Would Being A Millionaire Change Your Christmas??

Christmas is one of my most favourite times of the year, but for me and also a lot of people it is also a very stressful time!
Now i have a child of my own it has become even more stressful as i want to make sure its the most magical it can be for my son, but in doing this it also becomes quite expensive!

The kids toy adverts are in full force and all i am hearing at the moment is i want this, i want that, mum i want that, Wow mum i definitely want that pointing too the Despicable Me 2 Remote Control Minion! And my reply is always, well you will have to see what Father Christmas brings, he only brings presents to all the children who have been good all year and so on!

I think i carry a lot of guilt as i am a full time working mum and have been since Cohen was 8 months old, working long hours trying to earn a living and to build my career which will ultimately give him a better life and future.
I sometimes envy stay at home mums, parents who can afford to spend all there days bringing up their children, but then i don't think i could handle not having a career, which is my passion and is part of who i am. Plus i know that the Childcare my son has had has been loving and nurturing and has certainly made him into the polite and confident boy he is today. Many families now have to take their children into full time childcare and the ones who don't are very lucky indeed.

Feeling a little stressed out and panicking thinking will there be enough presents and gifts for my son on Christmas Day i then started to day dream on what Christmas would be like if we were Millionaires?!

For sure the gifts would certainly be more extravagant, Take a look at some of these from Neiman Marcus Christmas Yuletide Book, which supplies many gifts for the wealthy!

At over six foot high, five feet wide, and four feet deep, this is a real life gingerbread house which looks mouthwatering! Priced at a mere £9,500 and made from gingerbread, royal icing, lollipops, cookies and gum drops it have been created by New Yorks Dylans Candy Bar!

Another gifts a millionaire may splash out on would be the Metro Houseboat and costs £157,000, the River Thames style home is 48 feet long and has an open floor plan! Woweee!

Next up a 50th Anniversary His and Her Charm bracelet made from  18kt White and Yellow Gold is priced at £156,000!! Now even if i did have the ridiculous amounts of money to spend on a bracelet I don't think it would buy the below! I'd be happy with a Mona Mara 22kt Gold plated Bracelet!!

So, apart from the Over the top gifts, would Christmas be any different? 

No is my answer... 

When i actually thought what were the best bits about Christmas, Why do i enjoy it so much? The answer is FAMILY!

Spending time with my little family, Making up for all those recent long working hours and early starts to then being able to enjoying spending 2 weeks off work and doing nothing but eat, drink, watch films cosy in front of the fire, spend time with my boy playing with him, going for long walks and nice meals out. Visiting relatives and spending time with everyone. 

Yes the presents are nice, but there not what i remember and to be honest lots of gifts are still sat in my cupboard from last year which haven't even been used yet!

The lesson I've learnt here is that yes i want to give my son a brilliant Christmas, and yes i will be purchasing items for him, but i will also be spending my time with him which is precious and it is this time which he will remember and the memories he will have and not how many parcels he has to open.

Thanks for reading 

Gems 

x

Christmas Traditions

Well its that time of year when we're all thinking about Christmas and starting to make plans for the festive session! The organised one's will have completed their shopping, the super organised will have completed their shopping and have it all wrapped ready in coordinating wrapping paper! And the not so organised (pointing no fingers) has absolutely nothing prepared and a huge list which seems to be growing by the second on what I need to get!

So who has set traditions they follow each Christmas? I have a few, one of which is to bake our own Christmas Cake, even though i personally don't like fruit cake, but its the fun of it and a family tradition which has to be kept up.

Another one was to always decorate my grandparents tree, sadly i am unable to do this anymore but i will always have a toast to them (using my new Sagaform Christmas Schnapps Glasses i may add) in hand when doing my own tree with my little boy.

Christmas Cards are one of those traditions that i never seem to commit too! Every year I purchase beautiful Christmas designed cards, spend the evening writing them out, put them in my car, write the addresses on the ones i need to post out and then what happens? 6 months later there still sat in the box or stuffed inside my glove compartment still waiting to be delivered! Really i should be super savy and keep hold of them to use this time round, however they always end up going in the recycling bin when im having one of my mad clear outs ( I blame my dad for me inheriting this trait)

So as were talking about Christmas Cards, i came across an article in the Telegraph which made me giggle lots! I am now looking to purchase some new Christmas Card, which I will definitely be posting out this year without fail! So if all my family and friends don't get one you need to tell me off! ha!

