The Ingredients of Finding the Right Gift

December 17th, 2009

I want to let you in on a little secret. It is not as difficult as you might think to find gifts for your friends and family that trigger a smile and an astonished nod. So many gifts these days are picked out just so that there is something to be wrapped and passed under the Christmas tree or handed over as a trophy for having survived yet another year.

Have you ever received a gift that you absolutely loved the moment you unwrapped it and held it in your hands? Do you remember the feeling that came over you, that feeling of absolute gratitude and a little bit of astonishment about the fact that this person had given it to you. Most likely the last gift that you remember this affectionately was given to you when you were still a child. It was  a toy car or that extra special Barby doll that just overwhelmed you with joy.

If you try to remember hard you will notice that there were two components that led you to feeling that way:

  1. You were surprised. You had no idea that you would receive that gift. Someone had thought about it and found out what you wanted.
  2. The gift was absolutely you. It was made for you. It had your name on it (whether physically or metaphorically) and it could not have been a better match. It was exactly what you wanted.

So now that we are adults and our wishlist has become shorter and more expensive, we are less likely to receive a gift that will trigger these same thoughts and feelings, unless…..

… unless someone takes the time and effort to find a gift for YOU, a gift that fulfills the two criteria above.

So the question at this point is how do you find a gift that will absolutely surprise and astonisch the recipient?  Well – We have put a “How To” together and let you copy step by step, and we guarantee that you will find a perfect gift for your loved ones.

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Corporate Chocolate Gifts, How to Make Them Work

December 17th, 2009

Corporate Chocolate Gifts were a hit 30 years ago. Today they are a hit as ever and they still will be in 30 years in the future. But you have to observe a couple of very simple but all the more important secret rules.

It is no surprise that it is getting more and more difficult to stand out in today’s cloud of competition.  Just to take the guesswork out of where we are going with this: Corporate Chocolate Gifts is the answer to your prayers!

And why exactly are corporate chocolate gifts such a devine invention? you might ask. Well, you see you are not allowed to bribe your clients. That is against the law. But there is no law against staying in your clients minds, positively and putting a smile on their faces. There is certainly no law against giving a person a small sign of appreciation or even a token of your gratitude.

Let’s face it you depend on your customers’ benevolence towards you. You need them to know that you are their best choice for whatever you are delivering. And you need to make sure they know factually (because you deliver the best product and the best service), but they also need to know emotionally. You want them to like you on a personal basis. You want to make sure that the rapport between you and your client is a positive one.


Corporate chocolate gifts are a very easy way of keeping the emotional rapport to your client. And when I say client I mean all levels and depths of your client. Start with the secretary, because she is in control of the door to the boss. If she likes you she is much more likely to go the extra mile and help you to get that ultimately important appointment. So she gets a corporate chocolate gift that will make her smile for several days. And if the gift is laid out smartly, there will be something in there that she can keep on her desk and that will remind her of that incredibly delicious chocolate she had received from you. It is also like a small trophy. It will stay on her desk and tell the other secretaries that she had hunted down the sympathy of people around her.

Then go to the next level, the bosse’s assistant. Make sure that she or he gets a different chocolate gift, if the secretary received a small basket of assorted milk chocolates, give an assortment of liquor chocolate sticks to her or make it a small corporate chocolate gift basket. Perhaps the gift to the assistant should be something that says thank you on the box or the chocolate itself.

Of course, the boss and decision maker will receive the largest corporate chocolate gift from you. After all he or she is responsible for your success. If you can, find a chocolate gift that consists of several smaller portions that the boss will be able to divide up and distribute amongst other people under his influence and a part that will be obviously for him and his family. Such a corporate chocolate gift basket could look like this:

  • several small assorted bars of regular dellicious chocolates,
  • soft and smooth caramels,
  • decadent chocolate covered nuts,
  • scrumptious gourmet fudge
  • add a bottle of wine and a book with lots of tasty looking pictures of the best chocolates all over the world with a short description of each of those regions.

Make sure that the size and value of the basket will match what the recipient will be able to accept as a gift. It should remain a gift amongst friends and should not look like a bribe!


