Are you ready for Fathers Day?

Regular readers of my blog will know that there's not much I like more than a bit of 'virtual' shopping.  I mean, apart from winning the lottery and then doing actual 'money is no object' shopping of course :-)

Anyway, with Fathers' day coming up (21st June, just in case you'd forgotten), I thought it might be a good time to do a spot of 'for the men' internet shopping, and share my finds with my lovely blog readers.

First up, a gift I bought my husband, for his birthday last week, that would be equally great as a Fathers' day gift:

The Wilkin & Sons website has lots of different preserves and sauces, that can be personalised with wording of your choice on the label.  I bought my husband some Tomato Ketchup, which I personalised to say 'Daddy's Dip Dip' on the label (my husband and girls have ketchup with just about every meal, and it's known as dip dip in our house) and also some Hot Mango Sauce, which he also loves, and I had labelled 'Joe's Hot Stuff'.  What bloke doesn't want the ego boost of being called 'hot stuff' every time he puts sauce on his burger?

Next up, something I actually am going to order for my hubby for Fathers' Day, so I'm hoping that I can trust him not to read this post!   I have ordered from The Crafty Giraffe before - I ordered a gorgeous 'santa key' and wooden keepsake gift tags at Christmas, so I can definitely vouch for the quality of their products.  This year, Daddy Rowberry will be getting a hammer and tools set for Fathers' Day, personalised with 'Daddy can fix it' which is a pretty commonly used phrase around this house!

I hosted a 'My Showcase' party recently as an afternoon tea for my local 'at home in the day' friends.   It was a great excuse to have a natter and try lots of gorgeous beauty products, whilst the kids played in the garden.

While I didn't spend my £40 hosts voucher on anything for my husband at all (shame on me?), I did notice that they have some lovely products that even the least 'metriosexual' man would love!

I am sure that my husband, who is not at all interested in any kind of beauty products,  would love this Gentleman's Tonic shave cream, and combined with a lovely shaving brush, I think this would make a beautiful gift for a man at any time of year.  The products smell lovely and even better, if you host a party, you could get this, plus a little something lovely for yourself, for nothing!  Check out my friend Clare's My Showcase Facebook page to book a party.

For the eco-friendly, outdoorsy Dad out there, how about a pack of these adorable fire-starters, handmade in Cambridge and available from Etsy, they would make a great gift, with an I.O.U. for a camping weekend with the kids.

Add in a hip flask, filled with a tot of his tipple of choice, and you've got the perfect gift for the adventure-Dad!

Whilst on the subject of handmade gifts, how about these cool t-shirts, for the Daddy that's a Star Wars fan?  This set would be especially cute for a new father with a baby boy.

These are also available via Etsy, from a lovely shop called Blue Ivory Lane, which is another small UK based business.  I always try to support small UK based businesses whenever I can; you can get something quirky, that's great quality and can often be personalised to suit your recipient, to make it that bit more special, and at the same time, you are supporting small businesses, which need all the help we can give them!

So that's it - I've covered foodie dads, DIY'ers, Metrosexuals, the outdoorsy types and the geeks.  Who have I missed out?  I think there's something for everyone in there, but let me know in the comments if you think I've missed anyone out and I'll make sure I cover them next time I go gift shopping!

Easter Gift Inspiration

Well, that funk turned in to actual illness and I'm on day two of bed rest. Yesterday I slept for the whole day, but now I'm in that annoying bit, where you're too ill to do anything, but can't sleep. So I thought I'd do a bit of Easter window shopping from my sick-bed and share my finds with you.

These are the things I would love to receive, if we did gifts for grown ups at Easter. We don't, but maybe you do, and would like some inspiration?

How completely scrummy does this Sea Salt Caramel Dark Chocolate Easter Egg sound? I love Prestat chocolates and I really like the packaging of this one. At £15, it's a treat I'd be saving until after the girls were in bed!

Oh my goodness, this ostrich egg from Hotel Chocolat looks amazing. Ridiculously indulgent for an Easter egg, at £75, but we are dreaming here, so cost is no object, right?

I love hares. There is something about them that is quite magical. I have a bronze figure of a hare, bought for me by my husband, which I love.