These are some Christmas cards however i most certainly WILL NOT be sending....although they send me into fits of giggles looking at this collection of the Worst Christmas Photo's EVER from www.awkwardphotos.com..... 

It would be great if you could upload any of your most embarrassing Christmas Photo's!  I will see what ones I can dig out from back in the day haha!

Thanks Everyone 

Gem 

x

Our Gifts In The Press This Month

This month we have seen lots of new press articles on lots of the gorgeous gifts we stock! 

There are so many great gifts which we range and are in a wide range of prices depending on if your looking for a gifts for that grand gesture, or a lovely sentimental gift to show someone your thinking of them.

MONA MARA

Mona Mara is a Jewellery brand I absolutely love, Rihanna has been spotted wearing key pieces a few times, now Jessie J has been rocking one of their Necklaces! The range is all lovingly handmade and is 22ct gold plated and makes a key statement piece that will last you a life time!

Also spotted wearing this great brand is Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix, She was seen flaunting the Mona Mara bracelet.. Now magazine have done a full page spread showing off their brilliant pieces! Take a look at our great range of Mona Mara Jewellery, Plus with Free UK delivery on orders over £20 means you pay no postage! Yippee!

SKINNY DIP LONDON

There has been even more great articles and press on the fabulous brand Skinny Dip London! This company started off with an idea of supplying cool and trending items such has headphones and Iphone cases with a difference! They have come so far and have now launched an amazing range of Embellished perspex bags which can be found on our website Gifts4Gifts.  

They have celebrated with a huge Launch event in London, as well as having features in Grazia magazine to name a few! The pricing on these clutch bags are a steel compared to the Designer prices you would find from the likes of Chanel and Shourouk.. Treat yourself for Christmas, you deserve it! 

From You To Me Books

Gifts4Gifts stock these stunning books which certainly pull on your heart strings and make you instantly want to get one and start filling in full of all your wonderful memories and wishes especially for me as i am a mum of a 5 year old and the time is going so quick! Getting one of these books and completing it for him so he can treasure this in the future when we he is all grown up would be a lovely heartfelt gift for him! 

From Me To You are a brilliant company, so much so they have been selected as a finalist in the Local Business Accelerators, Which is a regional press campaign to support small businesses!

Here at Gifts4Gifts are so pleased, there a fantastic and supportive supplier to us and we love being able to range their books which not only do we love, but our customers love too! Take a look at our range here

Well Done, and Good Luck!

Thanks For Reading

Gemma

x

Gifts4Gifts.com What We've Been Doing....

We are VERY excited here as we are fast approaching our 1st ever Christmas as Gifts4Gift.com!

We have been soooooo busy rearranging our site, making new categories to include all our Christmas products! We've also updated our 'about us' page to give you a better insight about us and how we work as a family in business (not always harmoniously!)

Since launching gifts4gifts we had noticed a few technical issues, particularly with our personalised section. One huge frustration was the search bar wouldn't work for this area. We hope this has now been rectified by us adding in individual product pages to our site which will trigger the search functionality... (This sounds ever so complicated!)

As you can see we have been beavering away, burning the midnight (sometimes all night!) oil and feel all the hard work has paid off and are pleased with the results - WE HOPE YOU ARE TOO!

We have just also found out Skinny Dip bags are now in Selfridges, our vintage playing card framed pictures are also stocked there, we feel in very good company and we are very competitively priced!

Lastly we would like to tell you all about our fantastic Christmas competition in which one lucky person can win over £630 worth of gifts and goodies!! This is an unbelievable prize fund and is over £200 more in value than our last competition!!!

All you need to do is register and sign up to our newsletter to be entered, the winner will be announced on the 16th December and the prize will be delivered to the winner in time for Christmas!

Please take a look at our Christmas ranges and enter our competition before its too late

We have lots of great brands and ranges for you all to see so please take time to browse through

Thanks for reading

Gemma

Perspex And Crystals.......A Girls Dream

I noticed the Perspex trend starting last S/S12 with some of the top designers and gorgeous models gracing the catwalks with Perspex accessories. These ranged from Jewellery, small bags and even heels on shoes to add another dimension to their looks.

Sometimes there are trends that appear on these catwalks that don't take off, or are a flash in the pan and sometimes not worth investing in, but you know straight away the ones which are going to stay for the season, and even better the trends that seem to be timeless classics and come round and round again.

The perspex theme amongst fashionista and designers shows no sign of slowing down which has been clearly seen in Fashion Week 2013 displaying a strong admiration for all things perspex and not just accessories but now venturing into skirts, coat inserts and paneled tops, creating maximum texture.

