Gift Basket Expert Advice: You're Talking to Who?

I've check this cool article from a Gift Basket Expert. Hope you like it:

Starting a new business is a dream come true for some and for others, it remains that...A DREAM.

The biggest mistake you can make when launching a new business is to worry about those people that you are not even talking to.

Don't be concerned about the perception of people that are not your target audience. Of course, your competitors view you as inferior. That's their job...they are your competition!

The goal in business is to find and keep your audience. Here's two ways to do this...

Warm-Call and Business Travel Gifts
Great for meeting clients face to face and when soliciting new business.

Birthday and Holiday Cards
Both are an effective way to keep and stay in touch with clients.

Don't feel you have to know everything when you're just starting or be what others want you to be. If I had waited until I knew everything about gift baskets, I would have never started The Gourmet Gift Boutique.


Entry Credit:
Gift Basket Expert Advice: You're Talking to Who?

Free Holiday Gift Wrap

Finding last-minute gift ideas is hard enough, but what about gift wrap? For last-minute holiday gift wrap, turn to the Internet and the home. Free wrapping paper is a download away in many cases, along with free templates for gift bags and gift boxes. Foil paper can be made from simple items found in most homes. Wrapping presents seconds before giving them isn't a crime, and it doesn't need to be hard. Turn to the Internet and check out these simple ideas.

Foil Paper and More

Before turning on the computer, consider free items in the house. Foil paper is a popular, and somewhat pricey, wrapping supply in stores for the holiday season. The shimmering silver and gold colors are festive and fun, but for last-minute wrapping store-bought supplies don't help. Turn to the aluminum foil in the kitchen for a nearly-free, quick solution! Wrap the present in "foil paper" the same way that one wraps a present with traditional giftwrap. Top with a ribbon or bow for a simple, elegant look.

Good old Sunday comics are a standby wrapping solution if foil paper isn't possible. Dig through the recycling bin, find the funnies, and get free wrapping paper! If the comics are already recycled, or lining a cat's litter box, then turn to the computer and check out these online wrapping supply ideas.

Free Wrapping Paper and Giftwrap

HP.com is a one-stop free wrapping paper center. Follow the suggested steps for the specific project (birthday, holiday, Christmas) and for the type of wrapping (gift bags, giftwrap, gift box). The printable templates do recommend using HP's brochure paper, but printing on normal printer paper can produce a perfectly fine result.

If a present is too large for one printed 8" x 11" sheet, print more and tape the sheets together, then cut to fit for the item. Print in color to get results that are true to the template, or in black and white and hand-color the paper (or have children do the work) for a more personal touch.

Entry Credit: http://holiday-entertaining.suite101.com

Promotional Christmas Gift

It is true that promotional Christmas gift like pens make excellent giveaways for exhibitions, mails shots and, well anywhere really. Putting your name, logo and details on corporate plastic pens will help drive home your message and get your key customers thinking about you. Executive gift pens, however, are a different kettle of fish altogether. Promotional Christmas gift pens are usually given to your customers or top employees in person and they are made for maximum impact. When you give your key customers or employees a good quality executive pen, you expect them to keep if for a long time and even come back to your for ink refills. Giving a branded luxury pen, whether it be mid range of top of the range will be appreciated by the receiver and demonstrate that they are important to you. If you have ever thought about promotional gift pens for Christmas, then read on... Here are the five best selling gift pens year in and year out!

1. Parker Pens: Regardless of your budget, you should be able to find a Parker gift pen that is affordable. From the most popular and for that matter least expensive Parkers like the Jotter and the Vector Rollerball right up to the high end Parkers like the Sonnet and Frontier they all make spectacular Christmas gifts. All Parker pens come supplied in a branded presentation gift box or tube. That is a great bonus on the presentation side!

2. Cross Pens: Cross, like Parker is a very much sought after and loved brand. Everyone knows the Cross brand for its high quality writing instruments. Most can be engraved and or printed depending on the finish. Cross offers a few starter pens that are not expensive such as the chrome finish Cross Century and the Cross Aventura. The Cross century is also available in 21ct gold but it is substantially more expensive. Have a look around on the net at these excellent gift pens.

3. Lamy Pens: A personal favourite, Lamy is a little know brand name pen. You can find many of their top quality pens at most good UK, European and US stationery shops. The German made pens have become a lot more popular in recent years due to the efforts of Senator Pens, a key player in the promotional pens market, promoting and distributing Lamy Pens. Lamy's most popular pens are the Lamy 2000 and the Lamy Pico. All good business gift suppliers can supply Lamy pens.

