Gift Baskets For Women

Maybe she likes a good romance novel. Or she might swoon over chocolates. She'll love a great wine. She will appreciate those fine bath products. Whatever her tastes or interests, there's a great gift basket waiting.

Create your own private home spa with the fine products in a gift basket filled with bath oils, soaps and scents. Indulge in that long hot soak while using any of many fine ointments, then enjoy a soothing moisturizer at the end. A bath product gift basket is the perfect choice to celebrate that Sunday pampering yourself.

Who doesn't like flowers? Fresh or faux, you can find a huge bouquet of roses or a mixed basket of daffodils, peonies and begonias. The basket itself can be an important part of the total package, delivering that bounty of color in a traditional wicker or a contemporary porcelain container.

Coffee is a great favorite to fill a woman's gift basket. A big package of that fine gourmet dark roast can fill the container. Or, an array ranging from delicate Viennese to robust French can festoon a cannister. Sprinkle packets of raw sugar or delicate natural creams among the many beans waiting to be ground and brewed.

Prefer tea to coffee? Find a basket that has a year's supply of her favorite Chamomile. Or get a selection of British Earl Grey, Asian Ginseng and African Rooibos. Top it off with a special tea spoon or strainer. Pack the tea in tins that will last a lifetime.

Wine will never go to waste. Get a basket that holds that brilliant ruby-colored Bordeaux. Or get a selection that runs the gamut of whites from a dry Chardonnay to a sweet Gewürztraminer. Pick a single standard-sized bottle to form the centerpiece, or arrange a series that can be tried one per month. Surround the wine with fine cheese or gourmet crackers. A winning combination!

Chocolates can well stand alone in a delightful container of straw or wood. But how much better to add a small bottle of champagne or wine to mix in with the sweets? Sometimes a combination makes for a unifying theme itself, as when sewing accessories are combined with beautiful buttons or cloth samples, for example.

Be a hero and give a gift basket full of jewelry. A woman's gift basket could contain a single diamond ring at the center, surrounded by a hundred tiny scrolls with poems announcing your undying love. Or, you can scatter a dozen pairs of earrings among the straw that reminds you of your first trip to that Bed and Breakfast in the country.

Try some delightfully scented candles. With hints of fresh apricot or gusts of cinnamon, a scented candle can bring back memories. Create new ones by finding that special vanilla from Africa or a citrus from Mandalay. Surround the candles with chunks of wrapped chocolate and all the senses will come alive.

Whether you're looking for that perfect birthday gift, or want something to celebrate that promotion at work, you'll find a woman's gift basket that is just right for the occasion.

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Gaining your Spouses Support with your Home Business

It is hard enough to start your very own home-based business, but it is three times as hard to do it when your husband or partner is not supporting your venture. You may need him to watch the kids to meet a deadline or to help out getting supper on the table when you need to deliver fifty gift baskets first thing the next morning.

But many moms find that their husband just won't help out or even offer any emotional support when it comes to starting a home business. But why is this?

Some husband's feel threatened with the possibility of your success. What if your home business really takes off and you become the family's prized breadwinner, with your husband's income suddenly becoming the supplementary one?

Others just don't want to see you take time away from household duties. You might be able to live with the bathroom being cleaned every other week, and grocery shopping becoming a once-a-month ordeal, but your husband may view it as the fact that you are neglecting your "wifely" duties.

Other husbands just can't seem to get their mind around the fact that just because you work within the home doesn't mean that you still have the same number of hours to devote to household chores every week. And they will resent when they are asked to start pulling their weight around the house such as loading the dishwasher or taking out the recycle bin.

If your business is generating enough income, you might even consider hiring a person to come in and do the "nitty gritty" cleaning once a week or a couple of times a month. You may find that it is more cost effective to hire a cleaner rather than lose those hours of working time on your business.

The unsupportive husband


This one is tough. While we want to be independent women with your independent business the fact is we are wives and mothers first. Believe me when I say no business will be a success when you and your spouse are at odds over it.

But what can you do to help solve this situation? So how can you get the spousal backing you need? First and foremost, you must both sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk. Start with a well built plan and a lot of enthusiasm (remember if you love it so will everyone else). Don't do this after he has just finished yelling because there is a science project growing in the bottom of the fridge, or after you have accused him of not helping out enough. Doing it then will just result in barbs being thrown back and forth with no real solution being found. Some moms suggest having this discussion in a restaurant, as it will keep yelling to a minimum (hopefully!) and prevent most from just getting up and leaving, effectively ending any discussion on the subject.

Explain how you will set you priorities and "fit" the business in rather than fitting the family in. You may suggest involving your dear husband in the business as well so you can share your business triumphs as a team! Give him time, start slow and as he sees the results he will be more likely to give you the extra encouragement you need.

