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Guest Post – 7 Father’s Day Gift Ideas Based on What He Loves

June 4, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Father’s Day is very much on the horizon but don’t worry if you haven’t quite got your Pa’s present for Sunday June 21st on order just yet. To save you from surrendering to a last minute supermarket purchase of a box of chocolates, this post rounds up gift ideas based on your Father’s favourite things to do. Hopefully you’ll find some fresh new ideas nestled in the list…

Cycling

Is your dad one of the growing MAMIL (middle aged man in lycra) brigade? While you might not always want to see him in his brightest and best neons, his efforts to keep fit deserve applauding and rewarding. You probably won’t want to stump up for a designer bike as the cost of these are so high they are reportedly driving some cycling enthusiasts into debt. If you can’t stomach a cycling shorts purchase, how about a caffeine based gift to fuel his rides? Everyone knows coffee and cycling go together like hands and handlebars and this aeropress kit, £20.95 from cremagoods, is suitably lightweight.

Foodie

Speaking of food, if your dad is the type of guy who appreciates food and drink in its many forms? if he’s a regular visitor to a farmer’s market or takes trips to the local craft beer festival, you may want to invest in something that will feed his foodie fascination. Even better, why not choose a gift that may benefit you in a roundabout way? Home smoking has seen a huge surge of interest over the past few years and while you can invest a lot of money if you want to, there are some very accessible kits that will help you father bring home the bacon, smoked fish or even smoked cheese. This one from notonthehighstreet at £28.50, comes with packages wrapped in string!

Gardening

If your dad has been gardening a while, chances are he’s got a plentiful supply of plants flowers and seeds. With this in mind, why not buy him something that will make the less interesting jobs such as leave removal that little bit more exciting. Air compressors can move unwanted garden debris in super speedy time, which makes for less time spent brushing up leaves and more time enjoying a tea break in a tidy outdoor space. Air Supplies stock a wide range suitable for at home for use in the garden or for general garage jobs and prices start at £120.

Gamer

Buying the latest games is an expensive affair, but there are plenty of less costly Father’s Day gifts you can give to dads with a serious games console commitment. How about starting with some snazzy items they can enjoy in a dedicated games area? These Tetris stacked lights (£29.99 from Firebox) can be rearranged and fit in rather nicely with these retro geek blinds from English Blinds (prices vary according to size).

Walker

If your dad likes to explore the hills and vales of our wondrous isles, a good pair of walking socks might be a safe (and price-conscious) buy. If you’d rather add something a little more stylish to their walking collection, what about this Cartography flask (£19.99) from John Lewis? The map might not be able to help them up or down a mountain but hot tea, coffee or soup stored inside would surely give them a boost!

Photography

If your father’s into photography he’s likely to have expensive tastes – lenses, tripods and editing equipment don’t come cheap. However, if he uses Photoshop he might appreciate this nifty shortcut skin for his keyboard, which can help speed up the editing process. It costs $30.00 from photojojo.com plus $12 shipping to the UK.

DIY enthusiast

According to the statistics, DIY enthusiasts are in sharp decline, so if your dad is a DIY-er you could almost say he’s an endangered species and that means his hobby requires support with sentiment. You’ll find lots of places selling personalised tools and toolboxes online but if your pa’s already got more spanners than you can shake an erm, spanner at, how about treating him to this tongue-in-cheek mug? At just £9.99 it’s another budget friendly option. Alternatively, give him something he can really get to grips with… like a project to build you a new shoe rack or to fix your shower!

Have you got Father’s Day in hand or are you still on the lookout for the perfect gift for your dad? If you’re still to plan a present will you you be heading to the shops, buying online or making something yourself?

Wish List Wednesday – Birthday Edition

May 21, 2014 by Bel 3 Comments

It’s now only a week till my birthday and sadly I don’t really have any helpful suggestions for anyone still looking to buy me something! In fact, as I sat down to write this Wish List post, I couldn’t really even think of a single thing I wanted. However, for the sake of a post (haha) I’ve found a few things I’d like, so here they are.

Daryl Plush / Interflora Roses / Cupcake Decorating Lab

The above items are actually still kicking around on a list from almost a year ago. Poor Daryl I have wanted for so long now but its just not happening! As for the Interflora roses, I know that no one other than Chris would really buy these but I highly doubt he’d even think to get them (feel free to tell him besties ;)). Finally the Cupcakes book isn’t really something I desperately want but I figure it might have a few interesting tips in it!

You’ll be glad to know that from the other wish list I have; my stand mixer, I get the occasional Lush gift box, I have the OUAT Disney Traditions ornament, and I bought myself a cooker! Not bad out of 10 things I guess!

Lakeland Duo Colour Icing Kit / Disney Dooney & Bourke Tinker Bell Bag / Mrs Potts & Chips Ornament
Loungefly Disney Tinker Bell Bag / Alice in Wonderland Tea Pot

It occured to me, while looking for items for this list, that I like Disney. A lot. I think that possibly every wish list ever, that I ever could do, could possibly always feature Disney stuff. In fact, as I was making this list, I actually had to stop myself adding more and more Disney stuff, in case it made me inclined to take off the non Disney item!

