I posted this question on facebook a few days ago and I am posting it here too:
Would you like to see some DIY projects and crafts on chef in disguise?
I really love crafts and since this blog is my favorite window to vent  my creativity, I thought that it would be fun to add a craft and DIY category to the blog. So what do you think?

Would you like me to stick to food and recipes? or is it ok to add a few crafts here and there? Do let me know what you think in the comments.

Today’s post is about a gift basket the kids and I made for my son’s teacher. She is a wonderful , kind and talented lady and we wanted to give her something special for her birthday. Here is a little breakdown of how we created this gift basket to help you make your own.

 

1.Choose your container: I love wooden crates, they give a rustic yet elegant feel to the whole gift but that does not mean that you have to use them.You can use any container that you like, a plastic basket,a jar, a lantern, a pot, a metallic bucket or even a straw basket, it is totally up to you. Just remember to choose a size that is suitable for the items that you’re including and remember to use a filler to help display your items better. I used styrofoam hearts that were white blue and green but you can use shredded paper, a kitchen towel, or colorful tissue paper.

2.Choose the Colors: Whenever I make a gift basket I opt for a neutral base and I add an accent color to it t. In this case the box and the frame for the little black board were grey and the accent color was blue because she really loves that color.

3. Keep your theme in mind when you select the items in the basket:  I tried to choose elements with an Arabic feel, hence the decorated cookie box, the choice of mug with the little decoration, and the choice of karaak and zhourat for drinks.

4. Coffee ,tea or get creative: If you know what the recipient likes then you can change the content of the basket accordingly. For a tea person, think a selection of tea, a nice mug, infused sugar or some honey. On the other hand if your gift is for a coffee person you can add coffee beans, ground coffee, a french press, and a funny or unique mug.If you don’t know what the your giftee likes, try being creative. Choose a drink that is unique to the area where you live or something from the recipients home town. In our case, I did not know if the teacher was a tea person or a coffee person so I went for zhorat, a popular middle eastern warm herbal tea and for Karak, the UAE’s version of Chai

5.Add Something sweet  or savory: It is always nice to include something sweet like: cookies, chocolate, mini cakes, or anything that goes well with the drink that you chose. If you are sending the gift to someone who does not like sweets, you can always use crackers or cheese sticks.

6. Add something personal: Something that features the person’s initials,  symbolizes something they love, represents a special memory or reminds them of this time and place. In out gift basket we included the teacher’s initial, and a little ship in a bottle because Ras Al Khaimah is on the coast.

7. Include a personal message: This can be in the form of a little card, a frame in the background with the message  printed on a paper that replaces the picture or a black board with the message written with chalk markers. The phrase we wrote was:

A Teacher takes a hand

opens a mind

and touches a heart

 

The things we have included in the box were:

2 types of homemade cookies

The recipe for homemade Karak tea , and the ingredients needed to make it

The recipe for homemade zhourat tea and the zhorat mix

Dried edible roses

A mug

A little ship in a bottle

A big letter K that lights up

A birthday card

I do hope that you have found this post helpful and if you would like to see more crafts and DIY on chef in disguise, please let me know in the comments

 

العناصر اللي استخدمتها في سلة الهدايا كانت:

صندوق خشب
لوح اسود صغير
كوب كبير
علبة
بسكوت صناعة منزليه او جاهز
وصفة شاي الكرك و مكوناتها
وصفه الزهورات و طريقة تحضيرها و كيس من خليط الزهورات
حرف كبير مضيء
سفينة صغيره بداخل زجاجة

حبيت اعطيكم شرح عن سبب اختيار كل عنصر و طريقة تنسيقه :

1.سلة او صندوق خشب. بامكانكم اختيار اي وعاء بيناسب حجمه الهدايا اللي بدكم تضيفوها. الاقتراحات بتشمل صناديق الخشب، سلال القش، فوانيس كبيره، ممكن  كمان تستخدموا طنجره صغيره او ابريق شاي حلو
2. كقاعدة لنعطي لون للصندوق و لنساعد بقية العناصر تثبت في مكانها ممكن نستخدم قش او ورق كورنيش او فوط مطبخ جديده عليها رسوم او عبارات مميزه او فلين ملون مثل اللي انا استخدمته
3. الالوان: انا بفضل دايما انه يكون لون الصندوق او الوعاء محايد و نضيف الالوان من خلال عناصر الهدية. انا مثلا اخترت الصندوق رمادي بينما كان لون معظم العناصر ازرق
4.شاي او قهوة او…
لو كانت الهدية لشخص بيحب الشاي بامكانكم تضيفوا انواع مميزه من الشاي، خلطات سكر بنكهه مثل سكر الفانيلا او سكر ببرش الليمون او سكر بالهيل. لو الهدية لشخص بيحب القهوه ممكن تضيفوا كيس فيه حبوب بن او قهوه مطحونه او مج مميز. لو كنتوا ما بتعرفوا اذا الشخص بيحب القهوه او الشاي ممكن تستبدلوهم بمشروب مميز من البلد اللي انتوا فيه. انا مثلا اخترت الزهورات و شاي الكرك
5. عنصر حلو او مالح بامكانكم تضيفوا شوكولا او بسكوت او كعك محضر في البيت او جاهز لو الشخص اللي بتحضروله الهديه بيحب الاشياء الحلوه. لو كان بيحب الاشياء المالحه ممكن تضيفوا اصابع الجبنه او المقرمشات المالحة
6.لمسه شخصيه اضافه لمسه شخصيه بيخلي الهديه اكثر تميزا و اقرب على القلب. ممكن تضيفوا الحرف الاول من اسم الشخص او تضيفوا عنصر بذكرهم بزمان معين او مكان معين. انا مثلا اخترت الحرف الاول من الاسم و سفينة صغيره موجوده داخل زجاجه
7. رساله او عباره مميزه اللمسه النهائيه للهديه ممكن تكون كرت فيه عباره جميله او برواز صور و استبدلوا الصوره بورقه عليها ابيات شعر او كلمات  مميزه او ممكن لو حبيتوا تستخدموا لوح صغير و تكتبوا عليه باقلام الطبشور اللي ما بتمحي

اتمنى انه تكون الافكار نالت اعجابكم و يا ريت لو بتحبوا تشوفوا المزيد من الاشغال اليدويه على المدونه تخبروني في التعليقات