Vistaprint

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Valentine’s Day is only a month away and you may (or may not!) have started thinking of gift ideas. Whilst the traditional gifts of chocolates, flowers or fragrance are always well received I always think a personalised gift means a lot more as the recipient will appreciate the thought that has gone into creating it.

Vistaprint have a huge range of products on their website that would make superb Valentine’s gifts including photo books, canvas prints, mugs, cushions and my favourite – a fleece blanket to snuggle up with rather than turning the heating on!

The website is really easy to navigate with all the personalised gifts on one webpage. Each gift has clear images and the prices are clearly shown. Once you have selected your gift it is really easy to create your masterpiece. Simply choose the photos you love and Vistaprint will turn them into personalised artwork and gifts that you and your family can enjoy for years to come.

I created a photobook which was really easy to do – there is a choice of 8 different sizes and once you have decided you are ready to start creating your photobook. I found it very easy to add photos and once I had selected them I just clicked the upload button and the photos were quickly uploaded. I was amazed how fast this process was, the last time I created a photobook I remember this stage taking ages so this was a definite improvement. Once the photos are uploaded you can use Vistaprint’s “Smart Selection” which removes any duplicates, blurry or out of focus pictures so you only have the best pictures in your album.

Once you are happy with your design it is then straightforward to finalise the order, just choose either standard or premium glossy paper and you are ready to go. Vistaprint have a range of delivery options including free economy delivery on orders over £40.

Ordering was very easy, once the order had been placed I received a confirmation email with estimated delivery dates and a second email once my products had been despatched. I actually received my gifts before the estimated delivery date which was quite impressive.

Now that it has arrived I am thrilled with my photobook, it looks very professional and I know my husband will love it. I will certainly use Vistaprint again as after seeing the quality of the photo book I am really interested in trying some of the other photo products that they do. With such a wide choice I just need to decide which ones!

Photobooks start at £7.49 and there is currently 40% off so get those Valentine’s gifts ordered soon!

Baked By Steph Christmas Cookies

Disclaimer: We recievd this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own

With Christmas fast approaching I find myself racing around trying to fit everything in. I have a long list of family members to buy for and as we won’t see everyone over the Christmas period, I am looking for gifts with a wow factor that can be ordered online and delivered straight to them.

Baked by Steph is a company I have only just discovered who create the most amazing and beautifully iced biscuits and treats that are perfect as Christmas gifts. The company started back in Jan 2019 when Steph’s enjoyment of baking snowballed from a hobby into a full time job and her biscuits were so popular she quickly outgrew her flat! She now has a bakery in East London where they create beautiful cookies, biscuits and treats and ship around the UK.

I received a box of the Merry Christmas Message Letter Box Cookies (RRP £18) and the Candyland Christmas Letterbox Cookies (RRP £26) which, as you can see from the photos, look absolutely stunning. My biscuits were beautifully packaged in pink carboard boxes, and they arrived in perfect condition thanks to being secured to the paper with a tiny bit of icing, meaning they don’t move around in transit. They all looked delicious, the hardest part was deciding which one to try first!

The cookies are gingerbread and tasted absolutely scrumptious  – nice and crisp and with just a hint of ginger. Despite being covered in icing they didn’t taste too sweet and were very moreish. The icing was crisp and just the right thickness so you could taste both the cookie and the icing.

These handmade cookies will make a lovely Christmas gift for friends or family this Christmas, or just order some for yourself – I won’t tell!!

The last day to order for this Christmas is 21st December so there’s still time to place an order. And don’t worry, they’re not only for Christmas – if you look at the website you’ll find cookies for birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, congratulations along with pretty much every seasonal event and occasion.