It's Personal

Gift baskets are a great gift idea. That's why you will find them in discount stores, large department and grocery stores and pharmacy chains across the country. Especially during the Holidays. Some of the gift baskets are actually pretty nice, but to me, they lack imagination. Getting a gift basket filled with coffee mugs, flavored coffee and cookies, all sporting the logo of a major national coffee chain, tells me little thought went into buying that gift.
At a gift basket company like Laurel Mountain Basket Company you will find gift baskets with personality. Gift baskets designed especially for events like birthdays or bereavements, or for individuals with a passion like golf or fishing. A gift basket can be so much more than the sum of its parts. It can be a gift as unique as the person giving it and the person receiving it.

Seasons Greetings!

I know, it's August, but in our world it's time to start planning for the Holiday Season. It's actually lots of fun. Catalogs from all of our suppliers are arriving daily and we get to go SHOPPING! Shopping is my favorite sport.
This year we are putting together a new line of New England gift baskets but will continue to feature locally made treats like pancake mix and maple syrup from the Pioneer Valley, chocolates and cranberry candies from Cape Cod, jams and jellies and even salsa from the Berkshire hills. We will be bringing back some of your old favorites like Little House of Thyme and adding some new ones we know you will love like Appalachian Naturals.
We love the shea butter soaps and beeswax candles handmade by local craftspeople and will be featuring these items in many of our Bath and Body Gift Baskets like our Holiday SPA Gift Basket shown here.
We will be posting our new designs on our blog so check back with us regularly. If you have any design favorites, let us know.
Enjoy the rest of your summer,
Marie

Dog Days

At Laurel Mountain Basket Company, we love pets. So when I recently read an article about summertime safety tips for pets, I thought I would pass the information along.
1. Never leave your pets in the car. When the temperature outside starts climbing above 70 degrees, the temperature inside the car can reach 100 degrees in a matter of minutes.
2. Make sure your pets have access to plenty of water at all times. To keep the water cool, add several ice cubes. Remember that they will need to pee more, so be sure to increase the number of times you take them outside.
3. If your pets spend lots of time with the family in outdoor activities, be careful that they don't over do it. A leisurely bike ride for you can be a stressful run for your dog.
4. Not all dogs are great swimmers. When boating make sure your pet is wearing a properly fitting life preserver at all times.
5. Pets can have allergic reactions to insect bites and bee stings. Be alert. If you think your pet has been stung or bitten, call your vet. Swelling from the poisons in bites or stings can cause breathing problems that can be fatal.
Your pets rely on you to take care of them. Be a responsible pet companion.

Enjoy a fun filled summer with your pets.

Marie

It's Easy

Press one for English, enter your 99 digit number, if you know your party's extension, dial it now, listen carefully since our options have changed, all of our operators are busy helping other customers...... and then when you finally do get to talk to a person, they can't help you and have to transfer you to yet another person who can't help you. Sound familiar? This is what many companies consider "customer service".

You won't find that kind of service at Laurel Mountain Basket Company. When you call us, you will get one of two responses. Either a cheerful human will answer the phone and be ready and able to help you or you will get a short recorded message, informing you we are not in and asking you to leave a message. When you leave a message, you WILL get a response. A human, who is ready and able to help you, WILL return your call as soon as we return to the Studio.

We make ordering a gift basket from Laurel Mountain Basket Company so simple any one can do it. No time to shop? Shop 24/7 on our website which is designed to make choosing a gift and ordering it as easy as it can be. All of our gift baskets are individually created at the time of purchase, not sitting in a warehouse for days or weeks.

We also custom design gift baskets for our clients. Don't see exactly what you are looking for on line? We will create it for you. Our gift basket designers are professionals. They can answer all of your questions and help you make informed decisions. Whether you need a single gift for some one who is hard to buy for or 100 gifts for a corporate event, we can help. It's easy, just give us a call at Laurel Mountain Basket Company, "where gift giving won't make you a basket case!"

Happy shopping,

Marie

Happy Anniversary

August is a busy month for weddings and anniversaries. I love to read wedding announcements in the newspaper but I love reading the anniversary announcement even more. My husband and I have been married for 32 years, some times it seems like yesterday, and other times it seems live forever. Having been married that long, I am amazed at couples who have been married for 50, 60 and even 65 years!
Every anniversary is a milestone in the life of a couple and is usually marked with a special gift. There are traditions associated with giving wedding anniversary gifts, different types of gifts being considered appropriate for each year. Here is a listing for the first 10 years and then for the more significant milestones after that. The list was compiled taking into account the more traditional among us as well as the more modern. While putting the list together, I had fun imagining what I would actually buy to fit in each category. It was fun.
Anniversary /Traditional /Modern
First /paper /plastic
Second/ cotton/ cotton
Third/ leather/ glass
Fourth/ flowers/ silk
Fifth/ wood /wood
Sixth /candy /iron
Seventh/ wool/ brass
Eighth /bronze /pottery
Ninth/ pottery /willow
Tenth/ tin /aluminium
Twentieth/ china/ china
Twenty-fifth /silver/ silver
Thirtieth /pearl /pearl
Fortieth /ruby/ ruby
Forty-fifth/ sapphire /sapphire
Fiftieth/ gold/ gold
Fifty-fifth /emerald /emerald
Sixtieth/ diamond/ diamond
Wishing you all happy marriages from paper to diamonds.
Marie and everyone at Laurel Mountain Gift Basket Company

College Survival Kits

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating high school graduations across the region and in only a few weeks, many of those graduates will be on their way to college.

For some, it will be their first time away from home. It can be a big adjustment for both students and parents. With cell phones and e-mail staying in touch today is easier than ever before. So parents, make it a point to contact your student regularly, at least for the first few weeks while they get adjusted.

Another great way to stay in touch is with care packages. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we offer a full line of care packages especially designed for students, including our Off To College Kits. Sending a package filled with not so gourmet treats is a fun way to let your student know that you are thinking of them. For a limited time, to help offset the cost of higher education, we are offering FREE SHIPPING of our Off To College Kits to colleges and universities within the continental United States.
For more information, check out our website at http://www.laurelmtbasket.com/ or you can call us at 413-527-1243.