Alternative Christmas Gift Ideas *Ad

It's that time of year again where we start thing about the C word... and with that in mind, I thought I'd share a few gift ideas with you that aren't your standard socks or pyjamas!

For the Foodies

Getting gifts for those that are lovers of good food and wine, doesn't mean you always have to get them food itself. Have you thought of gifting them things to accompany their food and that aren't just practical but an enjoyment to use and treasure?

The 6 o'clock club - Wine coaster from Katie Cardew is a perfect gift for the wine connoisseurs and red wine loves alike. I love the style of Katie Cardew's art and I'm sure that those who are also a fan of the 6 o'clock club will also appreciate it too. They can sip away after a long day and rest assure they won't mark the table with their coaster championing their drink choice!

As I've mentioned, buying for food lovers doesn't always have to been food itself so why not opt for beautiful crockery? This Puglia Bowl from Sous Chef* is handmade in Italy and a beautiful addition for anyone who loves cooking and entertaining. Who said that cook ware had to be boring and practical when they can be pretty and practical? Serve figs drizzled in honey, a gorgeous salad or scoops of gelato; this bowl is a beautiful home ware gift and a lovely nod to the Italian Mediterranean. 

Scrunchies and Stationary*

Writing paper and scrunchies are my new favourite thing to gift people! Hair up in a pretty scrunchie and pens down on inspiring writing paper will always help to motivate people and get them off to a productive day. 

 I recently teamed up for an Instagram Live with Prints by Natasha Cole to showcase my writing paper and found that lots of her scrunchies paired perfectly with my paper! Take this Suede Effect Beige Scrunchie this pairs perfectly with the Flock To Feather* paper from my shop and would make a lovely gift to a friend over the festive season.

Another perfect pairing is the Leopard Print Hair Scrunchie and The Myla* paper for those who love some leopard in their life. 

And my personal favourite is this set of 2 scrunchies and The Countryside Walk*. 

People on the Go- Sanitizing and Stationary

Another gift idea I have is for people on the go! The wanderlust is a great paper for those who travel and the perfect pairing to accompany it is a personalised hand sanitizer to keep them safe on their travels. 

I recently discovered Little Letters LDN who make gorgeous personalised pieces that are not only practical but pretty too! I fell in love with these Personalised Hand Sanitiser Holders and feel they are a perfect gift in to accessorise your sanitizer and look chic on a handbag.

Presents for the Pooches

A family member that should definitely not be overlooked this Christmas is your doggo! My recommendation for pet gifts is Environmutt -home to environmentally friendly pet treats and accessories. 

I recently picked up a Dog Gift Set for Olive and Harry which they both LOVED. Not only were the treats inside natural and good for the doggos, the tug toy is also fashioned from recyclable tshirt yarn. The gift set we opted for contained sprats,  tripe, tug toy,  ball and poo bags- all of which will definitely be put to good use! Olive particularly loved the tug toy!

The gift of words

Heading back to the paper theme, have you thought of sending a letter to a loved one rather than a card this year? 

A heart felt letter to a long distance loved one catching up and reflecting on the year can be a really lovely way to show you care without costing the earth. Equally, the recipient doesn't necessarily need to be a long distance relative. Happy mail out of the blue can be an unexpected joy to someone you care about that could make their day! 

To keep with the festive theme, I'm releasing some Christmas papers in the shop very soon so keep your eyes peeled on the Par Avion Paper* shop for their release very soon!

So those are just a few of my gift ideas for Christmas this year that are a slightly different to you usual. Admittedly there are a lot of paper based ones in there!

Have you got any gifting alternatives to recommend?

*Ad I was kindly gifted the Sous Chef bowl in exchange for a review. ?I have also advertised my own brand Par Avion Paper Co in this post. 

Convenient Christmas Shopping with Moonpig | #heartfeltwithmoonpig *Ad

Christmas shopping...It's one of those things that can start of as a joy but slowly become a stress, especially when you have people to buy for that you won't be seeing and/or they're quite hard to buy for. Am I right? Well this year I've teamed up with Moonpig to show you a perfect Christmas shopping night in. So leave the queues, the hustle and bustle and cosy on up as I talk you through how I shop from the comfort of my own home.

I've been doing my Christmas shopping solely online for the past three years. As a person who hates shopping in the crowds, I find it far more relaxing and enjoyable to search online for the perfect presents. Moonpig very kindly sent me a "Christams Shopping Night in care package" filled with everything I'd need to get my shopping done stress free. Inside I found a gorgeous personalized Christmas sack, a Christmas themed T-shirt, a scented Christmas candle, Champagne, a Christmas DVD and more! I was all set to get gifting and enjoy the process too!

First things first I popped on my Christmas tee (which I freaking love!) poured a glass of bubbly and lit my Christmas Spiced candle- one I would highly recommend from the Moonpig website; be it as a gift or for yourself. The smell of spiced warm ginger and orange zest was perfect for getting me in the festive mood!

I've bought many a card from Moonpig over the year but truth be told I didn't realize how many gifts they provide! There's not just flowers and cards oh no- there's so much more! They stock jewellery, hampers, gadgets, experience days and more which is perfect for finding a unique and thoughtful gift.

