Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Today's post is my final Mother's Day gift guide for the year but don't worry as you still have time to find a gift and I hope that this post will give you some gift ideas for Mother's Day or for any upcoming birthdays you need to buy for. Thanks to the lovely and generous people over at Feather and Down, Innabox and Latest Deals!

*InnaBox Tea & Biscuits Pins (£6)

Let's start with the cutest item in todays post and it's from the wonderful and very talented Nicola from Innabox. She has such a fantastic range of unique pins, mugs, patches, jewellery and more, all of which feature amazing illustrations and very unique designs. I was kindly set this pin duo which is absolutely adorable and features mug and biscuit illustrations.

I think the design is so cute and very British with the mug of tea and biscuit illustrations! They're made of acrylic and stainless steel, the quality is great and the size is perfect as I don't like huge pins - the smaller size makes them even more adorable. They'd make a fantastic Mother's Day or birthday gifts. It's so important to support smaller, independent stores especially as it means that you get a unique gift so you're guaranteed to gift something the recipient won't have.

*Feather & Down Pillow Mist (£7, 100ml)

Now onto some of the most incredible smelling products I've ever used! I have been lucky enough to use some of these products already and I cannot recommend them enough. I've been used the heavenly Feather & Down pillow mist for the past few weeks on and off and I feel as though it genuinely helps me fall asleep and it's one of the most effective relaxation products to help me unwind.

The pillow mist contains chamomile and lavender, the latter is one of my all time favourite scents (along with cut grass and freshly baked bread). An independent study conducted with 103 people over a 4 week period confirms my experience of this product as they found that 83% of the people fell asleep quicker than usual when using this pillow mist. It's also a Beauty Awards 2017 winner! It would make a divine smelling gift for any hard working people in your life!

*Feather & Down Melting Shower Cream (£6, 250ml)

The next product is another favourite, I used up my first bottle a couple of weeks ago and I've been missing it ever since. It has the same wonderful, relaxing scent as the pillow mist but it's in a luxurious shower cream form. The shower cream contains lavender and chamomile essential oils and sunflower seed oil which makes for an indulgent, moisturising and extremely relaxing shower cream. You only need a small amount so a little will go a long away and it would be perfect to pair with the pillow mist for a sleep helping duo.

*Feather & Down All Purpose Sleep Balm (£7, 16g)

Lastly for the divine Feather & Down products is the sleep balm which can be used on the pulse points, wrists, temples or cuticles for a moisturising balm that helps to unwind before bed. As with the previous products it contains chamomile and lavender essential oils as well as coconut oil, cocoa seed butter and sunflower seed oil. All three would be great to include within a pampering, relaxation hamper for your mum this Mother's Day!

Image from Yankee Candle via Pinterest 

My final gift idea is one that I would personally love to receive - candles! Yankee Candle is one of my favourite candle brands and some of my favourite scents are from their food and halloween ranges (the Witches Brew scent is one of my all time favourite candle scents) but they can be a little pricey *annoyingly* but Latest Deals has numerous offers on Yankee Candle items. Latest Deals have so many great offers on a range of Yankee Candle candles, gift sets, candle accessories and candles of various sizes, from their large jars to the small jars and everything in-between. I personally love the Yankee Candle small jars as they are a great way of trying new scents without buying the huge large jars. Also the smaller jars tend to be on offer/sale more than their other items.

Candles make such an easy, safe gift for Mother's Day and this time of the year means that gorgeous spring-like and easter candles are being bought out and some of the equally as gorgeous wintery scents are being discounted. Latest Deals currently have great offers on gift sets, one of which I've already reviewed on my blog (check out my Mother's Day Gift Guide ft. Blueberry Tree for the review) and I cannot recommend their gift sets enough as they are not only great value for money but they smell so lovely and make substantial gifts. As well as the fantastic Yankee Candle deals, they also have deals on beauty gift sets, fragrances, pampering gift sets, homeware and more. Check out Latest Deals for so many offers on everything from Mother's Day gifts, birthday gifts, toiletries, tech accessories, books and many more items. Additionally, they have an up to date list on amazing freebies (for example, free books and samples) and competitions!

What do you think of my final Mother's Day gift ideas post? 

*This is a sponsored post 

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Mother's Day Gifts ft. Prestige Flowers

Mother's Day is this Sunday but don't panic if you don't have a gift yet because Prestige Flowers has the answer. Prestige Flowers has a wide range of stunningly beautiful bouquets as well as extras that can be added to your order such as chocolates, balloons, wine and more. They are the perfect option for last minute gifts because you can order by 9pm for next day delivery!

