Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog

Spring Gift Baskets Preview

February 23, 2012
Glorious Garden Sweets Spring Gift Baskets

Welcome back readers!

According to all of your answers in the comments section, I clearly have not been trying enough “exotic” foods (no fried insects for me please, I prefer to think that maybe the food that I’m eating doesn’t already purposely have bug legs in there!) I didn’t think anything could ruin my love of eggs quite like that half developed “delicacy” does…also, fly larva? I need some ginger ale stat! Anyway, we have some winners who will be receiving a tasty gift basket that’s not filled with octopus, tongue, or insects! Congratulations to Ellen B (February 16, 2012 at 7:37 pm), Franklin (February 17, 2012 at 9:34 am), Amanda Vogel (February 17, 2012 at 10:37 am), Matthew Mckay (February 17, 2012 at 2:10 pm), and Tiffany S. February 23, 2012 at 10:17 am! Please send your name and shipping information to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I can send out your gift baskets!

Glorious Garden Sweets Spring Gift Baskets

Glorious Garden Sweets Gift Basket $39.99; Product Code:96395

I don’t know if this is unique to the Midwest, but the weather channel informed me that tonight we have a “thundersnow” ready to hit the Chicagoland and suburban areas. For those of you lucky enough to not know what it’s like to live in the crazy weathered world of that Dennis Quaid movie, The Day After Tomorrow, a “thundersnow” is the mixing of a thunderstorm, heavy snow fall of up to 10 inches, and wonderfully strong winds that will ensure an extra 2 hours added to your commute! It will be gloom and doom tonight and probably tomorrow for sure. But by Sunday, I’m almost certain it will feel like middle of Spring. Seeing as I’ve already forgotten what the sun feels like and I’m prepping for my commute home driving at 10 mph, I thought we should take a look at our Spring Preview and dream about what it will be like to not wear a parka outside every day!

Flowering Fields Spring Gift Basket Gift Tower

Flowering Fields Sweets Gift Tower $34.99; Product Code:96392

Spring means floral and pastels, the smell of fresh rain and dew on grass (I’m so close to breaking out into a Sound of Music song and dance right now). I won’t even mind the apparent community of 200 geese that live in the pond in my backyard making noise in the morning! Just looking at the bright colors and flowers on these gift baskets and gift tower is enough to remind me that Spring time is close.

Our Flowering Fields Sweets Gift Tower is bright and bouncy with its orange, yellow, pink, lime green and red colors popping out from a white background. Packed with delicious gourmet foods like Cheryl’s® Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ghirardelli® Dark Chocolate Squares, Harry London® Milk Chocolate Crispy Joys®, and more, the gift tower’s bright colors won’t be the only part of the gift to delight!

Spring Has Sprung Gift Basket

Spring Has Sprung Gift Basket $34.99; Product Code:96391

The Spring Has Sprung gift basket has enough in the title to make me excited for the upcoming months. Inside you’ll find delectable gourmet treats like Harry London® White Confection Pretzels with Pink Drizzle, a Daisy-shaped Sugar Cookie, Spring Pastel Taffy, Eurostyle Biscuits, The Popcorn Factory® Pink Berry Kettle Popcorn and more! Not to be outdone, is our Glorious Garden Sweets Box Gift Basket in similar Spring fashion. This gift basket is filled with the finest sweet and savory treats perfect for a fair Spring day (real or pretend!). Honey Wheat Pretzel Braids, Cheryl’s® Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dragonfly-shaped Sugar Cookie, Assorted Fruit Slices, Spring Pastel Taffy, Robert Rothschild® Chocolate Fudge Pretzel Dip, Tazo® Zen® Green Tea and more can be found in this beautiful Spring gift basket and enjoyed by all!

You can check out a small collection of our early Spring Preview here!

In the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) tell me what you’re most excited for this Spring and we can all hope it comes back really soon together!

Have a great weekend with normal weather!

Uncategorized

Trying New Foods

February 16, 2012
Picnic snacks for two gift basket tote

Welcome Back Readers!

Did everyone have a great Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day for some of you)? I’m not going to lie; I gorged myself on some chocolates and tacos and then promptly wanted to nap for the rest of the week. Let’s hope you all have better self-control when it comes to this gift. Congratulations to Carol (February 11, 2012 at 11:42 am), Maddy (February 13, 2012 at 7:24 pm), Meredith (February 14, 2012 at 2:22 pm), Jessica B. (February 16, 2012 at 7:57 am), and Cindy H. (February 16, 2012 at 10:44 am)! Send your shipping info to amariscal@1800flowers.com and I can send your prize out to you right away!

