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Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Custom illustration cartoon couple portrait

I’ve put together some Valentine’s Day gift ideas to make the 14th February extra special, because right now we all really need something to look forward to! Whether you’re looking for something fun to do with your bae, something to spice things up a bit, something sweet and romantic or even something for your gal pals, read on…

Valentine’s Day gifts ideas for couples

It seems unlikely we’ll be getting out on Valentine’s Day, so this Date Night in a Box is the perfect alternative. And much nicer than eating from an overpriced set menu anyway…

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas - Date night in a box gift idea
Date Night in a Box

Or if you’d like some inspiration that lasts the whole year, this Box of Date Night Cards might be just the thing.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas - A Year of Dates in a Box
A Year of Dates

This sexy little coupon book will give them a whole lot of treats to look forward to well beyond Valentine’s Day. Or you can make your own diy coupons!

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas - Sexy little coupon book
Sexy little coupon book

If they’re into baking or cooking then this personalised metal spatula is both practical and romantic 😍 You can find lots of personalised gift ideas for other interests too.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas - Personalised metal spatula
Personalised metal spatula

Or everyone wears socks, so why not get them a personalised pair to remind them you’re ‘sole’ mates every time they wear them?! 😁

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas - Personalised Sole Mates Photo Socks
Personalised Sole Mates Photo Socks

Galentine gift ideas

Of course buddies are just as important as baes, and these days February celebrations aren’t just for couples anymore. Etsy has a great range of cute ideas to let your bestie know how special she is this Galentine’s Day (usually celebrated on 13th February).
How about a Galentine’s wish bracelet? You can even customise the colour 😃

Galentine's Day Gift Idea - Customisable Galentine's Wish Bracelet
Customisable Galentine’s Wish Bracelet

Got quite a few Galentine’s gifts to send out? You can customise mini bottles of Prosecco or Champagne for your gal pals with these ‘Bubbles for my Babes’ labels. Too cute!

Galentine's Day Bubbles for my Babes Labels
Galentine’s Day Bubbles for my Babes Labels

I also create custom cartoon portraits which work equally well for best friends or couples – but get your order in quickly as I can only create a finite number of these in time for Valentine’s Day!

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas - Couple cartoon portrait
Couple cartoon portrait

I hope these Valentine’s Day gift ideas help make your February as special as possible. Love will keep us going through all the crap that life has to offer, so it’s worth celebrating!

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The best boozy gifts for Dads

Best boozy gifts for Dad

Most of us in the UK loooooove our booze and it can make a very handy gift for Dads who are notoriously difficult to buy for. (If your Dad doesn’t drink then you may want to skip this post…) I thought that while I research some gifts for my own Dad I’d share them with you here, as you are no doubt someone who cares about the cards and gifts that you give.
Of course not all alcohol themed gifts have to be actual alcohol so as well as actual booze I’ve found some other prezzies that I consider to be the best boozy gifts for Dads when a slightly more original route is needed.

What sort of booze does your Dad like? Mine is a brandy and beer man (not together…) There may be a slight bias towards these in my ideas but you can usually find something similar in the same shop for different types of drinks. So even if your Dad prefers whisky, wine, flamboyant cocktails or any other alcoholic beverages, you should still get some inspiration for him.

Actual boozy gifts

My parents don’t have a lot of room in their house so getting him actual booze as a gift means they don’t have to find somewhere to store it indefinitely. Here are some ideas I’m considering that offer something more than just the alcohol…

Bucket of beer from Prezzybox
Bucket of beer from Prezzybox

This Bucket of Beer from Prezzybox is more interesting than just beer. He’ll have a range of snacks to munch on whilst sampling the ales – I’m pretty sure my Dad would love this. I quite often create my own hampers for my parents but this is already done for me.

Dark Chocolate and Red Wine Gift Hamper from Chocolate Trading Co
Dark Chocolate and Red Wine Gift Hamper from Chocolate Trading Co

This Dark Chocolate Gift Hamper from the Chocolate Trading Co is another strong contender. Rioja and dark chocolate… yum! Or maybe I’ll suggest that my Dad gets this for me instead 😄 There’s also a Milk Chocolate version with Merlot.

