Back in 2005, on one summer night, we were sitting outside making a decision of what business to start up online. We knew we needed a website but didn’t know a thing about internet or building a website. Not letting any of that be a road block in our business adventure, we chose to start making up gift baskets, since Kim is very talented in designs and crafts such as floral, decorations and crafts in that nature. So we chose Kims Gift Baskets and the url http://www.kimsgiftbaskets.com. We wrote our story back 2 years ago in regards to the gift basket business.  Staring in mid 2006, we discussed of other possibilities and products we could introduce into our gift basket business. Don’t get me wrong, we were actually doing pretty good with gift baskets, the business bills were being paid, plus paying us. We had several ideas which were in the gifting market such as gold dipped roses, cookie bouquets, baby shower accessories and favors, wedding accessories and favors and even fruit bouquets to name a few. We kept going back to the idea in the wedding and baby accessories as a good choice of product.  The baby and wedding ideas really sparked for a couple of different reasons, one of the main reasons was, we have been involved with coordinating weddings and baby shower events in the local area even before the gift basket business started, we truly loved doing this together, a great team I must say. Now the other one is a business strategy that anybody who is thinking about selling products should think about if they are going to do a business online, especially with the way the economy is, we wanted to have multiple streams of products. This will give you a chance to reach to a broader range of consumers and in return, more orders.

  As we said, we were entertaining the thought of more than just gift baskets and gifts, so we decided to start with baby shower favors and gifts. We found a company called Baby Aspen and signed up with them, soon after, we were introducing baby gifts and baby shower favors to the Kims Gift Baskets. This was an easy choice for us; our web site was already being searched in baby phrases so that seemed to blend right in. With the baby gifts and baby favors, they just added more depth in search terms and the website. We found a couple more companies which we also set up accounts with giving the consumers more styles and choices. Over the course of a month or so, we worked very hard on the website with adding in baby products, changing site design and working SEO.  

     Now if you remember, we entertained ideas adding wedding accessories or something that was wedding related. We found out shortly after becoming a vendor for Baby Aspen, there was Kate Aspen which distributes wedding and bridal shower favors. Now it was a scramble, in less than a months span, we introduced the wedding and bridal party favors into our business along with baby shower favors and baby gifts. Of course, it’s not as easy as just put the products on your website and presto, you have customers. I wish it was that easy! Many hours spent were spent working on the content, SEO, linking and more content to get the search engines to start ranking us in keywords for wedding phrases.  We set up accounts with a few more dropship companies; Fashioncraft and Event Blossoms for the wedding and bridal favors, and couple of other companies who had favors but didn’t like their services, so soon after, we took everything off our website of theirs. When using drop shippers, whether for your wedding business, baby business, or any type of business you are going to sell products, there are pros and cons using their services, but if they’re a good company, you’ll have no worries. Fashioncraft who is mainly favors for a variety of occasions, is very reliable and consistent with getting the orders out to your customers. We have been doing business with them for over a year now and have never had any issues with their products or services.  

     As discussed, we still wanted to provide bridal and wedding accessories for all of the lucky brides who are planning their wedding. Weddings, typically is a once in a lifetime event and everything has to be perfect, including the bride! We began our searches for distributors who dropped shipped wedding and bridal accessories and found Lillian Rose, Jamie Lynn, which came a few months later, and of course Beverly Clark. I don’t think there’s a bride, a future bride or a woman in general that hasn’t heard of her line of wedding collections and bridal accessories. There are other distributors which we also use, this gives us a large variety for the customers to chose from.

   We do however, carry stock of baby shower favors, baby gifts, bridal accessories and wedding favors to avoid some of the worries of when orders will be shipped to our customers. By doing so, we have more control on providing excellent services to our customer and knowing that their order is shipped and delivered in a quick timely manner.

As we are now introducing wedding accessories, bridal favors, and bridal accessories, we know there’swas much work to be done. Not only putting them on the website and setting up pages, there’s SEO, Yikes……..again that awful word.

    But as we have learned, there’s more to just SEO, you must have traffic, without traffic you have no sales. With the internet vastly changing, social marketing, videos, links, advertising and several other avenues to get your product out there for potential customers and to gain more visibility. You must reach out and utilize these social networking gateways to help you get you name and product to the public.  Facebook, Twitter, Blogging of course are a few options , but remember,  you have to get involved.   

