Auction Basket, Part Two (aka: Wrapping Things Up.)

(If you didn't read Part One, please go here.)


So when we left off, I had three auctions baskets assembled, two of which needed to be wrapped.  


Honestly, I don't claim to be great at this wrapping part.  Cellophane tends to give me agita.  If you're looking for a blog about perfection I'm definitely not your gal (though I can probably refer you to 100 gorgeous blogs that will fulfill that need).  If, however, you're looking for a blog that will make you feel good about yourself in comparison, well, my friend, you've come to the right place!


So without further ado, here is my process, warts and all:

To begin with I got out my "tape" and my cellophane.  Tape is in quotes because I don't actually use tape for this.  Instead I like to use glue dots or, in this case, a "dot glue runner," because they're less visible. 

 I also used two large rolls of cellophane.  I still had tons left over from last year.  

I decided to place the insulated tote beneath the large Trader Joe's Sampler basket (as opposed to including it inside).  It seemed to fit better that way.  So I put the insulated tote on top of the cellophane.  (It was actually two rolls of cellophane criss-crossed over one another to prevent big gaps when it was all gathered up.)

Then I put the basket on top of the tote...  

(Don't worry.  I remembered to snip the tag off that basket.)

...gathered the cello from one roll up in a big bunch...

...and temporarily secured it with a large twist tie.

Then I gathered up the second roll of cello and repeated the process until it looked like this:

See all of that extra cellophane sticking out at odd angles around the sides of the basket?  That's where the glue dot runner comes in.  If a piece of cello is sticking out in an awkward fashion, pop some glue on it and then fold it over so it sticks snugly to the side of the basket for a more streamlined look.  (Unfortunately I couldn't apply the glue and take a picture so you'll just have to believe me.)

Then it was time to tie up the basket with some decorative ribbon.  I had some of my favorite paper ribbon set aside just for this occasion but strangely, I couldn't find it anywhere.  Fortunately, I had tons of Christmas ribbon available as a substitute.

So I tied the ribbon and slipped the twist ties off from underneath it.  

And here's the finished product.  

(I'd like it to be a little neater but the tote underneath the basket made that kind of difficult.)

And wait a second... what's that?  

(Do you see it?  Right there in between the honey butter and the Papardelle?)  

Yup, you guessed it; I had wrapped my decorative ribbon right into the gift basket.  

See!  I told you that I'd make you feel better by comparison. 

(Don't worry, I was able to get it out ;)

And here's the finished product (without the extra ribbon...)

At this point I was left with one more basket to wrap.  Being smaller it was easier.  

I didn't need to use two rolls of cello for one thing...

...and I got to use my paper ribbon.

I love this stuff.  It's so easy to work with and it curls so nicely.

And there you have it!  Two auction baskets wrapped and ready to go!

I'll try and remember to let you know how much they went for.  :) 

A Tisket a Tasket a Nifty Auction Basket

When I was little sending a kid to public school was relatively effortless.

Your parents signed you up.  You went.  The end.

Nowadays things are a bit more complicated.  You see, we live in California, and in case you hadn't heard, our schools are in a bit of trouble.

Now this is the part where I stop and tell you how awesome my kids' school is.  Truly, it is an amazing place.  In fact, their school (and the school system in which it exists) are the primary reason we moved to our neighborhood.

One of the things that makes it so amazing is the dedicated school community (teachers, administration & parents) who regularly step up to fill in the gaps that result from state budget cuts.  One way this is accomplished is via the "Foundation," an organization whose primary objective is to provide financial support to enhance curriculum (specifically in the areas of technology, art, music and science). 


The Foundation holds fundraisers throughout the school year but the biggie is a gala/auction held every spring.  Auction baskets for this event are donated by every classroom.  Room moms are in charge of this effort.  (Have I mentioned that I'm a room mom?  Are you surprised?)

Each class does things a little differently.  Some room moms collect money for the basket at the beginning of the year.  That way the other parents don't need to worry about the basket beyond a $5 donation in September.

