Archive for February, 2015

A story behind delicious chocolate

February 27th, 2015

Who doesn’t like receiving chocolate gifts by post? We all love the flavours and texture of chocolate in various forms – whether they are shaped as bars, candies, in pastries or even in the form of sauce. People with a sweet tooth swear by chocolate and consider it the greatest creation of God. Even people who are not fond of sweets and candies occasionally crave a bite or lick of this yummy treat! But here are some fun facts related to chocolate that would make your tryst with the dark hero even more enjoyable!

About the name – Ever wondered how chocolate got its name? Well, most people believe that the word chocolate has its roots in the Aztec word “xocolatl” which means “bitter water”. If you were to bite into a bar of dark chocolate, you will realise why it was thus called. Cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made, are actually bitter. When you mix the extract with milk and sweeteners such as butter and sugar, you actually get the edible chocolate variants available in the market.

A source of energy – Surprised? Most people are only aware of protein shakes and fruits like bananas that are considered instant sources of energy. Studies have proven that if you were to consume just one chocolate chip, you will get enough energy to walk about 150 feet!

A stellar companion! – Russians and Americans have been two of the most active nations when it comes to exploring space, the galaxy and our neighbouring planets. Did you know that each time one of their spacecrafts took off, the astronauts had a small stash of chocolate with them?! It seems that whether you are on or off the planet, there are some cravings that just don’t change and chocolate is the most delicious of them all.

Mood enhancer – People, who consume chocolate have often mentioned on how happy and light they feel after consuming some amount of chocolate in any form – solid or liquid. This is not because chocolate rouses the mushy feelings within them! This is because consumption of chocolate is known to increase the supply of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is the compound that is released by the brain which keeps us calm and happy!

When chocolate became blood – Well, this is not one of the fun facts but is a slightly bizarre one! Alfred Hitchcock, the famous movie director, used chocolate in a really unique manner. There is a scene in his movie “Psycho” wherein he used chocolate instead of coloured water or fake blood in a shower! That must have been one of the most tasty crime or thrilling scenes that was ever shot in the history of filmmaking!

Chocolate has and will always be a popular choice with children and adults alike. So the next time you have to gift something and are in a fix about what to gift, consider chocolates, especially the flavoured ones, and the chances that you will go wrong would be very slim indeed!

Gift a bundle of love with a twist to it!

February 27th, 2015

Deciding on a perfect gift is an uphill task for many of us. If you think that being a member of a royal family automatically exempted you from this trouble, think again! Even members of the royal families have to think long and hard before they settle on that perfect gift to honour an occasion or a person. In fact, with the availability of a large number of pre-filled gift hampers online, gifting has become a much easier process for us! There have, however, been some shining examples of precious and unique gifts made in history, some of which have been listed below:

The Trojan Horse – One of the most daunting and cunning gifts in the history of time, the Greek waited for a number of years to capture the city of Trojan and carried a large wooden horse when they finally carried out their attack. They tactically left behind the horse and withdrew from the war scene and the Trojans were overjoyed that they won. They dragged the large wooden “gift” inside their city walls but received the shock of their lives when Greek soldiers dropped from it in the middle of the night and eventually accomplished what they had set out to do – win a war!

Clever Cleopatra – Perhaps one of the most unique gifts in history, this involved the very beautiful Cleopatra, who was demanding and audience with Julius Caesar so she could seek his help during their times of war. Caesar kept avoiding this meeting and Cleopatra hit upon a brilliant scheme wherein she asked to be rolled into an expensive carpet that she wanted to gift to him. Bundled in a pricey carpet, Cleopatra “gifted” Caesar more than he expected and she ultimately got what she wanted – an opportunity to speak with the king.

Majestic Beauties – These would be tough to beat but you could steal the spirit of innovation and dedication from these royal examples! Shah Jahan was so infatuated with his wife Mumtaz Mahal that he got an entire world wonder created for her – the Taj Mahal. Considered the ultimate gift one can give to his wife, this beauty was made entirely of marbles and precious gemstones on the banks of river Yamuna in Delhi. Nebuchadnezzar II was another royalty who was totally in love with his wife – Queen Amytis – for whom he got the Hanging Gardens of Babylon set up. It is said that his wife missed the lush greenery of her Median home and to assuager her homesickness, he commissioned this world marvel, which included several thousand kinds of plants, trees, vines and shrubs. Although, largely considered a mythical concept, it is indeed a thrilling one that could inspire you to go green with your expressions of love!

