NEWSLETTER
INSPIRATION
DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKINGFall Gift Giving
Friday, October 22, 2010
hey guys :o) SP here again! Friday’s are generally reserved for FOOD or HYBRID posts…and I guess i’m kinda combining the two today, lol! You might know that we just released a new CONFECTION COLLECTION at the Shoppe…and I’d thought I’d show you that you can easily use it for more than just confections and treats! They certainly work perfectly for just about any kind of treat or candy you can think of…but they can do so much more, too!
So…I am a SCENT person – I LOOOOOVE things that smell good! Well, that smell good to me, at least, lol! We’re all different when it comes to that. Personally – I am not a fan of flowery or perfumey scents (they tend to give me a headache), but LOVE anything that smells like FOOD, lol! In the shower…I use food scented soaps and gels and shampoos (TMI? lol)…thank Goodness the smell doesn’t linger too long as I’m not sure anyone wants to leave the house smelling like candy corn, lol – but I like it when I’m in the shower! And, when it comes to candles – it’s always a food scent for me…especially love anything that makes my house smell like I just baked fresh cookies :o) Alright – I’m getting a little off topic here (and a little hungry, too lol)…so back to the subject at hand :o)
Our confection collections (we have them for just about every holiday/season) are super versatile! Just about all of them inclue tags (generally round and ‘luggage’ style)…and they are truly the most versatile of all! As you can see in the photo above, I worked with them in different ways! I really enjoy giving gifts that are not wrapped (hey, why not save the trees and some money at the same time? lol) in paper or bags (though, obviously…there are times when that is necessary…but even then – our tags are the perfect to/from or gift tag). But, just because you do not fully wrap something, doesn’t mean that it can’t look pretty and special and personalized. Our tags are basically ready-to-print. Some will offer space for text – and you can either add that in your graphics program…or just handwrite it after printing!
Alright…so, back to my love for food smells in the shower, lol! PHILOSOPHY’S I Love Candy Corn is one of my favorite shower gels to use! I try to stock up on it when I can as I know that after the fall/autumn season – I won’t be able to find it again, lol! What’s funny is that I cannot stand ‘real’ candy corn…but YUM on the gel :o) Anyway, the gel is a fun gift to give during the fall and at Thanksgiving…and you can make it super cute just by tying a ribbon the bottle…along with a gift tag! Of course, you could take it one step further and put it in a gift basket along with some real candy corn, or anything else you can think of!
And candles…I do not know of many who do not like a nice candle or some sort of candle product. Personally, I do not ‘burn’ candles…but I use these candle lamps (I have several of the ‘signature’ style in both black and bronze – love ‘em…and I give them as gifts all the time, too). They melt the wax inside of a jar candle and provide a beautiful little lamp glow (not to mention, the candle and the scent lasts longer…and I do not have to worry about a flame)! So, I guess if you were putting together a huge (and expensive) gift…you could always go for a candle lamp along with a large, jar candle! I generally opt for Yankee Candle brand and love their Christmas Cookie (year round, lol), Cinnamon Buns and Vanilla Cupcake scents the most! My mom’s favorite is Sage and Citrus…and my hubby prefers Pineapple Cilantro (weird combination, huh? but it works, lol) in his office. Alright…so it’s more like I insist that I put some of the electric plug-ins in his office and so he has to choose a scent (or I will go with Vanilla cupcake, lol)…so that’s what he opts for…and doesn’t grumble about it too much…which to me, translates to I LIKE IT, lolol! Anyway – again…just like with the shower gel – simply tie a pretty ribbon around the jar candle and add a tag. This would also be a great housewarming or friend gift, anytime of year!
Of course, you can also get the adorable little TARTS from Yankee Candle! And…our round tags are PERFECT for these – you literally just cut out a round tag and adhere it to the top of the tart! So, if you need to get inexpensive gifts for co-workers or teachers, etc…how great is this? Just purchase a bunch of the tarts and personalize them with a round tag. It really does not get any easier! And, while I was working on the confection collection this past week…I also discovered that the tarts fit perfectly into our new Matchbook Treat Wrappers (included in the Falloween Confection Collection). They are also super simple to put together – you’ll just want to secure the tart to the bottom of the wrapper with your favorite adhesive (so it doesn’t slip out)! And another fun idea…if you need a ‘larger’ gift – you could always buy an adorable tart warmer (that’s how you melt the tarts, lol) along with a handful of tarts for a gift basket. Coordinate the tags and other items from the collection to make a truly custom and personalized gift :o)
So really, I just wanted to get you thinking ‘out of the box’ when it comes to some of these fun products! There is so much you can do beyond treats and these are just a couple of ideas! You could adapt them to just about any gift you could ever want to give :o) So have fun being CREATIVE…and GIVING (two of my favorite things to do!)!
Finally…I thought I’d show you the new confection collection as well as the other two new products we just added to the Shoppe! Since I’m not going into a lot of detail about them here…be sure to view the huge NEWSLETTER for lots of pics and information :o) And, keep in mind that these new products are on sale until October 25th!
Alright, girls – that’s it for today :o) I hope you all have a beautiful and blessed weekend! We’ll see you back here on Monday with our next LOTW!