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m kind of worn out from all the Valentine’s celebrations this month. Today is going to be a somewhat light day, but still with some good information! Another “sort-of” holiday that I like is coming up for me and I really couldn’t be more excited. Chicago’s Annual Restaurant Week kicks off this weekend I plan on trying as many weird dishes and meals that I can handle! I have basically been reading up on menus all week in preparation and trying to figure out where to make reservations. For anyone who is unfamiliar, during Restaurant Week, hundreds of participating restaurants create a special fixed price menu with a selection of appetizers, main course, and dessert dishes to try, usually at a lower cost than normal. It’s a great way to get out of habitual restaurants and go out there to find new things (and food, of course)! So naturally, I love it.

I like to think I’m a pretty adventurous eater when it comes to trying new foods. I think escargot is amazing and I want to incorporate pork belly into every meal that I have, however, I will never touch sea urchin again. It looks and feels like a tongue. (Which by the way, tongue, not that great either).

Picnic snacks for two gift basket tote

Picnic Tote for Two Snacks Gift Basket $79.99; Product Code:94998

Either way, trying new foods can be fun or you can even make a good party out of it! This picnic tote can be a great starter for snacks to lay out for a taste testing party. Packed with honey mustard onion pretzels, lentil chips, Tuscan almonds, garlic and herb pita chips, chili citrus twists, smoked salmon, sesame crackers, cheese spread, chocolates, Chipotle sauce, and more; they would make great additions to new dips, soups, or meats that you want to try. Use the crackers, chips and twists as great scooping or tasters to go with new dishes, and don’t forget to add the Chipotle sauce in your cooking to some chicken or salmon. Make a fun night out of new recipes! Also, the tote is very cute and very reusable for when you’re done. This gift basket also works well as a nice little picnic for two or a great house warming present!

While I continue drooling over menus, tell me in the comments (1-2 paragraphs), what is the weirdest food you’ve ever tried? FIVE of you lucky and random readers will win this picnic snack tote gift basket!

Have a great weekend!

Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Valentine's Day

Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts and Ideas

February 9, 2012
Love is in the Air Balloon & Sweets Product Code:96122

Welcome Back Baskets Readers!

zack morris saved by the bell valentines day

I wonder how much Zack spent on gifts for Kelly/every girl guest star on the show...

A lot of great deal breakers from your comments! I consider myself an expert Television watcher and at least 10 of the deal breakers you all commented on have happened on various episodes of Full House and Saved By the Bell; I feel like we all should have had these important life lessons ingrained into our brains by now (maybe it didn’t work because the moment wasn’t accompanied by some situational theme music or a long speech breaking the third wall from Zack Morris or Danny Tanner). Point being, aside from telling you all the television shows I know better than my own memories, is that I never knew these deal breakers happened outside of my television screen!  Anyway, winners! Congratulations to Danielle Levins (February 2, 2012 at 4:19 pm), Janey B. (February 3, 2012 at 7:26 pm), Lucy (February 7, 2012 at 6:49 am), RAJ (February 9, 2012 at 12:35 pm), Adrian (February 9, 2012 at 3:21 pm)! Email your shipping information to amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll send out your Valentine’s Day treat tower!

Love is in the Air Balloon & Sweets Product Code:96122

Love is in the Air Balloon & Sweets $29.99; Product Code:96122

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away! Are you all prepared? Do you have Valentine’s Day plans or non-plans? Maybe Valentine’s Day gift ideas? I will be doing everything very last minute, so I foresee a more “homemade” Valentine’s Day gift in my near-future project list. If you’re feeling rushed on time for Valentine’s Day planning, don’t fret! I have a few fun and interesting ideas for unique and loveable Valentine’s Day gifts.

If you’re looking for a unique spin to the traditional Valentine’s Day gift, 1800baskets.com has you covered! As we all know by now, I’m not a big fan of pink, but even I think this Valentine’s Day gift is very adorable and could be great decoration for after the holiday. Our “Love is in the Air Balloon & Sweets” gift basket would make for a great surprise for any sweetheart this Valentine’s Day. Containing Cinnamon popcorn from The Popcorn Factory and foiled-wrapped heart chocolates, it’s the perfect spin on a traditional Valentine’s Day gift (also the contents taste amazing!).

