Today, gift baskets are a $2.8 billion industry-- a pretty staggering figure in today's economy.  Putting together pet gift baskets to use as fund raisers, church bazarres and personal gifts to friends, is not only fun and fulfilling but is a very personal display of love and affection for animals.  The following theme basket giving ideas are helpful for the new creator of baskets in out industry:

     1. Holiday and birthdays of pet owners.

     2. As a gift for anyone who is hard to buy for and who has a pet.

     3. Birthdays of family pets.

     4. Any friend who has a new pet.

     5. The The easiest way to a loved ones heart is through their pet

Baskets are plentiful on line and come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. They can be ordered in quantity and you can put together dozens at a time if you need to.  If you have children to help, what a fun project it is for them too.

The contents can remain the same and with the appropriate wrapping, you can change the look and theme in a minute and keep your costs down by buying in quantity.There are basket making kits sold as well. Each basket comes with it's own shrink wrap, filler, over cover of heavy plastic and a gift cardfor the recipient. All you need to complete the package are the contents and ribbon for the occasion. Some businesses that really benefit from giving pet theme baskets are:

     1. Grooming Shops to give to their favorite or regular customers

     2. Kennel owners who want customers to remember them the following year.

     3. Puppy and Kitten Breeders who want to give a special gift along with their new puppies and kittens when the buyer picks them up to take them home.

     4. Companies and real estate people who need a gift at a sale and there client has a pet.

     5. Veterinarians who have a special dog in their keeping and want to send him home with a gift.

     6. Any new business that is trying to develop a clientele.

Most businesses have a little down time and employees are looking for things to do. This ais a time to take advantage of the great deals and start a little gift building business project. Take the time as part of your marketing budget and know that your gifts will be long remembered.

GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A BASKET

The size of the container you select, in many ways, determines the cost of the finished product unless you are careful to select one or two large items to help fill it.  Remember, an over filled basket is always better than an under filled on.Here are a few pointers to follow in order to achieve that end but keep your expenses down:

     1. First and always, is to keep in mind the size of the pet.  You will only need a large basket for a large breed dog, for example. A small pet should have a small basket or it is too expensive to fill it because small animal productsare just that, small.  Gifts for cats and kittens should be very small. Toys for cats are notoriously tiny and light or very tall and narrow such as wands.  Dog treats can be inserted either horizontally or vertically and they are easier to arrange.

     2. Fill the bottom of your basket or container to almost the top edge with a neutral colored filler. This will act as a buffer for all of the mixture of colors that are found on product packages.

     3. When selecting the contents for your basket, Insert the largest product first. Most folks select a large plush toy first because the height and width is the easiest to find among pet products. Plus they are soft and colorful. The largest item in the basket should be about three times as high as the height of your basket and should be about a third of the width.  If you buy a large tor that appears to be top heavy, you can nestle it down in the excelsior. Your basket cover will be tied directly above the tallest item, so a cute Teddy Bear or other little face, will be the first thing that is seen as the basket is taken out of the box.First impressions count. Your basket should resemble a pyramid shape on completion. That is most pleasing to the eye and allows the shrink wrap to do it's job of holding everything in place. With cat and kitten baskets, some tall wands can be backed up with a play pouch or tall scratch board.. A tall book on cat and kitten care can support them. With all of the tall cat items, it is best to not use a shallow tray shaped basket but one with a little height is better.

     4. The next step is to select a few medium sized items of different textures. For cats, a box of Frontline Plus or Feliway will come in very handy and for dogs, perhaps a grooming glove will make the basket attractive and useful too. We will be adding toy products and grooming supplies as time goes on to give variety to the basket. There are lots of different textures to make your baskets fun.  A furminator comb or bottle of dog shampoo or cologne, a yogurt dipped dog biscuits cookie for dogs of small biscuits in a decorative tin etc. will add some sparkle.  Velvety tennis balls or squeak toys add color as well. Don't forget the Greenies.

     5. Don't forget to keep your colors in the same shade classifications. If you start with a large plush toy in pastel shades of blue and pink or yellow, you will want to repeat the colors in a bandana or toy. If you are using primary colors, the same holds true.

     6. Finally, tuck a few small surprise treats in the bottom of the basket. If you know the person to whom your basket is being given to, one can add a little gift for them too. On line shopping site have thousands of places to go to for things such as books about the owners favorite hobbies, a monogrammed keychain with their name or your company's name engraved, a pretty scarf, a wallet and so many other things that will make your basket remembered by the pet owner. Take advantage of the shopping services and have a great time!

     Don't be afraid to be creative---not ever!

GUIDELINES FOR THE FINAL TOUCHES

(WRAPPING IT UP!)

Try o position your items so that they mesh and help support each other. Your basket will probably have a front and a back. Put some interesting things in the back also for interest. In review:

     1. Place your largest and tallest item in the basket first.

     2. Next, put in any medium sized items that are flat, such as books or pamphlets and you may find it most attractive to place these things to the rear of the basket or on the sides, to keep them upright and allow them to be seen.

     3. After this, place the medium sized items into the basket, snuggling them down into position.

     4. Add the little things to the corners and along the sides.

Now your item is ready to wrap. You will next need to gather the clear dome ended shrink wrap pocket with your fingers from both hands so that it is easy to slide it down over the top of the items, just as you do when you put long socks on .  The shrink wrap bag should be large enough to fit over all of the items with room to spare. Any shrink wrap left over on the bottom of the basket edge can be trimmed, so don't give that a second thought. Once you slide the cap of shrink wrap over the entire basket, it is time to heat things up a bit. A common hair dryer is the only tool you will need. Turn your hair dryer on to the hottest setting and aim it away from the basket at first. Slowly start at the top and in a circular motion, make your eay down the sides all around and watch the shrink wrap melt melt around each item to keep it in place.  Shrink the whole way down and around and then let it cool. After it is cool enough to handle, gently pick it up from one side with one hand, tuck the excess wrap under with the other hand and if there is much left over, trim it back with scissors. Most baskets do not require this to be done.  Make sure that you shrink the cap of wrap under the basket top.

After the basket is cool, pick up the basket by the top gently and slide it down into a large clear plastic pocket.  Now is the time to get your selected ribbon ready to tie up at the top. With your ribbons nearby, gather the top of the pouch and squeeze it. There should be about 4 inches of the plastic left above the ribbons after they are tied.  You can use a bow or better yet, save a small toy or somerawhide sticks and tie them into the bow. Last, file out your gift card and attach.  You are finished.  Now go on line and compare your basket to ready made ones.  Yours will be less expensive and better yet, it was custom made by you!