Gift Giving Blog

Hopefully you have had a chance to get your supplies together for your Gift Station.  If not, that’s okay we’re going to give you the next step anyway!  What is the next step you ask?  Well, it’s about the gifts to keep on hand…the gifts that will fill your Gift Station.  There are some generic gifts that you can keep on hand but you’re also going to take a look at the gift giving list you made to determine specifically what you’ll need to keep in your Station. 

Your budget will also determine what exact items you keep in your Gift Station.  For budgeting and shopping or making items I’d break it down into quarters for the gift list that you know you’re going to be buying for every year such as the birthdays, anniversaries, and even Christmas.  So you’ll need to now categorize your gift giving list into quarters such as breaking it down from Jan, Feb, March and you want to stay one step ahead.  Right now we are in March so you’d start shopping for your April, May and June gifts so by the end of March you’ll be ready for the next 3 months and during April, May and June you want to be thinking about and buying for July, August, and September.  by doing this you’ll be one quarter ahead of the gift giving game and this will allow you to take your time to purchase gifts as well as be able to take advantage of sales or wait for sales because you won’t be rushing out at the last minute to buy “whatever” just so you have something.  For some of those on your list you may have specific things in mind you want to get them and that’s GREAT!  Write that specific gift down and you won’t forget plus you can be on the look out for it when shopping. 

Here are some items you should always have on hand and they will be generic items.  These are gifts for those things that pop up and you don’t want to be “caught off guard”. 

• Kids birthday gifts-keep 2 for each child you have (1 gift for girl, 1 for boy age approp)
• 2 bottles of wine or sparkling cider for hostess gifts (for those last minute dinner parties)
• blank journals and pens (mom’s groups, church groups, teacher gift or birthdays)
• 2 or 4 gift cards (generic visa/mc so they can be used anywhere)
• scented candles
• bath product set
• wallet (great for new drivers! and you could fill it with Gift Card for gas)
• baby blanket(1 boy, 1 girl), newborn onesies or baby bath care set
• All occasion card set (can be found online, and I just saw one at BJs Wholesale Store)

When you made your list I hope you didn’t forget about holidays like Easter.  If you have kids or grandkids don’t forget to add that to your list and of course you’ll want to me looking for those Easter baskets and goodies now!  Easter Sunday is April 4th and the stores are stocking up now!!

Oh my goodness, I just thought of a few more items you’ll need for your supplies list!  Especially if you are going to be mailing any gifts or cards to out of town friends and family.  You’ll need some mailing boxes (your gifts will determine the size so purchase these when or after you have the gifts), postage stamps and perhaps a few packing materials such as bubble wrap and of course packing tape.  *We’ll talk more about mailing packages in a few weeks and I’ll give you some tips on doing it from home, saving a little money and saving tons of time!!  Yes, you’ll be skipping the Post Office lines.

Ready, Set, Go shop!  Now it’s time to tweak that gift giving list, add specific items you want to buy next to a giftees name, don’t forget these holidays:

• St. Patrick’s Day-March 17th
• National Doctor’s Day-March 30
• April Fools Day-April 1
• Easter-April 4th
• Administrative Professionals Day (formerly secretaries day..this includes your receptionist!)-April 21st
• Earth Day-April 22

Next week we’ll talk about what to do with all those gifts, how to arrange them and how to keep track of them.

Keeping it unique

Kristal

Ok, now that you have your gift giving list ready let’s get to the next step! 

You need to find a place in your home whether it’s a closet, or a portion of a closet/shelf,  or under your bed to store your gift station.  You can store the items in a box or boxes.  The first things you’ll need to get can probably be found in your home.  You know I’m getting my gift closet ready as we go through this and today I found and organized all my gift bags, tissue paper, gift boxes, ribbons and bows.  Now here is a tip you are going to just love.  From now on when you get a gift from someone I want you to keep your bags, bows, ribbons, and even the tissue paper.  I am a big fan of recycling gift supplies.  When I got married there were a few that thought I was crazy by keeping bags, tissue paper, etc but let me tell you I have not bought a wedding bag in the 7 years I’ve been married!  In fact I had to weed some out because you don’t get invited to weddings every month or every year.  I have not bought tissue paper since getting married 7 years ago! 

Here are the supplies you’ll need for your gift closet just to get you started, don’t jump ahead we’ll get to the actual gifts in another step! 

You’ll need:

• a pen
• a notebook
• ribbon (various colors)
• scissors
• invisible tape
• tissue paper
• gift bags
• small gift boxes

The pen and notebook will be for you to keep your gift giving list/occasion calendar and your inventory list.  Because once you get your gifts you’re going to wrap them before you store them in the gift station.  That way when you need the gift you will look at your inventory sheet first and then grab the corresponding gift and it will be ready to go. 

