Posts Tagged ‘Personalised Wine’

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Corporate Gifts

Friday, September 3rd, 2010
Corporate Gifts Logo

Corporate Gifts Logo

Gifts are not just items that you should give on a special occasion. Sometimes rewards can help to inspire an entire workforce :) It can make them feel appreciated, usually that is what is needed to get the best out of your workforce. CorporateGifts2U are specialists in providing corporate gifts, business gift ideas and promotional gift ideas at affordable prices within the UK. We pride ourselves on offering your company a range of corporate wine, gifts, personalised gifts and engraved gifts to suit your business and your budget.

It doesn’t matter what the quantity is, we are sure we can help! In order to discuss options or receive a quote, please call us on 01775 640788, or email us at enquiries@CorporateGifts2U.co.uk and one of our sales advisors will be more than happy to help.

Corporate Wine

We specialise in corporate wine for business and corporate customers within the UK. We can offer competitive prices on a range of wine gifts and personalised wine gifts, as well as standard, personalised and luxury wine gift sets. We have a selection of red, white and rose wines to choose from ranging from £4 – £30 depending on your budget, as well as personalised corporate wine gifts from £6 per bottle (based on a quantity of 50 bottles plus). Wines include Italian, Australian and Chilean wine bottles, however speciality wines can be sourced upon request. As already mentioned, our company also offers wine gift sets, which combine wine bottles with wine boxes, wine accessories and glasses/engraved glasses. Corporate wine gift sets can be custom made upon request to include all or a selection of the recommended wine products. All of our corporate wines, personalised wine gifts, engraved wine gifts and wine gift sets will be delivered within the UK by a pallet courier on a next working day service. So, if you have a tight schedule we can definitely help in getting some corporate gifts sent out to you or an address within the UK. Call us on 01775 640788 for more information on all our corporate wine products.

Personalised Corporate Wine Gifts

Our personalised corporate wine gifts can be split down into three forms; firstly you can choose one of our pre-designed labels to add a message onto. These are ideal for corporate Christmas wine gifts. Secondly, you have the option to design your own wine label, which we will then print out and attach to our wine bottles. If you don’t have a design team – worry not, we do, so a design can be drawn up and emailed through for confirmation. Please note: an extra charge is taken for this service. Thirdly, if you have got the budget, or are looking for a special gift to give to customers or employees then we would suggest engraved wine gifts. These are personalised corporate wine gift ideas with a message (and possibly a logo – dependent upon the complexity of your business logo) and prices start from £16 for a minimum of 20 bottles.

If in doubt or you’d like to discuss options just give us a ring.

Send Champagne in the UK

Is your company looking to send champagne out in large or smaller quantities? We can help, we can provide branded champagne and corporate personalised champagne as well as a huge variety of bespoke champagne gift sets suit to your requirements. Recently, we have sent out Moet et Chandon Magnum Champagne bottles in a gift box as well standard 75cl Moet et Chandon champagne bottles. We have access to the most well known champagne brands including Bollinger, Veuve Cliquot and Taittinger, for example. We can send a bottle box out with these branded champagnes if you are looking for a champagne gift set. However, if you are looking for personalised corporate gifts then choose to create bottles of personalised champagne. You can either design the champagne label yourself, we can design the champagne label for you. Or, you could go for engraved champagne. We can put these personalised corporate champagne gifts into a gift box, should you desire and add engraved or standard flutes to them to create unique and unusual champagne gift sets ideal to give out as business gifts. These gift ideas are also delivered on a next day delivery service via a pallet courier, so once again if you need champagne in a rush for your business, then we can help you.

Engraved Business Gifts

Yes, we offer engraved business gifts too. The range is limitless; including such gifts as engraved pens in a variety of colours, engraved business card holders, engraved keyrings. Other engraved gifts include bottle gifts; engraved whisky, engraved vodka, engraved port and engraved sambuca.

We are here for all of your business gift, corporate gift and promotional gift needs, so take advantage of our service and give us a call or send us an email to discuss your requirements today. If you are on a tight schedule of 3-4 working days, then consider us. We may be able to get some corporate gifts out to you that quick.

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What wine are you? Personalised, Engraved, Vintage?

