Plenty of Time to Prepare Handmade Christmas Gifts

In these times of austerity handmade gifts have seen a revival. But it's a true shame there had to be an economic reason for the trend to become popular again. Handmade gifts should always be appreciated and not looked upon as a cheap way out. The effort and thought that goes into making these presents should never be underestimated.

To avoid resorting to last minute, frantic shopping in the run up to Christmas, start thinking about making your unique gifts now. 5 months is less time than you think, particularly if it's been a while since you've attempted any arts and crafts. Get those creative juices flowing!

Consider some of these gift ideas for your loved ones this Christmas.

Photobooks or Calendars

To epitomise your friendship or love for someone, put together a personalised photobook or calendar. But don't just settle for photos. Add quotes and memories of times you've spent together, as well as meaningful dates if making a calendar.

Write down why you selected each particular photo, and what it means to you.

You can buy blank scrap books at stationery shops, but if you're really feeling creative, make the book yourself too. Instructions are really easy to find online.

Calendars can be printed at photo shops, but you can add detail to it with marker pens, stickers, paint and other crafty tools.

Jewellery

DIY jewellery has never been easier to make what with the rise of bead shops around the country. These stock vast arrays of charms, beads, casings, clasps and other bits and pieces you might need to make your own necklaces, earrings, brooches and bracelets. Some come in sets that you then just need to assemble, but this is in a way cheating. Why not put together something truly unique based on the recipient's personal tastes and style?

Gift Hampers

If you know a person well, you can put together their ultimate goody hamper. Fill it with food and drinks you know they like. Popular seasonal goods include fruit cakes, winter chutneys, chocolate, liqueurs and cheese. You can also add some non-consumables such as handmade soaps and bath bombs, woolly socks, and mittens.

If you do find yourself struggling for time, bespoke Christmas hampers can be arranged through specialist companies. You'll be able to choose the packaging and contents of the hamper from their stock. While it's not exactly handmade, it is personalised, and there'll be no other quite like it.

Lovely Gift Ideas for Elderly Friends and Relatives

It's never easy to find just the right gift for friends. You'd think it would be easier to choose something for a close member of your family, alas many of us find it equally challenging. Often, the bigger the age gap, the harder it is as interests vary so much. So, to make gift buying that little bit easier, here are a few gift ideas for elderly friends and relatives.

A general tip is to avoid giving a gift that doesn't serve much practical use. As the years go by, people acquire lots of things and clutter like tableware, vases, candles and the like. Though any gift will be appreciated, why not give something with practical value instead?

A Day Out

A great idea is to spend the day together with the gift recipient. This is a particularly nice gesture for people who aren't as mobile as they used to be, or are wheelchair users.

If you have access to a car, escape somewhere together for the day. How about a trip to the seaside, a stately home, or a countryside pub?

Even if you don't have a car, there's plenty you could get up to. Find out what's on around town. Perhaps you could snap up tickets for an exhibition or a show of some kind.

Lunch, dinner or afternoon tea are also nice options. Either visit a place you know and love, or venture somewhere new that neither of you have been to before.

Board Games

You can have fun playing board games at any age. This is a great gift from grandchildren to grandparents, for example, as you can go on to play the games together whenever you visit. They're also a great social activity for the recipient and friends.

Try to choose age-appropriate games such as chess, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit. Fast-paced games and ones with very small pieces may not be suitable.

Gift Hampers

Food and drinks never go unappreciated. First of all, they're a practical gift that you know will be consumed, and second of all there's a lot of scope to give something that the person will never have tried before, thus providing a new taste experience.

Gift hampers can be either pre-packed or bespoke. You can choose from an array of themed hampers, some of which might focus on British foods, while others might be brimming with exotic goodies from around the world.

To surprise the recipient, you can even arrange for it to be sent straight to their home address.

