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!)

Christmas Gift Ideas - Part one - Real Books

Copyright: patrickrp / 123RF Stock Photo

I realised recently that while I own a Kobo, and have the Kindle app on my iPad and on my android tablet, I actually prefer reading paper books. I was treated recently to two new books for my birthday, one by the master story teller Terry Pratchett and a second by an author newer to me, Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I had previously read The Shadow of the Wind and enjoyed it, so now I am looking forward to reading The Watcher in the Shadows. I think that books still make one of the best gifts, I even like the old cliché that "a book is a gift you can open again and again". So this blog post is here to point you at some reads that you may not have stumbled across and to let you know why you might find they make good gifts.

Amanda Jennings
She's quite quite fabulous, I have squished her boobs against mine once and that was nice. That has no bearing on her ability to write fine prose of course, or to hatch a good plot or to keep you guessing until a final few plot twists. But still, boobs.

She has written Sworn Secret, and The Judas Scar. Both pretty dark, both good reads, sort of 'why dunnits' rather than whodunnits. A good gift or a treat for yourself for a dark winters evening.

Edward Kendrick
He is also fabulous and I have hugged him too - also his wife and, to be fair, her boobs are also nice. (can't help noticing I'm being regularly distracted by boobs, I'll try not to it that happen again) Ed has written a science fiction story that is more about the inside of a mind than the inside of a space ship - though it is about both. Blank Canvas is well worth a read if you like psychological drama or sci-fi but especially if you like both.

Andy Stanton
I have been hugged by Andy (hmm seems to be a theme here) he gives lovely hugs and he writes hilarious books for children of all ages. Including my age. I'm a huge fan of his Mr Gum books but his latest picture book Here comes the Poo bus is a disgusting and vile delight. Go ahead get a copy for a child, they will love you forever.

Anthony McGowan
Don't ask ...of course I have hugged him. He wrote a fine book (amongst many) called Henry Tumour. A wry take on a boy coping with a brain tumour which made my teen daughter weep slightly...for the tumour. It's an unusual book but one that kept my daughter reading, and occasionally weeping) until the end. More recently he has written The Knife that Killed me, an even darker tale that I have yet to read. It looks like a good book for teens. Anthony has written lots of books I haven't read, I'll be popping some on my Amazon wish list. Why don't you do the same?

Josie Lloyd &  Emlyn Rees
You will be thrilled to hear that I have never hugged or even met Emlyn or Josie, however the very title of this book, along with the illustrations makes me include it as the perfect Christmas Gift! The Very Hungover Caterpillar, sounds beyond perfect for the drinker in your life!

Keri Smith
Again, no hugging, but I've seen some of her books in Waterstones and they looked like great fun (maybe not for your inner librarian!) and now DD (my lovely daughter) has added one or two to her wish list so I'm including one here. Check out Wreck This Journal, an irrevereant look at reading, writing and owning a book, oh and rule breaking...let a book take you outside your comfort zone!

Elli Woollard
Woozy the Wizard. I recently won a copy of this cute rhyming story for younger children. Perfect for those just starting to read or to read out loud. A simple sweet story with some funny moments. A lovely stocking filler, maybe mention that to Father Christmas when you next speak to him.

I pin books I like over on Pinterest too - do follow my board for more ideas. (also while I've used Amazon for links to book info, I often buy my books in book shops, it's so much more fun...browsing, touching, stroking)





Which books will you be buying this Christmas?

Find more ideas at

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.
    

Long, long ago...

well ok, September actually,

I had a plan for a Handmade Christmas Decoration swap. I didn't know how much interest it would get as I'm not a very prolific blogger (haha!) and although I have lots of friends on Twitter, one can never be sure anyone is really paying any attention, so it was a nice surprise when my 'limit' of 20 people was reached!

The range of decorations was fabulous, from simple ideas that we could all have a go at to eleborate artistic ventures, and all were really Christmassy, made with love and generally wonderful.

Lazily I haven't got around to posting the pictures of these gems, so now is the time.

Behold the glory of the Handmade Christmas Decoration swap!

with many thanks to the twitter users who played

@beckycheeks
@frugalfamily
@Lady_Gyr
@mamacrow
@mummylion
@redtedart
@missielizzieb
@peekaywrites
@rea_g
@MotherScuffer
@snafflesmummy
@chickenruby
@cherrytweep
@smokerette
@liveotherwise
@WahooCoo

@smiffysmrs

@Georgina_Giles

(You'll see I am missing some pictures - watch this space - I'm hoping to have more up soon)

Some fast blog posts so I can catch up..

