Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Gifts, Presents and Some Really Good Service With A Smile


My 2 granddaughters celebrate their birthdays this week; one turns 20 and one 14.  Congratulations to Keena and Tanea and I hope you have a very happy birthday.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to give a present but haven't got a clue what to give?  Especially those people who are not close friends but friends nevertheless.  My sister had a talent for picking out the perfect gift for anyone.  When I was much younger, I would go to Nancy and ask what I should get for so and so.  She always knew the perfect gift for any situation.  If you are not blessed with a talent like Nancy had, then Cajun Stitchery is the place to go.  You are welcome to browse through our catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery or simply call or send an email to me.  We usually can find a perfect item.  It's a proven, scientific fact that people like to hear and see their names.  Which means that personalized items are perfect gifts for everyone.   In fact, Cajun Stitchery can create beautiful gift baskets, in addition to the specialized, custom orders.

Over the past few months we have provided a unique service to a friend who has been out-of-state working for the Small Business Administration via FEMA.  She needed to send a baby shower gift, 2 wedding gifts, and get her twins new duffle bags for school.  All while she is working out-of-state.  Here is what we did:  She would tell me what she needed by messaging me in Facebook or in an email. 

The first gift was a wedding gift for the Rollins'.  She knew that she wanted to give them cloth napkins.  She emailed me the link for their registry at Target.  Their dinnerware colors are burgundy and black.  We thought about burgundy napkins but decided that there are too many shades and if we don't match it up properly, it could clash.  In addition, colors on a computer monitor are not necessarily true colors.  We opted for black napkins with burgundy embroidery.  The next item was the design.  From looking at their choice of dinnerware and items chosen in their registry, I put together 3 designs that I thought matched their look.  I posted the 3 designs to Facebook and had the customer choose the design.  Once the design was chosen, we embroidered the napkins.  Photographs of the napkins were taken and the item was placed in our Etsy shop under a "RESERVED" label.  She paid via PayPal on Etsy and was able to see the gift.   The next phase was to get a card.  We keep several all occasion type cards available and had a few congratulatory wedding cards.  I messaged her with the description of the cards and she chose one.  Then she told me what to write in the card.  We then gift wrapped the present, included the card, and shipped to the Rollins'.

The second gift was for a baby shower.  She had the design and colors from a picture the mother-to-be had posted on Facebook but didn't know what she wanted to put the design on.  I suggested that she take advantage of that week's sale of a bag that had many compartments and sounded like it would be great for a diaper bag.  It even had a velcro closing drink holder which would work beautifully for a baby bottle.  She agreed and chose the color purple.  The photograph that she chose was not very clear but we could tell that there was some scroll work with a crown in the center.  Underneath it had the word "Princess" and underneath that, the baby's name "EmmaClaire".  I digitized the artwork and matched the fonts for "Princess" and "EmmaClaire" the best that I could and furnished her 3 designs from which to choose.  Actually, the first 3 designs neither of us really liked and finally I digitized the design that was chosen.  The embroidery was done.  She chose a card from our stock of cards; told me what to write and where to send it.  The item was placed under "Reserve" in our Etsy shop.  She purchased the item and we shipped it to EmmaClaire's mama.

The third item was another wedding shower.  She wanted napkins but wanted me to have fun designing something around the newlyweds' name -- Hooker.  That was so much fun.  I finally submitted 3 designs; she chose one and it was embroidered onto burgundy napkins.  Same routine, she chose the card, told me what to write on it.  We gift wrapped the present.  She purchased off of Etsy.  We shipped.

Finally, she wanted a couple of duffle bags for her twins who are in high school band.  One plays the baritone and the other the flute, Matt and Moe.  The same routine was followed except that Matt and Moe live nearby in Milton.  The bags were placed on Etsy and she purchased them.  Matt and Moe are supposed to come by the house this week to pick them up.

She has been gone for a few months and must be getting homesick by now.  I sure hopes that she can return soon.  In the meantime, she knows that if she needs any gifts, to shop at Cajun Stitchery where she gets unsurpassed personal attention to every detail.

No more driving all over town trying to figure out what to get that friend or family member.  No more walking up and down aisle after aisle trying to figure out what to get.  You don't want to spend a fortune on a personalized gift?  Just tell me how much you are want to spend and we'll work out a gift within your budget.

C'est tout, mes amis,

No comments:

Post a Comment