I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Many of you may already be back home from shopping the Black Friday sales all night and early this morning—hope you found lots of great deals! I slept in. Ahhhh.
I admit that I'm not always the best at shopping for gifts. Love to give them; don't love to buy them. I never know what they want, and they don't give very good ideas (especially true for my parents, whose favorite line is, "we don't need anything!") Or, I know exactly what they want, but it's more than I'm willing to spend.
Any of you have that problem? Well, here are a couple of suggestions to resolve it…
#1) The Christmas Wish List
Have your friends and family fill out a Christmas Wish List. Some may find it tacky, or lacking the holiday surprise element—I call it practical! I would rather be confident that the recipient will LOVE the purchase I make for him or her. The whole idea is to make them happy, right? And, the shopping process goes so much more smoothly when I know I'm looking for a specific thing. We're all happy! It's a win-win!
What's on your Holiday Wish List? So what about you? Are you difficult to buy for? Are you getting what you REALLY want for Christmas? Why not make it easier on your loved ones by filling out your own Holiday Wish List—filled with stamping supplies from Stampin' Up!, of course!
Here's a link to my printable Holiday Wish List that you can complete and give to your family & friends. They contact me before December 15th, and I'll take care of the rest—I'll even wrap the presents, and throw in a surprise stocking stuffer (because you still need a little surprise!). The best part is that you will receive all the fun stamping goodies you've been drooling over all year long!
#2) The Gift Card
I used to think that gift cards were the lazy-man's Christmas present…the easy way out. If it's the thought that counted…the gift card wasn't worth very much. But these days, I think it just makes sense!
Maybe you don't know the recipient very well, or maybe not at all if your gift is for a white elephant exchange. Or, you know what the recipient's interests are, but don't know much about those items. For example, if they love electronics, you may be clueless (like me) about the best choice for them. (Just like my husband wouldn't have a clue about what stamping supplies to get me!) If you can get them to work on #1 above, you're all set…otherwise, the gift card comes in mighty handy!
Another issue is that many of the most sought-after holiday purchases are expensive, making it nearly impossible to purchase on your own. Sometimes you can gather up the siblings, or several friends, and pool your money together to get the big gift. But, then you run into some of the people not contributing the same amount as you (it shouldn't matter, but you know dang well it does!). Here's where the gift card is the way to go!
Dress Up Your Gift Card
If it's really the thought that counts, earn some "thoughtful" points with your gift card by wrapping it up in a pretty paper presentation! Here's an awesome idea that Carmen DeBruce brought to our November demo meeting.
It's it the cutest present?!!!! Carmen CASEd the idea from Vicki Webb. You can see all the details, including measurements, on her It's A Stamp Thing blog: Present Gift Card Holder.
The Candy Cane Christmas Designer Paper is featured here in all it's glittery delight! I love the non-traditional color combination of Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabl, Real Red and Blushing Bride—it's both wintery and refreshing!
PLEASE NOTE: If you like this paper, get it fast! We just received word that, due to it's overwhelming popularity, Stampin' Up! has nearly depleted it's inventory of this limited-time paper, and they will not be ordering more. Order yours online NOW before it runs out!
My favorite part of this gift card holder is the cool bow created with oval punches. First punch with the smaller 1-3/8" Oval Punch out of card stock, then align the 1-3/4" Oval Punch over the hole and punch again.
The Snowflake punchout is topped with a faux button, which is created with the 3/4" Circle Punch. Two 1/8" punches make the button holes, which are threaded with a skinny strip of card stock. What a terrific way to trim the package!
I LOVE that the "present" design would work well for ANY occasion—it's so versatile! I can see it in different colors and styles to fit birthdays, kids' birthdays, weddings, showers, and so much more!
I plan on making several of these this holiday season! And, I know they'll be fighting over my cute package at my white elephant exchange! Oh yeah! :-)
Too Cool Stamping Gift Card
And speaking of of gift cards, don't forget about your stamping friends this holiday season! Why not set them up with a stamping shopping spree by giving them a Too Cool Stamping Gift Card…well, it's more of an old-fashioned paper Gift Certificate, but it's spendable money none-the-less! Available in any denomination! Contact me to order! Oh, and I have plenty of ideas for cute gift certificate envelopes, too!
Happy shopping!
Angie