Father's Day is Sunday 6 September 2015

Father's Day is one of those events that sneaks up on us every year. While we may have dad constantly in our heart, sometimes we struggle to order the gifts on time because... well... life just gets in the way.

At Rainbow Designs, we have a great range of lolly gifts and hampers to please the fussiest of dads and here are some of our favourites.

Big Chocolate Box: $43

A very impressive kilo sized chocolate box presented in a fabulous, reusable keepsake tin.

Lollies include, but are not limited to, M&Ms, freckles, clinkers, chocolate bullets, caramel buds, milk buds, cobbers, fantas, jaffas and smarties.

Yum, yum and yum!

Boutique Beer and Savoury Snacks Gift Hamper: $130

Craft beer is all the rage at the moment and for good reason, we think this beer and savoury snacks hamper will go down very well.

You even get a beer glass and coasters - what more could dad want?

Snacks include pretzels, corn chips, nuts and salsa.

Nuts About Sweets Gift Hamper: $60

This one has it all. Nuts, fudge, chocolate covered macadamia and three noodle boxes filled with lollies.

If you want to share this one with dad, best be there when it arrives because the contents won't last long.

Big Lolly  Box: $43

Equally as popular as our Big Chocolate Box, our Big Lolly Box is a popular choice for dad.

Presented in a reusable tin, lollies include jellybabies, snakes, raspberries, race cars, pineapple, milk bottles, strawberry & creams, chicos, jellybeans, red frogs, bananas, sherbies, redskins, milko chews, minties, gummi bears and licorice allsorts.

And if that's not enough, postage is included in the price of all hampers and lolly gifts, making shopping as simple as possible.

If you do decide to order one of our fantastic hampers (marked TGH - which stands for traditional gift hamper), we do recommend you order using Express Post to guarantee its arrival before Father's Day.

I know from your gift orders that many of you are super organised, and here I am still trying to work out my father's day plans,

What will you be getting up to on Father's Day?

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!

D Is For Dark Chocolate

The health benefits of dark chocolate have long been lauded - of course we love chocolate in all shapes and forms but if something so delicious is also supposed to be so healthy then we are totally on board.

Dark Chocolate May Lower The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

The compounds in chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, seems to be protective against the oxidation of LDL. In a study of approximately 470 elderly men, cocoa was found to decrease the risk of cardiovascular death by 50% over a 15 year period. And in a 9 year study of more than 31,000 in Sweden, those who ate a couple of servings of dark chocolate every week reduced their risk of heart failure by as much as a third.

Dark Chocolate Is Full Of Antioxidants

Dark chocolate is full of wonderful antioxidants including flavanols, polyphenols and catchins. One recent study revealed that both cocoa and chocolate consisted of more polyphenols and flavanols over fruits they trialled such as blueberries and acai berries.

Dark Chocolate May Reduce Blood Pressure and Boost Insulin Sensitivity

Researchers recently fed 15 healthy people either 3 ounces of dark chocolate or white chocolate, which contains no flavanol or phytochemicals, for a period of 15 days. This Italian study discovered that insulin resistance was significantly reduced in those who ate the dark chocolate - great news for diabetics.

Dark Chocolate Seemingly Creates Happy Children

Women who ate chocolate on a daily basis while pregnant reported they were able to handle stress easier than women who had no chocolate at all.  Also a Finnish study found that babies of mums who did eat chocolate were overall much happier and smiled more.

Dark Chocolate May Help People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

In a recent study in England, 1.5 ounces of 85% dark chocolate was given to a number of adults who suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. They were fed dark chocolate every day for a period of eight weeks. In the study, the individuals reported feeling less tired after consuming the dark chocolate.

Note that these studies are just a handful of those undertaken by the scientific communities and there are many more other health benefits reported by eating dark chocolate. I must confess I am seriously liking the sound of these chocolate health studies, I wonder how I can find myself on the receiving end of one of these!

C Is For Christmas

C is for...I was torn.  C could stand for chocolate, or Christmas, or even corporate gifts. But Christmas won out - really is there a Christmas that doesn't actually contain chocolate? Not in this house!

I love to give gifts - so this season suits me down to the ground. That is one of the reasons I started Rainbow Designs in the first place. Seeing someone smile really makes my day!

Did you know we have only have 9 Mondays until Christmas (not including today)? Does that thought send shivers down your spine? The last day to place orders is actually 22 December 2014 so in reality that only gives you about two months to decide and order. Panic mode! Not if you are organised. I truly think the key to having a great Christmas is to be organised and get the shopping done and dusted so you aren't worrying the week or even the day before.

I love Christmas. It is a time to relax and unwind because once I send out the last Christmas order I shut up shop and take some time out for me. Selfish, yes but extremely necessary.  

It's a time to watch those Christmas reruns and dine on Turkey and other festive trimmings.  The beer and wine flows freely and so does the love that accompanies the holiday season.

I love shopping for Christmas stock to add to the store because each year I try to find gifts which outdo the year before. Two of my favourites this year are the Reindeer Sweet Tooth Gift and the Yay Christmas Gift - both featuring 900g of mixed yummy chocolates and lollies. And for the ultimate in ultimate we offer a Four Seasons Luxury Hamper which includes champagne, wine, olives, chocolate, coffee and other goodies to tempt those taste buds.

Tis the season to be jolly - fa la la la la la la la la - but only if you are organised otherwise Mr Scrooge may inadvertently pop in for a visit. But we are pretty sure even our gifts would put a smile on his face too!