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

I like doing quizzes… I was doing a bit of research for this post and I came across this: http://uk.quizrocket.com/what-wine-quiz/?srp=1 – try it and it will tell you what kind of wine you are. I was very honest and look what I was told I was: “wine in a box”. I think  you should ALL try it!

I am "Wine In A Box"

I am "Wine In A Box"

This got me thinking then, if a quiz can decide that I’m a wine in a box then how can we decide what kind of wine gift to get someone? I mean there are lots of options out there: fine wine, standard ‘cheap’ wines, personalised wine, engraved wine, vintage wines, magnum wines and so many more… so what do you pick and how can you be sure that the choice you make is the correct one? For me I split buying wine into categories:

1) Is it a special occasion or am I buying a wine gift just because?
2) What is the special occasion? – Wedding, milestone birthday, anniversary party (the list goes on)
3) Relationship to the recipient – is it a close relationship or are you just people who know eachother?
4) Budget – how much can you realistically spend?

So this is my train of thought if I was going to buy a wedding gift for a close family friend who I have known for about 12 years. Following the check list above this is how I would determine what kind of wine I would buy:

- It is a special occasion
- The special occasion is a wedding
- They are are close family friend – so not a nobody and someone who has bought me gifts since I was young.
- For people like that you can’t really have a budget. They are a part of your life on a regular basis and something important is about to happen in their life.

The only real choice then is a bottle of personalised wine. Why go for personalised wine? Well quite simply it is the fact that personalisation adds that special touch to any gift. If you take the time to personalise a gift it makes it very thoughtful! BUT I would just go for any old personalised wine gift, I would go for a fine wine; like perhaps a Chianti Classico or a Barolo. Something that would just get better with age, kind of like their marriage. I would also make sure that this wine was anengraved wine gift. Engraving has a more classier touch in my opinion, it also lasts a lifetime (unless the bottle gets broken) but that is the sentiment I would hope to convey with this bride gift and groom gift – I want their marriage to be long and happy!

So when choosing a bottle of wine to give someone take all these factors into consideration and you’ll find the perfect wine gift! I will always advocate a personalised wine gift though, I just think they are special and that is how I want people to feel when they recieve a gift from me. That they are special.

http://www.winegifts4u.co.uk/Deciding-On-A-Wine-Gift-Idea-article.php

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Summer calls for Wine Gifts and lots of Photos

Monday, July 26th, 2010

What do we know of the British Summer – usually it’s dull and horrible… but every now and again there is a glimmer of hope and we have a few days of sunshine. On those particular days when you are at work and looking outside your office window to see the summer sun beaming… and you know that you would rather be outside nothing but lazing in the sun… that’s when you know that summer has arrived. When I see weather like that I would much rather be sipping the rose bottle of personalised wine I received recently as a birthday gift for my best friend. Although, I would be quite happy sipping on champagne too rather than sitting in this wood-built office knowing that the warmer it gets outside the hotter I will get inside and not in a nice way either. Sweltering sauna springs to mind – trust me it is like a sauna in here, since the air conditioning unit packed up recently. Anyway, in order to stop myself thinking of Monday morning, work and the impending sweat fest that will shortly be occurring. I’m going to pretend it is still Sunday and think of all the summer parties that I shall be hosting or attending over the coming months, the food that will be served, the wine that will be consumed and the wine gifts (hmmmm) I intend to lavish my guests with.

Tradition Calls
It’s a tradition that every year when summer arrives my friends and I each throw a party, which usually consists of a BBQ or light summery meal along with refreshments including wine, champagne and cocktails, as well as entertainment and of course getting dressed up.

This year, I intend to have my party under a classy Mediterranean theme, which includes Italian cuisine and fine Italian wine, such as Chianti Classico and Barolo for the more cultured wine connoisseurs among us. The wine bottles will be flowing freely, and fruity cocktails made from some of the white Italian wine including Pinot Grigio and Italian Chardonnay will be made later on in the evening.

My entertainment is going to be very light hearted; it came from the personalised wine gift I received from a friend. Basically, everyone who comes will be allocated a bottle of back label wine. They will then have to design a wine label for their wine based on a particular upcoming occasion or event. For example, Father’s Day has just passed, so they would have had to design a wine label related to Father’s Day, the resulting wine gift they could in theory have given to a dad they know as a father’s day wine gift.

