Finding a Romantic Gift for Her.
by
Marguerite Bonneville
Let's
face it. In many ways women are easy to buy for. Most
of us love the traditional romantic gifts including:
* Chocolates
* Flowers
* Jewelry
* Lingerie
* Perfume
* Candles
* Soft Toys
* Clothes
But on the other hand we're difficult to buy for. We
know what we like, and we don't want to settle for
less. We pay attention to little things, so we
appreciate it when you give us a gift in our favorite
color, or one that has special meaning.
We love romantic gestures, like poetry, love letters
and romantic music. Men often consider us gullible
when they see us being 'taken in' by another man's
soft words and candlelight dinners. The truth is, we
often know when we're being played, but we can't help
responding to the gesture. We'd like it to be sincere
so we convince ourselves that it is. And occasionally,
the manipulative male becomes a victim of his own
techniques and falls for the woman he set out to
victimize.
But falling for romantic gestures isn't a sign of
weakness. A woman can muster huge wells of strength
and resourcefulness when the situation calls for it.
Some women get addicted to this power and let go of
the so-called feminine side of their natures. Others
realize that you can have both.
So what it's really about is knowing the woman that
you're buying for. You know you're in trouble when you
make generalizations like, "Women love flowers" or
"I'm sure she'd like a box of chocolates for her
birthday". She may prefer some clay for her sculptures
or some new gardening tools. Romance is more about the
care that went into choosing the gift rather than the
gift itself.
Here's a story that illustrates this point:
Barbara and her husband John often talked about their
pasts, including their experiences as young children.
In the course of one particular conversation, Barbara
described a beautiful old-fashioned pencil case her
mother gave her when she first started school. She
hadn't thought about the case in years, but at the
time it was one of her most treasured possessions.
Six months later, John was browsing in a specialty
store when he came across a pencil case that matched
Barbara's description. He immediately bought it and
presented it to her that night.
Barbara was delighted with his gift and amazed that
John had recalled their conversation. To her the gift
was magical. It felt as if John had restored a little
piece of her childhood.
People give you clues about what they want
continuously in their daily conversation. It's up to
you to pay attention and surprise them later with a
well-chosen gift. This type of thoughtfulness works
wonders in a relationship.
©
Marguerite Bonneville Marguerite Bonneville is a
Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming
(NLP) whose passion is publishing information online.
She is a contributing writer for
www.romantic-gift-ideas-online.com, a resource
site dedicated to helping visitors find the perfect
romantic gift.
Easy and Inexpensive Hostess Gifts.
by Jan
Kovarik
In days
gone by,it was considered impolite to go to someone's
house for dinner or a party and not take a small gift
for the hostess (or the host!). The gift didn't have
to be anything "special" or very expensive, just
something that said "Thank you" to your hostess.
It can be very easy, and not at all expensive, to
renew that happy custom. And speaking from personal
experience, it is so much fun to watch her face when
you hand her a little gift!
Keep Gift Items on Hand
It is relatively simple to keep a few things on hand
that make nice little gifts. You don't need to spend a
fortune either---and here's how you do it:
Buy trial-sized items! You can find hand lotions,
small bottles of spray perfume, bars of moisturizing
soap, etc. I've even found very small bottles and
tubes of bath gel, body lotion, and after-bath spray
all in the same scent---these make a perfect hostess
gift set!
Look for 2-for, 3-for, and 4-for sales! I watch for
sales and coupons, especially BOGO (Buy One, Get One)
or sales that offer a one-price-for-several items.
Look for anything in the "Health and Beauty" category:
nail files, bathtub "puffs," fancy soaps, scented
sprays, and lotions. Another idea would be looking for
sales of scented candles and other small decorative or
universally useful items. Walgreens, Eckerd's, and CVS
drug stores are great for their sales and coupons,
especially right before and after a holiday.
Shop in "dollar" stores! Bargain stores or "dollar"
stores are great places to find things like small
wicker baskets, votive candle holders, and really
inexpensive wrapping paper, gift bags, and bows and
ribbons.
Keep your eyes open! Anytime I'm in a store like
Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, or even the local grocery
market, I watch for sales of "things"---anything that
would make a nice little "something" to wrap up as a
gift.
Keep Wrapping Paper and Ribbons on Hand
Think "tissue paper" and "curl ribbon"! I keep plenty
of tissue paper, in a variety or colors and patterns,
on hand. It is very inexpensive and makes for an easy
way to wrap just a tube of lotion or a bottle of
scented spray because you can "twist" the ends
together and then tie with a ribbon. It is also a good
idea to have at least one type of Birthday wrapping
paper, as well---for those impromptu Birthday parties,
or if you suddenly remember that it's your next-door
neighbor's (or your boss's!) birthday.
I have just about every color of curl ribbon on hand,
as well (you know, the kind that you can "curl" by
pulling it across the flat edge of a scissor blade).
Any gift can be made to look very festive, especially
if you use several colors of curl ribbon that
compliment the color of the tissue paper, or match the
color of the gift item! I recently put together a
small gift set of lavender scented bath items, all of
which were purple-colored, and wrapped in silver
tissue paper tied with purple and silver curl ribbon.