Source by Michael & Kimberly

Beauty gift baskets are an excellent surprise for any women on any occasion. A basket of what a woman loves best. Pamper beauty and relaxation. A wonderful way to tell the special woman in your life how much she means to you and how important it is to you that she looks after herself both physically and emotionally. Health beauty and pamper are at the crest of a woman heart and an essential part of any woman’s forte.

The creative essence in a man is enough to get any woman hot under the collar especially when they know it’s for them and you were thinking about them. When these special occasions role around once or twice a year this is your chance to keep that spark alive and show her she is the special one. Women generally aren’t that easy to buy for. If you are game enough to even predict that she’ll like a garment you buy her or even think you can predict her size. Men generally end up back to one of a few options. Either ask them what they want. Or health and beauty products, or jewellery. 

If we ask them we have no chance of getting it wrong but it’s the essence of surprise which we burn and if we proceed with this strategy for too long the flame is likely to burn out.

Jewellery is an option but once again to predict the sense of style of a woman is not always an easy task .  I’m sure we’ve all bought jewellery for a woman which I’m sure they really do love.  But just like that pair of red shoes which were essential to her collection 2 years ago. It only gets worn once a year. Women do love jewellery though I would always advise to get a gift certificate and keep it to nice small elegant piece. As attractive as Pat Butcher is her taste generally not everyone’s desire.

Once these two options are gone. We have the option of  a nice little person gift which would suit only her or the  health and beauty option. Make up, moisturisers, health days, spas, the options are endless. It may be something you could do together, massage oils, aromatherapy it’s a safe and an excellent option. I know to the average man this generally doesn’t make much sense but woman love this stuff.   Health beauty and pamper are at the crest of a woman heart and a strong part of any woman’s forte.

Be it the summer breeze or a winters night beside the fire aromatherapy or all over skin care they  are beautiful gifts for all occasions and  bought together as a basket these products can set sparks ablaze.  They are interesting exciting and a mixture a what your loving partner needs and desires. They can be personalised to show it was them they were thinking of a nice break away selectively booked on the weekend of a big match. Topped off with candles aromatherapy massage oils and facial beauty treatments to send them into a rage of delight overload  keeping them looking and feeling like the person that you love.

Source by Michael Raines

If you like Easter time, you’ll love the WOW Noblegarden at that time.  The Noblegarden festival is usually held on Easter Sunday and the city Barker and Guest Giver direct players to the celebration.

The egg hunt actually goes on for a week, with eggs hidden in the starting zones of the Alliance, Horde, and Neutral areas.

Eggs painted to look like wildflowers and containing treasures, coins and candy are hidden by the Nobels and Lords from each race.  Then everyone in the city looks for them. Every egg contains a piece of Noblegarden chocolate. Hint: Eat your first 100 eggs to obtain the Chocoholic achievement.

Eggs can also contain buffs which turn players into a rabbit for an hour.

You actually need to find 355 eggs so you can purchase event items from various venders using your Noblegarden chocolate! If you want to go for some of the more expensive items, save up your eggs until you figure out how much all of your eggs are worth.  Mage’s will need an additional 100 if they want the [Tome of Polymorph: Rabbit].

Some of the items that can be purchased include:

Spring Flowers

Robes

Tuxedo shirts

Tuxedo pants

Elegant dresses

Prices range from 5 – 100 pieces of chocolate.

The quests that are available for Noblegarden are: Spring Collectors and Gatherers, The Great Egg Hunt, and A Tisket, a Tasket, A Noblegarden Basket!

Here are a two different ways to collect eggs fast.  1) Give yourself the ability to run faster by attaching your basket to a key or button. This keeps the buff out of the way, 2) Locate yourself in a spot with a lot of spawn points so you DON’T have to run around so much.

And remember, if possible, eat your first 100 eggs to obtain the Chocoholic achievement award.

Source by Alex R. Cooper

In asking yourself what is a good Christmas gift for a girlfriend, you have to break down the question.

That’s actually surprisingly easy when you take a little time to think about the woman on your gift list.

Just precisely is your relationship to your girlfriend – intimate, close or casual?