But some just will never change. Whether they are old-fashioned, secretly terrified of your success, or just plain resentful that you get to stay home all day, some will just never change. You will have to come up with your own personal compromise, or evaluate how you can run your business while still running your household with little disruption.

Below we touch on a few of the potential underlying causes and give some tips for overcoming them.

When money is the issue:

Leaving the workforce and giving up a steady paycheck can often make finances tight at home in the beginning. If that choice affects your financial lifestyle, it can often result in resentment of the business.

Sit down and talk with your husband. Show him your objectives and how you plan to meet your goals with your business, and how it will result in an income that will contribute to the household. Often times, seeing that things will only be tight for a certain amount of time gives them a light at the end of the tunnel and can do wonders for their patience.

Take the time to learn the tax benefits you will receive by being a home based business owner. Explain those benefits to your husband once you have solid details from your tax advisor.

Work on your family budget. Try to cut costs where it makes the least impact on your lifestyle. One of the biggest budget areas you can cut with some innovation and good recipes is your grocery budget. Look for cheaper rates for your long distance, your car insurance and your health insurance.

Take a look at your spending and cut it in any way you can that doesn't make a huge impact on your lifestyle. Showing your husband that you are finding ways to keep costs down while you get your business off the ground can often make them see that living on one paycheck is not as bad as they think.

When quality time is the issue:

When working your business to realize your goals, you can often become consumed by it. This can leave your husband feeling neglected and unimportant.

Establish a period of time daily that you can devote just to spend time with your husband. Show them that even though you are busy, you still make it a priority to make time for them. Try not to "schedule" this time and make your husband feel like they need to be "penciled in". Instead, be aware of times when you have the ability to take a break and get some quality time in with your husband.

Do something special for your husband at least once a week. Make their favorite meal or watch that football game or a movie with him that he loves. Give him a back massage or go out on a date. Just show him that you care enough to do something just for him.

People working a business from home are famous for "burning the midnight oil". Once a week, be sure to turn off that computer or put down that paperwork and head to bed at a reasonable time with your husband.

When household duties are the issue:

Anyone who works a business from home and is still responsible for the majority of the housework can tell you this is not an easy task to do with success. A spouse working outside the home can often become less than appreciative of their work from home partner's business when the household is not being kept in decent shape. Often times, small things can make the difference.

Find out what household duties are most important to your husband and be sure to have those done on a regular basis. Maybe it is having laundry clean and folded or the dishes done. Having the things most important to your husband done on a regular basis can often help in him being more patient with those that aren't "pet peeves".

Schedule your household work into your day. An hour a day consistently can get a lot accomplished and keep your house looking organized.

Talk with your husband about what he can do to help. Often times, we expect that our work out of the home counterparts know what we need from them to keep things running smoothly in the home. Many times, just sitting down with your husband and being honest about what you need help with can make wonders.

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Photographers Need Great People Skills, Too! Part 1

Being a photographer is about more than just being able to push the shutter down. A photographer has to be able to make his clients feel comfortable while still doing his job. People skills are important and they need to be appropriate with the situation of the shoot.

Being a photographer requires the skill and talent to take beautiful, exciting, attention grabbing pictures. It is an art and a business all in one. However, if your people skills are lacking, so will your business. If you do not know how to make your clients feel comfortable and relaxed with you your photography business will not succeed. You need those people skills to make sure your clients are relaxed and comfortable. If they feel this way taking pictures with you, they will come back and possibly become long-term return clients. If they feel uncomfortable in any way, you could lose their business for life.

4 Steps to Great People Skills for Photographers:

Maintain Eye Contact: When you are using a tripod to take someone's picture line up the shot, and then step away from your camera to make eye contact with your client. You can then keep your eye contact by instructing them on their position, mood and angle. This will help make your client feel more comfortable than if you were to talk to them while looking through your camera. This can make them feel alone and uncomfortable. By making eye contact, speaking in a relaxed and conversational tone you can make your client feel more comfortable. If your client has to talk to a camera for the entire session, they may not feel very comfortable or much like returning to your place of business.

Don't Let it Run Dry: Keep the interaction going with your client throughout the entire session. Make conversation, give them compliments, instruct them in their position, and just make them feel like they are talking to their best friend that they have known for a long time. You must earn their trust through conversation, body language, and your tone of voice, your words, and your gestures. This can prove to be difficult if you are a really shy person. However, you can learn how to be a more open person with your clients. You can practice with family and friends, or even just alone with a camera timer taking your own pictures. Imagine yourself as the client, and imagine how they would feel.

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