There will be a number of different annual themes and occasions for the personalised wine to be created under, including birthday, wedding and anniversary for example. Each participant will have to design a label under each theme and the best wine label design for each particular theme will be put on the winner’s wine bottle and they will then have to present it as a personalised wine gift to someone at that next occasion. It doesn’t end there; when they give the wine gifts photos must be produced for all to see throughout the summer to see the recipients’ faces. I haven’t done it before, but I think it is pretty safe to say that giving a personalised wine bottle as a wedding gift, birthday gift or anniversary gift for example, hand-drawn by thirty something year olds isn’t quite the way forward. So, obviously a back plan is allowed, an official and professional bottle of personalised wine can be given too. I anticipate professional personalised wine gifts to be much more of a hit than the interesting wine gifts that we will be producing after consuming a couple of wine glasses!

If you do end up giving personalised wine gifts this summer as birthday presents, wedding gifts or engagement gifts for example, don’t give a home-made job! Get specialised personalised wine and get a bag or gift box to present them in. If you would like to give a much more special wine gift, then consider combining the personalised wine (or Engraved Wine) with some wine glasses or even better engraved wine glasses to create a classy wine set that can be treasured for years to come.

Well seen as it’s summer and many of us will be outside enjoying the beautiful sunshine! Take a few snaps and keep them ready for winter when you will need to start sorting out christmas presents. What better present than a personalised photo frame with a photo from an enjoyable summers day? – It will light up any cold winters afternoon!

http://www.winegifts4u.co.uk/Wedding-Gift-Ideas-When-You-Are-Stuck-What-To-Buy-For-A-Wedding-Present-article.php

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The basics of wine tasting

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Have you ever wondered how to taste wine? It is a pretty awesome skill to have, and it does sadly take years to develop but if you want to understand the basics of how to taste wine then here is a quick and easy guide to tasting wine:

  1. Look: First you need to check out the Color and Clarity.Pour a glass of wine into a suitable wine glass. Then take a good look at the wine. Tilt the glass away from you and check out the color of the wine from the rim edges to the middle of the glass (it’s helpful to have a white background – either paper, napkin or a white tablecloth).What color is it? Look beyond red, white or blush. If it’s a red wine is the color maroon, purple, ruby, garnet, red, brick or even brownish? If it’s a white wine is it clear, pale yellow, straw-like, light green, golden, amber or brown in appearance?
  2. Still Looking. Move on to the wine’s opacity. Is the wine watery or dark, translucent or opaque, dull or brilliant, cloudy or clear? Can you see sediment? Tilt your glass a bit, give it a little swirl – look again, is there sediment, bits of cork or any other floaters? An older red wine will often have more orange tinges on the edges of color than younger red wines. Older white wines are darker, than younger white wines when comparing the same varietal at different ages.
  3. Smell: Our sense of smell is critical in properly analyzing a glass of wine. To get a good impression of your wine’s aroma, swirl your glass for a solid 10-12 seconds (this helps vaporize some of the wine’s alcohol and release more of its natural aromas) and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.
  4. Still Smelling. Now stick your nose down into the glass and take a deep inhale through your nose. What are your second impressions? Do you smell oak, berry, flowers, vanilla or citrus? A wine’s aroma is an excellent indicator of its quality and unique characteristics. Swirl the wine and let the aromas mix and mingle, and sniff again.
  5. Taste:Finally, take a taste. Start with a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, the Evolution phase and the Finish.
  6. The Attack Phase, is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate. The Attack is comprised of four pieces of the wine puzzle: alcohol content, tannin levels, acidity and residual sugar. These four puzzle pieces display initial sensations on the palate. Ideally these components will be well-balanced one piece will not be more prominent than the others. These four pieces do not display a specific flavor per se, they meld together to offer impressions in intensity and complexity, soft or firm, light or heavy, crisp or creamy, sweet or dry, but not necessarily true flavors like fruit or spice.
  7. The Evolution Phase is next, also called the mid-palate or middle range phase, this is the wine’s actual taste on the palate. In this phase you are looking to discern the flavor profile of the wine. If it’s a red wine you may start noting fruit – berry, plum, prune or fig; perhaps some spice – pepper, clove, cinnamon, or maybe a woody flavor like oak, cedar, or a detectable smokiness. If you are in the Evolution Phase of a white wine you may taste apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits, or the taste may be more floral in nature or consist of honey, butter, herbs or a bit of earthiness.
  8. The Finish is appropriately labeled as the final phase. The wine’s finish is how long the flavor impression lasts after it is swallowed. This is where the wine culminates, where the aftertaste comes into play. Did it last several seconds? Was it light-bodied (like the weight of water), medium-bodied (similar in weight to milk) or full-bodied (like the consistency of cream)? Can you taste the remnant of the wine on the back of your mouth and throat? Do you want another sip or was the wine too bitter at the end? What was your last flavor impression – fruit, butter, oak? Does the taste persist or is it short-lived?
  9. After you have taken the time to taste your wine, you might record some of your impressions. Did you like the wine overall? Was it sweet, sour or bitter? How was the wine’s acidity? Was it well balanced? Does it taste better with cheese, bread or a heavy meal? Will you buy it again? If so, jot the wine’s name, producer and vintage year down for future reference.

