The Mothers Day 2015 Gift Guide

Mother’s Day is a day where you make an extra special effort and pull out all the stops, you show your appreciation for all that she does for you and you may even wine and dine her.

Mother’s Day is all about your Mum and showing her how much you care. I can re-call one Mother’s Day many, many years ago when I decided it would be lovely to cook my Mum breakfast in bed, it was to be Pancakes. ‘What a super way to start the morning’ I thought, and somewhere in my excitement, following the recipe to the T (or so I thought) I may have added a little (a lot) to much salt…Of course I didn’t realise this until it was too late. Pancake disaster had struck. But… At least the thought had been there, that had to account for something… Right?

Thankfully over the years my pancake ability has come along in leaps and bounds, but to save opening old (painful) scars this year, I thought I would put together this Mother’s Day Gift Guide with a few of our favourite gift ideas for 2015.

Of course everyone starts the day with a cup of tea, so why not give it the ultimate kick start with Pukka Womankind tea? Womankind tea is an everyday cup of delicious herbal support for the modern woman. It’s a flowery blend that has been developed to help nourish and balance women’s health. If that wasn’t your cup of tea (see what I did there!?) then there’s always the Womankind Herbal Supplements blend, a concentrated mix of some of the world’s finest herbs, including Green Tea Loaf, Turmeric Root and Aloe Vera to help enhance women’s health while balancing hormones and inspire vitality.

Chocolate, the way to every women’s heart, you can’t go wrong with chocolate and it is sure to put a big smile on your Mother’s face come Sunday March 15^th (Unlike those pancakes!)

Thorntons are a brand that I have always personally loved, I remember going into the Thornton's shops as a child and just savoring every breath I took, as with every breath I relished the scent of chocolate that just quite simply filled the air. For Mother's Day they of course have a super selection of Chocolate's available, 

Guylian have a lovely selection of chocolates, from their traditional Sea Shells to their more recent Sea Horses, there is something for every taste pallete. I personally adore the Sea Horse collection that range from the original to Caramel, Milk Truffle, Biscuit and Vanilla. With prices starting from as little as £1.00 ranging up to £4.00 for the bigger collections.

If you’re going down the chocolate route then you really do need to have a look at The Book of Mum from The Book Of Everyone. The Book Of Mum is such an original gift and so personal, I have had one made for my Mum as a special treat, and I am so impressed with everything that has gone into it.

You can truly personalise The Book Of Mum by adding in your Mother’s name, date and year of birth, it will then work out how old your Mum is and fill the book full of relevant facts and quotes just for her. My Mum is 57 coming up 58 in May, and the book holds all kinds of lovely facts about life and the past.  It goes on to give you a number referring to how many people were alive on earth when your Mum was born and compliments her age with a number of quirky comments.

While I was having a play around making my Mum’s book, I decided to have a look at what my personal book would be like. The process was really simple to complete and it is just a case of filling out a few fields with names and of course the all-important birth date that you wish to capture, and then the book will be put together for you instantly for you to flick through. My personal book states that in November 1988 I spent 30 minutes as a single cell! The block buster movie from my year of birth (1989) was Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade and the must have toy was Operation!

The book finishes with ‘Mum, Thanks for believing in me’ and I can’t help thinking what a lovely touch that is. No one believes in a child more than their own Mother. The book is just incredibly lovely and I know that it is going to be well received by my own Mother in the coming weeks. There are a few pricing options available depending upon how you wish to present the book, for a digital copy it’s £7.50, Softcover £19.50 (as featured here), Hardcover £29.50 and the Deluxe Edition £49.50.

I may have vowed never to cook Mother breakfast in bed again (with the very best of intentions of course) but that doesn’t mean that I can’t get creative in the kitchen to cook up a small treat for the big day! The OXO Cookie Press with Disk Storage Case allows you to make batches of fun, consistent cookies for any occasion. It features a large comfortable lever that means you won’t go straining your hand in the process of making dozens of cookies and even comes with 12 disks included: Daisy, Flower, Sunflower, Fleur-de-lis, Butterfly, Bear, Shell, Leaf, Heart, Snowflake, Tree, Wreath. Retailing at £26.00 it is something you can keep at home and use time and time again to make personal gifts for friends and family.

Sometimes we think too much about gifts, and sometimes when we over think things we over complicate them. It’s all about the thought we put into it and not the price tag, these Love Shaped Letters from Graham & Brown are lovely and express exactly what the nature of the day is all about. If you are stuck with what to buy this Mother’s Day, I think this sums it up beautifully. The Love Shaped Letters retail at £25.00.

