The phrase “working mother” is redundant. ~Jane Sellmanth

I love my Mom, especially now that I am a mother myself.  I don’t know where she found the energy to play with us everyday and take care of everything she did, but she did, and with three of us!

When I was little, gifts for Mother’s Day were hand made trinkets.  I love that the same kind of hand made touch goes into gift baskets.  This is a wonderful season for gift baskets.  The colors are bright and vibrate with a palette of pinks, greens, violets and yellows.  When I think about gifts for Mother’s Day Too Good Gourmet always comes to mind.  The packaging is beautiful with a touch of flowers and adornments as seen in the hat box cookie tower.

From garden themes to spa moments, a Mother’s Day Gift should say I Love You and Thank You and should have a little chocolate thrown in for good measure!

Gift & Appreciation Marketing Specialist with OBB Nashville

Be Original! Give Original!

Thistle Farms

These amazing products are hand made by the woman who will directly benefit by their purchase.  Thistle Farms, founded in 1997 in Nashville TN, is a non-profit business run by woman who have survived violence, prostitution and abuse.

Either on their own or as a gift basket, the bath teas, hand poured candles and hand lotions will make a wonderful mother’s day gift that represents, supports and lifts up the spirit of woman.

Thistle Farms products are available in four wonderful scents:Lavender, Citrus Vanilla, Tea Tree Mint, and Tuscan Earth.

For more information on the woman running Thistle Farms please check out the voices of thistle farms blog.

Gift & Appreciation Marketing Specialist with OBB Nashville

Be Original! Give Original!

The Administrative Professional is ranked among the largest occupation in the U.S. economy and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Administrative Professionals held 4.3 million jobs in 2008.

Administrative Professionals Day is April 21st 2010

The day to recognize your support professionals is fast approaching.  All year THEY keep YOU organized and help make your job run like clock work.  Now is the time to say “Thanks for all you do!”  Shop our Administrative Professionals Gift Guide to find the perfect gift this year.

Click Here for Administrative Professionals Day history

Gift & Appreciation Marketing Specialist with OBB Nashville

Be Original! Give Original!

I love that we celebrate St Patrick’s Day!  Created to celebrate Saint Patrick it is most definitely a day for beer lovers!

Besides the overflowing of GREEN and the fact that Spring MUST be right around the corner, it’s a great to come together and celebrate… period!  Lots of Irish pubs and non-Irish pubs will be celebrating on the 17th.

If you’re looking for a unique “We’re Lucky To Have You As A Customer” gift this month, may I suggest a little green to go with the amber.  From speciality “green” treats to Celtic symbols and grow your own four leaf clover kits, there’s something for every interest and budget.

Tami Ross
Gift & Appreciation Marketing Specialist with OBB Nashville

Be Original! Give Original!

As a gift specialist I’m involved with various types of recognition programs and on occasion have been involved in the creation of such programs.

Although Employee Recognition programs on the surface are created to reward competencies and work performance many of them also hope to motivate under performers.  Unfortunately this mindset usually never works and can lead to unfriendly competition within the company and shouldn’t be considered when creating or continuing with an Employee Recognition program.

Creating a successful program that both rewards and recognizes performance starts and ends with communication:

1. Employees need to know what is expected.  Define what meeting expectation looks like and what exceeding them looks like and the impact it has on the business.  Are you going to reward for meeting, exceeding or both by offering a tiered awarded system.
2. Is recognition open to all employees? Recognition tends to relate to sales goals which can be easily tracked.  Does your program recognize support staff and non-sales employees?  Creating a program inclusive of all positions and levels is a challenge because it starts with clearly defined roles and performance expectations.
3. Peer and customer nominations. In some businesses, peers and or customers can nominate employees whom have gone above and beyond the call of duty.  This can be a great way to create a bottom up recognition program that highlights and encourages both the vision and mission statement of the business.
4. There is no “I” in Team. Offering individual, team or department rewards is something to consider.  A team may have its own set of expectations and through combined strengths stand out in the organization.
5. The reward. The options are endless.  From monetary to a paid day off.  From gift baskets to cruises, car leases and more… companies have a variety of options to reward their top performers.  And as pointed out on the Terryberry Employee Recognition Blog – Recognition letters are one of the top workplace motivators!

Tami Ross
Gift & Appreciation Marketing Specialist with OBB Nashville

Be Original! Give Original!