If you want to get more creative, we have some select gift baskets perfect for a romantic Valentine’s Day celebration. Try out our “Irresistible Valentine’s Day Wine Gift Basket” or “Romantic Evening Red Wine & Lindt® Truffles”, both equipped with delicious wine and fine chocolates. Have this gift ready to present with the promise of an intimate night in together. A great way to show you planned something romantic for this Valentine’s Day.

Romantic Evening Red Wine & Lindt® Truffles & Irresistible Valentine’s Day Wine Gift Basket

I recently went to a friend’s wedding and they had a really great and romantic idea that could be used for those of you who are looking for a more home-made idea. They had a series of empty and decorated wine bottles with different year increments on them (like 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, etc) and had all of their guests write small notes to them for each anniversary. So when they reach that anniversary date, they will read all the sweet notes everyone sent to them on their wedding. I think an idea of this that would be cute to try out is to get a few empty bottles, decorate them with certain dates or events and have some little love notes inside for your significant other to read later!

Another great home-made gift is to make a coupon book (this is a good stand-by for any celebration!). One of my friends went to a family Christmas party where one of the members decided that instead of everyone buying them gifts, they would rather have everyone pick a piece of paper hanging on a string from her ceiling fan, on each piece of paper was a chore or task to do. Personally, I think that’s brilliant and I’m a little shocked I didn’t come up with it first. Obviously, you can change around the book to more romantic, Valentine’s Day related things or coupons that relate directly to you.

What are some unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas that you have? Let me know in the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) and FIVE will win the Love is in the Air Balloon & Sweets Valentine’s Day gift basket!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Uncategorized

Valentine’s Day Deal Breakers

February 2, 2012

Hello Baskets Readers!

Great comments, everyone! I’m glad we’re all in agreement that Valentine’s Day gifts (no matter how much pink is being thrown at us) are the best, even more so when we buy them for ourselves occasionally because usually the good candy is gone from the shelves February 15th! I’m seriously jealous of the five of you who are winning this Godiva Valentine’s Day gift basket. Treat it well, give that delicious chocolate a good home, and tell it I’ll miss it! Anyway, congratulations to Margarita Barajas (January 27, 2012 at 11:55 am), Emma (January 31, 2012 at 5:17 pm), NATHAN (February 1, 2012 at 8:19 pm), Christy (February 2, 2012 at 12:57 pm), Audrey (February 2, 2012 at 2:46 pm)

So we’re in for another week of talking about Valentine’s Day! Personally, I don’t think I’m a very gushy or romantic person (and to be honest I still think it’s acceptable to high five my boyfriend to show affection and Liz Lemon and I share an equal aversion to ever having to use the word “lover” in this lifetime). However that doesn’t mean that I don’t think Valentine’s Day should go just as smooth as any other holiday, or realize that it’s about celebrating an important relationship in your life (casual daters: maybe just hang out with friends and avoid the awkward notions of the day…as “30 Rock” reminds us, it’s also Anna Howard Shaw Day!). So let’s try to make this year great and like any good holiday, establish some structure and guidelines so it doesn’t end in chaos or someone getting mad that you don’t have reservations anywhere and are stuck eating Taco Bell drive-thru.

Never has something agreed with me more

I feel like it should be common knowledge (also it kind of goes with #2 on my list below) but no matter your feelings on Valentine’s Day, don’t show up empty handed. Whether that means a hand written letter, chocolates, flowers, a new dvd, whatever works for you, just don’t show up with nothing. Here are my two gift basket selections for this week, because I am really digging on the design pattern used on them! I’m a huge fan of old-timey looking things, and the font and pattern are perfect to me! Check out the Hearts Afire Chocolate Valentines tower and Valentine’s Day Love ‘n Kisses Sweets Box!

Valentine's Day Love 'n Kisses Sweets gift & Hearts Afire Valentines Chocolate Tower

And now, here are some Valentine’s Day Deal Breakers that I think would be helpful for any couple wanting to celebrate the day!

Deal Breaker #1: Letting Hallmark express your feelings…and only Hallmark.

Sure, the fine people at Hallmark are good at their jobs and can write some mean Valentine’s Day poetry bound to set the stage for a floodgate of feelings. But it should be just that: a stepping stone. If you’re getting a Valentine’s Day card, don’t forget to write your own words in there too and show how you really feel. You don’t have to coin a new “You complete me” phrase; it can even be a shared memory or story. Either way, personalize it (it could make up for if you commit Valentine’s Day faux pas #2)!