Maybe your Mum’s perfect Mothering Sunday is nothing more than curling up with a good film and taking a complete day off? Why not treat her to a luxury pair of slippers. The FitFlop Cuddler SnugMoc from Shoetique are a great choice with their Microwobbleboard midsole and generous fitting. They are made from Premium Suede and boast a wide sheep wool collar embellished with a bow.  I know that my Mum would be very pleased with these and they would be a very welcomed gift. The Cuddler SnugMoc Slippers retail at £75.00 and would make the ideal gift for a relaxing Mother’s Day.

If you are still pondering the depths of your mind in search of the perfect gift, how about a bottle of perfume? Maybe even a bottle of Goya Black Rose. Black Rose boasts exquisite floral notes reminiscent of a velvet black rose. It’s romantic, sensual and elegant. A real treat that is sure to capture the senses of whoever is lucky enough to receive it. Goya Black Rose retails at £49.99 for a 100ml bottle.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year was to stop straightening my hair as much, and although I haven’t given them up 100% I am not using them to the same extent as I once was. I love the idea of the Braun Satin Hair 7 which boasts instant shine at the touch of a button. I have never come across anything like it, and with its active ions it’s a revolutionary innovation in the world of hair care. It has been designed to provide instant shine and smoothness from the very first brush, wherever you are. It fights frizz and removes static which my hair is renowned for (hence the hair straighteners!). This would make a lovely treat for the hair enthusiast. The Braun Satin Hair 7 Retails at £28.99 but is on offer at Amazon for £23.99.

On the continuing note of looking after yourself I have to mention the Braun Face Brush, a face cleaning brush with micro-oscillation that deeply cleans and exfoliates the skin ready for when you epilate. It cleanses your skin up to 6x better than manual cleansing and the epilator removes hair 200x faster than manual tweezing! The Braun Face Brush retails at £69.00 but is on offer at Amazon for £49.69.

The Rokit Nails Kit is pampering I could do with, I am one of those girls who cannot paint her nails to save her life. I have the patience of a 5 year old child in a candy shop waiting for my nails to dry, and this is where the Rokit Nail Kit is just amazing. It comes with a professional LED Curing Lamp which means that you can simply place your hand under the light and viola… Done! After having used this, I couldn’t imagine going back to blowing my nails, or even getting the hair dryer out for a ‘quick fix’… that actually just makes them look worse!  This set retails at £99.99 and really does provide you with salon quality nails.

The HoMedics Duo is my idea of heaven, and for anyone else that is simply fed up of shaving I think you may be inclined to agree with me. It works by pulsing intense light (IPL) and uses Advanced Fluorescent Technology (AFT) to actually reduce hair growth! Genius eh? This clever device can be used almost anywhere (except for on your face, but there is a however a separate attachment that you can purchase to change this!) Having been using this device for a few treatments now, I am hoping to start seeing a change in regrowth soon. The HoMedics Duo retails at £179.99.

The Elle Macpherson Compact LED Beauty Mirror is a lovely gift for the Mum who is always on the go, a nice item to have to hand throughout the day. It features LED lights that have been integrated into the design, making it ideal in a poorly lit room. The amount of times I have needed something like this for one reason or another, suffice to say I now have one in my everyday bag just in case. The Elle Macpherson Compact LED Beauty Mirror retails at £9.99.

I myself love photographs and I love displaying my snaps around the house, be it frames, wall art or canvases, and what better gift than something reflective and personal? Photobox have such a wide variety on offer for Mother’s Day, and I loved the idea of a photo collage of all your favourite photos as a very touching gift idea. We had one made up with a few of our favourite shots of late, and I know that if I was presented with this from Leo I would be over the moon. The Collage Canvas retails at £34.99.

 One4all Gift Cards is a gift card that can be used in a multitude of different locations, from high street shops, to spas and Red Letter Days at your disposal. It makes a great gift to present to Mum to let her choose what she would like to do the most. Maybe she would like a day trip to the spa to rejuvenate and spend some quality ‘Me’ time? Or maybe she has her eye on something in Debenhams or John Lewis. My Mum has been after a Cath Kidston bag for as long as I can remember, so I think this Mother’s Day I will have to put the £50 on our One4all Gift Card to good use, but first we need to decide which bag it is that she would like!

You can purchase One4all Gift Cards from 11,500 Post Office Branches throughout the United Kingdom, and with such a large choice of retailers on the table to enjoy the gift card with, it’s a great choice for Mum to make her own gift selection. Cards can be loaded with credit from £10 right up to £400, so you can be as generous as you like!

