How to make a watermelon themed gift basket

As you saw in my last post, we recently had a watermelon themed birthday party.  My gift for the birthday girl was a watermelon themed gift basket.  

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The first thing I did was look for a "basket".   I found this large green bowl that reminded me of half a watermelon. I painted a few stripes to make it look even more like a melon.  Every single item I found for this gift basket, including the bowl was found at the Dollar Tree.

I lined the bowl with red tissue paper, and then some bright pink. I could not decide which one I like better, so I used them both. 

It was then time to start arranging all of the goodies.  There were many different types of watermelon candies and gum. I may have bought a few extra bags for myself to eat as well. 

The Dollar Tree has a large number of different skin care products. I was very excited to find a watermelon line with cleansers, facial wipes and masks.  They work well and smell really good.  

I found the large watermelon zipper pouch after I had taken the second picture which is why you see a few of the items in both pictures.  I found a melon cosmetic bag, a smaller zipper pouch, a keychain, phone accessories, and lip balm. (she loved all of them!) 

I found a fun novelty glass with a wrap around straw, and a cute little banner she should hang to remind her of her birthday.  

There were so many items it was hard to fit everything in, but I made it work.  Behind the basket is a large bottle of watermelon ice tea that was too big and heavy for the basket. 

To hid what was inside the gift basket until it was time to open her gifts, I covered the top with more red tissue paper.  

The watermelon gift basket was a BIG HIT!  I promised the birthday girl that I would not post pics of her since she hates having her picture taken so you will have to take my word for hit.  Lets just say that when empty it also make a great melon hat.  LOL!! 

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Watermelon Birthday Party

Recently I asked my boyfriend's daughter if she would like to have a birthday party.  She was excited about the idea, so I took her to the Dollar Tree to pick a theme and get some ideas.  We were in the seasonal party item aisle, when she fell in love with the watermelon theme.  I am so glad that she did.  They had so many great items, and my mind exploded with ideas.  

Seriously, how cute are these watermelon plates and napkins?  I have to admit, I realized when  I was writing this post that I did not get a good picture of them before or during the party.  I snuck downstairs so I could get a picture of them without the dogs knowing so they wouldn't go crazy.  ;) 

Some of the supplies we found were large watermelon balloons, wooden sweet summer signs, watermelon and lemon paper fans, and paper lanterns in complimentary colors. 

One of my favorite items in the party section are the number balloons that I buy for every birthday.   I hung them over the dining room table, and added red and pink streamers.

I also made some watermelon themed crafts with items I found at the Dollar Tree to use at the party. 

I love how this placemat turned out.  I used a red circle placemat and painted on the seeds and green border.  

This watermelon plate is painted on a Dollar Tree pizza pan. If you make one, make sure you seal it after painting.  

Here is a good comparison of the size.  The placemat is bigger than the pizza pan.  

I also found this pinkish red serving bowl that reminded me of watermelon, so I painted seeds on the sides. 

I made some watermelon themed desserts which were a big hit.  I shaped Rice Krispie treats to look like watermelon slices and chunks, and added mini chocolate chips for the seeds. 

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I made watermelon cupcakes that were so yummy!  I added a few drops of green food coloring to white vanilla cake and frosted it with pink frosting. 

Our watermelon themed jello was made from watermelon (pink) jello, and lime (green) jello. While it did not work out exactly as planned, it tasted good. I got so busy setting up the party that I forgot to add the blueberry seeds before the jello fully set.  

We had the party on the 4th of July, so I pulled out my 4th of July cooler for the watermelon drinks.  

Just another random picture of our treats 

In addition to our watermelon treats we had a  a fruit/4th of July birthday cake.  I used an angel food cake, and added strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream.  

The birthday girl's gift was also completely watermelon theme.  I painted a green bowl from the party section, and filled it entirely with watermelon items I found in the store. I will be sharing another post on the gift basket this week.  

UPDATED: You can find the link to the watermelon gift basket here.

I was a fun and memorable party!  The birthday girl was happy, and it was great day. 

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