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Cellophane Bags and Ribbon Supplies That Fixed My Sad-Looking Gift Baskets
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items Every holiday I'd spend an hour arranging a cute little gift basket, then wrap it in some flimsy plastic that made the whole thing look like grocery store leftovers. If you're the person who loves putting together homemade gift sets but can never get...
Sections
5
Clear Cellophane Bags for Small Gift Baskets
Satin Ribbon and Bow Supplies
Shredded Filler and Tissue for Basket Padding
Small Baskets and Containers Worth Filling
Finishing Touches That Make It Look Professional
Clear Cellophane Bags for Small Gift Baskets
I went through four different brands before I found bags that were actually thick enough to hold their shape. Thin ones crinkle and bunch up, and suddenly your cute basket looks like you wrapped it in a used sandwich bag.
Grab these if you make baskets in different sizes throughout the year. The variety pack saved me from having leftover giant bags when all I needed was something for a coffee mug set.
Hallmark 14" Extra Large Red Gift Bag Bundle (Pack of 3)
Use this roll when your basket is an odd shape that no premade bag will fit. I wrapped a weirdly tall candle arrangement last Christmas and it actually looked intentional.
Unique Industries, Clear Solid Print Birthday Party Bags, 30ct
Keep a few of these around for bigger baskets. My sister's birthday basket had wine bottles sticking out and this was the only thing wide enough to close at the top without crushing everything.
American Greetings 20 in. Blue Jumbo Gift Bag for All
Perfect if you're doing party favors or small cookie bags inside a larger basket. I filled about 30 of these with homemade caramels for a bridal shower and they held up way better than the dollar store ones I tried first.
Wilton, Clear Treat Bags, 150-Count, Food Grade, 4 x 9.5 in.
Snag these for individual items you want to wrap separately before putting them in the basket. I wrap bath bombs in these so they don't leave residue on everything else.
Creative Converting Cello Bag, Lg Yellow, 20ct, 11.25" x 5"
Try these for medium baskets. The gusset at the bottom actually sits flat, which sounds boring until you realize how annoying it is when the bag bunches under your basket and makes it wobble.
Customer reviews for 10 Pack Cellophane Wrap Bags
Satin Ribbon and Bow Supplies
Tying a decent bow used to take me six attempts and a YouTube tutorial. These ribbons are forgiving enough that even my clumsy fingers can make something that doesn't look like a toddler tied it.
Switch to double-face satin if you've been using the kind that's shiny on one side and dull on the other. Every twist of the bow looks polished now, no more flipping the ribbon around trying to hide the matte side.
Berwick-Offray Double Faced Satin Ribbon #5 (7/8") 20
Use this wider width when you want the bow to be the main visual on the basket. I tied one on a housewarming basket and my friend thought I bought it from a boutique.
Berwick-Offray Double Faced Satin Ribbon (1.5") 10 yds
Wired edges were the thing I didn't know I needed. Your loops actually stay put instead of flopping over five minutes later. Wish I'd found this before I hot-glued bows to three baskets out of frustration.
Morex Ribbon Polypropylene Poly Curling Ribbon
Grab this set if you make baskets for different occasions. Having a dozen colors on hand means you're not running to the store at 9pm because you only own red ribbon and the party is tomorrow.
Satin Ribbon, 0.98 inch Width Solid Color
Get this for batch projects. I made 15 teacher appreciation baskets last May and one roll covered all of them with ribbon to spare.
1 Roll Satin Ribbon, 1 Inch X 25 Yards
Try this one if the Offray is sold out. The texture is almost identical, and it doesn't fray when you cut it, which was my biggest pet peeve with cheaper options.
Black Double Faced Satin Ribbon for Crafts, 3/8" x 100
Shredded Filler and Tissue for Basket Padding
Nothing ruins a nice basket faster than everything sliding to one side because there's no filler holding it in place. I used to crumple up newspaper, which looked exactly as bad as you'd imagine.