*Prestige Flowers Lomond Bouquet (£34.99)

I was very kindly sent this beautiful bouquet which features peachy sorbet roses, germini flowers, foliage and shamrock blooms all of which combine to make a colourful, spring-like and beautiful bouquet that would make an ideal Mother's Day or birthday gift. Along with the bouquet, there's also flower feed included and currently you can get a free box of handmade British truffles with this bouquet so go, go, go!

The bouquet is gorgeous, it smells heavenly and it's such a lovely gift to receive especially as last week we had so many snow days that any spring-like flowers will be sure to brighten and bring a little spring joy into any home. Also you don't need to worry about the flowers arriving damaged or looking less than their best because all of the flowers are fresh and well protected.

As well as the bouquet you can also choose added extras to include with the bouquet and I was sent an adorable teddy (£5.99 extra) and a box of luxury chocolates (£6.90 extra) with my bouquet so thank you to the lovely people at Prestige Flowers. The teddy is so soft, absolutely adorable and such a sweet addition to a bouquet for Mother's Day.

In addition to the teddy, I also received a box of the Valley British Crafted Chocolates which are milk chocolate hearts - the ingredients list is on the back of the box (they're suitable for vegetarians, not vegans). Each chocolate is individually wrapped in pink foil and they look so cute! I cannot recommend this gift option enough as it's the perfect last minute but thoughtful Mother's Day gift especially if you include some of the extras available such as a teddy, chocolates, wine, balloons or a clear vase to display the bouquet.

What do you think of these gift ideas for Mother's Day? Will you be checking out Prestige Flowers for a last minute gift? 

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Mother's Day Gifts ft. Blueberry Tree

Today's post is another Mother's Day gift guide featuring a range of gorgeous gift ideas (for Mother's Day or birthdays) from the wonderful people over at Blueberry Tree, they have a fantastic variety of gifts to choose from. Today's post features cute homeware items, deliciously scented spring time candles and cute accessories.

*Yankee Candle Love Gift Set (£14.99)

Let's start with the homeware items! Yankee Candle is one of my favourite candle brands, I've tried so many and some of my favourites have to include Witches Brew, Christmas Cookie and Midsummers Night but I haven't really tried any of the fruity or very floral scents. This gift set contains a small jar of the Red Raspberry scent as well as two votive candles in True Rose and Peony.

I haven't tried any of these scents from Yankee Candle so I'm excited to try them! I've had a sniff of each of them and they're all gorgeous, especially the True Rose scent. All three are absolutely perfect for spring which finally seems to be on it's way. Small jar candles are some of my favourite Yankee Candle sizes as they look so cute, it's a great way to try a scent without buying the huge large jars and they are a little cheaper. The small jars are usually £8.99 each and the votive candles are around £1.99 each - it's such a nice trio to include within a cute gift set.

The Red Raspberry scent contains notes of juicy orange, mandarin, black cherry, raspberries, strawberries, black currant, strawberry leaves, sweet musk and crystallised sugar which sounds delicious. True Rose contains notes of bergamot, apple, rose honeysuckle, white flowers, musk and woody notes. Lastly, Peony contains notes of sweet peony, pink peony and blonde woods.

*World's Best Mum Ring Dish (£3.29)

Onto the final homeware item, it's an adorable ring or earring dish. It comes in the cutest packaging, it's so reasonably priced and I adore the design. It's a ceramic dish that is approx. 8cm by 8cm so it's a small size but it would be perfect to store rings, earrings, small stationery items or even as a mini coaster/dish for chocolate, cookies or small snacks.

*World's Best Mum Compact Mirror (£3.69)

Another item with the same packaging and design is this adorable compact mirror. The ring dish and compact mirror would be great to gift as a matching duo or as part of a gift hamper for Mother's Day. The design for both items is so colourful, cute and perfect for spring.

*Katie Loxton Icon Pouch - Free Spirit (£17.50)

I came across this brand in a cute greeting card store in Chester a couple of years ago and loved the branding and product designs so I'm so happy to have one of her items. The cute pouch came in a lovely Katie Loxton gift bag and it was beautifully packaged. The pouch I have is the bright pink 'free spirit' design but there are various options to choose from with numerous messages on the front in her signature gold text as well as cute keyrings, candles, notebooks and stunning bucket bags.