Personalised gifts

Personalised brandy glass by personalisedpresentz on Etsy - best boozy gifts
Personalised brandy glass by personalisedpresentz on Etsy

If your budget is a bit more modest then this personalised brandy glass by Personalisedpresentz on Etsy is a very thoughtful gift – or team it with a bottle of his favourite tipple so that he has a keepsake for when the bottle is empty. You could do the same thing with this personalised beer bottle opener from Not On The High Street.

personalised bottle opener
Personalised bottle opener from Not On The High Street

Other boozy gifts

Brewery Tour and Tasting for Two from Prezzybox - best boozy gifts
Brewery Tour and Tasting for Two from Prezzybox

This Brewery Tour and Tasting for Two from Prezzybox would be a terrific gift if you want something you can do with your Dad (once lockdown is over). I wish I’d found this a long time ago, as  I think my Dad would’ve loved this, but sadly I don’t think his health is up to it any more.

Talking Tables Whisky Board Game from Yes I Want It - best boozy gifts
Talking Tables Whisky Board Game from Yes I Want It

If your Dad is a whisky fan then here’s something else you could do together: play this Whisky board game that you’ve bought him! It says no drinking is required, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a rule…

If your Dad is looking for a new hobby (or you think he should be) then this book, Master of Home Distilling, could teach him how to distill his own booze. It might also make him appreciate it more when you do buy him a bottle of something that actually tastes good! Or you could both give it a go and spend time together that way. There are also brewing kits you can buy for making various different types of alcohol so that’s another option if expecting him to star from scratch seems like a step too far.

I hope these gift ideas are as useful to you as they were to me when I was doing my research for this post. Let me know if you get any of them for your own Dad and whether it was a hit or not – I’m always excited to hear from my readers and get feedback.

Finally, don’t forget to get your Dad a card too – take a look at the range in my shop now.

In the spirit of honesty and openness, I wanted to let you know that a few of the links above are affiliate links. This means I could get a small commission if you click on them and buy, but it won’t cost you anything. And I’ve not recommended anything I don’t think is a terrific gift.

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Choosing a 60th birthday wishes card

Whiskey 60th birthday card

How do you choose a card to send 60th birthday wishes? 60 years old is an appreciable milestone, so you don’t want to give just any old card. I always think that if you’re going to go to the trouble of giving a card then it might as well be a great one!
Of course this applies to any milestone birthday, but I’ll use a 60th as an example. You have a few options if you don’t want to go the generic card route (and why would you?)

  • Choose a card that emphasises the 60
  • Choose a card that is tailored to them personally
  • Choose a card that does both!

If it’s someone you actually give a crap about then why not do both? (And if they’re not, then WHY are you sending them a card?!)

Make it personal

By choosing a card that shows that you remember that it’s their 60th birthday and that you know them well enough to know what they like, you’re also showing that you’ve given this card some thought and not just bought the first thing you saw.

For instance if you know they love their wine, then you could send a card like this one…

Wine 60th birthday wishes - 60th birthday card

Buy this wine 60th birthday card

But if they’re more of a whiskey drinker, you could choose this one…

Whiskey 60th birthday wishes - 60th birthday card

Buy this whiskey 60th birthday card

You could also give a card that reflected their favourite hobby, TV show or anything else you know they like. If they’re known for being a chocaholic, or pizza guzzler, or coffee fanatic… well, you get the idea!

Custom 60th birthday wishes

For extra brownie points, you could customise the card with their name. This way they’ll know you put some extra effort in, in advance, and didn’t just pick a card off a rack at the last minute.

You could also make a card yourself if you’re that way inclined, or if you have kids you could get them to do it, with a little bit of overseeing.

And if you really want to go all out then you could go for a professionally printed but completely custom card like the one below. These are all completely one of a kind, as I draw the cartoon portrait from photos that are sent to me. You can’t get much more personal than that 🙂

Custom cartoon portrait 60th birthday card

Order a custom cartoon portrait card to send 60th birthday wishes

There are so many great cards out there to choose from, so there’s really no excuse for sending a crappy one… And obviously these tips apply to choosing any milestone birthday card, not just choosing 60th birthday wishes.
Do you have any other tips for choosing birthday cards that are extra special? If so let me know on social media or by dropping me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

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Beer illustrations

Beer illustrations

It’s starting to look a bit like I’m obsessed with alcohol… (who me?!) These beer illustrations follow on from the cocktail illustrations I did last week. I’m not actually much of a fan of beer, though I don’t mind half a pint of Guinness now and then, or the very occasional lager on a particularly hot day.
Continue reading Beer illustrations

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Cocktail illustrations

Cocktail Illustrations

These cocktail illustrations were inspired by a brilliant girly week away I had with some friends last week. I’m usually more of a wine girl, but it was so hot that the icy cocktails were really hitting the spot! We went to Lanzarote and, although it turns out it was just as hot in the UK, it was great to be able to enjoy the good weather with a pool, cocktails and no work to do 🙂 Continue reading Cocktail illustrations