I have blogged previously about the benefits of making Christmas gifts such as chilli chutney. However, it does strike me that whilst an old jam jar is great for me to store this for myself it lacks a certain gift look about it. This is where the home made look can come in really handy. You don’t need to go too over the top, just some brown paper tied with a coloured piece of raffia is perfect. Don’t forget a parcel label to let the recipient know what it is! See the following link for more information http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Christmas-craft-ideas-gift-wrapping-homemade-touch/gallery
If you plan to make some of your wonderful biscuits or maybe a cake you may wish to put it in a box or tin. This can be an expensive to do so look for plain boxes or tins from a cake craft supplier such as The Craft Company http://www.craftcompany.co.uk/acatalog/White_Boxes1.html although you might have to pay postage, it will still be cheaper than many gift boxes and you will get the depth you need for a cake. You also have a blank canvas on which to you creating your own design. You can go for all out Christmas glitz but I think it is nice to stick with a theme such as the brown paper and rafia or gingham ribbon http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Christmas-craft-ideas-gift-wrapping-gingham/gallery or may be a sprig of holly http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Christmas-craft-ideas-gift-wrapping-holly/gallery .
Not only does this look like Christmas of yester year, word will spread with your friends and they will know that they are going to get a Christmas treat made by you as soon as they see your signature wrapping.
Tags: Customize your gifts
Posted by admin on Oct 25, 2009 in
News and Comment It’s been a busy few days and I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to blog as much as I would have liked, I will try and do better this coming week. I know we’ve seen several Christmas trees and Christmas decorations around over the last few weeks but has anyone found a shop playing Christmas carols over their PA systems yet? I’ll be interested to hear reports of the first store playing Christmas carols.
On a different subject you may have noticed several stories in the press this week about their being a shortage of quality turkeys for Christmas this year. I have no idea if this is right but if you’re planning to have turkey for Christmas this year it may be a good idea to get your order in early.
Just in time for Christmas our sponsors, the prestigious I Adore Your Gifts and Jewellery on-line boutique have added a new range of Jewellery Rolls from the small British designer Lua. They are offering these starting at just £9.99 including free delivery, so will be well worth a look. If I get time later this week, I’ll post some pictures of these new Lua gift ideas.
I’ll be writing the November Christmas Planning guide over the next couple of days and hope to have this on-line later this week.
Tags: Jewellery Rolls, Lua, turkey
Gift buying is difficult at the best of times. However, at Christmas this can be worse due to the number of people you have to buy for. When everyone has such busy lives, it can be difficult to spend the time looking for a gift that fits the person rather than what is just easy for you to buy.
A good place to start is to think what the recipient’s interests are. This may seem an obvious point but how many times have you opened a present to see a gift that resembles the givers tastes or interests, not yours? Christmas is an excellent time to venture into pastures new, after all, you want your present to stand out among the rest! To stand out for the right reasons, why not think of a cooking or creative writing course. I think adults can be really shy at enrolling in a course or evening class simply because they think it will remind them of school. In reality it couldn’t be further from the truth. To begin with everyone on the course will feel apprehensive but you can take comfort that everyone is there is learn a new skill and no-one is looking to trip you up so they can look better than you. It is not school and it is not work, everyone is there because they want to not because there is a mortgage to pay.
If a course or evening class sounds too expensive there are alternatives. If someone has an artistic flair bring this to life with an artist kit. Derwent have a wonderful selection. Personally, I have always wanted to go on a jewellery making course, I am not certain that I would be any good at all at it but I would like to have a go. I would even settle for a book with some basic tools and materials. It would be fun to be creative with something so different to usual that would bring about the same excitement I got with fuzzy felt at the age of 6. People usually grasp the opportunity with both hands to try something new and who knows it could end up the perfect pastime for them in which many other people will share their pleasure, especially if they end up making you a perfect piece of jewellery as a gift for you.
Tags: Christmas, Christmas Gift ideas, hobbies
Posted by admin on Oct 15, 2009 in
News and Comment The postal workers in the UK have confirmed today that they will be holding a complete nationwide strike next Thursday and Friday in the UK. During the strike the cheapest way to ensure a parcel, important letter or gift reaches its destination is to upgrade it to the Royal Mails guaranteed next day delivery service. Not all the staff who work for Royal Mail are members of the postal workers union and the remaining staff at work will be tasked with delivering this high priority mail. If you need to buy something online it’s best to order in plenty of time and then look for low cost upgrades to next day delivery as a good way to beat the strike.
Tags: post
Posted by admin on Oct 14, 2009 in
News and Comment If you run a business you need to have your plans for this Christmas sorted out by the end of next week if you don’t want to run out of time. I just wanted to alert you to an excellent article just published on the Times Online about getting your business ready for Christmas.
Tags: business