The clutch bags are something of a favourite for me, I am actually quite addicted to bags and as i have been told previously already have too many!

Accessorizing with these bags means you can create such adaptable looks for example mixing it up with a sporty edge or creating a look which is slightly more masculine with sharp clothing, then there's the soft feminine look with a pretty dress and killer heels.

There are various styles, shapes and designers who have all ventured into the gorgeousness of these clutch bags such as Chanel, Stella McCartney and Charlotte Olympia giving us clutches we did nothing but drool over..

A brand which has took these clutch bags one step further and who have captured the love for peoples lust for jewels, crystals, basically anything bling is Shouruk, This brand encapsulates everything about bling with the most amazing pieces of jewellery that you would love to own!

Shouruk have also picked up on the fact the Perspex trend is coming think and fast and have added a range of stunning bags to their collection... From Clear to Neon to Tortoise Shell there is something in this range everyone would love!

The only set back for these amazing bags both discussed above is the price tag, yes 90% of us could not justify spending hundreds of pounds of a clutch bag, unless drunken online shopping took place in which you would be sending it straight back and hoping for a quick refund on your credit card or if you have a very rich man to treat you, which unfortunately i don't!

This does cause a problem for people like me who want to be part of carrying something which is so amazing but no matter how hard you work you will never have the spare fund to splurge on items like this..

Well fear not as Gifts4Gifts have something which you will absolutely love... Take hold for the 

Skinny Dip Perspex Embellished Clutch Bags..

This range offers what all of us working girls are looking for, Fashion, Trends, Colour, a statement Piece the list is endless.

These box perspex clutches are amazing quality, they are adorned with gems, stones and spikes to create a unique and showstopping look which will certainly complete your evening attire and will make people turn heads.

They come with a secure fastening at the top with a chrome trim and inside is provided with a chrome chain which can be attached and used as bag as well as a clutch.

The range comes in 3 colourways:

1. Skinny Dip - Colbolt Perspex Embellished Clutch

2. Skinny Dip - Bottle Green Perspex Embellished Clutch

3. Skinny Dip - Byzanthium Perspex Embellished Clutch

The Green and the Byzanthium are perfect for a younger fashionista who loves nothing but bright colours and bold designs! They would look amazing against a little black dress!

The Colbolt design is a little more understated, ideal for an older age who wants to be the forefront of fashion but to also have something which will blend well with their current look and attire.

The best part about these bags is that they are a fraction of a cost to what one of the Designer bags would cost you and are only £39.99, With Gifts4Gifts offering free UK Delivery on orders over £20 this is a fantastic price!

I will be definitely investing in one of these, and think you should all too ;-)

Please also look out for my next blog which will be a guide on how to style your clutch coming very soon!

Thanks For Reading

Gems

x

Guest Blogger: Annette's Wish List

Hello Everyone

Christmas is fast approaching, even with Halloween still to come we are all now starting to think about Christmas and what gifts we need to buy, and most importantly what we would love to receive.

I thought it would be a good chance to do a Guest Blog from the ever so lovely Annette.

Annette doesn't blog herself, but i wanted to get another persons opinion on what their top picks would be for Christmas this year from all the fabulous gifts on Gifts4Gifts.

Here are Annette's Top Picks and Review Write up

1. From me to you - Dear Grandma £12.99

I would love this journal to share with my Grandson, he loves to hear about all the things I used to do when I was little and even wanted to see the house I grew up in (we had a lovely day in the Peak District). 

It would be good to share our memories too ….the holidays we've had etc.

             

I would also give "Bump to Birthday" to our eldest daughter as she is expecting her first child next year!

  2.  Sleep in Rollers - Glitter Roller Set £32.99

I have the hardest to tame, thickest hair you have ever seen…..I do use rollers but because my hair is so thick it takes HOURS to dry, these rollers would be ideal as my hair might actually dry overnight and keep it’s style better. With the tutorial DVD to help me on my way…lovely!!

3.  Skinny Dip - Byzanthium Perspex Embellished Clutch £39.99

I have been lucky enough to see these clutch bags in the flesh (so to speak!) and no image I have seen does them justice….. they are fabulous!

The Byzanthium one is probably the most appropriate for me, the other two are seriously trendy, my daughters and nieces have already got them earmarked. Any one of the three would be a welcome gift, they could accessorize any outfit as the colours really pop and they are good quality too. They aren't too see through either so what’s in your bag is still your business!!