What might be pretty cool is if you got someone a bottle of wine as a birthday gift – I like personalised wine – so what you could do is get a bottle of personalised wine and then you could have a little tasting session as see what tastes and aromas you can get from this bottle of wine that you have got for your friend or loved one. Not only will you be giving them a great gift in the form of a bottle of personalised wine but you will also be creating a unique memory too!

http://www.birthdaygifts-shop.co.uk/Wine-Gifts-As-A-Birthday-Present-article.php

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A History Lesson – A short synopsis of wine and it’s origin

Monday, June 7th, 2010

I wanted to explain to you why I think giving a wine gift is a great idea for a gift. But before I explain why giving a wine gift is such a good idea I thought I would give you a brief history lesson about wine. If you don’t understand why wine is so special then there really isn’t any point in you giving a wine gift because it’s just a waste.

From archaeological discovery it has been determined that wine produced by the fermentation of grapes occurred in Georgia and Iran, from as early as 6000 BC. These areas are within the Vitis Vinifera (Vitis vinifera or Common Grape Vine is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Spain north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran.) and thus perfect for producing wine.

The oldest known evidence of wine production in Europe is dated to 4500 BC and comes from archaeological sites in Greece. The same sites also contain the world’s earliest evidence of crushed grapes. Wine gifts were giving to rulers and people of high status as gifts, in beautifully decorated urns. Even back then people saw the value of wine gifts.

In medieval Europe, the Roman Catholic Church was a staunch supporter of wine since it was necessary for the celebration of Mass. Monks in France made wine for years, storing it underground in caves to age. Wine was forbidden during the Islamic Golden Age, until Jābir ibn Hayyān and other Muslim chemists pioneered its distillation for cosmetic and medical uses.

Wine is often made from more than one grape variety; example of grape varieties include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay and Merlot. Varietal wine is produced when of these grapes varieties is the more dominant in the wine – a varietal wine is defined by law as having a minimum of 75% or 85% of a predominant grape.

Terroir is an important concept which must be understood when thinking about wine production. Terroir encompasses the varieties of grapes used, elevation and shape of the vineyard, type and chemistry of soil, climate and seasonal conditions, and the local yeast cultures. There are so many possibilities and thus the result is great differences between wines – terroir therefore influences fermentation, finishing and the aging process. Many wineries use growing and production methods that preserve or accentuate the aroma and taste influences of their unique terroir. In the mass market however it is not favourable to have differences in wines such as table wines and cheap wines, what is more important here is their consistency.  Wine producers will therefore try to minimize the differences in the sources of grapes that they use by using production techniques such as micro-oxygenation, tannin filtration, cross-flow filtration, thin film evaporation, and spinning cones – all these help to maintain the consistency of the wine.

Now let us discuss the “vintage wine” (Vintage wines make the best wine gifts). Vintage wines are often saved by wine enthusiasts and traders for future consumption as the high quality wines improve with age if they are correctly stored.  A vintage is produced from grapes that were all or mostly grown in a particular year. Vintages from different years can vary in character and can include subtle differences in color, palate, nose, body and development.

With such a diverse history and the possibility of so many wines being produced, wine tasting is a past time enjoyed by many. Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. Many enthusiasts will often going on courses to understand the complexity of wine, as it is difficult to detect the subtle aromas without practice and training.

The uses of wine:

1) A drink in it’s own right

2) An accompaniment to food – wines have the ability to enhance any meal. For example red wine goes extremely well with red meat.