Deal Breaker #2: Marking Valentine’s Day as a fake/consumer holiday

No matter how much you complain that Valentine’s Day is not a real holiday, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe the holiday is too gimmicky to you, but really it doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be. Valentine’s Day is really about celebrating your relationship, and a reminder to be more romantic and just give yourself a change from the ordinary. There’s nothing wrong with dedicating a whole day to celebrating how awesome you and your significant other are together! Plan the day how you both would want to spend it and make it fun, not a chore.

Deal Breaker #3: Making your phone your Valentine’s Day date

Just, no. Put the phone away. Turn it off. Throw it somewhere. Whatever you do, do not focus your attention on that palm sized piece of plastic rather than the living, breathing person in front of you. And just so we’re all clear, texting “Happy Valentine’s Day” is not acceptable, that’s just lazy. Write a note.

Deal Breaker #4: Expecting your significant other to make the plans

If you’re going to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I think at this point you should know each other fairly well to know how the other person is with planning and expectations. If you’re usually the plan maker, don’t be shocked when your sig-fig has nothing laid out the day of. Find something that you both agree on and would enjoy, whether that’s going out to eat, staying in to cook, taking a nice walk, whatever it is that you both love. Make a date of it; it doesn’t have to be a spectacle. Surprises are great, but that’s because they’re unexpected, otherwise we would just call them plans.

Deal Breaker #5: Do not under-dress

Doesn’t matter if you’re going out or not, unless you made specific plans and are having a sweat pants/old high school track t-shirt (my outfit of choice) Valentine’s Day celebration, you need to dress nicer than normal. The whole day is pretty much considered a date, so treat it like one. Remind them of those days where you still tried to impress them and neither of you were comfortable enough with each other to show up looking like the “after” photo from Faces of Meth.

That’s just my list though, I feel like they’re pretty good guidelines to follow for any holiday or birthday really. Did I miss something on your list though? In the comments (1-2 paragraphs) tell me what your Valentine’s Day “Deal Breaker” is or maybe a bad Valentine’s Day story! FIVE lucky and random winners will win the Hearts Afire Chocolate Valentines Tower!

chocolate covered strawberries, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Holiday Gift Baskets, Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day

January 26, 2012
Godiva® Valentine’s Day Chocolates Gift Basket

Welcome Back Readers!

We have A LOT of names to get through today, so I’ll just go right at it! Congratulations to Jenny S (January 19, 2012 at 4:22 pm), Teresa Skinner (January 19, 2012 at 5:10 pm), Doris (January 20, 2012 at 9:00 am), Jill Kinney (January 21, 2012 at 12:10 pm), Bessie Louise Burnsed (January 23, 2012 at 11:27 am), Carmen Guajardo (January 23, 2012 at 11:54 am), Marie Lujan ( January 23, 2012 at 1:26 pm), Ben G (January 24, 2012 at 8:18 pm), Dorinna Wren (January 25, 2012 at 10:46 am), and Hank (January 25, 2012 at 3:00 pm! Send your shipping info to amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll get your Starbucks gift baskets out to you!

Decadent Happy Valentine’s Day Truffle Cake Pops

Decadent Happy Valentine’s Day Truffle Cake Pops $24.99; Product Code:94360

Whew! Now that that’s settled, let’s jump right into Valentine’s Day! As a young girl in my 20s, I am pretty much obligated to enjoy Valentine’s Day and all the glitz and chocolates that come with it (which for the most part I do!). Personally, I could do without the color pink screaming at me from all sides (I’ve always been a blue girl myself) but man do I ever enjoy getting gifts or cards on Valentine’s Day. I like to think that this has been instilled in me since grade school when we would heavily decorate an old shoe box to house all the Valentine’s Day cards every kid in class was made to bring that day, and then read over the same “You’re cool!” message that was written by the people you liked once you got home (You’re cool, too Sean).

Well, I don’t have a decorated shoe box on my desk now and only one person is really obligated to send me presents on February 14. But I’ve learned that the gifts do get a lot sweeter, literally. I’ve been really good about this vegetarian thing for January (almost a month through!) so I will have no qualms whatsoever about eating my weight in Valentine’s Day gifts on the 14th; Which is a good thing too, because I really can’t choose what I want more out of our Valentine’s Day collection.

