Typecast

You may or may not know that I love to crochet , knit and cross-stitch  but it's been a while since I completed any large project so when I saw that Aldi had brought out a "Creative Crafting" range I got quite excited.  Their complete project boxes were the perfect way to get back into what used to be my favourite hobby.  It's been available to order online or pick up in store from 20th September and I have been trying out the 'make your own bear' crochet kit and the 'hearts' 3D cross-stitch kit which are both available to buy for £3.99. The great thing about these kits is that the come complete with all materials and even the stuffing to finish off your project.  I'm in the middle of both projects so keep an eye on my Instagram to see the finished results.  I have a couple of recommendations for the kits that I tried though: The crochet bear kit is NOT for beginners as you have to work in 'rounds' and increase/decrease stitches as you g...

Last year's "Last Minute Father's Day Gift Guide" was so popular that I felt compelled to write another simply because I've struggled for years to find the perfect gift for my own dad, my father-in-law and my husband.  Here are some quick ideas that you can get delivered this week to save you any last minute panicking!   5 last minute Fathers's Day gift ideas [ click to tweet ] For the DIY addict...  I discovered Sugru about a year ago and we always have a couple packets in the house now. Simply explained, it's mouldable glue that hardens into flexible rubber within 24 hours and can be used to fix and repair almost anything (I even mended our dishwasher cutlery tray with it).  The guys at Sugru have now launched their Rebel Tech Kit for just £10 and this includes 14 project ideas to get you going. For the music fan...  We are huge fans of EC Technology products in this house as their tech gear is always (a) useful and (b)...

One of our neighbours put up her Christmas lights last week (yes, really) so I thought it was time to start pulling my annual Christmas  wishlist  Gift Guide together. I've got everything from the unusual to the Secret Santa so let's make a start...  Useful Gifts You Never Thought Of I've been working with The Woodland Trust for over a year now and their family membership package is a  great family gift. You receive a a whole host of interactive information, a tree dedication for the family and children get their own activity pack each season. Find out more here . If you know someone who is a fan of scented candles then an aromatherapy kit from Essence of Arcadia would be an great gift package.  I reviewed them earlier this year and still love experimenting with recipes and using recommendations to help create the right mood.   Buy here . If you've got a Snapchat addict in the house, you'll make their life so much easier with an...

Why is Dad always so difficult to buy for? Don't they seem to have everything already? I've been on the hunt for the best (and affordable) present for my Dad - and also some ideas to give to my children - and came up with these five last-minute gifts. Magazine Subscription Firstly, a magazine subscription is always a bonus.  I gifted my dad a year's subscription of Private Eye for his birthday and he loves it. He even posts me the magazine when he's read it all so double bonus!  I can highly recommend magazine.co.uk * for this present as they have a huge range of magazines to choose from. Gifts For Under £10 At Christmas I was looking for some stocking fillers for the grandchildren so Rex London  was one of my first port of calls for gifts under £10.  I am totally loving the Man Cave sign and the retro alarm clock (not kidding... probably going to purchase one of these for myself) but there's all sorts of ideas on this website. (aside: last year I w...

Over the past few weeks I have been sourcing a few things that I thought would make great Christmas presents or stocking fillers.  Some of these items I've bought myself, some have been sent to me for review and some are things I've found whilst browsing on the internet and are very firmly on my own wish list. ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ Useful Gifts You Never Thought Of I was sent a beautiful Ted Baker (sun)glasses case. When not in use it folds completely flat but its triangular shape means that it is big enough to hold my spare glasses, a contact lens holder and my cheap-and-cheerful sunglasses.  I keep this in my handbag all the time now and it is  available from Qwerkity  for £24.99. I'm a huge fan of having calming scents wafting around the house so have an abundance of scented candles and my husband uses scented incense sticks however aromatherapy oils are my new go-to for diffusing and burning. I've been using a 14-piece set which comes with a 'recip...

Sorry, I know it's still November but I've got to start preparing for Christmas soon and I need some off-the-wall stocking fillers and unusual presents. Music Room   contacted me to see if I fancied using their gift finder app to discover some music-related presents.  So, after getting a little bit nostalgic for my piano lesson days with their ' Dozen A Day ' practice books, I found some ace presents for my grandchildren and the rest of the family.  For the grandchildren There is method in the madness here. I would love my granddaughters to be musical so here's a perfect starter kit.  Their mum can play the keyboard [1] (which rolls up for easy storage - genius) whilst they accompany her with their percussion instruments [2 and 3]  (the castanets [6] are a bonus item because I remember my own Nana buying me a set once). I've chosen the Frozen songbook [5] for the four-year old and the One Direction songbook [4] for the six-year old (both obse...

I have been having a browse around the AskHerFriends website recently, picking out gift ideas mainly for myself but also bookmarking some unusual bits for my daughter's birthday and some sneaky little purchases for friends.  Of course my love for all things Union Jack shines through in this selection but I thought the Humpty Dumpty egg cup was a genius idea and the elephant dress was really cute. The lovely thing about the AskHerFriends website is that it is a crowd-sourced gift marketplace focusing on products for women.  They stock ideas from handbags to homeware to holidays so there's always something to treat yourself with or to find an unusual gift for a friend, relative or partner in various price ranges.  Ben Blomerley, founder of AskHerFriends , tells me that the Idea Map is a great place to start with your gift selection. ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ AskHerFriends has provided my readers with a 5% discount code which is valid for the month of Februar...

There is always one person in your life that is almost impossible to buy a present for either at Christmas or on their birthday. Over the past few weeks I have have been scouring the internet or testing products out to create this list of affordable and unusual gifts.  Here are my recommendations. Bloom and Wild Not too long ago, I was sent a vase full of flowers through the post from Bloom & Wild .  You can read my full review here but three weeks on, and with some careful pruning, I still have over half of the display still standing loud and proud.  B&W have different subscription offers available so this would be the gift that goes on much longer than Christmas Day. Close Shave Society Another subscription suggestion would be something from the Close Shave Society who brag that they have high quality razors and low prices and cater for both the male and female customer.  They are managing to keep their prices so low by cutting (no pun...