Do you know the secret to make bottles stay upright? If not, read on to learn how to make a bottle stand up in gift baskets.
Not as difficult as you think
Stabilizing bottles in gift baskets seems to be a daunting task when it’s new. It certainly was for me. I thought that hot glue or lots of tape was the solution, and both are feasible. Another choice is to tape a skewer onto the back of the bottle and then push the skewer into floral foam set in the basket’s bottom. I know that sounds strange, but the video shared in this article provides a visual for proper stabilization.
Let’s first identify the bottle. Your mind may immediately think of wine or alcohol. However, there are many more bottle types including:
- Olive oil
- Salad dressing
- Sparkling cider
- Body lotions and oils
- Household cleaning products
You want tall items to stay in place whether being hand carried or shipped to its destination. That’s means it must be stabilized in some way.
Practice weight distribution
It’s also important for the bottle to not cause the gift basket to tip in one direction or another due to its weight. There’s a solution for that, too.
Try not to be so concerned about adding a bottle that you omit it from your design. As with understanding how to make a gift basket, you must experiment to find your best solution to keep bottles upright until the receiver removes it. Here are two tips.
How to make a bottle stand up in gift baskets
- When possible, choose a basket with a handle. A handle-free basket is fine to use, but you will have better bottle stabilization when a handle and bottle are anchored together. This is done by tying the bottle’s neck to the handle with curling ribbon or by using a long twist tie to secure the bottle’s neck to the handle.
- Make sure the bottle’s position within the gift basket does not create a tip over. In other words, the bottle must not be so heavy wherever you place it that the gift leans to one side or another. Balance is attained by having other foods and gifts included that are placed on the opposite side or around the bottle. You need weight distribution. As you create the gift, pick it up to determine where weight is needed for balance.
Experiment early and often
Two baskets I displayed for the first time on Food Network included bottles. One New Year’s Day gift included a non-alcoholic beverage, and another featured pancake syrup. I was excited, but you can also imagine my nervousness making these designs and then driving to the Network located just two blocks from New York City’s Times Square.
I didn’t secure the bottles as shared above. During the drive, my lane changes and right and left turns tossed the gifts all over the back of my van. By the time I arrived, the gifts were a huge mess. I had to compose myself and fix and bottles and everything else before carrying each to the Network for a live presentation.
The three-minute airing was successful in terms of display and sales. However, this story reveals the importance of experimenting early with how to to make a bottle stand up in gift baskets. Do not wait until you have a sale to figure out how to secure bottles. Do it now!
