Fathers Day 2016 - Bumper Gift Guide

If the men in your family are difficult to buy for (and let's face it, most of them are!) then you might be looking for some inspiration for Father's Day this year. 

I've put together a bumper gift guide, featuring some old faithful choices such as alcohol and toiletries but also some more different options that you might not have considered! 

1. Bomb Cosmetics - Superhero's Saviour Gift Pack - £17.99

2. Choconut Deluxe 12 Piece Assortment Spicy - £20.00

3. anCnoc Highland single malt Scotch - From £34

4. Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky - RRP £28

5. Sugru Home Hacks Starter Kit - £10

6. Skates Frenzy Recreational Scooter (adult sized!) - £69.95

7. Ordnance Survey Map of Mars - £24.99

8. Personalised Marmite - £4.99

9. TABAC Grooming Range - Starting from £4.60

10. Retro Games Controller from Joy - £10.00

11. Beanies Flavour Coffee - Various flavours

12. Coconut Grass - Personalised Pork Scratchings - £9.95

13. Gillette Fusion ProShield Chill - £10

14. Braun Body Groomer - RRP £39.99

15. Aldi Gaguedi South African Shiraz - Case of six £29.34 / single bottle £4.89

16. Vileda Windomatic - £39.99

Look out for a full review of the Scooter coming soon on here, my husband has been testing out it and has been racing with Elliot on his little scooter! 

Father's Day Crafts with Baker Ross

As part of the Baker Ross Network, we were sent a big box of Father's Day themed goodies. These included Wooden Keyring Kits, Wooden decorations, Face Cards, Handprint decoration kits and Tshirt Craft Boxes (not pictured)

Why is it so hard to get a toddler to look at the camera and smile!

As always Elliot couldn't wait to get stuck in! We decided to make the handprint decorations first. The instructions were easy to follow, the hardest part was finding a photo to go in it! Elliot only has little hands so we drew round my hand, he did say that the fingers looked a bit like sausages - thanks Elliot!! 

Elliot did get a bit over-enthusiastic and broke the frame but once it was stuck down, it wasn't noticeable! He loved sticking on the stars and he was really pleased with the finished result. 

Our next activity was the keyrings. These were a little fiddly getting the string through the beads and I had to take over on this one but Elliot did help by choosing which colour was going on where! 

We ran out of time for the other activities but we will definitely be finishing these in time for Father's Day. You can't beat an arty gift like these for the little ones to give their dad!

Baker Ross just have such an extensive selection on their website - there is something for everyone's creativity level, even people like me who have zero creativity! All the craft kits we received are all price under a fiver which is great value. 

For more Father's Day ideas, check out the Baker Ross website

Linking up with.....

Braun CoolTec CT2s-w Review

As part of my Father's Day gift guide, we were sent a Braun Cooltec CT2s-w Shaver to review. As I'm lacking in the facial hair department I handed this review over to my husband and here's what he had to say....

Braun CoolTec CT2s-w Review

I was a Philishave user from the day I was old enough to shave (I’m not far off 40 now!).  Two years ago I got fed up with splashing out for expensive and poor quality Philishave units which just break after just 6 months use.  On the third unit I jumped ships and I decided to move from Philishave 3 rounded heads to the more traditional dual horizontal heads of Braun.  A decision I am pleased to have made.  My first impression of my new Braun razor was how better the build quality is.  It was heavier and felt more solid and the shave was pretty close.  I had been using this for two years (and only needed to change the head once in this time).

I received the CoolTec CT2s-w electric razor and have been using it for 3 weeks now.  My first impression was also how good the build quality is.  Heavy, like it’s predecessor, and contoured to fit in my hand perfectly.  The first thing to do is give it a full charge.  My first surprise was there there is no power socket on the razor to charge it directly from mains.  Charging is via the provided dock which needed to be assembled first.  The razor can only be charged via the dock which is disappointing when I travel because this dock takes up valuable space in my bag!  Not a massive issue, charge generally lasts me about 5-7 days, enough for most trips away!

My skin has never been sensitive to shaving so I didn’t care about the active cooling technology which is this razor’s biggest selling point. However, within a few seconds, the integrated electro ceramic element against my face felt good it really did cool my skin as I shaved.  It was a bit odd at first but I soon got used to it and when I went back to my two year old Braun razor (I was away for a week and wanted to razor that I could charge directly from mains without a dock!) the active cooling was something I missed.

Cleaning the CoolTec CT2s-w was also really easy.  The head pops off much easier than my other Braun and cleaning under running warm water is all that is needed.  The CoolTec CT2s-w itself is waterproof to 5m (why you want to go 5m is anyone’s guess!) but assume this is why there is no power socket.