If you’re like me you can probably find most of these items scattered about your home and what you want to do is find these items and put them in one place.  Store them in a storage container for now or a bag (use one of the gift bags you find).  If you do save gift bags I want you to organize them by occasions so you’ll put all the wedding together, birthday together, etc.  and use the biggest bag to store the other same themed bags in.  I had 5 wedding bags left and I grabbed the biggest one and stuffed the remaining 4 wedding bags in.  You will keep all the bags folded up for easy storage and do this with all your bags.  Same thing with the tissue paper you have.  Sort them by color and then stack each color on top of each other for easy access.  If there are items on the list you don’t have Dollar General, Big Lots, The Dollar Tree and other like stores have great deals on gift bags, tape, ribbon, etc. 

When getting ribbon I’d get the most common colors and use curling ribbon to keep it simple.  The Dollar tree has a nice selection and you get quite a lot of ribbon for just $1. (red, black, white, gold, green, purple, yellow, pink and blue) those colors should cover just about any occasion and holiday)

You will also want to keep a few small gift boxes on hand for small jewelry you may purchase for your gift closet that doesn’t come in a box already.  You can get those in the gift section at just about any store for minimal cost.

Go get those basic supplies ready and our next step we’ll start talking about the gifts themselves!

Keeping it Unique,

Kristal

Always be ready for gift giving and in creating a Gift Station you’ll be able to do just that! 

The first thing you need to do is sit down with your calendar and create a gift giving list.  All the people you give or want to give gifts to so check all your birthdays and anniversaries that you have saved.  Don’t forget the, what I call, the “pop-up” occasions like weddings, hostess gifts, office gifts, mom’s group gifts and if you have kids they’re sure to get an invite to a birthday party and you want to be prepared without having to rush out at the last minute.  For the pop-up occasions, the ones that aren’t on your calendar, it’s a good idea to keep 2 of those in the Gift Station at all times and for kid’s birthdays it’s a good idea to keep 1 boy gift and 1 girl gift on hand for each child you have and of course make sure they are age appropriate. 

So, before we go any further get your pen or pencil and paper and start that gift giving list.  Don’t forget to include those pop-up occasions and please add the people you may not normally buy for but that you want to buy for.  We are going to make this so simple that you’ll be seen as the most thoughtful person on your block!

Keeping it Unique,

Kristal

This weekend I’m at the beach visiting family and as I sit relaxing, by myself, in the beach house I’m asking myself how can I better serve my gift community.  It’s late so I’m up by myself watching a little tv and even though my body is ready to shut down my mind is racing and questioning and wondering.  So, I ask you….what are you gift needs?

Let me ask again, what are you gift needs?

What challenges do you face?  Are you too busy to keep up with all your gift needs?

Honestly, I need to pencil myself in as my own client so that I never forget a holiday, birthday, or special occasion again.  I also need to create and stock a gift closet or box so that I always have things on hand to never be caught off guard again by a last minute hostess gift or kid’s birthday party.  In the coming week I will be writing an e-book stating how to create a gift closet to keep stocked.  It won’t take up a lot of room so even though I’m calling it a gift closet now it could be stored in a small space like under your bed.

Just being a mom or just being a wife is hard enough but add work, kid’s activities, your activities, and all the other things life throws your way it’s hard to keep up with everything and frankly sometimes we just don’t get to be the thoughtful person we wish to be.

This is where I want to help.  I want to bring you a community that brings you gift solutions.   I don’t want to assume I know what you want or need so I’d really like your input!  Please don’t be shy and email me what challenges you have.

Do you never seem to have a gift on hand?

Do you simply not have time to get to the store?

Is it hard to find the perfect gift for someone who seems to have everything?

Do you want to keep a low budget but still want to make a huge impression?

Email your gift giving challenges to kreagan@sweetexpressionsllc.net

Keeping it Unique,

Kristal

The first 2 weeks in February keep me busy with Valentine’s Day.  That’s okay, I’m not complaining at all but sometimes I find myself getting behind and believe it or not even letting my Valentine slip my mind.  I get so caught up in keeping up with order that I forget to make my own gift for my Valentine, my husband of course.  Well, this year I didn’t forget although I’m not completely prepared I’m more prepared.  You can do this at home and can be done last minute.  You’ll just need to make a “run” to Wal-mart, Target, or whatever your favorite store is and get a bottle of Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante (it’s with the wine and it’s a sparkling wine but it’s still bubbly like a champagne only sweet not bitter).  Or you can opt for the non-alcoholic sparkling cider/juice which you can usually find on the same ilse.  You’ll also need some delicious Hershey kisses, 2 champagne flutes which you can get at Wal-mart for about $5/for 4 or the Dollar Tree $1/each…even better!  Get some faux flower petals that you find in the wedding section of the store.  Also make sure you have dice (actually you’ll only need one, a die).  If you don’t you can get a pack of those where you find the poker chips and playing cards with the board games.  I have a cute and fun little game to share with you.  I call it the sweetheart game.  You’ll find it at the very bottom.  Oh, and you need some candles. 

