Getting Ready for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, which means it is time to get ready.

I am not planning anything extravagant but some little surprises during the day are very much in order.

First thing first – Setting the scene

Human Touch – Love Pillow Cases sent me one of their lovely pillow case sets. They will be perfect for setting the scene for a romantic evening / night plus I am sure they will put a smile on our faces every morning we wake up and look at them.

There are 12 lovely, cute and extremely adorable designs to pick from. Human Touch – Love Pillow Cases are a great way of extending the magic of Valentine’s Day for longer.

To make a day even more special why not start it with a nice cup of coffee from a Love Mug?

Cook that special breakfast

This part still needs some thinking and planning. I have a few options on the short list. The Valentine Breakfast Pinterest board was very helpful but I still couldn’t decide: sweet or sour.

Hide a little surprise in their lunch box

Did you hear about Joy Maker? The Cadbury website offers an option of making your very own chocolate bar. The process is easy and very straightforward and as a result you get a chocolate bar with a personalised message of your choice (on the wrapper only to be precise). I think that this would be a very nice touch, which would definitely put a smile on Marks face, so I am getting it made.

A special gift which will last a lifetime

I am still stuck for ideas and would consider any help you can offer. I don’t plan on getting anything huge (budget wise) but something special and thoughtful would be ideal. I found a Name A Star kit, which allows you, among other things, to name a star (surprise, surprise…). I think that Mark would really like that.

How is your preparation going in the run up to Valentine’s Day?

Are you planning something special that’s out of the ordinary?

A gift guide for that person who appears to have it all

Men, women, teens, kids – there is always someone who seems to have it all and when asked what would they want or like the answer is always the same – nothing.

This is not necessarily the truth. I personally don’t believe they have it all but this type of person may just not have any immediate needs which need fulfilling, so… buying for them is kind of a nightmare.

We can always pick the easy way out and go with a pre-boxed gift from our favourite store or we could try to find something which will actually suit them and they might actually need or even want, even if they don’t know it yet.

I was wondering about some gift ideas for “those” type of people. So I created a list, in spending order, which might give you some ideas.

Experience Days

There are a lot of options for picking something suitable from experience days. I’ve looked at Virgin Experience Days and prices start from just £5 and go up and up and up all the way to space soon… so I am putting it on top of my list. Driving, flying, days out, spa days, photo shoots… there are literally 100s of different options to suit any budget and of course to suit any person we are buying for. Last year I won a driving experience and gifted it to Mark; he totally loved it even though they wouldn’t let him keep the car despite Hollywood levels of pleading.

Dyson Hot + Cool

Unless the person you are buying for has an air-conditioned house they will love the new Dyson Hot + Cool. I personally don’t have one (I wish we had) but I’ve seen it in action and it is amazing. It looks amazing and it performs just as described. It isn’t cheap though as prices starts from £359.99 but if you have that amount of “spare” money I can guarantee a smile on the recipient face.

Redmond Multicooker

Reading different blogs I see that a lot of people are using a multicooker. These smart appliances can fry, steam, cook, stew, bake… they can reheat food or keep it warm until you get home… pretty clever. It is like all your cooking requirements in one piece of kit. The price does vary depending on which model you opt for – the basic 6 program multicooker will set you back £69 going up to an amazing 55 programs in one model for £184.90.

Personalised Gifts

With personalised gifts the choice also is almost endless – bags, mugs, frames, chocolates, clothing… whatever you want I am sure someone will personalise it for you. ToxicFox have a huge selection of personalised gifts. I particularly like their wine or champagne selection – personalised of course – as they might just be the perfect gift for a fussy adult.

They also offer a full ClaireaBella collection – cushions, stationery, suitcases, bags to name a few things plus a lot of clothing including PJs, hoodies, zoodies, t-shirt, onesies. With ClaireaBella you can not only personalise with your name but the whole Mr or Mrs ClaireaBella 😉 Prices starts from £4.99 for a personal bar of chocolate going up to £134 for a suitcase.

Water Pillow

Yeah, I know, it sounds awesome, doesn’t it? £39.99 will give you a Mediflow Waterbase Fibrefill Pillow; clinically proven to improve quality of sleep and reduction of neck pain. They can be adjusts to fit the shape of any person and continuously responds to changes in the sleeping position. I actually have one and it is a pleasure to sleep on. People might have a lot of things but I bet most of them haven’t thought about getting themselves a water pillow 🙂

“Posh” Candle Collection

Candles aren’t only for the older women. They have a practical use of course but they might also be used as a decoration, a mood enhancement or just a nice reminder of something or someone special. The Country Candle Company offers the most beautiful range of British, highly scented candle collections to suit any preferences. Prices start from £6.50 and go up to £22.50 for a lovely gift pack.

So, what do you think?

Are any of my ideas useable for you?

What would you add to the list?

Father’s Day Gift Guide

by Mark

June the 15th will probably be a stressful day, or rather one of the days just before. Its Fathers day again and like all the other “days” in the calendar it’s a construct of the people to celebrate a good thing. Father’s Day was founded in Spokane, Washington at the YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd. It has grown somewhat since those humble origins, designed principally to compliment mothers’ day.

Now the card industry and the flower growers and even the wonderful people who make chocolates have marketed their wares and been most successful in growing their business through Mothers’ day but they have struggled (barring the card industry) to make the same impression On Fathers’ day. This problem is everyone’s, there are no handy go to presents for dads (there are only so many socks an ties a man can need) especially when dads tend to have collected all the everyday objects they really want and let’s face it not many of us can afford the Aston Martin he really desires. Even if we could the problem will rear its head once again in 365 days, so what then!