5 Go-To Grown-Up Gifts Under $50

Brainstorming that perfect gift for an adult friend, family member or coworker can be a big challenge. While children are thrilled with toys and games, adults already have clear-cut preferences and knowing their tastes can be difficult. Plus, since most adults have access to their own disposable income, they're likely to have already purchased the things they want. However, these are a few go-to gifts that would be appreciated by anyone.

The Gift of Wellness

Busy adults often neglect their own physical needs. Running a household, raising children or working long hours can take a toll on a person's body and psyche, and they are often the last to take some time out for themselves. Therefore, a gift certificate for a massage can help refresh and rejuvenate a busy adult. Depending on the individual's needs, different types of massage therapy can produce different results. For the active athlete, a sports massage can ease pain or tightness in particular areas that can lead to improved sports performance. For a person with a hectic home life, a light to medium pressure Swedish massage can soothe frazzled nerves. A prenatal massage is a thoughtful gift for a baby shower as it can reduce stress and physical tension that comes with pregnancy.

Gift Certificates: Always in Style

Gift certificates are a great way to encourage new experiences. Give a gift certificate to a new or exotic restaurant or an upscale eatery. Or give the gift of dinner and a movie. Most movie theaters offer gift cards in different denominations and they can be used not just for tickets but for the full cinema experience including popcorn, soda and candy. Or, for the homebody or home theater lover, consider an iTunes gift certificate so the recipient can check out a new album or download a favorite movie.

The Gift of Green: Money

If in doubt, no one can argue with cold, hard cash. Gifting money ensures that the recipient can do whatever they want with it, whether it be buying something special or adding that cash to savings for a bigger-ticket item. However, just because the gift is cash, the presentation can still be creative. Tie small bills to a tree branch and give a money tree. Or for the recipient who enjoys a good practical joke, wrap up a box of rolled pennies from the bank or disguise a $50 bill by gift wrapping it in a giant box.

Fine Tastes: Alcohol or Cigars

Most adults would love to try an exotic wine or fine cigar. Look for unique or special packaging, or if in doubt, simply buy the highest quality.

Donations: The Gift that Keeps Giving

Adults who are already able to buy themselves whatever they want understand the good feeling that comes with helping others. Research a charity that relates to the recipient's lifestyle and give a donation in their name. Print out information from the charity's website and enclose it with a thoughtful card so the recipient can see exactly which cause is being helped.

Grab Attention With High Quality Wholesale Body Oils

Everybody likes to smell nice these days. This is because it is common for people to judge with their five senses; smell being one of them. Most would argue that for a good and unique scent, one would have to dig deep into his/her pocket. This is not the case anymore thanks to quality wholesale body oils and fragrance oils that will save on scents and cents. These oils have a wide variety of uses making them very marketable. Fragrance oils can be used in candle making as well as perfume development.

Now, wholesale body oils of high quality are widely available with more than ever before unique scents to choose from. These body products and oils are of high quality and the variety of scents will certainly turn heads everywhere.

Getting perfumes,oils and similar products wholesale can therefore make you money if you are thinking of an ideal business to start up. The good thing with such products is that there is an existing market out there as consumers keep growing by the day. The other benefit of these products is that they sell themselves with their unique scent offerings. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool and this also comes into play with these products. If you smell good, it will obviously catch others attention and some will ask which product you use. This word of mouth goes a long way in this business.

If you decide to invest in wholesale body oils, this will certainly increase your earning potential. Be it for personal use or business, buying in bulk has great benefits especially on your wallet as they come at discount prices. Body products such as perfumes and oils have one of the biggest markets worldwide and it is mainly due to the fact that everybody wants to smell and look good to enhance appearance. Quality products of this nature are easily identified thus marketable and selling them as a business can be quite rewarding. If you are thinking of putting extra money in your pocket, this is certainly the way to go.

Body oils and fragrance oils come in different scents such as Egyptian Musk and Issey Miyake types which are the most popular. The oils can also be used in aromatherapy which is gaining huge popularity as a way of health improvement. The list of benefits of these products is wide and the market is even wider.

