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Archive for September, 2014

Be Creative with Birthday Flowers & Balloons

September 27th, 2014

If you have anyone’s birthday round the corner then you must prepare yourself for the celebrations. A loved one’s birthday can be turned from a simple celebration into a thrilling party if you do the right things. Keeping in mind the birthday preparations, you must check on its theme first, number of guests and also what type of guests to be invited, then food for the party and finally the decorations. Celebrating a birthday without any decoration won’t make it as exciting and fun loving as doing the birthday decorations to inspire your loved one. It creates a special celebrating ambiance and would enhance the significance of this event. Also it shows how much effort you have put in arranging this special party for the loved one and they would be pleased by your lovely efforts.

So when deciding on birthday arrangements and decorations, you must consider two important things that can really give you an enchanting environment. We have pretty much seen birthday flowers and balloons on our loved ones birthdays, so it seems quite ordinary to include flowers and balloons in your decoration list. One can either go with flowers or balloons or use both of them creatively to decorate the room.

In order to decorate with flowers and balloons first you must know about the theme of birthday. If you want to make it funky or a casual party, then go with balloons and a little involvement of flowers. You can simply bring flowers bouquet for the recipient as a gift to be given at the time of cake cutting ceremony. Otherwise in case of a casual gathering of some family and close friends, you must use balloons to decorate the hall room. Bright multicolored balloons would immediately bring a refreshing look to the room. You can hang them by the ceiling in the whole room or just pick a corner to make decoration for the recipient.

In case of balloons use shiny strips in between their gaps to give them a glossy look. If you are not hanging the balloons then you can also just float them on the floor. If there are kids in your party then this idea should be dropped because the balloons won’t last any longer with kids around and all your efforts will be ruined in a splash. So do decorations according to the party guests too.

If you are using plain balloons you can use various colors instead of a single color. Then you can paint them with random designs or can make funny faces to give them a jolly look. This would specially work for a kid’s birthday party. You need to blow all the balloons first and then paint them.

It is a misconception that balloons can be only used for kids birthday celebration. If you are creative or even not, by just putting little effort you can use balloons in a beautiful way to greet your loved one. Fill the balloons with messages. You can call the recipient’s family and friends and ask them to send their best wishes. Then you can note down them all on separate chits. Put those chits in every balloon and then blow them. It would be a great surprise gift for the recipient and he/ she would be awestruck by such a great idea.

Another way to amalgamate birthday flowers and balloons is to fill balloons with flower petals. When the recipient enters the room then burst those balloons on him/her to shower them with petals. Or do it at the time of cake cutting ceremony. On the other hand, decorate the room with small flower bouquets or make a beautiful center piece for the dining table.

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Plum chutney recipes

September 25th, 2014

Plum is one of the healthiest fruit. Full of natural juice and loaded with magical taste which delight your taste buds in a special way. They are a rich source of fiber, which aids in working of digestive system. It is a healthy source of readily absorbed iron because of good vitamin C level. And good thing is that it is easily available too. Whenever you are looking to send a fruit gift to UK or any other place, plums always makes a great idea. They are available both in fresh and dried form. The dried plums are available all the year round. There are many dishes in which you can use plums. Out of that the plum chutney is one of the most famous and loved dish.  You can enjoy the chutney with snacks and with your meal to enhance the taste and for healthy digestion.

Here I will share with you two yummy to tummy plum chutneys you will sure to enjoy.

Plum chutney with almonds:

Ingredients you will need:

  • Dried plums 300 grams
  • Vinegar ½ cup
  • Black pepper powder ½ tea spoon
  • Small cardamom 4
  • Sugar 1 ½  cup
  • Salt ¼  tea spoon
  • Red chili powder ½ tea spoon
  • Melon seeds dried ½ cup
  • Almonds soaked in water and skin removed ½ cup

How to cook:

  1. Soak the dried plums in water for 2-3 hours
  2. Boil the soaked plums with3-4 cups of water on low heat for30-45 minutes
  3. Let the plum cool at room temperature
  4. Deseed the plums and blend them in a blender
  5. Now put the plum puree in a bowl and place it on low heat
  6. Add cinnamon seeds powder, sugar, salt, chili powder, black pepper, melon seeds and almonds to the plum puree.
  7. Let the mixture boil on low heat for 15 minutes
  8. Let the mixture cool and add vinegar to it and enjoy the delicious plum chutney.

