Candybar Wrapper Favors & Gifts

Archive for the ‘Gift Cards’ Category

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, I hope you had a good one, and I received an issue of “Cooking with Paula Deen”. The cover of the May issue reads at the top “Dinner in 25 minutes or Less” it was probably a hint since I cook very little! This came from the May/June 2010 issue and can be found online at www.cookingwithpauladeen.com. Like most other magazines there is a section where people write to Pauls and ask her cooking related questions. One question really stood out to me because it was gift related.

The question someone asked Paula was about giving a wedding gift. The friend was having a kitchen shower and this lady wanted to give the one having the shower a gift card yet didn’t want the gift card to be so impersonal and asked how she could make the gift card more thoughtful and more fun to receive.
Paula’s answer to this was really a great one she suggested that the gift card be placed in a plain white box and then use kitchen wrapping paper such as parchment paper, waxed paper, plastic wrap, or even aluminum foil to wrap the box and give it a bow using natural cotton twine. Then Paula suggested to finish it off with a simple gift tap made from recycled greeting cards and write “Get Cooking” on the front and a personal message on the back.

Now I thought that was a really unique idea for a wedding shower since so many people these days do have a kitchen party of some kind. The part I like the most of course was the recycled greeting card to be used for the gift tag.  Now I usually keep the cards my kids pick out and the ones my husband gives me and put them in a scrapbook, okay so they are all in a box waiting to be put in a scrapbook but the intention is there..LOL.  I usually just throw the other small count I get in the trash but I will definitely be removing the  unprinted parts from now on and saving them to use for things such as gift tags.  You could also use them as note cards and if you do any stamping you could put your last initial on them as you need them and write your own thank you cards when needed!  The scrap pieces would be great for die cut machines, scrapbooking (provided the greeting card is safe for scrap books).  This actually opens up so many possibilities as you could cut them into 4×6 cards and personalize them for yourself or friends by sending them through your home printer and making them into recipe cards, stationary post cards, invitations.  Man this list could go on and on!

Will you start recycling the next greeting cards you get?  If so, what’s the first thing you’d like to use them for?

If you are already recycling your greeting cards what creations have you made with them?

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

You know it doesn’t take a lot of effort to go to any store and pick up a gift card for someone.  In fact, they can be used as an easy out when we are in a rush or forgot to get the gift the week before and now our only option is a gift card. 

I’ll be honest I fell into the, I’ll just get them a gift card trap.  I also have to admit I received a gift card from a VERY close friend one year for Christmas and frankly I was offended.  I mean we were dating, he knew me for months and he couldn’t think of one thing to get me??  I appreciated it and used it but I was hurt that he thought he had to take that route. 

Here is the spin on giving gift cards.  I know you have seen the pretty little envelopes and boxes you can put them in and they cost an arm and a leg!  So why not use a chocolate gift card bar?  Yep, that’s right…slip the gift card right in the wrapper and you have a chocolate card.  It’s peronalized and it now has meaning.  Before when you just had the gift card and possibly you picked out a nice greeting card to put it in.  The message you may have sent was, wow look at this I got a plastic card inside a cookie cutter greeting…I was a last minute thought.  But what would a gift card wrapped in a personalized chocolate bar say?  Wow, you didn’t know exacltly what to get me but you put thought into this one.  I have a chocolate bar, my favorite, and the wrapper is personalized just for me with a messge from you.  I can even save the wrapper and put it in my scrapbook.  Now look at that, you just made an incredible impression on that person and they will actually cherish and remember getting that gift card simply because you personalized it. 

This is a product line I will be introducing the first quarter of 2009 so you keep in touch and look out for some amazing designs for chocolate gift card bars!