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Best Gifts For Your Traveller Buddy

I know it is very hard to choose a gift for your buddy or very close friend. At times, you want to buy everything in the market but you cannot buy all the stuff around. And at times, you want to buy something but you cannot buy that stuff for your friend due to insufficient funds. And at times, it gets quite hard to decide a suitable gift for your best friend.

I have managed to come up with a few best gifts that you can give to your friend who loves traveling. Although it is not necessary to give these gifts to travellers only, of course you can send these to anyone but these are especially for travellers.

Travel Earphones

Travel earphones are something that every single traveller on this earth loves. I mean have you ever seen a traveller without a music player and earphones? Have you ever seen a traveller who is travelling without travel earphones? This is because travelling becomes boring without music or earphones. So a travel earphone is compulsory for every trip. And yes, there is nothing better than travel earphones for your buddy. Buy one of the best earphones, wrap it and send it to your buddy before he sets out for his next trip.

Scratch Map

A traveller without a map is like a soldier without a sword. Most of the travellers use Google maps and other online maps. Traditional maps are not used any more but this scratch map is a new thing. Scratch maps are not similar to traditional maps in any way. In a scratch map, you can scratch the cities and countries that you have visited making them look colorful and prominent than others. So it gets quite easy for travellers to differentiate between cities they have visited and those that are still on the list. This is another great gift for your friend. It is although, a bit hard to find scratch maps because it is not pretty common and only a few stores are selling it.

Travel Bag

How can we miss a travel bag. Yes a travel bag is not one of the best gifts because almost every traveller has a couple of bags with him. But if you are giving a special high quality travel bag with multiple pockets to your buddy, then this sounds a great idea. I mean there is no need to give an ordinary or traditional sort of bag, rather try to buy a bag that has something special. And I must say, it is not hard to buy a perfect premium travel bag for your friend since there are many brands and stores out there that produce and sell quality travel bags. Buy one for your buddy today.

Digital Camera

This sounds expensive but your friend will love this gift. A traveller cannot afford to miss new and beautiful places that he/she visits. They want to save them in the shape of pictures and movies with them for future reference. Your friend will love a digital camera. Importantly, you have several different options to choose from when it comes to buying a digital camera.

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Top Candy Baskets to Send to Your Client

It's the little things that make a big difference, especially in business. Workers, bosses, and clients want to know that they are appreciated. It is for this reason that American businesses spend billions of dollars each year on corporate gifts. According to a recent survey conducted by American Express Open Small Business Holiday Monitor, 44 percent of managers said that they intend to send their best clients gifts.

What do they give?

The single most popular corporate gift is the food basket. Around 13 percent of managers responded that they always send their best clients food baskets over the holidays. These baskets can be filled with a variety of foods and beverages, from fruit to caviar and wine. Their purpose is to communicate to customers that they matter, which is why most managers send unique gifts these days.

Instead of the perfunctory fruit basket, they send sports tickets, vacation packages, or trips to the spa. These unique gifts help set companies apart from their competitors and may actually improve customer loyalty. Of course, they can be quite expensive. According to the aforementioned survey, the average manager spends over $700 on each corporate gift.

What is a small business to do?

The reason they call them corporate gifts is that only corporations can afford to give them. No, just kidding. But it is true that most small businesses cannot compete with larger firms when it comes to holiday expenditures. They simply don't have the cash to pay for cruises or tickets to the opera. That is why they often settle for plain, pedestrian gifts, like fruit baskets.

As your mother told you, it truly is the thought that counts when it comes to gift giving. A unique gift does not have to be expensive or ostentatious. It simply has to be a bit different. Small business owners should take their time and shop around before they buy anything. The internet gives them the option of getting more for less. They can save time and money if they order online.

Gift Ideas?

It isn't easy to find an inexpensive gift that is also original, which is why most folks settle for predictable presents. There's nothing wrong with a fruit basket or even a fruit cake, but don't expect a stack of thank-you cards in the mail. These are gifts that let clients know that you need their business. They don't convey any other message. If you truly want to make an impression, you'll have to think outside of the box.