Note:

  • Use a wooden spoon for stirring the chutney.
  • Always store the chutney in clean and dried glass jar and put in a refrigerator.

Indian spiced plum chutney:

 

Ingredients you will need:

  • 1 kg dried plums
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3  cup vinegar
  • 1 inch piece of cinnamon
  • Black pepper 5 small balls
  • 2 whole clove
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
  • Ginger fresh one small piece of ½ inch

How to cook:

  1. Soak the dried plums in water for 2-3 hours
  2. Grind together cinnamon, black pepper, cloves and anise
  3. Take 3-4 cups water in a large sauce pan and add the grind spices and sugar to it and heat it on low heat for 20 minutes
  4. Add soaked plums, mustard seeds, ginger and vinegar to the sauce pan and heat over low heat for 40 minutes or until the mixture thickens and gives the look of chutney.
  5. Cool the chutney and serve.

Note:

  • Use a wooden spoon for stirring the chutney.
  • Always store the chutney in clean and dried glass jar and put in a refrigerator.

 

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Finding gift basket hampers to impress the recipient

September 23rd, 2014

Finding gift hampers have been made easy, with the launch of hundreds of online gift websites. These sites come with a huge range of collection suited for every person, be it male or female, every age right from new born to a senior citizen. Moreover, it is also possible to find items that suit the individual taste. These sites are considered to be the perfect place for shopping gifts for the Christmas, other holidays, corporate holidays, birthdays, etc. The list is simply endless. Whatever is desired, one can get it at the right price, quickly and efficiently, without actually having to leave the house. The high end baskets do feature several wonderful items like fine wines, gourmet foods, chocolates, mixed nuts, tea, coffee, and other kinds of elegant items that not only would make a long lasting impression on the recipient, but also successfully win their heart and praise.

Buying gifts made easy

The sites have made it possible for the individual to stop figuring as to what is to be purchased for their beloved ones, be it a single item, varied choices or bulk items. They are sure to find everything, all under one-roof and get gifts for everyone whose name is on the list. One such gift that can make anyone jump with joy is the Season’s Choice Fruit, which is available with the sites. Fruits are something that no one can deny since they are not only juicy, but also fresh and very good for the health. Typically, the fruit hampers contain items like sun dried fruits, mixed nuts, smoked almonds, candies, chocolate, toffee, specialty tea such as green tea, etc. Fruits have always been the choice of many since this is something that no one can say no to or dislike it.

Gifts for babies

Nowadays, one can also buy gift baskets that are designed exclusively for the babies and can include the likes of stuffed animals, bibs, baby clothes, baby lotion and lots more. They are termed to be just perfect for the baby shower, baby’s first birthday. It can also be a wonderful way for creating the right impression on the new parents. Carefully selected baskets can contain fruits like oranges, grapes, bananas, pineapples, apples, and much more and it depends on the season when it is ordered, including its availability.

Impressing a colleague or the boss

There are times when it becomes important to wish the boss or the colleague, so that life at work can go smooth and progress is made in position and pay. A better way to achieve this is to go for a luxury gift basket.

Such high end baskets do contain a bottle of the best wine, gourmet treats which includes Tuscan styled crackers, chocolate pastry cookies, Belgian chocolates, and many more, with each of it being firmly nestled in a carefully crafted wicker basket. This when gifted to the colleague or the boss is sure to work like magic and help the person to be noticed.

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Worst Christmas Gifts Ever

September 22nd, 2014

While Christmas approaches, you get busy decorating the home as well as selecting gifts for friends and family.  The latter task has become more and more difficult with the sea of gifts available.

During the holiday season, one mistake that you should not commit is to select the wrong or inappropriate gifts. Here is a list of gifting gaffes you must avoid:

  • About me gift: This gift is about the giver rather than the recipient. For instance, if you get into competition with your siblings on giving the more expensive present, you will lose out on making the recipient happy by choosing what she likes. Similarly charity donations in the recipient’s name also sometimes fell into the ‘About me’ category.  This is because you might gift to a charity you like rather than to a charity close to the heart of the recipient.  Sometimes you may not give any thought to the type of charity also.