3) Wine is also used in cooking to add flavour to dishes – (how many times have you gone to a restaurant and seen braised lamb with a red wine sauce?)

4) Religious Uses – for example in Mass, wine is used as a symbol of Christ’s blood at the Last Supper.

5) Wine has become extremely popular in recent years and so giving wine gifts as birthday presents and wedding gifts has now become common place. With such a wide range of wines available it is possible to find something to fit all budgets. It is also common to take a bottle of wine as a gift to a party or celebration that you have been invited too. It is seen as polite to use that wine gift at that particular party too.

If you do decide to give a wine gift, there are number of occasions that it is suitable to give wine. Birthdays are the most common. If you are stuck for a birthday gift idea then why not try a personalised wine gift? You could possible design your own wine label or even try a bottle of engraved personalised wine? – I love the idea of an engraved personalised wine, it’s one of those gifts that have the wow factor and so would be GREAT for a birthday gift. Why not pair a wine gifts, with a set of engraved wine glasses.

If you deserve some spoiling yourself, then why not treat yourself with your own wine gifts. Find the perfect bottle of wine and a good book and enjoy an evening of relaxation.

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Dad’s Deserve Nice Presents Too!

Friday, May 21st, 2010

I was watching Sky Sports last night with my dad and the cricket match between West Indies V South Africa was on. We’re both very into our cricket so when the West Indies needed 3 runs to win from one ball, all we were doing was shouting “four… four… just hit a four” at the TV. It was all very tense… but then they only got one run and lost. We were saddened. Especially my dad who is a big West Indies fan. This got me thinking back to Father’s Day. An odd association perhaps but Father’s Day is just around the corner and I’m stuck on the kind of gift I should get him. While spending time with him (this is should be the case for any of you, when you spend time with your pops) I could get ideas of what he might want. So sitting watching the cricket was a perfect time for me to consider what to get him for Father’s Day. If I am going to buy him something then isn’t the best kind of gift something that he is interested in, and wouldn’t it be even better if I got him a gift where I could share it with him too. So not only is he getting a good gift for Father’s Day to show him how much I appreciate him, he’s also getting to spend time with his daughter. On the theme of cricket I’m guessing you already know what I am planning to get him….. if not, well… ‘tickets to a cricket match’. With summer well and truly here with this “week” of heat, I know there are going to be a number of matches available for us to go and watch.

I definitely think that if you are planning on getting a gift for your dad this Father’s Day then you should put some thought into it. Don’t just get him something because you know that you’re expected too… he’s not going to appreciate it. He’ll know you’ve put no effort into it. So what you should do is start thinking about Father’s Day early and actually get him something good.

If you are really stuck for an idea then why not give personalised champagne a go. I know I harp on about this particular gift, but that’s because I know whether you choose Design Your Own Champagne, Our Labelled Champagne or a bottle of engraved champagne you can be sure that this gift will be a hit. If you choose to design your own label then you can personalise the champagne with a photo of you and your dad. It could be a photo of anything. If I was designing the label then I would probably use a photo of me and my dad from an airshow. He used to be in the air force and he likes to take me along to the air shows and explain to me how aeroplanes work. So yes, that’s what you should do – pick a picture that has good memories and make something special with it, we all know what I’m going to recommend – personalised champagne.

If you decide that you do want a personalised champagne bottle then below are a couple of verses you could you:

He who is taught to live upon little owes more to his father’s wisdom than he who has a great deal left him does to his father’s care.
Fathers Day Quote by: William Penn

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.
Fathers Day Quote by: Charles Wadworth

Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys.
Fathers Day Quote by: Unknown

Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later…
Fathers Day Quote by: Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

When Charles first saw our child Mary, he said all the proper things for a new father. He looked upon the poor little red thing and blurted, “She’s more beautiful than the Brooklyn Bridge.”
Fathers Day Quote by: Helen Hayes

It is a wise father that knows his own child.
Fathers Day Quote by: William Shakespeare

The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them.
Fathers Day Quote by: Confucius

Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development.
Fathers Day Quote by: David Gottesman

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.
Fathers Day Quote by: Sigmund Freud

When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.
Fathers Day Quote by: Jewish Proverb

I have never been a material girl. My father always told me never to love anything that cannot love you back.
Fathers Day Quote by: Imelda Marcos

