Advantages of Online Shopping at Christmas Time

Christmas is just 18 days away and there are only three more weekends to complete that Christmas shopping. Although at this time of year, shopping online is definitely preferential to visiting the malls.

No crowds

As pretty as they look all decked out with their festive decorations, I much prefer to avoid the crowds. Of course, visiting a store or two is a necessity at this time of year, but if I can skip it is as much as possible then all the better.

No Christmas carols

As much as I like to hear the odd Christmas carol, I don’t want to hear them all the time. There is nothing worse than listening to 3 hours of carols only to find that they are stuck in your head, and you cannot get to sleep without humming Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer to lull you to sleep.

No holiday traffic

Online shopping means no traffic jams. As everyone is heading in the direction of the nearest mall or store, I like to go in the opposite direction, away from the gridlocked traffic. I’m all about the peace and quiet at the end of a busy year.

No long checkout queues

You have spent an hour or two picking out the right gift only to find that the checkout is a mile long. Online shopping allows you to view it up close and personal via the images without the queue. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

You can compare prices

You can quickly compare prices when you are shopping online. This is a great way to enable you to save money. Comparing prices at a mall may mean walking from one end to the other and back again, and with all that foot traffic, well let’s just say you want to avoid that as much as possible.

Shop at your convenience

If you want to shop at 3 am in the comfort of your pajamas, then you can. You don’t have to wait until the store opens; you can do it 24/7 at your convenience. And you can do it while sipping a cup of coffee and munching on chocolate. Nothing beats it!

If you are ordering online, then it is best to order earlier rather than later as you want your gifts to arrive in plenty of time. There is nothing worse than ordering something and then finding out it is not going to get there until after the big day! So if you want to order, shop today or tomorrow or as soon as you can. 

All I Want For Christmas...

The Christmas orders have started to come in – both the corporate and the regular gift orders and it is such a fun time for us. And busy – did we mention busy. Here are some other meanings that we connect with this colourful time of year.

C is for Chocolate

And we have lots of it. From hot chocolate hampers to delicious hampers filled with just chocolate, you can definitely cater for all those sweet tooths in your life with our extensive array of chocolate gifts. One of the best things is that we also offer lots of new products around Christmas time to add some variety to your gift giving. So, keep checking back regularly for more ideas.

H is for Hampers

But we don’t just have chocolate hampers. We have wine hampers, cooking hampers, lolly hampers, coffee hampers and more. The variety of our gifts is what makes browsing our gifts so fun. Beer hampers, scotch hampers, port hampers, non-alcoholic hampers – the most challenging thing is deciding on which hamper to buy.

R is for Rosé

Such a lovely drop to consume before and after Christmas. It’s not white, and it’s not red! Rosé is pink in tone, and is great for barbecues and get-togethers. Many of our gift hampers such as our Gourmet Picnic Hamper features a bottle of Rosé and it is ideal for a summertime drop. Especially when it arrives with so many other goodies as well!

I is for Italian food

I love Australia’s multiculturism and the fact that we can enjoy such a variety of food wherever we go. I personally love Italian food and am so glad we have such beautiful gifts in store to represent its culinary influences on our great country. Check out our Italian Homemade Pasta Hamper, Pizza Perfection Hamper and Homemade Pizza Gift Hamper.

S is for Special

This is how our gifts make people feel when they arrive. All of our hampers feature so many wonderful treats that it is hard to contain the glee when they are opened. This is our favourite part of the job – seeing and hearing the reactions when our hampers grace the doorsteps of those all over Australia. We can’t help but feel a bit like the jolly old man himself.

T is for Tea

Christmas is a time for a meetups and what better way to spend it than over a cup of tea. We even have an Afternoon Tea Hamper to honour the early British traditions of afternoon and morning tea. Whether you want to chat with friends and family, there is no better time of year to catch up with those near and dear.

M is for Merry

A merry holiday is guaranteed with many of our champagne, wine and beer hampers. It doesn’t matter whether you are into international beers or cider, or a bottle of red wine or white wine, the choice is yours. Many of our beer and wine gifts also come with a selection of delicious snacks and treat which will ensure they are a guaranteed winner.

