Towel Origami sweeping the nation !

Swan
Originally uploaded by B&B II.

How about the new towel origami craze that seems to be sweeping the hospitality world and now our Gift Basket world too ! Fancy Honeymoon hotels are folding towels into animal shapes, heartsm and the Swan you see here to welcome their guests.

Debra Paulk from Festivities Publication has some great designs for gift baskets. I think it is wonderful to add fun visual effects in gift baskets. Many people who have ordered our baskets always say that they are so beautiful that they display them at least for a week or two before opening the basket.

Here is a video for Towel Origami

You'll never fold a towel the same old way again. Make a guest bath special with towel origami-the art of folding fabrics into cool shapes and creatures. Crease and crinkle ordinary towels to create an elephant, monkey, ladybug, palm tree, lotus flower, spinning windmill, skyscraper, and more.

Probably the most popular book out on Towel Origami. Nice photos and nice towel origami creations. Was able to make some of the creations without any problem. Worth buying if you want to learn towel origami.

The Mostest For The Hostess !

the dinner party (before)
Originally uploaded by JKonig.

Hosts go through a lot to arrange a formal / informal dinner party. This photograph taken by Jennifer König is a perfect example of the time it takes to set up something like this.

Whether you've been invited to a dinner party or you are visiting friends or family, the rule is to not come empty-handed, especially if it's someone you don't know well.

You can always bring one of the old standbys -- flowers, a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine -- but there are plenty of more interesting alternatives.

Coffee Table Books are one of the most popular hostess gifts, and the big hit with hostesses. A Hostess Diary, leather-bound, is a great idea, especially for someone who entertains a lot, because she / he can put down what she / he served, what everyone wore, the dishes you used and so on and so forth.

If you're staying with friends for the holidays, bring them an Elegant Digital Picture Frame (which is a real hot seller right now) and your friends will love your thoughtful gesture.

If you've baked a cake, present it with an elegant cake server. These simple ideas will make any host or hostess understand that you have appreciated the effort they have taken in putting together the dinner party !

And it never hurts to bring a little charm to dinner -- by putting together a Gift Basket with things that will please the host. Lets say your host loves Starbucks, make or give a Starbucks Gift Basket.

Cafe Cup Basket & The Ettiquette Of Thank You Notes

Cafe Cup Basket
Originally uploaded by Medini Pradhan.

Everyone knows it's proper to say thank you after receiving a gift or good deed. However, many don't realize there's a proper way to thank people.

The Do's of Thank You Notes

Send your thank you notes as quickly as possible. Notes may be sent on informal stationery, except for wedding thank you notes which are generally sent on formal stationery. Always make specific reference to the gift that is the subject of the note, such as "Thank you so much for the blue sweater. Make it personal. The recipient will appreciate your taking the time to express yourself.


The Don'ts of Thank You Notes

Don't delay in sending most notes. Generally notes should be sent within a week of receipt of the gift or gesture. The only exception to this timing is as follows: 1. Thank you notes for hospital gifts should be sent as soon as the patient is well enough to send them, whenever that is. 2. The current guidelines for wedding gift thank you notes are that the notes should be sent within three months of receipt of gifts.

There is really no excuse for not writing a thank-you note. Make it a habit to write a note as soon as possible after the event or receiving the gift. And, please, teach your children to do the same.

Dora Happy Birthday Gift Basket

Dora Happy Birthday Gift Basket
Originally uploaded by Medini Pradhan.

Dora the Explorer has become very popular amongst the young girls.
We have kept up with the times and themed many gift baskets with many fun charecters like Dora, Peter Rabbit, Winnie The Pooh and others.

Dora the Explorer: A Fun Companion for Kids By Jared Winston

Dora the Explorer is a cartoon show that airs on the Nickelodeon channel, featuring stories about Dora Marquez, a young Hispanic girl who ventures forth on adventurous quests. The Dora the Explorer show is aimed for a younger audience, from six to ten years old, although children that are four or five years old also seem to enjoy the show. Dora speaks both English and Spanish, and helps viewers learn the use of simple words in Spanish, so it's not uncommon to see young viewers of the Dora the Explorer show who are able to understand basic Spanish words… and some of them are even able to use full simple sentences correctly!