You fathers will understand. You have a little girl. She looks up to you. You’re her oracle. You’re her hero. And then the day comes when she gets her first permanent wave and goes to her first real party, and from that day on, you’re in a constant state of panic.
Fathers Day Quote by: Stanley T. Banks in the movie ‘Father of the Bride’

There must always be a struggle between a father and son, while one aims at power and the other at independence.
Fathers Day Quote by: Samuel Johnson

My son, a perfect little boy of five years and three months, had ended his earthly life. You can never sympathize with me; you can never know how much of me such a young child can take away. A few weeks ago I accounted myself a very rich man, and now the poorest of all.
Fathers Day Quote by: Ralph Waldo Emerson, on the death of his son

A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Fathers Day Quote by: Knights of Pythagoras

Dear Dad,
For you are the one,
For you are the one God counted on
For you are the one God counted on while sending me to this world
For you are the one God counted on while sending me to this world, for he
Knew I’ll always need someone to talk to when no one is there for me!
Love you dad!

Daddy,
We wish we could tell you Daddy,
that how much you mean to us….
We have no words to say about
how much we appreciate you…
how much we admire you…
how much we thank you
for everything you’ve done.
We love you so much Daddy…
Happy Father’s Day

My dad and I-we think alike,
He knows just what I mean
Before I even say a word
He reads well in between.

My dad and I-we like to fish
Or build a model plane,

Or fix a broken chair or two
Or just a windowpane.

My dad and I-we know the score
Of every single game;
Sometimes he’s really busy, too
But he takes me just the same.

My dad and I-we go swimming too,
Each year and sometimes twice.
My dad and I-we do everything,

My dad-he’s really nice.
Happy Father’s Day

So get thinking, you’ve got time, but make sure you make your dad feel special!

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What makes a photo?

Friday, May 14th, 2010

We all have hundreds of photos dotted about our homes, whether they are in albums, in frames, still in the processing packet or even in our phones. Photos are something that are a part of life. Social networking sites such as facebook promote the use of photos in a huge way. They let you make albums that you can share with friends, upload photos from your phone. A photo is the thing that tells a thousand words… or in the case of photos on facebook; a photo can get a thousand comments. All I know, is that photos are important. They are the way to capture a memory and make sure you never forget it. There are plenty of times I have gone through my photo albums and forgotten about some of the things that I’m looking at it. It’s weird, you can experience so many things but with you mind constantly thinking and remembering new and interesting information you can sometimes forget the old stuff that means a lot to you. Photos and taking snaps of the most irrelevant stuff makes sure you don’t.

I’ll do a bit of selling now, if you are thinking of getting someone a gift and you want to make it special and something that they are going to want to keep forever (and also something that they would actually appreciate), then seriously consider a personalised photo frame. I’ll explain why. How many times have you bought a gift for someone and you’ve looked at their facial expression and known that really when they say they “like it”, they are just being nice. You know it and so does everyone else. I hate that feeling. I’m one of these people that loves to buy gifts for people, I take my time and try and choose something that I know they will like. But sometimes you get it wrong. With a personalised gift I don’t think you can. Whether it is a set of engraved champagne flutes with a unique message on it, or a bottle of personalised champagne where you’ve designed a champagne label yourself. Those are all gifts that mean something. Engraving turns any old standard gift into something luxury – it adds value to a gift that probably had very little before. It’s also something that lasts, whether you get a piece of jewellery or a set of champagne flutes engraved either way, unless they get broken – they gift will last. With a personalised champagne gift where you can design your own label, you are taking the time to create something from scratch. Fair enough you haven’t bottled the champagne yourself (it’s not like everyone owns a vineyard in the Champagne region of France), but the fact you’ve taken the time to choose the photo and construct the message and then put it all together – it can often show how much you care about a person when they see the time and effort you’ve gone to to make a gift for someone. I like the personalised photo frame a lot though, mainly because I enjoy looking at photos – whether they are mine or another persons. If you choose a unique photo of a memory that you know means a lot to the both of you, you can create a fantastic gift and something that no one else has in the world. With an engraved message you just add that extra touch.