Anyway! First up, Lakeland are selling this cool duo icing bag. If you check out the website the actual pictures of what the icing looks like, is what sells it to me. I know I wouldn’t use it much, but hey its pretty cheap and I like weird and wonderful things! Next is a Dooney & Bourke Tinker Bell bag. I love Dooney & Bourke designs and have often lusted after their designs. Anyone who knows me well will know I have a soft spot for Tinker Bell too and I just love this design. This goes the same for the handbag on the next line, below too. However this bag is Loungefly, another make which I have often lusted after, especially the purses. Again this design is Tinkerbell but this time in a more sophisticated style. I’ve been wanting a new handbag for a while and this one would be lovely. Finally that leaves two teapots, one an ornament and the other… well an ornament too I guess, but I’m pretty sure you can use it! For quite some time now, I’ve fancied a Mrs Potts ornament. This isn’t quite the one I’ve seen and wanted, but its the only one I can find actually for sale. I love Beauty and the Beast, its one of my Disney favourites and Mrs Potts and Chip are so iconic. This is a lovely and delicate ornament and while I’d be worried about breaking it, its just beautiful. Finally that leaves the Alice in Wonderland teapot. I seriously love this, even though I’ve never been a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. That said, over the years, with various Alice in Wonderland parties, I’ve definitely developed a soft spot for it. That, combined with the fact I love tea and love teapots, what’s not to like?

I found so much more Disney stuff I could have added too! There are loads of Disney Traditions ornaments that I’d still like, loads of Disney Showcase ones I’d like to start collecting and even some Disney Chamilia charms. However as I said before, I really have to refrain from Disney everything!

So that’s my birthday wishlist, none of which I expect to get! However its always fun to wish. I’m sure whatever I do get, will be heavily weighted in Disney… but here’s to hoping that’s the only thing weighing in heavy next Wednesday! (#WLW).

P.S. And finally, some of this!

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Wednesday Wish List – Disney Villain Edition

May 14, 2014 by Bel 3 Comments

Something a little different today! A Wednesday Wish List!

Two weeks today, its my birthday! That time of the year when everyone starts asking you what you’d like and you don’t have a clue! Luckily most people have something sorted, but there are still the odd few asking. As such, I started to ponder all the things I might like. Of course, Disney was my first stop and as always I got distracted by it. I decided to make my whole list Disney, and since last time I focused on the Princesses, I decided that this time I would focus on Villains!

Realistically I wouldn’t necessarily want all of these, but hey, if money (and space) was no object, they’d be pretty cool to have! First up is a Disney Villains suitcase. This I would actually like. It costs $150 and is currently available from the Disneystore US. I don’t often travel but when I do, I’d love to do it with this!

Next are these nifty Funko figures. I found these particular ones on Amazon for £16.99. I wouldn’t say I was a collector of these figures but I do have a few. Some appeal more than others and Maleficent and the Evil Queen are definitely two that do! I don’t really have anything Disney Villain as yet but these would be a good start.

The Maleficent mug is also another thing I’d actually like (though I’m sure Chris would curse if I had any more big mugs!). Sadly its only available from the Disneystore US again, selling at $12.95. With the new upcoming movie I’m sure we’ll be seeing a huge surge in Maleficent products, but as always the US have the better stuff for sale!

Next on my list is the Evil Queen’s Bad Apple. I suppose this comes low down on my want list as I don’t really have a place in my home it would go. However its still cool and I like the fact its not specifically Disney, just the bad apple symbolism. With loving OUAT so much (and Regina of course) I’ve definitely found myself more drawn towards this story. I haven’t actually found it for sale anywhere except Ebay but I believe its something newly available from Disney Parks.

Disney Monopoly!! Not just that, but Disney Villains Monopoly. In my opinion, you can never have too many versions of Monopoly. I’d love to have this game, though I’m sure I’d only play it once in a blue moon. As such, its definitely a low priority especially as its only available from Disneystore US again, retailing at $36.95.

Just recently, Disneystore UK started selling awesome Disney Princess Shoe ornaments. However with all my searching, I found Disney Villain ones too but – you guessed it, only available in the US! Not only that, but they’re not just ornaments, but hanging ornaments. A little off-putting I suppose, but still pretty awesome. I’m loving the Queen of Hearts and the Ursula one.

Some time ago, Disney Store was selling these beautiful versions of the Disney Villains, in various forms. There were notebooks, dolls and seemingly these mugs. They didn’t stay in store long and now only seem to be available on Ebay. I love the Evil Queen mug and also the Queen of Hearts one. That said, I’d happily have Ursula too.

Last but not least, this Villains photo frame is pretty awesome. I’m not sure what type of photo you’d put in it, but its still pretty fecking cool. Again it only seems to be available in the US and the Parks at that – but hey, I’m visiting there next year so maybe?