Teen gift idea and Printed Sweatshirt Review

Finding something for a teen for Christmas is always tough. Partly as we live in an age of having much more than we need, and partly as teens have money to get what they want when they want it, and so many things that were 'saved for christmas' or your birthday when I was a kid are now just seen as essentials and bought during the year.

Unless you are the sort of parent that buys £600 phones as gifts (I'm not) you'll probably be looking at Christmas albums (interesting aside, vinyls are now outselling downloads, so maybe getting a retro record player should be on your list!), maybe books by their favourite reality stars (DD was thrilled to receive a signed copy of Hannah Hart's book for her birthday this year) or clothes.

I've heard some people say that clothes aren't a real gift. And I sort of see where they are coming from with that, obviously getting a new school skirt or some plain grey socks might not cut it, but clothes that you wouldn't normally buy yourself might be just the thing, especially if they can be personalised.

Don't worry I'm not suggesting you get your teen a T shirt with their name on like you did when they were 4,  but there are things that only you know about your teen that can make a T shirt or sweat shirt into a rather fun gift. Teens like slogan tops (so I have been told by my own teen who recently pinched my 'Nothing But Tea' T shirt, a slogan that amuses her as she's teetotal) and so why not have one specially printed?

I've always thought T-shirt printing places (the online kind, not the seaside 'I'm with Stupid' kind) were for promotional brand stuff or for teams, maybe if a group of you are going to run a marathon, or hang out as a hen group in the town, but they can be used to print individual stuff too, and they are not as pricey as you'd think.

Garment Printing make printed T shirts and sweatshirt and other things too, and the prices are around £24 for a single printed T shirt  inc. delivery and all set up and design help. (of course if you ARE running a marathon as a team then it gets cheaper per item if you order more). Standard delivery is 7-10 days but they provide an express service, and can print and deliver next day if you've left it late.

You can choose your base colour and then decide if you want a picture, logo or other design and if there is any text you fancy.

"Yes mum I cleaned my room!"

"I'll be back whenever"

"My parents made me wear this, to keep my kidneys warm" ~~ seriously considering this for the future!

"Can you lend me £10"

or one of many other well known teen and family phrases.

Garment printers have a team of designers who will make a mock up of the design and send you an image to approve. When they made the one they sent me for review I let them pick the font though I supplied the image, and it works really well, DD loves it, but you can do the design however you want. Once the design is approved, the garment is made and delivered.

DD Can't even think straight

DD and I are really pleased with the quality too. The sweatshirt is nice thick material, it feels llike a quality product. It wears well and has washed well too. The print doesn't fade or peel. I'm really happy with it.

So for a fun teen gift (or for anyone really) why not consider unleashing your sarcastic wit on an unsuspecting T shirt or sweatshirt. Garment printers have a best price promise and will confirm your quote in 5 minutes. (and with a 20% discount for charities - if you are planning doing any fund raising in 2017 as a new years resolution, they'd be a great company to work with)

Best advert for this company I think is DD who has barely taken the sweat shirt off since it arrived! (so it has been washed several times!)

I don't have to explain myself to you

I don't have to explain myself to you but I have a blog so I can.

I'm with you on the over commercialisation of Christmas. What was a 2 day peaceful retreat with your close family and a single gift has become a festival of weeks, with sales and black Fridays and cyber Mondays and pressure to all have fun and lots of it, usually at vast expense.

The pressure to have food and to buy quite literally so much that you will be binning  80% of it the day after boxing day (especially if you are the sort of person who slavishly abides by sell by dates)

The pressure to not only buy more than you can afford, not only to fill your house with relatives, friends and enforced jollity, but the pressure to do it all NOW...

if not sooner.

I have put up my Christmas tree. I did it on Sunday, Sunday 29th November (coincidentally the first Sunday in advent). I don't have to explain myself to you, but I will. Since DD was born, in the first week of December we have always put up the tree before her birthday, it seemed fun to have the extra decoration for her celebration and once she was old enough to appreciate it she loved it too.

DD enjoys decorating the tree and now, finally just as she turns 16 she can reach to the top to add the star (for many years only the bottom 2 feet was decorated by her!)

This year was no exception, she will celebrate soon, and as a busy family, the weekends are our 'together' time. This weekend we spent that time putting up the tree for her celebration.

