Look! I made a gift basket.

Ok, this may not be a big deal to some people but it is to me. Fifteen years ago I used to make gift baskets. Not only was it fun but the purchases from family and friends helped us meet our bills. This was in early 1995 just before I was raped. That occurrence took the wind out of my sails for a lot of things.

Here it is almost finished.

Recently, our church ladies wanted to put a gift basket together to donate to charity. Hubby volunteered me for the job of putting it all together. This is probably the first or maybe second basket that I’ve made since 1995. My nerves were definitely wobbly from the lack of practice!

Somehow, amid the teapot, bows, flowers and wrappings it was done. You could have heard my knees knocking together the night of the fundraiser. Two questions were on my mind. Would the ladies group approve of the gift basket? Would it help the charitable organization raise any money?

Finished and up for bids.

The results were a resounding yes! Ultimately, the gift basket brought in $150 for the charity. That’s a little beyond my dreams by a substantial amount.

I placed blocks of foam inside the basket to raise the items above the rim of the wicker basket. This made them much easier to see.

Tucked inside the gift basket were a teapot and two teacups. There were small boxes of cookies and several packages of teas and coffees. Two small silk plants with purple flowers went into the gift basket. Someone donated instant tea mixes. I added candy that was wrapped in gold foil for some extra pizzazz.

The wicker basket was lined in purple and light blue tissue paper. These were also cut into squares and tucked in amid the items. Then, I took large purple flowers and filled in the open spaces.

I wrapped everything in clear cello and added bows and balloons to the gift basket.

It was another one of those things I wasn't sure I'd do after the assault. Life sure has a way of taking you by surprise.

Here are the photos. I hope you enjoy looking at them.:)