Now this is just to get the mood set, you have to figure the rest out on your own and lingerie is optional…LOL

You want to put a little lip gloss if nothing else, a hint of pink or brown will do the trick, light some candles and a fire if you have it.  Set up a small area with a blanket on the floor (in front of the fireplace if applicable), poor the wine and make a toast to your love and don’t forget to eat some of those chocolate kisses, strawberries would be great too!  A great way to get in tune with one another is to simply talk, especially those of us with kids at home so you’ll have to wait until they are in bed and asleep.  Ask your spouse about their day, find out where they want to take the next family vacation, ask them what they dream and hope for this year.  Then share those same things with them.  This is a time to listen so don’t judge…it’s a time to connect not bicker.  Give each other a 3-5 minutes shoulder massage and play the Sweet Heart Game.  Board games are usually fun to play and they get you talking, laughing and connecting…it’s also a great stress reliever.  Unless either of you are highly competitive, then be careful what you pick to play or find another activity. 

This is where my ideas stop, you’ll have to play it by ear from here but remember it is Valentine’s Day and you are celebrating your love, you’re feeling connected, you’re feeling sexy so GO FOR IT!!

SweetHeart Game Rated G

Before playing you’ll just need to get one of the dice from any game you have at home and some chocolate.  If you don’t have any board games, that’s ok just go to the store where you find the board games, poker chips and playing cards to find a package of dice.  

You need atleast 2 players (typically spouse/partner) and each player will have 6 alternating turns rolling the die. 

This craft is created by Sweet Expressions just for you!  The younger of the two rolls first.  This is meant to play repeatedly and you’re all winners in this game.

Each number on the die corresponds with a number below and each number has an action next to it.  You must complete the action next to the number you roll (you’ll use your spouse).

1.  One long kiss (you know the kind I mean)

2.  Eat chocolate

3.  Take shower together

4.  Say “I love you”

5.  Do it!

6.  Give your partner a shoulder massage (3 minutes)

Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Romance

Keeping it unique,

Kristal

I had a request this week for sucker bouquets to be sold at a Relay for Life Event and it got me thinking that wow, these could be used for fundraising events just about anywhere.  Honestly when I think of fundraisers I usually think of baked goods, chocolate bars and cookies.  Using just one sucker you’d probably toss the idea out but a bouquet of 5 suckers personalized for your event you’d probably keep on the list of fundraising ideas.  Sucker bouquets are not an option for all fundraisers but they certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea for many.  For example, a fundraiser that begins before Valentine’s Day could use a Valentine Theme sucker to make the bouquets and people could give them as gifts or they could be used at events where chocolate is just not an option such as outside in the summer months where chocolate will melt easily.

As I was creating the digital proof and getting it ready for email another thought occured to me.  Year book classes in highschools use this concept to raise money for the production of the yearbook.  The printers need a deposit before printing the yearbook and of course that takes money so all the students in the class must, for a grade, get so many ads/sponsorship from local establishments to be placed in the back of the yearbook.  The same concept can be used for a fundraiser.  Most people are doing fundraisers to raise money for a cause, group, or individual and at times they have to take on the printing/production cost up front which decreases the profit amount they can donate.  So, you could “sell” advertising space on the back of each sucker to local businesses and whether it’s just their business card, offer andor a coupon they would be getting exposure to people they may not have otherwise and they’re making a donation at the same time.  For the fundraising committe this works well because the ads pay for the product for more donatable profits.  For the Relay for Life suckers the idea popped in my head that for 50 cents or even 25 cents people could “buy” the space on the back of one sucker either “In Memory Of” or Survival dates with the persons name.  Many people have shirts like this and the same could be done on the back of the suckers!  On the front would be the name of the event and any other text, logos, or pictures that would be the same on everyone. 

The bouquets really are a beautiful product.  Here is a Valetines sucker bouquet so you have an idea of what they look like.  Just looking at the picture makes you want one doesn’t it?