It was very attractive and no one would have known
that it probably cost me less than $5.
Put the gift in a basket or bag! Any gift, no matter
how small (even a single votive candle in a 50-cent
plain glass votive holder) can look like a million
dollars---if you "present" it nicely. I like to put
small items in a little wicker basket or a
plain-colored gift bag that is stuffed with tissue
paper that I've put through a shredder (you can buy
really inexpensive paper shredders, I've seen them for
less than $10). Remember to color-coordinate the
wrapping paper and the gift item!
Be Creative! Think "Fun"!
A hostess gift can be anything, put in anything,
wrapped in anything! Think outside the box---or rather
think INSIDE the...bucket, shoebox, plastic container,
empty oatmeal container, etc. Don't limit
yourself---or the gift!
We recently spent a weekend at the beach with friends.
For a hostess gift, I bought a small tube of Aloe gel,
a tube of Aloe bath gel, and a little pump bottle of
"After Tan" body lotion. I went to a "dollar" store
and bought a plastic bucket and a shovel (the kind
that kids use to play in the sand). I tissue-wrapped
the few little times, shredded beige tissue paper to
make "sand" to put in the bucket, nestled the wrapped
items in the shredded paper, stuck in the shovel, ran
several streamers of curl ribbon that matched the
color of the bucket through the handle of the
bucket---and I had a perfect "Weekend at the Beach"
hostess gift! I spent less than $8 and my girlfriend
laughed and thoroughly enjoyed digging into her bucket
and searching for the little presents in the tissue
paper sand!
For a friend who is very culinary-minded, I found a
package of different-sized wooden spoons on sale for
$1 and added to that a small spice jar of cinnamon and
a bag of brown sugar, and I plopped everything in an
empty Quaker's Oatmeal container (after emptying and
wiping out with a damp paper towel). I printed out a
recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on an index card and
punched a hole in one side. After looping several
turns of blue and red curl ribbons around the
container, I strung the recipe card through one end of
ribbon, tied it off, and then curled all the ends of
the ribbons. She was delighted with her special
hostess gift. Cost? About $6.
If you need a gift for your host, you can apply all
these same ideas---just with a man in mind!
Surprisingly, men can be appreciative of nail files,
clippers, fold-up comb, a lint brush, etc. For a host
who is sports-minded, get a tube of BENGAY and wrap it
in an ACE bandage!
Remember: It's Not the Gift, It's the Thought That
Counts!
Giving a gift that comes from the heart---and not from
the wallet---is what your hostess will appreciate the
most. Take the time to select individual items,
instead of buying pre-packaged "sets." It doesn't have
to be anything fancy, it doesn't have to be anything
expensive---all you need are a few little items, put
them together with a little bit of thought, and you
have a delightful hostess gift!
Jan K.,
The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor.
Visit
www.janktheproofer.com for more information. Visit
Jan K., the Proofer’s sister sites: Mom’s Break at
www.MomsBreak.com for free printable projects and
crafts. Jan’s Dough at
www.jansdough.com for free printable recipes for
Sourdough Bread and more. For free content articles,
visit
freecontent.janktheproofer.com. Article ©
Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. jkproof@bellsouth.net
Gifts For All Seasons and For All
Reasons.
by
Linton Gentles
Every
day is someones birthday. Gentles Gifts' has delivered
over 2000 FREE gifts to our customer base. Every
birthday, graduation, Easter, Christamas and every
other holiday or occasion you can think of we help our
customers help themselves. We give the gift you want
that can make an impact on what you think about us. We
are in the business to make our customers happy. With
your help we know that is possible.
On Valentine's Day we gave away two of the most prize
gifts. Two couples John and Michelle were given the an
ingagement present from Gentles Gifts' as a thank you
for their long commitment to helping us help them.
With a boy (7) and a girl on the way. This couple will
be forever greatful for building the relationship they
did with us.
Every day is a special day. Nothing is better than
getting the one gift you wanted on your birthday. When
you register with www.gentlesgifts.com and tell us
your birthday; you pick the gift you want for your
birthday. You let us know what you want and we will
deliver it to you. Free Shipping, Free Gift and the
enjoyment on your special day.
Every new customer get's a welcome gift. Depending on
the time of the year, your gift is chosen and sent to
you. With our data base growing day by day; we seek
new customers to enjoy our Gift's for all seasons and
all reasons. We have Free Catalogs available online
for all of our new customers. All they have to do is
log on to www.gentlesgifts.com and register with us
and click on free catalog and it will get shipped with
your FREE gift as stated. What more can anyone ask
for? It get's better. Every month there is a number
one birthday winner. This individual will have the
opportunity to win a year of free gifts. Yes, if you
are picked as thr number one birthday winner, you get
to pick one gift a month up to $75.00 for free.
Remember, we are charged with the responsibility of
serving every customer have the best shopping
experience at gentlesgifts. Online or offline, we have
a gift for all seasons, and a gift for all reasons.
www.gentlesgifts.com
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