For Mums

Food Journals from PenHeaven

No gift guide would be complete without any stationery and one of my new favourite sites for browsing beautiful journals is Pen Heaven.  They have a stunning selection of journals all of differing size, styles and colours, many of covers  are leather and handmade in Italy.  They also have a range of diaries, notebooks pens and other leather products too but the journals are my favourite.  Journals can be used for anything and there is something really special about opening a quality journal with a leather cover and Pen Heaven have come up with a fantastic idea for using their journals; Food Journals, somewhere to preserve favourite recipes, cooking secrets and special ingredients.  I love this idea, what a wonderful thing to hand on to your children.

I was sent the Ravello small leather journal with matching green fountain pen.  The set came beautifully wrapped and as you can see Pen Heaven also offer a unique embossing service. You can have initials, names or a short message embossed onto your journal to really add a personal touch.     The journal is fitted with an elastic tie to protect the pages and hold secure any loose recipe cuttings or inserts and is available in a range of sizes and colours.  So if you are or are buying a gift for a stationery lover, you must visit Pen Heaven and explore their wonderful range of journals.

Jimmi Jamms

I was already sold on this range of nightwear by the name; Jimmi Jamms andI can see why they have already built up a cult following. I love new pyjamas and Jimmi Jamms have a great range of nightwear which includes pyjamas, short sets, hoodies, lounge sets, cuddle blankets and more.  They really have taken the concept of nightwear and considered what every woman needs to relax in at the end of the day, with soft pastel colours, soft materials and funky designs.

Opting for the Heritage Set in mint green, it arrived in this gorgeous carton which is a really fun way to package pyjamas.

Inside, the pyjamas are neatly rolled up.

I love my Jimmi Jamms.  Soft, comfortable and amazing to wear, these would make the perfect present. The Heritage Set costs £26 at the time of writing this post and you can find out more about these and the entire Jimmi Jamms range by visiting their website.

Red Candy

Red Candy has become one of my favourite spaces on the internet and I have featured them in previous gift guides and reviews as they certainly put the fun back into homewares. As the name suggests, there is plenty of red, but there are bright colours and innovative ideas at prices to suit every budget.

spa London

How about treating someone special with some indulgent beauty products?  Well, I have just the thing; the range of Gold products from Spa London have an impressive list of ingredients and they look very special indeed.  Used as spa treatments, this range is also available to take home or buy online.

The Gold Body Polish (RRP £25)contains caviar extract, golden jojoba oil and grapeseed oil, it naturally moisturises and helps the texture glide easily over the skin’s surface to intensify the processes inside the skin cells, while aiding in the slowing down of the aging process. You only need to take off the lid of this wonderful product to see that it is something special.  It looks and smells amazing, but you really have to try it as it glides on to your skin and feels you skin feeling soft and smooth.

Also in the Gold Range are luxurious, shimmering Gold Dry Oil (RRP £23), which contain three natural oils – jojoba, apricot kernel and sweet almond.  The oils work in synergy with the protective and antioxidant action of caviar extract and vitamin E leaving the skin visibly, softened with a  gentle fragrance.  The range includes a Limited Edition Liquid Gold Champagne and Grape Leaf Extract Bathing Nectar (RRP £15), which luxuriously mixes the high-quality active ingredients with a subtle sensual amber scent for a unique bathing experience.  An ideal treatment for a deluxe bathing treatment or foot soak, it dissolves in the bath and leaves a silky finish to skin. You can find out more about these products and more spa London treatments on their website and if you scroll down, you can click on the Shop Online button to buy the products to use at home.

TheraPearl Eye-ssential Mask

Hands up if you need 20 daily minutes rest and relaxation. It sounds blissful doesn’t it?  Thanks to the TheraPearl Eye-ssential Mask, you can.  This clever eye mask, provides 20 minutes of soothing stress relief and relaxation, it also reduces puffy eyes so is great for beauty too. It costs £7.99 from Superdrug and it is the first ever hot and cold eye mask. What’s more it is re-useable so you can use it for 20 minutes of relaxation time every day. The mask uses unique Pearl Technology which means it can retain its temperature. Easy to use, you chill it in the freezer or gently heat in the microwave (full instruction are provided) and then just relax.  It is amazing.

Christmas Ever After by Sarah Morgan

The idyllic Puffin Island provides the backdrop for this heart-warming book, Christmas Ever After is the third book in the series based around the island community, by Sarah Morgan.  Warm, funny and hard to put down, we meet Skylar, an artist in London for an exhibition.  Things are going well until her boyfriend shows up and when things go badly wrong, an unlikely ally comes to her aid; Alec,  a man whom Skylar has crossed paths with many times in the past and they had built up a mutual dislike for one another.