 Shoes, Shoes, SHOES! If there is one thing a woman loves more than chocolate.. It’s shoes! Have you got an idea of the style shoes your Mum likes? If so maybe you could have a browse, Bells Shoes have a great selection of different brands on offer, so there really is something to suit every taste and budget. Take these Lotus Rockford Brown Leather Boots for instance, beautiful aren’t they! Or if you’re looking a little further ahead at the Summer then there is a great range of sandals and shoes for those warmer days that (we WILL) may be coming! I really like the look of the FitFlop Aztek Chada in Devon Blue. They look comfy and stylish at the same time and are sure to compliment your feet while keeping them in the height of luxury with their multi-density and Microwobbleboard midsole.

I personally think that these particular FitFlops are rather beautiful, they look great and are the most comfy flip flops that I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. I am pleased to be able to offer my readers an exclusive giveaway to win a pair of shoes of your choice from Bells Shoes!

All you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and the winner will be announced on Monday 16^th March (the day after Mothering Sunday!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck everyone!

Disclaimer: I have been provided with the above items for the purpose of this gift guide. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

Framing the Panasonic TZ55 with Photobox

Last year I shared with you our experience with the Panasonic TZ55 and all of our recent family adventures! For the last few months my camera has been away having a repair made to the lens, it had been safely (I thought) inside my bag. But when I next attempted to use it, I discovered that the lens wasn’t working at all. Thankfully Panasonic have swept in and saved the day and I am just awaiting to have it delivered back to me, and I cannot wait to start snapping again. Although I will be investing in a shiny new camera case for it!

We have teamed up with Photobox as part of the Panasonic Brit Bloggers Program to display some of our favourite images taken on the TZ55 in the time that we have been using it. I love displaying photos around the house and getting creative with how I do it. The trouble I always have is narrowing down my favourite photographs, as there are always far too many!

Having a browse around the Photobox site presents a number of different options to help you decide how you wish to showcase your favourite shots, in a way that others can enjoy them too. I already have so many photo canvases that I decided to stay away from this option, and steer more towards the Mounted Gallery Prints.

The Mounted Gallery Prints are a way to really draw attention to your chosen photo, with the a selection of a starting price of £29.99 it is a very attractive price. There are a selection of different print sizes and shapes to suit your image, and doesn't detract from the photo you wish to display. We opted for the Square 40cm x 40cm and it really is a way to make your shot look the part. 

Yet I still had to decide on the photo that was going to sit pride of place, as it’s a piece that will be on public display, I wanted to carefully consider which photograph was going to be featured.

Eventually I decided on a simple photo of the three of us, Mummy, Daddy and Leo. A simple shot that captures us all and one of my all time favourites, I don't think I will ever tire of looking at this one shot, for the scenic background and what it represents, family. Us. Together. Happy.

The photo was taken using the cameras WiFi connected up with my iPhone, and I think it worked rather well.

I am really pleased with the quality of the finished frame and Photobox delivered it very quickly. It is now hanging on the wall pride of place, 

Disclaimer: I was provided with a Photobox voucher for the purpose of this post to share my views on the service provided and to showcase the TZ55 photo. All thoughts and opinions shared are honest and my own.

Photobox personalised iPhone covers review

Photobox are a company that I have used over the years to get my digital photos printed for my material photo albums. I have always found the prints to be of great quality and they have helped me fill my home full of photos of my little family. While using the site over the years I have noticed that Photobox offer other services from photo books and canvas's and these ideas always stood out to me, but for one reason or another I have never had chance to try them out.

Recently Photobox got in touch with me and asked if I would like to share my opinions on their site and products with you all. Being a big fan of photos and Photobox I was very quick to agree and get ordering. I decided on some photo phone cases, as my old phone case has recently given out on me and I really liked the idea of being able to design the case for myself.

They do a wide range of different cases so that they can cater for the latest models, I was primarily after a iPhone case and quickly got to work designing it. As always with Photobox I found the design service really simple to use, and it was just a case of uploading the images I wished to work with and then alter them using the Photobox design suite. 

I ordered a iPhone 4 case and also a iPhone 5, at £12.00 I did wonder what the ultimate quality would be like, and if I am honest I think this is what probably put me off ordering in the past. I was really impressed when the delivery was made a few days later, and the cases fit both of the phones perfectly. The photos looked great and the cases allowed access to all of the important ports for charging and changing the volume. 

Luke has already demonstrated how sturdy the case is by accidentally dropping his phone on the floor. The case survived. The screen may have cracked somewhat... But his track records with phones really isn't that great... It was only a few years ago that he managed to drop his phone out of the the car and accidentally run it over....

If you are thinking of a personal gift this Christmas, maybe a stocking filler for someone special. These cases are great quality and offer the option to personalise them however you wish.

I have been really impressed.

Disclaimer: I was provided a voucher to claim these cases for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.