Friday 2 November 2018

Christmas Gift Guide 2018 - Something For Everyone

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Christmas Gift Guide 2018  - Something For Everyone


*Contains PR samples

Christmas shopping, love it or hate it, we all have to do it. We all want to buy the perfect gift, something that they will love and use.

It can be overwhelming and so it often gets left until the last minute and then we fall back on the traditional, socks for him, perfume for her.

We have a selection of gifts that you may not have thought of, something for everyone. From children and the young at heart to the crafter and the home.

Not only are there gifts for everyone but for all pockets too, from a little luxury to a stocking filler for children that is free.

Christmas is about spending time with friends and family, not stressing about what to buy.

We have lots of ideas so grab a drink, get comfortable and enjoy browsing our 2018 Christmas Gift Guide.

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Christmas gifts for children 

1. Playmobil Policemen with Van


The Playmobil Policemen with Van is the perfect gift for any child like Bear who loves playing with emergency vehicles, especially anything to do with the police.

I asked Bear to wait until I had taken a photo before he opened the box. This is hard for a four year old to do, but he posed and urged me to hurry up.


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The van comes in pieces and has to be assembled. Bear loved helping to push the wheels on and putting the stickers on.

He couldn't wait to get a battery (not included) to put into the lights and siren. He didn't wait for the windows to be fitted before he tested it out.

The lights & siren fit easily onto the top of the van and isn't too noisy for us adults!

It was a little difficult for Bear to put together but as soon as it was assembled he loved playing with it. Like all Playmobil toys, the police van has a solid, quality build and so many accessories. There is a stinger, police whistle, guns and holsters, handcuffs and road signs. Everything a policeman would need to apprehend the criminals.

The van has opening doors and a removable roof and cab which makes it really easy to sit the police figures into the seats. There is space inside for everything with a little chest to hold all the tiny pieces.


The Playmobil Policemen with Van costs £34.99 with free delivery


2. Alfresia Kids Floral Patchwork Teepee


Alfresia Kids Floral Patchwork Teepee is perfect as a cosy reading nook in their bedroom or playroom. When the summer arrives it is perfect as an outdoor play tent. It has wonderfully soft and bright printed fabric and comes with a bag to store it away when not in use. The poles are in two pieces and it is so easy to assemble and store. It has tie back flaps so when closed, the little ones can hide away.

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Alfresia Teepee collapses so it's easy to store, it also comes apart and has it's own storage bag.

Bear and Bee loved it, as soon as it was put up they dashed in and out. Bee could go in and out without bending over, he had so much fun. I liked that it can be lifted with one hand and stored upright in a corner or taken to another room without dismantling it.

The Alfresia Teepee comes in a variety of fabrics at £34.99 with free UK delivery.


3. Johnson's Sleep Tight Gift Set


Johnson's have been making baby products for over a century, whenever I smell their products I think of new born babies.

The Sleep Tight Gift Set would be perfect for anyone with a baby or toddler, the bedtime range has no more tears formula, so no nasty stingy eyes and is designed to help babies sleep.



I can't say that it does help babies sleep as I do not have Bee at night and in the day he's great at going down for a nap (that's put the jinx on that!), but it does smell lovely.

I like that it comes as a set, in a reusable bag and with the cutest socks. The set contains a bottle each of Bedtime Baby Bath, Bedtime Baby Oil, Bedtime Baby Lotion and Bedtime Baby Wash. It also has a bedtime book and of course, did I mention those socks?




Johnson's Sleep Tight Gift Set is available from supermarkets or online at Amazon and costs £12.


Christmas gifts for the home

We're not talking kitchen appliances or a vacuum cleaner, no, we're talking handmade and a little bit of cosy luxury.

4. Handmade Crochet Tea Cosy (and lots more)

If you are looking for something handmade, Jasmine makes the most gorgeous handmade crocheted items, which are sold via her facebook page Jasmin Handarbeiten.

Everything from baby booties, through shawls and clothes to items for the home. Placemats, coasters and tea cosies.

With more and more people ditching plastic, and therefore teabags (yes, tea bags have plastic in them) someone you know would love a tea cosy to keep their teapot warm while their tea brews.


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Why not pop over to Jasmin's facebook page and browse her products. Booties cost £6, shawl £32 and teacosy £15 including postage. Prices may vary dependant on yarn used.

5. Secret Projects - Secret Pillow

I hadn't heard of a Secret Pillow before I received one from Secret Projects. I asked for one in black and white to fit with my decor, but they make a range in stunning colours.

As I took it out of the packaging I could feel the quality of the fabric, and it was so soft. It looked perfect on my black leather sofa.