Despite his dislike of Skylar, Alec cannot leave her on her own and she joins him and his family for pre-Christmas celebrations and discovering a mutual respect for each other, Alec invites Skylar to live with him on Puffin Island as friends.  As the two become closer and winter sets in, will their be romance for this unlikely pair?

With humour, friendship, romance and community spirit, this is a brilliant read and even though it is the third of a series, you can read this book without having read the others.  I loved it and Sarah Morgan’s writing style plan to read the first two books now.  This is a perfect read for the festive season.

Truly Washable from Slumberdown

Every mum needs her sleep doesn’t she?  You can’t beat a nice new duvet and some supportive pillows to ensure a good night’s sleep, so if you are looking for a practical gift idea, why not invest in a new set of bedding?

Isn’t it annoying when you wash duvets and pillows and they never look the same? Did you know that you should replace your pillows every two years and duvets every five? When you consider the amount of time we spend in our beds and the sweat and skin cells that we shed during that time, washing duvets and pillows should be done every 2 – 3 months.  In reality, it is an annual event in many homes.  Slumberdown have the answer with their new range of Truly Washable Duvets and Pillows.  Available from Argos and Tesco, these duvets and pillows can be washed up to five times and still keep their original shape and feel.  They are all hypoallergenic, can be tumble dried and are all wonderfully soft to touch.  The pillows are firm support pillow and I am really enjoying using the pillows.  I haven’t had the chance to wash either yet, however, I am quite excited about the prospect of being able to wash and reuse both the pillows and the duvet.

The duvet is 10.5 tog and is available in single, double, king size and super king size.  The pillows are regular size and come in packs of two.  Find out more about the Truly Washable range here.

And finally …

One gift that will be added to my Christmas list this year is this picnic rug.  No ordinary picnic rug, it is a Twister picnic rug.  Imagine the fun you could have with this on a family picnic.

Available from  Genie Gadgets priced £17.45.

Dad’s

It is a common misconception that men are difficult to buy for and whilst that may have been the case years ago, it certainly isn’t the case now.  I certainly proved that last year when I gave my husband 40 gifts on his 40th birthday.  I included lots of ideas in this post and there were some great ideas such as the personalised Typographic Print from Not on the High Street, the Lumie Bodyclock  which is an amazing way to wake up every morning and the personalised cufflinks from Getting Personal.

On the subject of cufflinks, The London Silver Company have a stunning collection of cufflinks with some of the most unusual designs that I have ever seen.

The sport-themed cufflinks, in particular, caught my eye as it is all about sport for the men in this house.  Any sport.  There are lots to choose from but the Sterling Silver Football Boots and Ball cufflinks stood out.

The cufflinks are absolutely stunning. The attention to detail is amazing.  Each cufflink comprises a football boot complete with studs and a football attached by a chain.  The quality and design are excellent.  The Football Boots and Ball Cufflinks are £62.50 from The London Silver Company. The London Silver Company are official licensees to both England Rugby as well as the Welsh Rugby Union and  this year they have introduced a new collection of handmade silver Rugby World Cup merchandise.

Braun

My husband is a huge fan of the Braun shavers and these are fantastic presents for the men in your life as they look good and are practical too.  Braun have launched the new and improved Series 3 shaver.

The Series 3 is the very latest innovation from the world renowned grooming experts at Braun such as the innovative MicroComb Technology, a comb-like structure that guides the beard hairs into the cutting element of the trimmer. The new Series 3 also uses MicroAdaptation technology to ensure the closest possible skin contact. The three cutting elements move independently to adapt to facial contours and stay close to the skin. Finally, the Braun SensoFoil recognizes the importance of the perfect hole-size for the perfect cutting of hairs that grow in different directions. The SensoFoil  is optimized to allow more hair to feed into the foil, encouraging closeness and efficiency without irritating or cutting skin.

So what did my husband think of the new and improved Braun Series 3?  My husband is very impressed.  A really close shave, the Braun Series 3 is really lightweight and fast, very easy and comfortable to use and unlike some shavers he has been able to use it daily over the last couple of weeks without causing any irritation, so it is a big thumbs up.

There are two models available; Series 3-3040 Wet & Dry – RRP £99.99 Series 3-3080 – RRP £139.99, we were sent the Series 3 – 3040.  Find out more about the new Braun Series 3 shavers on the Braun website.

Wilkinson Sword

Wilkinson Sword have got Christmas covered with some great grooming gift sets for men, featuring their precision Hydro 5 razor.

