Retro Christmas Pressies from Spoilt Rotten Gifts!

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Since featuring Spoilt Rotten Gifts this time last year, I’m so pleased to see this fabulous website has gone from strength to strength. Owner Nichola is just about the nicest person in the small business world and I simply love her collection of vintage, retro and intrinsically British gifts. Her handpicked selection has now grown to include some of my favourite designers including Sass Belle, Anorak, Orla Kiely and Nicky James! It perfectly suits Nichola’s eclectic style and is testament to her background in buying for the likes of John Lewis.

Spoilt Rotten Gifts is the perfect destination for unusual stocking fillers that will transport someone back to their childhood, offer a solution to something they’ve often whinged about, or for children’s gifts that are sure to be coveted well beyond the excitement of Christmas. Here are just a few of my favourite things:

Spoilt Rotten Gifts
Clockwise (left to right): VW Campervan Shaped Mug £5.99 each / Kate Garey Sausage Dog Day Bag was £55.00 now £49.50 / Wall’s Ice Cream Satchel £25.99 / Nicky James Blue Owl Satchel £25.99 / Rusty And Friends Set Of Three Suitcases £20.99 / Magpie Birdy Robin Cushion £16.99 / Disaster Designs Beatles Alarm Clock was £15.99 now £8.99 / Orla Kiely Gardening Gloves £12.99 / Sass Belle Baby Fox Cushion was £15.99 now £12.79

I was literally spoilt for choice when choosing something to review this time around. As my Craigy is a bit of geek, he’d be happy with absolutely everything on the site, and there are also some seriously scrummy baby outfits that Heidi would have looked gorgeous in. But given I’m a selfish mare, I actually treated myself. This seems to be happening far too often at the moment - the kids faces are a real sight when the postman coming knocking with parcels for mummy and not them!

Sass Belle Owl Doorstop

I plumped for this adorable Sass Belle owl doorstop in pretty green, pink and white printed fabrics. Given everyone is so ill at the moment (I’m actually writing this very post from a stuffy room on the children’s ward at the Royal Berkshire Hospital - poor Dex has been struck with bronchitis) Craig is sat at home with Heidi helping her get over her latest tooth, and airing out all the rooms. Rose the owl has therefore been tasked with the very important job of stopping doors from slamming and frightening Heidi. In fact, Heidi seems quite enamoured with Rose and loves babbling away to her.

Rose is nice and heavy and carries all her weight in her bum (don’t we all!) so sits up against doors perfectly (no laying down on the job!). The hand-stitched felt appliqué eyes, wings and feet are such a sweet little detail, and the fabrics all go together beautifully.

Rose is also performing night duties at our house and propping open the lounge stair gate at night to save mummy and daddy from nightly meltdowns. At £9.96 (reduced from £12.45) she’s a fab little Christmas gift for a vintage interior addict.

Birdy Twin bag

I also ordered a gorgeous wash bag and make-up bag from the retro Wren Birdy range. In sky blue and lemon shades and featuring a blue tit and yellow wagtail, this beautiful set of printed PVC coated canvas bags are very 70′s. Lined in nylon, they’re easy to wipe clean if you have any spillages, making them fab for the frequent traveler or make-up fiend. The cute make-up bag measures 215x140mm so is also the perfect size for popping in your handbag, to protect its lining from loose powder and rogue lipsticks.

The heart-shaped Wren zip pulls are a neat little contrast against the fabric and will withstand a fair bit of tugging when you’ve overfilled the bags. At 310x200mm you wouldn’t think you’d run out of room in the wash bag, but I’m the last person in the world who will criticise you if you do! This is currently housing all my daily lotions and potions and I love its cheerful design when I delve in every morning.

At £16.99 its such a lovely gift for a special lady and in true Mary Poppins style, they’re practically perfect in every way!

If I’ve tempted you, have a browse of Nichola’s wibbly wobbly world of Spoilt Rotten Gifts, and pop over to her website, or show her some love on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.


GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: Treat Republic’s Christmas Range! Win a £30 Voucher (CD: 24/11/2014)

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We all know I love Treat Republic. Whenever I have a birthday looming on my calendar it’s the first place I visit to pick up something quirky and unique, and their Christmas selection this year is equally fabulous.