A is for Any Time

Online shopping means you can shop any time of the day or night. You can order your Christmas gifts at your convenience, and they can be delivered as close to the 25^th December as possible to ensure they arrive on time. There are no last-minute shopping sprees – you can be as organised as you need to be and find time to relax and hang out with your loved ones.

S is for Sweet

While we do have many savoury gifts, the popular ones tend to be our sweeter gifts. The lolly and chocolate boxes have been shopper favourites ever since we opened our doors all those years ago. Our gifts are still the quirky alternative to flowers, which makes our shoppers come back time and time again. For that, we are incredibly grateful.

What's New On Our Shelves at Rainbow Designs

It's an exciting time of year - the stores are getting busier, summer is almost here and we get new gifts on our shelves to please the Christmas shoppers. So what's new? Are you ready to be wowed!

For starters we have the Festive Treats Gift Hamper. For $90 including postage, your recipient of choice will get brandy glaze, rosemary lavash, plum pudding, chocolate covered macadamia, three berry jam and handmade cookies. This is one of my favourite gifts, particularly the white choc chip macadamia handmade cookies. Delicious!

Next is the Christmas Cheer Gift Hamper which is indeed full of the Christmas spirit. For $190, including postage you get a bottle of Brut, olive and herb antipasto, berry jam, brandy sauce, cookies, apricots in mango liqueur, panaforte, plum pudding, shortbread, lemon butter and more. Imagine their surprise when they open this delightful gift on Christmas morning.

It's definitely not Christmas without the bubbles. The Christmas Bubbles Gift Hamper costs only $50 including postage and features a bottle of Brut, some chocolates and a plum pudding. For those spending Christmas alone or need some cheering up, this gift will do it. Show them you care with this gift hamper wherever in Australia they may be.

For those looking for some wine and treats, this is it! For $125 including postage your loved ones will receive a bottle of red and a bottle of white, lavash, beetroot relish, chocolates, rum balls, quince paste and plums in port. A stylish and deserving gift if ever there was one!

Which one do you like the most?

Slow Sales Before The Christmas Rush

Traditionally, October is a quiet month for Rainbow Designs. There is always a lull in the gift buying department after Father's Day, like everyone is saving their energy for the big Christmas rush. I guess it gives me time to mentally prepare for the seasonal onset of gift buying.

I do love Christmas and the sights and the sounds it brings, but I enjoy owning a gift store even more. Rainbow Designs has been in operation since 2004 - that means that this will be my 14th year selling and sending out gifts of deliciousness all over the country.

I am very grateful for everyone who has placed an order on my little website and for those who have placed orders many times over the years. Even the smallest of comments and likes on the Rainbow Designs' Facebook page always puts a smile on my face.

It is hard to imagine a Christmas without the need to send out lollies and chocolates, but I guess the time will come one day in the future. Perhaps, sooner rather than later! After all, you never know what exciting things lie ahead in the future. :)

I know I have been very fortunate in being able to set up and run a successful business for so long. I have lost count of the number of small businesses I have seen open and close during that time; and these thoughts bring mixed feelings - both happiness and sadness at once. Owning a small business in Australia can be tough, but thankfully I have had the support of my friends and family despite the ups and downs that being a lolly store gift owner brings.

Anyway, enough of that! Let's raise a glass to a wonderful 2017 holiday season and the orders to come. Let's make it a great one!

Sorry I Forgot Your Birthday

You are busy. Life is busy. And sometimes special events, anniversaries, and birthdays get forgotten. It’s a fact of life.

Browsing the internet I thought I would see what funny excuses there were for forgetting a birthday or sending a belated gift. These are some of the ones I stumbled upon.

(Note to readers: Please do not use these excuses unless you wish to be in the doghouse for quite a while.)

•          I sent your gift late to increase the suspense factor.
•          I am saving up for your {pick one: Christmas/birthday/anniversary} present.
•          The rabid squirrels mugged me and stole it.
•          The alien probe wiped out portions of my memory.
•          I would have remembered if I didn’t have diarrhea.
•          I thought I was doing you a favour by forgetting.
•          I was busy documenting a Big Foot sighting.

And of course, there is always the ever-classic excuse, the dog ate it!

We would love to hear some of your own funny excuses!