You don’t want to make the mistake of giving something that will be taken as a signal of intimacy to someone you intend to remain casual with. The reverse is also true.

What is your girlfriend interested in?

Hone in on what she would like, not what you want her to like, what you personally like or worst of all, what your Mother likes.

The worst gift my now ex-husband ever gave me for Christmas was an electric can opener, exactly like his Mother had just bought for herself. There’s a reason we are no longer together!

What do you want your gift to say to your girlfriend?

By this I’m talking subtext. What you give as a Christmas gift for a girlfriend will come back to bite you if you buy something that looks cheap, something that screams exorbitantly expensive or something that says “I got Mother to pick up an extra one of these while she was out shopping”

Is there a Christmas gift that hits the target every time?

Well you may beg to differ but I believe the best Christmas gift for a girlfriend, wife, partner, daughter or any other lady you might be buying for is a gift basket for women.

I’ll tell you why.

Themed gift baskets come in many and varied shapes and sizes, but always they look attractive. First impressions are important for any gift for a woman.

Items in a gift basket are an abundance of cute little packages, each one to be examined and unwrapped and exclaimed over separately, prolonging the joy of gift receiving.

Many of the items in gift hampers are consumables and after these gift items are used up, your girlfriend is happy to receive another basket on a different occasion.

Source by Andrea Jackson

Gift baskets for special occasion gifts are very popular. We always buy gift baskets with gourmet foods and other treats for family that lives out of town for Birthdays, Christmas, and Mothers Day. It’s something that easy to order and always appreciated!

As pet owners spend more money pampering their pets they are purchasing more special gifts for their furry family too. With so many great treats, shampoos, toys, clothing, and accessories now available for pets it is easy to start a business making pet gift baskets by mixing these products together to make an attractive basket that pet owners will love.

Birthdays and Christmas are obvious pet gift basket sales opportunities but you could also put together themed baskets for St Patrick’s Day, Valentines Day, and as welcome home gifts for families with a new puppy or kitten. You could also market baskets by product theme. For example you could make a super grooming basket, all natural treat basket, travel basket, toy basket, or pet loss gift basket. Or why not put together baskets specialized with products for a particular breed. You could even provide a catalog of products to choose from so that customers can custom make their own unique basket.

Pet baskets could be marketed to pet lovers by placing displays with your business cards in local pet stores, grooming salons, doggie day care facilities, or boarding facilities. You could also sell them on the web via a website or at a chamber of commerce location. Think of some of the places pet owners go to spoil their pets and you have found your perfect market.

Pet gift baskets also make great items for pet businesses to donate to silent auction events and raffles to promote their business. Why not promote them to local pet business owners too!

All you need to make a great basket is the basket itself, some filler to place inside the basket, a cellophane shrink bag, and a decorative finish. Most large craft stores such as Hobby Lobby or Michaels stock these items and you can also buy them wholesale online.

You need to make sure you price your baskets to cover labor, supplies and the items in the basket. A good rule of thumb is to price the basket at twice the cost of the items that you put into the basket.

Gift Basket Wholesale Supply is a great resource for articles about the gift basket business and crafty ideas to make baskets look great. They even offer a free course about making baskets at their site. If you do a Google search on gift baskets you will find many more websites offering advice about the gift basket business.

If you already own a grooming salon, pet sitting business, pet store, dog day care, or boarding facility, pet gift baskets could be a great seasonal profit boost. You can offer these to your clients just by displaying samples in your store to generate conversation.

Source by Theresa Clarkson

When celebrating a wedding anniversary, a gift basket is a unique present with a personal touch. As each anniversary is symbolized by a traditional gift, a modern gift, particular colors, and specific flowers, it will help you to know the different items that are associated with each anniversary to help you to create the perfect gift basket.

The traditional gift for the first anniversary is paper that is used to symbolize strength due to the interlaced connection of its fibers. The modern symbol for this anniversary is a clock, symbolizing the eternity of love. The colors are gold or yellow while the flower is the orange blossom or pansy. The pansy is associated with thought or remembrance, while the orange blossom represents purity and eternal love as well as fruitfulness and fertility.