Layer a few sheets under your filler to hide the basket bottom. I started doing this after someone picked up a basket I made and you could see the bare plastic through the shred. Embarrassing.
Hallmark White Tissue Paper (100 Sheets)
Pair these soft colors with spring or baby shower baskets. The lavender sheet peeking out of a white basket with purple ribbon looked so put together that someone asked if I did this professionally.
American Greetings 20 in. Tissue Paper Bundle, Pink
Toss this in when you're going for a rustic or earthy vibe. I used it in a coffee lover's basket with brown ribbon and it looked like it came from a fancy farm market.
Kraft Brown Crinkle Cut Paper Shred Filler
Use this instead of the plastic Easter grass that gets everywhere. My vacuum cleaner still hasn't forgiven me for the time I used that stuff.
1 LB Green Crinkle Cut Paper Shred Filler
Keep a bag of white on hand at all times. It goes with literally every color scheme and you'll reach for it way more than you think.
Hampton Distribution Royal Blue Crinkle Paper Filler
Wrap fragile items in a sheet before placing them in the basket. I started doing this with candle jars after one cracked against a mug during transport. Lesson learned the hard way.
Hallmark 6-Pack Assorted Tissue Paper (Dark Solids) 30
Small Baskets and Containers Worth Filling
The container matters more than I realized. I used to grab whatever was on clearance, but a flimsy basket that bends when you pick it up makes the whole gift feel cheap no matter what's inside.
Get this if you want that classic gift basket shape. It's sturdy enough that the person can reuse it for storage after, which means your gift keeps giving instead of going in the trash.
Oval Wicker Baskets
Try this for a cleaner, modern look. I used it for a skincare set and it looked way more intentional than the big floppy baskets I used to buy.
Spritz Wooden Weaved 9" Bamboo Easter Basket Blue
Swap in one of these when you want texture without the traditional wicker look. Filled one with spa supplies for my mom and she now uses it to hold her remote controls.
Mainstays Oval Natural Seagrass Storage Basket
Perfect for someone who likes minimalist stuff. The wire lets you see everything inside even before unwrapping, which builds excitement when you hand it over.
Better Homes & Gardens Small Wire Storage Basket
Hear me out. For a practical friend, a reusable storage crate as the basket base is honestly more thoughtful than wicker. Fill it with cleaning supplies for a housewarming and they'll actually use the container.
Sterilite 6 Qt Small Clear Plastic Storage Bin with Snap-On
Snag a few of these around the holidays. They're cheap, festive, and sturdy enough to hold heavier items like jars of jam without tipping over.
Round Holiday Metal Bucket with Star Ornament - Small 6in
Finishing Touches That Make It Look Professional
These are the small details that separate a basket someone made in five minutes from one that looks like it came from a gift shop. Most of them cost under three dollars but the difference is wild.
Use this to secretly anchor items to the basket bottom so nothing shifts when you hand it over. I learned this trick after a basket I made rearranged itself during a car ride and looked like a tornado hit it.
Double
Print a little tag or write a name on these and stick one on the front of the cellophane. It takes ten seconds and suddenly the basket looks personalized instead of generic.
Avery® Glossy White Round Labels, 2" Diameter 22807
Ditch your kitchen scissors for these when cutting ribbon. A clean diagonal cut on satin ribbon versus a jagged chewed-up edge makes a bigger difference than you'd expect.
Fiskars Original Scissors -8" Orange Handle
Pair a few curled strands with your satin bow for extra volume. Run the ribbon along the scissor blade to curl it. If you've never done this, prepare to feel like a wizard.
Berwick Offray 20871 500 Yard Smooth Ribbon, Gold
Keep this plugged in while you assemble. A tiny dot of glue on the bow keeps it from sliding down the cellophane, which always happened to me during delivery.
Elmer's CraftBOND Adjustable Dual Temperature Glue Gun
Tie one onto the ribbon with a short piece of twine. Writing a note by hand on a little tag hits differently than a card that falls out and gets lost. People actually keep these.
50-Pack Thank You Cards with Kraft Brown Gift Tags