Gift baskets can solve all your gift-giving needs. There are thousands of suppliers of gift baskets of every kind: fruit, themed, baby, get well, just because, birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah; you name it. Whatever the occasion, you can find a suitable gift basket.

I find purchasing ready-made gift baskets a cop-out. They don't require much thought or effort. They are fine for people like co-workers, or your boss or as a corporate gift, but for friends and family, go big (give from the heart). Create your own. Make it a family affair, every family member either buys or makes something useful and meaningful for the basket. It can be simple or elaborate.

Pick a family member and plan a basket right now. Arrange to get the family together when the gift recipient is away. List his or her favorite things. I'll pick my granddaughter. She's off to college this fall and will be home for Christmas.

Take Inventory and List Favorite Colors and Things

• Make-up and hair products
• CDs
• Jewelry (She likes making her own jewelry.)
• Gas card
• Dorm accessories
• Phone card
• Purses
• Shoes and Clothes
• Bright colors
• Trinkets-key chains, cuddly things
• Sweets
• Specialty coffee
• Cooking
• Warm pajamas, gowns and robe

The list is pretty standard until you add your imagination and creativity. How can I make this gift basket special? Let's start with the basket. She's going to college, right? So I'll start with a laundry basket or a drawer cart (containers she can use). I would pick a color that compliments her dorm room. I'll order her special coffee, Boca Java. Maybe I'll ask her grandmother to crochet a colorful throw for her bed. Even the youngest family member can contribute. Make a print of the baby's hand or footprint or have the preschooler draw a picture and have it framed for her dorm room. You get the picture, and if you start now, months in advance, everyone has time to shop for or create something special.

Money-Saving Tips:

• You can cut the cost by creating your own basket (gift container). Just take some fabric and make a Santa Clause draw-string bag
• Make over an ordinary box by covering it with contact paper.
• You don't sew? Well how about making a laundry bag out of a pillow case? Take a king-sized pillow case, cut a small slit in the top ¼" to ½". Thread in either ribbon or twine
• Use paper from your paper shreader to stuff the basket
• While your gift basket will likely contain some expensive items, remember to check out the dollar stores for whimsical note pads, small shelf containers and batteries.

If you have a hang-up about dollar stores, get over it. If you save on the little things, you wll have more money for Sketchers and designer purses. Take the savings where you can find it.

With the holiday gift-giving season less than six months away, it is time to plan your spending budget. And if you are planning on crafts as a part of your gift-giving, now is the time to get started making your crafts. For the granddaughter gift basket, it is time to crochet and perhaps make some chef's aprons. And now might be the time to start sewing pajamas and gowns.

I love receiving home-made jellies and jams. This year will be the first year that I will attempt to make jam. I have a plum tree in my back yard. This year, I plan to make plum jam. I think a nice jar of jam will go great as part of some of my gift baskets. Cookies and fudge are always welcome treats in gift baskets.

The Puyallup Fair is just around the corner. This fair is one of the biggest and best in the Northwest. Shopping at the fair is a tradition for locals and visitors. I'm a newbie. I started going to the fair only two years ago, but now I'm hooked. Though I don't really like the crowds, I love the shopping. I can find so many treasures: jewelry, photography, cosmetics, egg art, wood carvings, scrapbooks, beads and As-seen-on-TV items. I find new and unusual gifts at the fair. I like to buy a few extra gifts from local artists so I can have on hand for business associates. But most importantly, I load up on items for my special, personally-designed gift baskets.

In our global society, we have family and friends all over the world. And let's not forget our service men and women. If you really want to enjoy creating gift baskets, share your home town or region with others. I live between Tacoma and Seattle, Washington. I am surrounded by the beautiful Puget Sound with so many arts and crafts outlets; it is difficult to choose where to go. There's the Museum of Glass featuring a bridge of glass and Tacoma's Freight House Square. In Seattle, there's the Pike Place Market and the Seattle Center. And talk about photo opportunities, where do I start: Commencement Bay, Point Defiance, Alki Beach, Lake Washington, Green Lake, Pt. Defiance and so many more.

Basket gifts can range from Seattle's Best coffee, Chihuly glass art, regional photographs to Cindy's cinnamon buns.