4. Senator Pens: Senator Pens is a very popular brand name in the lower end and mid range plastic promotional pens market. They are lesser known for their metal gift pens but do not let that stop you from checking out these truly quality pens. They all feature large capacity refills and new refill are easily purchased from any good business gift supplier almost anywhere the UK, Europe and US. A couple of their up and coming starter mid range pens that you may find fit your requirements perfectly are the Venectia Chrome Ballpen or Rollerball.. These are also available in a gift set including a Senator luxury pen case. At the higher end of their range is the Senator Presedent Fountain pen with 18 carat gold trim. Give the Senator Pen website a visit to see their whole range.

5. Rotring Pens: Another German manufacture that supplies inexpensive metal gift pens. Rotring pens are not supplied in gift boxes as standard but they can supply their pens boxed at additional cost and they look fantastic. Rotring pens that should be viewed are the Rotring Madrid ballpen, Dubai ballpen and the Tikki ballpen for economical but impressive Christmas promotions.

It is worth noting that gift pens look much better when presented in a gift box. If the pen you find does not come boxed as standard, either find one that does or spend a little extra and have them supplied boxed. Gift boxes do not need to be expensive to look great. Remember a large part of the gift is the presentation.

Entry Credit: http://prestigepens.net

Budget with Business Holiday Cards

With advertising budgets at a bare minimum this year, we found our best advertising for the money would be spent on business holiday cards. Not only can business holiday cards be sent to all our clients, but it can be done in a minimal amount of time. The cards were imprinted with our company name and logo inside along with our return address on the back of the envelopes. All we had to do was address them, stamp them, and put them in the mail. We thought what better way to keep our company name on the minds of our clients than by sending them some holiday cheer.

Most people will throw away an advertisement when opening up the mail, especially during a year when money is tight for many, making it difficult to purchase the items these advertisements contain. But when December comes, and everyone is in the holiday spirit and decorating their offices and cubicles, they are more likely to open and read a holiday card and maybe even hang it up for everyone to see.


ChristmasCardsDirect.com had the most beautiful corporate holiday cards for us to choose from. We found one that we loved right away, and the order process couldn’t have been easier. Their customer service representative was incredibly polite and helpful.

Once we sent out all our business holiday cards we immediately received calls from our clients thanking us for the beautiful cards. Mostly everyone wanted to know where we got them from and we happily obliged by telling them. They all appreciated the thoughtfulness and were happy we remembered them. It generated a great deal of communications for us; we heard from clients we thought we would never hear from again. So it just goes to show the old saying is true – it’s the thought that counts.

Entry Credit: http://www.christmascardsdirect.com

Funny Chistmas Cards

Do you like a good laugh? If this is the case you almost certainly send out funny Christmas cards each year. You don’t need to consider any new Christmas card concepts because you’ve got the funny Christmas card demographic covered! However, there are still some things you must think about when sending out funny Christmas cards to your pals and family.

One Card Does Not Fit All

The key in making something humorous stay humorous is to keep it acceptable. What this means is that you should not send a funny Christmas card about reindeer poop to your eighty year old grandmother who would be mortified by such talk. You have to keep in mind who you are sending these funny Christmas cards to before you pack them up and ship them off. Be respectful of others. Many people display their Christmas cards, and they do not wish to receive cards that are offensive or obscene. In addition, for many others these funny and obscene Christmas cards go against the entire Christmas season. So make sure that you know your audience before sending them off.

When They Are Inappropriate

Sometimes funny Christmas cards are inappropriate all together. One example of this is when sending Christmas cards out to your clients. If you have several hundred clients, there is no way for you to know them all individually enough to know how they will react to the seemingly humorous card. Instead, you should send a mild card that simply says “Merry Christmas.” There is one exception to this rule though. If you know for a fact that your customers will be pleased by a funny Christmas card, then go ahead and send it. But make sure that you are completely certain before you mail out the card. Sending out an offensive card could potentially lose you valuable clients.

Buying Them

Occasionally it would be tricky for you to find the funny Christmas card you’re looking for. When that’s the case, there are some different things you can do. First, you can make your own. With quality card stock and a good printer, you can make pro looking cards right from the comfort of your house. And , they’re quite cheap! 2nd , try looking online.

You’ll find many differing kinds of cards online and you can order them to be shipped right to your house. You will still need to stamp and address them, but you can avoid the vacation rush at the stores!

