With the economy in a slump, more and more people are looking to save money by cutting corners in every aspect of their life. One major way to save money is by creating a homemade gift rather than buying one. Homemade gifts are thoughtful and unique, and often appreciated much more than store-bought gifts. Food gifts are especially well received. One excellent option for crafty gift-givers is to make a gift hamper. Gift hampers are baskets filled with various small items that all work together to form a themed gift. Many of the most popular hamper gifts are filled with food, like candy, cookies, or cupcakes.
How to Make a Cupcake Gift Basket
The first step to creating a gift hamper is to assemble your ingredients. In the case of a cupcake basket, you will of course need cupcakes. The cupcakes can be made from scratch or prepared from a boxed mix. Mixes are usually very affordable and taste just as good as homemade. Cupcakes make great gifts because they are bite-sized and delicious, and can be decorated in a variety of ways. In addition to colors of frosting and decorative food gel, you can also add flair to your cupcakes with sprinkles, candy, chocolate shavings, or other edible materials. You may also wish to prepare them in a colorful decorative baking cup. You can also decorate the basket itself with ribbon and small accessories like toys or candy to add to your theme.
If making the cupcake gift hamper for a birthday party, think of a way to personalize the cupcakes to the person you are gifting to. Perhaps you will want to decorate them in that person's favorite color, or you may want to tailor theme to an individual's particular tastes. If they like sports, perhaps you can ice the cupcakes to look like footballs or basketballs; if their birthday falls on Halloween, you can decorate the cupcakes with icing spider webs.
You may choose to give out the cupcake gift hampers as party favors rather than as a gift to the birthday boy or girl. In that case, you could decorate the cupcakes to resemble miniature versions of the birthday cake, and personalize them with the names of each guest. Once the cupcakes are decorated, you should take the time to creatively arrange them in the basket. Fill the basket with confetti, fake grass, popcorn or other packaging material to protect the cupcakes from being damaged during travel. You will probably want to wrap each cupcake in cellophane to prevent the icing from sticking; this will also help to preserve the cupcakes longer against staleness. Use multiple colors of cellophane to give a festive look, and tie it with bright bits of curled ribbon.
Other Great Uses of Cupcake Baskets
If you have a party coming up, consider using cupcakes as edible party invitations. If you have a steady hand, you can write the details of the party on the cupcake itself using icing. Or, you can decorate your cupcake in a way that reflects the theme of your party and wrap it in cellophane, including it with a small card with the details inside. Guests will certainly not forget your party with such a delicious invitation!
After a party, you can also use cupcakes as a "thank you" gift. You can give these at the party as a favor, or you can send them to guests after the event. Cupcake gift hampers also make excellent "thank you" gifts for other situations, such as when someone has done house-sitting for you or has given you a generous gift.
Whatever the occasion, a delicious cupcake gift basket is sure to be a well-appreciated, tasty gift that you can give from your heart and kitchen.
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