In The Book Personalised Books | Review

[AD/Gifted - I received this item for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

I have always been massively into reading and it's one thing that I am glad that the kids have ended up loving too. The lovely team at In The Book very kindly sent E a little gift in the post recently.

In The Book specialise in personalised books for both adults and children. When it comes to the children's books there are lots to choose from. You can opt for educational books like encyclopaedias, character themed ones and loads more in between.

E received the My Personalised Unicorn Adventure Book. You can add your child's name as well as message for the title page and you have the option to upload a photograph too.

Upon opening, E was delighted to see her own name on the front cover of this very special book. The addition of unicorns was perfect for her too.

The story itself is super cute with your child's name being the unicorns name! The unicorn then travels to different places and we follow along the way. The pages are bright and colourful and really engaging. E has even sat by herself a few times reading it again because she loves it so much.

You can choose to add a protective gift box with 'Just for you' on the front. E always makes sure to put it back because she wants to keep it forever.

This book starts at £19.99 for a softback but you have the option to upgrade to hardback, classic hardcover or add a gift box.

These would make beautiful Christmas gifts for the little ones in your life and it is something they would treasure.

Gift a Hamper this Christmas with Highland Fayre

 [AD/Gifted - I received a Gift Box in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

I find Christmas present shopping quite stressful. I always make sure I find the perfect present for the recipient, not wanting something that will sit around gathering dust or not be used.

Highland Fayre are a family run company in Scotland that has been around since 1985. Bespoke hampers are their specialty and they have lots to choose from so you will always be able to find the perfect one, whoever you are buying for.

With gifts ranging from presentation boxes and personalised bottles of wine to gift boxes and huge hampers, there are tons of different prices ranges and themes. Buying for someone who is vegan? A gin lover? Highland Fayre have got you sorted.

They very kindly sent me one of their Vegan Gift Boxes to try out which costs around £26. 

It came inside it's own gift boxes which is perfect for just wrapping and giving to your recipient and it included:

• Lovemore Vegan O'chocos
• Lazy Day Millionaire's Shortbread
• Lazy Day Belgian Dark Chocolate Tiffin
• Nudie Snacks Carrot Cake Protein Balls 
• Nudie Snacks Premiuim Toasty Coconut Chips
• Nudie Snacks Sour Cream & Chive Roasted Broad Beans
• Nudie Snacks Salted Caramel Brownie Protein Balls
• Rhythm 108 Hazelnut Praline Bar
• Growers Garden Broccoli Crisps
• Growers Garden Broccoli Crisps with Sour Cream & Chive

This is a lot packed into a little box and I was surprised by how much was in it. I was only aware of the Nudie and Rhythm 108 brands so it was nice to be introduced to some new ones.

I knew I'd love the Nudie Snacks Protein Balls but was pleasantly surprised by the broccoli crisps. Although broccoli is probably my favourite vegetable, I didn't see how it would translate into crisps format and still be tasty.

This would make a lovely gift this Christmas and, like it did me, it could introduce your recipient to some new brands.

If you want to find out more about Highland Fayre and their range of gifts, just head over to their website. 

Morse Toad Chocolate Puns in the Post - Review

I am the type of person who loves gift giving. I enjoy taking my time to search online for something that may be a little quirky and different and then seeing the recipient's reaction when they open their present.

I've been a follower of small business 'Morse Toad' for quite a while now on social media as I loved their personalised chocolate gifts. They have a new addition to their website - Chocolate Puns in the Post! Chocolate and comedy, who doesn't love that?!

The ordering process is very simple. You can choose from five different puns; Have a super day, Thanks a bunch, Hip hip hooray, You nailed it and I find you very appealing. With Father's Day on the horizon, I decided to opt for "Have a super day" as a gift from the children.

Once you've chosen your pun, the next step is uploading a photo. You can keep the generic image of the Morse Toad logo at no extra cost or for just £1.25, you can select your own. I chose a photograph of both the children together. On the back of the photo, you can add your own text (up to 200 characters), and as this would be a Father's Day gift I went for "To the best daddy in the universe! Lots of love Caleb and Erin xxx"

Delivery time was very quick and Morse Toad state on the website that they offer same day dispatch before 1pm so you have plenty of time to order your own gifts for Father's Day. I was also able to turn on notifications through my Facebook Messenger so I knew exactly where my item was and when to expect it.

Once it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew it would be lovely but didn't realise just how nice! The actual presentation box makes it seem very high quality to begin with and upon opening, you are greeting with your pun image - it's an actual block of chocolate!

Above the pun, you have your image on a wallet sized card with the text on the back. I absolutely love the way that Morse Toad have done this as it's something that you can always keep with you even after you've demolished your delicious chocolate!

