it on top with a rubber band, sealing the entire hamper.
- After securely tying the rubber band, tie a ribbon over the rubber band to form a bow. You can also use readymade, stick-on bows.
- Make sure the cellophane is the clear kind without any designs on it. This ensures that all the gifts in the hamper can be seen.
- You can also make and stick paper cutouts of diyas, elephants, and paisleys, etc alongside the mouth of the basket.
The budget gift hamper
- You can make a stunning looking gift hamper even if you are on a budget.
For this you’ll need:
- Thick cardboard
- Aluminum foil
- Cello tape
- Scissors
- Ribbons or bows
- Gift bags and boxes
- Pencils
- Draw a large circle on the thick cardboard.
- Cut out the circle with a pair of scissors or blade.
- Cover this circular board with foil and, with cello tape, stick the foil firmly under the board.
- Place the foil-covered, circular board at the center of a sheet of cellophane
- Place the gifts as snuggly as possible on the board
Here are some gifts you can add to the hamper:
- Homemade cookies wrapped in cellophane and held together by colorful ribbons.
- Salted or honey-roasted peanuts, also, wrapped in cellophane to ensure freshness.
- Clay diyas that you can paint and decorate yourself with sequins and rhinestones
- Homemade chutneys – tomato, mint or onion – in clear bottles.
- A homemade invitation to burst crackers and watch the fireworks from your home.
- Bookmarks individually decorated and with the names of the people you are presenting the hamper to.
- Firm fresh fruit like oranges, apples, bananas, etc. Use fruits with thick skins.
- Once all the gifts are arranged on the shiny foil board, gather the ends of the cellophane and bunch it on the top with a rubber band, sealing the entire hamper.
- After securely tying the rubber band, tie a ribbon over the rubber band to form a bow. You can also use readymade, stick-on bows.
- Make sure the cellophane is the clear kind without any designs on it so all the pretty gifts can be seen.
- You can also make stick paper cutouts of diyas, elephants, peacock feathers and paisleys. etc along the base of the hamper
Tip: Today, everyone is aware of the benefits of eating healthy and organic foods. In either of the above gift hampers, you can add homemade granola instead of nuts, quinoa, organic jams and pickles and fat-free oat cookies. You could also slip in fancy notebooks or greeting cards made from recycled paper.