To create an anniversary gift basket, you can incorporate all these elements. For a traditional gift basket for the first anniversary, you can choose gold or yellow trimmings and include items such as stationery, postcards, books, or a calendar. You can also add a subscription to a magazine, a gift certificate, a jigsaw puzzle, or a paperweight. For a contemporary gift basket you could include a clock, a watch, a sundial, or a kitchen timer. You could also create a basket that combines the traditional with the contemporary. As a finishing touch, you can include an orange blossom or a pansy.

To celebrate the second anniversary, cotton is the traditional symbol used to represent the versatility, durability, and prosperity of the union while the contemporary symbol is china that is elegant and beautiful like love. The second anniversary color is red, although linen white is also associated with this anniversary. The traditional flower is the cosmos, which symbolizes modesty. The daisy is also associated with this anniversary, which symbolizes innocence.

For the traditional gift basket, you can trim it in red and white and place a single cosmos bloom in the middle of a bow. You could also scatter daisies throughout the inside of the basket. As most cotton items are white, these colors will blend beautifully. You can include cotton items such as towels, linens, table cloths or more personal items, such as clothing. For the contemporary basket, china plates or figurines would be a nice addition.

The third anniversary traditional symbol is leather while the modern one is crystal. Leather is durable, warm, strong, and flexible and has a sense of resiliency. These are also qualities of a successful union. Crystal is symbolizes the beauty of the marriage and the way the light dances off the surface and emits a glow serves as a reminder as to how the couple can touch and enhance the lives of others. The color is white or jade green, although fawn is also acceptable. The third anniversary flower is fuchsia which symbolizes taste. The carnation is also associated with this anniversary, which symbolizes pure love and innocence.

For a traditional gift basket, clothing made out leather (imitation leather is acceptable in today’s society) could be included as well as leather-bound books or leather carrying accessories, such as a purse or briefcase. For a contemporary gift basket, a commemorative crystal plate engraved with the couples name and anniversary date would be a personal gift that you could include. A crystal vase, wine glasses, or figurines are also gifts that would fit in nicely. You may consider trimming your gift basket in both white and jade green and scatter fuchsia blooms or carnations throughout the basket for a colorful background.

These are just a few of the many kinds of anniversary gift baskets that you can create. You can combine the traditional as well as the contemporary. You can also combine the colors and flowers or omit one or the other. By knowing the colors, flowers, and gifts associated with each of these anniversaries, you can have some fun and experiment to create the ideal anniversary gift basket.

Source by Beverly Sugarman

Home income opportunities. Have fun while making money from home with a home based gift basket business.

What do I need to Start a Gift Basket Home Business?

You need to have some creative or design ability to put together attractive gift baskets and to come up with novel ideas and themes. You should also have good interpersonal skills in order to market and sell your gift baskets successfully. Organizational skills are required to manage your time properly and to schedule your work to meet deadlines and fill orders. It is easy to learn how to make gift baskets and equipment requirements are minimal.

Gift Basket Business Start Up Costs

This home income opportunity has relatively low start up costs. Initial inventory when starting a gift basket business can run from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand dollars depending on what inventory items you buy and how much stock you want to carry. Your inventory will depend on the kind of gift baskets you decide to make and sell. Your gift basket choices will be determined by your particular target market. It is important to clearly define your target market so that you focus on those people who are most likely to purchase your gift baskets and become your customers. Concentrating your sales and marketing efforts on the correct niche market will result in success rather than wasted time and effort. You will also know the best type of gift baskets to create and sell to this target market.

Establish your Choice of Gift Baskets

The standard gift baskets you offer will be the core of your gift basket business. When starting your gift basket business it is not cost effective to carry inventory for too many different gift baskets – rather focus on a smaller number of versatile gift baskets. Once you have decided who your target market is you will be able to accurately select the range of gift baskets you are going to initially make and sell. Choose gift basket ideas that can be used for different occasions – a chocolate gift basket is just right for Easter as well as Mother’s Day and ongoing birthdays, anniversaries.

Making Gift Baskets

Gift baskets can be created in as little as 20 minutes and you can create a beautiful gift basket without any craft experience. Once you have decided on your theme and have sourced the inventory it is really quick and easy to put the gift basket together. The more gift baskets you make the easier and quicker it becomes!