These are just some examples of popular gifts. Others included islands, jewels and bejewelled clothes and weapons, beautifully penned and decorated letters and poems, etc.

Top Cheap Hampers For Loved Ones

February 26th, 2015

Instead of buying one gift for a loved one, isn’t it better that you present a whole hamper of gifts? A personally assembled gift hamper is valued much because of the effort that went into creating it.

Hamper gift is also not expensive as you fear. By carefully picking items, one can cut down the cost. One can also tailor the contents of the hamper according to the taste and likings of the recipient. One can get cheap hampers delivered anywhere in the country.

Here are a few ideas for top cheap gift hampers (All items cost less than £35) at Express Gift Service:

  • Brunch Fruit Tray: This gift box is packed with delicious, healthy dry fruits. It is an exquisite brunch time item to savour. It provides instant dose of energy and pampers the taste buds. The hamper consist of a selection of cranberries, figs, pineapple and apricots. It is packed in an octagonal tray, wrapped aesthetically with a ribbon and can include a personalized gift card.
  • Gourmet Nuts Tray: Nuts are the best way to keep warm in the winter or rainy season and the nuts in the hamper are crunchy and delicious. This hamper contains seasonal dry fruits like walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts and hazel nuts. These can be placed in an attractive box and secured with a pretty ribbon.
  • Birthday Flower Gift: A lovely display of 12 tender spray carnations in attractive hues like white, pink and yellow blooms. There are at least four blooms on every stem, which will provide 48 flowering heads for 12 stems.
  • Pine Nuts Tray: Delight your family with this healthy snack. Hamper is made of a selection of Brazil nuts, walnuts and almonds. Can be set in a pine nut design tray, secured with a ribbon and feature a personalized gift card.
  • Kula Spa Bath Tub: This attractively arranged mini bath tub will sit pretty in any bathroom and provide for a pampering, luxurious experience in summers and winter (the whole year round). Fragrance is of Sea Kelp which calms the body.  It also contains Cocoa Butter, Almond Oil, Pro Vitamin B5, Evening Primrose Oil,   Vitamin E and Vitamin A.  The hamper also features Body Lotion, Body Butter, Body Spray, Towel Sponge and Shower Gel.

 

  • Sweet and Pickle Hamper Basket: Add spice and flavour to your meals using sweets and pickles. The hamper is based on a classic contrast between sweet and sour. Some products, which you can add include English breakfast marmalade, Strawberry jam, gardener’s choice chutney and potting shed Pickle.
  • Christmas Tree Fruit Cake: This scrumptious fruit cake is an ideal gift hamper for friends and family in the holiday season. It is made of natural ingredients, top class fruits covered with marzipan and fondant icing. It has a long shelf life, so enjoy for a long time. Ingredients are Currants, Sultanas, Wheat flour, Cherries, Sugar, Whole egg, mixed peel, Vegetable fats, Maize starch, Raising agent, whey powder, natural preservatives, colours and flavours. It is suitable for vegetarians and is free of alcohol.

 These are top seven gift hamper treats you can get within 30 pounds.

Ideas for Some Great Hobby Based Gift Hampers

February 26th, 2015

Gift hampers based on the theme of hobbies suit almost everyone. One obstacle on the way is if you have no idea about the hobby of the recipient.

But there are ways to get around this. First, you can snoop around by asking friends, family or colleagues. Second, you can pay attention to the topics frequently discussed by the recipient. Finally, take a peek into their social media entries like Facebook or Twitter accounts. If all these fail and you find the recipient lacking a hobby, you can get him/her started on one.

Here are examples of a few hobby based gift hampers:

Beach Theme:  Items that can be included are:

  • Container can be a bag: Choose from a straw bag or a plastic bag or  a tote bag.
  • Sunscreen: Choose from  spray -ons to lotions and ones to match the skin types and age of recipients.
  • After sun lotion: to cool down after a day in the sun
  • Mineral water: Beats all the colas
  • Water proof/ zip loc bags: To safe keep water sensitive items like phone, watch, etc.
  • Towels: Most useful items
  • Goggles, flippers and snorkels: for sea lovers
  • Silicon plugs for ears and nose clip: for lovers of pools.
  • Paint brush: to wipe away sand
  • Mini soap and shampoo: To take bath at the pool or the sea before heading home.
  • Hat: Straw hats are popular
  • Sunglasses and case
  • Flip flops: are inexpensive but sturdy wear for the beach.
  • Crossword puzzle, Frisbee, Kite and bucket and shovel (for little ones) for entertainment.

