May 2012

Customer Appreciation, Father's Day, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift

Father’s Day Gifts Guide

May 31, 2012

Welcome back readers!

You all had a lot of great Father’s Day gift suggestions and I will definitely be stealing a few! We’ve got some fun stuff ahead so let’s get to it.Congratulations to Patricia Sauber (May 24, 2012 at 4:47 pm), Mike (May 25, 2012 at 11:11 pm), Roxanne (May 26, 2012 at 3:37 pm), Josh (May 31, 2012 at 8:57 am), and Terry (May 31, 2012 at 8:57 am)! Please send your information to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll send out your Stubbs BBQ gift set!

Have you picked out the perfect gift for dad yet? June is only a skip away. Dads tend to be a lot harder to shop for sometimes. I can never tell if I’m getting a gift that will be well used or one that will end up collecting dust. I’m positive though, that you can never go wrong with a tasty food gift. We just got some new and delicious Father’s Day gifts in and I thought it would be a great idea to showcase them with a little gift guide quiz I’m sure most of you are familiar with. It’s time to play Guess That Dad!

When you’re done taking our little Father’s Day Gift Quiz, tell me in the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) which answer you got and come up with your own gift idea that would fit! FIVE lucky and random commenters will win the Father’s Day Handyman’s Snack Gift Toolbox!

Enjoy!

Q: What is the one object your Dad can’t live without?

A) The grill, definitely.
B) His golf set
C) Toolbox
D) A deck of cards

Q: What is Dad’s favorite show to watch?

A) Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
B) Sports Center
C) Holmes on Homes
D) Any game show, he’s tuned in.

Q: What’s the one thing you learned from Dad?

A) To try new things
B) To have a great deal of patience
C) To be self-reliant
D) To look at situations from all angles

Q: What is Dad’s favorite shirt to wear?

A) “Kiss the Cook” shirt
B) A polo shirt
C) It’s more of an oil rag now…
D) Short sleeve button-up

Q: Dad’s favorite color?

A) Red
B) Green
C) Brown
D) Black

Q: It’s Sunday afternoon, where is your Dad?

A) Cooking dinner!
B) Out on the green hitting a few tees while the sun is out
C) With his head under the hood of his car
D) Shhh…he just missed that hand!

Did you get…

Mostly A’s: He’s a natural born chef! You can always find him trying out a new recipe, rub or seasoning and ready to entertain the whole family! We’re sure he’d love this Dad’s Classic BBQ Grill Gift Set.

Mostly B’s: Dad’s a very relaxed guy and easy-going. He enjoys a nice snack, and a gift with meaning. Get him a great gift that he’ll love like this Golf Tote Bag with Snacks.

Mostly C’s: No matter what the problem, no one can fix it quite like Dad. He’s been your personal handy man for as long as you can remember. Fix his hunger with this Father’s Day Handyman’s Snack Gift Toolbox.

Mostly D’s: Always calculating the odds, Dad is there for an answer when you need him most. The best way to Dad’s heart this Father’s Day is with this lucky treat! Get him the Happy Father’s Day Gaming & Poker Bin.

Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift, Thank You Gifts

Gourmet Organic Gift Basket

May 29, 2012

A gourmet gift basket that looks good, tastes good and IS good for you! The Gourmet Organic Gift Basket is USDA Organic and unbelievably delicious. Continue Reading…

Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift, Teacher Appreciation, Thank You Gifts

Thoughts of You Stationery & Tea Gift Basket

May 29, 2012

A beautiful gift for your most thoughtful friend or family member! The Thoughts of You Stationery & Tea Gift Basket is definitely one of my favorite gifts from 1800baskets.

In a soft woven Lavender basket that is completely perfect for spring, is an assortment of stationary including a large notepad, small notepad, and 10 notecards with envelopes. All are decorated with beautiful purple and green spring prints and the cards are printed with a “Thinking of You” message, handy for thoughtful recipient who loves to let those close to them know that they are thought of. Continue Reading…

Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift, Thank You Gifts

Wine Picnic Backpack Gift Basket

May 29, 2012

Another great, unique gift basket that is begging to be brought out! One of my most exciting gifts to review was definitely the Wine Picnic Backpack Gift Basket. Continue Reading…

Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift

Gourmet Garden Tote with Tools Gift Basket

May 29, 2012

Gourmet Garden Gift with tools gift basket

The best thing about spring has to be all the fresh flowers and gardens blooming to life. There is something about those fresh floral fragrances in the air that completes the feeling of spring for me. This past Mother’s Day, I decided I would help out my Mom in the yard and get her some pretty flowers and plants to add to her garden. To make the day extra special, I also included this wonderfully original gift, the Gourmet Garden Tote with Tools Gift Basket! Continue Reading…

Customer Appreciation, Father's Day, Feedback, Summer Time Gift

Father’s Day Gifts and Summer Grilling

May 24, 2012

Welcome back gift basket readers!