We have a lot of beautifully arranged corporate chocolate gifts in our Amazon gift shop. We have hand-picked these presents and offer tem to you preselected under our theme “Corporate Chocolate Gifts“.

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Thank You Gifts for Your Wedding Vendors

December 11th, 2009

When you are planning a wedding, there are many people that play a part in making your dreams come true. From the baker to the florist, without the professionals who collaborate to design your dream wedding, it just would not be the same. Thank the wedding vendors who went above and beyond with a special gift to show your appreciation. Not all vendors necessarily need a special thank you gift. If your photographer was merely okay, there is no need to go out of your way to give him a present after the wedding. Likewise, you need not bankrupt yourself handing out gifts left and right to every last person who helped you with your wedding. But there will be those who really went out of their way to make sure that you felt pampered, or that did all they could to ensure that every last detail was handled to perfection. Those are the people who deserve a small token of your gratitude. For some wedding vendors, you will merely want to give a cash tip. Vendors who are generally thanked for great service with an extra tip would include musicians, waiters, and limousine drivers. These are industries where a cash tip is the norm. Besides, the chances are that you do not know them well enough to pick out a more personal gift anyway. In other cases, a carefully chosen gift is a more personal and thoughtful way of letting someone know how much you value their service. A beautiful bouquet of flowers is always a nice thank you present. Many gracious brides will bring a bouquet of flowers to their baker at the last meeting or to the bridal shop when they pick up their gown right before the wedding. It would be rather silly to bring cut flowers to a florist, but a coffee table book about flowers would be a wonderful choice.


Sometimes there will be one wedding vendor in particular that really went out of their way to give you excellent service. Let’s say that the bridal shop not only made your dream dress fit you to perfection, but also polished your bridal jewelry, pressed your veil, and recommended a fantastic photographer. You might want to give a more substantial gift to show your appreciation. A beautiful vase or pitcher is always a nice idea. If you got to know the bridal shop owner or consultant well, you could also select a gift that is geared more to her specific interests or hobbies. A silk scarf in her favorite color would be one thought, or perhaps you could find her an autographed copy of her favorite classic book. Do not feel as though you have to spend the final days before your wedding running around town handing out gifts to your wedding vendors. It is perfectly acceptable to drop by to present a gift after you return from your honeymoon. It is even better if you bring along some pictures from your wedding to share with him or her.


Not all gifts have to be physical objects. For many vendors, one of the best ways that you can show your appreciation is by giving them a good recommendation. This is particularly true for online retailers, who live or die by reviews and ratings. So if the online shop that made your bridal jewelry offered you a great price, a quick delivery, and courteous service, take a few minutes to post a positive review. For brick and mortar establishments, a hand-written note with a wedding picture in it is the way to do it.

So many people do all that they can to make your wedding perfect. Take a little time to let them know that you appreciate their help and care. They are bound to appreciate the gesture behind a thoughtful thank you gift.

Ask Bridget for advice in areas of jewelry or weddings. She writes numerous articles providing information for the customers of Silverland Jewelry.com. Bridal jewelry is a wonderful gift from the groom.

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Wedding Thank You Gifts – Why, Who, What?

December 10th, 2009

Click Here to visit the gift store where you will find a large hand picked selection of wedding thank you gifts.

What Are Wedding Thank You Gifts For?

The organization of a wedding takes a lot of work, time, effort and love. Wedding thank you gifts are the bride’s and the groom’s way of saying thank you to all those that helped putting it together - and keeping it together for that matter.

If you need more motivation to convince yourself that you need to come up with really thoughtful and meaningful presents for your bridal party, consider this:

Your friends and helpers have chosen to bring themselves in, give you time and possibly monetary value. They have committed to a oneway deal, where they give and you receive. They have possibly done that for the first time and had to climb up the learning curve. In any event, they have done what was in their power to let you enjoy a wonderful day.

Who should you consider?