Other classes come up with a theme and have parents donate items relating to that theme for inclusion in the basket.  I've done it both ways.  This time around my co-room mom and I decided to ask for the money up front so we didn't need to go back to the parents for another donation in the spring.

We decided to do a Trader Joe's basket.  We had $110 in donations.  The end result was actually three Trader Joe's baskets.  I'm going to show you what we made and how we made them.

Most of our money went towards dry goods from Trader Joe's.  It was obvious that we were going to get more than one basket out of our money so we decided to do one "Italian" basket and another "TJ's Sampler" basket.

Here's what we included in the Italian basket:

From l-r: Italian wine, pesto sauce, Italian blood orange sparkling soda, salami, two kinds of organic pasta, Puttanesca sauce, Paresan crisps, Italian olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Chocolate almond Biscotti & Bruschetta sauce.  

 Confession:  the Italian "basket" isn't really a basket.  Instead we put all of the items in a reusable TJ's tote.  It's not technically an "Italian" bag but the colors have a warm, Tuscan feel.

Basket number two actually ended up being numbers two and three.  Here's what they included:

Prosecco and Pomegranate Sparkling Soda

Chutney, Three Cheese Pasta Sauce, Pineapple Salsa & Honey Apple Butter

Himalayan Pink Salt Crystals & "Everyday Seasoning" (both with built-in grinders)

Calimyrna Figs and Chocolate Orange Sticks

Dark Chocolate Crisps (Chocolate covered potato chips!!)

Bistro Biscuits

Organic Corn Chips and a Basmati Rice Medley

Pappardelle Pasta (pictured with the aforementioned sauce)

Cans of Caffe Latte, Fair Trade Bolivian Blend Coffee, English Breakfast Tea & the Bistro Biscuits

Oatmeal & Honey Pure Vegetable Soap

  

Each year I like to make a personal donation to the basket beyond my family's monetary contribution.  This year it was the Cooking with Trader Joe's Companion Cookbook.  I love it because it's just the right size to slip into your purse so you can bring it to TJ's and shop away.  

Our final item was this TJ's oversized, insulated tote.  I have one and I love it!

With the ingredients gathered it was time to assemble the basket.  At this point I had about $5 left in the budget.  I knew that Michael's had these baskets which are often my go-to for auctions.  Originally priced at $9.99, it was on sale for 40% off.  Then my cashier scanned an additional 40% off coupon from behind the register.  (I don't think she was supposed to do that but I'm glad she did ;)

I had some of this in my garage, two bags to be precise, probably left over from last year's auction. There are all kinds of things you can use for cushioning in your basket.  I like the free stuff I find in my garage ;)

Spread it in the bottom of the basket, saving some to fill in any gaps.

Then start adding items...

and shifting them around...

...until you're pleased with the arrangement.

 

Now if you're anything like me, most projects have at least one glitch.  In this case it was the fact that my stuff was too heavy to fit in one basket.  I was really afraid the bottom would fall out so I decided to remove some things in order to make a third, smaller basket.  

Fortunately I had this thrifted beauty in the garage.  I found a stack of them at Goodwill awhile back and just knew I'd be able to use them.  (Plus they were in pristine condition.)      

I was out of the natural wood fiber but had plenty of this from Easters-past:

So I picked a few items that seemed to "go" together and made a little "Cafe Basket."  It contains the coffee, the tea, the cans of caffe latte, the Bistro Biscuits and the dark chocolate crisps.

So now I had three auction items, two of which needed to be wrapped.  

(I left the Italian bag as-is.)

Looking at this post, I realize that it's starting to get a bit... lengthy.  I think I'm actually going to break it into two parts and document the wrapping process next time.  

So you can just call this "to be continued...."

(Part two found here.)

Tag!

...I'm it!  

Megan over at "Our Pinteresting Family" tagged me today in a little game of Q&A.  Before I answer her questions I recommend you pop over to her site.  If you're a Pinterest Junkie like I am you won't be disappointed.  