Keeping it Unique,

Kristal

You ever need that last minute gift card but you just don’t feel like going to the store for just that? Or maybe you’ve thought about it too late to mail it. Well I have found a perfect solution! Visa gift cards you can buy online and email to someone. Now keep in mind that the virtual gift cards can only be used online so make sure you’re buying it for somone that likes to purchase things online. You can also email the number to yourself and make a nice card and print it out at home to give to them. I think these will make great additions to the Sweet Expressions candy bars….customers can give me the card numbers and I can print it on the back of the wrapper.

If you do have time to get one in the mail or mail it directly to the recipient this is a perfect place to order a personalized Visa gift card for the next birthday on your list. These would be awesome for Christmas as well. It’s one thing to get a gift card but to get one with your name on it plus a short message and a great picture. You can also upload a picture if you want which is a great feature for businesses wanting to give away prize gift cards with their logo and website on the card!

I saw this and I just had to share. So check your gift list and see who’s next and then go to this website to get them a gift card!

https://sweetexpressions.giftcards.com/affiliate/landing.html?plid=2436

I have to say that January 2010 has been a rough start for me but this past weekend my family and I spent 3 days in Pigeon Forge, TN in an awesome cabin.  The cabin had ammenities that we don’t have at home like a hot tub.  We had our two boys with us who are 5 and 2 and we spent half our time in the hot tub.  Of course it was like a warm swimming pool to them…they loved it and have deemed it necessary to have one at home!

While in the mountains I vowed not to think much about work and I did not take my computer.  I was able to check my email once using my husband’s computer (he had to take his because this was a business trip and we joined him for once).  I did get on my personal Facebook account just to update my status and see what was “new”.  Other than that day I was free from technology and let me tell you it was certainly freeing; refreshing even. 

I’ve taken January “off” to make changes, to get ideas on paper so they can be completed as actions.  So as you visit us daily, weekly or even hourly you may notice subtle changes in both our blog site, here, and our main site at www.sweetexpressionsllc.net .  I’m also taking January as an organizational month to get geared up and de-cluttered for the 2010 year. 

I do have to tell you that even though I left all computers, and to do lists behind there were driving times when my mind was racing and gathering all these new ideas for this year.  What I can bring to you, offer you and how I can change Sweet Expressions to be your gift giving source whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer or don’t have enough time to be the thoughtful person you want to be.  Each month we will provide you with great tips for the next holiday in the blog, in our weekly newsletter and on Facebook.  For the do-it-yourselfer you’ll be able to take the idea and just run with them…those of you that need a little more time will have a short cut version but the people you are crafting or gifting with/for will not know the difference!

I know you’re probably looking for some great Valentines ideas and just sit back because we will be churning out some great ideas in the next couple of days and we won’t stop until Valentines Day is here!

Keeping it Unique,

Kristal

If you’re like me you’ve been thinking about and making your New Year’s resolution and if you’re like me you’re also thinking how successful will the resolution last?  Mine usually last about 2 weeks at the most and then I think of them again in February wondering what happened to January since it went by so fast.  This year will be the year I say and once the year passes it really blended in with the year before.  So to you, outloud, I say…..”This year will be the year!”  The year I make the changes I’ve longed for and obviously need.  This year, unlike other years, I have the motivation, the determination and the tools to make 2010 like no other year.  Instead of looking at them as resolutions I’ve turned them into vision and goals.  I have goals for my self personally and I have goals for this blog and my business and will be bringing you a total gift giving solution in the coming months.  There are more details in my weekly newsletter that was just released today so if you haven’t subscribed please do so now and I’ll forward it to you.

Now I don’t know where the new year’s resolution came from or who started it but I did read an interesting fact about New Year’s Day and we actually owe our New Year celebrating to Julius Caesar.  He changed the Roman New Year’s day from March to January in honor of Janus, the god of the beginning.  The Romans had Janus pictured as a two-faced god where one face looked back at the old year and one face looked toward the new year.  I’m guessing that is why you and I now reflecting on 2009 and looking ahead to 2010.  As we get ready to face a new year we bring it in the ringing bells, noisemakers, dancing and laughter while cheering ourselves and each other for a healthy and happy new year!

So here’s to you and wishing you a happy and healthy New Year in 2010!!

Keeping it Unique,

Kristal

I just received this in my email inbox and had to share this with you.  I’ll be printing one of these and leaving it by the plate where we leave Santa’s cookies.  That way my kids will “know” Santa came to visit! 

This is totally FREE and a great idea.  After you click the link to the picture just right click the picture to save to your computer and print later or print without saving it.  Santa Picture

The picture was sent to me by www.santasgoodlist.org

Don’t forget to track Santa at http://www.noradsanta.org you can even use google earth to track him in his sleigh tomorrow!