Creating Beautiful Gifts

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Contemporary Packaging
Attention-getting Silk Bouquets
Scented Oils for Retail Stores
Tussie Mussie's
Designer Sachets
Aromatherapy Pillows
Turning Plain Candles into Great Gifts
Decorative Baskets
Decorating Frames 
Scented Gift Boxes 

Creating Beautiful Gifts   
Explore many different ways you can create unique, high-end gifts for your customers and friends by combining fragrance oils, botanicals or bath blends & salts  with flair. Many candle makers, soap makers, interior designers, wedding coordinators and gift basket specialists already know how wonderful the selection and prices are of potpourri, botanicals, decorative bottles, silk flowers and scented oils are at Save-On-Crafts. 

Producing Exceptional Gifts is Easy!

Exceptional gifts have one common element that is the key to their profitable success - QUALITY. Quality doesn't always mean "the best" or "the most expensive". Quality simply means well put together, using a better grade of materials, having an artistic touch or having little extras that make it more attractive, finer to the touch, durable, easier to use or makes life better having it around that day.

Dazzling, Easy To Make Gift Items

Contemporary Packaging

Fill the bottles with

• bath salts
• potpourri
• botanicals
• bubble bath or lotions

  

  Add a lovely ribbon, a band of cording on the neck or a strand of raffia to dress it up. You can wrap the bottle in silk, tulle , lame' or mesh. As a final touch you could add a fresh, dried or silk sprig of something or a dried botanical such as a dried rose bud or cinnamon stick tied or glued to the bow.

See silk roses, gerbera daisies, ferns and ivy.

Attention Getting Mixed Silk Bouquets

Even if you don't sell flowers in your shop, silk bouquets add a soft, colorful touch to any display. These easy to make bouquets can be nestled in a basket, laid on antique furniture or hung from the rafters to catch customer's attention.

• Choose from 3 to 6 large bundles of silk flowers and greens that go together. 
• Divide each bunch into 4 equal sections (or more depending on your project).
• Loosen each section as you divide the bunches. Then add one section from each bunch together to make a new "mixed" bouquet. Adjust the silks so some are high (towards the center) and some are low (towards the outside).
• To finish each bouquet, rubber band the stems together to keep them in place. Wrap each one in a piece of brown craft paper or your favorite gift-wraps and tie a bow of ribbon or raffia around the outside.

Scented Oils for Retail Sales 

If you are ordering scented oils for making potpourri, soaps, lotions, candles or aromatherapy products, why not offer the oils to your customers as well? People can bring in their own container for refill or you can carry a small vial for them to fill. Simple labels can be made bearing your name and phone number, along with an area to hand write in the "flavor" of oil with your own Xyron Laminator Machine.  Bottles are easily filled and labeled ahead of time for quick sales from your bulk supply.

Try various bottles, perfume bottles or even scientific laboratory bottles for different size vials with lids.

See the collection of small corked bottles with quantity pricing. 

Tussie Mussie

Event coordinators -These are wonderful to use for place card holders and you can make extra's to add to your other floral arrangements.  If you are decorating for an event try attaching tussie mussie's to antiqued silver frames that will display table numbers. Add to favors, gifts and decorations. Follow one color theme throughout the room. They also make lovely corsages.

The image above is Anny Heid's petite tussie-mussie. Ann found these diminutive tussie-mussie holders in an antique store. They are actually lapel pins and a wonderful alternative to the traditional boutonneire.  Also look for old silver butter knives. A lot of them come apart at the handle and are hollow inside. Perfect for using for making tussi-mussies. 

The key to the Tussie Mussie is small and quaint. 

• Gather a few silk, fresh or dried flowers together. They can be mixed with only one of each type of flower or combine silks with fresh flowers.  A blend of two or three types of flowers or just a small bunch of only one type of flower depending on your taste. Keep the bouquet's top diameter six inches or under.
• Once you have the flowers arranged to your liking, cut the excess stems down to four inches below the blooms. Band the stems together tightly with a rubber band or tape.
• Staring at the bottom of the stems, wrap ribbon around the stems to completely conceal them. Glue the ribbon in place just under the blooms then tie a bow around the flowers. Wired ribbon is available in fantastic colors and is probably the easiest to work with. Add ferns, tiny pine cones, silk ivy and botanicals to it.