In all seriousness, if you do happen to forget your beloved’s birthday, remember that Rainbow Designs has your back. We can quickly send your gift hamper by Express Post if necessary. Just add it to your shopping cart before checkout. Remember that our chocolate and lolly gifts will go a long way in gaining their forgiveness for forgetting in the first place.

It's Always Christmas At Rainbow Designs

It may sound odd but it's true. We are always sending out wonderful hampers and delicious gifts, that every day feels like Christmas. We can definitely relate to the joy that St Nick brings to kids all across the world as we too, through our gifts, are putting smiles on many faces.

I mean who wouldn't want to receive a Cream Liqueur and Chocolate Hamper or a Big Chocolate Box delivered to their doorstep? We always have been the quirky alternative to flowers - and are proud of that fact!

And while I don't proclaim to know everything about business and get things wrong along the way, I do love making people happy. That's got to count for a lot, right?

So while it may not be Christmas yet, it isn't that far away - only 95 days in fact. We always keep a few Christmas gifts on our site for those who do like to order early, but will undoubtedly have a few more special gifts to add closer to the date for those last minute shoppers as well.

But between now and then, we appreciate you guys keeping us busy with all your orders and may those special times be celebrated today, tomorrow and in the future.

And as always, I eagerly await to receive that first Christmas order - it is a super exciting time for an online retailer like myself!! I just might have to don that red suit and white beard in honour of the festivities!

xx

Bring On The Wine

If you are looking for a gift for that special someone, you might want to consider a hamper with wine. Wine is great as a thank you gift, a get well gift, a housewarming gift, a congratulatory gift or a corporate gift. It can be given on birthdays, anniversaries, or even just because you feel like it. And when wine is paired with a delicious array of goodies such as soldier cake, pretzels or popcorn, then even better.

On days like today, (it is Friday after all!) wine is even more welcome to help you transition from weekday to weekend. Whether you are partial to a drop of white or red, wine can put a smile on someone’s face and show them how much you care.

Let’s breakdown some of the wines we offer in our gift hampers.

Rothbury Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot: A full bodied palate of chocolate, black cherry and mulberry.

Rothbury Estate Sauvignon Blanc: A tinge of citrus, this wine has a fragrant nose of snow peas, guava and passionfruit.

Baileys of Glenrowan Shiraz: Complex aromas of blackberry, blood plum and rose petals with hints of liquorice & spice.

La Tours Travers Bordeaux Rouge: Fresh leafy, herbal and cigar-like aromas with a hint of stewed plums and red fruits.

La Tours Travers Bordeaux Blanc: An aromatic nose from citrus to white flowers with a fresh, lively and well-balanced palate.

Have a browse of our wine and champagne hampers; you just might discover your new favourite bottle.

Fun Gifts For Kids (Of All Ages)

Admittedly many of our gifts are for adults. We have an interesting range of kitchen hampers and a few gift hampers which contain wine, beer and cider. But let's not forget the kids.

We also have a fun range of gifts which are suitable for kids - and the best bit, you get to share in their enjoyment of the gift. After all, you don't want them to consume too much sugar, and that is where the help of mum and dad come in, right?

While you may not be keen to give them a whopping 1 kg box of chocolate or lollies, unless you intend to snack while they are sleeping, we have some smaller gifts which are just as wonderful.

Just Chocolates

500 grams of chocolates is enough to win anyone's heart. This half kilo box of chocolate is jam packed with jaffas, chocolate bullets, turkish delight, smarties, m&ms and more...

Just Lollies

For those who prefer lollies over chocolate, this half kilo box is divine. It features jelly babies, snakes, strawberries and creams, gummi bears, jelly beans, frogs and more...

Medium Sweet Tooth Gift Box

The Medium Sweet Tooth Gift Box offers the best of both worlds - a selection of lollies and chocolates. You get a delightful half kilo of fantales, snakes, smarties, turkish delight, chicos, peanut clusters and more...

Just To Say - Bulk Orders

If you are planning an event or gathering with lots of kids, then our Just To Say gift pack is ideal. You need a minimum of twenty 500 gram grab boxes which will be filled with a high-quality selection of lollies, chocolates or a combination of the two. Just select your option when you are ordering.

Delicious Gifts For $50 and Under

Ordering gifts online does not have to be expensive. We have some lovely and very delicious gifts for $50 and under, including postage and handling.