Is it too early? For you it may be, so don't put up your tree. For us it is just the right time, and our tree looks lovely. And no, we don't take it down early, it will be there until 12th night and we will mourn its passing. I can't help thinking soon I might be that mad woman that keeps the decorations up all year round, these dark dreary days need some extra sparkle.

Cardooo Cards - a review

I was sent a couple of birthday cards recently (it's OK - it's not until next month you still have time to buy me a present.) and was asked to review them.

A card, or a book, or a game...

I don't review things I wouldn't buy or use myself and these are brilliant! They are only £3 and before you start moaning about the price of cards etc wait...these are not just cards! They have stickers and a background to create your own picture, they have a story in them, they have colouring pages (yes they are really little books not cards at all!) they have puzzles, they have a board game!! (I know! it's ridiculous) they have quizzes, maps, game ideas...it's not exaggerating, I think, when they claim to keep kids entertained for hours!

Activity card from Cardooo

Most of the cards feel a bit boy/girl themed, at least in the age range selection, but I'll forgive that as the actual cards are terrific!

Fairy themed card from Cardooo

I will be sending one to my sponsored child in Uganda as I sometimes struggle which what fun things I can send her that are small enough to post.

Dinosaur themed card from Cardooo

These cards are great to send to a child overseas, or one you see often, I'll be honest I might start sending them to adults too,  so much better than a £2.99 card that is just a grinning bear with a puerile message in - these cards inspire action. I love the fairy tale story ones too. They are available at Asda for £3

Not only can Cardooo cards be enjoyed for weeks rather than being left on the mantelpiece for days, but the activities make them ideal for kids on the go or rainy days.

To see the full range of Cardooo cards visit their website: http://www.cardooo.com/

Valentine Gift Ideas - With Flamingo Gifts

I was recently made aware of Flamingo Gifts. A simply wonderful online retailer of all things lovely! I was almost instantly in love with the site and that love was set fast after they sent me some pretty things to play with!

I can't help thinking they are the perfect place to buy Valentines Gifts. They really do have something for every one. I decided to do a top ten, but it was hard to restrict my love of the goodies on offer to ten, so if you need to know what I really love, check out the new Pinterest Board I made just for Flamingo Gift products (yes they are that good!)

So here are my Top Ten Gift Ideas for the one you love (also suitable for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas etc)

1. I'm going to start with a slushy romantic one but we all know that I will get silly soon. This is rather adorable though and would also make a lovely wedding present.At only £5.99 and 1p postage it's not going to break the bank either, so if you are on a budget you can still spoil your significant other.

And they lived happily ever after £5.99

2. Next is a more personal idea, something for the one you love rather than the home, and yes it's a teeny bit cheeky, perfect for holding business cards or little love letters, or even french letters (see what I did there?) The perfect gift for your mummy or daddy blogger other half?

Condoms pocket Box - £5.94

3. Next in my countdown of awesome gifts, the cute and practical Clippy bag - fill with your own photos (no downloading beard pics off the internet, laminating them and using them, that would be wrong, and I certainly haven't done that with mine!) to personalise it and make it the cutest Valentine ever, you could add little love notes too!

Clippy Photo bag - £8.00

4. Still on a bag theme (we can never have too many!) For the romantics how about a weekend bag? Let your loved one know you fancy a weekend away..or maybe that you are thinking of taking them on a quick get away (I hear Brighton is nice) Stylish and unusual, a really great bag!

Weekend Bag - £39.99

5. Or why not show your love that you want them to be your companion by buying them this super Tardis Shower curtain, I'm not convinced it will make your shower cubicle or bath bigger on the inside but you could try it out - let me know how many people you manage to squeeze in!

Dr Who Tardis Shower curtain - £24.99

6. Something beautiful for the beautiful one in your life? These bangles showered with tiny hearts are just adorable. Unusual and pretty they will set off any outfit (top tip - don't present your girlfriend with a jewellery box on Valentines day unless you are proposing marriage!)