Stack of old black and white photos

Stack of old black and white photos

Now back to our discussion of what makes a photo…. I’ve noticed recently that a lot of people have started to take photos in black and white. I think this is something that has either come back into fashion, or it’s a great way to hide skin blemishes. I’ve been trying it out as well and I really like it. It gives photos a really “old” and “retro” feel to them and it really works. So maybe that is what makes a photo – the colour of it. Whether colour has been used or whether they are black and white. When photographing people you can get away with black and white and often they look amazing. There are loads that I’ve seen where I find myself staring at them for ages. Black and white photos are something that bring out a person’s eyes. A good photo can capture the sparkle in the eye. BUT what about a beautiful garden scene, or a day out at the beach? Will that look right without being able to see the colour, will you be able to appreciate the scene fully without being able to see the colours? I don’t think so. I think at times the colour is needed so you can fully enjoy what you are looking at.

So yes, the memory of a photo and the feeling you get when you look at it (whether it is in black and white or in colour) is what makes a photo.

This is a good video explaining how to use a digital camera to take black and white photos:

http://www.weddinggifts2u.co.uk/Give-an-Engraved-Frame-as-a-Bride-and-Groom-Gift-article.php

http://www.weddinggifts2u.co.uk/How-to-Give-Personalised-Photo-Gifts-article.php

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Posted in Champagne Flutes, GiftsOnline4U.com Blog Posts, Personalised Gifts, Personalised Photo Frame Gifts, Personalised Photo Gifts, Photo Gifts | 1 Comment »

A photo says more than a thousand words…

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Father and Son Playing

Father and Son Playing

Father’s Day will soon be here. My dad is one of these people who are really hard to buy for. He doesn’t need anything and if he does then he will go and get it himself. He is MASSIVE Star Trek fan…. I had planned to get the DVD of the latest film for him as a gift, but just as I had thought about it – he had gone and bought it himself! In some ways that is good, it saves me a lot of cash. However in other ways it’s rather annoying because when it comes to buying him birthday gifts and Father’s Day gifts then I have no idea what to get him.

My dad is a big family man, he always gets a bit sad and blue when he doesn’t see his kids, parents or cousins very often. Being brought up in a large family means he enjoys seeing the people that mean the most to him regularly…. knowing this it got me thinking. Sometimes we can’t make it home at the weekends or life takes over and you end up missing opportunities to catch up with loved ones. But it doesn’t mean that you aren’t thinking of them and they aren’t thinking of you. Father’s Day is one such holiday. This year I am going to be away in Australia… much to my dad’s dismay. I know he’ll be a bit sad that all his kids aren’t around him but what can you do…. like I said your “own” life takes over. BUT… I didn’t want him to think I had forgotten him. So as a Father’s Day gift I wanted to get him something really special, that would make him think I was there in spirit. Something unique to him and something that was personal from me…. and what could be better than a personalised gift? I’ve actually got him a mixture of things (I hope he doesn’t read this you know else this is going to ruin the surprise, there is still a month to go!!!)… first off I got him a personalised photo frame, I ordered it as an engraved photo frame so that I could put my own personal message on it – I’m not going to tell you what I wrote because that is private :D but I will say that it’s a message that would mean a lot to him! So anyway I’ve gone for the engraved photo frame with the personalised message, this gift is perfect because I’ve put a photo of the whole family in it. It’s a photo from when we were younger and when we went to Blackpool and we bought him a helicopter ride for his birthday! Though it’s an old photo it’s a great memory.

Now along with the personalised photo frame, I’ve also got him a bottle of personalised champagne and a set of engraved champagne flutes. The champagne bottle has a label which I have designed for him, again I used the Blackpool photo because of it’s sentimental value. Also I want to create a bit of a champagne gift set and it seemed better to make it so that all the gifts matched. I had the flutes engraved with the same message that I put on the photo frame and on the champagne label, I tried to make that like the greetings card… telling him that I was “Sorry I couldn’t be there for Father’s Day” – I do hope this gift will do enough to remind him, that though I’m not there for Father’s Day, I’ll still be there in spirit and obviously could never forget him!

Below is a great way to make a personalised greetings card this Father’s Day:

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Why go for a personalised photo gift?

