Gift wrapping suggestions
It’s been a busy lead up to Christmas and if you still have the task of wrapping your gifts I thought I would share some clever little hints and tips to help you ‘wrap up’ this Christmas.
With a little imagination, elegantly wrapped gifts can be as special as the gift itself and add to the excitement for the gift recipient. Your loved ones will feel extra special with just a little more planning to create and deliver the perfect gift!
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Firstly, create a gift wrap ’station’ with everything you need including a sharp pair of scissors, ribbon, paper and tissue paper, a weighted tape dispenser, double-sided tape and of course your gifts and cards or tags.
I love this idea from Sue from www.inanorganisedfashion.com.au using a tiered trouser hanger, pictured left, to keep everything at hand and in order.
It’s amazing when you think ‘outside the box’ just like the following simple but effective ideas for adorning your gifts this season:
Jazz up plain brown paper with natural jute or twine or festive ribbon then personalise the gift with embellishments from Christmas tree decorations using double-sided tape or floral wire.
Old travel maps are perfect for travel related gifts or for people who travel frequently.
Comic paper makes a wonderful wrap for toys with brightly coloured ribbons and bows.
Grandparents will love their gifts wrapped with children’s artwork.
Photocopy musical sheeting to wrap music related gifts.
Wrap a bottle of wine in a linen tea-towel, tie on a matching bow with co-ordinated ribbon for a two-in-one hostess gift.
With a little judicious scissor action, last year’s Christmas cards can even become this year’s gift tag!
One of my favourites is to tie a silk poinsettia bloom as a finishing touch (I also twine these around the stem of my wine glasses during the festive season!)
I hope these small finishing touches will make your gifts extra special this Christmas.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful and joyous Christmas and a very happy New Year.
Marie xx
It’s all about getting the basics right …
It seems every time I tune into the morning news on radio or TV I hear yet another advertising campaign attempting to drive weary shoppers into shopping centres in what I consider to be desperate attempts to salvage floundering sales. It was recently announced that one large retail giant is proposing to turn their stores into ‘theatres’ offering a plethora of lifestyle services such as weight loss clinics, breast examinations and eye testing in an attempt to lure consumers to their stores. I wonder what they are thinking – have they lost their purpose? An extra sale here or there of course is always welcome but what happened to focussing on good old-fashioned well priced, quality stock all year? Isn’t it up to retailers to create a compelling and persuasive reason for consumers to open their wallets? It begs the question; Are consumers tired and jaded with what is on offer?
Essentially, the crux of every retail outlet should be good quality, well priced merchandise and knowledgeable staff – the successful opening of Zara in Sydney is a classic, refreshing and almost exceptional example in the current retail climate.
Having some experience in leasing and shopping centre management, I’m familiar with some of the ‘tricks of the trade’ in traditional Australian retail. Purely from a research point of view, I’ll walk through a shopping centre to keep an eye on trends and offers from traditional retailers and observe store layout, operations, interaction of staff to customers and of course, range and merchandise mix. However, it is with complete dismay that I am continually disillusioned with what is on offer. All I see is the same stock, the same franchises, shopping centre after shopping centre – right across the country! Walk into any large department store and I guarantee you will see a myriad of banners 20% here, 50% there, 2 for 1 offers and recently I heard the term ‘clear-out clearance’ – what on earth! I understand that it is indeed necessary to occasionally reduce discontinued lines to make way for fresh new stock but we are confronted with such signs and offers all the time and all through the year!
We are also bombarded with the ‘24hr deals’ and ‘flash sales’ from daily discount sites. I can see how restaurants and perhaps businesses in the service industry may benefit from such campaigns however, in the retail industry, with deals coming from all directions and the lack of true customer care and service, consumers surely will tune out and become more discerning about taking up such offers.
Even though I remain dismayed at the lack of enthusiasm by such retailers, I am buoyed by the testimonials and endorsements received from our customers concerning our range, our prices, our service and our care. At Instyle Gifts, our stock is hand chosen and each piece, whether it’s a handbag, a pair of shoes or boots or a picnic hamper, you can guarantee it has been carefully selected and introduced to our range after qualifying to our exacting criteria. It’s all about getting the basics right. Our mission remains unchanged – we make shopping easier and less stressful for you. We are intent on building long-term relationships so that you know you are buying well priced, quality gifts coupled with insightful knowledge and our willingness to please at all levels.
Marie Caldecott
Instyle Gifts: Body Home Garden
Trying to find a gift for the person who appears to have everything?
If you’re trying to find a gift for that person who has everything, or you’re dreading the thought of Christmas shopping queues, then let us take the hassle out of shopping for you. After all, it’s our specialty – it’s what we do best!
Have you thought of our very popular book seat for a gift? Proudly Australian designed, they make a fantastic gift idea for those ‘so hard to buy for’ people! Adjustable to fit novels, (hardback and paperback), recipe books, knitting books, magazines, text books – you name it! No more tired, aching hands while reading. Fabulous for people with arthritis and great for those heavy text books – you simply can’t go wrong with this gift!
With every book seat ordered from our website, we will include a free bookmark but hurry - stocks are limited!
