Mar 10 2014

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Posted on March 10, 2014 by admin

I’ve made no secret of the fact I love Treat Republic. Whereas you so often have to wade through pages of rubbish on gift sites, they always seem to have hundreds of gifts I really want. From gorgeous gardening gifts you’d be pleased to display in your garden, to cookware that you can’t bring yourself to squirrel away in a cupboard, to jewellery that you won’t leave the house without… it’s all there.

This Mother’s Day they’ve hand-selected some of their loveliest bits and bobs and popped them into a easily searchable category on their website. There are gifts for every budget in there - none of which would look out of place here in my home.

They also treated me to a few select pieces to review. I picked a Personalised White Harmony Bracelet as I’m a huge fan of pearls and simplicity when it comes to jewellery. For me, pearls set off any outfit beautifully and are the best way to pull off a sophisticated look with minimal effort. As I’m famed for my laziness when it comes to styling myself, pearls are an easy choice as they can be worn with literally anything and needn’t come off my wrist - fabulous.

Given I’m pregnant and my wrists are swollen I also like the idea of a T Bar clasp as it leaves me plenty of room and is easy for me to do up myself. Dexter also loves fiddling with it whilst it sits on my wrist which is handy if he’s kicking off in public and I need to silence him quickly.

I was allowed up to three characters to personalise my bracelet so naturally I picked my married initials as YET ANOTHER hint to Craigy. Come on honey - I’m about to have your second child and you still haven’t put a ring on it! Is this because I once joked that I wanted a huge fuss when you proposed? Right now, I’d be happy if you did it on the sofa whilst watching Family Guy.

The personalisation is on the silver plated chunky heart and very subtle. The two tone element of the bracelet is reflected in the tiny silver discs which sit between each of the pearls - this means it catches the light perfectly and adds some extra interest.

I’m really pleased with this bracelet and suspect any mummy facing day after day of bum changes, school runs and washing up would love it too.

I also picked a vibrant pink Family Rules Glass Chopping Board. This looks fabulous in my kitchen and has injected a much-needed bit of colour in there (also available in blue or grey to fit in with your kitchen theme). The sentiment is also spot-on for my house. Given Craig and I love a good argument, I can’t think of any better time to remind ourselves to love and respect each other than when either of us are wielding a knife!

The chopping board is A4 size and wipes clean incredibly easily. This makes it perfect for meat and / or vegetables. It also has little rubber feet on the reverse to protect your work surfaces.

So… would you like to win a personalised glass chopping board of your own? Here’s your chance then! The winner will be drawn on Mother’s Day.
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

Sep 4 2013

Creative Christening Gift Ideas

Posted on September 4, 2013 by admin

A christening is a very important event in family life and the gift that is presented to the child should be something special to commemorate and celebrate the occasion. Very often, gifts have a religious element to them, but there is really no reason why they should not be just that little bit different.

The usual things

Common christening gifts include silver-plated ornaments engraved with the name of the child and the date of the christening. Popular ones are label-bearing teddy bears or lambs, apostle spoons, expensive rattles and jewellery.

Necklaces or bracelets often feature a cross or an angel, whilst a bangle can be engraved. Any of these items would be suitable to be passed on as an heirloom. A children’s bible also makes a lovely gift; they usually contain colour illustrations for the child’s enjoyment and education, and often feature a front page where a message can be written by the giver.

Silver picture-frames are also commonly given as presents; they are perfect for holding a photo taken during the ceremony.

Other popular gifts include tea sets depicting characters from books such as Winnie the Pooh or Peter Rabbit. Not only is this a gift any child will love, it will also be one they can use.

Something a little bit different

Everyone gives the usual types of presents so what about something a little different?

Children can still be given a fluffy soft friend, but the bear or lamb can be personalised, perhaps by bearing their name and being presented in a special tin or box. A child will always like a money box and there are plenty in the shape of London buses or steam trains available, but they will have to be silver-plated to make them extra special.

A large church candle can be inscribed with a poem commemorating the christening, perhaps personally written by the giver.

Of course, it is not only babies and children who are christened. These days there are plenty of adults who wish to be baptised if they missed the opportunity when they were younger. Quirky and original gifts for adults include a family photo shoot, a bottle of champagne with a personalised label or a gift experience of naming a star.

