As CraftMyGift celebrates its 2^nd Birthday, here is a brief story of how it all started.

On 17^th November, 2008, CraftMyGift was born. The thought behind CraftMyGift was to offer a service which creates unique gifts high on creativity and personalization. We didn’t want to make it simply a gift shop but wanted to work as a gift advisor to suggest and create gifts which are perfect for your special occasion.

The pressing need for having a service like CraftMyGift was because we noticed everyone loves to gift personalized products but most of the products available in the market were photo-gifts, such as a photo on a mug and the personalization never went beyond adding a photo or printing a name. That’s when we felt a need to have gifts which express emotions in a much deeper way and are also unique in their concept & design.

CraftMyGift focuses on gifts for individuals for personal occasions, such as Anniversaries, Birthdays or even Farewells of dear ones. Understanding the emotional connect and exploring that element which makes your loved one say that “I am gonna treasure this for a life-time” have been the primary focus every time a product is designed by us.

Right now, CraftMyGift has clients all over India and aims to tap the foreign market in the upcoming months. We have also started using the emotional connect and creativity to design products for Corporates as it is high-time companies add some life & meaning to their plain corporate gifts .

On this second birthday, we would like to thank all of you for standing by us as we grow.

And thats not all- to celebrate our Birthday Week and for being part of ‘liking’ our Facebook page, we are offering a 25% discount on all orders placed between 15^th November, 2010 and 19^th November 2010. Note this exclusive offer is only for our special friends on Facebook.

Happy Shopping!

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Birth Story, Birthday, CraftMyGift Story, History, Personalised Gifts, Story

Live abroad and can’t go back to your roots to celebrate the Festival of Lights? Live away from home and don’t have enough leave saved up to make a quick trip back home for Diwali?  Most people often miss the joy and excitement of the festival when they live away from home. But do not despair! All is not lost! Here are 5 easy ways to ‘Gift yourself’ a Shubh Deepavali…

1. Decorate your home with Dupattas

Drape brightly coloured silk, brocade, chiffon and georgette dupattas all over your house to liven it up and give it a festive feel. Either you could use all the colours you can find or go with a theme (for example: orange, green and gold).

2. Flowers

These can be used to compliment the dupatta decoration or can be just placed around the house for the aroma. You can use garlands made of jasmine, marigold, etc. You can hang flower garlands along the top of the entrance to your house to give a festive look. If you prefer, you can display flower arrangements in appropriate containers or vases around the house. You could also fill brass or copper vessels with water and place a hand full of flowers or petals in the water for easy ethnic decor. If you live outside India and do not have access to the traditional flowers you can use roses, tube roses or any other aromatic options. You could match these with your colour scheme.

3. Rangoli

Rangoli is a signature of any Indian festival. You can make it with powder or flowers or use innovative material like rice, leaves etc. Check Google for some interesting designs and base the complexity on your artistic capacity.

4. Diyas, candles and lights

These are the star attractions of Diwali. Decorate your balcony with Diyas or candles and hang up a lantern. If you prefer you could use electric fairy lights instead. Place diyas or candles around the house for a festive glow. Aromatic candles are also a good option. Diyas and candles can also be placed on and around the Rangoli to bring out its essence. Floating tea light candles can be placed in the brass and copper vessels filled with flowers for extra effect. Candles are a good all round substitute for diyas but if you are a traditionalist, the latter are available online as well.

For more ways to make homemade Diwali decorations, visit http://www.helium.com/items/1598701-diwali-deepavali-diyas-festival-of-lights-making-diwali-candle-lights

5. Mithai or Sweets

Let’s face it…Diwali is not Diwali without the Mithai. You could buy these at a store or if you are in the mood for experimentation, try making them at home. For some classic recipes, visit http://diwalimithai.tblog.com/. For the more health conscious, visit http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/lowfat-desserts/ for low fat options.

Hope some or all of these work for you!

CraftMyGift wishes you a very Happy Diwali.

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Diwali, Diwali Celebration, Diwali Decor, Diwali decoration, Diwali Party

-10 Cool Things to do on a Long Weekend

With the prospect of one or more long weekends on the horizon, it is a perfect time to gift yourself a refreshing time. If you have not already made a plan to head out of town, here are 10 things to do that you probably wouldn’t normally have time for. This is your opportunity to make the most of the spare time and indulge in some much needed but not necessarily expensive ‘Gifts’. Pick one or more things off the list and add some zing to your weekend.

1. Test Drive your Dream car

Most of us have a dream car– why not visit your local dealer and take a test drive? Pick the most expensive one and do a bit of faking so you look and sound like you are there to buy one . What could be nicer than the thrill of driving your favourite high end car through the city!!

2. Visit a Day Spa

Weekends are perfect time to pamper yourself with a relaxing treatment at a day spa.  You can either go for those huge spa packages or settle for an aromatherapy massage. If you don’t feel like leaving the comfort of your home, there are plenty of Mobile Spa options to choose from. What better way is there to relax after a long week at work? Try doing this as early as possible in the weekend so that you are fresh and ready to take the rest of the weekend head on.

