Felicity Gail Win Hand-making Heroes

Over at pressies4princesses, we've been running a £1500 competition to find new handmade gifts. The idea being to promote hand-making in the UK and reward talent. We're pretty fanatical about UK handmade -- over a quarter of the pressies' gift range already is.

The competition culminated in a online vote, which closed 30 April. And, we're delighted to announce This Silver, Onyx and Jade Handcrafted Necklace by Felicity Gail is this year's winner. That's right -- we are planning to run the competition again next year, but bigger and better.



Felicity Gail is the brand name that Jackie Durrans and Debbie Brenner produce and sell their design-led handmade jewellery under. They take style clues from modern art sculpture and furniture. Their striking handcrafted jewellery is already sold at Tate galleries. In fact, the Tate has commissioned this talented duo to craft jewellery for exhibitions.

Jackie and Debbie will receive £500 to invest in their hand-making business. They will also have the opportunity to supply pressies4princesses with their exciting handcrafted jewellery, which could be the start of a great business relationship.

Latest Hot Stateside Import

If she's loving Dirty Sexy Money and lapping-up Gossip Girl, then she'll love this latest arrival that's taken the States by storm. Yes, arriving on our shores hotter than hotest new hit US TV show, are these fantastic hand-decorated Martini glasses by Lolita Designs.

Simply a perfect gift for girlfriends who like to set trends. They've been available on our little island for just a few weeks, but are already selling fast. They're massive in the US and are going to be just as big here by Christmas.

Give this gift now and she can claim to have discovered them - almost! You know she likes to get into stuff first, before everyone else.

There's a whole range of glasses to collect and each has a funky, now design and a motto the speaks to the 'IT' girl inside. And, each Martini glass is splendidly packaged in a gift box. At just £16.99 each, could there be a more perfect gift for her?

Gifts Solved Launched

Gifts Solved - our new blog offering gift giving advice launched last week over at www.pressies4princesses.co.uk.

"Gifts Solved" is going to be the hub of all our useful stuff: gift guides, gift reviews, giving tips, gift wrapping tutorials and that all-important inspiration, plus some fantastic offers.



The emphasis is on practical information and useful, usable content. Hopefully, what we've added so far demonstrates this...

• 
  Romance On a Shoestring - 28/4/2008
  


• 
  The Ultimate Ethical Gift Range? - 27/4/2008
  


• 
  Credit Crunch Gifts - 25/4/2008
  


• 
  Gifts Solved Launched - 22/4/2008
  

There will be something in it for both men and women. So, whether you are buying gifts for a girlfriend or wife, or for your best mate, Gifts Solved could be of interest to you.

Advice will be topical and timely and often backed by special offers. Our aim is to help visitors out of some of those giving tight spots - like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day - with relevant tips and offers. With the current squeeze on personal finances in the UK, we're currently running advice on how to make your giving pounds stretch further.

Inspiration will be a major ingredient too. Thinking what to buy is probably the main problem we all wrestle with when it comes to giving gifts. Through Gifts Solved we aim to share new ideas and maybe even provide some magic tools to help inspire you.

We're excited about Gifts Solved and we hope to get you excited about it too as it develops.

Squidoo Lens Launched

We've launched a Squidoo lens about gift wrapping. It contains details of our comprehensive gift wrapping guides. These share our gift wrapping expertise to take the pain out of wrapping gifts.

Win a £200 "Christmas Blues" Shopping Spree!

Win a £200 post-Christmas spending spree by telling us about the worst gift you ever received or gave!
[ Post your entry here ]


Well, Christmas is just 'round the corner. No doubt the shops will be decked out with their Christmas decorations this weekend. That's those that aren't already 'Christmassy'. Personally, I love the excesses of food and drink. Never forget what Christmas is really about: eating you own weight in Quality Street!