Friday, April 30th, 2010
Bunch of photos

Bunch of photos

Gifts and the idea of buying them becomes more and more daunting. For our loved ones it is typical for us to buy a gift at Christmas, for their birthday and perhaps just because we haven’t seen our relatives for a while. Yet the more gifts you buy for someone the harder it becomes to shop for them. Do you not think? I start to run out of ideas very quickly, usually because i’ve spent time finding out their likes and dislikes and tried to get them gifts that they would like based on my research….. but I tell you something if your boyfriend is into music, there are only so many things music related that you can get them before it gets a tad difficult and a bit boring. My last gift was a set of wire things that would enable him to attach his computer and speakers to some big boom box thing (you can tell I’m all knowledgeable when it comes to musical terms!!). The point is, is that sometimes you need to think outside the box and go for something a bit different otherwise the gifts that you get become pointless and will seem almost obligatory.

A personalised photo gift is a great idea when you are thinking about a unique and memorable gift. Why? Well think about it, if you’ve been getting someone “wires” as a birthday present then anything is going to be better!! In all seriousness… and again sticking with the musical theme. You could get an engraved frame and personalise it with a special message and then put inside the frame a picture of a gig that you and your loved one went to or him/her playing in their band or on stage at their own gig. It is a thoughtful gift firstly because it is personalised. It means that you have taken the time to think about what to write on the gift and taken the trouble to get it made. Secondly if you put in a special photo then the gift becomes sentimental :) The personalised photo frame encompasses all the elements that a gift should have…. 1) you’ve bought them a gift 2) it is unique and thus they’ll appreciate because no one will have anything similar 3) you’ve thought about the gift 4) it’s not a generic gift….so there are loads of reasons why that kind of gift would be a hit.

But you don’t just have to go for a personalised photo gift in the form of a photo frame there are plenty of other gifts that you could try. For example personalised champagne, personalised wine, personalised mugs – the design your own aspect of all of these gifts makes them really unique and you can literally make them look exactly how you want to!

http://www.winegifts4u.co.uk/Give-Engraved-Flutes-as-a-Personalised-Gift-article.php

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Smile and cccc…click!

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

I’m on those snap happy people. I take pictures of everything, I always have my camera on me and I doubt there is a

Digital Cameras - the new age of photo technology

Digital Cameras - the new age of photo technology

time when I don’t whip it out to capture something funny, pretty, amusing or just something I want to remember. With digital camera’s becoming so cheap nowadays there’s not many people without a camera… and thus the popularity of personalised photo gifts has grown. It’s so easy now to take a photo and upload it onto your computer to manipulate as you need it. Everyone must have been into Boots at some point and seen the Kodak Kiosks where you can print off your photos within seconds or create a photo book.

Photos, and all things personalizable by photos have become very popular. The internet too is all about personalisation… as they say “web 2.0 was all about social networking, web 3.0 is all about personalisation”. But where has this personalised photo gifts phenomenon come from. Why are we no longer happy to just take our photos and then pop them into an album? The simple answer to this is that technology has enabled us to do more with our photos and so we want to do more. Years ago it wasn’t possible to create personalised champagne where you could design a label with a photo of your choice and add unique text. It was just something that you couldn’t do… but now it is so easy. So instead of giving the traditional champagne gift people like the idea of the uniqueness of a personalised champagne gift, where they have gone to the effort of creating the design from scratch. I mean think in terms of a wedding; everyone is going to be getting the bride and groom something but you would want your gift to stand out right, be something that is remembered? How will a bottle of Moet et Chandon stand out from a personalised wedding photo gift? It wouldn’t – the personalised photo gift would outshine it by far. That’s not to say a non-personalised gift is not as good as a personalised gift… they are different, as are the sentiments. But personalization stands out. It is memorable.

If someone got me a personalised photo gift then this is exactly what I would want: a personalised photo frame gift… why? Because if the person buying it for me had chosen an engraved frame, then I would have the personalised aspect of the gift because they would be able to put a personalised message onto the frame and it would be something that would be unique to me. But also I could then chose the photo that went into the frame which would make it even more special…. say the gift was for my birthday, I could make sure I had a photo taken with that person on my birthday and then I  could put it into the engraved photo frame, the gift would be a great reminder of a great birthday and something that I would most likely display in a prominent position. Personalised photo frames have become very popular in recent times for that very reason.

So that’s probably the reason why photo gifts have become so popular. Digital cameras and technology have enable the time it takes to create something with photos so that it is a lot shorter… and isn’t that what all of us need when life is so very busy anyway – a quick and easy way to make something special?

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