Even Bee liked it, but the Secret Pillow has a hidden side. It is also a blanket. Just unfold and snuggle down.

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Secret Pillows are made by women in India. They are given training, support and the materials they need to make the pillow. Many of these women live in poverty, they use the money they receive from the sale of each pillow to send their children to school, pay for medicines and other essentials. By buying from Secret Projects you are helping to empower women in India.

Each pillow comes with the details of the person who made it, such a lovely touch.

I absolutely loved this pillow. It is perfect for me as I always feel the cold more than anyone else and usually have an old blanket on the sofa. This cushion looks great and is so practical.

Secret Projects also make other items including Secret Sari's. If you would like to find out more, and buy your own Secret Pillow check out the Secret Projects website.

Our secret pillow cost £50

Christmas gifts for the crafter

If you are looking for a gift for the crafter, here are a few ideas. There is so much available, I love the kits - there is everything you need to complete a project and many are suitable for the novice.

6. Crafters Companion Leo the Lion

Crafters Companion have everything for the crafter on their website, we loved the soft toy crochet kits which include Leo the Lion, Pippa the Panda and Zack the Zebra. Everything you need to make one of these toys is included in each kit.

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Leo the Lion, Pippa the Panda, Zack the Zebra


I can't crochet but Bear's and Bee's mummy can, so I asked her what she thought of the kit. She loved the quality of the yarn saying it is beautiful

The crochet hook was comfortable to hold but had a rough edge which caught her finger. The pattern was well written and easy to follow. She made Leo the Lion and the boys loved him so much they kept him! 

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Leo the Lion made up by Bear and Bee's mummy - Makeup-pixi3. 

Leo The Lion costs £11.98 from the Crafters Companion website

The Makery Sewing Kits

7. Clasp Purse Kit 

If you know someone who loves sewing they'll love The Makery. They have a lovely selection of everything crafty, from buttons to craft kits. The two kits below are perfect for a Christmas present for anyone who loves to sew. Even absolute beginners can make these as they have everything needed to complete the project.

The Clasp Purse Kit looks beautiful, it has detailed instructions and everything you need including the needles to sew with. A great project and a perfect gift in time for the party season.


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8. Embroidery Letter Hoop Kit

Have a little one aged 6+? The embroidery letter hoop kit has everything needed to embroider a letter of your choice. The kit includes everything to make a personalised sampler including an embroidery hoop, fabric, templates and a plastic needle, making it safer for little hands.

This would make a lovely gift for a child or someone new to embroidery.


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Both kits are available from The Makery online shop. The Clasp Purse Kit costs £14.95 and the Embroidery Letter Hoop Kit £9.95.

Christmas gifts for the bird lover

Alfresia Bird Boxes and feeders

We were delighted to be sent a gorgeous hand made bird feeder and a bird house from Alfresia as we love to feed the birds. We have bird houses and feeders throughout our suburban garden. Bear loves to fill the feeders and watch the birds.

They are so decorative and practical too. The lids are hinged to make it really easy to clean out after the baby birds have fledged and to fill the feeder.

9. Lighthouse Bird House


I love the Lighthouse Bird House. It is colourful and has so much detail. It has a cute little lamp and a life saver ring. It looks great in my garden and comes with a rope to hang from a branch or hook. There is a little shelf on the top where you could sprinkle some seeds if you didn't have a feeder.


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10. Hanging House Bird Feeder


The Hanging House Bird Feeder is handmade and has a chain to hang it in the garden. The roof lifts right off to make it really easy to fill and the seeds just gently fall onto the little decking around the base of the house. this compliments the Lighthouse feeder beautifully. I love the detail in the roof and windows, our visiting birds will be very spoilt!


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These handmade bird lovers gifts from Alfesia are delightful and are really reasonable too. The Light House and the Hanging House Bird feeder cost £14.99 each.

11. Botonique Alcohol Free Botanical Drink


Botonique Botanical and Botonique Blush are designed for wine lovers - without the alcohol. It is perfect for the designated driver over Christmas, or as a gift for anyone who prefers their drinks alcohol free.

The drinks are not designed to taste like wine. Botonique state that their drinks are a totally unique drink, and they are.  I found they were not to my palate, I prefer much sweeter and fruitier flavours but for those that love the herbal taste, dry and not sweet then you'd love these.

There are stockists in England and Ireland but not in Wales. You can check the Botonique website for stockists near you or order online. Two bottles cost £15.



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Christmas gifts for the Young at Heart


Do you know someone who loves a gadget? Menkind have a whole website of fun things. We tried two. A Motion Controlled Drone and a robot called Tobbie.

12. Motion Controlled Drone


The Motion Controlled Drone was so much fun. I was completely useless at controlling it as I have trouble with left and right and even though it is controlled by moving your hand, I was rubbish.


