Clearance Baskets

My mother always starts thinking about Christmas shopping the day after Christmas.  She'll store things for 12 months so she can take advantage of all the deals and we have one heck of a holiday.  So, whenever I see a clearance section...I visit it.  It's in my genes.  Generally, when we shop we think about what we need today.  But, planning can really save you some dough. 

I stopped by a craft store recently where four bins were filled with items marked 50cents.  They were random items...from gardening tools and ribbon to packs of popcorn.  I started to look for themes.

I noticed the store was getting rid of several movie related items...napkins, packages of real popcorn, drink coasters, cute ceramic cups labeled for butter, and even invitations with matching colors.  This had all the makings of a movie night party for a college kid.  I am a big fan of giving people movie tickets for gifts because everybody goes to a movie now and then.  But, there is nothing pretty about handing someone a ticket and crafty people like to give pretty gifts.  I added all of these items together and knew it'd make a cute basket. 

I used newspaper to fill the bottom of the basket and made a little hill on one side to give the items in the back some height.  I used a little clear tape to hold the napkins together and make them stand up straight.  Give tiny items height by attaching them to a stick, like the card in the center.  That adds more dimension to the basket.  I covered the newspaper with easter grass.  You can get that or shredded paper at the dollar store.

The 12 items I grabbed cost $6 at the register.  I've given movie tickets to friends and family before, but it always seemed so impersonal to hand over tickets in a card.  Now, that gift will be a PRESENTATION.  If you like to give dvd's as gifts, add them to a basket.  The point?  A collection of matching clearance items can make a great basket that looks far more sophisticated than it costs.  The downside?  You may have to store what you find for awhile.

By the way, the baskets were free.  They were given to me by a friend who found them on the side of the road!!  Yes, I wiped them down, but they were already clean and undamaged.  As long as they are safe and clean, used baskets are fair game.  All of us have gotten flowers delivered in a basket at one point or another.  Who doesn't reuse the basket after the flowers die?  Save them.  Besides, the people getting the gifts won't know where the baskets came from....unless they read this blog.