For The Garden, Gift Reviews
GL-200 Garden Labeller
It’s the time of year where we are our in our garden’s trying to tidy up and plant some spring bulbs. My garden is a mess but it’s also my childrens most exciting time as we go a bit mad on bulbs! We buy them from lots of different shops and the 3 children plant their own. I love to watch this excitement, while clearing old plants from the summer and cutting back my shrubs.
This winter we have labelled everywhere we have planted bulbs. It is the best idea ever as in the past, we would forget where we planted what and there were surprises all round!
The GL-200 garden labeller is my favourite gardening accessory. The labels are weatherproof so they are ideal for the job at hand. Rain, humidity, heat and also frost resistant, there are hundreds of jobs for this gadget. My hubby does use this for other jobs outside, but it is mostly used for labelling plants and pots.
The children can use this themselves, it is dead easy. It is small enough to be hand held and very easily stored.
The GL-200 Garden label Marker would be a great Christmas present for grandparents or anyone who enjoys the outdoors.
Available from www.amazon.co.uk
RRP around £32.50
For The Garden, Gift Reviews, Leisure Gifts, Teenage Gifts, Toy Reviews
Sci-fi Sledge from QVC.
Do you prefer summer or winter? That’s a hard question, both have ups and downs.
I love the warmer weather, but I absolutely adore snow. We do not always get snow in Ireland, but I have my fingers crossed for this year!
If we are lucky to have a white Christmas, I am totally prepared. My children will hopefully be whizzing down the hills on a Sci-fi sledge from www.qvcuk.com
For The Garden, Gadget Gifts, Gift Reviews
Littl’Juey 650W Electric Line Trimmer.
DIY – Do it yourself, that is my motto – married for 10 years, I have come to the realisation that if you want a job done, it’s best not to even ask. There is nothing worse than a job started and not finished. I have counted 47 of these within my house and in the garden, so now I ‘DIY’!
More and more ladies are catching onto this DIY, and my friends agree, why continue to ask a man to do a job week after week, and even sometimes year after year? We are perfectly capable of carrying out minor household and gardening tasks – after all, it’s a proven fact women are much better at ‘everything’ than men.
I recently took it upon myself to cut the hedge and edge the lawn. I love my garden and enjoy keeping it tidy. My hubby would not be as keen, so these gardening jobs would be ‘put on the long finger’ ie- not done.
For The Garden, Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Indoor Allotment.
I adore my garden and hate to see the winter approaching. My gorgeous geraniums are hauled inside, along with a few other tender plants. I then struggle to accommodate them and the little cuttings I make from my favourite coloured plants.
My kitchen window would have been their home till spring but it was a lot of work moving the pots around to clean the window and to ensure they had adequate light.
For The Garden, Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
PG Tips ‘Royal tea-cup’ cocktail.
To celebrate the birth of the latest heir apparent to the British throne, PG tips has developed a new take on the traditional cuppa to wet the baby’s head – a ‘royal-tea cup’ cocktail.
Working with Rebecca Seal, drinks expert from Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, the Fruit Cup style cocktail takes inspiration straight from the royal wedding day to combine details from the pair’s nuptials with quintessentially English ingredients, resulting in a rich and refreshing PG tipple packed full of Britishness and served in dainty tea cups.
Ingredients in a PG tips ‘royal-tea cup’ include:
– Strawberries – as a major crop in Cambridgeshire, these summery English berries are perfect to include as part of a royal celebration
– Rose petals – two new rose bushes were named after the happy couple and planted in the grounds of Windsor Castle and sugar roses were used to decorate their eight-tier wedding cake
– Sparkling wine – English sparkling wine was served to guests at the bride and groom’s wedding breakfast
– PG tips The Rich One – like red wine, all tea contains tannins, which gives drinks a wonderfully rich flavour. We’ve used PG tips The Rich One for its full-bodied taste
– Gin – a quintessentially British ingredient and, according to Rebecca Seal, the botanicals used to make gin (like juniper) perfectly complement the flavours in tea
– Cucumber – from a dainty finger sandwich at traditional afternoon tea
– Apple juice – from the fruit trees of the great British orchards
– Elderflower – from the hedgerows that line England’s green and pleasant land
– Mint – from English country gardens
Monkey, Brand Ambassador for PG tips said of the birth: “I’m so excited about the new baby, I’m having to calm my nerves each day with a relaxing brew. I hope the Queen will be chuffed with this celebration cocktail; I’ll definitely be enjoying a ‘royal-tea cup’ or two now the Baby Windsor is born.”
