Turns out we haven’t won yet, and that’s where our wonderful friends and clients come in (that’s you by the way!). We need you to go vote for us. All you have to do is head on over to the voting site and register your name. You will receive an email with a link that will allow you to confirm your vote. They are accepting votes until March 19th, but as of today, we are tied for first! No really, see for yourself:

Awesome huh? Anyway, if when we win, we are going to throw one heck of a party, Candid Gifts style! I’m talking Plink-O, food and of course the ever entertaining Candid Gifts staff! Don’t forget … click here to vote for Candid Gifts!!

This Movie Night Basket would be perfect as a fun housewarming present. We can even turn it into a Romantic Movie Night Basket for you and your special someone to share on Valentine’s Day! Remember that we can customize the size and contents to meet your specific needs. Call us today and see what we can do for you!

• When your co-workers ask if you hear that noise, pretend you don’t so you can make them think they’re crazy. For example, if Joe asks if you hear the Fire Alarm, tell him it’s all in his head.

• As your boss is coming into the office, hide behind his ficus tree and then jump out yelling, “SURPRISE!”

• Try to convince someone it really is their birthday even though you know it’s not until June. Bonus points if you bring props like cake and balloons. (Super bonus points if you bring cake to Candid Gifts … hint hint!)

• Make everyone call you by your Super Hero name. A costume will really spice things up!

• Two words: Whoopie Cushion!

Be sure to post your ideas in our comments section or on our Facebook page! Have fun!

Last Tuesday we learned about the health benefits of tea, but this week we wondered where tea actually comes from. Well never fear, my friends! Candid Gifts has done the research for you. All tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant which is native to Asia, but is often grown in tropical climates. The plants are farmed on large plantations like this:

Pretty cool huh? Even though tea comes from the same basic plant there are thousands of varieties of tea. However, all those kinds can be divided into five basic groups: black, green, oolong, white and puerh. This is what tea leaves look like as they are growing:

If the tea leaves are picked when they are just cute little baby shoots, the resulting tea has a delicate, sweet flavor and is called white tea. When adult leaves are picked and allowed to wither just a smidge before being quickly heated, green tea is produced. Oolong tea comes from allowing the adult leaves to whither more than green tea, but not completely. The process produces a floral or fruity quality to the finished tea. Black tea, what most people use to make iced tea, has the highest caffeine content and the boldest flavor. These characteristics come from allowing the tea leaves to completely whither until they are black and dried. The fifth category of tea, puerh, is a carefully shrouded mystery! It’s a form of black tea that is only produced in China. The process of making the puerh tea is a very closely held secret, but produces a tea with a strong flavor that is not bitter.

We really hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about tea, and choose to celebrate it’s tasty goodness with us. Call Candid Gifts today at 310-1613 to reserve a spot for our Tea Party!

January 23 is reserved as National Pie Day, and we thought we would share one of our favorite pie recipes with you.

French Silk Pie

1 9″ Pie crust, baked and cooled

3 oz. Unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces

1 cup Butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

Melt chocolate in a small saucepan and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, beat butter until light in color and fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar until combined. Mix in the cooled chocolate and the vanilla and blend well. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat 2 minutes on high speed between each addition. The final mixture should have a light, fluffy texture. Pour into the cooled pie shell and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve topped with whipped cream.

So now you’ve seen ours, so show us yours! What is your absolute favorite pie? Feel free to share the recipe in the comments!

Guys, do you know what impresses a girl? A man who can cook! We love to sit down and be fussed over, so here’s the plan in five easy to follow, sure to make you a hero steps:

1. Send your girl this super cute Chocolate Martini Gift Basket from Candid Gifts with a note to bring the contents to your date tonight. Remember that we will deliver it for you!

2. Stop into Candid Gifts and pick up one of our super yummy (and easy) 30-minute meal mixes.

3. When she shows up for your date, take her to a candlelit table, make her a tasty Chocolate Martini, and tell her how beautiful she is.

4. Serve your lovingly prepared meal. Trust me, she’ll appreciate the time and effort.

5. Dessert … well, I think you can figure that out on your own!

Remember, Candid Gifts is here for all of your gifting needs! Just give us a call and see how we can help you.

If you are looking for a great gift, why not consider one of our wonderful, custom gift baskets? We can make a basket to fit any budget, theme and recipient. We even deliver! Why not let the gift experts at Candid Gifts make you look good? Give us a call today!

Just to get you in the mood for tea, we did a little research and discovered some fun facts about tea:

• Tea contains powerful antioxidants known as polyphenols which have been shown to lower the risk of ovarian, esophageal, gastric and skin cancers and even decreases the rates of heart disease!

• Tea has more polyphenols than many fruits and vegetables, and as little as two cups of tea per day has been shown to provide all the benefits of the antioxidants.

• Although Green Tea has more antioxidants than Black Tea, White Tea contains the highest levels.

Make sure you and your favorite princess join us on Sunday, January 31 so that you can reap some of the great health benefits from having a little spot of tea too!

Candid Gifts Dress-Up Tea Party

Sunday, January 31, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Storytelling, make-up, jewelry, costumes & tea

RSVP by Friday, January 29

Cost is $15 to be donated to Autism Speaks

All princesses are invited to join us!

We will provide the make-up, tea, jewelry and stories. Princesses can bring their own special outfit or borrow one of ours. Your $15 fee will be donated directly to Autism Speaks. What better way to spend a fun afternoon than spending time with your princess and helping others at the same time!

Since we love to have fun here at Candid Gifts, we want you to send in a picture of your dressed up pet!  We will be awarding prizes and posting pet pictures all day.  Send your best dressed pet picture to:   info@candidgifts.com.  We can’t wait to see and share all of the great pet pictures.  All entries are due by Wednesday January 13th at 9:00pm.

Here are a few of our favorite occasional store dog Champ.   He visits us sometimes and loves getting to meet everyone.