  • The re-gift: When you pass off a present you possess as a gift to others, you belittle the feelings of the recipients. Unless it is an heirloom of the family, the re-gift will not be appreciated by a recipient as it reflects that not much thought went into the gift and the gift was not chosen with the recipient’s liking in mind. But re-gifting is a common practice. The art of re-gifting is to consider whether the gift will be liked by the recipient, and then, remove all traces and signs that it is a re-gift. But most re-gifts tend to flounder as they are usually last minute ideas, picked out of desperation.

  • The statement gift: All gifts are intended to pass on a message of love and caring. But statement gifts tend to communicate certain type of disapproval or judgmental commentary targeting the recipient. For instance, a mother kept giving her daughter a dress two sizes smaller than hers every Christmas. It was meant to inspire her to lose weight, but ended up making her feel unloved and belittled.

  • The well meant misfire: Misfired gifts happen during the time when you suffer from momentary lapses of empathy. You are not thinking of the recipient but only about yourself. Such mistakes often happen in the stress of holiday shopping.

  • The passive-aggressive gift: Passive aggression is hostility wrapped in soft bunting. It is special type of statement gift which when handed over is meant to deliver a blow to the ego of the recipient.  For instance, presenting some luscious chocolate to a friend who has just successfully lost weight is a sign of jealousy rather than kindness.

  • Non-gift: This is an item the recipient would have purchased anyway. The worst of the lost are major purchases made without consulting the recipient and exudes the ‘about me’ message.

  • Ties, Celebrity perfumes and iPods: The silk tie is the most clichéd gift you could get for your man. It reminds him of the worst thing –his job.  Gifting cologne indicates that you think he stinks. An iPod is a hackneyed idea as most people already own one.

These are some of the worst gift ideas for Christmas. Why go in for such obviously wrong choices when you can impress with simple and thoughtful gifts like fruit, flower or hobby Christmas hampers by post.

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Picking the best gift hampers for her

September 18th, 2014

If women love to get surprised, it is to be ensured that she loves and enjoys the surprise of the gift presented to her. The best thing is that one need not explore the world for that charm as various unique gift items are coming up in the market these days. These items can be procured very easily with the onset of the online sites specializing on gifting solutions.

The way of gifting matters

Plenty of hampers and baskets for gift are available in the market the designs for which can surely thrill the women at any part of the year. One can select either of such items that can really make her to rise up her eyebrows. One can find several options like blood red roses, chocolates etc are definitely good, but these stuffs had become very common materials to gift with, especially, when the market has the availability of exceptional items. It is a well known fact that the lady love is sure to expect something different and special every time and not the usual stuffs. This could not only be annoying and boring, but also be depressing and might ruin the entire romantic mood. This is why, the gift needs to be a special one, and not necessary an expensive one for impressing her. Hence, the gift needs to be selected very carefully, after weighing all the options available in front.

What are expected of the gift hampers?

The hamper to be gifted must match with the sentiment and the mood of the occasion for which the gifting is to be made. It is really easy to find out gift hampers and baskets that have its theme rotating around specific occasions. Say, if the gifting is to be made on the eve of the Valentine’s Day, it shall be the best if a gift with the same theme is packed for the gifting. Most of the companies dealing with gift items sell hampers and baskets that contain items like bottles of champagne, candies, chocolates, soft toys etc., each of which are liked by the women. She can be thrill with a gift of a basket filled with gourmet chocolates. The gift must reflect the love and affection that makes one to gift.

Is it only the price that matters?

The gift is just the materialistic representation of the feeling we have for someone in our heart. Thus, one just needs to be sometimes considerate and also required to think a bit out of the box. The task had been made simplified by the online sites, which can really offer interesting stuffs and items of any range and budget. A survey conducted to figure the practices of the men from UK, that they adopt while to procure the gift for women, witnesses that the majority of them relies on these internet sites to fetch the prefect hampers for her in UK. Also, men from other countries are observed to act similarly when it comes to their turn.

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