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Grandad on the other hand was great. It was a bit wobbly at first with him chasing the drone around the house. I laughed so much! It was like a scene out of the movie Batteries Not Included.



It comes complete with a rechargeable battery for the drone. This takes 30 minutes to charge and according to the box lasts about 8 minutes. Ours didn't run out and we played for at least 20 minutes (although some of that was me rescuing it from places around the house). The controller requires three AAA batteries which aren't included.

There are also replacement blades incase of damage when it crashes. We tried it indoors. On a still day it would be fun outside too, but be aware flying drones is subject to CAA guidelines.

RRP £34.99

It is on offer at time of publishing at £29.99 on the Menkind website

13. Tobbie The Robot


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This was a surprise, I didn't expect lots and lots of pieces that have to be separated and the burrs gently filed down. Grandad loved doing this. It was tricky at first but he soon got into the swing of things.

Tobbie is designed for 8+ but I would say that most children would require an adult to help to assemble. It took Grandad an afternoon, so a great toy to amuse on a cold, wet day. This takes three AAA batteries which are not included.

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So many parts! Kept Grandad quiet for ages!

Once assembled the Tobbie The Robot has flashing eyes and can follow your hand, another test for me!

It took a little patience getting Tobbie to respond to my hand. He whirled and made fantastic robot noises, then suddenly he turned, he turned back and walked. Oh he is so cute!

He follows your hand and if you move towards him he backs off, all the while whirring, moving and making great noises. Suitable for 8+ thank goodness Bear is only four! I want to keep him.


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Tobbie The Robot costs £29.99 from the Menkind website

Stocking Fillers

14. Speck mobile phone cover

Speck make a full range of cases for your phone, tablet, laptop and watch. Their range is designed to protect your device from impact. Most protect up to an 8ft drop and some are designed to protect up to 10ft. They make cases for all the major brands including my Apple iPhone.

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I was sent the Presidio to try on my phone. The design is a very snug fit with really positive button covers. So many cases cover the buttons on the side of the phone and make it really hard to use, not this one. This is light, and durable. It is designed to protect your phone from falls up to eight feet. The perfect choice especially if your phone is slippery like mine.

Their range start at £14.95

15. Pop a Ball Bursting Bubbles

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Pop a Ball Bursting Bubbles are a real novelty, add a spoonful to a drink and then sip - bite - and they burst in your mouth. So many flavours too. They can be added to drinks, try them with Prosecco or a gin cocktail or sprinkle over desserts. Great fun for Christmas.

The Lychee flavour Pop a Ball Bursting Bubbles costs £3.49 and serves 6.


16. Secret Projects Christmas Decorations


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The Secret Projects range is beautiful. From the Secret Pillow featured above to Secret Clothes including the wonderful Secret Sari Dress. They also make items from the scraps of fabric so nothing is wasted. I was sent this beautiful Secret Pillow Christmas decoration. It really works too! It has a little pocket at the top so you could put in a little treat or a note.

The decoration above costs £6.50 or if you would like more they also sell packs of ten for £30. Don't forget that the women who make these get 14% of every item made, with no outlay to themselves other than their time and skill.


17. Stamp Active Starter Kit


Stamp Active have a free postal club for children, Kidstamps. Yes it's FREE! All you have to do is register with Kidstamps and about four times a year they will send packs full of stamps and other items. All they ask is a large stamped address envelope for each pack.

Bear was delighted with the starter pack, he loved sticking the stamps into the album provided and the pictures on the stamps led to many different conversations.

"This one has a Nanny on it, like you" he declared, thanks Bear, I think the Queen will be delighted to know she reminds him of me haha!

"Uggh! this has a slug on it" and it did!

There are packs and packs of stamps, first day covers and albums to stick them in. They provide hinges too, although these were a little tricky for Bear so he used a glue stick (sorry philatilists everywhere).

I love gifts that last beyond Christmas, this may start a passion that lasts well into adulthood.

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The Stamp Active Starter Kit is available from the Stamp Active website, and is free.



We hope these have given you some ideas for your Christmas Gifts this year. Why not pop over to the websites and have a browse? We are sure you'll find something you love.

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Special thanks to my daughter-in-law, Make-up Pixi3, for making Leo the Lion and helping with some of the photo's.

*We were given these products for inclusion in our gift guide, all opinions are honest and our own
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2 comments

  1. Lots of fab ideas here. I've not heard of alfresia before but that teepee is lovely and so reasonably priced. Love the lighthouse birdcage too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The teepee is lovely, I loved the print. Alfresia has a huge range of products, really is something for everyone.

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