Heart Bangles in gold plate - £16.99

7. If you have a real fire, or like to cosy around a garden fire pit then these mystical coloured fire dust sachets are just the romantic thing. 10 sachets for £12.99 with each sachet giving you around about 30 minutes of colour changing flames. So snuggly. Let your lover know they light your fire *nudge nudge*

Fire Changing Dust - £12.99 for 10 sachets

8. Ok how about something more light hearted - maybe you are only just into a relationship and you don't want to go all crazy yet..how about something bacon themed! Flamingo Gifts have so many awesome bacon flavoured and scented stuff I really don't know where to start - click the picture to see the range, honestly they are warped, they really love bacon...so...go bacon!

Bacon Candy  - £5.50

9. Oh and who could resist a retro tin to keep all those love letters, cinema tickets, photos and romance memorabilia in? Flamingo gifts have a beautiful range of Wu & Wu retro tins, from biscuit tins, sewing kits, tea and coffee tins to this colourful 'Special Things' tin...if you are feeling very flash why not pop two tickets to Paris inside...or a pizza voucher , your call.

Peacock Tin - £8.99

10. And finally for anyone pissed off at Valentines day and feeling pretty miffed and unloved, why not treat yourself to a gift. Flamingo Gifts stock a huge range of Lolita hand painted glasses at £16.99 they really are lovely (they sent me a tattoo themed one to try out!) Beautifully packaged and large enough to have a proper drink! Also pretty enough to use as decoration. Too nice to hide in a cupboard. Check out the range on the site. But this one, is just for you.

Single and Loving It Wine Glass - £16.99

Big thanks to Flamingo Gifts for letting me try some of their fab items, and I'm certain I'll be visiting often for gifts in the future. Such lovely things.

Do check the Pinterest Board for more of my favourites.

Ten must have Gift Ideas from the Great Gift Co

DYou know that game you play where you've won the lottery and think about what you'd spend it on? Don't lie to me! We've all played it, or something similar.

Well I've been playing 'money no object' over at the Great Gift Co. You can search the site by age, gender (yes I know but see final paragraph of this post) , type of product, whatever. I found the best things in the gadget or blokes sections but that's just me haha!

So here are my top 10 things to have:

1. Tetris Light - £35 - seriously geeky but what's not to love, it's a retro classic, a toy for days when you are bored and a light for the evening. Made up of individual Tetrominoes, all you do is stack them in whichever way you please and watch them colour phase. Simply plug one of the bricks into the mains and then, as each new brick is placed into position it will light up! Perfect.
   
2.  The iSpy Tank - £100 - as soon as DD saw this she squealed with glee! How much does she want this? a lot that#s how much! Roam the house and spy on your family, roam the garden and take wildlife pictures! Combine a remote control toy (fun) with photography (fun) = Double fun! The iSpy Tank moves forward, backwards, left/right and also has night vision. You can also take snapshots or record videos.
   
3.  Two Man DogHouse tent - £40 - what's not to love? It's a hilarious tent. Perfect for your actual dog or anyone else. Knowing my love of tents you'll see why this was on the list. Perfect for festivals as an ironic statement maybe? The Dog House Tent comes packaged in a neat bag and includes the Dog House Tent, 6 steel pole sections, 10 tent pegs, dog house water bowl and full assembly instructions.
   
    
4.  Pinball Machine - £450 - OK well into the wrealms of fantasy now but I'd love one of these! Imagine the party fun, in fact I bet you'd suddenly find you had loads of mates. Gt them to bring the beer and have tournaments. Sadly I have neither the space not the cash for this most excellent gift idea.
   
5.  DIY Tattooes - £4.50 - back in the land of the affordable I might actually get some of these - hilarious ideas spring to mind already, great for kids parties too. Send everyone home with a personalised tattoo!Simply select the words you want from the pack and construct your own phrases, messages or mottos and transfer them to your skin using just a damp cloth. You get two sets of 66 words in a pack, so 132 in total.
   
6.  ATM Bank - £35 - finally a way to be modern and teach kids that you can only take out what you put in! Help your kids grasp the concept of saving, and of only withdrawing money they have with this fabulous personal ATM. Oh who am I kidding, I just want one.Pay in and withdraw coins and notes with this fantastic ATM Bank machine. The ATM Bank comes complete with a personal cash card and PIN - a great way to teach little ones about saving and PIN numbers etc, and equally popular with teens and older who either like or need encouragement to save - here they can do it in a fun and contemporary wayThe ATM Bank recognises each coin and it is also possible to set a target savings amount and balances can be checked at any time. Notes are also accepted by the ATM Bank - they are automatically drawn in through the slot.When in use, the ATM Bank lights up and makes realistic sounds. Other nifty features includes the ability to enter a user name and also date of birth (if the ATM Bank is used on his birthday then the machine will sing Happy Birthday) and if the ATM Bank is used on Christmas Day then it will play a Christmas song. Please note that the ATM Bank only recognises UK currency. Seriously love this!
   
