Monday 31 October 2011

Novelty Santa decorations and gifts for Christmas 2011

You know it's nearly Christmas when you see Santa everywhere you look - he gets everywhere!

Look at these fun Santa decorations we've found on sale this Christmas!


 Santa Speaker

Connect to your MP3 player to this extra cute Santa speaker (from Next) to hear music from Santa!


Liven up your bathroom visits with this unusual Santa themed bathroom set with "Santa Sat Here" slogan, the perfect cheeky Santa novelty this Christmas.
Sure to be a conversation starter.

Santa Bath Mat : cute Santa design bathmat from Marks and Spencer. Made of cotton, so you can wipe your wet feet on Santa!





Santa Cookie Jar  - Another unusual Santa accessory this Christmas: how about this Santa Cookie Jar? Now you can eat cookies from Santa too!








Santa Tea Light Holder

Cute Santa design tealight holder at Debenhams.






For a huge range of Christmas decorations and novelties, try 24studio, who have the best range of Santa novelty decorations we have found online, plus tons of other unusual Christmas stuff.

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Christmas Living 2011

I'm really getting in the mood for Christmas now, especially since I received my Christmas catalogue from 24studio...

I love browsing through all those glittering decorations, trees and lights, it makes me wish I had a bigger house so I would have room to decorate each room with a different theme!


Here are three different colour schemes that you can achieve really easily, with pre-decorated trees: green tree, with red and gold (very traditional Christmas colour scheme), or, black tree, with copper and gold decorations (blends with all kinds of home decor, from traditional to modern), and then there is the white tree with blue and green decorations, which looks great in a modern home.

This indoor Christmas tree comes in two different sizes, and has all the lights and baubles supplied with it ready for you to decorate, and it's really easy to assemble.

You can always customise your tree a little by adding a few additional decorations of your own, whether they're family hand-me-downs or new decorations.

Visit the website for more Christmas decor ideas, plus Christmas gifts for the whole family.

Monday 3 October 2011

100 Great Gift Ideas for Christmas 2011

One hundred great gift ideas for Christmas 2011 - forget the high street, these days online shopping is the way to go for Christmas shopping. No more crowds, no more trudging around in the sleet and snow - you can get Christmas all wrapped up in plenty of time without ever leaving the house! Here are 100 of the best Christmas Gifts on offer this Christmas, taken from our Christmas Book 2011.

One hundred great gift ideas for Christmas 2011! Part 1: Character Toys.
Favourite childrens' characters from yesterday and today!

1. Mickey Mouse Hot Dog Dancer - dancing, musical Mickey Mouse.

2. Spongebob Squarepants Sea Battle game -No batteries required, just good old fashioned battling fun.

3. Dora The Explorer walkie talkies - featuring Dora and Boots, great fun for little chatterboxes!

4. Hello Kitty Remote Controlled Car - a fab pink car, with removeable Kitty figure, forward and reverse functions.

5. Talking Bob The Builder plush toy - a huggable, plush Bob The Builder character who says phrases from the show.

6. Paddington Bear Plush - always popular, a large plush Paddington Bear, complete with red duffle coat and blue hat.

7. Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends 4-Piece Play Set : 4-in-1pop-up playset with crawl-through tunnels, ideal for indoor and outdoor play!

8. Fireman Sam Talking Plush : features five favourite phrases and the theme tune from Fireman Sam's TV show.

9. In The Night Garden Sing n Slide Nursery Book - Joing Upsy Daisy, Iggle Piggle and friends for hours of fun with this interactive electronic book, with sounds, songs, phrases, music and lights!

10. Cars 2 Scalextric Set, with Lightning McQueen and Nigel Gearsly, 3.4 metres of track, scenery and controllers.

100 Christmas 2011 Gift Ideas, Part 2: Gifts For Animal Lovers.
For pet owners and animal lovers, ten great Christmas gift ideas.

11. 100 Dogs and A Cat jigsaw - bright, fun, 1000-piece jigsaw featuring a hundred dogs... and one cat!

