Customer Reviews

The Gift Basket Design Book: Everything You Need to Know to Create Beautiful, Professional-Looking Gift Baskets for All Occasions

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has become my bible of designing. I am a home business gift basket owner , and thanks to this book I can now design beautiful designs.

I have read this book inside and out at least twice. Shirley Frazier shows you what you need and how to get started selling gift baskets. As a matter of fact the techniques shown in this book provides guidelines in making a professional looking gift basket. I have found that I can make a better gift basket than what you sometimes find at other specialty stores. In October of 2004, I started implementing the techniques she teaches and frankly have received successful results (meaning sales!) I have received orders online and from family and friends. This is a great book well worth the price. A must buy!

This book contains good info, but only on a VERY BASIC level. It's almost too basic. Not much new or innovative. If you've never made a basket or wrapped a package, then this is your book.

I didn't like the pictures of baskets in this book. Most of them were in black and white and really were not all that hot. The content of the book,however, was EXTREMELY helpful.

Shirley George Frazier's strength seems to be her knowledge of the gift basket business, rather than her design style. The most creative and professional looking baskets in the book are from other contributors. All the "how to" pictures are black and white, with a section in the middle of the book showing the finished designs in color. I certainly got some good business information from the book, but I'd rather have had more pictures of the designs of Flora Brown, Elaine Essary, Lisa Schleicher, Marie Pessolano, and Marian Donnelly. I wish I had realized before I got the book that it would be more helpful in giving me an idea about basic basket construction (filler, stabilizers, etc.) than in giving me design ideas. Ms. Frazier has another book, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, but it doesn't go into as much depth on putting the baskets together as this book does. This book does have very detailed pictures showing step-by-step how to put the basket together. A good book for a beginner, but not very helpful if you've done baskets before.

Shortly after starting a gift basket business, designers feel the need to come up new design ideas. Of course they had a few great ideas to start, but to keep their customers ever satisfied gift basket designers must continually introduce new ideas and themes. Shirley George Frazier, author of The Gift Basket Design Book, has solved this problem for even the most demanding designer.

The Gift Basket Design Book is like opening a treasure chest and discovering new baubles at every turn. She presents over 30 design ideas with step-by-step assembly instructions, explaining the rationale for each step, and best of all, suggesting other product and containers along the way to spark your creativity. And that's just half of the book.

As a gift basket designer for sixteen years I also appreciate the half of the book that recounts the history of gift baskets, identifies all the supplies, types of products and enhancements that professionals use. The part of this book that sets it apart from any would-be competitors, however, are the tips and facts that can save the unwary business owner discomfort and problems. One warning about spray painting unpainted containers outdoors while wearing gloves and goggles is simple, but not always apparent to designers.
No one explains these tips as clearly as Shirley Frazier does.

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, you can learn something new in The Gift Basket Design Book by Shirley George Frazier. And your customers will be happy you did.

While this book is informative and helpful, I find that much of the informtion is a bit redundant. I have one additional book from this author and although the format is a bit different, it does repeat itself from time to time. There are so many books available for those who wish to start a gift basket business, learn to construct a beautiful and well-balanced basket and for those who are really daring and wish to customize the basket or container with paints/embellishments before filling it. I must give kudos to Amazon for offering a good selection of the above. I did a local search first and it was a waste of gas and time. Most of our local bookstores carry one book (if any) in this genre.

Shirley has given good information for the person who wants to learn how to put gift baskets together for sale or for personal gifting.

I didn't know that I had already bought this book! I was disappointed! It was just a different cover, should have looked more closely..

If I could give this a 7 star I would this book is that good. Ms Frazier is an excellent designer and teacher and I can't wait to meet her at the next trade show in Reading, PA so that I can tell her so!