Searching their gifts is stupendously easy. You simply pick your occasion then narrow down by recipient (boyfriend, wife, brother, grandparent etc) and Treat Republic will show you hundreds of tried & tested gifts. This is lazy shopping at its best (although I think the folks at TR HQ will slap my wrist for saying so). You’re guaranteed to find something to suit the fussiest of personalities, and pick up lots of brownie point in the process.

I must have been in a very naughty mood when contacted recently to choose something Christmassy to review (either naughty, or incredibly stressed) as I plumped for alcohol. Treat Republic do a great range of personalised tipples that would make great centrepieces for a Christmas table. There’s champagne, sparkling wine, whiskey, port, vodka, beer and wine… all of which can be personalised (from bottle labels, to boxes and even glassware).

TR Champ

Not thinking of Craigy at all, I plumped for pink bubbles (an entirely deliberate oversight). This Sparkling Monopole Rose Wine was a very reasonable £24.99, which is similar to the price point I’d plump for in the supermarket. It arrived in beautiful gold presentation box in a bed of gold tissue paper. If I had any intention if gifting this to someone it would therefore be ready to simply present to them; dinner party host, birthday girl, your boss or otherwise (but obviously this particular bottle was destined to be devoured by only one person…).

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The personalisation process was incredibly simple, you simply type the recipient’s name, then a message of your choice to appear on the bottle. Style-wise it looks slick and professional and I’d be more than happy to receive it. More than happy…

TR Wine

It was a great quality sparkling wine and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Sorry about the quality of the pictures - it wasn’t the first thing on my mind at the time!

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Although I could write about alcohol all day, I better show you what else Treat Republic have on offer this Christmas!

Treat Republic

Your Definition Cheese Board Set £34.99 / Initials Circled Beer Glass Tankard £14.95/ Personalised Oak Photo Cube Keepsake Box £17.99 /Personalised Sir Cat Bowl £16.99/ You Captured My Heart Necklace £29.99 / Personalised Baby Cushion £27.50 / Personalised Head Gardener Trug £34.99 / Prestige Luxury Towel Set £84 / Heart Bowls for Dips Jams and Chutneys £34.99

If you’re struggling for inspiration for that special Christmas gift this year, head on over to TreatRepublic.co.uk or have a look on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. They’re very happy to help you if you have any questions. Finally, if you’re in any doubt at all about purchasing from my pals at Treat Republic, here’s some of my previous reviews!

Personalised White Harmony Bracelet and Family Rules Glass Chopping Board / Lucky Elephant Watering Can and more! / Personalised Cheese board / Personalised New Mother Sentiment Locket and Babies First Display Frame

*** GIVEAWAY ***

See something you like?? Of course you do! Well enter below to win yourself a £30 voucher to spend on a gift of your choice! > That’s Nana sorted then! … Or you could just bag yourself a little treat, like me…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C’s – a.k.a – the boring bit!
        • Only 1 option is mandatory (leave me a comment) – the rest only improve your chances of winning so just complete as many as you feel like
        • UK entrants only – you must be over 18 too (sorry)
        • The winner will be contacted by email and must respond within 1 week of having been emailed (I’ll try all known avenues to contact them) or a new winner will be drawn
        • When the giveaway is closed, Rafflecopter will select the winner completely at random
        • The winners name will be published on this site

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com


Christmas Gifts for the Entire Family at Treat Republic

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A huge box of goodies arrived on my doorstep a few weeks ago! These were gifts I’d handpicked from Treat Republic’s newest additions. Knowing just how much I’m struggling to get out and about hauling my ever-increasing bump around, they wanted to see if their website could help me tick a few presents off my Christmas list this year. It’s such a lovely gesture, it bought a little tear to my eye and I’m so grateful.

As Treat Republic is my all-time favourite online gift shop for quirky and fabulous bits and bobs, I managed to get some really lovely presents for my dad and his wife, Dexter and Craig. To be honest, I could have just got everything from there as there are plenty of Christmas gifts for the entire family at Treat Republic! I must admit, it does feel a little strange blogging about them before Christmas Day, but my family are under strict instructions not to read this post so hopefully it won’t spoil the surprise!

