Embossed Personal Tin

Wow! Big thanks to everyone who shared gifting tips last week! In fact, you had so many good ideas, I thought I’d share a few of my favorites.

Stephanie said:

My favorite gifting tip is to give gifts when they are least expected…on non-occasions and/or to celebrate small milestones.

For example, I love giving baked goods anytime EXCEPT November-January (because people get so many cookies and cakes in those months).

I also love giving small gifts throughout the year – just because. I know how exciting it is to get a special gift or card in the mail as a surprise so I love to create that feeling for others.

Carolyn said:

I make sure to have a present for each family member–if I order cookies for the family, I always have a batch of doggie treats for the family pet! If I buy a present for a friend, I always include a little something for their daughter or son…kids and animlas love to be remembered.

Amanda said:

I love to have homemade cookies or muffins for the host to have the next day, not to share at the party but just for her and her family after a successful party.

Great tips, everybody. We truly have the best readers around. The giveaway is now closed and the winner has been notified, but there’s always another fabulous giveaway around the corner. So stay tuned.

Tweet This Post

Thank You Big Cookie Cake

Shop our line of Thank You gifts and get free standard shipping off your order to anywhere in the continental United States. Use code 11ER at checkout. Offer ends July 21.

Tweet This Post

Leave your ideas in a comment and be entered to win our Top Notch Thank You Box. You know, as our way of saying thanks! Plus, earn extra entries by spreading the news on facebook, Twitter, or your own blog. (Leave a comment for each thing you do.) Let the ideas flow!

Top Notch Thank You Box

Comments will be accepted until midnight, Sunday July 18th. One entry per person. Winner will be selected randomly and contacted via email.

Tweet This Post

Here are a few of my favorite selections from this year’s book:

The Bite-Sized Bubbly Box is a fabulous, versatile gift. It can toast an anniversary, a job promotion, or any other celebration. I think it’s perfect at a wedding as a non-alcoholic option for the wedding toasts!

Bite-Sized Bubbly Box

The Top Notch Thank You Box is another favorite. This preppy design is so smart and sassy, it’s bound to become your favorite way to show some gratitude.

Top Notch Thank You Box

Our Logo Perfect Cookies are getting a lot of buzz lately. I think it’s because they are AMAZING! You can add any image to our decadent frosted sugar cookies to create an unforgettable party favor or promotional tool at your next event or celebration. Imagine the possibilities (or check out a few examples here, here, and here)!

Logo Perfect Cookies

If you don’t already have a copy of our 2010 Occasions Catalog, order your free copy now. You’ll thank yourself all year long!

Tweet This Post

Well, it depends on the situation. Let’s break it down.

If you have a dish of food in your hand, an assigned side dish from the host, then there is no need to bring an additional gift. However, don’t bring a side dish unless you’ve been asked. The host has planned out the menu and your surprise addition could be more hassle than help as he or she scrambles to fit it into their plan.

If you have not been asked to provide anything for the meal, then it’s a good idea to show up with something in your hands to thank your host. It could be anything from a bottle of wine to a set of pretty hand towels, or my favorite—a tin of cookies.

If an invitation comes last minute, no need to panic about a gift. Take or send something a day or two later as a token of your thanks. Even a hand-written note will do.

How much should you spend on a hostess gift? I use this rule of thumb: If you were going out to dinner (instead of to a dinner party), the amount you would typically spend on an entrée is about how much you should spend on a gift. If you stick to that rule, your gift will always be appropriate because it will always be in your budget.

Speaking of dinner parties, I’m off to one now! And what am I bringing? I’ll give you a dozen guesses…

12 Cookie Basket

Tweet This Post

Luscious & Lovely Box

Thanks for the great response regarding my last gifting tip “Open Presents Later.” I got a few follow-up questions about how to pull it off as well as how to handle pushy guests who want you to open their present during the party. Here are some more pointers:

• Have a table set up to gather the gifts, but keep it out of the center of the party. The party should be the focus, not the presents. The theory of “out of sight, out of mind” works very well for this purpose.
• If a guest asks when you are going to open presents, explain with a smile that you’re going to do it later, after the guests have gone, because you want to focus on the party.
• Sometimes you may have an insistent (or pushy) guest who is stuck on the old way of doing things. You could say something like, “I’m trying something different this time.” Especially in the case of a child’s party, you can explain that it’s easier for the child to open gifts without a crowd and at his/her own pace.
• Perhaps it’s a family member who is insisting and you don’t want to offend? How about suggesting that they stay after the other party guests have gone and then open their gift (but not all of the others). It’s a friendly compromise.
• Remember that a timely thank you note is absolutely a must! Each gift should be acknowledged as soon as possible.

