Re-purposeful Gift Baskets – what a concept!

I’m sure you’ve received a gift basket at one time or another which may or may not have impressed you.  Without a doubt, it was comprised of an ordinary wicker basket containing a variety of goodies all wrapped up in copious amounts of cellophane and tape.

Things have definitely changed.  The container manufacturers have really gotten creative by using decorative pails, handbags, tote bags, boxes, trays, sports bags, picnic baskets, planters…the list goes on and on.  The most fabulous part about this trend is that these containers are so beautifully designed and of such high quality that they’re perfectly suited for use as decorative storage containers for any room in your home.

As I was thinking about the concept of reusing items and how important it is at any time but especially now, I started browsing through the internet and came up with this fantastic website http://repurposeful.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/repurposing-home-decor…the things you can do by re-purposing is endless.  From my personal experience, I received a gift basket awhile ago that is the perfect size for holding my various remotes.

So, the cellophane and tape are still present and the goodies are definitely there…better than ever…but the containers are the news bulletin.  They absolutely ROCK.  It might be time to give gift baskets a new look as you consider your gifting options.  I think you’ll find lots of choices you like that you’ll be proud to send to anyone.

www.withmyregards.com

How Do I Choose A Gift?

I just wrote this page for my website, www.withmyregards.com, and I liked it so much I thought I’d include it in my blog as well.  I hope you find it helpful.

How To Choose A Gift

You already know the basic things about choosing a present for someone:  gender, occasion, favorite things, favorite colors, passions.  The other things to think about, if you don’t know them already are, what kinds of things do they like, what have they talked about recently, what do they gravitate to when you’re shopping together or browsing through a magazine.

This page (How To Choose A Gift) provides you with some tidbits of information that might help to guide or inspire you in your gift quest.  The holiday dates are just there for your convenience but if you scroll down a bit, you’ll see what sign your friend is if you know their birth date.  You’ll also be able to see the birthstone associated with the month of their birth as well as the flower.  Don’t think this is limited to birthday gifts….it will work for any occasion or no occasion at all!

The birthstone chart gives you a bit of lore behind the stone of the month and the flower chart gives you the meaning that has been attributed to the flower of the month.  If you read through them you might find some similarity between the description and the person you’re buying for.  You can use this information to develop a story of how you figured out what to give them.  They’ll be stunned at how clever you are.  There’s nothing to it…..read on.

Things to consider: You might let flowers and their meaning guide you.  As an example, if her birthday is in April and you see that her flower is the Daisy which means “Innocence; Youth; Purity / Goodbye; Blissful Pleasure; Departure”, you might think about the Daisy Delights Gardener’s Tote gift or the Just Time For You Relaxation Gift Set (daisy themed gifts).  Another option might be to capitalize on the Blissful, Pleasure aspects of the description and go for any of the spa gift sets or candle gifts we offer.

Try considering his or her interests.  If he enjoys barbecuing, hunting or fishing check out the Gift Baskets for Men or How About Hobbies section.  If she likes to read or work in the garden, again, the How About Hobbies section will give you great ideas that she’ll adore.  For your gardener, you could choose any of our sumptuous spa gifts so that she can luxuriate in a glorious bath after her day in the dirt.  If you personalize your gift choice to the specific interests of your recipient, you’ve just upped the impact of your giving by 1000%.  They can’t help but notice and appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Another way to go is to buy him or her a chocolate and gourmet gift or a fabulous spa gift set and then go to the florist for a bouquet of the flowers of the month (yes, men like to get flowers) or the jeweler for a necklace, bracelet, ring, or cuff links in the birthstone of the month and you’ll not only have great gift but also a story to tell about how you chose it.  Your thoughtfulness will be genuine and undeniable.

Get the idea?  Okay then, shop away and let us know if we can help with anything.  We’ll keep thinking of ways to help you choose just the right gift for anyone on your list.  Now, get busy and brighten someone’s day!!!!!

Live well…Laugh often…Love much

Re-gifting Gift Cards

Today turned out to be a very rainy, unpleasant day in New York City and it got me feeling the onset of fall/winter and also thinking a bit about the upcoming holidays.

As I was perusing the internet, I happened to run across an article about turning gift cards that have money left on them into charitable donations.  The value of the gift card can be determined by calling the 800 number on the back.  The money can be redeemed directly from the store or by using a buy-back service.  The accredited buy-back service I found is Gift Card Buy Back http://www.giftcardbuyback.com/sellgiftcards.cfm.  I love this idea.

We all must have a gift card or two laying around the house and that $1.98 that’s left isn’t going to make much of a dent in your current debt burden but combined with millions of other cards, it could make a huge difference to people in need.

Let me hear from you.  Do you like this idea as much as I do?  I’m ready to setup a P.O. Box and start this program for real.  Are you with me?  We could make Christmas a lot brighter this year and feel great about it  Let’s do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.withmyregards.com

Virtual Gifting

Ok so, maybe I’m an old fuddy-duddy but I’m not quite “down” with this idea of virtual gift giving.  I can clearly see it from the standpoint of the frugality that our economic client has imposed but it smacks of impersonality and detachment.   Doesn’t it?

I must confess however, that over the last few years I have become a fan of the ubiquitous e-cards and send them with regularity now.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time I went into a card store.  I have a friend who still believes in going to the store, reading hundreds of cards, picking out just the right one for the recipient in question, writing a personal note, slipping it into the envelope, hand writing the address, licking the stamp and walking it to the mailbox on the corner.  I’m sure she wants to throttle me whenever I send her one of those blasted e-cards.