The design features hand drawn gold floating feather icons which are so pretty and match the bright fuchsia pink so well. I also think that the feather illustrations compliment the 'free spirit' design and message perfectly. The pouch material has a luxury saffiano finish, a branded gold zip and a grey lining. The size I have is the 35cm by 20cm option which is a great size for travelling or keeping in a larger handbag - it would be perfect to store your passport, tickets and travel documents! The pouch could also be used as a cute clutch or to keep in your to store important items such as your cards, change, tickets, ID or your phone.

I think all of these gifts would make wonderful, unique Mother's Day or birthday gifts this year! I adore the Yankee Candle set and the beautiful Katie Loxton pouch. There are are many other items to choose from at Blueberry Tree (it's a fantastic online gift shop) including candles, accessories, homeware items and more. They offer free delivery on orders over £50 and you can receive a free candle with orders over £60.

What do you think of my gift guide featuring Blueberry Tree?

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*Winter To Spring Playlist

With all the snow that we've been having in the UK over this week, it doesn't feel like spring is on it's way but it is! There's sunshine, warmer days and flowers in bloom at the end of the frozen, icy tunnel and I cannot wait for it. To bring some spring into our home, I have some gorgeous freesias and I've been listening to some more upbeat, spring (for me) music.

My taste in music is very eclectic from classical music, soundtracks and 90's pop to pop punk, metal, alternative and everything in-between but my top two genres have to include: pop punk and alternative which is what I'd categorise most of the songs on my winter to spring playlist, as well as others I've been listening to that aren't on this list.

I either listen to music on my iPhone 7 or if at home alone, which is most of the time, I listen to music on my Crosley Cruiser Rose Gold Vinyl Record Player. I was unsure as to whether I'd actually use a record player but I'm so glad that I purchased my record player as it not only looks amazing but I love playing music out loud and having a sing along, it's something that definitely helps to lift my mood during the cold winter days.

The music I've been listening to recently is very eclectic as you can see from my list, it features everything from Ru Paul, Fall Out Boy and Green Day to music from the later 00's. Everything on my list is so energetic, uplifting and 'feel good' music for me which is definitely what is needed on freezing cold snow days!

Do you own a record player? What do you think of my currently playlist? What have you been listening to recently? 

*This is a sponsored post

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Blog Tour: The Binding Song - An Eerie Thriller

I have been reading so much this year already and one of the quickest books has to be The Binding Song which I was very kindly sent by Mulholland Books which is an imprint of Hodder and Stoughton. Today's post is another book blog tour so I'm reviewing The Binding Song along with a group of other fantastic book bloggers.

*The Binding Song by Elodie Harper (304 pages - available now) ★★★

The hardback, which has an amazingly creepy cover, has been available for a while but it is now out in paperback form. It's categorised on Amazon as a horror ghost story and it is to an extent but I'd categorise it more as a creepy thriller. The book is fairly short at just over 300 pages and is claimed to be perfect for fans of Mo Hayder and Sharon Bolton, both of which I've never read.

We follow Dr Janet Palmer as she starts a new job as the psychologist at HMP Halvergate, a prison with a questionable past, disturbed inmates and secrets that are being hidden by the staff. The premise sounded fantastic, eerie and like a quick, page turning thriller with creepy horror elements which is something I haven't read for a while.

The book, for me personally, started off a little slow but thankfully it definitely picked up the pace as we find out about the prison, it's inmates and Dr Palmers past. The writing was quick, easy and the mystery was definitely compelling, if more than a little unbelievable at times. I liked the setting as it added an element of eerie suspense, claustrophobia and sinister tension to the story.

I liked the mystery and the secrets that the prison and it's inmates hold - that element of the book definitely carried me through but I found the ending a touch predictable and not quite as dramatic or shocking as I thought it would be. However, the story overall was entertaining, eerie and page turning with an LGBT character, a compelling mystery and quite a few unlikeable characters. To me, this book felt like a crime drama TV show and it would be fantastic if it was adapted for the screen in some way. I think it will be a hit for so many people especially if you like an eerie, quick thriller!

Will be you picking up this chilling thriller? Are you a fan of thrillers? 