   

  Designer Sachets 
  Sachets have been around forever yet they somehow retain their popularity as they change and evolve with every generation. People still love them just because they are easy to stash in a drawer and they smell so good! To give your sachets high-end appeal, try a few of these ideas.
  
• Make or purchase small bags made of top quality fabrics such as silk, tulle , organza, taffeta, chenille or bridal satin. Find quality mesh sachet bags with satin drawstrings in an assortment of colors and sizes at quantity discounts here at Save-On Crafts. 
• If you make them yourself  be sure to tuck and hem the top edge of the bag for a finished look. It looks even better to tuck the top edge of the bag back into itself. That way no "rough" side of the fabric is ever seen.
• Fill the bag with very fragrant botanicals. Tie the top of the bag closed with matching top quality ribbon.
• These make fantastic wedding favors, as they do not have to be very large to be impressive. They can also be filled with candy, pillow mints and candy covered almonds, instead of potpourri. 
     

  Aromatherapy Night Time Pillows

  Beautifully made dream pillows and eye pillows are the epitome of pampering!
  It will block out the  light spread a soothing  gentle weight over and around your eyes. 

  Great for rejuvenating tired eyes.

• You will need flaxseed along with some soft, luxurious fabric such as silk. Flaxseed is perfect for those that are sensitive to scent. Cool, refreshing and blocks out the light. Provides gentle weight that gently relaxes your temples.
• You can add lavender or chamomile flowers if you want- lavender and chamomile can be left whole, but for an even softer pillow grind it into a powder using a food processor or spice grinder. Lavender is a natural anti-depressant and is becoming well known for relieving insomnia, headaches and stress.
• Make a small, tube shaped eye pillow or small, rectangular dream pillow from the fabric. Simply cut the shape out and sew three and 1/2 sides together with the fabric inside out. Then turn the fabric right side out and fill the pillow loosely with flaxseed. (If you are making a chamomile or lavender pillow fill with equal parts of lavender/chamomile -ground or whole- and flaxseed). Hand stitch the last of the pillow together or use a ribbon to tie it off. The dream pillow is put under a regular pillow at night to encourage sweet dreams and the eye pillow is laid directly over closed eyes to soothe and rejuvenate.
  
  
  

  Turning Plain Candles Into Great Gifts

  Some candles are incredible just as they are. They don't need any help because they are so well made (and expensive!). But what can you do to plain old taper and pillar candles to add style to your products and your store?
• Put two taper candles together and wrap them in a small square sheet of craft paper or hand made paper. Lay the candles across the paper at an angle. Fold up the bottom corner and wrap one side around and then the other. It should come out with the bottom covered and the top of the candles exposed. Tie a ribbon or raffia around the paper and glue a few dried flowers or botanicals to the bow.
• Decorate a small grapevine wreath with botanicals, dried or silk flowers and place a pillar candle in the center. It can be set on a glass tray, a plate or a terra cotta plant tray.
• Use several different size large serving plates and square trays to display a selection of pillar candles. Make sure you use different size candles on each display. Place glass vase gems, polished stones or glass marbles around the candles.  
• Fill a shallow gift box with potpourri or your favorite botanical, preferably a gift box with a clear lid. Nestle any type of candle or candles in the potpourri and add the classic store label and touch of ribbon.
• Decorate pillar candles by gluing botanicals end to end around the base. My personal favorite is upright bay leaves with the edges barely touching. The glue holds them in place, but a strand of raffia around them really ties it together visually. Other great botanicals would be cinnamon sticks, orange slices, apple slices, orange peel ribbon or pine cones. .
   

  

  Decorative Baskets

  Who doesn't need to come up with some fresh ideas for baskets? These ideas will work on any type of basket from a gourmet goodie basket, bath basket or fruit basket to a flower girl basket, card holding basket or wedding reception basket.
  