Entry Credit: http://www.christmas--tips.com

Creative Baby Gift Wrap Ideas

When you’re talking about presents, presentation can be everything. Here are 14 creative baby gift wrap ideas.

1. Cut shapes or monograms from cardstock or old holiday greeting cards and hang from ribbon, jute or yarn.

2. Use a creative wrap that coordinates with the gift. For example, use a receiving blanket and ribbon
to wrap a baby’s gift; fun scrapbooking paper for a crafter; old maps for a traveler.

3. Use fabric scraps and ribbon. Each time you are in a discount store, stop by the fabric clearance section. You can often find elegant and unique supplies at a deep discount.

4. Print your favorite family photos of the year onto paper and use for wrapping small treasures.

5. Recycle gift wrap from previous years.

6. Adorn the gift with silk flowers or small charms. The booming scrapbooking industry has made available so many amazing little embellishments that are perfect for adorning gifts.

7. Use rubber stamps to stamp the recipients’ name, monogram, or a special holiday message.

8. Make or use a fabric gift bag. Orientaltrading.com has a large variety of inexpensive and unique wrapping supplies.

9. Use the recipient’s favorite section of the newspaper as gift wrap. Whether it’s the comics or the sports page, this is an easy, inexpensive way to add a personal touch – especially when combined with one of these other techniques.

10. Fold a gift box from last year’s holiday cards or seasonal cardstock.
Here’s how: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10500

11. Wrap a gift in a drawing or painting that your children have made.

12. Use natural elements from your area to adorn gifts. Pine boughs or pine cones, dried grasses, and dried leaves are all charming choices.

13. Purchase plain paper and ask your children to decorate the wrapped item or gift bag with drawings and special messages for wrapping paper that is truly one-of-a-kind.

14. Browse flea markets, garage sales, or dollar stores for inexpensive and unique boxes, bags, and bows. You can even decoupage an old cigar box with photos or memorabilia and create a gift box that is a gift in itself.


Entry Credit: http://www.cobento.com

How To Make Small Gift Bags

A handmade gift bag, small or large, show the affection for the recipient by the gift giver -- and bag maker. Add a pretty handle and contrasting tissue paper inside for a special touch and it rates up there with expensive store versions. Wallpaper sample book papers or heavy wrapping paper are excellent for these small bags because of their strength, themes, beauty, colors and textures. This project is great for children and adults.





Step 1

Take one sheet of paper from an expired wallpaper sample book (about 12 by 17 inches) or similarly sized heavy wrapping paper and fold in half lengthwise, right side out. Make sure the edges are straight; if not, cut with scissors to remove ragged edges. Open the sheet and fold 2 inches down from the top along the width, right side in. Refold lengthwise. With a hot glue gun, seal the edges along the length of the bag. Let cool.



Step 2

Lay the bag flat and fold in the bottom corners of the bag in like a triangle by 1 inch and then fold the bottom up by 1 inch. Fold up again by 1 inch and seal the bottom with a hot glue gun to secure the seam. Let cool. Punch two holes on either side on the top of the bag 1 inch down. Insert the ends of a cord (length appropriate for the bag size to create a handle). Tie a knot on each cord on the inside of the bag and secure with a hot glue gun.

Step 3

Open the bag and insert with a sheet of contrasting color tissue paper. Add small gifts or items and cover with tissue corners, leaving parts extended above the opening of the bag. Add embellishments on the outside of the bag if desired such as bows, fabric flowers, beads or buttons to enhance the bag and make it extra special.

Entry Credit: http://www.ehow.com/how_4762779_instructions-make-small-gift-bags.html

Wedding Anniversary Gifts Made Easy for Her

You won't believe it! It is your wedding anniversary once again, and did you ever think of a gift to your wife?! Don't worry this guide will help you to find wedding anniversary gifts for her ideas..

What about personalized gifts? You can give your wife a gold locket with a photo of you inside. Or probably an engraved fountain pen. You can engrave her name or maybe special love message in it, that will surely make your wedding anniversary gift noteworthy!

You might thought to make the night out. You can treat your wife out of town. Take her to a fine restaurant and have a special dinner date. Try to amuse her evening by taking her to a concert, or a stage play. Or how about a wedding gift bags on your anniversary? This will make your wife feeling happy and appreciated!

The most important thing when considering wedding anniversary gifts for her is that you make your special wife feel appreciated and loved. Happy Wedding Anniversary! Hope the gift is something memorable!