Godiva® Valentine’s Day Chocolates Gift Basket

Godiva® Valentine’s Day Chocolates Gift Basket $79.99; Product Code:96121

Our Godiva® Valentine’s Day chocolate gift basket is enough to make your mouth water just from the computer screen. It’s packed with small chocolates, chocolate-covered pretzels, truffles, dessert bar, cocoa, confections and so much more. Also the basket is sincerely stylish enough to be used when it’s emptied.

Our Valentine’s Day truffle cake pops have definitely had their own feature in my dreams. We had a version of them for Halloween and at least 5 were consumed by me in one day…I just couldn’t resist. Our real chocolate covered strawberries don’t need any kind of introduction, but it’s always good to know that they are decorated for the holiday with cute little red kiss sprinkles!

Imperial Cherry Blossom Spa Gift Basket

Imperial Cherry Blossom Spa Gift Basket $59.99; Product Code:93348

Maybe you’re looking for a more relaxing gift? Our Imperial Cherry Blossom Spa gift basket is simply divine. I may be biased at the moment, because I’ve just recently discovered how much I love salons and spas now that I received a Christmas gift to go to one, but this gift basket is filled with all sorts of extravagant and indulgent gifts. There’s a spa mitten, sponge, body lotion, sugar body scrub, body oil, exfoliating shower gel, and much more! It’s the perfect Valentine’s Day for someone who needs some relaxation.

Since it’s not February yet, I need to go back to staring at pictures of salads and wait for the day when I can go into a sugar coma and wear sweatpants for the rest of the week. But FIVE of you lucky commenters will be able win some sweet Valentine’s Day treats early! In the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) tell me what was your favorite Valentine to receive? Five lucky and random winners will receive the Godiva® Valentine’s Day chocolate gift basket!

Have a great weekend!

Customer Appreciation, For the Love of Coffee

Warm Wishes

January 19, 2012
Starbucks® Blends Gourmet Coffee Gift Basket Product Code:96329

Welcome back readers!

Just a quick note, thank you guys again and again to continue coming back here to read and comment. You’re all very sweet with great stories, I’m going to try to respond more often while I have time 🙂 Hope everyone is feeling great and aren’t actually in desperate need for our Friend on the Mend get well gift basket! You should all be feeling fresh and healthy after we talked about eating more fruits and greens. We’ve still got about five people who can enjoy these gift baskets anyway 😉 Congratulations to Melissa (January 15, 2012 at 1:54 pm ), Ann Mathew (January 15, 2012 at 2:25 am ), Emily (January 12, 2012 at 3:47 pm ), Ed (January 19, 2012 at 11:20 am ), and Mitch (January 13, 2012 at 2:08 pm )! Send your info to amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll send out your Friend on the Mend gift baskets!

Now, I’m not really a big fan of winter…at all. I don’t like having to be stuck indoors all the time, and whenever I want to do something I have to take into account if it’s indoors, if it’s warm, will I be spending money that I don’t really have? Will I be seeing people? Do I need to put on real pants or can I just keep these comfy sweat pants on…? I think you all get my point.

Starbucks® Blends Gourmet Coffee Gift Basket Product Code:96329

Starbucks® Blends Gourmet Coffee Gift Basket $39.99; Product Code:96329

I’m a big coffee and tea drinker during winter. Well, more tea right now since I’ve tried to cut back on coffee for the month (which has honestly been really hard for me and my ability to get out of bed in the morning). Either way, warm beverages make for a cozy and happy Alex. I actually like sitting in Starbucks® to enjoy some coffee or tea with friends, but once it’s cold there are so many new factors to just wanting to enjoy a good cup of something warm to drink. First off, you have to drive. This is big inconvenience number one for me. If I had gone to school for differential equations, time theory, and Tesla, you bet I would be working on a teleportation device right now. Unfortunately for all of us, I saw the Jeff Goldblum version of The Fly when I was little and pledged myself to a life of words. Any Starbucks location will always be packed with other people who decided that since they drove there, they should probably just stay there to make up for even being out. And then there’s the pants thing (if we’re being honest, I would definitely go out in my sweats, I just don’t want to deal with the staring…this must be how celebrities feel!).