It's difficult to avoid that post-Christmas downer though, isn't it? You spend the best part of two months building up to it, then it whizzes by in a flash of parties, impromptu (drunken) carol singing and stuffing turkeys. After the pantomime is over, you find yourself addicted to Rennie or Alkaselzer, surrounded by bin bags full of gift wrap, with nothing to look forward to but a fridge full of left over turkey sandwiches and red letters from the bank regarding your over-drawn overdraft.

Yes, the long haul to next pay day can be a very long and tortuous one, indeed. Then, flip me, if it isn't Valentine's Day lurking 'round the very next corner. There's barely a breather then even more expense!

Our £200 prize would buy this handmade pendant necklace and leave change for a massive bouquet!

Well fear not, because at pressies4princesses we've decided to offer a £200 "Christmas Blues" spending spree to one lucky guy or girl to stretch the festive cheer. For blokes, this will help ease the burden of Valentine's. While girls, you get to buy yourself all the things that matey boy should have, but didn't!

To win, all you need to do is tell us about the worst present you ever received or gave. We'll pick one lucky winner at random from all the anecdotes.

Girls: this is your chance to shame your man, let go of disappointment and receive some well-earned sympathy (not to mention retail therapy) from us here at pressies'. And, once you've posted your sorry tale online, all womankind will offer their collective shoulder for you to cry on. Get it off your chest, post your rant here!

Boys: if you ballsed it up (again!) this £200 could put you back in her good books by Valentine's. That's right, just the 7 weeks of sulking and recriminations to cope with. Alternatively, if you have past failings to confess, here's a chance to clear your conscience and overdraft (well, not make it any worse on Valentine's Day). C'mon, fess up here by posting a comment!

Read the responses to date...

To enter, simply post your story here as a comment.

Please do avoid swearing - as strong as the urge may take you! Comments are pre-moderated for suitability. All published comments will be put in the prize draw, so be sure to include an email address we can contact you at.

Post now - this competition will close once we tire of reading all those sob stories!

I look forward to reading your rant or confession.

Steve

Find more free competitions from other companies here:The Prize Finder - UK CompetitionsFreebieList.com's UK Free StuffUK Competitions and Prize Draws at UKwins

Uchi Ozzie Bags Up

Uchi: The name sounds Japanese. In fact, it is; it means home or inside, apparently. And, the funky designs are more 'Tokyo', than New South Wales. But, incredibly, the company is actually Australian.

Uchi Handbag Bath Bag at pressies4princesses

Uchi's travel, cosmetics, utility and baby changing bags are the latest addition to our 'style' range. And, deservedly so. Never has the humble wash bag looked so damned chic. The prints are achingly good and, sheer delight, the quality doesn't disappoint either.

If you know a frequently traveller, I can't think of a better gift. Any girl who likes their lippy to hand would adore a compact Cosmetics Organiser, I am sure. While new mum's will be liberated by the Uchi baby changing bag and accessories. Seriously, I see a lot of products. And, as a father to a two year old, I am well accustomed to nappy changing al fresco. That bag has so many features and holders and pockets, that it's nothing short of bloody brilliant. Plus, it looks great too.

Check out the whole range here: Uchi bags and cases.

Get hitched as a Disney Princess

If every girl dreams of being a princess, then they probably dream of being a Disney Princess. Disney put the idea into every western 5 year old's head - through the power of their cartoons and 'merchandising machine'. Their fairy tale princess is almost certainly the most pervasive; the one most girls grew up with. Their fantasy is the image inside every wannabe princess's head. Now, they've decided to close the loop.

Yes, after 50-plus years of making every girl aspire to be a princess, Disney now helps to make it a reality... of some sorts. It's called Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings. They supply the wedding gown, bridesmaids' outfits, jewellery and veils - all inspired by the Disney Princesses girls have grown up wanting to be.

They'll be at New York Bridal Fashion Week this week showcasing gowns designed by "renowned" (never heard of her) designer Kirstie Kelly.

I guessing that this won't catch on over here. Surely us brits can see when we're being exploited?!