There were a lot of great graduation gift ideas in the comments this week (and obviously a lot of calls for cash!). I really liked the ideas for the personalized blanket for someone going away to school and the photo album. Of course we have a few gifts to get out for our lucky and random commenters. Congratulations to Donald Hayes (May 17, 2012 at 4:51 pm), Lori (May 17, 2012 at 7:13 pm), Claudia (May 21, 2012 at 10:04 am), Suzanne (May 24, 2012 at 10:02 am), and Ed (May 24, 2012 at 3:38 pm)! Send your shipping information to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll send out your wine backpacks!

We have Memorial Day weekend about to begin with June and Father’s Day on its tail, and all I want to do is enjoy the warm weather instead of finishing all this work I have to do! Also, I’m (trying) to get a head start on my Father’s Day gift ideas…thankfully I have your comments to help me out with that last part.

I have a large gift I bought for my dad, but he won’t be getting it until September, and instead of me putting a bow on an email confirmation, I’d like to have something fun or delicious to present him on the day of…I just haven’t decided on what. Food gifts are always a safe bet for me with my dad. And for me, Father’s Day is always synonymous with summer grilling. It’s probably because the only meals my dad knows how to cook are all meat-on-a-grill-or-slow-cooker related. I usually try to pick up interesting spices or seasonings for him whenever I go somewhere. I brought home a Cajun seasoning home for him when I was in New Orleans, and he loved the Budweiser sauces I got him before. I think this year I’ll be going with our Award Winning Stubbs® Authentic Barbecue Gift Set. It’s great for summer, upcoming family barbeques and it will give him something new to try when it’s his turn to cook dinner.

If I wanted to win “Daughter of the Year” award, I’d probably pair it with some of our new Stock Yards® steak gifts (which are AMAZING by the way). We had an impromptu work barbeque the other week to sample these and I could cut my steak with a plastic knife; definitely impressed.

Stock Yards® is one of our new sister brands and we’ve picked up a few of their most delicious gifts for Father’s Day. Stock Yards® has been providing the very best USDA Prime and Choice steaks to America’s finest restaurants including: Chicago Chop House, Gibson’s, Morton’s, Tavern on Rush and Wildfire. Previously they were exclusively sold to restaurants but now are available for home ordering, which is great news for those who like to dabble in cooking restaurant quality meals!

I love that they only sell Prime and Choice; since I know the steaks and cuts I’m ordering will be top quality instead of sketchy meat from other companies who use their own terminology for “ratings” instead of “USDA Prime” or “USDA Choice” like Stock Yards does.

My picks for Father’s Day:

I found a few recipes for cooking a premium NY Strip Steak here, here & here that I am literally drooling over. And I found a great Filet Mignon recipe here. I love anything to do with Filet Mignon and may very well be trying out the recipe soon (plus YUM chive butter!).

As I said earlier, I’m looking for all your great answers and gift ideas for Father’s Day! In the comments section (1-2 paragraphs), tell me what you think a great Father’s Day gift would be! FIVE lucky and random winners will receive our Award Winning Stubbs® Authentic Barbecue Gift Set.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Feedback, For the Love of Coffee, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift

Graduation Gift Ideas

May 17, 2012

chocolate covered oreos graduation gift idea

Welcome back readers,

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day weekend! My weekend was spent digging holes, carrying mulch, planting and fulfilling my gift promises with additional cooking and cleaning. According to the comments section, the number one way to relax is definitely spa and bubble-bath related, so I’ll definitely be looking into some relaxation time soon! Anyway, we have some winners to announce. Congratulations to Donna Yost (May 10, 2012 at 4:24 pm), Jenny S (May 12, 2012 at 11:31 am), Cathy B*****y (May 12, 2012 at 3:11 pm), Marcie (May 15, 2012 at 4:31 pm), and Judy (May 15, 2012 at 8:48 am)! Also as a note to our lucky and random winners, it appears the Mira Luna Mother’s Day gift was a bigger hit than I thought it would be and we ended up selling out of it before the end of the weekend. So as a replacement prize (which I’m sure you’ll all love because it’s a lot cooler than the last one) I’ll be sending you the Wine Picnic Backpack Gift Basket! (Yes, it’s that one really cool picnic gift I keep rambling on about every week here & here). Be sure to email your shipping information to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll send out your new gift!

