Decorating your Home with Baskets

Baskets are an inexpensive, easy way to decorate your home. Not only do they add a unique decorative touch, they are also useful for storing items. As the video below suggests, one way to decorate with baskets is to find an empty wall and hang the baskets using nails. Make sure to remove the head of the nail so that it won’t damage the weave of the basket. Use baskets of different sizes and shapes to decorate the wall. If you wish, you can even place items in the baskets for display. Another idea is to hang a small basket on a kitchen wall for holding dishwashing towels or one in the bathroom for hand towels. It’s a great way to conveniently organize items in any room.

Larger baskets can be used for holding heavier items like firewood. First, line the basket with newspaper, plastic or burlap to prevent wood chips and other debris from falling onto the floor. It also makes it easier to clean the basket when there is a liner in place. If you choose to line the basket with burlap, you can use thin wire to sew the burlap into place  

Decorating your home with baskets can be a creative, fun process. Since baskets are inexpensive, you can mix and match different types of baskets to achieve the look you desire.

Themes for Gift Baskets

A gift basket is an ideal present for any occasion. From the major holidays to birthdays and baby showers, a gift basket includes a sense of creativity and meaningfulness that is sure to be more appreciated than a store-bought gift. Picking a theme is the first step in making a gift basket. A theme can be the holiday itself or something that is important to the person receiving the gift.  For example, if you know that the birthday boy enjoys football, create a gift basket centered around his favorite football team. This way you know what gift basket supplies to purchase, the colors and patterns to include, as well as the items to place in the basket. Here are some examples of some fun, creative gift baskets:

Baby Shower  – Blue for boys and pink for girls are the traditional color schemes for baby shower gift baskets. However, if you don’t know the gender of the baby, you can use a neutral color like yellow or green.










Football – A fun idea for Father’s Day. Make a general football themed basket or one for his favorite team.







Movie Night – This is perfect for the movie-lover in your life. Include some of their favorite movies, candies, popcorn and drinks.

Valentine’s Day – Pack in all the essential items you need for a romantic evening at home. You can even purchase gift basket supplies, like heart-shaped baskets for this special holiday.

Spa – Give the gift of relaxation with a spa gift basket. You can include items like bath bubbles, massage oils, eye masks, foot scrubs, lotions, and soaps. This is a great gift for Mother’s Day or a bridal shower.

Bubble mailers for Christmas Gifts

During the holiday season, it’s common to see brightly colored bubble mailers for sale. These envelopes are ideal for shipping gifts to friends and families. Christmas bubble mailers come in a variety of sizes, as do regular mailers. However, as opposed to the usual bubble mailers that are yellow, Christmas bubble mailers come in vibrant colors such as ruby red and emerald green. They may also feature a festive design on the outside.

Christmas bubble mailers serve the main function of protecting the contents inside. This is especially important when you are sending a gift to a loved one. These bubble mailers also save the sender the trouble of wrapping the gift, since the outside of the envelope already looks like giftwrap.

Bubble mailers are ideal for shipping gift such as books, CDs, and DVDs. In fact, there are bubble mailers made specifically for shipping CDs and DVDs. These can be very useful during the holidays since many people gift these items for Christmas. Bubble mailers are best for shipping small, lightweight objects. For larger, heavier items, consider using corrugated boxes.

Although shipping a Christmas gift in a bubble mailer is fairly easy, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Don’t pack too much stuff in the mailer. This may cause the envelope to pop open and spill the contents.
2. Make sure the recipient and sender’s addresses are written clearly.
3. Don’t include items with sharp edges inside the mailer.
4. Place a piece of packing tape across the flap to ensure that the mailer doesn’t open during the transit.

Bubble Wrap or Peanuts?

When you’re shipping a package or moving, you might be face with the question: what’s a better cushioning material, peanuts or bubble wrap? First, let’s take some time to describe the two materials. Packing peanuts are loose fill material made from Styrofoam. Bubble wrap is a clear, pliable material with air pockets and come in both sheets and rolls.  While both peanuts and bubble wrap provide cushioning and protection, there are instances where one is as a better option than the other.

Packing peanuts are best for cushioning large objects in boxes. The loose peanuts fill the empty spaces within the box and still give the object a small amount of room to move around. This is a great option for packing and shipping items that are large and not fragile. The main problem with peanuts is that they are a mess to clean up. When you take the item out of the box, loose peanuts may fall on the floor and this can be a hassle to clean up.

Bubble wrap is best used for cushioning fragile items. Wrapping sheets of bubble wrap around the item will help keep it from getting damaged. Sometimes the item may need to be wrapped in multiple sheets for additional protection.

In certain instances, it may be best to use both bubble wrap and peanuts. First wrap the item with bubble wrap and place it in the box. Then use loose peanuts to fill in any empty spaces within the box. Together, bubble wrap and peanuts provide the best cushioning and protection for any item.

Plastic Shopping Bags - Taxes & Bans

Recently, several cities have implemented a bag tax on single-use plastic shopping bags. In an effort to save the environment, this tax is imposed to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bag.  Washington D.C., for example, has a 5 cents tax on plastic shopping bags. Other cities have forgone the tax and banned plastic shopping bags all together. Most notably, San Francisco and Los Angeles, have taken measures to ban the use of plastic bags at grocery stores and other retail shops. It seems that this is becoming the trend for many cities.

So the big question is, does taxing the use of plastic shopping bags or banning it all together an effective solution for saving the environment? Washington DC’s 5 cent tax has proven to be extremely effective. The number of plastic bags handed out at supermarkets dropped from an average 22.5 million a month to 3 million. In addition, the revenue generated by the tax was used to clean up the Anacostia River.

As for the San Francisco and Los Angeles, the cities have been challenged by shopping bag manufacturers for the implementation of a ban on plastic shopping bags.  However, judges have upheld the cities’ policy in the matter. In fact, San Francisco recently approved a measure to expand the ban into additional stores.  The city is also charging a 10 cents tax on paper bags. There is no doubt that taxes on disposable bags is going to be challenged in the courts for years to come, but so far, it seems that environmentalist have an upper hand in the matter.

Types of custom shopping bags

Whether you own a small business or are a major retailer, custom shopping bags serve as a walking billboard for your company. Depending on your business, you may choose between several types of custom printed bags. Three of the most popular include twisted handle bags, euro totes, and non-woven fabric bags.

Twisted Handle bags

Convenient for all types of businesses, twisted handle bags are one of the most versatile and affordable options for custom shopping bags. Twisted handle bags are available in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes. 

Euro Totes

More elegant than a twisted handle bags, these stylish bags are perfect for high-end shopping stores. Euro totes may have a matte or gloss laminated. Mimicking the style of a gift bag, these bags may be more expensive than twisted handle bags; yet their quality and attractiveness, makes up for the additional costs.

Non-woven fabric bags

If your business thrives on being eco friendly, these reusable non-woven fabric bags are the perfect choice. Many grocery stores now carry reusable bags with their logos printed. These fabric bags are sturdier than paper bags, allowing customers to carry heavy loads without the fear of the bag breaking.