Of course I picked up a personalized card which arrived in a flash. If you order your personalized cards by 7:30pm Monday- Friday, you'll catch the next days post- perfect for anyone who's looking to do some last minute card sending!

So aside from personalizing cards, you can also personalize gifts! I always find a personalized gift is thoughtful and that extra bit more special. It shows you're thinking of the one you're gifting for and adds an extra special touch.

In my experience, a gift that always goes down well is treating someone to their favourite tipple. From gin, to craft ales, wine to fizz, there is something for everyone to toast to the festive season on Moonpig.

I opted to get my Dad and his partner a lovely bottle of Prosecco to toast with on Christmas day. Had I not been seeing them before, I'd have opted for letterbox wine which is pretty perfect for anyone you may not see before the festive period!

To match a personalized bottle, why not accompany it with a glass too?  I couldn't resist this rose gold flute glass for my Nan so she can sip in style! I love a special glass when it comes to drinking a treat like champagne and it's something that your loved ones can use time and time again.

I'm also obsessed with the Moonpig personalised sacks. With trying to be more eco friendly and kinder to the planet, these natural cotton bags really are the gift that keeps on giving as they can easily be used year after year plus they're perfect for eradicating badly wrapped gifts! Being 75cm long by 50cm wide they certainly can hold lots of lovely gifts and give an extra dose of wintertime magic. I adore mine and Chris is chuffed that he now doesn't have to wrestle with the wrapping paper.

Shopping online truly takes the stress out of Christmas shopping and you can definitely make a lovely indulgent night in of it like I did! Take your time! There's nobody jostling you in queues, panic buying, grabbing the last thing off the shelf and you're not crawling out of car parks. Why make shopping more stressful than it needs to be? Gifting should be a joyous experience and I've found that feet-up Christmas shopping is definitely the way forward.

So after I was shopped out, it was only right to pop on The Grinch and celebrate with  another glass of champagne in the knowing that my shopping was done and would be dispatched in no time. (When you order your gift by 7pm Mon-Fri you get same-day dispatch!)

I'd have loved to have shown you the rest of the gifts I bought through Moonpig as I picked up some absolute corkers! Unfortunately those they are gifted for read my blog. You know who you are!

Will you be shopping at Moonpig this year? I'd really recommend it and would love to know what you go for gift wise! Thank you to Moonpig for inviting me to be involved in their #Heartfeltwithmoonpig campaign and gifting me the items in this post.

DIY Christmas Crackers

I can't quite believe it's the festive season once again but here we are and I have a Christmas cracker DIY for you this year! I've been thinking for the past few years that pre-made shop bought Christmas crackers are just a bit...well...crap! The gifts inside are naff- who needs a tiny tiny photo frame or a set of minuscule spanners!? I also find the jokes just offensively rubbish so I took to my craft room and came up with my own!

For this DIY you will need:

• Toilet-rolls
• Crepe paper (or wrapping paper that isn't too strong so you can pull your cracker apart)
• A decorative pen- I went with a copper one to draw on everyone's names and do a little design.
• Sellotape
• Cracker snaps (you’ll find them on Amazon, eBay etc)
• Scissors
• Thin card, at least 20cm long
• Decorative string or ribbon
• Small but exciting things to put inside the crackers- I went for nail varnishes, flower seeds, beard oils and bath bombs!
• Paper hats (again from Amazon, eBay etc)
• Jokes! I found some online and had some lovely people tweet me some original ones too!

1. Step 1
2. On your crepe paper/ paper of choice, draw out your design and name for your cracker

1. Step 2
2. Place a toilet-roll on the long edge of your paper, in the centre, and hold it in place with some sticky tape. Measure the length of crepe paper you need and cut off the excess.

1. Step 3
2. Roll the tube across the paper, then secure with 3 bits of tape along the seam, in the centre and ends.

1. Step 4
2. Thread a cracker snap through the toilet roll and tape it down to one side of the paper.

1. Step 5
2. Cut two 20x5cm strips from the thin card. Curl each one into a circle and place one inside each end of the cracker, leaving roughly 2cm sticking out of the end. Hold the card in place with a little sticky tape.

1. Step 6
2. At one end of the cracker, squeeze the crepe paper around the gap between the toilet roll and the card. Gently squeeze and twist a little with your thumb and forefinger, while using your other hand to hold the card in shape. Keep squeezing until the cracker has a nicely defined neck to it. 

1. Step 7
2. Tie a piece of string or ribbon around the neck of the cracker. Cut off any straggly bits or make a bow.

1. Step 8
2. Insert your Christmas hat, joke and gift in the open end of the cracker.  Seal the open end as before.

1. Step 9
2. Cut off the excess crepe paper from the ends and ta-da! You have just made your own homemade Christmas crackers!

 I am so pleased with how simple and easy these crackers are to make yet they look really effective and are a great to make crackers personal to your guests on Christmas Day!

Will you be trying this DIY out for Christmas and what else are you planning to make home made?

For a step by step video on these crackers, check out the Youtube video below!