7. Cruiser Turntable - £100 - another gorgeous retro item. I actually have an original Fidelity suitcase record player, but I'm tempted by this lovely modern version. Gorgeous. Treat your 45s and LPs to a whirl on this beauty. And it's self contained so you can take your tunes to a mates house and play them there too. Dance around your handbags in your best mate's bedroom!
   
8. Fresher Gift Box for Students - £45 - I don't need this (obviously) but it did make me laugh and it is very topical! Set the student in your life on the right track with this fun and useful (?) selection of goodies. Inside the box are : A Laundry Bag - but with a difference. It reads, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, NAKED on the front - eg time to come home for mum to do the washing! : Pizza Saw - so your student can show the pizzas they mean business - easy to clean: Hungover Cookbook (or Hungoevr Coobkook as it's correctly titled) - a book full of recipes that are grouped according to the severity of the bender that went beforehand :  Hangover Cure Rescue Pips - they won't cure the hangover but they'll cause a laugh - plus, sugar's helpful when you have a hangover, right? and   Biscuit Skyscraper - for keeping a stash of biscuits safe from harm and pilfering
   
9. Calories Do Not Count on this Spoon - £16 - great gift as a joke for someone you know doesn't give a damn about calories! I know I don't! But I still think this spoon would make cake taste nicer :-)The Great Gift Co has several spoons in their collecton with cute sayings on them. Worth a look, an unusual but cute gift.The Calories Don't Count On This Dessert Spoon is a unique, vintage piece. Each silver plated spoon is unique and even sweeter for the fact that it bears signs of its previous life
   
10. Last but by no means least the Great Gift Co have some lovely scented goodies, I was sent this box of Cedar and Lime scented soap and cologne (I got it free but it retails at £20) which I have personally tested on my husband. It smells gorgeous. It may even mean his luck's in (wink wink) a great gift for a chap as it smells manly but fresh. Really nice, a smartly packaged. A nice gift for teacher, husband or colleague
    
    .
     All in all I loved the Great Gift Co website. I can even forgive the gender separation as so many products are in both sections!. Lots of great unusual gifts from cheap to expensive. I will certainly be paying them a visit this Christmas.
    
    Disclosure - I was sent a Gift Set value £20 for this blog post but all the views are my own.
    

A catching up post

I'm sure* you are all wondering what I've been up to this week
(*I realise you don't care)

And so here is my news.

This week I have mostly been panicking about what to buy my dad for his birthday. I'm sure in 'the olden days' it was easier to buy things for people, we didn't have much and we didn't seem to want much, we were easily pleased. I know that each year I struggle to think of things that I need or want that I don't have already...more earrings? More books? More handbags? When did owning things become a chore? I just thank my lucky stars for food and alcohol - both of which get used up between birthdays and for charities that allow you to buy something for someone that actually needs something...I once bought a bicycle for a Dr in Bolivia for a friend...and my mum once bought me a school desk in Africa...

This year I bought my dad beer..and I have a surprise gift planned for when we meet up next weekend (we are going camping of course) 

Also I've been planning my imminent London excursion to see Sir Tom Jones in concert in Hyde Park. I was hoping to take DD but she is double booked and is off to a Cheer leading Competition instead. The weather forecast for London is wet...and that's not just the middle aged women at the concert...

I've also managed to finish a bottle of wine and a bottle of cava this week, averaging a glass and a half a night, not sure when you declare you have a drink problem...when you can no longer afford it?

Other things I have been doing include playing The Sims (freeplay) on the ipad, including finally getting a birthday for all the babies, and buying a Frisbee for the dog.

And trying to get past level 20 on Disney's Maleficent Free Fall.

So there is my exciting life. Oh and Mr TM broke the lawnmower...again, by crashing it into the trampoline., we currently have an uncut circle of grass like a reverse crop circle on the lawn.