I'm not one to be replacing pumpkins with pine cones on the 1st November, no no no. But because my family lives in the Czech Republic I do usually kick start my Christmas shopping in early November to be able to post everything by the end of the month and then cross my fingers & toes so that the parcels arrive in time! If I have learnt one thing about sending parcels via post then it's the beauty of gift hampers. Little bits & bobs fill in boxes nicely, they work almost like puzzle pieces. Wrapping products tightly next to each other also means that they won't smash whilst jetting off to another country. Here's a quick & easy beauty hamper DIY for you

What will you need?
✓ a selection of little (or rather large!) gifts 
✓ a box or a basket (or anything that can form the base of your hamper - I used one of the gifts as it reduces the size of the parcel - and also the postage if you're sending your parcel in the post)
✓ wrapping paper or cellophane
✓ sellotape (I tend to use washi tape because it looks prettier!)
✓ string & ribbons
✓ tags
✓ Dymo label maker (optional)


How to make a hamper?
There are four simple foolproof steps to follow:

1. gather all your supplies including your cat
2. measure measure measure!
3. cut
4. wrap

Taddaaaah! And there's your quick & easy hamper ready to be delivered by Santa's little elves! 

What gifts to use in a hamper?
Throw in anything that you believe will make your giftee happy! Especially lovely are teeny weeny little presents that the person can't see until they unwrap the hamper, eeek! My favourite types of hampers are:
✓ beauty ones (doh!)
✓ food ones (nomz)
✓ jar ones (they are not technically hampers but ya know - they are jars full of pretty things!)
✓ special friend ones (the ones which contain things that only the two of you will understand) 
✓ garden ones (with seeds and floral garden gloves!)
✓ niche hobby ones (with painting supplies, a bunch of books with bookmarks and snacks, kitty toys for your one & only cat munchkin, a movie themed one)

Still in need of more inspiration? 
You can create a million and one gift hampers and there still will be a million and two more to make. You cannot possibly run out of ideas for these, ever! To gather some more inspiration and tips check out this nifty how-to guide by Boots - click here. Oh, and don't forget to watch their video (here) to see what other ways there are to wrap a hamper!