I had a couple of hours to kill between meetings with customers in London yesterday so enjoyed a walk down Oxford Street. I took several photographs of various shop windows and displays that caught my attention and I’ll be sharing these with you over the next few days.
It was quite a sunny warm day for November. Nice to see the Arthur Christmas lights hanging above Oxford Circus. Oxford Street itself is undergoing a lot of building work at the moment basically the whole length from Tottenham Court Road and the Centre Point building down to Marble Arch. I can see it being really packed as it starts to get busy over the next few weeks.
These cardboard radio and speakers in John Lewis caught my attention. The Radio is £20 and the speakers are £12. In addition to being a radio you can also plug in your iPod / iPhone and use them as a speakers. It’s an ideal novelty gift for the boy who has everything. My husband would certainly love one of these in his study.
After walking the length of Oxford Street it was up to the top floor of John Lewis for some quick festive refreshments in the form of their Cranberry Loaf and a coffee.
Lots more great gift ideas to follow over the next few days, in the meantime if you’ve spotted something great please let me know.
Tags: Cardboard Radio, John Lewis, oxford street
Christmas is a good time of year to try and do some good and consider giving a Fair Trade Christmas present. During the recent downturn people have been spending less on Fair Trade and Organic products, this is understandable but it’s worth sparing a thought for the small producers who rely on selling their products for their income.
There are many lovely fair trade gifts on the market this Christmas which are stylish and ethical. To start with have a look at the Nkuku Fair Trade gifts:
Nkuku Mini Sari Journal
Nkuku Timu A6 Dark Brown Leather Journal
You may want to consider some pieces of Fair Trade Jewellery from Kazuri:
Kazuri Pita Pat Ceramic Bead Necklace in Cherry
So if you are stuck for a Christmas present idea for someone special this year, don’t forget to consider a fair trade gift.
Tags: Fair Trade, Kazuri, Nkuku
I have blogged previously about the benefits of making Christmas gifts such as chilli chutney. However, it does strike me that whilst an old jam jar is great for me to store this for myself it lacks a certain gift look about it. This is where the home made look can come in really handy. You don’t need to go too over the top, just some brown paper tied with a coloured piece of raffia is perfect. Don’t forget a parcel label to let the recipient know what it is! See the following link for more information http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Christmas-craft-ideas-gift-wrapping-homemade-touch/gallery
If you plan to make some of your wonderful biscuits or maybe a cake you may wish to put it in a box or tin. This can be an expensive to do so look for plain boxes or tins from a cake craft supplier such as The Craft Company http://www.craftcompany.co.uk/acatalog/White_Boxes1.html although you might have to pay postage, it will still be cheaper than many gift boxes and you will get the depth you need for a cake. You also have a blank canvas on which to you creating your own design. You can go for all out Christmas glitz but I think it is nice to stick with a theme such as the brown paper and rafia or gingham ribbon http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Christmas-craft-ideas-gift-wrapping-gingham/gallery or may be a sprig of holly http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Christmas-craft-ideas-gift-wrapping-holly/gallery .
Not only does this look like Christmas of yester year, word will spread with your friends and they will know that they are going to get a Christmas treat made by you as soon as they see your signature wrapping.
Tags: Customize your gifts
Gift buying is difficult at the best of times. However, at Christmas this can be worse due to the number of people you have to buy for. When everyone has such busy lives, it can be difficult to spend the time looking for a gift that fits the person rather than what is just easy for you to buy.
A good place to start is to think what the recipient’s interests are. This may seem an obvious point but how many times have you opened a present to see a gift that resembles the givers tastes or interests, not yours? Christmas is an excellent time to venture into pastures new, after all, you want your present to stand out among the rest! To stand out for the right reasons, why not think of a cooking or creative writing course. I think adults can be really shy at enrolling in a course or evening class simply because they think it will remind them of school. In reality it couldn’t be further from the truth. To begin with everyone on the course will feel apprehensive but you can take comfort that everyone is there is learn a new skill and no-one is looking to trip you up so they can look better than you. It is not school and it is not work, everyone is there because they want to not because there is a mortgage to pay.
If a course or evening class sounds too expensive there are alternatives. If someone has an artistic flair bring this to life with an artist kit. Derwent have a wonderful selection. Personally, I have always wanted to go on a jewellery making course, I am not certain that I would be any good at all at it but I would like to have a go. I would even settle for a book with some basic tools and materials. It would be fun to be creative with something so different to usual that would bring about the same excitement I got with fuzzy felt at the age of 6. People usually grasp the opportunity with both hands to try something new and who knows it could end up the perfect pastime for them in which many other people will share their pleasure, especially if they end up making you a perfect piece of jewellery as a gift for you.
Tags: Christmas, Christmas Gift ideas, hobbies
Posted by admin on Oct 9, 2009 in
Christmas gift ideas for him If the man in your life is still shaving with a nasty plastic disposable razor and an over perfumed aerosol can of shaving cream then an Edwin Jagger Shaving set will make a perfect Christmas present for him. Edwin Jagger of Sheffield in England are known around the world for their high quality shaving sets, brushes, razors and shaving creams.
These shaving sets are a work of art and beautifully designed. When compared with a cheap plastic razor that you have to dispose of the whole razor, these shaving sets create much less waste. They also look great in your bathroom. Our sponsors iAdoreYour.Com stock a wide range of Edwin Jagger shaving sets, shaving creams and shaving accessories at very competitive prices which include free delivery, with prices starting at just £58.99. If you don’t want to spend quite as much as that then you can build your own gift by selecting their Edwin Jagger shaving brush, bowl and soap which they can gift wrap in a luxury gift box. This is a gift he will really appreciate every morning as using such a beautifully designed and well built product in this age of mass produced, throwaway products is a genuine pleasure. This is a little piece of luxury within the reach of almost everyone.
Tags: Edwin Jagger, Shaving set