For the last week or so, all I have been seeing on my Facebook dashboard are dozens and dozens of statuses of college or grad school graduation announcements, pictures of graduation ceremonies, caps and gowns, diploma pictures, and more. I know there are at least three graduation parties I have to go to and a few more I’ve been invited to. I only just graduated college last year, so of course I’m jealous of their newly free summers and lack of responsibilities, but I’ll say no thank you to being jobless and learning to make a spare $20 last a whole month. However, since I am now (supposedly) an “adult” with an income, that means I have to pick up a real graduation gift for all these parties I’m expected to go to. And something tells me that no one is going to accept my gift from last year, which was essentially a hand drawn card with “IOU” printed largely and some candy inside.

If you’re the proud parent of a new graduate or you’re in need of some quick and fun gift ideas, stick around for some great graduation gift suggestions! Obviously, money is everyone’s go-to gift and it’s a great idea for poor new grads, but money isn’t exactly the most thoughtful “hey we’re proud of you” gift. So these next few ideas can be a nice add-on or your own way of making your gift more meaningful.

Grad Gift #1

Never underestimate the power of a great briefcase or laptop bag. If they’re going to start a job where they are commuting every day or if it’s just a 15 minute travel, they will thank you for a nice sturdy (and stylish) bag to help ease their journey. I definitely say this from personal experience; my back and I encourage this gift! Make it extra special with some gifting extras hidden in the different pockets and openings. Maybe hide a $10 i-Tunes card in one pocket, a tasty treat in the main compartment, and maybe a twenty hidden somewhere wouldn’t hurt. The messenger bag I have my eye on is Fred Perry from Asos.com, and I may be purchasing one like it soon. As for the tasty treat, I suggest these Congratulations Graduate decorated Chocolate Dipped Oreos®! So incredibly delicious and they’re made with real Belgium chocolate.

Grad Gift #2

I know I post this gift basket a lot already, but it’s probably one of my favorites and goes perfect for any and all occasions. Of course I’m talking about the Starbucks Break Time Gift Basket. A new grad is going to be woefully unprepared for waking up and having to actually look presentable before 8 am, so a great gift of coffee, tea, scones, and two extra-large coffee mugs is going to be exactly what they need to start off their new life. I’ve talk about this gift so many times, if you want to read a full review go here, for now I’m going to suggest adjoining gifts to keep your grad happy! To keep with the theme, I would pair this with a nice coffee maker or Keurig if they happen to be moving out. You can add on a travel mug and a gift card to their favorite (or soon to be favorite because it’s open in the morning) breakfast place!

Grad Gift #3

Okay, I guess I am going to push that really sweet Picnic Backpack Gift Basket on you guys one more time because I love picnics and I’m just not done talking about them! You all already know what awesome things are in there, so let’s talk about some add-on gifts for your new graduate. I see this as being a kind of funny gift if they’re moving out or away seeing as this gift basket comes with some plates, utensils and cups. I would attach a grocery store gift card to help with their daily needs, and a nice cookbook like A Cookbook for a Knucklehead: Bachelor, New Graduate, Beginner, and Other Spoiled Brats. I think this book would be great for anyone going off on their own for the first time and doesn’t know how to get dinner without it being delivered by Mom or Grubhub.

As always with any gift, add some of your own personal touches to them like a nice card with a hand written message, maybe a keepsake, or something passed down. Your new graduates are going to need your guidance, support, and maybe $40 for gas.

In the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) tell me what you think is the best gift for a new high school or college graduate! FIVE lucky and random winners will also be receiving the Picnic Backpack Gift Basket!

Congratulations to all those Grads out there!

Customer Appreciation, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Party!

How to relax on Mother’s Day

May 10, 2012

Welcome back readers!

I hope you all enjoyed my Mother’s Day quiz last week! My mom would probably be an A. She’s tried to be more of a B, but let’s just say I feel safer being the one in the kitchen most times. There were a lot of great mom stories and memories in the comments section; sounds like you all grew up with some very special women in your lives. And for five of our commenters, they get even luckier with a delicious chocolate gift basket! Congratulations to Mary Cummings (May 4, 2012 at 5:06 pm), Janice Sloan (May 5, 2012 at 12:53 am), Janine White (May 6, 2012 at 1:19 pm), Jordan Robbins (May 8, 2012 at 3:06 pm), and Chris Hughart (May 10, 2012 at 4:42 am)! Please send your shipping information to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I can send out your Happy Mother’s Day Godiva Gift Basket.

