Thursday, June 30, 2005

Fresh Fruit Baskets

Summer is here, and so is the unbearable heat. With that in mind, keep your gift giving light and delicious with a basket full of luscious fruits. Our Fruit Gift Baskets contain such sweets as apples, pears, oranges, and tropical pineapples that will convey just about any message you would like to send. From a corporate "thank you" to a "feel better soon" gift, succulent fruits are a staple for the summer time.

Keep in mind, when shipping fruit baskets during the summer months that fruit can only ship Monday - Thursday, and not over the weekends. We want to ensure your fruit baskets arrive as fresh as the day they were picked, so do that our shipping methods consists of Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air and 3 Day Air. If you order a fruit basket on Thursday, it will have to ship Next Day Air for delivery on Friday, or the basket will not ship until Monday.

So, to sum it up, why not send someone you care about a heart healthy fruit basket...and maybe even get one for yourself to enjoy!

Friday, June 24, 2005

New Corporate Gifts

I am pleased to announce we have recently added a new selection for Corporate Gifts and Baskets which can be viewed at here. Our new baskets come elegantly packaged with delightful treats which are sure to impress your clients. For more information on opening a corporate account please visit our Corporate gift services program. Enjoy!

Monday, June 20, 2005

Personalized Corporate Gift Basket Ribbons

Adding a personalized touch to your corporate gift baskets is a big plus when it comes to impressing your clients. Custom corporate ribbons proudly displaying your company name and logo are great marketing tools. Don’t get me wrong, a chocolate basket with a normal decorative ribbon is great too. I am sure most clients dive for the chocolate first and admire the beauty afterwards. In the age of branding and client retention, it is important to take those extra steps in impressing your customers or associates with quality. Customizing your gifts with one of these professional made bows or ribbons is a leap forward in quality and overall presentation. These ribbons can often be crafted in a variety colors or multi-tones, different textures from satin to rayon. Most corporate gift services, such as ourselves, will entertain requests for personalized ribbons for large client orders. We can either have the ribbons crafted to your specifications through a professional service or if you already have corporate ribbons, just call us and we can work out arrangements to have the ribbons shipped to us. Remember presentation is the first impression and a huge factor in corporate gift giving.

Thursday, June 9, 2005

How to Make a Gift Basket

Gift baskets are perfect for sending your gratitude and wishes. However, there are times when we are just not able to locate the perfect basket that expresses what we would like to say. Occasionally, making your own gift basket to suite a particular theme may be the best idea. Below are steps to follow for making a great themed gift basket:

  1. First, determine what message you are trying to send. Is it a wedding gift, birthday gift, or a newborn baby gift...you get the point. Narrow down the theme as much as possible so you can get specific with the products that you use.
  2. Next, decide on the basket or container that you will use to place all of your gift items into. If your gift is sports related, you could use a baseball glove or a football helmet. If your gift is for a newborn, you could use a small bassinet or a basket lined with a baby blanket. Other ideas may include crates, lined willow baskets, gardening pots, vases, or metal pails make for great containers. There are tons of resources available and only your imagination can hold you back.
  3. Does your recipient love chocolates and sweets? Your local grocery store is full of fun and creative foods that range from candy bars to gourmet treats. You could even purchase chocolates from a specialty store such as Godiva, that will really impress them. Also, include items that are relative to the theme such as baby rattles and pacifiers for the newborn gift basket, or baseball and playing cards for the sports related basket. Again, your imagination is the only limitation.
  4. Presentation is key when sending a gift, so make sure you have all of your items upright as much as possible. A sugesstion is to use small wooden dowels and tape to hold you items upright in the basket. Lets face it, presentation is 90% of first impressions. Many flat or smaller square baskets will force you to lay your items down flat, unlike larger baskets or containers. Use decorative tissue paper to line the bottom of your container. Other items such as baby blankets, as mentioned before, are excellent ways to keep products standing up straight as they create a wall for your items to lean against.
  5. Don't forget the bow! There are fabulous satin bows and ribbons that add the perfect finishing touch. Your local craft store such as Hobby Lobby carry an excellent selection of gift bows and ribbons.
  6. And last but not least, choose an appropriate gift card to announce your gift. You can choose a style that is similar to the theme of the basket, or if you are unable to locate a gift card that suits your particular style, you could always include a greeting expressing your sentiment.


So, with all of this being said, creating your own gift basket is not an easy task, but definitely a rewarding one. Should you need ideas, you can check out the following gift basket ideas page for themes and basket topics.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Chocolate Gift Baskets and Summer

In the summer months chocolate items in gift baskets are replaced with alternative food items. The chocolates in our Chocolate Gift Baskets tend to melt in warm temperatures during transit which can leave an unfavorable impression with the gift recipient. Other gift items, such as cheesecakes, are not affected by this standard policy as they are shipping in cold packs and at a minimum of 3 Day Air shipping to preserve the freshness. We will resume shipping chocolates once the fall season hits and the safe shipping temperatures drop down to a reasonable level. Thanks for your understanding.

Saturday, June 4, 2005

Cheesecake Gift Ideas

I recently had to make one of the toughest decisions for a daughter to make that turned out to be absolute success, what to get my father for his birthday! He is in his 50's, but we joke that he is really 38 going on 25, and is the man who has everything. As I'm sure most dads are hard to shop for, I know one thing that he always loves to receive, gifts in the form of food. I once gave him a gift certificate to our local bakery and he claimed it was the best gift he ever received!

For this special occasion, I treated my dad to a sumptuous Fruit Sampler Cheesecake. I couldn't tell my mother what I was sending him because she is a fitness nut, but I only have one dad! I sent his decadent gift via 2nd Day Air and to my surprise, it arrived in mint condition. When I spoke with my dad he said that he was only happy with 4 of the flavors, my dad being the jokester, there were only 4 flavors available! I could hear my mom in the background echoing this was one gift they were going to have to hide from themselves for the fear of devouring this cheesecake in one seating.

It is such a treat to send special gifts to special people and to know that they are truly enjoyed makes the gift giving even sweeter. No doubt that I will start a tradition of sending my dad a mouth-watering cheesecake each year for his birthday from now on. This will be a special treat between just my dad and myself and a memory that I will enjoy for so many years to come. View all our cheesecake gifts.

Wednesday, June 1, 2005

Why Gift Baskets?

I am often asked "Why give a gift basket?". There are numerous reasons for giving baskets. Here are few reasons to consider:

1. Gift Baskets come in a variety of themes and types including Holiday Gift Baskets from Christmas to Easter. Themed baskets include specific goodies including Chocolate, Spa, or Gardening. Whether your recipient is a business associate or more personal there are a wide range of basket ideas to choose from.

2. Baskets are packed with a bunch of goodies rather than just one or two gifts. The likelihood of giving a gift basket greatly increases the chance that your recipient will enjoy the goodies in it.

3. Another great reason for giving baskets is time. One purchase equals many gift items.

4. Presentation is another consideration. Most basket designers consider themselves artists. A basket is a work of art and let's face it presentation is 9/10 the experience.

Therefore, gift baskets make great gift ideas.