New Year's Eve Gift Baskets

Need a quick, easy, cute, and inexpensive gift for someone by New Year's Day? How about a hostess gift for the New Year's Eve party? A gift for a neighbor? Or a gift for the friend who unexpectedly gave you a Christmas gift but you didn't have one for him/her? Well I've gotcha covered! I transformed these old baskets:

Into the above New Year''s Day gift baskets.

I made MANY of these baskets this morning with just a few ingredients and just a few steps.

I transferred store bought bags of black-eyes peas and rice to clear cellophane bags that I then tied off with half-price Christmas ribbon.
Then I added a bow to a box of Jiffy corn bread mix (49 cents - can't beat that!)
A added a little curly ribbon around a bottle of Tabasco.

And voila!

I went to the thrift store this morning and bought several 50 cent wicker and Easter baskets. I sprayed them with gold paint (I didn't worry about spraying the bottom of the baskets or even the inside of the basket because I lined it with gold tissue paper - also half off from Christmas). I added the "Happy New Year" hat in the larger baskets. I found them for 59 cents at Walgreens. You could also add some noisemakers or blowers, just for fun.

I made up this little poem that I attached to the top of each basket:

In the South, it is tradition

to get your black-eyed pea nutrition

So simmer the peas,

Boil the rice,

Bake the cornbread,

then add some spice.

From our house to yours, Happy New Year, friend.

Best Wishes to you in 2010!

(FYI - I just heard this today. We are supposed to pronounce the year "2010" "Twenty ten" not "two thousand and ten).

Have fun! And Happy New Year to you and yours!

Linking to Today's Creative Blog
A Soft Place to Land ,
and Toot Your Horn Tuesday.

On Wednesday, I'm linking to We are that Family, The Thrifty Homehttp://www.thethriftyhome.com/2009/12/14th-penny-pinching-party.html,