Of course Dora is not alone during her adventures. The show features many other characters, the most important of them being a talking monkey named Boots. His name comes from the red boots he likes to wear, and being Dora's best friend he joins her on every single adventure she gets into.

In every episode of Dora the Explorer, a sneaky masked fox named Swiper tries to steal an item from Dora or her friend Boots, usually jeopardizing the successful completion of the day's quest, so Dora and her friends end up having to recover the stolen item in order to finish the quest. Sometimes, the recovery of the stolen item is the quest in itself.

The only way Dora and Boots can prevent Swiper from stealing something is repeating the phrase "Swiper, No Swipping!!!" three times. If they don't repeat this phrase three times, then the evil fox will steal the item and say "you were late" to Dora and her best friend, throwing the item far away.

Other characters of the Dora the Explorer Show are Dora's parents, "Papi" (Spanish for "daddy?) and "Mami" (Spanish for "mommy"), and also her "abuela" ("grandma"). They speak both Spanish and English, of course. Another cool character is Diego, who is Dora's cousin. Diego is a boy who rescues animals that are in danger and often accompanies Dora on her adventures. The Diego character became so popular that he even got his own show, called "Go, Diego. Go."

A bunch of bilingual animals, like "Señor Tucán" and "Isa, the Iguana"; and some talking items, like Dora's Backpack, complete the character list.

Dora the Explorer is a show that encourages viewer participation: Dora often asks the audience if they have seen Swiper, or asks them to count the numbers along with her. This is perhaps what makes Dora the Explorer such a great educational show, enabling small children to learn the basic concepts of mathematics (mostly counting), to recognize different kinds of music, and to use simple but useful Spanish words at a very low age.

The Dora the Explorer Show became a regular series on Nickelodeon in the year 2000, and is still being produced. The show is not only aired for the US, but also for a lot of countries around the world. So far, Dora the Explorer has been translated to Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Dutch and many other languages.

Follow-Up on Gift Card Fraud

Here are some great tips on how to avoid Gift Card Fraud.

"Gift card fraud is a growing concern among retailers nationwide," said Joseph LaRocca, vice president of loss prevention for the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group.

Watch this video by Businessweek Online.

Here are some great tips from SCAMBUSTERS.ORG

8 Tips for Protecting Yourself From Any Gift Card Scam:

There are plenty of things that you can do to protect yourself from gift card scams. And the best part is that none of these things will take more than a few minutes.

Just follow these eight simple tips to make shopping for gift cards safer:

Don't buy gift cards from online auction sites. Since this is a large source of gift card fraud, these cheap gift cards may well be worthless to you. Sure, some of these cards are real, but many are stolen, counterfeit or used. It's not worth the risk.

Only buy gift cards directly from the store issuing the gift card or from a secure retailer's website -- no matter how much cheaper they may be somewhere else. If you do buy a gift card online, make sure you buy it from the place that you plan to use it.

Don't buy gift cards off of publicly displayed racks in retail stores. In addition, don't assume that because gift cards are inaccessible to the public, they are safe. After all, store employees can participate in gift card scams too.

Always carefully examine both the front and back of a gift card before you buy it. If you can see a PIN number, put the card back and get a different one. If a gift card looks like it could have been tampered with, don't buy that gift card.

Always ask the store cashier to scan the gift card in front of you. This will guarantee that your card is valid when you buy it and that it reflects the balance you just charged it with. This will also protect you from crooks who exchange worthless cards for the cards you think you are buying.

Always keep your receipt as a proof of purchase as long as there is money stored on the gift card. Since many retailers can track where the gift card was purchased, activated and used, if the card is stolen, some retailers will replace the card for you if you have your receipt.

If possible, register your gift card at the store's website. Although not all stores offer this option, you can uncover any misuse of your gift card sooner and report it more quickly.

Finally, never, ever give your Social Security number, date of birth or any other unneeded private information when you purchase a gift card. No reputable company will ask for this info.

Gift cards are convenient and make great gifts. Following these easy tips will help you ensure the person you buy the gift card for is the one who benefits from it!