Starbucks Deluxe Coffee for Two $59.99; Product Code:94877 So, my big solution to enjoying hot beverages during a very cold and bitter season? Manifest Destiny your nearest Starbucks® location and just move in there! Just kidding! All you need to do is stock up on some incredibly awesome coffee and tea gifts. I’m sure I’ve posted enough about the Starbucks® Break Time Gift Basket so much that you all can draw it with your eyes closed, so I’ll just link to it  here. We have a new(ish) Starbucks® gift in that I think looks amazing. Our Starbucks® Deluxe Coffee for Two gift basket is for coffee-lovers everywhere. It includes a variety of coffee blends, ready brew, two chocolate colored mugs and more inside a fashionable tweed container. Pretty snazzy if I say so myself (yes, I just pulled out “snazzy”). We also have our loyal standby the Starbucks® Blends Gourmet Coffee gift basket with various blends of coffee and tea to last a few non-trips outdoors! There’s also our Starbucks® Warm Wishes Mug gift set that comes with smooth coffee, tea, two mugs, cocoa, cookies and more! All of these are great alternatives to help you stay warm, cozy, and make indoors a little more fun.

Are you stuck indoors for winter? How do you spend your winter season? Tell me in the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) and TEN lucky and random winners will win Starbucks® Blends Gourmet Coffee gift baskets!

Stay Toasty!

Customer Appreciation, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Uncategorized

Get Well Soon!

January 12, 2012
Friend on the Mend Doctor's House Call Kit

Welcome Back Readers,

You guys have a lot of great resolutions, I hope we all stick with them and make them a permanent thing! The following winners will definitely have a great head start. Congratulations to Will (January 9, 2012 at 5:07 am), Natalie J Vandenberghe ( January 8, 2012 at 12:41 am), Donna Joyce (January 6, 2012 at 10:12 am), Carol (January 6, 2012 at 5:37 am), and Jonathan Ammons (January 6, 2012 at 12:18 pm)! Send your info to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and we’ll get your Modesto Fruit Baskets out.

Friend on the Mend Doctor's House Call Kit

Friend on the Mend Doctor's House Call Kit $39.99; Product Code:94080

January, as we talked about last week, is the time for healthy resolutions, fresh starts, and eating right. Well, January also happens to be the worst time for flu-season and feeling like garbage no matter how many apples you eat. A few people in our office are already out with some sort of sickness, and I could do without a few weeks of coughing, sniffles, sneezing, and body aches. Last year during Chicago’s “Snowmageddon,” I was snowed into my apartment with a case of pneumonia. Literally every store was closed (mostly because it was covered in snow) and my contact with the outside world was limited to a few glances at the internet when I wasn’t dozing off from medication. At this point, I was pretty sure a dog sled team lead by Balto was going to be my only salvation. But luckily, I had a super awesome roommate who was there to take care of me and generally make sure I didn’t die. From my brief moments of consciousness, I know that she made me hot tea and cut up apples for me with a side of peanut butter so I could get some strength back and food in me. It was basically the best I could ask for.

It’s good to know that I have a really good friend who would take care of me and wish me well. I’m sure all of you have just as great of friends, and even are that friend who likes to help. So, if you’re looking for a nice Get Well gift to send, we’ve got you covered. Any fruit basket would obviously be a great choice because, well duh fruit. But let me highlight some of our specific gifts that I think will warm anyone’s heart (and mostly stomach!).

Soup’s On Gourmet Soup Collection Gift Basket

Soup’s On Gourmet Soup Collection Gift Basket $39.98; Product Code:96043

The Soup’s On Gourmet Soup gift basket looks absolutely delicious to me right now (especially after not being able to find a place that delivers soup to the office). It comes with several soups like chicken and rice, creamy potato, crackers, large soup mugs, and the actual basket looks great. This is gift basket is sure to brighten up any ill friend’s day.

Probably our cutest gift is the Friend on the Mend Doctor’s House Call gift basket (pictured at the top of the article with the super awesome red basket). Absolutely adorable gift made to look like a doctor’s bag, complete with chicken noodle soup, word search book, bandage and nurse cookies, tea, honey straw, crackers, and more! I know that anyone who receives this will be more than happy to call you their friend.

Hopefully all you lovely readers are in tip-top shape, getting lots of sleep, drinking tea, and getting all your vitamins. Either way, in the comments section below (1-2 paragraphs), tell me a “Get Well” related story! I’ll be giving away FIVE of the Friend on the Mend Doctor’s House Call gift baskets to some lucky and random winners.

