Tips For Making Gifts In a Cup

Holidays/ Celebrations

By: BonnieDossKnight 11-Dec-2010

Introduction:

When my daughter and I owned a gift basket business our customers repeatedly requested "a little something that cost less" for people they didn't necessarily eat barbeque with, but felt obligated to buy a token gift for - such as when the 3rd cousin's son of a co-worker graduated from college. Gifts in a cup, not only filled those requests, they took on a magical life of their own, as an all occasion, one-size-fits-all present.

Choose Cup

Keep a variety of cups on hand for last minute invitations, birthdays, weddings or holiday presents. Search flea markets, garage sales and dollar stores for bargain cups. Most restaurants and hotels will sell you their signature cup, which is thoughtful for the person who has fond memories of a certain place. For a friend or relative who has everything, consider a personalized cup, engraved with their name or profession or hobby. Each time the recipient sips from their special cup, they will remember you with fondness.

Select Items

Here one must think mini-sized. Any object you can cram into a cup is fair game. Purchase individual items in gaily colored packages to enhance your presentation. Is your person a cheese lover? A small package of Gouda, rye crackers and gourmet mustards make a great gift in a cup. What might the recipient want in their cup? Assorted teas, butter cookies, small packages of flavored coffees and creams, coffee beans, chocolate spoons are excellent options.

For Women Only

Most women savor the bath. Bath beads or crystals, small specialty soaps and scented candles are a few items to include. For the woman who sews, put in a pretty pincushion, packaged pins and needles, threads, etc. The gardener would love packets of flower or vegetable seeds in a cup.

Those Difficult Men

An old fashioned shaving mug, brush and soap makes a terrific cup gift. What are his hobbies? Where does he work? How does he spend his leisure time? If he's artistic, colored pencils or charcoal is a good fit. It's way more fun to shop for little man-things that fit in a cup than the usual shirt and tie.

Wrap It Up

Get clear or a colored cello wrap. Set your cup in the middle of a piece that will cover the cup, allowing 2-3 inches for height. Gather the cello wrap and tie with a twist-tie. Finish with curling ribbon or tie it off with a bow. If you desire an elegant touch, order gold stick-on preprinted labels in advance.

Final Thoughts

The idea is that when making gifts in a cup you can take the thrifty or expensive road depending upon the recipient. We made a fun cup for a guy who wanted to announce his intentions to his lady. It contained a small teddy bear with a diamond ring looped in red ribbon and tied around its neck. As fillers, we used Belgium chocolates. You really can't get better than that!

Give this list a high five!

Comments

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pamperedpen 12/16/2011
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Thanks for a great list. H5
goodselfme 12/11/2010
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Gifts in a cup are such profoundly thoughtful presents. They are cost efficient and so varied too. I like your professional ideas to make this cup into a really personalized gift. I would like to receive any of these for myself or for my partner.