Father's Day isn't far away now if you're in the UK and I think we all know how difficult it can be to buy for certain people and for me, my dad is that difficult person. I usually just buy him aftershave and socks or foodie gifts but thanks to some wonderful brands I'm able to share a range of fantastic and unique gifts that would be perfect for Father's Day or birthdays.
*Heat Holders Batman Mens Thermal Slipper Socks (£9.99)
The ultimate 'dad' gift! You can't not give socks to your dad or grandad on Father's Day/birthdays, they are just easy, safe gifts that are obviously super practical. However, these are definitely a bit more fun and they also happen to be cosiest socks ever! The socks have the batman logo on the front and on the rubber on the soles; they also feature typical batman comic book colours. You may not know this about me but...I love the old school batman films directed by Tim Burton and so does my dad so he'll loves these (also the inside of the socks is incredibly soft and fluffy!). If your gift recipient isn't a batman fan then check out their site as they also have socks featuring the hulk, superman, minions, star wars and plain socks to choose from. As the weather has turned really chilly in the UK, these socks will be an essential!
*Bakerdays Father's Day Letterbox Cake (£15.99)
I've seen these cute cakes over twitter for a while and they always look fantastic as a quick, personalised and yummy gift. I was able to choose a cute letterbox cake from their Father's Day range and obviously I opted for the 'My Father' cake which is personalised. The cake comes in a small metal tin which is great not just so it's protected in transit but it makes the cake look more substantial and it can be re-used - I love the tin design I received that says 'mmm cake'!
I was able to choose the 'lovely lemon drizzle' flavour but there are other flavours including: rich chocolate chip, dairy free sponge, wheat free sponge, fabulous fruit and vanilla sponge so there are a lot of options to choose from. The letterbox size is as it would suggest and it's a great size as usually we end up with wasted cake. I love the tin, the design is just perfect and the size is great for 5 - 6 people but there are other sizes available. The cake tastes so nice, I love the lemon flavour and how sweet it is (but it's not overly sugary). The sponge is lighter than I thought it would be and it was a hit all round. I cannot recommend this service enough!
*Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate Lemon Flutes (£2.25)
For most, chocolates are a safe and delicious gift option and these lemon flutes from Elizabeth Shaw are so yummy! Dark chocolate and lemon is such a gorgeous flavour combination that I haven't had before and they are so moreish (sorry dad, I've ate them all...). They are obviously a treat but birthdays and Father's Day is a occasion to treat yourself and others. I am definitely going to look into more of these flavours as this one was so delicious and I know a lot of family and friends that would love these!
*Activ8rlives Buddy Band 2 (RRP £54.99)
Next up, a gift for active dads or dads that want to become more active, monitor sleep or track steps/exercise. This activity, sleep and calorie tracker comes with the module, usb charging cable, belt clip and three wrist straps. The tracker is easy to put together, the app is free and it's also very quick to connect to the app and set everything up.
I've only used it a few times so far and I'm still getting used to it and it's a little bit confusing so far but that's just because I've never used any kind of fitness tracker or sleep tracker like this so it will take a bit of getting used to. I think it would make a great practical gift for active dads. I will have a full review on my blog when I've tried it for a couple of weeks.
*LSA International Craft Beer Glasses (£26)
If you've read my previous gift guides then you'll know that I love to give practical gifts and these glasses are perfect as well as being really inexpensive for the quality. I think glasses are great gifts and they could easily be added to a gift hamper! These glasses are 'craft beer' style glasses and I love the shape, it's so unusual and very instagramable! I know my dad will love these on Father's Day and I think they'd be great for beer loving dads, maybe as part of a foodie and beer hamper?
The price is fantastic as the glasses come boxed, they are mouth blown glasses (anything that is handmade is extra special isn't it!) and the quality is fantastic as you would expect from a artisanal product and well known brand. If these aren't up your street, then check out the other gorgeous gifts on Amara, they have so many to choose from.
*Extra Bright Star Gift Set (£44.99)
As well as practical gifts I also love to give extra special and personalised gifts as the look on any recipients face is always priceless and who doesn't love special and personalised gifts! This one ticks all of the boxes as it's personalised (tick), very special (tick), pre-wrapped (tick) and unlike any other gift you usually receive (tick).