A ‘royal-tea cup’ cocktail can be made either with or without alcohol and is perfect for a sunny garden party, to have with afternoon tea or as an aperitif before a barbecue.
Purchase yours now from http://www.pgtips.co.uk/
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For The Garden, Homeware Reviews
Karcher SC 1.020
First of all, let me say that this steam cleaner is to housework what Google is to the internet… invaluable!
When I first obtained my Karcher SC1.020, I didn’t realize just how ‘multi-purpose’ it would be. I have used it, with great success, in most rooms in my house.
I suppose there were 2 reasons why I decided to try a steam washer. The first being the fact that I live on a farm, with 3 young children constantly running in and out, bring all manner of dirt and grime with them. The second reason is that I do not like using chemical cleaners in my house, as I can’t imagine the fumes and artificial perfumes of such cleaners being very good for you. I am delighted to say that this steam cleaner cleans extremely effectively without the need for any additional cleaning creams, which is saving me money and providing a more healthy environment for my family.
This steam cleaner is very effective on my tiled kitchen floor, the beauty being in the fact that it does not leave streaks. With very little effort on my part, my kitchen floor looks like new every time.( Mind you, it doesn’t stay that way very long!)
In our area, we are plagued with limescale in our water, which leaves awful stains on the shower and sink. I usually have to spray on limescale remover and leave it to work for a while. This annoys me as the smell permeates through my whole house. Not any more though, as this steam cleaner quickly and effectively removes all limescale and soap scum from my bathroom, with no nasty odours. This is priceless to me. It also managed to remove a patch of mould which has been slowly growing on the side of my shower tray, which I had tried in vain to remove with specialized mould remover. My toilet has never been cleaner, with 2 boys in our house, this is no mean feat.
I have even used it to spot clean stains on my carpets that I had given up on ever being rid of. Now my carpets look like new again!
Not content with all this success, I decided to try my new toy on my windows.
I have to admit, I am not the most proficient window cleaner in the world, and find it hard to leave my windows streak-free. I am pleased to say now that this is all in the past, as my steam cleaner is able to leave my windows spotless without using any window cleaner, which I always blamed for those residual streaks.
This Karcher steam cleaner comes with a variety of attachments, including a floor tool, a detail nozzle for those awkward, hard to reach areas, and a hand tool. Terry cloths are supplied for both floor and hand tools. I found the attachments simple to exchange, and the terry cloths are washable, which means they can be used over and over again. The small brush tool is a very useful item, my husband uses this to clean the alloy wheels on our car with great success.
This Karcher steam cleaner has a 1 litre tank capacity. As I was filling it for the first time, I was expecting to have to refill it a short time later, but I was surprised at how long the tank of water lasted. The heat-up time is less than 10 minutes. I use this time to do a quick vacumn before I started. There is a steam flow control on the handle, personally I find the machine to work best when I keep the steam output low. When I am finished, I press the nozzle to allow all the steam to escape, and then empty the tank- very simple. It is surprisingly lightweight and compact which makes it very easy to store and transport around the house.
All in all, I would very much recommend this Karcher Steam Cleaner, it has certainly taken the ‘work’ out of housework for me and saves me valuable time, in which I can be doing many other important things. I no longer dread cleaning day now that I have my new magic helper! The only thing is, I’m wondering do my visitors think I have a cleaning service…
Available from www.karcher.co.uk
For The Garden, Gift Reviews
‘Getting Personal’
So, how can you give a gift that is truly ‘personal’? Try ‘GettingPersonal.co.uk’ of course! This wonderful site has an array of personalised items that would make super original gifts for both men and women.
I love the Crates! They would suit gardeners and also those who don’t fancy donning wellies and a spade but quite enjoy a nice display at the front door – like myself! The apple crates are made from sturdy pine wood and can be finished in 3 colours – Rustic Pine, Aged Oak or Blue Wash.