I think these make such a lovely gift for only £8.20 if you are personalising the photo or £6.95 without.

Right now, Morse Toad have a competition running where customers can win £100 and 25 free boxes! Just pop over and enter here: http://bit.ly/winpun

You can view the full range of gifts over on the Morse Toad website and you can also keep up to date on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

(I received this item for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.) 

Valentine's Cards from Love Layla Designs

Love Layla Designs design and print hilarious, cheeky and rude greetings cards as well as other items such as balloons, badges and calendars.

I first discovered Love Layla back in 2015 when I purchased a rather rude Christmas card for my partner Chris. The humour was just so 'us' and I instantly became a huge fan of the company. I am a liker of their Facebook page and I'm always having a giggle or tagging friends in their images because they're so funny and relatable. 

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, of course Love Layla Designs had to bring out a fantastically funny range and they didn't disappoint. I have a few of my absolute favourite designs to show you if you're on the hunt for a Valentine's Day card that's a little bit different. I will warn you, a few of them are NSFW so read on at your own discretion! 

These cards sum us up perfectly and I'm betting there are loads of other couples out there thinking the same thing about them. I'm forever eating, as soon as Chris gets home from work we just sit and mindlessly scroll Facebook and it's just a given that you irritate your partner on a daily basis when you're in a relationship! 

These ones are a little more rude but really made me chuckle when I first read them. As the partner of a bearded man who is crap at parking - hilarious! 

All of the cards are printed on high quality card, come with a red envelope and also a cute little 'IOU' type coupon inside. What a lovely touch! 

The cards retail at £3.75 each and you can view the full range here. I definitely recommend following Love Layla Designs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you can get a little bit of funny in your new feed daily. 

(I received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Christmas Gift Ideas for Men

Buying for men is my least favourite thing to do at Christmas time. I'm not a man, so don't know what men like and if I ask my other half what he wants for Christmas he'll say, "Nothing, I don't need anything." Cue internal scream.

I've got a few little gift ideas that might help if you are struggling to buy for the man in your life too.

Moustache Wax

My partner is quite proud of his facial hair and I've noticed that quite a lot of men these days choose to wear a beard or moustache. This moustache wax is a gorgeous mix of lime, basil and sweet orange and it's perfect for getting their moustache looking fab.

You can purchase this from Handmade Soap Co for €9.95.

Body Wash set

Christmas isn't Christmas without some smellies! Stray away from the Lynx sets that no one really likes receiving and opt for a more exciting set like this Ocean Escape one from Fatface. You get a body wash and body spray for £8.00.

Fatface also do some lovely checked shirts and accessories like Christmas themed socks so they are definitely worth checking out if you've overlooked them!

Valet or keepsake box

My partner will come home from work and empty his pockets onto the arm of the sofa and it really winds me up. These little boxes are great for keeping their bits and bobs in and they are beautiful.

Each box is lovingly handmade and finished with five coats of 100% Tung oil then clear beeswax polish. They are made from Wych elm wood with a gorgeous red leather interior.

You can purchase these from artNM on etsy for £195.

Bluebeards Revenge Cut-throat Razor Kit

If your man isn't one for facial hair, this set is great! I love the packaging which has a little bit of humour and states that it's for real men. The set includes a shaving cream, post-shave Balm, doubloon bristle shaving brush and a cut-throat replaceable blade razor.

You can purchase this from Bluebeards Revenge for £34.99.

Zippo Hand Warmer and Hip Flask

It's been so cold this year already that we've already had snow so there's no perfect time than now to gift a hand warmer and boy, would it be appreciated! It has a gorgeous stainless steel finish and stays warm for up to 12 hours. It's reusable with Zippo lighter fluid too.

You can purchase this from Zippo for £21.99.

If they want to keep warm another way, a hip flask is another great gift for a classy man. It also has a stainless steel finish and holds 3 fl ozs.

You can purchase this from Zippo for £13.78.

Cafetière

Great for any coffee lover! It's an easy way to make good tasting coffee at home from ground whole beans.

Again, it's stainless steel and comes with a plunger to filter the ground coffee from your drink. It holds up to six cups too!

You can purchase this from VonShef for £18.99.

Encona Carolina Reaper Chilli Sauce

Does your man like a bit of spice? Why not test him with this chilli sauce?

The Carolina reaper chilli is the hottest in the world and even matches weapons-grade pepper spray! It's more 25 times hotter than a piri piri chilli too.

Maybe they'd be brave enough to give it a go with some leftover turkey this Christmas?

You can purchase this from Tesco for £1.49.