So here's how it works.  Megan asked eleven questions which I'm going to answer.  I then need come up with eleven new questions and tag someone else.  Let's begin: 

1. What was your first pet?  

• I actually had two first pets: a pair of goldfish whom I named Trixie and Red.  In hindsight those names made them sound a little bit like working girls...

2. Which season do you prefer and why?

• Summer, without a doubt.  I love sunshine, long days, and summer fruits.  I also like the freedom of summer vacation.  

3. Where is your favorite place to shop?

• Dude, I do not know if I can name just one place.  Here are just a few by category.  
• For groceries: Trader Joe's and Fresh & Easy.  
• For the house: HomeGoods, Pottery Barn and West Elm.  
• For one-stop shopping: Target.  
• For the thrill of the hunt: thrift stores (especially Amvets, Goodwill and The Salvation Army).

4. What do you like to do in your free time?

• Lately?  I blog.  Or think about blogging.  Beyond that I love to work out, read, go to the movies and get together with friends. 

5. What is your all time favorite TV show?

• Hmmm...  I really loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  That might surprise people but it was an excellent show.  I also loved The Sopranos; that was some quality television (albeit somewhat violent).  If you want to know my favorite network it's HGTV all the way.  

6. Do you like to garden? If no, why?

• No, because I hate killing innocent plants.   My thumbs are as brown as they come.  

7. What is the biggest splurge purchase you have ever made?

• Does my house count??  If not I would have to say either our vacation to Maui three years ago or our vacation to Atlantis last summer.  

8. What was your favorite grade in school and why?

• Probably junior or senior year of high school.   I liked my school and my classes.  I had good teachers and good friends.  I hope my kids are that happy when they're 16.

9. Who do you admire most?

• Beyond the obvious people like Ghandi and Martin Luther King I would have to say my husband.  He is the hardest working person I know and I do not say that lightly.  He is also just... good.  He has a good heart.  He's an amazing father.  Plus he's really cute.  

10. What can someone tell about you as soon as they visit your blog?

• Hmmm...  I'd love to hear how other people would answer that.  If I had to guess I'd say that they could figure out my interests (crafting, cooking, etc.).  They'd know I like the color green.  They'd know that I'm...wordy...  

11. If you could name a lipstick color...what would it be called?

• I have NO idea.  If I come up with something good, I'll revisit this question.

Now the next thing I am supposed to do is tag some other people and come up with eleven new questions.  First the bloggers:  I'm choosing two people I know in real life, my friend Marie over at Cafe Pangaea and my sister-in-law Linda at Stitch Sister.  

Marie's blog is all about her journey into wheat/gluten-free living.  In addition to posting amazing recipes she also shows readers how to embrace the wheat-free lifestyle without giving up the rest of your life ;) 

Besides being a rockstar sister-in-law, Linda is also a mother, wife, accountant and quilter.  Stitch Sister focuses mostly on the quilts but it touches on other topics as well.  (Like my cute nephews.)

Ladies, here are your questions:

1. How did you come up with your blog name?
2. Name one thing about yourself that most people would be surprised to learn.
3. What blogs do you read religiously?
4. If money were no object, where would you live and why?
5. What fashion choice do you look back on with regret?  (Bonus points if you post a picture; I wish I could find one of my mall hair circa 1988.)
6. Post a link to your favorite blog post to date.
7. What was the first job you ever had?
8. What song in your music collection would you consider your guiltiest pleasure?
9. Fill in the blank:  I would die a happy woman if I discovered that ____________ read my blog.  
10. What is your favorite "tip" to share with other people?  It can be a product you love, a great place to get a bargain, and easy kitchen tip, your favorite book (anything, really).
11. What don't you know how to do with your blog that you'd love to learn?

Ladies, it is up to you if you'd like to tag other people.  No pressure at all.  (You can use these questions or make up your own.)  And if any of my other readers want to answer these questions on their blogs (and tag others), please feel free to do so.  I'd love to hear what you have to say.