Candybar Wrapper Favors & Gifts

Archive for the ‘Valentine’s Day’ Category

Cupid is hovering around taking a look at all to see just who and where that little arrow of love needs to go.  Will you feel it?  Well, you won’t feel some sharp pain in your arm or worse your rear but hopefully you will feel it in your heart.  If you’re married or have a signficant other I’m hoping the love is already there, for your sake, LOL.  You could possibly need just a little start me back up jolt and that’s okay.  To help you keep those flames going or to bring them back to life we’re going to help you.

How can I help you?  I’m gonna give you a few ideas to start your own brainstorm and then you have to take it from there.    Create yourself a “Love Bucket” and of course you can use a bag or whatever you have on hand or you can find in the store.  Fill it with chocolates, flower petals, massage oil, candles, (gotta have candles for romance right), don’t forget to pick up and chill some strawberries and champagne or other favorite beverage.  Go to your Dollar store and get some champagne or wine glasses to use if you don’t own any even if you’re going to put sweet tea in them.  Make it elegant and sincere.  you could book a hotel if that’s something you can manage and if you’re like me and couldn’t afford the child care and the trip, lol, then get the living room, bedroom or dining room ready for romance, put your kids to bed, get ready and meet your Valentine in that room.  By now you’ve probably had supper so you’ll just need dessert or fruit or a small appetizer, your wine glasses and beverage plus the rest of the items in your “bucket”.  Make sure your Valentine is set to arrive to the room a little later than you so you have time to poor, get dessert and sprinkle those rose petals around the room.  Also, set up your cd player for some music to play and make a space in the room to have a few dances.  See where the night takes you!

Can’t quite visualize the love bucket?  I’ll help you out, just take a look at the picture below.

Bucket of Love

I’ll tell you what a mintbook is!  They are the most wonderful, glossy, 2×2 cutest favors and business promtion item you’ve ever seen!  They are versatile, unique and innovative!  These have to be my favorite personalized item for sure.

Here you see a picture of many mintbooks in different themes and with different candies in them so visually you may recognize them closed as being a paper matchbook.  No matches in these my friend!  These can be filled with many small items and ideas pop into my head everyday and their versatility actually overwhelms me with ideas.  I’m gonna get your brainstorming going and share with you how they can be used for every occasion, any situation, for personal and for business!

What can I use a mintbook for?

• Birthday: party favor with gum, lollipop, small ziplock bag filled with ring, earrings or necklace, use them to embellish a wrapped gift instead of a bow!
• Wedding: wedding mints for each guest after the reception at each place setting, small ziplock bag filled with rice to throw at the newlyweds, gum or mints in the reception restroom in a bowl next to sinks, on the back put your new contact information so your friends and family will be able to stay in touch via, phone, email and home address
• Baby: Annouce baby with a lollipop..personalize the outside with a picture of baby and the baby stats on back, fill them with gum, mints, or lollipop to give out as thank you favors at the shower.
• Business: use them as a business card, give them out at tradeshows, place them in order boxes/bags, put small free samples in them (eg.Mary Kay cosmetic samples..perfect for this!), are you a jewelry maker?  put your smaller jewelry in these instead of boxes, just use a small ziplock bag!
• Holidays: Add to Christmas gifts or bag 12 together as a gift, Great for a note card for bouquets (insert a ring if you’re asking your girlfriend to marry you), bundle a few together with lollipops to make a lollipop bouquet for valentines day, put your small candy like Hershey’s miniatures and keep them in your candy dish at work or home, it will add to the holiday decor.
• Classroom: Kids and teacher gifts.
• Church: children’s tithes

What can I put in a mintbook?

Here is where it gets fun!  This is the best part…figuring out what you want to put in them.  Here is a list of things that will work, you keep thinking and let me know if you’ve found something different to add inside!

• small emorery boards
• travel sewing kit
• jewelry
• lollipops
• hard candy (ie., lifesaver mints, andes mints, starlight mints, any other small individually wrapped candy)
• miniature chocolate bars such as Hershey’s miniture chocolate bars
• pencils
• lapel pin
• golf tees
• church tithe for your kids
• condoms
• cosmetic samples
• gum (using the kind in blister packs you can cut and put 2 in the mintbook)
• small individually wrapped tea bag

How do I add them to a gift or bouquet?

It’s very easy with the handy hanging tabs we have.  Just like you see on a gift bag hanging on the shelf peg.  We can add one of those clear tabs right onto the mintbook and you can hang it on some ribbon or you can leave the back blank and use double stick tape to secure it to a wrapped boxed gift.

Adding it to a bouquet is super easy with our crafty candy bar holder…they are not just for candy bars.  A candy bar holder is an acrylic stick with a sticky flat top so the mintbook can easily stick to the top and then just slide it in the vase with the flowers much like a flower pick for note cards.

Valentine’s Day is the next holiday..how can I use them?