I don't normally buy cushions - I usually think I can make something similar myself much cheaper, but I think the free motion embroidery on this cushion is amazing and I think £30 is a really good price for something that took a lot of skill.

I have done a bit of free motion embroidery myself recently and it's really good fun, but hard to be accurate. A lot of practice will have gone in to this design. I'd love to think that with more practice myself, I could create something even half as good as that someday.

I found this on Not On The High Street, which is one of my favourite sites for gifts and crafty inspiration. There is also this cow version, which is equally gorgeous.

While we are on Not On The High Street, check out this adorable bunny wall-sticker. I have had house rabbits in the past and would love one now, but the hubster's not keen. I'm very tempted to get one of these and position it somewhere that looks realistic, so that visitors do a double-take, thinking we've got a bunny.

We haven't joined in with the trend to decorate for Easter yet, but I think I might jump on the bandwagon next year. Any excuse for fairy lights and bunting! Especially if your fairy lights are this cute! These are £19.95 from www.dotcomgiftshop.com

I love an excuse for some themed table-ware and this ceramic egg from Emma Bridgewater would be lovely to have around at Easter, filled with mini eggs! It's £39.95 but there's 15% off in the online store, over the Easter weekend.

I love this little oak bunny egg cup from Hop & Peck. At £16 it's a bit pricey for a single egg cup, but it comes so beautifully packaged, and I think it's lovely enough to be considered a piece of kitchen art too. If I had one, it would certainly be kept out on display.

I was lucky enough to go on a free trip to York last year, which included afternoon tea at the iconic Bettys Tea Rooms. Everything about the afternoon was perfect, so I am sure this afternoon tea hamper would be scrummy. Admittedly, for £50, you could have afternoon tea for two in the actual tea room, but you'd have to travel up north first!

I'd love a Pandora charm bracelet. I've liked the idea of charm bracelets since I was a child, but the old style clip-on versions were too jingly for me. I like the pandora style though and think they are a great way to mark little milestones and memories. If your loved one has a bracelet, this cute little Easter bunny charm would be the perfect gift.

And finally, a novelty gift. Everyone likes soft boiled egg and soldiers, right? And who wouldn't like them even more, with this cute little egg cup and toast cutter set? £6.95 from The Inspirations Store.

 

Well that's it. I'm all shopped out. I hope I've given you some nice ideas and maybe pointed you in the direction of some new shopping sites. What are your favourite internet shops for unusual gifts? I'd love to know.

 

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Big Joules Spring Clean

Hi there!

Just a quick blog post, to tell you about the amazing bargains I scored at the Big Joules Spring Clean yesterday.

It's at Rockingham Speedway, so an hour and a half away from me. I booked husband and biggest daughter in to the cinema and arranged to meet a friend and fellow Joules addict there.

You generally have to queue for a bit to get in. Today I waited about half an hour, but I have waited an hour in the past. If you're going to go, be warned, it's always windy and cold at Rockingham!!

But it's worth it for the bargains, if you're a Joules fan. I was chatting to the staff there and they told me the average spend is well in the £100's, but people are leaving with massive sacks of goodies.

Here's my stash. Please excuse the rubbish photos. They were taken in a rush, in poor light, as I was getting ready to go to Happiness Matters' Ceilidh. More on that later, but now for Joules goodies:

Check out the cute buttons down the back of this dress! This one is for lovely Lucy, of Mrs Bishop's Bakes and Banter fame, but I got the blue version for me too. Normally £80, I got these for £15 yesterday.

Totally cute little cord skirt for Evie. Usually £24.95. Yesterday, £5

Lovely floaty 'boats' top for me. Usually £50. Yesterday, £10

Short sleeved 'waterfall' type cardigan for me. My biggest bargain. Usually £99, but snagged it for £15 yesterday.

Pants for the hubster. In their own little pouches. These are usually £15 a pair, so hope he likes them. £5 each today. He's going to be so pleased I've blogged his pants!!!

Two cute little gilets for the girls. I don't know how much the fleecy one is normally, but the green one is £29.95. They were £15 each today

Lovely 'circus' pyjamas for Evie. I'm not sure how much normally, but £10 today. Look at that gorgeous frill trim on the trousers!!