4.  Ros Shiers - Love Potion No. 9 £39.99

I am a perfume-aholic as anyone who knows me will tell you! I love looking at all the different bottles on my dressing table and smelling good too of course. 

This piece of Wall Art would just give me great pleasure and look fab in my bedroom.

5.  Metropolitan - Venice Travel Wallet £24.99

I love this travel wallet and it just so happens the one I am using at the moment is really shabby. The design on this Metropolitan Wallet features one of my favourite cities, and would stop all that flustering at the airport because everything will be together. I love the bright colours and think it’s a real good quality product, Now i just need to plan a holiday so i can use it!

6.   Bomb Cosmetics - “ Gorgeous” Candle in a Tin £7.99

I love candles and have them all over the house. These Bomb Candles are so pretty and smell fab. I've chosen the “Gorgeous” one for obvious reasons, but actually any one of the range would make a lovely gift as they are all lovely and have a fantastic lasting fragrance.

Thank you everyone for reading my wish list, please leave your comments on your best items from our site Gifts4Gifts 

We offer free UK delivery on orders over £20 and also have a Gift Wrap service which is great for the not so creative people or people who have little time on their hands.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @Gifts4Gifts and Facebook - Gifts4Gifts

Thank you

Annette

x

Autumn Fair 2013 Whats new!

Hello Everyone! It's me if you haven't forgotten! 

As you know I haven't wrote for a while, I've been so busy and also had a nice week off work which was supposed to be relaxing but ended up decorating and constantly tidying up all the mess each day!

Before I start can I just say a huge thank you for everyone so far who has been onto the site and purchased from the site its so great to see you all liking our products as much as we do... If there are any comments or items you would like to see then please do get in touch we would love to here your feedback.

I recently visiting Autumn fair at the Birmingham NEC which is basically a huge trade show that has suppliers selling Gifts, Cards, Homeware, Gadgets, Toys, Books you name it, its there!

I thought it would be a really good to talk through some of the key items I saw whilst I was there and give you a brief overview on what you can expect for Christmas and a tiny sneak peek of some of the items you will see on www.gifts4gifts.com very very soon!

So firstly there are so many halls in this place, so I would definitely advise you plan plan plan before you go! If your purchasing products for your store or website you will know what items your looking for, what range gaps you have etc. Going armed with your information pack and all your notes is key!

A lot of the Exhibitors have show offers, so do check for these as there could be some great savings made when purchasing your stock!

I would also do research on your suppliers to, see who else they supply, how long they have been running for also checking there latest accounts to make sure there in a stable position would be good advise. 

The halls which I was more interested in where Design Led products, Gifts and Homeware! 

So what did I See? Well Lots and Lots and Lots, see below for some of the stand out products for me..

First mention Goes too these brilliant Gummy Bear Night Lights..

I absolutely love these! They have a soft gummy like texture and you squeeze there tummy to turn the night light on and off giving a lovely glow in the colour you choose!

They come in a wide range of colours, the below being my favourite:

These are perfect for children, but even for someone like me who is a big kid at heart! 

The price of these are around £19.99 mark and are such a brilliant gift for Christmas especially if your looking for something a little bit different!

The second mention goes a stunning range of Accessories which are based around a Metropolitan lifestyle.

The products focuses on popular cities London, Paris, Venice and New York using their map prints and a fantastic colour palette which when you see these makes you want every single piece!

This is a concise range of travel must haves and I for sure will certainly be buying lots of bits for when I go on my travels.

My Top picks from this would be so hard as i think there all lovely but i love the New York Travel Case (to make this even better its lined with Apples!! For anyone who knows me they will understand how excited this makes me ha!) and the Venice Travel Wallet are a must have for me!

New York Travel Case

Venice Travel Wallet

I looked at these items in person and the detail on these are outstanding, so worth the money with amazing finishing touches of linings, name tags that give a product that edge above any other on the market.

Lastly there are sooo many brilliant products which are ideal for Christmas!

Take a look at some items which I spotted on my trip that are the ideal Stocking Fillers / Secret Santa gifts for this Christmas

 Crazy Cat Nail Art Stickers

 Laundry Punch Bag

Mason Jar Shot Glasses

Balloonatics - Speech Bubble Balloons

Birdy Lipbalm Duo

Ibed Lap Desk

I could go on forever due to the sheer volume of the gifts which would all make amazing presents...

Please keep your eyes peeled on our website www.gifts4gifts.com as there will be new lines coming on every day from now on where your sure to find lots of the items above plus much much more!

Thanks for reading

Gems

x