Where Did The Year Go?

Tomorrow marks the new financial year.  I don't know about you but I can't believe how quickly the year has flown by.  But then I think about all the things I crammed into the year and realise I was just too busy to see how quickly the days were disappearing.  My days are sometimes marked from one special holiday to the next:  Christmas then Valentine's Day then Easter, etc.  And even though I managed to sneak in a few breaks here and there, it still seems to have vanished without a trace.

One golden rule I have learnt about being in business for the past 10 years however is never to wish for a quiet moment because as a small business owner, you don't ever want the rush to end regardless of how tired you are at the end of the day.  Thank goodness for chocolate (and coffee) to help get me through on the busiest of days.  And thank you to our wonderful customers for creating those busy moments.

Mini Noodle Boxes (Corporate) - $12 per box

If you are feeling the wear and tear from the end of the financial year and the move into the next, why not treat yourself to a gift or two?  Or if you have a few dollars left over in the corporate kitty, order your staff a box of goodies as a well-earned reward.  We have some wonderful corporate gifts to choose from to keep your staff motivated and to thank them for their effort for the past year.

As always our new financial year goal is to try to improve on the previous year.  We aim to better our customer service and our products to ensure that the quality and service you receive from Rainbow Designs is second to none.

Do you have a particular goal in mind for the new financial year?

December Traditions

I love December for many reasons, not only because of summer and Christmas (although they are both pretty awesome!) but for the traditions which families recreate year after year.

• Do you start decorating on the same day each year or put your tree up on a specific day?
• Do you use specific decorations or have a special way in which you decorate?
• Do you drive around the neighbourhood to view the Christmas lights and decorations?
• Does the elf on the shelf appear to monitor your children's behaviour?
• Do you attend your local "Carols By Candlelight" concert every year?
• Do you use an advent calendar in your house?
• Do you have a Christmas CD which makes an appearance every December?
• Do you leave out milk and cookies for Santa?
• Do you hang stockings in your house?
• Do you donate a gift or your time to a particular charity each year?
• Do you bake traditional Christmas cookies or treats to share with your family?

These are just some of the traditions which families enjoy and experience together each year creating great memories and traditions to pass on to future generations.

And some of you have even added Rainbow Designs into the mix as part of your traditions for which we are very grateful.  We have many customers who order a gift box or two of lollies or chocolates each year as a special way to treat their family and friends.

Do you have any particular traditions which you or your family participate in every December?  Please share as we would love to hear from you.

Don't Forget The Kids

What child doesn't love the anticipation of Christmas? It is full of fun, family, sweet treats and exciting presents and we have a number of gifts at Rainbow Designs which are particularly suitable for our younger fans.

While many of our gifts feature an abundance of candy and chocolate, here are some which include a cuddly toy to accompany the sweets heading their way.

Perfect for Christmas is our Christmas Lolly Jar featuring Santa Claus - once the jar is empty is can be reused for other equally delicious treasures providing fun memories all year round.

Our Reindeer Delivery gift features a cuddly reindeer measuring 30cm as well as a handful of delicious candy canes and chocolate stars. Name him what you will - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer or Vixen!

And let's not forget Santa's Puppy. His spots and soft fur will easily win over any child, as will the scrumptious chocolate Christmas tree and baubles.

Our Rainbow Bear Sweet Tooth Gift is popular all year round making it a great gift for Christmas, a birthday or just for a job well done! Choose the teddy bear of your choice and he will help protect the half kilo of mixed chocolate and lollies. I am talking jelly babies, strawberries and creams, freckles, frogs and snakes to name just a few.

It won't be long before the children will be nestled all snug in their bed while visions of sugar-plums dance in their head, so make sure you order your gift before our Christmas cut-off date of 17 December 2013.

Many of our Christmas gifts have already sold out due to popular demand so we advise you to order sooner rather than later.

Reasons people send gifts

During the last 9 years we've sent out a lot of gifts for birthdays, probably one of the most common reasons for people sending a gift actually! I think that it's great that we can help people with their gift giving needs and love the fact that with the internet it makes it so much easier and faster! Quite a few of our gifts are 'oh no I forgot such and suchs birthday' I need it delivered FAST, please please please. We do everything we can but there are times when it is just impossible for us to deliver on the date requested, especially when it is needed the same day but it's going to Perth - just can't do it. In these instances we let our customer know that we are unable to deliver on their requested and do suggest that if they require same day delivery to look for a business that is on the same area or even to try a florist. Florists are generally all linked by larger companies (such as Interflora) so use local businesses to do the order requests. Wouldn't it be great if Rainbow Designs had little shops scattered all over Australia!!



Another popular reason for people sending a gift is to say 'sorry' - whether it be for saying something not very nice, for forgetting a special day or for not ringing more often. A little box of chocolates is a great way to say sorry and I'm pretty sure you'll be forgive for whatever it is you did!

 



Anniversaries have been celebrated a lot with a big box of lollies - from 3 month anniversaries right up to golden and everything in between. It could also be the anniversary of buying a house or getting a job - so many special dates to remember and celebrate!



Main events such as Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas can always guarantee a flurry of orders - generally last minute! It can have me worried at times thinking what terrible sales we've had but them low and behold in they all come, with only moments to spare. Sometimes I do wish people were a bit more organised :-)

 

 



So, who's birthday have you forgotten??

Until next time, share a box of chocolates with someone you love

Jacqui