The Hydro 5 Travel Kit is perfect for trips away, it comprises the Hydro 5 razor and Hydro moisturising gel, all stored in a good sized wash bag.

These Wilkinson Sword gift sets are available exclusively at Tesco.

Qwerkity

No gift guide would be complete without a mention of Qwerkity, an amazing site for gift ideas with some fun and clever ideas for everyone.  Qwerkity have an amazing range of gifts for men and I particularly like the sport themed gift ideas as the men in my life are all sport-crazy. Rugby is particularly popular and I loved the Leather Rugby Wash bag.

Perfect for travel and trips away, this is a spacious wash bag that is a well-made and good quality gift which can double as a rugby ball (according to my son anyway).  At £29.99 this would be a great gift for any rugby fan.

Find this and many more gift ideas on the Qwerkity website.

And finally …

Mums and Dads

olloclip

I have been fascinated by olloclips for a while now and I will be writing a full review when I have had the chance to try it out properly.  If you haven’t heard of an olloclip, imagine being able to make the camera on your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy even better with something small enough to fit in your pocket?  Well that is exactly what the olloclip does and it is pretty amazing. So amazing in fact, that it is award-winning.

The 4-in-1 lens fits snugly onto any of the iPhone 6 and 6s models and in includes It features four advanced optic quick-change lenses (Fisheye, Wide-Angle, Macro 10x & 15x) that weigh hardly anything and can all be stored in a tiny pouch, which means that you can take them anywhere.

This is the perfect gift for anyone who wants to get more out of their phone photos or for camera enthusiasts who want something more portable.  The iPhone 6/6s/6/6s Plus olloclip costs just under £70 and I will report back in a couple of weeks with a review of how it works and what I think of it.  If you want to find out more about olloclip, check out their website for more information.

TOAD Diaries

This is the time of year when we start to look for new diaries and organisers for the new year and TOAD Diaries offer a brilliant range with a wide choice of new personalisable, cool covers, start date flexible diaries and notebooks which can be the ideal Christmas gift  with ranges to suit men and woman, teens, fitness enthusiasts etc…  They can have 100% personalised wording on their covers (a name, a phrase or something far more cryptic!….).

The TOAD website couldn’t be easier to navigate and within minutes, you have your perfect, personalised diary, journal or notebook ready to go.  Delivery is quick too, arriving within three days.

There are range of styles and patterns to choose from for your cover and you can choose to have wire-bound or hardback.  A really useful feature of these diaries is being able to choose from a range of formats, a duration range from 6 to 24 months and a choice of exactly when to start the diary. I chose a hardback diary in TOAD pink with 1 day per page, starting in November, so that I can use it straight away (I have no patience).  I couldn’t resist trying the personalisation and opted for Stressy Mummy.

My TOAD diary arrived within three days, boxed and ready to use and I love it.  Find out more about TOAD Diaries on their website.

OXO Good Grips

Kitchen gadgets.  I just love kitchen gadgets and OXO Good Grips have an impressive range of products that would easily slot into every kitchen and many of them will make life easier.  OXO was born from a desire to see kitchen products that are easy and comfortable to use and the OXO Good Grips range offers innovative and useful products that can be used for cooking and baking, food storage, beverages, cleaning and laundry and general storage and organisation.

Browsing through the OXO website, I could have easily chosen a long list of products, but I opted for the 7 Piece Measuring Cup Set and the Complete Grate and Slice Set.

The Complete Grate and Slice Set is an ingenious set of four different colour-coded surfaces, each with a different function; one coarse grater, one fine grater, a straight and julienne slicer.  The set also has a food holder, so that you can grate and slice without any risk to your fingers.  All of these slot nicely into a plastic box, the lid of which doubles as a container to slice or grate into, if you want to use it and it also measures the amount.  Priced at £30, this set will get a lot of use in my kitchen and would make a great gift idea.

I love measuring spoons and the 7 Piece Measuring Cups are a larger version.  Seven cups which handily snap together for easy storage, these cups are clearly colour-coded with the amount they measure and there is also a half measurement marked on the inside.  The set comes with a scraper so that you can easily level your ingredients and that also acts as a hook to hang the set.  These are perfect for me as I often find American recipes on Pinterest and they all use cup measurements, so these will make those recipes much easier to prepare.

There are so many brilliant and innovative ideas in the OXO Good Grips range and I really recommend you take a look at their website to find out more.

Monin Syrups

Many coffee shops and cafes  across the UK use the range of Monin syrups to create wonderful tasting drinks such as Gingerbread lattes and Caramel hot chocolates, but there are in fact  over 100 flavours in the range  including Tonka Bean, Pumpkin Spice and Black Forest!

