Gift Inspiration: Girly Tech from Mobile Fun

I’ve got quite in to my gadgets lately. A re-kindled love of music has been the main driving force in this, plus a pretty surgical attachment to my iPhone to keep myself in the loop and amused whilst on the go. Mobile Fun recently contacted me about picking some tech products to review* and upon receiving my selection I was impressed enough to turn my review in to a gift guide for any one else who loves their gadgets or is struggling for gift ideas.
The first product I tried out was this gorgeous glittery gold phone case* by Prodigee. I’ve mentioned before I have a bit of a thing for phone cases and most of mine are cheap and cheerful eBay finds which serve a purpose but can be somewhat flimsy. This case is unique in that it comes in two parts and slides on. I’ll be 100% honest and say I’m not sure what this has to do with anything but it was easy to put on to my phone and is also really easy to remove as you don’t have to fight with trying to prise it off corner by corner. It’s definitely the sturdiest case I have owned and makes me feel like my phone is much more protected than usual against my clumsy ways. I love how girly the glitter makes it despite being a fairly simple case (for me) it’s anything but boring- perfect for any stylish friend.
As I mentioned in my introduction to this post that I’m really loving music right now and I’ve got in to the habit of taking my phone with me when I go to shower so I can sing along (badly) as I get ready for the day. The risks to me doing this are obvious so I was really excited to receive a bluetooth shower speaker that means I can leave my phone safely in another room but not have to shower or bath in silence. This claims to be water resistant and having already dropped it in to a full bath (have I mentioned how clumsy I am?) I can confirm that this is indeed true. The sound quality is pretty good, even after being submerged and the button controls mean you can skip tracks, pause, adjust the volume and even take calls as you clean up. The suction design is great and this speaker would also be perfect for use in the kitchen or even at your desk for taking calls hand free as well as having a little dance session to your favourite tracks.
I don’t drive to often rely on my legs to get me to where I need to be. I find walking on my own pretty boring if I’m honest and often relieve the tedium by listening to music. Headphones drive me mad though, I have to say. Trying to find a pocket that’s close enough accommodate the cables- not to mention trailing cables in general really frustrates me so when I got the chance to test out these Zagg wireless earphones* I was really excited. These are designed with females in mind- from everything to the gorgeous rose gold colour way to the lightweight and comfortable fit. The sound quality on these is fantastic, among the best I’ve found in any earphone and I loved being able to keep my phone in my bag whilst clipping the headphones simply to my collar and having full control over track selection, volume and the ability to control calls as well. I feel like these have solved my earphone woes in one fell swoop and the white and rose gold design matches my phone and my style to perfection. Another must have for the fashion and music loving ladies in the world.
What are you must have tech gadgets?

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Gift Inspiration: Chickidee Homeware

I have a pretty good sense of humour and most of what I say to my nearest and dearest is laced with a touch of sarcasm. This would probably explain why I was so smitten with Chickidee Homeware when they got in touch offering me one of their rather fabulous mugs. After a good long browse I decided to expect my tongue in cheek approach to myself and picked myself a pretty perfect gift*.
I think mugs make a brilliant gift, I’m always grateful to receive one. I absolutely love the range on Chickidee- they have the perfect selection for all of your nearest and dearest for the very reasonable price of £6. I’m forever being told I’m a pain in the arse (and I don’t beg to differ) so I decided to indulge myself with a constant reminder.

And it’s not just gorgeous mugs that Chickidee Homeware sells, as the name would suggest there are all kinds of products that would make perfect gifts or adornments to your home. I have quite a wish list brewing for when I move out again some time next year and also rather a few ideas for the last of my Christmas shopping!

If Santa is reading my blog then I really wouldn’t say no to this candle to brighten up my days.

Which mug would you pick and for whom? Not going to lie, I really AM my favourite pain in the arse.

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Gift Inspiration: The Foodie One