For $48 (including shipping) you can order a Big Chocolate Box, a Big Lolly Box or a Big Sweet Tooth Gift.

For exactly $50 (including shipping) we have the Little Sweetie Gift Hamper and Nibbles For Everyone.

If your budget is a little more fluid and you wanted to spend a bit more - say in the $60 range - then consider the Chocolot Gift Hamper, the Congratulations Cake & Bubbly Gift, the Nuts About Sweets Gift Hamper or the Ultimate Cider Gift Box.

All of our gifts will be expertly packed and shipped to your door or your friend's door in no time at all. Don't forget that you also have the option of upgrading to Express Post which is wonderful for those who have left it to the last minute to order something special for their friends or family. Even if you do order your gift a day or two late, your recipients will forget that fact as soon as they open your gift.

As the saying goes, "better late than never" right?

Popular Australian Lollies

Australians love their lollies!

We recently did a mini-survey on our Rainbow Designs Facebook page asking people to list their favourite lollies, and we weren't too surprised by what we saw.

Chocolate Aniseed Rings, Chicos, Snakes, Green Frogs, Raspberries, Cobbers, Minties and Freckles were listed as some of our fan's favourites. We agree wholeheartedly - they all sound pretty yummy to us!

Australians have always had their favourites - Fantales, Jaffas, Redskins, Freddo Frogs, Caramello Koalas - and there is always a loud uproar when our favourites are taken off the shelves. Remember when Nestle discontinued the Spearmint Leaves and Green Frogs from our shelves. Aussies were not happy. While they did bring them back for a limited edition in late November to Christmas Eve in 2016, Nestle said that their customers will have to 'watch this space' to see if they will ever return. We personally are still in mourning over the disappearance of our beloved green frogs, a firm favourite on the Rainbow Designs' shelves.

And then there are our beloved chocolate bars. Foreigners may not understand our love for the Pollywaffle, Mint Patties or the Cherry Ripe - but we cannot get enough! Images of musk sticks, jersey caramels and chocolate bullets inhabit our childhood dreams. And no weekend was complete without a trip to the milk bar to sample the Milko Chews and Sherbies.

Aah the memories. What was your favourite?

Hampers for groups and BIG events

A few years ago we were asked to provide hampers that would be suitable for a large group, where everyone could share and there would be something for everyone. Like a big party in a fabulous hamper. Instead of having individual little gifts they wanted to have one giant gift and be able to make a true celebration of it.

This is were we came up with a few of our large gift hampers - aimed at turning just another hamper into an event!

These hampers have everything! They've got the makings of a true special occasions, just add people. We've found they have been popular for businesses, a celebration for being part of a team, but also for larger family gatherings - especially family reunions and 'milestone' birthdays.

Our All You Can Eat Hamper is our grand daddy of hampers and is certainly a statement gift if ever there were one! It's $490 and suitable for 10-15 people with a truck load of gourmet sweet and savoury nibbles as well as wine, bubbly, beer and gin. It is so impressive, your staff will think you're the best boss ever!

For All To Share is another magical hamper and does exactly what the name says :-) It's $200 and suitable for a group of 5-8 people.

Four Seasons Luxury Hamper is a super impressive and extra 'fancy' hamper perfect for a very special occasion, maybe that milestone birthday or anniversary or a fabulous hens night in. It's $299 and suitable for 5-10 people.

Deluxe Boutique Beers and Snacks at $200 makes a sensational gift for the groom or new dad and helps fancy up a footy grand final like you would not believe :-)

Our Wine Appreciation Hamper has made many a Book Club get together worth reading a book for and as the night wears on who's going to remember which book it was you were meant to read anyway ;-) $170 turns your night into a monthly event or maybe a book club into a wine club as the hamper even comes with tasting sheets!

There are plenty more gift hampers to choose from that we just know your family, friends and staff will love. Whether it be a bucket load of beer or a box full of chocolates or even a picnic basket even winnie the pooh would love we just know we can help you with your BIG gifting needs :-)

Order 30 or more gifts and you'll get a 5% discount! You can order 30 of the same or 30 different gifts all going to different places or all to the same address. Gifts for groups, we've got you covered.