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First up I picked some gifts for my dad and his very lovely wife. We don’t see them anywhere near as much as we should but I talk to my dad on the phone every week. He’s had some good news recently and has obtained a degree in Social Care. I’m so proud of him as this is something he’s wanted to achieve for many years.

I’m sure he’d raise his eyebrows at what I’m about to say, but they remind me of the couple from The Good Life. They grow their own potatoes and olives, and encourage wildlife into their garden. It all sounds very twee, but to be honest, you’re just as likely to see them having a cheeky glass of wine in the garden as you are doing any actual work!

For them, I therefore choose something really lovely for the garden. I’ve been raving about Treat Republic’s ridiculously cute watering cans for months now. And now I’ve actually got to see one up close. I choose the Lucky Elephant (£24.99) for my dad and he’s absolutely lovely. These beautiful watering cans recently featured in ITV’s This Morning’s Christmas Gift Guide for Women and rightly so. Each one in the series is meticulously handcrafted making them extra special in my opinion. They’re also perfectly sized for indoor use too and will look very lovely sat guarding your windowsill.

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Speaking of windowsills (see what I did there?) I also got them this cast iron double bird bath (£10.99) to sit in view of their kitchen window. They already have an enormous feeder out there that seems to attract all the pigeons in Fareham rather than the garden birds they probably had intended. This miniature bird bath will look very cute alongside it… and I can’t wait to see if a pigeon attempts to plonk his bum in it.

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For my long-suffering other half (Craig) I chose an indoor herb allotment (£24.99) to ease us gently into our very own grow-your-own empire. Craig loves cooking and seems to spend a fortune on pots of spices and herbs. He’s always saying things taste better fresh, so I’ve taken him at his word and am hoping to make a Diarmuid Gavin out of him! Given our new house has a bay window in the kitchen, we also have an enormous windowsill to fill - this will look absolutely adorable as a centerpiece and I can’t wait to get started. Just look how cute this is?!!!

Indoor Herb Allotment

A little shed houses all those necessary bits and pieces for sewing and growing his plants. Whilst a large fenced off garden is made up of three plant pots each containing soil so the gift can be used straight away.

As an additional little stocking filler, I also got him a personalised keyring bottle opener (£9.99) with a cute mini torch. I’m hoping this will come in handy when he stumbles home from the pub and struggles to get his key in the lock! Best of all, it comes in a cute little case making it super easy to wrap! > Well thought-out Treat Republic!

Bottle Opener Keyring

For the little man in my life (Dexter) we choose a fabulous Jute Santa Sack (4 designs available at £12.99 each). We’ve wanted one of these for ages as Craig remembers having one when he was little and wants to carry on the tradition. It’s surprisingly roomy so big enough to hold anything Santa might decide to treat him to, and has that gorgeous natural sack smell. It also has a very cute Reindeer mail stamp so Dexter knows the gifts have come directly from Father Christmas himself! Okay… I’ll admit I stuffed the sack with sofa cushions for this pic as I haven’t actually bought him anything yet!!!

Santa Jute Sack

We also got him an adorable monkey hat and mitten set (£12.99) to keep him nice and snug in the winter months. He looks awesome in these knitted sets and has already been rocking an owl version. We’re forever calling him our little monkey so it will be lovely to see him in it. It’s super soft and has handy ear flaps to keep them warm.

monkey-hat-and-mittens-set--jdv129-001

 

So that’s my selection of the best new gifts available on Treat Republic. There are, of course, TONS more to choose from for the special people (and pets!) in your life so well worth heading on over to their Pinterest page if you’re stuck for ideas. They’re also on Facebook and of course Twitter if you’re feeling lazy and want them to come up with some suggestions for you!

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post you can also check out my previous reviews of Treat Republic’s new baby gifts (I dare you not to feel broody when you read this), and our stunning personalised cheeseboard if you’re buying for a keen chef.

DISCLAIMER: As mentioned above, Treat Republic and I are old friends. They kindly sent me these gifts (free of charge) but I wouldn’t tell you something is lovely if it isn’t. All thoughts, opinions and any subsequent gushing is my own.

 

 

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