We've all heard of the gift that you can name a star after someone special but there's more to it than that and I was a little shocked *in a very good way* when this gift set arrived from the incredibly lovely people at the Star Name Registry as it's so well presented and it looks so special. I have the extra bright star gift set which contains full documentation about the star that is named after your special recipient as well as a sliver certificate frame with the deed, entry into the register and it's all wrapped in blue tissue paper.
There are three options to choose from, the standard star, extra bright star or binary star as well as gift set options for all three which are a little more expensive but they come so well packaged and gift wrapped. When ordered you can choose the name of the star, a memorable date and which constellation - I chose andromeda as it's the most well know, to me anyway!
The deed has the recipients name, memorable date, a gift message and the details about where the star is; you can go onto their website and enter the unique reference number on the deed to find where your star is in the night sky - I've done it and you can see it on google sky. I couldn't be happier with this gift, I think it's so special and I know my dad will absolutely love it!
*Coat of Arms and Surname History Print (£29.99)
Another extra special, unique and personalised gift and this one is from the amazing people over at Find Me A Gift who I have been lucky enough to work with previously; most recently in the first part of my 2017
Father's Day gift guide. This gorgeously designed print, that can be bought framed as mine is, contains the history of your surname (if it's within their database/list).
Thankfully mine, Nixon, was available and it came well wrapped and beautifully framed! It looks so fancy, especially with the family crest and gold 'authentic surname history - hall of names' sticker on the print. I think this gift is perfect for dads and grandads as it's not just personalised but it describes the history of your own surname which is so unique and interesting. I know my dad will adore this and I now need to buy one for my lovely grandad.
I've read through my surname history and it is so interesting, I knew a couple of bits of information such as that the surname Nixon is derived from 'son of Nicholas' but the rest was new to me and my dad will love reading this and discovering more about the history of our surname! Also my surname apparently goes back to the gaelic and celtic people of Britain! I cannot recommend this gift enough as it's so unique, it's something your gift recipient will not be expecting at all and it's so well presented.
*Personalised Map Heart Coasters - JuniperDaze (£16)
Again, another amazing personalised gift option! I think personalised gifts are fantastic gifts to give or receive and I know the recipients of all of these will be so incredibly surprised and happy with them. These adorable personalised coasters come in a lovely heart shape or hexagonal shaped coasters so they can fit together.
You can choose the map location for each coaster and obviously as I'm from the
sunny rainy but wonderful city of Manchester; I also chose Chester as it's an equally lovely city with amazing roman ruins and history. The maps are all really clear and would be perfect if the recipient was a special city they live in, love or have visited. Maybe the city you met, where you got married, a hometown or a special holiday location?
Each coaster is handmade, they are really well made and such a great gift idea for Father's Day, birthdays or anniversaries (or as a wedding gift?). They are wooden and have a layer of felt on the back to protect any surface you place them on and to prevent slipping. I couldn't be happier with these lovely coasters, they look great around the house and together a set of 4, 6 or 8 would be a surprising and unique handmade Father's Day gift.
*Bags of Love Personalised Pillow (from £39 - on offer, 3 for 2)
Lastly, one of my favourite items from my Father's Day gift guides this year and it's another wonderful personalised and extra special gift idea from Bags of Love which is a personalised gift specialist website. As well as pillows and cushions they also have clothing, cards, books, mugs, aprons, china plates, chairs and so many more items that can be personalised with your own photos!
I was able to design my own photograph pillow (£60) which has holiday photographs on both sides, it doesn't have a zip and it's filled with feathers, there are other options to choose from though if you didn't want these. The process of designing the pillow was so quick and easy, I was able to add so many photos and I love how simple the website/process is.
The pillow arrived quickly and I couldn't be happier with the quality and design! The photos came out surprisingly well considering they're printed onto soft fabric and the colours are true to how the photographs were when uploaded. I've used memorable holiday photos from the past few years from Venice, Rome, Florence, Ephesus and various places around the UK, including York and the Harry Potter studios. I think anyone would love this gift as it's so soft and comfy as well as really special and such a unique gift idea that is super practical.
What do you think of my final Father's Day gift guide?