I better not forget our Just To Say gift - great for individual gifts for conferences, staff pressies or a family birthday party. Half kilo lolly and/or chocolate mix in a funky and fabulous gift pack - $18 each with a minimum order of just 20 includes gift tag and delivery to a single address.

When's your next BIG event?

Working towards goals

I've set many a goal in my time and to be honest most of the time I never reach the goal - oops. This year I have one main goal (getting Rainbow Designs back on track) which leads to having reasons why I MUST achieve this goal. Not the least of which is, quite obviously, eating and paying bills BUT I also have other reasons why I want Rainbow Designs to get back on track. These are things I am focusing on to give me the MOTIVATION I really, truly need to get things happening.

All You Can Eat - an amazing variety of the products that go in our hampers!

When I start thinking 'this is too hard' or 'what's the point' I look to the things I want to be able to do to push me on. To make me get up every morning and get on with things. It's never been a walk in the park and I can't imagine it ever will be but it has been getting harder and harder to keep going. I woke this morning with the intention of letting go of the negative thoughts and to try, try, try and focus on what I need to do for my business (and my sanity!). I know I'll have down days (I'm just wired like that) BUT I am going to try so very hard to limit them and limit how much they affect me and my attitude to Rainbow Designs (and life in general really).

Sydney - Smooth Festival of Chocolate!

My biggest motivation is my family and being able to spend time with them doing 'fun activities'. I think they all start to get a bit nervous when I mention a 'fun activity' now as the last few haven't been 'fun'. Well, they have but not necessarily for everyone or when it was actually happening - great memories though. The last 'fun activity' I planned was with my mum climbing a bridge - mum is terrified of heights so lets just say not much 'fun' was had by her that day. (sorry mum) We can laugh about it now and even though during the climb mum wasn't having any fun at all the time we got to spend together is irreplaceable. We've even got some photos so if mum tries to block it from her memory I can whip out the photo album and remind her all over again :-) ha ha

The dreaded bridge! It's not that high mum.

I've been lucky to have had many fabulous holidays and weekends away but am now paying for it or more accurately still paying for them - gaaaaaa. I've always tried to justify using credit saying that I'll be able to pay it off in no time as the business is trucking along ok but in reality this hasn't been the case. Boo. So for now 'fun activities' are to be in the 'dreaming and planning' book to hopefully transfer over to the 'things we're doing' book.

Over the past few weeks we've added our Easter range plus a few new 'all purpose' hampers plus in the coming months we'll be adding some more fabulous hampers - which I am very much looking forward to. In the mean time I am focusing hard on being more regular with my blogging as well as Facebook - my main trouble is working out what to talk about and what to share both on the block and Facebook. I know I need to promote Rainbow Designs and her gifts but I also want to add other 'stuff' in the mix so it's not just a sales pitch day on day out. Nobody's got time for that! A balancing act which I am still learning even after 13 years running Rainbow Designs.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for our blog or Facebook or have any questions you think I might be able to help with please let me know - I'll try my best :-)

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Designs boss(y) lady and fun activities officer!

Writers block?

Not so much writers block I guess as I am most definitely not a writer but maybe inspiration block or subject matter block? I wanted this blog to be about a whole range of things related, roughly, around running my business all the issues and road blocks I come up against as well as all the highs, lows and in betweens that is part of my small business life.

Chocolate is a must when I'm working

I want the blog to have information, obviously, of new gifts etc up coming events, like Easter, how I go about my daily business life or finding new products, suppliers etc but also the parts of my small business life that aren't directly related to Rainbow Designs but are an every day part of my life or a needed part of being a person. :-)

So this is where things can get a bit 'blocked'. I'm not out and about all the time, I don't necessarily have a funny story or anecdote to share each day or even each week, for the most part each day is basically the same. Get up. Shower. Fire up the laptop. Cup of tea. Read, delete, answer emails. Process any orders (if any have come in!). Cup of tea. Eat some chocolate. Open up the blog. Close the blog. Check facebook. Pop a post on Facebook. Rinse and repeat.

No spending rule doesn't include chocolate.

