Digital craft: A mocha-licious gift basket

Tired of giving the same old host gifts year after year? You know, the ones that are really easy to pick out -- a bottle of wine, a bouquet of flowers, a set of candles. Arrive at your next get together with a homemade gift that shows how much you appreciate the invitation and how well you know your friends.

If your hosts are a passionate lot, turn their current obsession into a basket of goodies. We chose coffee as our theme, but you can just as easily create something wonderful around chocolate, gardening or golf. The idea is to take disparate objects and turn them into a fab-looking package of goodies; so for this project we'll create matching labels and wraps for each of the mocha-licious items.

Note that it's best to collect all the materials beforehand, so you know the measurements of the items you're working with. For example, we purchased a brown paper bag for coffee beans, a chrome tin to house cinnamon, fresh baked biscotti and a plain coffee mug.

Materials:
Decal paper (available at office-supply stores)
Sticker paper (available at office-supply stores)
Sharp scissors or ulility knife
White coffee mug
Chrome tin
Paper bag for beans
Cellophane wrap and tape for biscotti and basket
Basket

Directions:
The coffee mug wrap
Coming up with a design can be difficult; the best way to start is to take inspiration from items that surround you. We started with a scrap of wrapping paper.
• Scan the paper into your photo-editing program. Save it as "Original" so it can be reused for other projects, then Save As "Mug" for the wrap.
• Size the "Mug" version to the circumference of the coffee mug (11-1/2 inches) and to a width (2-1/2 inches) that allows for some of the white ceramic to show around the top and bottom.
• Test-print on regular paper to check the colour and size before using specialty paper.
• Insert a sheet of decal paper according to package instructions and print using the best-quality setting. Reinsert the page and print a second time for the best colour saturation.
• Cut out the image, cutting an extra half inch on each side so the decal can slide through the handle.
• Remove the backing and press the decal firmly onto the mug. You may want to hold it in place with glue.
• To waterproof, apply a clear sealer.