Overall, this is a really impressive electric shaver.  Probably the best one I have used and one I will be using for a long time.  I am not sure just how long the heads will last, I usually change them every 18 Months, sometimes later than this.

Disclaimer: We received the shaver for the purpose of this honest review. All views are my husband's own

Father's Day Cards by Dom and Geri

With Father's Day fast approaching, hopefully you've got a present sorted (if you're clueless, see my giftguide!) but have you got bought a card yet?

You might visit a card shop to pick up a card, or you might grab one in the supermarket when you do your shopping. You might even send one online...which is where Dom and Geri come in!

Dom and Geri is a quirky and fun brand who's website features lots of personalised greetings cards covering all occasions. What sets them apart from other well known online card retailers is that they offer matching personalised wrapping paper and gift tags - very useful and makes the present that little bit more special. 

We were sent a selection of Father's Day cards to review and first impressions were great. The cards were a decent size and the quality pretty good. I loved the glossy look of the cards too, and it sounds silly but they smelt nice! The smell took me back to my youth when I used to collect stickers for our Kylie and Jason sticker album....but that's abit irrelevant so moving on ;)

Our selection included a variety of cute, traditional and vintage and they were all personalised with either my husband's or Elliot's name. My personal favourite was the one you can see at the front of the photo - it's very cute but not in a mushy way and exactly what I'd look for when buying my husband a card from Elliot. There are lots to choose from on the website and definitely something for everyone. They even have a mature humour section for over 18's - it wasn't my cup of tea but I'm sure some will love it!

The cards come as a standard A5 size and are priced at £2.49, with 60p for delivery. I think this is a great price for a personalised card especially as you will find some really unique and quirky designs that you won't find elsewhere.

If you're not familiar with the Dom and Geri brand then it is definitely worth checking out their website, they have lots to offer and nice to have something a bit different from their well known competitors!

For more info, please visit http://www.domandgeri.com/

Disclaimer: We received the cards for the purpose of this honest review. All views are my own

Father's Day Gift Guide

My Dad is quite easy to buy for - there's always a book, or a cd that he wants so when it comes to birthdays, Christmas or Fathers Day we just ask him what he wants and he tells us! My husband on the other hand is really tricky. Well unless it's whisky....that is my go-to present option for him ;)

Father's Day is a few weeks away and I've got my thinking cap on and put together a gift guide incase any of you are scratching your heads and wondering what on earth to buy the men in your life. (Like I usually am!)

1. Braun Electric Shaver - The perfect gift for Father's Day, Braun come highly recommended by my husband! He has been testing out the Braun Cooltec Shaver for the past 3 weeks and he has very kindly taken over the blogging reins for one night only to bring you this review!
2. Tech 21 Evo Range featuring Flexshock - For the dads who love their smart phones, this innovative phone case is 30% thinner than other cases yet offers advanced impact protection. Sounds like a good choice if your little person likes to use their dad's phone to go on the CBeebies app ;)
3. Guinness Sauce - a good substitute for brown sauce, you could serve this up with a cooked brekkie on Father's Day morning gaining a few extra brownie points!
4. SteelSeries Stratus XL Wireless Gaming Controller - perfect if your Dad or husband is into his gaming. This is a full sized, console-style gaming controller designed for the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Elliot's Daddy can't wait to try this out!
5. Accentuate - If you fancy having a giggle with your family on Father's Day then this might be the one for you. Featuring 30 different accents from around the globe...do you know your Geordie from your German?!
6. Happy Socks from Fat Buddha Store - Socks are always a great present to give Dad (they can never have enough!) and this bright and colourful selection will be sure to brighten up anyone's day. My husband normally wears boring black so these ones brightened up his sock drawer nicely!
7. Kumala Wine - Most Dads like a tipple and this Chenin Blanc would be perfect served up chilled on Father's Day..or any day really!
8. Tala Thali Hot Curry Measure - this genius piece of kit comes in a lovely decorative tin and is perfect for the Dad who loves to cook. Using the curry measure you can whip up an Indian banquet with the help of the recipe booklet provided
9. Dad & Me and Dear Dad journal - Dad & Me is an interactive journal with spaces to draw and fun activity prompts to help a child and their Dad to share memories and experiences. Dear Dad is a beautifully designed journal which gives Dad the chance to tell his story and fill it with memories, hopes and dreams. Both books would make lovely keepsakes and Elliot's Dad can't wait to start filling his story in!

So there you have my Father's Day gift guide, hopefully I have covered all bases and there is something for even the pickiest of Dad's. It has certainly given me lots of ideas for the men in my life!

Coming soon - Dom & Geri Father's Day Cards Review

*Disclaimer - some of the items were provided to me for the purpose of this gift guide