I've got an enforced 'no spending' rule on at the moment. Hence the trip to the local library the other day! A necessity unfortunately which I have to stick to. The only spending allowed is for bills ie electricity, rent etc and the bare minimum of food (I do buy a little bit of chocolate BUT only if it is on special, a good special) and household stuff ie toilet paper, toothpaste etc I still allow myself to window shop but do not take my purse with me and I still holiday dream - these are things that give me some motivation to get Rainbow Designs back on track but the main motivation is to be able to pay my ever day bills without breaking out into a sweat on whether or not my card will be accepted!! Fun times, not. I was going to do a course through the community college but realised I didn't have the funds for it so I am hoping that next term it will be available and I will have some money to do it! Another thing to get motivated about.

I'm enjoying my weekends as I, for whatever reason, feel a bit of the pressure is lessened, I think it's more a case of, orders can't be processed, sent etc over the weekend so I can focus on other stuff! Also, if orders don't come in during the weekend it doesn't seem quite so bad as when they don't come in during the week. As much as I would love orders to be flying in day and night, weekends or weekdays, weekends aren't so disappointing. Luckily as I think I would be rolled in a tight ball on the ground crying!!

Here's the thing, it's TOUGH running my business. It can be a bit soul destroying when you look at the end of the week and realised you haven't made enough to cover your bills. I've worked so hard for such a long time and currently it's just not showing it. I will keep on keeping on and persevere and work hard and be positive and try and push through this very difficult time but how long can I last? How long can my business last? This is the $64 million question.

I may have 'writers block' but I certainly don't have 'waffle' block - I sure can waffle! Now I'm hungry ;-)

Are you a writer? Where do you find inspiration from?

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Designs boss(y) lady and waffler from way back. 

I read, a lot!

So, some people think that I have way too many books at home. Some people think I should get rid of them. Some people suggest I go to the library. So, seeing as I am not getting rid of any of my books and, yes I concede, I do have a lot of books I have officially joined the local library and borrowed my first book! Well, books I borrowed 5 books but I am a pretty quick reader. Not as quick as my mum, I don't think anyone is as quick as my mum. I have 3 weeks to read them before they have to be returned - I am up for the challenge!

I find reading helps me relax and take my mind of my worries if only for a few hours each evening. I need to have a book to read at night. I find it so hard to get to sleep as it is and without a book I may as well not bother and just stay up all night. I do watch movies but honestly I prefer to read a book.

This first outing to the local library I brought home two novels and three autobiographies. One I am really looking forward to reading but I am also sad about reading it. It's called 'Breakfast, School Run, Chemo' by Julia Watson - a gorgeous lady who was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in 2013. Sadly Julia passed away just before Christmas last year. She had a wonderful, funny, honest blog where she shared her life as well as dealing with her diagnosis. I am excited to read her book but at the same time it saddens me knowing she isn't with her beautiful family any more. [edited to add: beautiful book, Julia was such a natural writer. So honest and funny and of course sad but in a fighting, strong way. Her love for her family is clear. I loved her book and her blog. Thank you Julia.]

The other two autobiographies are Aussies as well, Amanda Keller and Jessica Watson (no relation to Julia - well I don't think so any way). [edited to add: Amanda's book was hilarious and such a wonderful read. I had many laugh out loud moments. It was the perfect book to read to take my mind off my life. What an amazing life she has. Such a hard worker, so honest and sincere.]

My fiction books are 'a hundred pieces of me' by Lucy Dillon - I've never read any of her books before but the brief look at the back made me think I'd enjoy it [edited to add: so far so good, loving it] and the other book is a Mauve Binchy book 'A few of the girls' It's lots of short stories. I can't remember if I have already read this one or not as I've read everything she ever wrote and the last one was a short story book. That's one good thing about having a terrible memory I can reread books as if it was the first time I've read them. I've never read a bad Maeve book so I don't mind rereading hers - I think I've read all of her books at least twice some even 3 or 4 times!

I was going to get some businessy ones or some motivational ones but I just wasn't feeling it. They can wait until my next visit in three weeks :-) Businessy ones don't help me relax and at the moment I need books that will take my mind of my business and every day life even if just for a little bit each day!

So, are you a reader? What's on your bedside table at the moment.

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Design boss(y) lady and book worm.

A Chocolate a Day

I started Rainbow Designs way back in 2004 with an idea of filling noodle boxes with lollies and/or chocolates and maybe eating some myself. Things have changed over the last 12 years but lollies and chocolates and me eating them still remain the same!