Oct 27, 2010 @ 01:18:03
SP, I love this post!!! The Confection Collections are heaven to me – digi-scrapbooking mixed with sweet treats and gift giving – everything I dream of all wrapped into one!! Love how you’ve presented everything! GORGEOUS!!!!! :o)
Oct 25, 2010 @ 02:59:41
Love it! Do you know when you will have a Christmas version? I’m trying to get a jump on teacher gifts and such, and I can’t start on my gift packs until I have the Christmas kit! (heaven forbid I design it using what I have, I’d rather buy your kit already put together LOL) Love the released last year, but I used that one already! :D
Oct 27, 2010 @ 06:46:17
hi tina :o) thanks bunches for your sweet comment and kind words! and ya know – i’m not sure if we will have a new Christmas version this year or not :o( it is on the LIST…the confection collections are just a LOT of work though, lol…and i’m not sure if we can pull one together in time (along with everything else we are working on)…but i promise it is on the list and we’ll try! selfishly – i like to have them for myself to gift and use for family…lol – so i HOPE so (as i used last year’s already, too lol)!
THANKS AGAIN, tina!
Oct 27, 2010 @ 13:06:09
Teehee…I know how it goes with trying to fit it all in! Your gift packs have saved me countless times. I’m in a Mothers of Preschoolers group (MOPS) and I use the tags and gift bags frequently for the gifts we give out each meeting. They always get rave reviews, and people ask me to design things for them (I do publicity), I keep telling them I can’t take any credit, its all kits and ideas from here!
Oct 22, 2010 @ 22:10:55
I adore your blog, but just realized I missed several posts because it’s no longer showing up in my Google Reader. I tried to re-subscribe, but it tells me there’s no feed. Can you think of why this would be? Or a way to work around it? I don’t want to miss a thing! :)
Nov 18, 2010 @ 15:18:36
Hey, I had the same problem. But at the very bottom of the links on the sidebar (under “Click here for Blinkies”) there’s an “rss feed” link. Click on that and sign up with google, and it will fix it. You’ve probably already figured this out, as it’s been awhile, but I thought I’d comment on it just in case. :D
Oct 22, 2010 @ 14:00:01
And right after calendars, you do all of this. Of course the damage you keep doing to my pocketbook isn’t looked on kindly by my dh. Oh well, I had to buy it all today. Thanks so much for your creativity and hard work.
Oct 22, 2010 @ 20:07:29
oh trust me, valerie…i have thought to myself several times this week, ‘WHAT WAS I THINKING?’ lolol! it’s just everything seems to come together at the same time :o) but, this really was fun – i just love putting together the treats and preparing gifts! please apologize to your sweet hubby for me, lol!
thanks for the sweetness, as always :o) enjoy your weekend!
Oct 22, 2010 @ 12:48:36
wow! amazing what you did with all of that, I’m super-duper impressed. And I agree with Lu–you must never sleep! I love the idea of gifting a candle and attaching a handmade tag. I’m going to steal this idea to give some Thanksgiving gifts to my kids’ teachers. Thanks for the inspiration! :)
Oct 22, 2010 @ 20:05:13
oh you’re so sweet, kammy :o) thanks a bunch…and YEP – perfect teacher gifts – they will absolutely love them! lol about the sleep – i find it is vastly over-rated :o) just kidding – i just happen to enjoy getting up very, very early!
Oct 22, 2010 @ 11:07:03
wow, what an incredible post!! I’m just constantly in awe of the amount of creativity you possess, lol! I am convinced you never sleep, lol! But the beautiful products & presentation are sooooo inspiring… thanks for providing the continual spark of creativity to us all. :o)
Oct 22, 2010 @ 11:36:31
thanks bunches, Lu :o) this was a fun post…totally my kind of stuff, lol!
Oct 22, 2010 @ 10:51:16
Holy cow woman! You have been busy!! I’m so impressed about how much time and effort you put into creating and then displaying your products so beautifully. Just wonderful products and love the idea of using the confection collection for other things. I’ve never purchased one before and may have to – just never thought of using if for anything else besides baked goods. Thanks for sharing!!!
Oct 22, 2010 @ 11:35:49
oh thank you so much, C :o) i won’t lie – it is a LOT of work…but it is the FUN kind – so i don’t mind, lol! Now if i could just get a pro photographer in here to take the pics…i’d be the happiest woman ever (that is always the hardest part, lol)! thanks again…and i hope you will try them…and show us what you make! — SP
Oct 23, 2010 @ 22:43:13
I actually have this crazy idea for them….I’ll email you pics or load them up when I finish it, hint, I won’t even be using paper….
Oct 23, 2010 @ 22:44:08
oh, and whaddya mean a pro photog….your pics are awesome!!!
Oct 24, 2010 @ 08:58:21
thanks so much, C! that made my day…but seriously – the pics are always the hardest part for me! i finally have the know-how…but it still doesn’t always turn out like i want, lol!
Oct 24, 2010 @ 08:57:01
oh, can’t wait to see, C :o) i have a couple of ideas…but i bet you’ll still totally surprise me, lol! THANKS!
Oct 22, 2010 @ 08:59:02
I LOVE this post! I’m a huge fan of candles, too, especially this time of year! I have never seen the candle lamps before….I just have the “mug warmer” types. I’m totally going to have to check these out. I like the idea of having a soft glow. Thanks for such fabulous ideas!
Oct 22, 2010 @ 09:01:08
thanks, Nicole :o) and, YES – you will love the candle lamps! my mom has the ‘mug’ style, too – and we agree that the lamps work better…and that warm glow – love it!