I think for most people one of the most integral parts of every festive season is the food. Even the people I know who ordinarily have little interest and view food merely as essential fuel get a little bit excited when the selection boxes hit the shelves. For those of us with serious foodies in our lives this is the perfect time of year to spoil them rotten with some luxurious and unusual treats and today I’m bringing you a selection of sweet (and savoury) little stocking filler ideas…I hope those around me are taking notes!
First up we have almost a rainbow of chocolate from Chocolate and Love* which Mae took an immediate interest in- she couldn’t even be distracted by a bag of dreamies! Chocolate and Love offers something more luxurious than your average chocolate bar, made with ethically sourced organic, high quality and fair trade ingredients. The bars come in seven different flavours which include coffee, mint, orange, sea salt and caramel as well as some varying degrees of darkness plain bars. Just how gorgeous is that packaging? You almost wouldn’t need to gift wrap these bars, just tie a stack together with some string. The mint 67% dark chocolate was my personal favourite and the coffee was a real winner with my best friend. You can pick these bars up in Sainsburys for £3.00 or look at their website for more stockists.
Next up we have a pyramid of pickles (and chutneys) from The English Provender Company* all of which would make a welcome addition to any festive buffet as much as they would make a spectacular gift nestled in to a foodie hamper. I was really excited by these as I’m a bit of a condiment queen and love loading up a festive leftovers salad or sandwich with as many kinds as I can get my hands on. The most intriguing of the selection I was sent was the Moroccan Spiced Chutney which would be simply amazing with a cous-cous and turkey based salad. The website suggests combining it with creme fraiche for a dip with a twist too, I’m so giving that a whirl! You’ll find The English Provender Company in all major supermarkets. I’m doing my best to save this selection for the festive period but I don’t know how long I’m going to last out!
I’ve been a fan of Nakd bars since they first hit supermarket shelves and the festive addition of a Christmas Pud bar has been a seasonal highlight for me for the last couple of years, despite really disliking actual Christmas Pudding. These bars are made from all natural ingredients with a festive kick and counts as one of your five a day! Stock up if you see these in store (or order yourself a case, which is my plan!). Perfect for stuffing in to stockings as an alternative to a chocolate orange too.
What are you food highlights of the festive season? I’m wondering how soon is too soon to start on the Stollen!

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Products in this post are PR samples.

Handmade Gift Guide: Clorty Cat Crafts

My list of favourite sellers on Etsy grows larger quite literally by the hour at the moment and for the next installment of my handmade gift guides I am showing off yet another of my fabulous finds. Actually when I made a purchase from this particular shop- Clorty Cat Crafts it was for something entirely different (and something I can’t show on the blog this side of Christmas). I was so delighted with it that I decided there and then that I wanted to contact shop owner Shannon about featuring her on the blog and it was then I discovered the exciting news that she was releasing a line of enamel pins- a.k.a. my new obsession and THE perfect stocking filler gift.
I was so taken with the pins (current range of six designs shown, but watch this space as there are more on the horizon which I’m super excited for- my bank account less so!). I’ve had the David Bowie pin and the Purple Rain cloud on pre-order since they were first announced and can’t wait for their arrival which should be any day now.

Incase it had somehow escaped your notice enamel pins are big news right now and the ones on Clorty Cat Crafts are definitely on the reasonable end of the pricing spectrum. I’ve seen them go elsewhere for £10+ or have extortionate p&p (Shannon charges a very fair £1.50). I’ve pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping now but I am kind of wishing I had held back a little bit as I know I’m going to want to buy any new designs from the shop as soon as they arrive. This could work to my advantage though, surely if I don’t need to buy anything else for anyone else I can justify a gift or two for me?

Have you caught on to the pin craze? What designs would you like to see next from Clorty Cat Crafts?

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Gift Inspiration: Getting Personal with Snapfish

As much as I love shopping, or window shopping for things for myself there is actually nothing that gives me greater pleasure than shopping for other people. Hours can pass me by whilst I browse for the perfect present to show someone how much they mean to me and if I find I can add a personal touch to the gift then that’s even better. Needless to say when Snapfish got in touch offering me site credit to test out their new and improved personalised gifts (perfect for stocking fillers might I add) I couldn’t resist.

As soon as I was given the opportunity I knew exactly how I wanted to spend the credit. These last few months have been rocky to say the least and it is only with the love and support of my family and friends that I’m sat at home writing this post today. I’ve received such amazing support both online and in “real life” but it’s that which came from my Mum, Dad, Granddad and Best Friend that really went above and beyond. They’ve seen me through some of the toughest times in my life and I’ve put them through hell over the years and yet their support has never wavered, not even for a second. It went without saying that I was going to create something special for them, a drop in the ocean for all that they have done for me.

For my best friend I decided to make a table-top photo panel (from £9.99) using one of my favourite ever photos of us taken at a wedding a couple of years ago. After uploading my photo I used one of Snapfish’s new embellishments to add a personal touch- cheesy as it sounds life really is for good friends and adventures and we’ve certainly had a few over the last 19 years of friendship!
For my family I decided that mugs were the way forward, stuffed with sweets (my own little touch) to make for the perfect personalised Christmas gift. Again after uploading my choice of photos I personalised things further using the new embellishment tools, picking simple but true statements for my parents and a lovely quote about grandfathers for my granddad.

I was really happy with the quality of the mugs (and price- only £7.99 each) especially as two of the photos came from my iPhone rather than camera and I had worried that this would be detrimental to the quality. I really like the new creative tools on Snapfish, being able to add quotes and images to further personalise an already special gift really added that little something extra and filling the mugs with the recipients favourite sweets was my own final bit of pizazz.

Have you used Snapfish recently? Who would you most likely to spoil with the personal touch?

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