Mother’s Day is this weekend! And if you remember from a couple of weeks ago, I promised my mom I would dedicate some labor time to her and help with gardening and some slight landscaping (yes, I’m already dreading waking up this weekend). Of course we all love our moms, they’re great and they do a lot of nice stuff for us. But no matter how much you like your mom, at some point this weekend you will be stressed out or go a little crazy (except for maybe all of you lucky spa-goers). It’s just the way that most holidays go, I didn’t write the rules! This is a mom’s world and we’re just living in it.

So for all of you who will be just as exhausted as I will be this Mother’s Day, I found a few really fun drink recipes for you to enjoy (and I guess even share with your mom).

Tea Tini
A great drink for spring! You can use any sweet tea you prefer, but I think a nice fruity or floral tea would make this even better. I’m currently obsessed with Passion flavored Tazo Tea, which you can buy from any Starbucks.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 oz vodka
1 oz sweet iced tea
1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
lemon wedge for garnish

Directions:

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes
Shake well
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with sugar
Garnish with the lemon wedge

White Sangria
This is another great spring drink that will be refreshing and fun to drink. You can combine this with brunch or dinner. This recipe will serve 6 people.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup mixed colorful bite-size melon pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup crisp white wine
1/4 cup brandy
3/4 cup sparkling water
Ice cubes
Lime for garnish

Directions:

Stir melon and sugar together in a large pitcher
Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes to draw out the juices.
Just before serving, stir wine, brandy, and sparkling water into the pitcher
Add ice cubes to glasses. Fill your glasses with the sangria, spooning some of the fruit into each glass. Garnish each drink with a slice of lime.

Mango Iced Tea
Here is our non-alcoholic spring drink that the whole family can enjoy. I love anything mango, so this may be a repeat drink for me for the rest of the warmer months. This recipe is for one glass, but you can just double, triple, etc. the ingredients to serve more!

Ingredients:

1 cup brewed organic green tea, chilled
1/4 cup fresh mango juice
1 tsp honey (organic honey tends to be a lot thinner and more easy to mix)
Ice cubes as needed

Directions:

In a large glass, combine the green tea and juice
Add the honey and stir well
Add ice cubes and serve immediately

Moments of Relaxation Spa Gift Tower & Mom's Wine Picnic Backpack Gift Basket

If you’ve beat me in the category of procrastinating on picking up a Mother’s Day gift, don’t worry! Some of our select Mother’s Day gifts are up to 30% off when you order before 3PM EST tomorrow 5/11/12! My three picks are below:

Mother’s Day Mira Luna Wine Gift Basket: Fits perfectly with our plan to relax this weekend! A beautiful chocolate and wine gift basket, need I say more?

Moments of Relaxation Spa Gift Tower: Bring the spa home with this gift tower. The spa products are a relaxing cucumber melon scent and this gift also provides tea, cookies and spa accessories.

Mom’s Wine Picnic Backpack Gift Basket: You’ve all seen this previously for our picnic blog, but it includes tasty foods and wine so I have to put it back on the list! Plus, we all agreed that picnics are the best, so really this gift is a no-brainer.

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend with a lot of great memories and some relaxing time with your loved ones. I’ll be getting ready to turn in my delicate writing hands for a pair of green thumbs. After you’re done enjoying the weekend, let me know in the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) how you relax. FIVE lucky and random commenters will win the Mother’s Day Mira Luna Wine Gift Basket!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift

Happy Mother’s Day Deluxe Sweets Gift Tote

May 9, 2012

To me, spring means a lot of bright happy colors, fresh flavors and sweet treats. All of this and more can be found in the Happy Mother’s Day Deluxe Sweets Gift Tote.

The very first thing you noticed about this original gift design is that it comes inside a bright and sturdy green tote bag and a bright yellow bow on top. The perfect spring tote is enough to make you fall for this delightful gift. Obviously this is going to be a very reusable gift to give. Looking at the gift basket gives me warm visions of beach trips, picnics and a cute new accessory for the upcoming warm months. I already have so many plans for ways to reuse this gift!

Of course, the gourmet sweets inside just add the pleasure of this unique gift basket. Inside this delicious gift are Cheryl’s® Chocolate Chip Cookies (probably some of the best cookies anywhere!), DeBeukelaer® Pirouline® Wafer Rolls (I dare you to only eat two without devouring the rest), Jules Destrooper® Belgian Butter Crisps, a Daisy-shaped Iced Vanilla Sugar Cookie, a large bag of Spring Pastel Taffy, Eurostyle Biscuits (or a fancy word for more cookies), Robert Rothschild® Pomegranate & Tart Cherry Preserves, and Twinings® English Iced Tea.