  1. Cover the entire handle of a basket by gluing the end of a ribbon to one of the handle bases. Wrap the ribbon around overlapping each wrap and glue the other end of the ribbon to the other handle base. Tie a simple bow over the base of each side of the handle and glue a few little dried or silk flowers to the center of the bow.
  2. Fill the basket 3/4 full with loose potpourri or botanicals. If the basket is loosely woven and the potpourri falls out, then fill a large clear plastic bag 3/4 full instead. Place the plastic bag in the basket and sprinkle a small bit of loose potpourri over it. Fill the basket with your favorite bath products or non-edible gifts, favors or cards. The potpourri adds an extra treat while acting as stuffing for the gift basket.
  3. Glue a thin strip of moss around the rim of the basket. Weave a ribbon or raffia over the moss, gluing it in place as you go. Finish it off by gluing dry or silk flower heads or grasses and botanicals over the moss and ribbon.
  4. Glue a bow or streaming ribbon along the handle or rim of a basket. Glue a silk flower head or large botanicals over the ribbon.
  
  
  

  Scented Gift Boxes

  Brown craft paper boxes in all shapes and sizes. To make beautiful gift boxes from these plain paper mache containers is really easy. Choose a potpourri blend, favorite botanical or botanical blend and paint the boxes to go with the colors. Paint the entire container inside and out. Use regular house paint or Acrylic Paints for a nice thick coating and take the time to find current decorator colors. My personal favorites are metallic gold or burgundy boxes coated with rose petals and purple or periwinkle boxes covered with lavender.  

  If you like a coarse, natural look, leave the potpourri or botanical as they come. If you prefer a more tailored look, grind the potpourri or botanicals in a food processor, coffee grinder or spice grinder before you begin. Once the boxes are completely dry, blob tacky white glue sporadically around the box. Wearing rubber gloves, press the (ground or whole) potpourri or botanicals into the glue. You can cover the container completely, make specific designs or cover it in spots, allowing the painted box to show through. Add a beautiful matching ribbon to complete the look.

  Try covering boxes in moss for a wonderful spring look! 

   

  Custom Product Line with Your Business Label

  Choose from a wide selection of glass bottles or high quality glass jars for creating a line of bath products with your store label! It is so easy to create a professional looking product that carries your store name home with your customers.
• Select one or several styles from the line of glass bottles and jars available here at Save-on-Crafts.com.
• Choose your favorite bath salts and bath blends and purchase them in bulk quantities.
• Have custom labels made or make your own with one of the  Xyron Laminator Machines.
• Fill the containers from your supply of bulk bath salts or bath botanicals. Attach a label to each container. You could also create a hangtag by sticking the label on cardstock or vellum , using a punch to put a hole in the top of the tag and hanging it from the bottle. Finish off the look with a beautiful sheer or thin satin ribbon, cording or raffia to complement the label. See all our ribbons available to you at bulk discount to help you in your selection. 

  More easy and beautiful gift items can be made in this way by using sachet bags, bulk potpourri , bulk bath salts, bulk bath blends, or bulk botanicals such as lavender, chamomile flowers or rose petals.

Old Fashioned Bulk Sales and Display

• Salts, bath botanicals, potpourri and botanicals can be sold "by the scoop" or "by the ounce" or even "by the pound."
• Customers can fill their own containers or you could simply provide clear cellophane bags, like candy or corsage bags, for holding the bulk items.
• Pretty bags ,sachet bags and boxes filled with any of these bulk materials make great items for gift baskets.
• Carry a selection of beautiful glass bottles along with the bulk salts, bath botanicals and so on. Then your customers can select their favorite bottle and fill it with whatever they like from your bulk display.

You will find many of these products here at Save-on-Crafts.com

You will find a great collection of quality materials and containers at great discounts.  Including ribbons, tulle, candles & candle holders, vases,  excelsior, raffia, polished stones, glass vase gems, organza sachet bags, favor supplies, blank notecards, rubberstamping supplies, Xyron labeling machines, specialty papers, topiary forms, floral supplies and much much more. 

 Savings everywhere you look!

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