Marketing and Selling the Gift Baskets

Proper marketing of your gift baskets will ensure that home income opportunities like this are successful. However don’t be intimidated by marketing- see it as a creative project where you can put your entrepreneurial spirit to good use! From visiting potential customers with samples of your gift baskets to advertising your gift basket business in local papers and magazines there are a wide variety of ways to sell you gift baskets. The most important aspect of your marketing strategy will be customer satisfaction. If you provide a quality product you will keep getting those orders.

What Sort of Income can you Expect to Earn?

Home income opportunities in the gift basket business are very good but it depends on how hard you work and how well you market and sell your gift baskets. Most gift basket businesses expect to net between 20 to 30 percent of their selling price. This is usually achieved by applying a 90 to 100 percent mark up on the cost of the items in the gift basket. The potential for making money is high – it is really up to you how much.

Making and selling gift baskets at home is a one of the top home income opportunities available to you. For free and comprehensive guides on starting a gift basket business go to Start a Gift Basket Home Business.

Source by Julia Derby

Most wines take their name from the variety of grape used to make it. However obvious that fact may be to highly trained viticulturists, the uneducated in wine will have just learned something new from reading this article. I encourage you to keep reading and learn more about the wines you’ve heard about and maybe even drank at one time or another during your life.

This three-part article series will discuss the many grapes of the world.

Chardonnay – This grape is native to France and is grown all over the world for both sparkling wines and table wines. This is the primary grape grown in the Val de Marne of Champagne and is also grown in northern California, New York State, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Virginia. Chardonnays are often aged in oak barrels and may pick up a vanilla overtone in aroma and flavor when fermented in this manner. Chardonnay wines are typically served chilled and match well with chicken or any type of dish that uses a heavy cream or buttery type of sauce.

Chenin Blanc – This grape is native to the Loire Valley Region located in west central France. It is also grown in California and South Africa (referred to as “Steen” in South Africa). This type of wine usually develops a delicate, fruity flavor. Because of the high volume of Chenin Blanc wines produced, this type of wine is usually inexpensive.

Gewurztraminer – This grape is noted for its floral fragrance and spicy flavor. Native to Italy, Gewurztraminer is also successfully grown in France, California, Germany and New Zealand. Crops tend to fair better in cooler climates. This type of wine is often paired with spicy foods.

Johannisberg Riesling – This grape does better in cooler climates and is known for its high resistance to frost. Production is typically sparse with Riesling wines. Riesling is grown successfully in California, Washington, Germany, and other northern European growing regions. Wines produced from Riesling are universally rare, expensive, and long-lived.

Muscat – Known as Moscatel in Spain and Moscato in Italy, the Muscat grape is prized for its bold aroma and flavor values. This type of grape is grown heavily in southern France and its big crops produce wines that are sweet and very floral.

Palomino – This grape is native to Spain where it is used to produce fine Sherries. Palomino is also successfully grown in California, South Africa, and Australia. In California, Palomino is often referred to as Golden Chasselas.

Sauvignon Blanc – Grown in the Graves district of Bordeaux and the eastern Loire Valley, this grape produces fine wines that are typically smoky in aroma with an earthy aftertaste. If grown in a cooler climate, Sauvignon Blanc can produce a grassy aftertaste. This is a large crop grape and its wines are usually inexpensive. This grape is produced in northern California where it is referred to as Fume Blanc. Sauvignon Blance is often paired with seafood.

Scheurebe – This grape was developed in Germany and is a cross between Riesling and Sylvaner. Wines produced from the Scheurebe grape are aromatic and very fruity. They are often described as having a “hint of blackberry”. This is a rare grape grown almost exclusively in Germany.

Semillon – This grape is used to produce table wines and is often identified with Sauternes table wines produced in Bordeaux, France. This is a resilient grape that ripens in early season and is less likely to be damaged by frost or rain. Although Semillon is successfully grown in California and Washington, the acreage is severely limited.

Sylvaner – This grape is primarily grown in Germany and northern Europe. It can also be found in the wine producing region of Alsace, France. The aroma and flavor of Sylvaner are similar (but not nearly as potent) to Johannisberg Riesling. This is a high acidity wine that is naturally sweet, and is sometimes made into a dessert wine.

Source by Christian Rios