For an all round present, why not include a book (or book voucher) with the book seat – your gift recipient will love it!
Please visit our website, www.instylegifts.com.au for further details and pictures of this fabulous gift and to place your order.
So, take the hassle out shopping and park yourself in front of your computer and shop with us. We’re online 24 hours at your convenience and be assured of our safe, secure, prompt and courteous service.
This year, enjoy shopping the instyle way and visit us at www.instylegifts.com.au!
Yours instyle
Marie Caldecott
Christmas Gift shopping made easy
Christmas gift shopping can be time-consuming and stressful. The mere thought of facing up to a large shopping centre or mall with throngs of other holiday shoppers, trying to find a park and walking endlessly from one end of the shopping centre to the other only to find the same stock, shop after shop, sounds exhausting just thinking, even typing, about it!
We think Christmas shopping should be easy …. so easy that you shouldn’t have to leave home. Take our advice and avoid the Christmas rush. Allow us to assist you with your gift giving – it’s what we do – it’s our specialty. We have proudly built a solid reputation over many years providing quality giftware, accessories and homewares at very reasonable prices. If you’re searching for something special and can’t find it, just ask us – we will do our utmost to source it just for you.
Perhaps you need some inspiration, some ideas for gifts this year – browse our website, www.instylegifts.com.au. You will find something for every family member, friends, colleagues, staff, even Kris Kringle gift ideas.
Take the hassle out shopping and park yourself in front of your computer and shop with us. We’re online 24 hours at your convenience and be assured of our safe, secure, prompt and courteous service.
This year, enjoy shopping the instyle way and visit us at www.instylegifts.com.au or
Marie Caldecott
Instyle Gifts: Body Home Garden
CELEBRATING MUM
For thousands of years, people have been honouring Mothers. The earliest origins can be traced all the way back to ancient civilisations. For example, the Greeks held annual spring festivals to honour maternal goddesses, such as ‘Rhea’ the Mother of the Gods. The Romans held the ‘Matronalia’, a festival dedicated to Juno, the Goddess of hearth and home. The early Christians celebrated the Mother’s festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent to honour Mary, the Mother of Christ. A religious order then ensured the holiday included all mothers and named it as the Mothering Sunday.
In the United States in approx 1870, Mother’s Day, as we know it, started out as a call for peace and disarmament in light of the hardships brought on Mothers who had lost loved ones in the American Civil War. A proclamation was made by Julia Ward Howe, who urged for annual observance for what was then called the Mother’s Day for Peace. Many years later, Anna Jarvis took up the campaign again, in honour of her mother, and on 2nd may 1914, the day was officially recognised.
Slowly and gradually the Mother’s day became very popular worldwide and gift giving activity increased. Yes, Mothers Day has been celebrated for many years, in many different countries with different customs. So there you have it! Mums all around the world are honoured – and rightly so. But every mum is unique. How are you going to show your mum how special she is this year?
Marie Caldecott
Instyle Gifts: Body Home Garden
Featured product: Hanging Pod Chair
Does your Mum love reading? Or maybe You love reading or simply grabbing a few minutes to chill out…. think about putting in your order for Mothers’ Day….. Just imagine lazing away on a sunny Sunday afternoon relaxing in your very own Hanging Pod Chair!
Made of durable synthetic wicker with metal stand included allowing you to hang out where ever you like - indoors our outdoors!
Featured Product – FizPouch Handbag Organiser
We’ve been searching for the perfect handbag organiser and have now found it! Gone are the days of scrambling around in the depths of your bag to retrieve your keys or to discover you left your phone or your diary in another bag. The Fizpouch Handbag Organiser provides a home for all your essentials and is easy to swap from bag to bag, briefcase, nappy bag, shopping tote etc
Featuring lots of pockets for your phone, pens, glasses, keys, wallet and make up too and a zip pocket inside keeps your credit cards safe. The external pockets are the perfect size to pop in a Fizbag Original foldaway shopping bag – FREE if you place your order now.
Made from water resistant canvas and snakeskin effect print, the Fizpouch Handbag Organiser has contrasting, brightly coloured linings and is a great size measuring just 22cm x 14cm.
Available in 4 colours:
- Turquoise snakeskin print with pink lining
- Pink snakeskin print with apple green lining
- Zebra – Black and white with pink lining
- Purple with pink Polkadots and green lining
Priced at $34.99ea and available for a short time with a FREE Fizbag foldaway shopping bag valued at $10. Once you have a Fizbag Handbag Organiser, you will wonder what you did without one.
Regards
Marie
An Innovative World of Shopping
Instyle Gifts has a vast arrayof gifts and items to suit any taste or budget.
We have gifts to suit children, men, women, products for the home which are perfect as house warming or general gifts, as well as a range of gifts to suit corporate needs.
To add value and assist our valued clients and readers and to make decisions easy when it is time for you to purchase, our Instyle Gifts blog will be used to feature a gift or product of the week.
Every week, our “Featured Gift” will be detailed and include all the attributes of the gift, who it may suit and other interesting information. Email us at marie@instylegifts.com.au
Regards
We are excited about being able to provide this service and of course, if there is anything you ever want to know about any gift, all you have to do is email us for a swift, personal response.