Making a gift memorable

Looking back, it can be easy to forget who gave the present and this is where personalisation will make a gift more special and memorable.

For adults, crystal makes a perfect christening gift. It might take the form of drinking glasses, such as champagne flutes or wine glasses or be in the form of other decorative crystal items, such as bright flower vases. All crystal can be etched to display the name of the recipient, the giver or both; making a wonderful personalised gift.

An unusual christening gift for a child is a hanging wooden memory block, which is designed to be cut or painted to show the name of the child being christened. Alternatively, give a pair of christening shoes with the date of the ceremony stamped or embroidered on the soles.

This is an awesome guest post that I can’t claim to have written myself (I wish I could!)

Jul 8 2013

Introducing Treat Republic!

Posted on July 8, 2013 by admin

I hold my hands up to being an absolutely shocking gift-giver. I leave shopping to the last-minute and you’ll often find me panic-buying on Birthday Eve’s - sweaty, wide-eyed and probably repeating over and over again “Never again. Never again”. I end up thinking I’m hugely clever by recalling a conversation from 5 years ago when he or she has told me they enjoyed a film at the cinema, a tv programme or an artist and buy them a related something-or-another. I can’t count the number of faces I’ve seen sag with disappointment upon getting past my over exuberant gift wrap.

Now I’ve discovered the wonderful world of gift sites, my life just got a whole load easier. There are some specifically created for men, some that are perfect for your gran, some that focus solely on new babies etc. Well now there’s a site that caters for everyone; any age, any occasion, any budget - TreatRepublic.co.uk.

Previously TreatHim.com, TreatHer.com and TreatBaby.com, Treat Republic brings together all these gift ideas in one place without compromising on choice. The site is very user-friendly with well structured menus and several different search functions. Each item is also well photographed (I can’t tell you how annoyed I get with tiny thumbnail pics) and it’s all very affordable too. There’s family days out, retro gadgets for the man who has everything, a fabulous selection of garden gifts, and lots of personalised gifts for mum and baby. You really are spoilt for choice.

I was absolutely delighted when I was asked to review some of their new baby collection as part of their new website celebrations. I chose to review the personalised baby’s first display frame with hearts - a cute little display case to house Dexter’s first pair of shoes. This looks lovely in his nursery and makes me go all ‘motherly’ whenever I pass it.

As it is personalised-to-order you can choose to whether you display baby’s first shoes, socks, toy or rattle, and whether the hearts on the insert are blue or pink. It’s a generous depth and accommodates his first espadrille’s just fine so plenty of room for that soft toy they refused to sleep without if you’d prefer to showcase this instead. At £29.99 it would make a lovely first birthday gift, christening gift, or new mum gift.

I also received a very cute Personalised New Mother Sentiment Locket. I’ve been secretly hankering after a locket since Dexter turned our lives upside down 14 months ago, so was very chuffed to finally get my mitts on one. It really is super adorable with the actual locket approximately the same size as my thumbnail. Made from Sterling Silver you are able to personalise this locket with baby’s name, mother’s name and the date baby was born. At £35.99 it’s amazing value compared to some of the other personalised jewellery I’ve seen on rival sites.

Despite having a fabulous camera, I’ll admit to being a very amateur photographer and it was hard to capture just how lovely this is. Unfortunately I’m also not able to wear this necklace yet as it’s so delicate I don’t trust Dexter not to snap the chain. But it’s got pride of place in my jewellery box for when he’s a little less grab-happy. I might get around to putting a picture of my Craig in one half too, or maybe baby 2… watch this space!

I’d definitely recommend Treat Republic to others who are as useless as me in the buying-department. I’ve already found something lovely for my mother-in-law and have pinned a number of gardening gifts to my Pinterest board as a hint to Craig. It’s well worth giving them a quick like on Facebook and Twitter too as the guys at HQ love the odd giveaway! Right this instant there’s a Twitter comp to win a beautiful duckling watering can so do hurry and enter now! Who wouldn’t want this little fella in their garden!

DISCLAIMER: I was sent two gifts from the fabulous new baby collection from Treat Republic. All opinions are my own.