The only reason I mention that is because ecards are another form of impersonality and detachment too, but yet, I’ve embraced them.  So, what’s my point?  Well, I just think it’s easy for all of us in this day and age of backberries/quick emails/tweets/etc to forget that friendship requires closeness,  thoughtfulness and care.  It’s way too easy for us to dash off a quick whatever or keep our friends updated on the doings in our lives through our daily tweets or facebook entries.

Maybe what I’m trying to get at is that friends are precious.  Friends are what keep us in this life.  Ergo, we need to treat them with kindness, make them feel special, and make them understand how important they are to us.  I know this economy has taken a toll on our bank books but, maybe we could revisit that idea of giving of ourselves.  Remember what Kahlil Gibran said -  “You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. “

The next time you need to give a gift and are feeling the pinch, think about making a date with that person for go for a walk together in the park or on the beach.  Maybe you could take a little drive through the countryside.  How about baking them a cake or a shoe box full of chocolate chip cookies.  If they live far away, see if you can Skype with them.  I’ve done that with a friend who lives in Germany and we just love it.

The gift of spending time to talk, laugh, share and reminisce is priceless and won’t soon be forgotten.  Do you have thoughts on this topic?  I’d love to hear what you think about this.

www.withmyregards.com

Drugs are OUT — Giving is IN

Recent studies report a stimulant that

comes in new, less expensive and more accessible forms

Looking for a “high” that makes your entire body tingle for hours and maybe even days (sometimes longer)?  Recent studies have shown that the act of giving, with no expectation of receiving anything in return, has produced a distinct tingling sensation followed by euphoria that is unprecedented within prevailing pharmaceutical trends.  The leading indicators are an astounding reduction in the need for anti-depressants, alcohol, recreational drugs, road rage, finger signals, acting out and all other forms of unpleasant behavior.

It has been reported that this generosity of spirit can take a wide variety of forms and is therefore accessible with very little and often no expense whatsoever.  These forms can be as simple as holding a door for someone, smiling at a stranger, or picking up something that someone dropped and giving it back to them.  Apparently, once these skills have been honed, individuals have been known to graduate to more complex giving behaviors such as providing emotional comfort, donating their free time to help a friend or giving a Turkey to a homeless shelter for Thanksgiving.  When this level of selflessness has been achieved, the sky seems to be the limit to what these people will do for others.

A very wise person (Jim Britt) recently stated that “if you do what you do with love, you’ll eventually have only what you love in your life”.  From all appearances, this attitude is the baseline of giving behavior and further, it seems to be what actually causes this tingling and euphoria.  Further research is being conducted on the topic of giving gifts of love and the results will be reported shortly.

If you would like to have more information on this topic, please log into www.withmyregards.com.

Largest Cupcake breaks Guinness World Record

I just read the funniest press release that was written by one of my gift basket comrades, Gourmet Gift Baskets http://www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com/World-Record-Cupcake-Press-Release-Intro.asp.  They actually baked the largest cupcake known to modern man which got them placed in the Guinness Book of World Records and helped raise money for the renowned Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

It was a custard filled vanilla cupcake made with $10,000 worth of ingredients, baked for 24 hours in a 280 degree, 8′ wide by 8′ tall oven and believe me when I tell you, there was a fork lift involved.  Jensen Industries created a custom mold and provided the gigantic oven.  George Algarin was the chef and the co-conspirators of this challenging feat were Ryan Abood and Mike Howard.

Our hats are off to these guys for their ability to go for the gusto and to make their dream a reality.  Well done!!!  We here at www.withmyregards.com have some thinking to do to come up with a challenge worthy of their accomplishment!!

Gift giving just “feels” good

Gift giving is truly the best way to show your feelings, especially when It comes to a gift for your sweetheart or someone you hope will become your sweetheart.  I recently read an online article by Tara Parker-Pope (New York Times) who talked about the psychology of gift giving.  In it, she sites a study that found “that giving gifts is a surprisingly complex and important part of human interaction, helping to define relationships and strengthen bonds with family and friends. Indeed, psychologists say it is often the giver, rather than the recipient, who reaps the biggest psychological gains from a gift.”  What’s the old adage….it’s better to give than to receive?

I’ve had some amazing and fulfilling personal experiences in gift giving and have, to some degree, honed my gift giving skills to the point of frequently giving the “perfect” gift (admittedly, there have been some misses along the way, too).  When people say things like, “oh, how did you know?” or “I’ve always wanted one of these” (with sincerity) you know your gift hit the mark.  It takes a little practice but you can do it too by just listening carefully and observing what people like, what they gravitate to, what the enjoy doing, hobbies, favorite colors, favorite memories – that sort of thing.

I recently attended a birthday party for a very close friend but by the time the party started, I hadn’t really thought of a good present yet.  However, I did have the presence of mind to take my camera to the party where I shot a roll or so of candid photos.  The prints came out very well so I put them in a nice wallet sized photograph album, wrapped it beautifully and gave it to him at lunch a week or so following the party.  He was so touched and I felt great.  As ideas go, it’s not terribly original but the uniqueness of the giving….those one-time shots of his friends was what touched his heart.  It turned out to be more of a personalized birthday gift than anything I could have bought at the store.

Gift baskets are a great way to go for all types of giving occasions.  Some say they are impersonal but I staunchly disagree.  If you take the time to look through the ingredients you’ll find an enormous selection, bound to suit any taste bud.  Also, if you take some time to think about your sweetheart’s hobbies and interests you will find several fantastic choices at www.withmyregards.com.   The best part is that there are lots of different goodies in each beautifully designed basket so every time your darling dives into another bag of something delectable, they’ll think of you all over again.  If you’re clever enough to choose one of our gifts that is encased in a keepsake, they’ll remember your thoughtfulness even longer!!