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Mother's Day Gift Guide: Personalised Gifts

If you live in the UK then you'll know that Mother's Day isn't far away! For the UK, Mother's Day is on the 11th March so you don't have long to find a gift but hopefully today's post will give you some ideas of what to buy your mum, guardian or grandma. Thanks to the lovely people over at Colorland, Dust & Things and My Personalised Case for the perfect Mother's Day gift ideas in today's post.

*Colorland Personalised Canvas (£16.99)

Let's start with the one where if you want one, you'll have to order today or tomorrow as the items are can take up to nine days to print and deliver so go, go, go! I have the gorgeous Insta Poster 30cm by 30cm canvas. I chose this design are it means I could add more photos of Norway when compared with some of the others designs. There are various designs to choose from, all of which are gorgeous and would make a special Mother's Day gift.

Another reason I chose the Insta Poster design is because I love the minimal but striking layout and the resemblance to the aesthetically pleasing layout of Instagram. You can choose between a vertical or square but I chose the latter. I love the canvas design and I also love how vivid and true to colour the photos are on the canvas as well as how detailed they are!

I'm so happy with the canvas, especially the quality and how clear the photos are! I know my mum would absolutely love this canvas as a Mother's Day gift. They ship to the UK, Ireland, Spain, Germany, France, Italy and more. To get this photo canvas (30cm by 30cm) for only £13.99 and free shipping, use the code: MDOFBEAUTY. The Colorland code expires on the 30th April 2018.

*My Personalised Phone Case (£16.95)

All of the gifts in this post are personalised in some way, whether they're personalised with photos are messages - another photo gift is this cute phone case from My Personalised case. I have the iPhone 5C case and it fits the phone easily buy snuggly so it won't fall out and it will be protected. As well as space for your phone, it also has space for three card slots and a slot for a larger ID, a photo or money/cards.

The finish of the case is scratch resistant, hard wearing and matte. The quality is fantastic, it feels very sturdy and durable which is great as I think we're all guilty of not really looking after our phones or tech as much as we should do!

As well as the personalised photo, it's also easy to personalise the phone case further with numerous photos (there are quite a lot of layouts to choose from), filters, text or stickers/emojis. The design and creation process is so quick and easy! It's such a highly customisable and personalised item, from the text to the photos added to the case so it would make a lovely, special gift this Mother's Day. You can make your own phone case for yourself or your mum on My Personalised Case.

*Dust & Things "Mum Your Are Tea Riffic" Coaster (£9.99)

Last but not least is an adorable coaster from the lovely people at Dust & Things which have such a gorgeous range of gifts. The colourful, personalised coaster is wooden and comes in a cute gift box. You can choose the colour of the edges of the coaster from tangerine, mint, coral, white, grey, lavender or sage, I chose the pebble grey shade as it fits with the decor and colour scheme of our living room and kitchen the most. 

The coaster is engraved with the message "Mum you are tea-riffic" on the front which is such a cute and very British message! I love the design of the coaster, it's such a unique and lovely gift to give, especially as a Mother's Day gift. It is made in Britain using hand crafted solid steamed beech hardwood and it's exclusive to Dust & Things. 

Maybe you are wondering what the personalised element of the coaster is, well check out the video! The back of the coaster can be personalised with the name of the recipient, a quote or a lovely message to your gift recipient. I've added a message on the back  of mine but it isn't compulsory so you don't have to add an engraved message to the back of the coaster. I think this personalised and beautiful gift would make a special and unique Mother's Day gift idea. They have so many other wonderful gifts to choose from so you should definitely check out their site! Use the code: HEATHERGIFTGUIDE to get 10% off at Dust & Things. The code expires on the 9th March at 3pm. 

Last but not least is a bit more of an unusual but very practical gift! Fantastic Services offer a range of cleaning service for the home or garden as well as builders, landscapers, appliance and tech repairers and more. Jobs around the house seem to be endless so why not buy a Fantastic Services gift voucher for your mum this Mother's Day so she's saved from doing more housework, DIY jobs or cleaning. 

You could arrange for the house to be cleaned (oven cleaning, gutter clearing, carpet cleaning and more is available) or maybe have the garden cleared and maintained, trees cleared, appliances repaired or her computer or other tech set up for her. I think Fantastic Services gift vouchers are an amazing way to help your mum with jobs she'd rather not do and it could be a weight off her by having someone to do the job for her if she can't herself. I know my mum would absolutely love for someone to come around and clean the house or clear the garden! You can personalise the voucher and the prices range from £50 to £150. 

What do you think of these personalised Mother's Day gift ideas?

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