Article by Faith Griffin

You may have already discovered the ease and affordability of purchasing gift baskets for everyone on your list. As the word spreads and the rest of world jumps on the basket wagon, you’re bound to receive a few of your own. And, in consumer fashion, you will plunder the contents. Then, in end user fashion, you may consider disposing of the basket. But why? Come with me to learn about how to use your own creative ideas to get double utility out of your pillaged gift baskets.Baskets with Multiple Personalities Eye witness accounts at the sinking of the Lusitania maintain that babies were placed in floating baskets before the ship went down. For some, it was their only salvation. And of course, there was Moses. I’m not going to suggest sending your baby down the river in a retired gift basket, but I do have a few ideas to keep that once-useful container from ending up in a landfill.Some gift baskets are packaged in containers that require no imagination for dual use. For instance, gift baskets for women that have automatic dual uses include garden gifts encased in a garden tool belt, watering can, or clay planter. Gift baskets for men include clocks, antique trucks, cigar chests, and desk caddies that double as loot vessels. And then, of course, there’s the all-popular picnic basket that’s used for, well…picnics. Pressed board boxes with lids are perfect for make-up, cotton balls, and CDs or computer disks. Use tins with lids to store goodies, or as containers for gifts of cookies, candy, or fudge. Boxes, totes, or baskets specifically made for wine can be salvaged as storage for your own wine bottles, or used to present bottles of wine as gifts.When gifts are supported by actual real, woven baskets, the possibilities are practically endless…

No matter what you decide to do with your basket, consider painting or staining it. You can go for an all-over monotone look with spray paint, or hand paint individual reeds for a variegated look.Glue floral foam to the bottom of the basket. Add stems of flowers or greens for a splash of color and cheer. Display as a centerpiece, an accent, or turn it sideways and adorn your front door, wreath style.Fill your empty gift basket with pine boughs and glittered pine cones to make a festive holiday centerpiece.Stock with napkins and condiments, so that at dinner time, you can just pull out the whole shebang, complete and ready to season.Line an emptied gift basket with a paper towel and use it to serve chips, pretzels, or other snack food.Hang a basket with a handle from a hook under your mailbox for newspaper deliveries.For bathrooms without linen closets or under-sink cabinets, use retired gift baskets as homes for clean towels or toilet paper rolls.A small basket placed on the toilet tank is a great way to offer decorative soaps, fragrance sprays, moist wipes, and spare toilet tissue to guests.Place your gift basket at the front door, filled with all of the things you usually forget as you’re running out…keys, sunglasses, cell phone, etc.Use as a receptacle for all of those small toys that are usually scattered over the house, or decorate a gift basket for your little girl to use as a fancy home for her tea set.Donate those vacant gift baskets to the Easter Bunny…wink, wink.Join your children in decorating them in pretty pastels and ribbons. Use them to gather spoils at the community Easter Egg Hunt.Donate them to your local school or church.Hanging baskets from ceilings or from the underside of suspended cabinetry makes for a homey, country feel.Help the kids to decorate those abandoned gift baskets in Halloween colors, and use them to distribute or collect Trick-or-Treat candy.Create a message center on your counter or other frequented area (one basket for each family member) for love notes, chore money, lunch money, chore lists, grocery requests, or any other communication that can be forgotten during a busy day.Use harvested gift baskets to sort mail, bills, or any other important papers.Sell your like-new baskets online.Carry handled varieties to the farmer’s market. You’ll save bags and your fruits and veggies won’t end up squashed in the bottom of a tote.Store countertop fruit and veggies in a basket. The air flow is good for the produce, and it looks pretty, too.Use your barren gift baskets to present gifts, instead of using wrapping paper or gift bags. Before putting your gift basket to work at its day job, spray it with hot soapy water, rinse, and allow it to air dry completely before filling with food, painting, staining, or applying glue. Uses for plundered gift baskets are limited only by your own imagination. Decorate, gift creatively, or just bring the contents of that junk drawer into the open air. You’ll save money, will be left with a satisfied feeling, and will save one more poor little gift basket from its demise at the bottom of a landfill.

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