Techie Theme: The life of a techie revolves around his gadgets. Here are a few ideas to keep him happy:

  • Container can be a lap top tray or a basket.
  • Memory stick: To help those running out of memory or battery.
  • USB power car adaptor: to charge any device with USB cable while travelling by car.
  • Ten in one USB charging cable: The cable has 10 different adaptors for charging all kinds of devices.
  • USB port hub: Divides any USB port into 3-4 ports.
  • Cord organizers: To sort tangles made by wires and hubs.
  • Mono head set featuring microphone: Great for users of Skype and for calls over the internet.
  • USB Blue Tooth Dongle: A cool and cheap widget. Allows PC/ Laptop to sync with other Blue tooth devices sans wires.
  • Lap top tray: Protects lap tops from heating
  • Mini lap top mouse featuring retractable cable
  • Silicone USB number keypad.
  • Gamepad USB  controller for PC games.
  • Color sticker for cover of lap top
  • USB fan
  • USB keyboard light
  • Cell phone card holder
  • Table stand for cell phone
  • Wall stand for charging cell phone
  • Universal battery charger for cell phone
  • Charging cable for iPhone/iPad
  • FM Transmitter for iPhone/ iPad.
  • Touch pens
  • Screen protectors
  • Cap protecting ear phone plug from dust
  • i Phone style mouse pad
  • I Phone and iPad cases
  • Silicon speakers

These are two types of hobby themed gift hampers and their useful contents. If you find it difficult to assemble the hamper yourself, you can order hobby themed gift hampers online and surprise your loved ones.

How to Arrange For Wedding Flowers Cheaply

February 25th, 2015

Flowers look lovely on your wedding day, but they can also cut a deep hole in your pocket. Weddings use a lot of flowers such as bouquets of bride and bridesmaids, corsages, boutonnieres, peddles of flower girls, pew decorations, altar arrangements and décor for reception.

Costs of flowers for a wedding can go up to $10,000 or more. But there a few tricks to cut down on your expenses without sacrificing your lovely flowers for a gorgeous wedding.

Here are a few tips:

  • Re-use flowers: The first way to cut down on cost is to re-use flowers from the church, at the reception. Give someone the responsibility to do this transfer before guests start arriving at the reception. The second way is to use bridal and bridesmaids bouquets as table arrangements and centre piece arrangement at the reception.
  • Go for seasonal/ cheaper flowers: Using flowers in season can save you a pot of money. Consult your florist on what are the options of flowers in season. It will be much better than using exotic flowers not in season, which have to be shipped from faraway and will add the shipping cost.

Similarly, among the seasonal flowers, go in for the relatively cheaper ones. Remember cheap does not mean unattractive in the case of flowers. Carnations are some of the cheapest flowers available but they look lovely.

Wild flowers are a lovely and cheap alternative. You can handpick these flowers from many public gardens and parks. But you must get permission for picking them beforehand.

Flowers that are difficult to cultivate are more expensive like orchids and Calla lilies. White flowers are also costly as they damage easily.

For cheap blooms, avoid seasons and occasions like Valentine’ s day, Mother’s day, Father’s day, Easter and prom season. Here the demand for flowers is high and options may be limited.

  • Go for hidden perks:  There are many tricks to get gorgeous flowers for your wedding without paying a cent. Firstly, if your wedding is to be held on other festival days like Christmas or Easter, the pews and altar will already be decorated and you will not need extra floral arrangements.

This is also true for weddings to be held in parks and gardens where the flowers and greenery will be already present and you need not spend money on decorations. The natural blooms in such parks will provide a spectacular backdrop.

Another trick is to include greenery in your arrangements. For an elegant, simple look, use a lot of greenery in place of flowers. For getting a look just as stunning as flowers, go for different types of leaves.

 You can also cut down on cost by sharing flowers. This can happen if you have your wedding slated on the same day as another wedding. You can save flower arrangements in the church in the morning for an evening ceremony and split the cost.

  • Go for artificial flowers: Artificial flowers, especially silk flowers look beautiful and cut down cost by a great deal. Not only are they lovely to look at but are durable and can be arranged as per your liking, weeks before the wedding.  You can reuse silk flowers already used at another wedding by borrowing or buying them. You can also sell them online after use.
  • Order online: If you find local florists expensive, you can order flowers online. They will send flowers by post.

These are some great ideas to cut down expenses on your wedding flowers.