Thanks to everyone that signed up for the Christmas Decoration Swap (which will actually be more of a chain) I hope to tell you who you will be sending to by the end of this weekend, so you can either wait and persoanlise your decoration, or just get started now!

I can admit here and now that my DD will be making a decoration to send to my person as well as the one I send, prepare yourself! Her's is bound to be better than whatever I make!

Christmas Decoration Exchange

Thanks for the interest! I now have about 16 people signed up (although a couple may be the same person!! LOL I get confused with twitter, blog and real names!!) I'm happy to have a few more if you have not signed up yet.

You really do need to send me your address and email address though - you can safely use the contact page on this blog - or DM me on twitter for my email.

The plan is to create a sort of 'chain' each person will send to the next on the list - I won't announce who is sending to whom so it will be up to you if you reveal who you are!! Doing it this way means it doesn't matter if an odd number of people join, or if an odd number of people don't want to post outside their country.

It is NOT  a competition, however great or bad you think your decoration is it will be loved as it was made by you! and handmade is always best.

There is no theme, except Christmas, no one is to be offended by religious or non religious items - we are all grown ups (except me) The only proviso is that the item is to be hung on a tree so it needs to either light or small or both.

Yes, yes, I know it's only September....but...

.... it's cold enough to be winter and I've already started buying Christmas presents....oh stop judging me, you are only feeling bad that you haven't got organised yet!

(Why not get some CMT Christmas cards as September is CMT Awareness Month)

Anyway that made me think, long ago I was a member of a chat room and we sometimes did silly swaps (in real life! actual things, through the post!) and I've come to love twitter and blogging so much I wondered if it would work here too. Being in the middle of a global financial meltdown I realise no one has much money but something small and cheap to post would be a ray of sunshine in a gloomy world wouldn't it! Something like...


A Handmade Christmas Tree Decoration! We could all do that, anything from a picture we drew and laminated, to an elaborated felt sewn reindeer, with anything in between. Glitter covered pine cones, painted wooden stars, Festive Fimo Father Christmas, pipe cleaner shapes with beads, well you get the idea. Something lovingly made but not necessarily expensive (though diamond encrusted salt dough gingerbread men are fine too) and something small and easy to post...



This swap has been concluded.

Quick Update on Magpie Monday

Remember my lusts on Magpie Monday?

Well guess what?

My husband is a darling and bought my some gifts

A rather super felted bag and two silver bangles.

Aren't I lucky!

Retro Goodies and a kitchen of delights

On Friday I took a day off work, the lovely horse mad DD had a 'Pony Day' at the local stables, so lovely DH and I wandered around some charity shops. We laughed at the oddities, sneered at the self help books, bought some art books....and then, I saw....this

well what's a girl to do? it was so pretty and my pyrex dish had recently succumbed to unexplained damage, so I practically 'needed' it. £2.45 and it was mine! Oh the joy, I found I was really really happy to own it. I mentally shouted at myself "get a grip! you are not a 1950s housewife to be thrilled by kitchenware!" but it was no use. I love it.

After someone on twitter mentioned there was a blog that dealt with  lovely finds in charity shops I decided to blog about it, but also to look around and see what else I had 'collected', magpie fashion, over the years...

The first thing i realised was that we inherited a lot of stuff. The very plates, cups, bowls etc that we use on a daily basis are pretty retro...

and the eagle eyed will have also seen, that along with the Chelsea Bird themed crockery there is a recipe book, a retro recipe book ('old' for the un-trendy). It is a book from 1968, by the amazing Marguerite Patten, called simply 'Everyday Cookbook' and it's a gem. I inherited it from my mother in law and as I gazed at the pages I realised that I owned many things that were in the book, and used them in my everyday cooking too!

So here are some examples, pictures of the item, with the book opened on the relevant page, see how good you are at spotting 

 This first one, the scales, I found in the same charity shop as the pretty lidded roaster. And even though I already have a set of scales like this (and yes I use them to weigh stuff they are not just for show) I couldn't resist buying them, they were too cheap, too shiny, too pretty (I am a magpie!)

 This next item once had a lid but DD broke it (sad face) I inherited it from my mother in law as well and the exact same dish is used several times in Marguerite's cook book. Semi claim to fame.

