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?!

Hand-made Gift Competition Launched

A quick heads up to a £1500 competition that we've launched over at pressies4princesses.co.uk.

We're looking for superstar hand-makers who make fantastic gift items. Pressies' is proud of its range of niche hand-made gifts - gifts that can't be found on every high street. But, we want more. Trouble is, tracking these crafty folks down isn't easy. That's why we launched a competition - to encourage hand-makers to contact us!

The prize is worth £1500; £500 cash to invest in your business and £1000 worth of guaranteed orders. But, the really great part is all the free publicity and advice you'll get (not to mention the on-going business).

Whether you are an established hand-maker or just toying with the idea of starting a business you can enter. All you need is a really great handmade gift! You can find our current handmade gift range here, if you want to compare.

Over at pressies we're used to working with smaller suppliers and also with helping new businesses in the early years. We are flexible, pay on time and are pleased to offer advice. We'll also help push your product forward with our professional photography, copywriting and graphic design. Working with us is very much a partnership.

Anyway, enough about how great we are. Get over to this page and get your entry in:
Hunt For Hand-making Heroes New Hand-made Gift Competition. We look forward to receiving it soon.

Best of luck!

Shoppers choose eco-friendly alternative

Around a quarter of gift shoppers at www.pressies4princesses.co.uk are choosing our environmentally friendly alternative to traditional gift wrapping.

Despite it's relative austerity compared to the opulence of the standard pressies' gift wrapping, a healthy portion of shoppers are demonstrating their environmental sensitivity by opting for the more easily recycled choice.

We introduced environmental gift wrapping to support other good practices, such as reusing in-bound packaging, composting waste office paper, buying recycled paper for forms, etc and even redistributing reuseable boxes through no-reserve ebay auctions - people buy them for home removals.

Offering this choice meant re-engineering our shopping basket software to enable multiple gift wrapping options. It was a significant investment for us, so we're delighted to see shoppers have taken up the chance to reduce the enviromental impact of what is, by virtue, non-essential economic activity!