Oh, now this is simple my friend!  Are you a mom?  Well mom, these make perfect classroom gifts no matter what preschool or elementary age your kids are.  Pick a Valentine theme mintbook or have us create one and personalize the front and back with text for each classmate.  Then add a lollipop, pencil, or other hard candy to the mintbook.  Bag 6 or 12 of them together for teachers!  Maybe you need a gift for your child.  Group 5 together and make a lollipop bouquet or add chocolate minis inside and use the candy bar stick on the back and make a bouquet that way.  That would also work as a great gift for your mom, a co-worker, or your spouse!  It can be an addition to a stuffed Valentine animal or as a stand alone gift.  It’s personal, it’s sweet and it’s unique!

Where do I get these awesome mintbooks?

Sweet Expressions of course.  I’m your personal shopper and will help you find what you’re looking for.  I’ll help you make it unique and personal but it will show your style or your child’s…not mine.  Oh, how cool would this be?  Let your child draw a small Valentine picture, color it, etc scan it or take a picture or you can even mail it to me and I’ll incorporate it into the design that uses your child’s artwork!  Now that’s cool.

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

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

Well, I did it.  I didn’t think Valentine’s Day for me and my hubby was going to be any fun…..it was a stressful day with the kids.  They were in rare form let me tell you…whew!  It was rough that day and I clearly needed a break.  BUT once the kids were in bed my husband and I had a late dinner of homemade chinese food with a glass of wine.  I had gotten behind on my Valentine project so after we ate Rich, my husband, washed the dishes so I could finish up. 

Because of time constraints I changed my plans a little with the candy and wrappers I chose to make.  First I had to put on some makeup and take the sexy pictures.  Instead of using miniature chocolates for the game pieces to play “checkers” I used hershey kisses with our names on the bottom using a 3/4″ personalized sticker for the bottom.  I cut up pieces of paper and put them in a small glass bowl I have and when one got “jumped” in the game (playing like checkers) you had to draw one of the slips of paper and do whatever was on it.  I used things like tell your opponent you love them, kiss them, etc.  I typed them in Word, printed them, cut them then folded them and placed them in the glass bowl.  Can you believe we don’t have the game of Checkers?!  I had to make the game board so I made it with more romantic colors.  Pink and pale yellow squares. 

Instead of a Valentine card I purchased a Big Hershey bar (7oz of chocolate) and used one of the sexy pictures for the front and on the back I wrote a personalized poem just for him!  HE LOVED IT.  With the pictures, since I didn’t use them all in my project, I printed them on 4×6 photo paper, used some scrapbooking scrap paper to make a cover and back, punch holes and tied with a ribbon to look like a book.  I call it “The Book of Passion”.  I won’t dare share the pictures with you!! LOL  For my husband’s eyes ONLY!

The game ended up being lots of fun and it certainly broke the tension of the day with our two preschool boys.  So we ended up having a really nice time and my husband absolutely loved his homemade gifts! 

And what did he do for me??  He finished getting dinner ready while I was putting the kids to bed and he cleaned the kitchen while I finished getting his gift ready.  He made me a card on his computer as well as a coupon book for things such as a free laundry day, a free just me day, etc.

Needless to say we spent very little money and had the most fun we’ve had on Valentine’s Day since we were dating and our kids were at home upstairs asleep!  So with a little creativity and imagination and no baby sitter you can have lots of fun and connect or stay connected with your spouse!

I included a picture of the basket I got ready for the Night ‘O Fun!!

Until next time,

Kristal

Hey y’all!
It’s Kristal again with an update…Valentine’s Day. Is cupid circling your house? He sure is mine. I’ve been getting ready to celebrate and I’m starting to make my plans as we speak. Now, my plans have to be altered quite a bit since we have two toddlers in the house and no babysitters available! So I have to get extra creative and festivities don’t begin until 8PM.

Since I am in the business of personalizing candy wrappers of course that is why my hubby will get! Although I’m thinking of adding a slight spin to it. Oh, I just thought of this what about a Valentine Board game?! Ok, ladies…here is something new for you to try and it JUST CAME TO ME! Ok, first let me find a graphic I can use as a board game….I’ll be right back! Ok, I’m back…so forget the board game right now! Looks like there are plenty out there but not exactly what I was looking for and I don’t have time to create one for this post BUT I’ll work on it. Ok, well here’s something perhaps you take a gameboard you already own and convert into a Valentine/Romantic game. Most people have a checkerboard (hmm…do I? I’ll have to check..hahahaha) but instead of using the checkers that come with the board I’m going to use personalized miniature chocolate bars. So I’m going to take some decent yet sexy pictures of myself and put them on the front of each “game piece” and on the back I will put quotes, actions, questions or whatever on the back of the wrapper; I’ll vary it. Then we’ll play the game as normal but with the newly created checkers and when someone gets “jumped” they have to do whatever is on the back of the wrapper!!

To package it all here is an idea…ok get champagne flutes/wine glasses and put the new game pieces in those and wrap the actual board in a blanket and put it all in a small basket with your favorite snack (cheese and crackers, strawberries, etc) and present this to your spouse as their valentine gift! Of course don’t forget a clever card which will explain what is about to take place. You could add some sexy lingerie for you and sexy undies for him! Then on Valentine’s Day find some quite time, if you have kids, put the blanket on the floor, don’t forget the champagne or wine, set up the game, get dressed and let the fun BEGIN!!