Give a fresh bread gift basket with a cutting board and bread bag. Use a wood burning tool to decorate and customize the cutting board and the linen bread bag.
I’m so excited to be part of the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop again this year. I get so many DIY gift ideas from my blogging friend’s posts. Be sure to check out all of the links at the bottom of this post to find handmade gift ideas for everyone on your list. And come back Thursday for even more!
How to Make a Bread Gift Basket
Decorate a Cutting Board with a Wood Burning Tool
I started with a simple cutting board that I found at the dollar store. But if you’re having trouble finding a nice cutting board to decorate, Walnut Hollow sells several different shapes and sizes. Walnut Hollow gave me a wood burning tool to create this project.
Since this was my first time using a wood burning tool, I spent A LOT of time practicing and trying out different tips on scrap wood. Each tip burns a little differently and it takes time to learn to use them effectively. I originally planned to burned a detailed image of parsley into the cutting board, but that was too advanced for me. Instead, I used a simpler image of a rosemary sprig. It still took a lot of trial and error to get my wood burning tool to create what I wanted.
On the back of the cutting board I burned the phrase “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.” That way the cutting board can be display at kitchen art too. And it looks really impressive in the gift basket. If you want to use the same image, you can download a free printable of it here.
Decorating with a wood burning tool was a lot of fun, and eventually I plan to make a video showing how. But first I need to get better at it so that I can use both a video camera and the wood burning tool at the same time.
Preparing the Cutting Board for Use
A cutting board can be used without any prep work. The raw wood is naturally antibacterial and makes a great cutting surface, even burned. However, the cutting board will last longer and wear better with a coat of food-safe oil. I also think the oil gives the wood a nice-looking finish.
I used food-safe mineral oil. Simply put a small amount of oil on a rag or a napkin and wipe it all over the cutting board. Use a clean rag or napkin to wipe off any excess oil.
How to Make a Linen Bread Bag
Linen is the best way to store bread. It keep the crust nice and crispy and the inside wonderfully soft. And sewing a bread bag out of linen is really simple, so I made a video to show how to make one. In the video, I use a sewing machine, but you could easily sew a bread bag by hand since the stitches don’t need to be really close together.
Decorate the Fabric with a Wood Burning Tool
The Creative VersaTool can be use on so many different surfaces besides wood. The possibilities are endless. So I decided to use it to decorate my bread bag too. After cutting out the fabric, and before sewing it all together, I added a design to my linen bread bag. Linen fabric burns especially well because it can take a lot of heat.
I drew a pattern that I liked on a pieces of paper, then outlined it in black. I put the paper under the linen and traced it onto the fabric. Linen has a very large weave, so I could see the paper below the fabric.
Then I set the wood burning tool on high, put my fabric on an old piece of wood, and slowly burned on the design. Fabric is a little trickier than wood. The fabrics moves a lot more easily. But just like wood, I found that going slowly and always pulling the wood burning tool toward myself worked the best. Again, I practiced a lot.
Add Bread and Butter
My gift basket includes homemade challah bread and whipped herb butter, but you’ll have to stop back on Thursday to see how I made those. (It’s really easy!) And you’ll get lots of other food gift ideas that day too because it’s also part of the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop.
Finishing Touches
I wanted to add a decorative touch to my gift basket, so I also got a birch tag from Walnut Hollow. It’s a cute little circle cut from a birch branch, and it looks rustic and elegant at the same time. I burned a simple Christmas word into the tag. Then drilled a hole through it.
And hung it on the top of my basket just below the ribbon.
Make a Beautiful Bread Gift
I wrapped my challah bread up in the bread bag, slipped the cutting board in behind it, and added a jar of whipped herb butter with a bow on top. You can’t tell by looking at it, but the whole thing smells wonderful. Fresh bread, herbs in the butter, and even a hint of burnt wood give this gift basket a wonderful aroma.
Don’t forget to take a look at all of the other creative DIY gift ideas below. I especially want to thank Walnut Hollow, HomeRight, and Scrapbook Adhesives for sponsoring this blog hop. And don’t forget to come back on Thursday for more gift ideas, this time with food.
And there’s a giveaway!