Currently I don't physically pack the gifts, giving my body a break from all the standing and bending, but I still eat chocolate and do everything else that comes with running Rainbow Designs. Processing orders, updating orders, tracking parcels, following up couriers, paying (many, many) bills, emailing, texting, online marketing, blogging etc. I'm currently focusing on Christmas. For the most part the gifts will be the same but will be updated with Christmassy loveliness.

Christmas Bubbles

Sometimes I do miss the day to day of filling boxes and packing orders but then my body gives me a little warning sign when I've pushed myself a bit too much and I am thankfully that I have some wonderful people doing all of that work for me :-) The noodle boxes may have gone but the theme and first idea of lolly and chocolate gifts is still there. I've tried to keep Rainbow Designs as close to how I pictured it way back when as I can. Times do change of course and gifts need to be tweaked here and there to keep up with peoples likes and expectations - I think I've been able to do that.

Little Sweetie

I still love to have some chocolate daily and for the most part you will always find some type of chocolate either on my desk or stashed at the back of the fridge. Don't want the 'kit kat' incident to happen again! Currently my stash consists of m&m's (of course, always a favourite), a mix of choc buds and the occasional block of cadbury.

Rainbow Designs may never have become a million dollar business or a household name but I do hope that it will continue to run and thrive and enable me to pay my bills and occasionally have some r&r, into the future. I don't know how I would cope if I didn't have Rainbow Designs in my life. Something I do know though is that I really need to focus on marketing, promotion and advertising. Even with basically no budget for this it NEEDS to be done. Online business really relies on being found and being found fast and easily. If you don't show up on page 1 or 2 in google you may as well not be in the search pages at all. Unfortunately Rainbow Designs isn't doing too well on that front and it is something I HAVE to work on if I want to stay in business (and pay my bills!).

It's all about the chocolate (and lollies!)

I have a lovely life but know it won't take much for it to change for the bad and end up with nothing or worse minus nothing so WORK WORK WORK is what I must do. I'm sure that sounds familiar to most of us! ;-)

Enough talking (writing) time for another coffee (or maybe tea, I've just started drinking tea and finding I quite like it. Not as heavy on the belly as coffee and doesn't give you coffee breath).

Wishing you a day, week, month of things going as you want, need and hope for! Here's to us :-)

Jacqui ~ chocoholic owner of Rainbow Designs

Beer Gift Hampers

Some people are just naturally difficult to buy for! Each year as their birthday approaches you somehow manage to work yourself up into a sweat trying to decide what they need.

Let our beer hampers come to the rescue...ranging from $60 up to $130 (postage included) these beer hampers will brighten the day of any beer (or cider) loving recipient.

Beer is the most widely consumed alcohol and the third most popular drink after water and tea. It is also one of the oldest prepared beverages - did you know the Egyptians were working a little under the influence as they built the pyramids in Giza? And in Ancient Babylonia if you brewed a bad batch, you would be drowned. Now that's a serious hobby!

Here are a few of our popular gift hampers.

After Work Beers Hamper - $130

This After Work Beers Hampers is the ultimate in gift hampers - a mix of brews for the beer connoisseur to sample and enjoy.

This hamper features 12 different international and Australian beers, Lime Soya Stix, beer nuts and corn chips, all presented in a wonderful hamper for easy gift giving.

If you send this gift, there might even be a beer or two in it for you if they are feeling generous.

The Ultimate Cider Gift Box - $60

If they love cider then this Ultimate Cider Gift Box is for them.

Fun, affordable and full of quality products, their birthday will be a winner with this gift arriving on their doorstep.

This cider gift box includes apple cider, pear cider, roasted peanuts and a quality made cider glass. This gift box is a taste sensation and makes a change from our lager packs.

His Favourite Hamper - $90

Four premium boutique beers, corn chips, salsa, beer nuts, caramel coated peanuts and pretzels. This mix of food and drink items to tempt your taste buds sounds pretty good doesn't it?

It is definitely one of our most popular beer packs and one of my personal favourites.

And what's more, if you have forgotten their birthday, you can also choose express post on any of these hamper options to ensure it arrives as soon as possible.