Fruit Club, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Teacher Appreciation, Thank You Gifts, Uncategorized

Healthy New Year!

January 5, 2012
Modesto Valley Fruit & Nut Gift Basket Product Code:96093

Welcome Back Basket Readers!

Modesto Valley Fruit & Nut Gift Basket Product Code:96093

Modesto Valley Fruit & Nut Gift Basket $54.99; Product Code:96093

Hope everyone had a wonderful break, holiday, and New Year! I spent some quality time with my family, friends, and more importantly my bed and Netflix subscription (Joking…kind of). I’m really excited to be starting a fresh year and, in all honesty, to be done with the Great Feasting period otherwise known as the combined months of October, November, and December. (I know, me getting sick of food? It’s like I don’t even know myself!)

Everyone loves food holidays, but after a while, meals just become obligatory and then I spend a whole day holding my sides in pain from too many bread rolls. So I’ve decided that my New Year’s Resolution is to make it through January being a vegetarian and giving up coffee, pop, and extra sweets. It shouldn’t be too hard for me since I don’t eat meat on a daily basis, but it will be a fun challenge and nice way to sort of detox. January is the time to start on our resolutions that will most likely be forgotten by the second week of February, but I might as well try it out anyway! Five days in and it’s really not that bad, of course I still have the rest of the month to go!

I figured for my beginner’s sake and for any of you lovely readers trying to keep your own resolutions, I would make this returning week about our fruit gift baskets and some healthy living and eating tips!

fruit gift baskets You all probably remember from early Fall and Summer when I would not shut up about apples. But apples really all the Superfruit for me. And lucky for all of you, most of our fruit gift baskets come with a healthy supply of delicious apples! All of our fruit gift baskets are very healthy and very fresh. These gourmet gift baskets are filled with mouthwatering fruits straight from the orchard, like Bosc, Comice, and green D’Anjou pears, Fuji and Braeburn apples, ripe oranges, delicious snacks like cheese, flatbread, nuts, and more. It’s a great gourmet gift to send or receive without any food guilt!

Healthy Tips

Drink more water. Water is now your best friend! Drink a glass of water in the morning when you wake up to replenish oxygen to your body overnight. Water flushes out your system and clears out toxins. Water also makes you less tired, gives you more energy, plus it eliminates headaches and aids in hydration. It could also help you eat less when your body is confusing thirst for hunger. Tea is a great alternative for if you’re bored with water.

Start a simple diet change. Slowly incorporate more colors into your food if you’re not used to change in meal plans. Adding bright tomatoes, leafy greens, corn, beets, cabbage, and fresh fruits to your everyday eating will make it easier to transition to a healthier lifestyle. Also eat healthier carbs like wheat and whole grain. A handful of nuts is great for an on- the- go snack and will help build up your protein.

Don’t quarantine certain foods. Putting a mental block on certain foods can be more destructive along the way. When you’re not eating sweets or salty treats you enjoy, your body only wants these items more. Instead, try smaller portions of your favorite treats, and try to slowly take them out of your eating schedule. Smaller serving sizes are a great tip for all around eating. Especially if you’re going out to a restaurant or an outing with friends, try to split items or order smaller plate foods. Wrap up some of your food to go and listen to your body when you think you’re full.

Exercise. (Duh, Alex!) Even if it’s just going for a short walk in the mornings, during your lunch break, or after work, it’s important to get your body moving. I know that all I want to do when I get home from work is curl up in my bed, especially now that it’s winter. But this is prime time for shaping up, before we get to Spring and Summer and feel too defeated to do any real workouts.

Breathe! It sounds silly, but taking some time to literally breathe is more beneficial than you think! DTake some time out to do some deep breathing and replenish oxygen to your blood cells. It doesn’t hurt when it comes to eliminating stress or tension either!

Hope this list leaves all of you as motivated as it’s made me! In the comments section below (1-2 paragraphs) tell me what some of your New Year’s Resolutions are or ways that you like to stay healthy! I’ll be giving away FIVE of our Modesto Valley Fruit & Nut gift baskets to some lucky and random winners next week!

Happy New Year!

Customer Appreciation, Uncategorized

Merry Christmas

December 22, 2011

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays Basket Fans!