 This coffee cup (one of a set) is inherited from my Grandmother, they are so delicate you can see light through them, I rarely use them because I prefer a mug, but they really are lovely.

And of course not kitchen is complete without a mixing bowl

And while I was looking at the cook book i thought how it was so sweet in what were 'new' foods (oh the exotic avocado!) and what a kitchen should look like

Now I think I'm doing quite well, my kitchen is fairly 'domestic goddess' like

 but then I saw that the late 60's early 70's wasn't all about the food....

So I was pleased to declare I use this next thing, a lot :-)

Anyone for Baby Cham?

Posted as part of Me and My Shadow's Magpie Monday

Post Script - I just searched Ebay for "Chelsea Bird" and was shocked! maybe I should stop eating off of 1930's plates and sell them! (then I could buy up all the pyrex/opalware) 

The new lidded roaster I bought is listed there for £20 so I feel even happier now!

How secret is your Santa?

Do you have a Secret Santa (aka Brantub) at your place of work? and if so how does it work? I'm really interested to know! (this is a cheat post really because I need you to comment to make it work!)

Do you all draw names from a hat? Do you keep it a 'cut me throat' secret? or is it more of an 'open secret'? or even no secret at all! Do you tell at the point the person opens the gift? or maybe let them wonder and only let the info slip out over time using clues? Maybe you never ever tell.

I've played in many secret Santas and I'll be doing it again this year. Some times I pick the name of a person I really like and then it's hard to keep it a secret, i can't discuss with them what I plan to buy of course, but also it's hard to pretend on the day, if they love the gift i long to shout 'me me it was from me!!' but what if they hate it? or look confused? I want to explain why I chose it or apologise, or maybe hope they never guess it was from me!

But what when you get a name of someone you barely know? To be jokey? or just fall back on chocolates or bath salts!

When I get a gift I'm nervous, what if it's really 'personal' like underwear! Was it from a guy? or a girl that knows me? was it a secret admirer as well as a secret Santa? or the office perv? or my manager! or someone who just knows I'll sweat over who it was from!?

One year I received a mouse mat (I work in IT) with a moulded 'gentlemans parts' on the front that when pressed uttered groans of pleasure. The gift was very 'me'. Rude, funny, clever. But I never found out for sure who it was from, some suggested that it was a young guy that I rather liked at the time, but others that it wasn't. I guess I'll never know!

I once sent saucy underwear to a woman knowing she would think it was from the guy at work that she fancied (he DID NOT fancy her) and she moped about him for weeks after until I told HIM that it was from me, I'm lucky to have escaped with my life I reckon.

What are your best and worst gifts from secret Santa's, both given and received. And do you like Secret Santa? Do you always join in? or sit out with a humbug......

Gift Guide ideas

Recently on Twitter there have been many cries of ‘what can I buy xxxxxx for christmas’ the first thing I thought was xxxxxx is an odd name! and what a coincidence that so many people know xxxxxx! 

But moving on, here are some ideas

You’re welcome

Grown Ups

Ladies 1st

Leather gloves (not for vege’s unless you hate them)
Books – some great books available at The Book People

Photo frame, or a digital frame/keyring

Hand bag organiser – I have one and I love, love, love it!

Watch – so many gorgeous and funky watches around at the moment.

Bag – anything from a shopper that has sections for photos, to a sparkly evening bag. You can’t have too many

Men

Leather gloves (as above and bigger so they fit men obviously)

Books – some great books available at The Book People

Games, has he an Xbox? A Wii? A DS? Check out some of the new games around

Messenger bag – they all want a man bag, they are just to shy to buy one

Alcohol – unless they are teetotal this should be a good bet – you can even get personalised beer (which I did last year and is fab!)

Hoodie or T shirt with witty slogan, if it’s actually clever and appropriate they will like it and if not you’ll get a laugh and they can wear it for painting.

Kids (not your own, you really should know what they want! But those extra rugrats you need to buy for)

Dressing up clothes, so many great ones around, at Tesco, Woolworth (online) or ELC and I’m sure lots of other places too

Books – the gift you can open again and again, how about an audio version on CD? Or something a bit gruesome or interactive.

Face Paints

Lego

Board games

This page NOT sponsored in any way - but if anyone wants to send me free stuff that would be a delight! ;-)

feel free to add more ideas in the comments box!