Well, think of who helped you. These people are the obvious ones:

  • Maid of Honor
  • Bridesmaids
  • Best Man
  • Groomsmen
  • Ring Bearer
  • Ushers
    (although they are technically not part of the bridal party, they would probably enjoy a small “Wedding Thank You Gift”, too)
  • Flower girls

Then also, although technically not part of the bridal party, don’t forget to get a present for the parents. After all, it is them that put up with you all these years, and they probably also paid for the wedding…

The Wedding Thank You Gifts are your way of saying

“we care for you and we are really grateful that you are our parents, our friends, our helpers on our very important day. You have taken the time to prepare and organize. You have been thoughtful and helpful. You have contributed money and are responsible for the fact that our wedding has been a success. We are grateful to you and want to let you know by giving you a gift.”


What are Appropriate Wedding Thank you Gifts?

The short answer is: It depends! ;-)

And the long answer is: It depends, because…

… the wetting thank you gift for your parent that paid for the entire wedding is probably not the same as the thank you present to your old shool buddy who is a hair dresser and made your hair for the wedding.

First off: We have a hand-picked category for wedding thank you gifts in the store under this link. Click here to get to the store.

So let’s look at a couple of situations. Perhaps we start to get a feeling for what is appropriate in which situation as we walk through the situations.

Situation 1: The Parents Who Paid For the Wedding

Apart from owing everything to them they have also paid for your wedding. This is a good moment to think about it and come up with a memorable wedding thank you gift, a gift that will tell them that you know what they have done for you, a gift they will unpack or look at regularly. It should be something that conjures up a magic smile on their lips when they lovingly remember the big wedding and the wonderful person you have become. Good ideas for a really nice present for the parents are:

  • media in any shape and form (albums, (digital) frames, story books, video films, etc.
  • personalized memorabilia like household goods that they will use frequently and enjoy, or personal items, jewelry, etc.

Situation 2: Maid of Honor, Best Man

Probably your best friends. You are likely to either return the favor in future or to already have done so. Get a clue from what they had done at their marriage.

There is no need to pay your friends back for the time they have invested in your wedding. But them being your best friends they would certainly appreciate something to remember this day by. Make it a thank you present that they can keep and present openly in their house or office. Perhaps they have been looking for something special that they could not find? Find it!

Situation 3: A bride maid did your hair and nails. She is a hair stylist.

Her present was one that you could attach a value to (because of her gift, there was something less to be paid out in cash.) Still, do not feel compelled to pay her back with an expensive gift. It is fine to find nice words, a beautiful photo of your wedding or the honey moon and to send them in your beautiful thank you card. She gave you her gift so you would not need to spend the money. Accept it and say thank you.

Other situations

There are probably many situations not covered in this blog post, and I would welcome you to parttake in a discussion. What situations have you encountered that are similar to the ones described. What situations are completely different?

Leave a comment underneath

Visit the gift store where you will find a large hand picked selection of wedding thank you gifts.

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New Find Gifts Service In Town!

December 8th, 2009

We all know Amazon and its store. If we want to find gifts, that’s where we will go. Or is it?

Well, Amazon is basically a huge store featuring hundreds of thousands of products, neatly organized into categories like clothes or jewelry, etc.. We all appreciate its quality and diligence.

But now how do you look for that specially personalized gift for your husband or that romantic gift for your wife? Do you really want to browse through all those articles in each category to find gifts that match what you are looking for?

Amazon’s simple categories are fine when you already know what you are looking for. But if you want to find gifts like most people do, then you would prefer to look for a much smaller selection of products that someone has takenn the time to look at, check out, and select from that huge list. If you are like me, then you prefer to find gifts the easy way: by asking “I would like to find a personalized gift for a man or a woman or a kid. Or, I would like to find a particular gift for an elderly lady’s anniversary.

So having this daily task at hand, Amazon’s categories really don’t help much. And that is exactly where we come into play: we look at these thousands and thousands of articles and products and make an intelligent guess as to who and in what situation would appreciate that particular kind of gift. And when we have a suficiently large number of articles that we can put into one such category we call that category exactly by the name normal people use looking for stuff.

During the next days we will further expand on our selection of categories and present more easily findable themes to make it really easy to find that special gift that says “Yes, I have taken the time to think of something meaningful for you.”

Now go ahead and plunge into our hand-picked gift store where you will find gifts you want to give.

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