TheGiftTag - Gift Ideas for Great Gift Giving

Here’s a great gift giving idea for a host and hostess gift or a housewarming gift, provided by CRS of Cassie’s Corner Store, regarding a recent post about this Heart Wine Stopper from Jill Fagin’s Jillery.

CRS says:
“I love (LOVE) Jill’s stuff, I don’t think I’ve seen something of hers I didn’t think was neat!”

“One cool thing about this wine stopper is that if you take your wine in a pretty wine bag you could add this to the outside on the bag’s string/ribbon and it would make a really pretty (and useful!) accent! If you don’t use a bag you could tie a ribbon around the bottle’s neck, through the spaces of the heart and tie a bow.”

Thanks, CRS, for your great idea and your feedback on Jill Fagin’s Jillery product line. Keep those ideas coming. We really appreciate them.

We’d love to share your ideas and comments with our readers. If you have input or a gift idea you’d like to share, leave us a comment on this or another post.

Finding a way to keep up with sending birthday cards and anniversary cards was always a struggle for me. I seemed to be 2 weeks behind year round. It was as if the dates were suddenly upon me, and by the time I got out to the store I was once again late getting a card mailed. I decided to do something about it once and for all.

I sat down and built a list of all the birthdays, anniversaries, and the like, that I wanted to send cards for all year long. Once my list was compiled I picked two target dates, 6-months apart, based on the times of year that were less busy and hectic. For me that was August and February.

Armed with a calendar, I broke my list of events into two separate lists; September-February and March-August. For the birthdays and anniversaries that fall during the first part of the year, March through August, I marked February 15th on my calendar. For the second part of my year, September through February, I marked August 15th.

Now, each year when February 15th and August 15th roll around I grab the appropriate birthday and anniversary list and, either head out to the local card shop, or sit down at the computer. At one time, I purchase cards for all the occasions on my list plus 1 or 2 additional general and somewhat generic “thinking of you” cards.

At the beginning of each calendar month, I prepare the cards for that month’s mailings. I also look ahead at the first week of the next month to be sure I don’t miss an event right at the beginning of the month. As the month goes on, I now get my cards mailed in ample time for them to reach their destination before the occasion. And almost like magic I am no longer shopping for “belated” birthday cards or making apologies for being late.

There will always be unexpected things that crop up and you may need to pick up the occasional new baby gift, graduation gift, birthday or anniversary gift along the way. But with a bit of organization, you can simplify the process of sending out those birthday and anniversary cards, and at the same time save fuel and work while removing a little stress from your life.

Taking the time to hand make a gift really adds that very special touch and lets the recipient know that you really do care. I was searching around to come up with some great gift giving ideas and decided to turn to other bloggers for some inspiration.

One site I found, with some really great ideas for baby blanket gifts is the Baby Blanket Gift blog. I sat and read for quite a while looking at some of the simple but meaningful ways to make the gift of a baby blanket a very personal gift. There are links to some very creative blankets for the crafter, but I particularly liked the idea of the No Sew Fleece Baby Blanket. Complete directions for creating this handmade gift are on the blog so even if you’re all thumbs can give a very special gift to the new mom.

Best Baby Shower Gifts That Are Easy To Make at Alpha Mom has some really simple baby shower gifts that anyone can put together. The blog is also full of other creative ideas. Also, WIP: Work In Progress posted about some really cute baby gifts that she made. It’s definitely a source for inspiration, and she showed a photo of a beautiful gift basket she put together. Even with purchased items, creatively arranging and wrapping a baby gift basket can turn an ordinary gift into something unique and memorable.

So you’ve got the gift and you’re almost ready to head out. Just one more quick thing to do; wrap your gift up. Oh no! You realize as you dig through the closet that you used up your last bit of gift wrap last month and hadn’t thought about it since. Now what?

Stop, take a deep breath and think. Take a look around to see what you might already have that would turn your problem into a unique and creative solution. Here are some starters:

• Do you have last Sunday’s newspaper? The comic section can make a colorful wrap. Or consider using the sports page to wrap a gift for a sports enthusiast. You can use the fashion pages or shopping section from a major department store for wrapping a fashion accessory.
• Unused linen napkins or dish towels can make stylish gift wrap for wine or gourmet gifts.
• An old map provides the perfect solution for a travel gift or for someone who enjoys travel.
• If you have brown kraft paper on hand, use it to wrap up a gift for the earth-friendly recipient.
• White butcher paper, with the waxy side out can have a very elegant look to it. Adorn with sleek colored ribbon. Or wrap it paper side out and decorate it with art paint, markers or stickers.
• If the gift is small, print out a colorful full-page design from your color printer or color photocopy a collage of family photos.

When using a non-traditional approach to gift wrapping, keep in mind that common items can be used in place of ribbon or bows. Jump ropes make a delightful way to tie up a child’s gift and add an extra gift to the package. Ponytail holder and hair scrunchies can make colorful ways to secure paper or fabric on your gift package.

If you’re pulling out an old map or some colorful paper to use, overlay it with waxed paper from the kitchen to add a unique finish to the project. Putting a layer of waxed paper over comics or newsprint will keep the ink from rubbing off with handling. Don’t forget foil or even shelf paper you might have left over.

Go put on that thinking cap and get started!

We’ve all had this experience. That is, one of getting a gift that seems to have no relevance to us or our life style. Take for instance the electronic garbage can I received a couple of years back. Granted it was something electronic, but for the life of me I never did figure out what it was about that garbage can that jumped up and shouted my name when the giver approached it in a store. In a case like this, the giver may have felt satisfied that their mission of finding a gift for me had been accomplished, but I was definitely left scratching my head.

Some points to remember: (1) The gift is really not about you, the giver; (2) The cost of the gift is insignificant compared to the thoughtfulness, or lack of, behind it; and (3) It really is the thought that counts but it helps if the recipient can figure out what the thought was.

One way to make sure your gift has relevance is to ask questions. Talk to friends or family members of the recipient to find out what their interests are. Find out about strong dislikes or major issues as well. You wouldn’t want to give a beautiful gift basket, filled with gourmet nuts and chocolates to someone to only find out that they had life-threatening allergies to nuts and hated chocolate.

If you keep the focus of gift giving on the person receiving the gift, you will feel greater satisfaction knowing you sent a message of true care, thoughtfulness and concern. It becomes a win/win situation.