A Merry Christmas From Rainbow Designs

Well this will be the last blog post for the year as we close our doors on Friday 19th December.  So if you intend to purchase your Christmas gifts from us, I implore you to order before then, otherwise they will not be sent until we reopen in February 2015.

Christmas is an extremely busy time of year for all involved, we are working super hard to fulfill all the orders and our couriers are working overtime to deliver them all.  For this reason we ask that you order as soon as possible to avoid as much stress as possible.

If you have still not placed an order, we recommend you do so now - today - to guarantee your choice of gift.  Many of our Christmas gifts have sold out already.

How has your year been?  Was it as good as you had hoped?  Are you taking any time off over the festive season?

Ours, as always, has been full of ups and downs but that is all part and parcel of life.  Thank goodness for chocolate, right?

So from all the staff at Rainbow Designs, we wish you a wonderful Christmas and the most awesome New Year that you can possibly imagine.

Here is a great thought to keep you going through Christmas and beyond...

"I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens

May all your dreams come true, and more!

J Is For Jacqui

Hi, I'm Jacqui.

I am the owner of Rainbow Designs - the online chocolate and lolly online gift store based in Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast of NSW in Australia.

I love the water and enjoy living in this beautiful seaside town and I also confess to enjoying the odd cruise or two.  There is something about being able to totally relax in your surroundings on the open water...and of course I admit to being a complete chocoholic as well.  Not a day goes by when I don't consume a chocolate or two; just one of the perks of being in the chocolate business I guess.

I have been managing Rainbow Designs for over 10 years and I really enjoy being able to help people send wonderful, delicious and affordable gifts to their friends, family and colleagues.  Of course flowers are good but in our opinion, chocolates are better.  Making people happy is a job I take very seriously.

A day in the life of a chocolate and lolly gift store owner is fairly predictable but I wouldn't have it any other way.  My day goes something like this:

1. Start up the computer and printer.
2. Turn on the kettle - I couldn't survive without my coffee.
3. Print orders, sort them, confirm payment has been received, write out gift tags (yes we hand write each one) then update order status online.  Customer service is important and it is necessary to keep the customer informed on the progress of their order.
4. Make a list of gifts needed for the day.
5. Go through emails and reply to the urgent ones first saving the others for later in the day.
6. Pay any bills.
7. Make another cup of coffee.
8. Unpack any deliveries and check everything is there and follow up if anything is missing.
9. Process any new orders.
10. Check and reply to emails.
11. Prepare box and satchel orders.
12. Update customer order status.
13. Enter orders into MYOB and file.
14. Send orders out by courier.
15. Answer any final emails.

Of course there is a bit of taste testing going on throughout the day but that is done sporadically depending on my mood. Speaking of which, I best get on as there are some M&Ms here somewhere calling my name!

So that's me - Jacqui.

I would love it if you could take a moment to share something about yourself even if it's just sharing the name of your favourite lolly or chocolate.  Until next time...

I is for I

Welcome to December - it is here - whether you like it or not. The countdown is on to Christmas and many people spend a lot of time running around, purchasing gifts for others and running themselves ragged.

If you missed converting November into Me-vember, where you spend each day doing something just for you, then now is the time to spoil yourself and make you feel special. There's no point sitting around waiting until December 25 when someone may or may not surprise you; you can do it yourself, today.

Whether it is buying one of our delicious and decadent boxes of chocolate or lollies, or sending yourself one of our gift hampers, we encourage it. Whether it is going to get that much needed haircut or going to a coffee shop (alone or with friends), we say do it. Whether it is buying that outfit you have your eye on or picking up a few of your favourite DVDs in preparation for an awesome tv-fueled weekend, we recommend it wholeheartedly!

You deserve it - you totally do. It's around this time of year when we our to-do list increases and if we don't watch it, we can really let the stress and business of the festive season get to us.

So find some time for you. Think about something that you want to do; maybe it's something you haven't done in ages, or maybe it's something you want to try for the first time. Sometimes we put things off because we don't want to appear selfish but truly, when was the last time you said no to everyone else around you and did something just for you.

So buy yourself those flowers, take that walk, purchase those earrings or go for that cocktail with your girlfriend, what's the harm? Those chores will still be waiting for you when you are done.  Trust me!