3. Learn how to make the perfect cup of Coffee

Tired of insipid instant coffee every day? This weekend learn how to make the perfect cup of coffee so that from now on, you will look forward to your early start. You can visit http://www.ehow.com/how_5358958_make-perfect-cup-coffee-everytime.html for some tips.

4. Go to the Theatre

Movies in cinema halls are a regular weekend getaway.  But when was the last time you watched a play live in a theatre? If you pick well, the theatre can be very interesting – it is not like the old days where fat ladies prance around in old fashioned clothes. And it will be less crowded than a cinema hall on the weekend. Give it a shot; you might discover a new interest for yourself!

5. Fun adventure trip

There are plenty of undiscovered places in city outskirts? How about a ride to one of these with your friends. Make (or buy) little sandwiches, Make (or buy) a cake. Take a cosy rug to sit on and some cutlery, paper plates and cups. Spice it up with some champagne and enjoy a less expensive Champagne Brunch under the open sky!

6. Visit an Old Friend

We all have friends that we haven’t seen in a long time. Why not give them a call and get together this weekend? One of the nicest ways to spend an evening is at home (at your own or your friends’) with beer or wine and good conversation. If the weather is good in your part of the world, have a barbecue and make it a night to remember.

7. Try your hand at Gardening

If you’ve always wanted a beautiful (box) garden but didn’t want to spend the money on getting a professional to come and do it for you, this is the time to do your ground work. Visit a local nursery and buy a few pots with soil in them and some seeds or saplings. Check with the staff of the nursery about which plants would work best and find out the maintenance requirements for each of the plants that you buy. Once you get home, arrange them as you wish in the desired space and happy gardening!

8. Read a Book

Go out and buy a book that you’ve been waiting to read. And FINISH reading it. There’s no fun in leaving a book half read. Long weekends are time to catch up on your reading without interruptions!

9. Organize a Cocktail Party

And by that we don’t mean a formal get together. Just invite a few of your friends over and experiment with some new and interesting cocktails.  Visit www.easycocktailrecipes.com for some cool ideas and recipes and some easy ingredients.

10. Pimp your Pad!

If you haven’t redecorated your room in a while and are bored of the current look and feel, now’s the time to Pimp it Out… Start with choosing a theme or a colour scheme to work around. Small and cheap articles like cushion covers, curtains, collages, glasses and photo frames can go a long way in revamping the way your room looks. The internet has loads of ideas on how to redecorate on a time and money budget. This way you can start afresh with a new look for a new week!

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cheap weekends, long weekends, weekend activities, weekend fun

Gifts have been a part of corporate events for long. Be it something memorable for speakers or giveaways for audience. Gifts serve a dual purpose, as a vote of thanks to the eminent speakers who spared their valuable time to contribute to the events and also a brand recall for the audience who take those giveaways home.

After being part of multiple corporate events both as a speaker and an audience, I consistently see that there is a huge lack of creativity in gifting ideas. There has been a over use of wooden, acrylic or glass mementos which look nothing new with words engraved which again look like corporate jargon. Giveaways for audience and gifts for fun contests look as if they have been picked up in a hurry and often end up in closed shelf.

As a person working in the gifting domain and dealing every day with people’s emotional aspects, I do see a huge scope to make this opportunity of giving gifts more fruitful. If you can make the “Thank you gift” for that influential speaker an attractive and meaningful one, there are higher chances of him taking note of the gift and speaking to his peers about it or making some place for it on his office desk. Remember a speaker like this would be attending numerous other events and will be bringing home a memento every time. One needs to get really creative to be able to create a Thank You memento for him to make it stand out from others.

Gifts and giveaways for audience in corporate events is a huge opportunity to do a strong brand promotion. But it should be done in a way that branding is not on the face but subtle. It is also important to be able to link the gift concept itself with the event or the business line of the company to make a person relate it with the business. USB drives given out in events are good and useful but why not design the USD drive in a way that aligns with the company’s business.  An out of the box thought to design the gift can give you to ways to carry out the brand promotion is ways which are not just restricted to logo imprinting and ensure people show it off with pride.

Let your creative juices flow and make gifting at corporate events meaningful and fun.

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Corporate Gifts, Corproate Events, creative ideas, Event giveaways

It’s a really great idea to buy expensive gifts for your loved one or have dinner with your spouse in lavish restaurants but in this recession-ridden world we can’t help thinking twice before splurging on expensive gifts and dinners. Keeping in mind, our strong need to save money wouldn’t it be great if you could have a romantic and memorable candle light dinner with your spouse at home? With this amazing idea you have nothing to lose and all to win (You won’t win a lottery with this idea but would surely win your loved one’s heart. Now isn’t that priceless )

So without further ado let us give you some tips for arranging a romantic candle light dinner at home –

Preparation pays

The adage “Failing to plan is planning to fail” says it all in this case. The magic mantra is to plan ahead for the celebration. If you have kids at home then, send them to their grandparents, aunt’s place or any other place you can think of for a day or two. Ward off all sorts of distractions by switching off cell phones, computer, TV etc. Let this day be only for you and your love.