Fear not my lovely reader for I have compiled a list of potential ideas you may not have considered before, or even if you have maybe it is time to consider them all over again.

Perfumes / After Shave

This is one of the obvious choices but in my opinion it is a good one. They are not always cheap; even so, they always will make a nice treat… even for a male. The only really important thing to remember whilst picking the perfume is to pick the right one, which these days might not be so easy. If you know at least one scent your dad is enjoying but he already has some and you want to go with something slightly different you can use Mr. Google to find a similar one which will have the same ingredients in the base notes for example. Don’t be tempted to get him the new 1D perfume, just because you like it, after all, the gift is for him and not for you.

A special drink

This is yet another example of an obvious choice but again I would recommend it. If you dad enjoys a nice drink every now and then Father’s Day make for the perfect occasion to get him a nice bottle of “something” unusual. Even if he isn’t a big drinker there must be something he enjoys on the odd occasion. Personally I like to have a quiet drink with my friend Jack (if you don’t, I am happy to take it off your hands).

Something he always really wanted but mum doesn’t approve

In my case it is a lava lamp. I always wanted one but Agata is not a huge fan of them. I finally got one… a friend of mine gifted me with it. It is not new but it does its job well and I can tick “owning a lava lamp” from my list. Despite my lamp not being a Father’s Day gift I know how it made me feel – happy! Something I always wanted finally appeared in my life. I am sure your dad has items like this on his list as well.

Something for everyday use just in case

This one is a new for me but I think it might make a perfect gift for more than a few fathers out there – a headlamp aka head torch. The idea is simple – you have a torch and still two empty hands. Can you imagine how useful this is during late night dog walks… two dogs… two leads… two hands busy… one torch on my head lighting up the path ahead… Don’t have a dog? Not a problem, there is still use for it… what about the car breaking down in the middle of the night… you need two hands to fix it but you also need to see what you are doing… pop the headlamp on and you are ready to do what needs to be done. Or the loft, the back of the garage, the garden shed… or even late at night when you want to read a book but your OH is not so impressed with a side light on… the uses are endless.

Some special menswear

As I have already mentioned, there is a limit to the number of socks and ties your dad might need or even want… but there are other clothing options. Think hard and remind yourself about conversation with your dad when he mentioned something he really wanted… maybe a wool sweater or a funky pair of boots…

If you think hard enough you will find some nice menswear except for socks and ties which will bring a smile on dads face. Failing this, ask mum for help 🙂

LifeProof Phone Case

In this busy and hectic life we now all lead there is not always the time to take the due care we would all like to, it’s called being in a rush we have all experienced it, some of us experience it on a daily basis. At times of rushing it is all too easy to drop something, to knock it over or have that awfully expensive brand new Samsung Galaxy S3 effortlessly slide off the table and bounce across the floor all because your sleeve caught it as you reached for something at the far end of the table, I know I have that T shirt! Yet fret not a solution exists, I now discover. Boasting “out of this world” protection for your “out of this world” expensive smart phone the nüüd phone cover from LifeProof is really quite impressive. The list on the box says your protected from all accept a direct tactical nuclear strike though if that happened I doubt the phone will be first thing in your thoughts.

Something for bonding over with the kids

A recent discovery, but I think intriguing none the less. A present that dads can enjoy with the kids or on their own as many adult versions exist. It’s an interactive adventure that does not require a plug socket or a computer or gaming console screen. It comes in that quaint old style, a book. A huge range exist of books that have a branching story line based on decisions you make, you don’t start at page one and read to the end as in the traditional sense rather you read from page one till the first decision and then you will be instructed where to carry on reading based on your answer. In this modern world though were everything seems to be augmented you can even get them with smart phone add on apps to enrich the experience even further. Bed time stories will never be the same again. I have Jack Hunter – The French Connection by Martin King set in 1392AD and my smartphone, so off into the castle we go to save the universe and hopefully some damsel in distress, oh and some gold; can’t have a good castle adventure without some gold for the taking!

Something to show him you really do care…

This might not be the sexiest of the gifts ideas but it is a practical one and it will show you really do care…

There comes a time in a man’s life when it dawns on him he is not as he once was. Lifting things becomes an effort, moving quickly is slowing down and various body parts that where once toned are starting to travel in all the directions like belly’s growing out or jowls forming. It’s usually around this time in life that a new order is brought into his life. One of eating right and yes exercises! Now whether you find it roll on the floor hysterical or it makes you nervous watching your father run off in his lycra shorts on foot or on that flash new bike he just bought there is something you can get him that will make everyone have peace of mind. There are many of them but the one that caught my eye was the Ozeri CardioTech from there premium series. It is a digital blood pressure monitor but with a potentially lifesaving feature, it can detect irregular heartbeats and hypertension! Grab him whilst he is collapsed on the sofa proclaiming to be fine whilst looking anything but.

Of course this does open up the endless possibilities of health supplements to help in his new found self. One that springs to mind which will probably come up quite quickly as “needed” is Padma Circosan, a herbal remedy that is amongst other things, very good at helping with cramping in the calf’s. Ever think you would see the day that your father was happy to receive some pills as a present, well it can happen. I am a biker and there is not a lot scarier than getting cramps whilst riding at 100 miles per hour the speed limit of 70m/h. I take Padma to help me with my cramps and it works well. Another one is Iron FitalF – it is a liquid iron which can help with constant tiredness and lack of energy. Observe your dad for a while and I am sure you will be able to notice the small changes and thus pick the correct health remedy to aid it.

So, this is my gift guide for incoming big day.

What’s on your Father’s Day gift list?

* This post is a brand collaboration.
We received some of the items mentioned for free in order to try them out.