And this dress. Oh my goodness. Could not resist! My girls are not in need of dresses, but this was 10! Total bargain and so cute!

Something we do always need: leggings. I usually buy cheapo ones from the supermarket, because they will only fall over and put a hole in the knees, but these are such good quality. Lovely and soft and only £5 which is probably what I'd have paid in the supermarket anyway.

I also got a few little kids t-shirts for a fiver each (not showing those as they are destined to be gifts) two tins of Christmas cards, some very cute key rings for stocking stuffers, and this lovely beach bag (£7.50)

Oh, and lastly, a gorgeously fluffy, cuddly jumper for my gorgeous husband. He didn't want to be photographed, so is looking a bit grumpy here. And he doesn't want to be included in my blog, but here he is. Because I can't resist showing you my lovely man, looking handsome in his new jumper :-)

Here's the hoard in full (minus the hubby & jumper). They were also giving away last years 'family planner' calendars for free, which were an excellent score, because except for the front cover, they don't have dates on. They are a week per page, with a space for each member of the family's activities. I will use mine for menu planning once I pull my finger out :-)

I love Joules clothes. They are such good quality. Comfortable, and such lovely fun designs. They last very well and are totally worth a bit extra, especially now that two girls will wear them. Even so, at full price, they are usually out of reach for our clothing budget. Which is why I love these sales, to stock up!

It was a lovely chance for some 'Mummy and Lola' time too. She loved being in the front of the car with me. We had a good old sing song. She absolutely loves to dance around to the radio, and she had a nice little sleep in the sun. I can't resist one little pic of Lo. Check out these gorgeous pudgy hands!

So all in all, a very good morning's work, I think. Made all the more pleasant by spending time with one of my oldest friends, her cousin, cousin's baby and my little Lola.

Now we are off out for the day, for my Mother's Day surprise. All I know is that we have a picnic and are heading west. Any ideas? I have no idea where we'll end up!

 

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Bargains, and creative inspiration

I had a little mooch around Dunelm last week. I'd popped in purely to buy thread and a stretch needle, ready for my skater dress and coco projects.

So I was supposed to buy this:

But came away with this:

Oops! But there were bargains too great to miss!

These cushions were in a big crate marked £1.99 each. The pads inside are worth more. Not that it matters, because as soon as my girls saw three Minnie Mouse cushions, that was that. Adopted.

The 'Cars' cushions will be making their way to a friend's little boy. The door hanger was also a bargain, and says 'a little bird sleeps here'. Well, you know me and anything bird/deer related .......

Whilst in Dunelm, I did a bit of snooping in the ready made cushions department, for creative inspiration. I thought I might as well share some of my favourites with you.

I love these little door stops. They would be quite easy to recreate. Watch out for a version of this house appearing on here sometime soon.

I'd like to make a mini version of this sweet little bird.

I have so many knitting and crochet projects to finish, but I love the look of this and it would be quite quick to knit up in a chunky yarn. I'd like one of these for a bit of extra texture in our caravan.

I love this button cushion (ignoring the missing button!) but I think I'd like to see lots of different coloured buttons. I fancy a go at this, but how comfy would it be? Hmm ... Not sure.

I had a go at making a caravan softie a few weeks ago. Evie loves it and sleeps with it in her bed, but I'm not happy with it. I need another go at it. This is a good starting point, but I think I can do better.

Oh, I love appliqué, and of course, anything bird related. Something similar to this will be attempted soon.

What a fab use of teeny tiny scraps this would be!

 

 

Another bird. This is machine embroidered, but I'd like to try something similar using a freezer paper template and fabric paint. Or screen printing. Both things I've not attempted yet, but are on my 'to do' list.

How gorgeous is this fox? Appliqué, embroidery, forest animals .... What's not to love? I'd like to have a go at something similar to this, but maybe a deer?

Oh, this is too cute. Another one for my 'to do' list. I think this would be nice framed, on the wall, rather than as a cushion. Not sure it would hold up to the abuse from two preschoolers!

I do love cushions. Can you tell?

 

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