Surprise, Surprise

It would be great if you could give her a splendid surprise by not revealing about the dinner plan. It is not going to be easy but it’s not impossible. Let me give you an example – Harry surprised Jane with a candle light dinner at home on their anniversary. He told her that there is a party organized by his company for the employees and their spouses. He told her about this event in advance to make sure she is free from other commitments. On the day of the celebration, He asked Jane to reach home a little early so that they could get ready and go to the dinner party. After she left for work, Harry started arranging everything. He even took a leave from office that day. He called Jane’s sister and friend to help him out with the preparation of the dinner. Everything was beautifully arranged .When Jane reached home this lovely surprise left her spellbound and her joy knew no bounds. Even you can surprise you spouse in a similar way. It just requires some effort from your side.

All about Ambiance

Ambiance plays a significant role in creating an aura of romance so make sure your dining room is beautifully decorated. You could sprinkle some roses on the passage leading to the dining table. Maintain a dim lighting. Place some scented candles in the entrance of the room. If you have a mirror in your room then place some candles in front of the mirror. This would further enhance the charm of the room. While arranging the table use 2 table cloths, one dark and the other with a slightly lighter shade. Satin table cloths would add to the elegance. Place the darker cloth beneath the lighter one and keep the napkins neatly folded over this. You can also use some attractive transparent jars containing flower petals floating in water. Serve the food and drinks in exquisite crockery, bowls and glasses. Use your creativity and arrange the dessert bowls and wine glasses in interesting fashion over the table. Play some soft romantic music in the background to match the mood.

Fabulous food and Delectable drink

Create a small menu card listing out the dishes you have prepared. Give it to your spouse and ask her to choose whichever dish she wants to order first. To make the experience more real you could even ask someone to play the role of the waiter and serve the dinner. It would ensure that you are with your spouse all the time and not worried about serving the food.

Prepare simple dishes but only the ones your spouse enjoys. If you feel you are culinary-challenged then you could even order food from outside. But make sure the restaurant is good and a previously tried one. End the dinner with mouth watering desserts. Chocolate cakes and ice-creams would be great options for romantic dinner. Also don’t forget to serve some drinks- A  glass of wine or cocktail would instantly lift your spirits.

Plan something memorable after the dinner. You could watch a good romantic flick while relaxing on the couch or just spent some time together having interesting conversation recollecting all those fun and exciting moments you had together.

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candle light dinner, romantic ideas, special day celebration

Are you wondering how to make Valentines Day special for your sweetheart. Though stores and websites are flooded with a dozen gift items and ideas, you are constantly looking for something unique and different to make this day memorable and fun-filled. If your partner is crazy about flowers then she would appreciate a bunch of flowers over a box of chocolates. So what matters the most is how thoughtful you have been while planning for this awaited day. Match your ideas with your partner’s interests. To further help you plan for this day let us give you some creative and innovative Valentine’s Day ideas.

Pique his curiosity with Fun-Balloon

Cut down small strips of paper. On the paper write a secret message for your love. It could be phrases “ I am always there for you”, “ You are the most beautiful valentine “or write down memories of the fun things you did together or the special moment you shared. Fold the strips, place them inside the balloon and then blow the balloon. When your valentine comes home, ask him to pop each balloon to read your special message.

Sweet scrapbook of special moments

Make a scrapbook page having a collection of pictures of romantic moments shared together in the past. You can even frame it and surprise your valentine by hanging it on the wall of their room.

Turn into a Wish fairy

Fulfill the wish of your valentine by giving her wish jar full of little strips of paper. Ask her to write wishes of things she would like you to do on these strips. Each week or month take out one strip and grant the wish written in it.

Create a romantic movie

Use your digital camera to capture the time spent together in a beautiful romantic video. Watch this video together while having her favorite dinner.

Get playful and imaginative

Head to the a toy store and look for small items that would describe your love for her like a compass with a message that says “ I would be lost without you” or a Clock that says “ I cherish the time spent with you” or a cute doll that says “ You are my pretty princess”

Power of puzzle

Create your own Valentine’s Day puzzle. Decorate a thick piece of poster board with romantic pictures and messages. Cut the board into a puzzle. Test your sweetheart’s puzzling skills by asking him to arrange the pieces in the right order.

Impress him with your art

Make your own Valentine’s Day card. Cut a large heart out of colored paper. Decorate it with beads, glitters and beautiful words. You can even write a simple poem to describe your partner or your love for him.

Message mug

Cut out small hearts of red or pink colored construction paper. On each heart write some sort of love message. It can be a simple love quote or favorite memory of beautiful moments spent together. Put the hearts in a decorated mug. Ask your valentine to take out one heart each day to read your message.

You can also look for some Creative Romantic Gift Ideas at our website.

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creative ideas, romantic gift ideas, Valentines Day ideas