We have a short post for you today before the Holidays, so I’ll get right to business! Congratulations to Sidney Cook (December 16, 2011 at 2:55 am), Heather Garity (December 16, 2011 at 7:20 am), Emily (December 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm), Ben Gore (December 20, 2011 at 7:10 pm), Corazon (December 22, 2011 at 3:02 pm)!! Please email your information to amariscal@1800flowers.com and we can send over your Sweet Miss Givings bakery gift box!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...I couldn't not post this...

We’re mere DAYS away from Christmas and I’m still not done with all of my shopping! I don’t know about all of you, but I feel like the week before Christmas just keeps getting busier and busier every year. I will be happy for the weekend to start so I can just relax, sleep in past noon guilt free, and hope that all of the presents I bought will be magically wrapped when I open my eyes! Of course until then, I will be flying through the local shops and retail stores like a mad woman and scouring the local resale shops for an ugly sweater to wear for an ugly sweater Christmas party.

I hope everyone has a happy, safe and wonderful Holiday weekend! Thank you so much for reading and commenting each week! I’ll leave a little present below in the form of my favorite (somewhat) Christmas song 😉

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Gift Baskets, Customer Appreciation, Gift Baskets, Holiday Gift Baskets

Sweet Treats for a Sweet Cause

December 15, 2011
Sweet Miss Givings Ultimate Bakery Gift Box $89.99; Product Code:96362

Welcome back gift baskets readers!

A really great post coming up (not bragging about me, just the topic!), so I’ll get to things right away! Congratulations to Howard Y. ( December 8, 2011 at 5:41 pm), Starlet Borzymowski ( December 9, 2011 at 8:02 am), Joy B. ( December 15, 2011 at 10:48 am), Swisspotluck ( December 10, 2011 at 6:21 pm), and Swisspotluck (December 10, 2011 at 6:21 pm)!! Email your information to amariscal@1800flowers.com and we’ll get your Comfort and Joy Sweet Treats Gift Basket to you right away!

Sweet Miss Givings Ultimate Bakery Gift Box $89.99; Product Code:96362

Sweet Miss Givings Ultimate Bakery Gift Box $89.99; Product Code:96362

I’m going to take a little break away from talking about gifts, décor, movies, and the inevitable snow storm that will make my morning commute 10x more hectic. Instead, I want to talk about an extremely cool project that the 1800baskets.com team participated in. We decided to partner up with local Chicago fund, Chicago House & Social Service Agency.

Chicago House has been a leader in housing and supportive services for people living with HIV and AIDS, with programs that expand beyond housing to encompass a variety of services designed to help people living with HIV and AIDS move towards independence and self-sufficiency, including prevention, medication adherence, and employment programs. The Chicago House organization is by far one of the best non-profit programs out there for helping those in need. Their residential and scattered-site housing programs create stable housing, a Family Support Program offers housing, case management and other support services to 18 families, including over 30 dependent children, and works intensively with both parents and children to stabilize their lives and help break the cycle of poverty. They work intensively on education and support for those living with HIV and AIDS; awareness and prevention initiatives, medication adherence programs, community case management and work support programs only scratch the surface of everything this organization has to offer.

A few of us on the team with all of the donations!

1800Baskets.com has even partnered with their employment initiative business, Sweet Miss Giving’s bakery, a for-profit bakery that provides transitional job training in addition to donating 100% of its profits back to Chicago House. You can find their bakery items (here) to order! A sweet treat supporting an even sweeter cause. And from personal tasting, the turtle brownies are the only brownies I ever want to eat for the rest of my life. If I could eat them every day without giving myself early on-set diabetes, I would.

This holiday season, we knew we wanted to help out even more. For the beginning half of the month, we ran a donation drive in our office to collect personal hygiene items, winter gear like coats, gloves, hats, scarves, and games for families to play together. We ended up with way over 1000 items! (And my arms ended up with some muscle definition from carrying…) As a gifting company, our main objective is to make our customers smiles, but this was a whole other level!

For the rest of the season (and really the year), think about ways that you can give back to your community or help those in need! Maybe find “two for one” deals while you’re out grocery or everyday shopping and just set things aside as you go along to make the donation process easy. Sort through your closets or attics for things you just don’t have a need for anymore. Get yourself a delicious treat at Sweet Miss Givings and put those calories to a worthy cause (if it’s for charity, I hear all brownies are 0 calories)!

In the comments section (1-2 paragraphs), tell me what your favorite charities, any charitable moments you recall, or any charitable programs that you always work with. We’ll be giving FIVE random winners a Sweet Miss Givings Bakery gift box!

Happy Holidays!