The Monin Syrups are available in 70cl bottles individually, but the  coffee gift set containing 5 x 5cl bottles of Monin Caramel, Chocolate Cookie, Gingerbread, Vanilla and Hazelnut syrups, which also includes a recipe card and two coffee stencils, would make a great gift.

The new Monin syrup Tonka Bean is amazing.  I had never heard of Tonka Bean before but it is a delicious flavour; a cross between vanilla and caramel which works well in both coffee and hot chocolate.

Monin Syrups are perfect for coffee lovers, but they are great for making milkshakes and cocktails (or even baking). The individual bottles are available from www.nextdaycoffee.co.uk or www.syrups andstuff.co.uk (£6 per bottle plus p+p), and the gift sets are available from Patisserie Valerie stores, (RRP £6.95).

Hotel Chocolat

No Christmas gift guide would be complete without Hotel Chocolat.  Their selection of festive goodies are second to none and I can say, from experience, that their chocolate is delicious.

Whether you are looking for a stylish selection of chocolates, stocking fillers or even advent calendars, Hotel Chocolat have something for everyone.

With so many wonderful chocolates to choose from, it was a tough choice, but I opted for the Patisserie Chocolate Box Sleekster, one of the many Sleekster boxes avaialble.  Filled with flavours of some of our best-loved cakes, bakes and puddings, these chocolates are a work of art.  Almost too good to eat …

The box includes 27 decadent dessert recipes, including The Brownie, Mousse au Chocolat, Caramel Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, The Blondie, Raspberry Pannacotta, Billionaire’s Shortbread to name but a few.  Delicious does not describe the texture and flavour of these divine little chocolates.  Beyond delicious.

Find out more about the Hotel Chocolat Christmas range on their website.

Bill’s

If you are on the look out for food and drink ideas this Christmas, Bill’s Restaurants have a glorious range of own label products.  From sweets and chocolate to teas and coffees, jams of many varieties, biscuits, chutneys and more.  Everything is beautifully packaged and there is a nice range of hampers this Christmas too which combine different products so that you can give a really unique gift for someone.

The Red Velvet Cupcake Truffles are a real treat.  Boxed in red, as you take off the lid, you find a decorated box below and the delicious truffles wrapped in red tissue paper.  Once you try these truffles, you will want more, trust me, they are absolutely delicious with a white chocolate and vanilla icing centre, coated in velvet milk chocolate dusted with freeze-dried raspberries.  A box of Bill’s Red Velvet Cupcake Truffles costs £11.95.

Washed down with a Bill’s Bramble Berry Infusion, these two make a great combination.  This fruity tea filled with a variety of berries comes in a tin with 20 tea bags for £5.95

Lovechock

If you are looking for healthier alternatives, why not try the Bounce Energy Balls, now in a new flavour; Cacao and Orange Protein Burst,  these delicious balls are jam-packed with rich cacao nibs, high-quality protein and plenty of zesty orange flavour, providing a nutritious  snack with everything you’ll need to keep you going this festive season approaches. Find out more here.

I heart wines

Every parent likes to relax with a nice glass of wine every now and then, so why not try one of the I heart wines collection.  A selection of some of the best-loved wines, stunningly presented and at a great price, what is not to love about  I heart wines.

If I have to choose a favourite, I usually go for my favourite; Prosecco.  There is something light and refreshing about Prosecco that always makes it enjoyable to drink.  I heart Prosecco did not disappoint, a light, bubbly and very refreshing wine, this would make an amazing gift as the design of the bottle and label look sleek too.

There are thirteen different wines in the I heart wines collection and you can find out more and where to buy from on the I heart wines website.

Babycham

When I took this bottle out of the box, I was whizzed back in time to my teenage years, when Babycham was my drink of choice.  I do seem to remember a cherry on a cocktail stick added the vital finishing touches.  I loved Babycham back then and I must admit that it is a few years since I have seen the Babycham faun, but I was quite excited to give it a try.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

You may not be someone who drinks alcohol, but that doesn’t mean that you have to miss out.  There are a great selection of non-alcoholic wines and drinks that would make a nice gift, such as this Alcohol-Free Sparkling Infusion from Echo Falls, which is surprisingly similar to wine in taste and texture.

Shloer have also added a new Celebration drink to their range.  The Shloer Celebration Pink Fizz is in a new style bottle, with a popping cork and contains a delicious combination of  red and white grape juices fused together to create a beautiful sparkling rosé juice drink.  I am a big fan of Shloer already and this is the perfect drink to enjoy at Christmas.

Many of the items featured in this guide were sent for the purpose of this feature.  All opinion are my own.