Great Expectations

Created September 27 for an enthusiast of Victorian Literature. Can't you just hear a nostalgic aria in the background? This design was a joy to make. Click photo for a closer look.

Comfort food...

...enough said.

A Get Well Wish...

The ever versatile "celebration basket." I suppose this one is celebrating a speedy recovery. It was designed for a person who survived a serious car accident and was likely to be off her feet for a while. It's a simple basket, but the photo doesn't do it justice. She loved it!

Simple Goodness...

I can remember just starting out in the industry. Me in my little apartment shopping almost daily for things I just knew I could make work in a basket. I found a few stores that always seemed to have a steady supply of discounted gourmet items, and I would go crazy buying everything on the shelf with pretty packaging and a low price tag. One time I bought so much stuff I wasn't even able to use it all before the expiration date had passed.

Then, as time passed, I learned to be more and more selective and less impetuous. I also learned the concept of simple goodness. Just choose a few, simple staples and accent them with a real goodie that has "wow" factor. This item does not need to be expensive. It just has to POP. One thing I have found that always works is a convenient comfort food a person might consider a special treat like Pepperidge Farms cookies--in nearly any variety. My personal favorite is Milano. Along side some healthy fruit and/or boxed tea and a good romance novel, these cookies help add the "umph" to a basket of cheer or sheer indulgence. Simple goodness...

Another Diaper Cake Design...

I was blessed to find this little doll in a clearance bin one day. I could not have asked for a more perfect "cake topper"!

Tribute to Karen...

Memorial Bow Design for Karen Emily Perry

Baskets worth celebrating...

This is probably my favorite type of basket to do. These are a few of the variations of my Celebration Basket design. They all start with the same basic elements: a wicker "bottle basket" designed to hold a full-sized celebratory beverage, sparkling cider, and floral accents. Then other items and embellishments are added to fit the theme of the gift. Other than a funeral, I have yet to find an occasion that this basket cannot be customized to match. Then again, some people do see a loved one's "home-going" as reason to celebrate.