It’s never too late to start a new tradition. I think you’ll find that opening presents later is a great piece of gifting etiquette to adopt at your next party.

Tweet This Post

Tackle Box & Treats

Thanks to everyone who entered our Father’s Day Giveaway! A winner has been randomly chosen and notified.

If you didn’t win the giveaway, we still have something special for you, our dear blog readers! Save 15% off any Father’s Day gift at MrsFields.com using code 10KEF at checkout.

Shop the entire Father’s Day collection, and then come back Wednesday for a complete Father’s Day BBQ menu and recipes. Get your grills and your taste buds ready!

Tweet This Post

Precious Present Box

You’ve been there, right? At a four-year-old’s birthday party, when the presents get opened as the partygoers sit around and watch? It never fails—minutes later at least half of the room is in tears, kids fighting over gifts and parents apologizing for the bad behavior.

If you’re hosting a party that involves gift-giving, do yourself and your guests a favor and open the presents later, after all of the guests are gone. It is good etiquette for young and old alike and for a few reasons. First of all, it keeps the focus on the actual party and the guests. Second, it avoids any awkward moments for your guests if there are duplicate gifts, or if there is a wide range in size or value. Nobody should ever feel bad about the gift they brought, especially as it compares to others. And finally, opening gifts later allows the recipient to enjoy receiving each gift individually with no time constraint, no moving quickly to the next gift and the next in order to have time for cake and ice cream and pinatas and karaoke.

Think about it—gifting is a very personal tradition. A gift is selected personally and should be received personally. During the party, have a table set up to collect the gifts as guests arrive and then leave them put until everyone is gone and the guest of honor has a chance to take a breath and focus on each gifts individually and at her own pace. Acknowledge each gift later with a thank you note.

It’s a good idea whether you’re four or forty. No more party tears or awkward apologies. Trust me, you’ll never regret adopting this practice.

Tweet This Post

Embossed Personal Tin

There’s the science teacher who went above and beyond all year long, and the administration office who let you know when lunch money had been forgotten. All ninety-eight times.

Sleek Stripes Thank You Tin

There’s the bus driver who circled the block every time you stuck a “one more minute” finger out the door, or when a much-needed orchestra instrument was mistakenly left on the kitchen counter.

World of Thanks Box

There’s the art teacher who discovered latent talent, a shy desire, and pushed for growth that could have been overlooked.

Big Cookie Cake

And, of course, there’s your soccer/baseball/dance/gymnastics/lacrosse carpool drivers, who maintained an intricate transportation schedule, matched only by air traffic controllers.

Here’s to everybody who made a successful school year and for a long, relaxing summer!

Tweet This Post

Here are some of my favorite items:

The Super Snacker Cooler is perfect for the practical men in your life–his favorite cookies, brownies, muffins, nuts and popcorn are loaded in a 12-can cooler that he’ll use again and again. Practicality is a wonderful character trait. I wouldn’t know anything about it, but I definitely admire it in others.

Super Snacker Cooler

Allow me to let you in on a little secret: guys love giant cookies. They do. So, how about a Big Cookie Cake for Father’s Day? Watch his eyes light up and his mouth drool over this one. You really can’t go wrong here.

Father's Day Cookie Cake

Sometimes with men you have to spell it out. That’s why Dad’s Trio Tray is perfect for Father’s Day. Three block boxes filled with dad’s favorite treats sit snug in a tray, spelling out your favorite three-letter word.

Dad's Trio Tray

And finally, I love the next two gifts because they are perfect secondary gifts. What are secondary gifts? They are smaller gifts for people you want to remember on gift-giving occasions. For Father’s Day, that might be Uncle Joe or your brother-in-law, or your dear neighbor Ed.

For the sporty type, we have the Sweet Sports Tin.

Sweet Sports Tin

And for the dapper gentleman, we have Pop’s Top Box. Starting at $19.99, you can’t go wrong.

Pop's Top Box

Now that I’ve shared my favorites, you can browse the catalog and pick your own. Happy shopping!

Giveaway time! Enter to win any one of the gifts I’ve featured by leaving a comment answering this question: Which gift is your favorite and who would you give it to?

(Comments will be accepted until midnight June 11. Only one entry per person, please. Winner will be notified via email and announced June 14.)

Tweet This Post