You might have heard the quote "I've got 99 problems and beer solves them all" - well from your perspective it solves the biggest problem of all, what to buy them for their birthday.

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?

X is for...Xerox

Xerox - a copy, a duplicator

Glad I found a word starting with X that I could use, I was starting to think I'd have to share some of the families x-rays!

I've been copying and copied in business since I began. I didn't invent gift boxes or hampers and never professed to have what I did was get ideas from other businesses and went with it. I lent towards the sweeter side of gifts as I am a very unapologetic CHOCOHOLIC! I had seen on a website relating more to travel than gifts, selling a gift box of lolly bananas and snakes and that's where the spark of an idea started. I 'copied' their idea and turned it into Rainbow Designs :-)

For the first few years all of my gifts were made and sent by me and all were someway lolly or chocolate based. I did try a few alternate gifts which bombed. haha. So they didn't last long! Then after being in business for about 2-3 years I approached a couple of gift hamper business with the proposal of 'drop shipping' their hampers, or some of the hampers. I didn't want to copy their hampers I wanted to use their hampers as I knew they knew what they were doing and didn't think I could improve them anyway. After a few hiccups and misadventures I am now working with one (fantastic) gift hamper business who produce amazing hampers of which my customer have become to order regularly and love. They do differ from my sweet tooth theme I originally started out with but, for the most part, they all have some sort of relationship to confectionery, sweetness, chocolate or lollies.

Nuts About Sweets - $60 delivered

Copying outright with no regard or thought the the originator of an idea or product is just plain wrong and rude! It takes a LOT of time, money and guts to produce something only for it to been stolen and copied by someone else. It's also very heartbreaking when it happens and can be quite damaging to, not only your business but you confidence! If you like someone's business, idea, product, name etc DON'T steal it or copy it, contact them and see if there is maybe a way of working with them or incorporating it into your business. I have found it so rewarding and beneficial working with another hamper company than 'xeroxing' their ideas. For me it was a logical way to expand my products without having to outlay a truck load of money or need a huge storage space plus it stopped any temptations! (something of which my M&M's know only too well!)

The success I have had with working with my drop ship hamper business has been leading me down the path of just focusing on my Hampers and only having my 'sweet tooth' inspired gifts available during Christmas and Easter. This will leave me time to pursue other ideas and job opportunities without having to sell or close Rainbow Designs. Who knows? But it's definitely something worth thinking about.

Don't Xerox.
Collaborate, Innovate,  Inspire, Enjoy, Share.

R is for...Rainbow Designs

How did the name Rainbow Designs come about?

Well, it actually started with my sister thinking about starting a small business selling games, activities, toys for kids! She registered the name then we did a market selling paint your own wood critters and decided we didn't like doing markets. The enthusiasm waned.... about 6 or so months later I decided to start my business (which is Rainbow Designs) but being short of cash and not that confident in myself I asked my sister if I could use her business name and the rest is history :-)

When you read up on the best names to use for your business they recommend putting what you sell in the name and starting you business with an early letter in the alphabet. These are both meant to help you rank better in the organic search terms and to show up higher in business listings. ooops. I could have added Gifts to Rainbow Designs thus becoming Rainbow Designs Gifts but never bothered, I really don't think it would make any difference anyway. My business has been online long enough now that I think if I changed the name I would do more harm than good. I did name this blog rainbowdesignsgifts though :-)

2004 was when I first started Rainbow Designs and it took almost 4 weeks before I received my very first order. I can still remember the huge smile on my face when it came through! I didn't have any stock then and was just planning on buying on a need to basis so off I toddle to the local 5 Star Supermarket to get my lollies - thank goodness things have changed and I get my confectionery delivered to me by the kilo loads! Generally a delivery will be about 150kg of various lollies and chocolates - quite a few trolley loads :-)

In essence Rainbow Designs hasn't changed much over the years I've just improved on things, like packaging and display. It's only been the last couple of years that I have been gift wrapping each gift but I think it makes such a big difference. So much more exciting receiving an actual 'present' than just a cardboard box, even though the gift inside is still the same. Small things people, small things.

I don't know how long Rainbow Designs will continue to be around but while it is I will continue to do the very best I can and make sure my customers and their recipients enjoy the Rainbow Designs experience.

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!