Don't worry, you can still save money. According to Packaged Facts, a market research firm, food baskets are still the most popular gift. About 2.7 billion bucks worth of food was presented as corporate gifts in 2009. Most of this food is gourmet quality. As we mentioned, many of these baskets contain caviar and wines, as well as expensive cheeses and chocolates.

While it is not a traditional gift basket ingredient, chocolatiers have created their own kind of holiday basket that can be sent as a corporate gift. Unlike the familiar fruit basket, these arrangements will not spoil in a week or two. They can be enjoyed for months without worry. And honestly, who doesn't like chocolate?

Most major holidays include some form of candy, including Christmas and Hanukkah. And chocolate is easily the most popular flavor. Americans consume about 12 pounds of it each year! A chocolate basket, bucket, or box makes the perfect corporate gift.

What do they contain?

Chocolate boxes feature an assortment of hand-crafted chocolates. They can be sent to individuals or as an office gift. If you are shopping for the entire office, make sure you get enough for everyone. A single box may not suffice. Most online candy sellers have their own corporate gift section where they sell larger chocolate boxes with several levels.

Chocolate buckets resemble popcorn buckets and are filled with chocolate bars and treats. Some sellers include other popular candies in their buckets. They need not necessarily all be chocolates. The shopper can choose which sweet treats he wants in the arrangement.

A chocolate basket is pretty much what you might expect. It is a large basket filled with an array of chocolates in various forms. There are chocolate bars, chocolate covered foods, and small items that can be consumed by the handful. Since it complements the flavor of the candy, some of the more high-end chocolate baskets also include a bottle of champagne.

Five Simple Tips To Save on Travel Gifts For Friends and Family

Buying travel gifts for friends and family back home is probably one of the most expensive things that you need to worry of when having a vacation. If you are having a vacation using your credit card, you'll probably be surprised by how much gifts can cost you. Travel items that can be bought as gifts can vary from cheap to expensive. But of course, there are a lot of ways on how you can keep the expenses down. Here are some of the tips so you don't need to overstretch your budget because of those gifts that you need to bring home to friends and family.

1. Have a Budget

You need to allot a specific budget for your trip. This should also be applied to your complimentary gifts. You should never allot more than $100 to gifts because for one, you may never know what event will have you stranded and you may need extra cash. Two, it isn't practical to buy a lot of gifts and pay for taxes because of a commercial volume you have.

2. Do not buy from shopping centers

Shopping centers will be a quick place to grab last minute gifts but don't expect the price to be cheap. If you are planning to buy gifts, make sure that you ask the locals where to have it the cheapest. There are some places out there that may give you a great price for every purchase that you make giving you more gifts for your friends and family for the least budget.

3. Go for simple gifts

Buying refrigerator magnets and post cards could already be a great complimentary gift. Friends and family will not require you to buy them anything that could ruin your budget and give you inconvenience. You should remember that the simpler the gifts you purchase, the better it is. You can get the best chance of pleasing more people when you keep the gifts you purchase within your budget and simple. You will also not pay for the excess weight since these things will be lightweight.

4. Research for the best gifts beforehand

If you already know what to get even before getting to the place, this will give you a great chance of having discounts. For someone who is new to traveling, you could get a lot of information looking into forums, reviews and even travel blogs. These information could be used in order to survey the area for the nearest places with the best gifts for a great price.

5. Haggle for a better price

Most of the marketplaces are basically offering prices that could still be haggled. If you are trying to get discounts especially on non-English speaking countries, it would be necessary to have a calculator to show your offer. This eliminates the language barriers.

Trying to cut the cost of your travel is a really good thing. You need to make sure though that you become practical and resourceful when trying to purchase travel gifts to your loved ones and friends at home. With these simple tips, you will be surprised just how much money and time you can actually save.