One of the most famous gifts for Easter is a gift basket filled with chocolates, toys, and fun little items for children to enjoy. As you get older, perhaps your children grow up and there is no longer that joy of helping the Easter bunny put together special holiday gift baskets. That doesn’t mean, however, that you cannot continue the tradition with other holidays and special occasions.
Christmas is a wonderful time to make your own gift baskets and can be a terrific way to add a personal touch to any present. If you know a woman who loves to pamper herself, consider purchasing a nice basket and adding a bottle of her favorite bubble bath, body lotion, perfume, and anything else that you know she loves. If you have a sports fan in the family, a basket filled with his/her favorite teams memorabilia will be a big hit. Some examples may be a t-shirt and baseball cap, a rare trading card, or other official collectibles. For any recipient, consider his or her hobbies and interests to select a theme.
One trick of the trade is to fill the bottom of the basket with packing peanuts. This will give the illusion of a fuller basket and make the gifts easier to see. Think about safety when making a basket for a child. Over the ‘peanuts’, place a thick layer of gift-bag or basket filler, shiny shred, or tissue paper. Overfill the basket as it will be weighted down as gift items are added. Begin adding the biggest and tallest items toward the middle or back. Aim for balance in weight and arrangement. To hold some items in place, use tape to attach them to each other, to the basket handle, or to the container. The deep filling makes it easier to keep things still by “sinking” them in a bit. Continue arranging gifts and then “fill out” the look of the basket. Make sure the paper or shred shows through. Fill in with more, if necessary. Add little items such as wrapped candies, silk flowers, Christmas ornaments, pine cones, or whatever works with the theme. Gift cards are a good small-space addition.
Once you have filled the gift baskets with goodies, its time to purchase clear cellophane gift bags. After opening the gift bag, carefully place the gift basket and all of its contents inside. Once you have it perfectly situated, secure the top with clear tape or a staple. A large bow at the top will make your gift baskets not only personalized, but the recipient will also know that you put a lot of thought into the design and look of their gift.

Another terrific idea for gift baskets is to include a colorful variety of fruits, including apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, plums, etc. If you purchase gift baskets that do not feature a handle, these can be placed on a dining room table or as the centerpiece in the living room. Fruit gift baskets are ideal for teachers, doctors, lawyers, or the health-conscious family member.

If you are looking for some additional gifts to include, consider jewelry, a leather wallet, special event ticket, gift certificates, stuffed animal, favorite candy, etc. The more color and variety you can add to a gift basket, the more festive your gift will appear.

Still need some theme ideas for gift baskets? Many enjoy creating personalized pet gift baskets, baby gift baskets, and even newlywed gift baskets. There is no end to the number of creations that can be made with a little imagination and some time and effort.

In Japanese, “ori” means to fold and “gami” is paper. So origami literally means paper folding. The main goal of this art is to create a representation of an object by using geometric folds and crease patterns without gluing or cutting paper and is restricted to using only one piece of paper.
Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, only uses a small number of different folds. They can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The most well known form is probably the Japanese paper crane. Generally, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be in different prints or colors.
Starting with a square sheet of paper, fold the side by placing it on the diagonal line. Repeat the same by placing the adjacent side of the square on the diagonal line. Now fold the along the diagonal again. Hold the folded paper with the left hand. Use your right hand, the thumb and index finger, to hold the tip outside and pull it down. Press with your left hand thumb and index finger. Now you have made the beak of a bird. Make another fold so that you make it into a bird with a beak, neck, and body.
Familiarizing yourself with the basic steps of folding and the terminologies listed below, you can now follow instructions in origami diagrams and make hundreds of interesting things. You may also create your own models and share it with others.
1. Valley Fold: Folding the paper sheet inside.
2. Mountain Fold: This is reverse of valley fold. Instead of folding inside, you fold outside.
3. Petal Fold: The petal fold lifts a point and brings it upwards so that the two edges of the paper lie together. It is best to pre-fold both layers of paper along the valley and mountain folds before making the petal fold.
4. Rabbit Ear Fold: Pre-fold along the three valley folds first. Then fold the two sides down to the baseline. Fold the top point to one side to make the mountain fold. (Take care that you fold the top point to the right side where the mountain fold is set.)
5. Squash Fold: Pre-fold both sheets of paper along the valley and mountain fold. Then open the paper. Fold one layer of paper along the valley fold and flatten the model using the mountain fold.
6. Reverse (Inside) Fold: Pre-fold both sheets of paper in both directions (mountain and valley). Then open the model a little bit and bring the top point down so that the mountain fold edge becomes a valley fold edge.
7. Reverse (Outside) Fold: A crimp is used as a way of incorporating two reverse folds to change the direction of a flap or point. In most cases it is easiest just to make two reverse folds one after the other (pre-crease both folds before).
8. Sink Fold: The sink fold is a method of blunting a point that has no open edges. The fold should first be pre-creased. Then carefully open the model and tuck the point inside. Then, flatten the model along existing creases.
Origami is extremely easy to follow with the help of simple diagrams which are given well in all origami help books, websites, etc. One can get an elementary hold of origami by practicing the basic steps mentioned above.

When the autumn winds blow, nature paints the leaves on the trees into hues of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. It is a magnificent sight but sadly only for a short time. Using leaves in your crafts can really improve the look of almost anything, from your scrapbook to your curtains and windows.

You can start out collecting fallen leaves from your backyard or the park. Bring your kids along with you on a nature walk. This can be a fun learning and bonding moment with your kids. Collect a bunch of leaves and glue them onto a sheet of cardboard or heavy card stock paper. Let it dry completely.

Once dry, pour a small amount of paint into a paper plate. Dip a paint roller into the paint and then roll it over the leaves. You can also use a paint brush and paint the leaves in different colors. Once the leaves are covered, lay a piece of construction paper over the painted leaves and rub it to get a good print. Lift the paper to see the print and let dry.

You can use this leaf stamp on fabrics but be sure to have every bit of it come in contact with the fabric to create a solid image. Do this by running your finger along the outline of the leaf and systematically across the middle. Liven up your old shower curtain, tablecloth or quilt. Be sure to use waterproof fabric paint for those fabrics that need regular washing.

Another great idea of using dry leaves is by putting them between wax papers, and ironing them together. They will stay colorful for a long time and will make a nice display to your boring window.

Leaves can also be used to create a unique and textured photo mat. This is great for any fall-themed photo. Collect some fall leaves and press them. Then get a photo mat of the desired size. Place the leaves on the mat and use a dab of glue to secure them. Trim around the edges to make sure that the mat fits in the photo frame. Then find the perfect picture for the mat and you’ve got a creative picture frame!

Scrapbooking with leaves is also a great idea, especially if you are working on an event or occasion that occurred during fall. You can either collect leaves, press them, and place them in your journal or in your scrapbook, or you can make a stamp out of the pressed leaves. To do this, take your pressed leaf and either dip it in an ink pad or take a roller and gently roll the paint over the entire leaf. Just be sure that in either method you choose, you completely and thoroughly cover the whole leaf with ink. Then place the leaf on your scrapbook page. Take a piece of paper and lay it over the top so that you can gently rub the leaf, enabling all the ink to get on the scrapbook page. Use a variety of leaves so that you get a great result.