I really enjoyed the Robert Rothschild® preserves, mostly because the only place I can seem to find this brand is usually at Fresh Market or Whole Foods. I thought it went best on the biscuits; a great mix of the buttery cookie and fresh fruit spread. I enjoyed this little combination with some of the iced tea. It made for a very relaxing Sunday afternoon and immediately felt like spring.

The daisy shaped frosted cookie is in a few other gift baskets that I’ve found here and I’m very happy about that. It’s not an ordinary, throw-away sugar cookie, but it actually had ingredients that you know! Wheat, eggs, milk, sugar, and flour all top the list of ingredients, and you’ll find other ingredients you can recognize as the list goes on. A very impressive cookie! I used this excuse to not feel bad when I demolished the cookie in less than a minute. The rest of the cookies have been added to my ever growing cookie jar where they are kept safe away from me. Thanks to the many gift baskets I’ve been receiving, I’ll never go cookie-less again.

I would highly recommend this gift basket for any kind of occasion, whether it’s a birthday gift, housewarming present, Mother’s Day, or a “Just Because” or “Thinking of You” gift. Whoever receives this beautiful spring gift basket will love the goodies inside and be very happy to use the tote bag afterwards!

Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Thank You Gifts

Deluxe Balsam Gift Basket

May 8, 2012

Another decadent chocolate and candy gift basket for all you chocolate lovers out there! This time we’re reviewing the Deluxe Balsam Gift Basket with more than enough sweets and treats inside to deliver a smile.

All the chocolate and snacks are delivered inside a real dark willow hand-woven basket and completed with a hand-tied burgundy ribbon bow. This gift basket has a very stunning presentation when it is first delivered; color-coordinated gifts inside with a quality basket that will definitely be used around the home once the candy is gone! You could reuse this willow basket as a table centerpiece with fruit or napkins inside. The basket would also be great for functional storage in your living room, office or bedroom! Use the basket to store pens, markers, utensils; a place to organize and store remotes; a collective key holder; or store lotions and nail polish.

Of course, before I get to other uses for the gift basket, I have to enjoy all the goodies inside (see what I did there? “Have to” like it will actually be a chore!). Inside this sweet gift basket you’ll find Armaretti Del Chiorsto® Cookies, (one of my personal favorites) Ferrero Rocher® Chocolates, very rich and chocolaty Godiva® Gems® Truffles, Walkers® Olde English Royal Toffees, World’s Finest® Mint Meltaways Chocolates (which make awesome after dinner treats…or maybe I’m just trained by Olive Garden!), Fannie May® Cookies & Cream Bark, and one of my new favorite sweets Brown & Haley® Almond Roca® Buttercrunch Toffee. I will eat anything from Ferrero Rocher® and Fannie May®, but I seriously love the Cookies & Cream Bark; Cookies & Cream everything for me if we’re being honest. I could see putting this in some ice cream during the summer for an extra sweet treat. And the Almond Roca® Buttercrunch Toffee was amazing; I just wish I had about 50 more pieces. It has the perfect combination of sweet and buttery with a great crunch to it. There was too much candy and chocolate inside the gift basket for me to eat all at once , so I made a cute little candy dish out of the sweets to leave in the living room for everyone to grab at when they needed a little sweet fix!

This deluxe gift basket also has Fannie May® Pixies® Cocoa and Ghirardelli® Double Chocolate Cocoa. These will definitely be great to set aside for a cool night or a rainy day indoors. If you need your chocolate fix immediately no matter what the weather says, try them chilled! Make your cocoa as you normally would with hot water, but then add ice cubes or blend it with ice and milk for your own at home iced beverage.

For all the chocolate and sweets inside the Balsam gift basket, the Honey Wheat Pretzel Braids and Smoky Mozzarella Mini Baguettes will be a great savory snack. Break out your favorite dips, cheeses, or just eat them plain! Maybe you’re like me, but I always enjoy something salty or savory after I’ve had a lot of sweets or chocolate. I think these two snacks make a perfect addition to this very sugary gift basket.

The Deluxe Balsam gift basket makes a wonderful thank you present, a sweet graduation treat, or a cozy housewarming present. With so many great treats inside and a reusable gift basket it’s at the top of our best gift list!

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