Harry Potter Playing Cards

How cool are these?! The cards come in an embossed gold tin featuring the Hogwarts crest and each suit is inspired by the houses; Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Griffyndor. The perfect gift for any Harry Potter fan!

You can get these from Find Me A Gift for £7.99.

(This post contains items that I have received for inclusion in this guide.)

Christmas Gift Ideas for Women

We are very close to Christmas now and I always struggle with buying Christmas presents. I want to buy the perfect thing for the recipient and ensure that they love it. I've put together some lovely ideas that you might not have thought of buying but would make lovely gifts.

Personalised Wine Glass

GiftsOnline4U is the place to go if you are buying a gift. They have a huge selection of items for men, women and the home and they specialise in bespoke items, personalised to you. You can search items by occasion or who the recipient is and you can find everything from engraved pocket watches and torches to personalised cheeseboards and wine gifts.

I wanted to showcase a personalised wine glass in my gift guide this year because it's definitely something that I would like to receive and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I am partial to a glass of wine - or two! - at the weekend so the idea of one personalised to me is lovely.

You can choose to have whatever you like engraved into it (up to 40 characters across two lines) so it makes an extra special gift for a lovely lady in your life. It's so well made and the engraving is beautiful. It arrives packaged in a dark coloured box which makes it easy to wrap! GiftsOnline4U even include a little packet of sweets with your order - such a lovely touch.

You can purchase this wine glass from GiftsOnline4U for £19.99.

Personalised Mug

If the person you're buying for isn't a wine drinker, how about a personalised mug? I absolutely love this one and the addition of stars is adorable. You can get any name and drink printed and it's become my new favourite mug to use - I do love a double choc mocha!

You can purchase this mug from MSMugs for £14.50.

Hairbrush

These designer hairbrushes are like none I've seen before. The bristles are totally natural and work through your hair beautifully. You can get lots of different designs - some personalised too - but I love a bit of leopard print so I adore this one.

They are available in handbag sized at £20 and large at £30 from Rock and Ruddle.

Walkers

The way to a woman's heart is through sweet treats - at least it is in my case! I absolutely love Walkers Shortbread and it doesn't feel like Christmas without having some in the house.

Walkers have some lovely Christmas themes boxes this year. The gingerbread men and tree shapes are so cute but I'm mostly excited about the Spiced Orange and Cranberry mince pies. I'm not usually a fan of mince pies but these flavours are divine!

You can find these at all good food retailers.

Chip mug

The Beauty and the Beast obsessed is still strong and you can guarantee that you will always see some sort of merchandise in any shop that you go into.

This Chip mug is so cute! It's ceramic, great quality and the detailing is fantastic. Chip has always been my favourite so it brings a little nostalgia.

You can purchase this from Find Me A Gift for £12.99.

(This post contains items that I have received for inclusion in my gift guide.)

Christmas Gift Ideas: Mainline Menswear

We are now into November and Christmas is right around the corner. First up on my Christmas gift guide are Mainline Menswear. Of everyone that I have to buy Christmas presents for, I find it hardest to choose a gift for a man and I doubt I'm the only one.

Mainline Menswear is the place to shop for designer brands for men, stocking around 85 different brands. They offer trends to suit every man and cater for all budgets. I'm going to share a few choices from Mainline Menswear that would make a great gift for your loved one this Christmas.

 Ralph Lauren Socks (£35)

Socks are usually my first thought when it comes to buying a man something. Men always need socks, right? My other half does anyway! This gorgeous pack of three red and navy Ralph Lauren socks are a little fancier than the ones I'd usually pick up. They are cotton stretch with elasticated cuffs and are embroided with the large, signature Ralph Lauren Polo Player logo. 

Hugo Boss Reversible Leather Belt (£99)

With smooth black leather on one side and textured striped leather on the other, this Hugo Boss belt is perfect for any occasion. It comes with two belt buckles too so there really is no need to have more than this one belt in your wardrobe. The first buckle is high shine black metal block pin buckle with the signature HUGO embossed logo, the other buckle is high shine dark metal prong buckle with the HUGO logo on the belt loop. It measures 48.5 inches but can obviously be shortened to your desired length. A great versatile gift! 

 

Ted Baker Black Leather Wallet Set (£60)

 

A wallet is something that my partner would never buy himself so I think it makes a great gift idea. The set contains a regular opening wallet with space for storing cards and notes and a card wallet too. Chris is a fan of card wallets because it means he can bring his important cards out safely, without his folding wallet taking up lots of space in his pocket. The Ted Baker London logo is embossed on the front and it comes in a beautiful gift box so you can gift it right away.

 

You can find more gift ideas at the Mainline Menswear website and you can also keep up to date on Facebook and Twitter. 

 

(This post contains PR samples.)