Now for the cool part – they can be personalised! I have had one ordered for my sister – she is a gardening fanatic and grows almost everything that can be grown in this country. Her planter has the inscription ‘Leann’s Herbs’, and I must say, she was speechless when I gave it to her. It now looks stunning at her back door with an array of parsley, thyme and rosemary oozing from it giving off a delightful mixed sent of fresh herbs. The planters can be used to display other gifts like bathroom goodies and even vegetables so do have a look on the website for lots of ideas.
The personalised apple crates are available from £29.99 and definitely worth every penny.
GettingPersonal.co.uk also offer square planters which can also be personalised with an apple motif – also made from wood! Mine looks great at the front door with No. 1 etched on the apple. It sure attracts a lot of comments and admiring glances.
The gardening range also extends to a variety of other useful and practical items. The Gardener’s Waterproof Notepad caught my eye as I have lost too many gardening notes thanks to the ‘lovely’ weather in Northern Ireland! This book is 100% waterproof – I have proved that and I wouldn’t be without it now.
GettingPersonal.co.uk have thought of everything, including a waterproof graphite pencil to go with the book. My husband loves his boat and now I have to order another one for him. So, not just for gardeners!
To me, this set is the bargain of the month for an amazing £9.99 available from http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk/?gclid=CIWZsaK_p7gCFYPHtAod13wAsQ
For The Garden, Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Ashortwalk eco programme.
Its’ summer at last and I for one have rushed off to my local garden centre and bought lots of bedding plants to fill my empty pots! I am not alone, as garden centres are very busy with people just like me. Now, I pose a question? What do you do with the plastic pots when you have so delicately re-potted your new plants? I used to store them in the garden shed until they landed at my feet every time I opened the door, something had to be done. Well, something has been done and it sure is impressive.
‘Pot to Product’ is a newly launched scheme aiming to recycle the ‘FIVE MILLION’ old plastic flower pots estimated to be resting in the sheds and greenhouses of Britain! WOW!
The old pots are recycled into new garden products and this is done within the UK. Ashortwalk is the company behind this worthwhile initiative and their website is really worth a browse. They have managed to produce super items from recycled pots and other discarded items. Their range includes outdoor clocks, a coastal range dictating the tides worldwide, and super handy birdfeeders like the one below for only £7.95.
The indoor range includes contemporary placemats, condiment sets and beautiful clocks and photo frames. I love it as its modern and suits many tastes. I have given my sister the condiment set as a ‘new home’ present and she was delighted. (£21.95)
So, if you are eco-friendly, this is the website for you. I was very impressed and will definitely be visiting this site coming up to Christmas for unusual and useful gifts.
The eco grow your own herb starter kit (£14.95).
To view the full range of products visit:
http://www.ashortwalk.com/eco_products_for_the_garden.php
For The Garden, Toy Reviews
Hoverpetz
Who doesn’t want a Hoverpetz? These crazy flying monsters are all my kids talk about these days and I must admit – they are an ingenious invention. New from Terox, the Hoverpetz come in 4 designs, or personalities I should say!
Gonk – orange, Moosh – purple, Jelo- pink and Kook – green. They all whizz around above our heads expertly controlled by a r/c infra red controller or individual flight plans may be followed using your smart phone (the app for this can be downloaded free). What will they think of next! Not sure who plays with this the most, the kids or their dad!
Each pet lights up so they can be seen in dim light, and are built to withstand multiple crash landings – in case its ever my turn to have a go! Made from durable light plastic with flexible feet, these petz are stable on the ground and amazing in the air.
The easy to fly technology and full 6 way directional controls makes for a super cool flying experience – see for your-self and view the video www.hoverpetz.co.uk priced from £39.99. Now for the hard part – which cute flying character will you choose?
For The Garden, Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Pampered Chef Outdoor Party Sticks
Pampered Chef Outdoor Party sticks.
Don’t these look great? What an invention – well done Pampered Chef, you really do think of everything. These outdoor party sticks can be placed in the ground and hold your glasses, wine bottle or cans while you enjoy your BBQ. They look super, with different coloured little tips so we know whose glass belongs to who! Very impressive indeed, and I have used these at every outdoor event since first purchased. Pampered Chef outdoor party sticks are also perfect for taking along on picnics and especially to the beach, as they hold the glasses firmly and prevent spills when you don’t have a table dining al fresco.
They come in a set of 6, with an extra stick for holding a bottle. A perfect gift for both families and couples.
If you want to buy these just click on the link. Pampered chef outdoor party sticks.