Jelly Beans, Your Way!

PartyBeans.com is a new website that has a great product and a great way to market it. The site has become my own one-stop shop for small gifts that make a huge impact on their recipients... because I get to design each package myself! And readers of this column get a 15 percent discount off their first purchases, for a limited time, so read further and get the details.

Everyone loves jelly beans and Jelly Bellys® are the ultimate jelly beans.* The neatest thing is that long after the Jelly Bellys are gone, the personalized package lives on as a memory of the occasion or of the achievement or of you. And the tin or jar can continue being a jelly bean container or one for pins, paper clips, earrings... whatever!

In four very easy steps, you can customize a super-looking gift of jelly beans with your own designs and inscriptions online!

1) Choose your package or occasion.

2) Choose your image from your picture or graphic files and upload. (Unless your files are huge, you don't have to worry about sizing them prior to uploading.) Resize and center your image on the package. Alternatively, you can choose from one of the site's designs.

3) Create your text from available fonts and sizes.

4) Pick your Jelly Bellys!

There are two kinds of packaging - for individual gifts and for party favors or client gifts, so you can make the gifts super-personalized for friends and family or create one package for a bunch of gifts, as you would for party or wedding favors and client or customer gifts.

Here are a few examples made by PartyBeans.com and yours truly.

1. Small Snip-Snap Jelly Bean Tin

These tins are super party gifts. or favors for special dinners and receptions. The tin snaps so you know when it's fully closed, keeping your sweets fresh until the next time you dip in. $1.99, 1.8" diameter.

2. Giant Snip-Snap Jelly Bean Tin

I created a Giant Snip-Snap Tin as a promotional or client gift. This tin is $5.99 and measures 3" in diameter.

Here's Michael's Giant Snip-Snap Tin for his third birthday, a treasure that he can keep forever.

3. Doggy Bone Mint Tin

This was designed for my dog's 12th birthday party at Dog Park. No, they are not dog-mints, but very fine people-mints, because we are not supposed to bring dog treats into the park! $2.99 each.

4. Peekaboo Jelly Bean Tin

A see-through lid let's you know how long to have until refill time. Sweetheart time is any time! $3.99 each, 2.6" diameter.

5. Jelly Bean Glass Jar

For the big events, you may want to choose the glass jar container with metal lid. This is a 6-oz jar that stands 3.25" high and sells for $9.99.

PartytBeans.com has more packaging possibilities on its website. There are limitless ways to design the packaging and limitless occasions to use the gifts. (My most recent idea is to create a cello bag for a fund-raising event.) Now here's how you get 15% off your first purchase for a limited time: when you complete your selection and design, hit the submit button, and on the next page you will see a space for "promotional code." In that space, print in all caps: INVENTORPB.

*If your recipient doesn't have a thing for jelly beans, you have the option of hard-candy peppermints or M&Ms (coming in 3 weeks!).