Gift Ideas

Christmas.  The time of year that is all about a well deserved break, gift giving and spending time with those we love. 

When it comes to buying presents I am a firm believer that it is the thought that counts.  I don’t care whether someone spends £5.00 or £50.00, you can always tell when thought and care has been put into the gift and that makes the world of difference.

 

I enjoy buying gifts, what is the point of a gift voucher after all?  Experience tells us that you only end up losing it or not finding anything you want.  How many times have you lost a gift voucher within all of the wrapping paper?  I know I have.

When I think of buying a present for someone I keep in mind what type or response I have in mind.  Are you looking for something funny, something to warm the heart; something practical; something a little bit different?

 

One website that I tend to use is www.IWantOneofThose.com and recently they kindly let me choose something from their gift range that I would buy as a present for someone.

I had my best friend in mind and along with what I had already bought her, I decided on the Chillsner as something that I knew that she would laugh at, but would also be practical.  My friend loves a bottle of cider on a hot day and throws many a gathering at her home in the summer months.

 

The idea behind the Chillsner is that you freeze the unit (one of two you receive in the pack) for 45 minutes and then you can put it into your beer or soda bottle and keep it icy cold from your first sip to the last!  An additional bonus is that as the top fits perfectly into the neck of the bottle you are able to drink through it without having to remove every time you want a drink.

They retail at £24.99 from “I Want One of Those” and are an ideal social present for someone who enjoys a cold drink in the summer.

Friday Wishlist Taking Shape

Welcome to this week's Friday wishlist.  Today I am focussing on one brand in particular, Taking Shape. 

 

Taking Shapes have been in business for over 28 years in Australia and New Zealand but I confess that I only heard of them when they extended their business to the UK.   I have seen various bloggers talking about their range in glowing terms so I thought that I would take a look myself.

Their tagline is “Celebrate your Curves” and they have some gorgeous patterns and shapes available in their range.  All their stores have trained fashion stylists which is something that I think some be extended across more clothing stores. 

Here are my current favourites, available in store and on their UK website Taking Shape

Here are the links to each item:

 

1 Frost Coat

 

2  Hepburn Ankle Boot

 

3  Boucle Coat

 

4 Mindy Dress

 

5 Cria Dress

 

Have you seen that Boucle coat?  It is one of my favourite coats of the season I want to run away with it back to the 1940's!

 

Have you found any new brands lately?

 

 

*  Please note that this is not a sponsored post.  I merely want to support a new brand coming into the UK market and there were lots of things available that I loved! 



Purple Skater Dress

How do you know that you are on to a winner with a dress?  The answer is when you see the same dress in a different colour and snap it up without a moment’s hesitation.

I recently showed you the Forest Green Dress I bought from +Simply Be   I was completely in love with the mesh sweetheart neckline and the way the dress nipped back into the waist just at the right point for me.  It is warm enough to wear for Winter and can easily be taken from day to night. 

The simple back drop also allows a variety of statement necklaces to be worn, which I seem to be addicted to at the moment! 

Here I am in the purple version of the dress which I love just as much.  Alas in my bleary eyed dressing this morning I neglected to notice that I was wearing the same jewellery as in the green dress photographs, but as you can see, you could style this dress in many ways.

One thing I particularly like is that when you remove the cardigan, it immediately takes the dress into something I would wear out in the evening making the transition from work to party simple with the exchange of jewellery and minus one layer!