12. Yoga Pets Mugs - novelty mugs featuring cats or dogs in yoga poses!

13. Home Is Not Home Without A Cat Coaster - slogan coaster for cat lovers, by StoneWitWords.

14. Dog mug and box set - beautiful porcelain mug featuring dogs design, with matching gift box.

15. Pet Photoshoot - pet portrait sessions for lasting memories of favourite pets.

16. Slimline Kittens calendar - a new page per month with cute kitten images.

17. Meerkat Gift Set - plush meerkat and jelly sweets.

18. Cat keyring / bottle opener - fun and function combine in this cat-shaped keyring and bottle opener!

19. Horse Breeds and Horse Care Book - everything a horse lover needs to know in one encyclopedia.

20. Dog calendars - large format calendars with full colour photographs. Choice of dog breed.

Top 100 Christmas Gifts 2011, Part 3: Gifts For Football Fanatics!
For soccer lovers, how about a football themed gift this Christmas?

21. Personalised Football Team Calendar - large (A4) format calendars with full colour photographs. Choose their favourite football team!

22. World Football Records 2011 - Fully updated for 2011 to include stats from the South Africa world cup.

23. Football Toilet Rolls - for the football fan who has everything!

24. Football Rubiks Cube with football team theme - choose from four football teams.

25. Personalised History Of Your Favourite Football Club - Choose their favourite football team and personalise with a message!

26. Table Top Football Game, a mini-football game for two players.

27. Football Team Monopoly - a fun version of the property board game, with a football theme. Three team options to choose from.

28. Bootiful Game Football Mug - football mug with 'bootiful game' slogan.

29. Football Club Annuals - great value Christmas gifts, choice of 13 teams available.

30. Signature Football, with four team options, featuring signatures of players past and present.

100 Christmas Gifts For 2011, Part 4: Gifts For Fashionistas.
Find unusual gifts for fashion lovers this Christmas, ab fab darling...

31. Fashion Makeover and Photoshoot for Two - a great gift idea for fashion lovers, each session includes style consultation, make-up, photoshoot, and a complimentary A4 print.

32. Rio Easy Art Nails - fun nails in three easy steps, with varnishes and printing stamps for intricate designs.

33. Babyliss Big Hair - gorgeous shiny vouminous hair in a flash.

34. Hooped Fashion Bracelet, stylish, expandable design with fashion charms.

35. Jean Paul Gaultier - Madame Rose n Roll Eau De Toilette - a scent straight from the catwalk.

36. Cosmetic Vanity Case - a large buckle case packed full of gorgeous coloured make-up: eyeshadows, lip glosses, powders and brushes.

37. Rio Eyelash Extension Kit, for natural looking longer, fuller lashes, complete with all accessories, instructions, DVD and storage case.

38. LED Starlight Umbrella - a sparkly, stylish way to shelter from the rain!

39. Stone Set Ball Pen - a sparkling design handbag pen. Bling!.

40. Cosmopolitan Watch - stone set, with black dial amd linked metal bracelet.

100 Christmas Gift Ideas For 2011, Part 5: Sweets And Treats.
Perfect stocking fillers for anyone with a sweet tooth!

41. Jelly Baby Gift Set - make your own jelly baby!

42. Cadbury Gorilla - Dairy Milk gift set with plush gorilla.

43. A Foot Of Fudge - a genuine foot of fudge in novelty ruler packaging, also available as coconut ice, nut brittle, chocolate and nougat.

44. Baileys Fondue Set - complete with marshmallows, chocolate and mini bottle of Baileys.

45. Wooden Train And Chocolates - traditional wooden train filled with foiled Christmas chocolates.

46. Hello Kitty Pencil Case And Chocolates Gift Set - 3 pocket pencil case with love heart chocolates.

47. The Old Sweet Shop Tin - a shaped tin with retro sweets: flying saucers, shrimps and bon bons.

48. Haribo Starmix Tub - packed with Haribo Starmix favourites.

49. Cadbury Chocolate Machine - refillable classic chocolate machine.

50. Personalised Christmas Mug Set - Personalised with any name, complete with Cadbury buttons. Also available in a 'My First Christmas' design.

100 Christmas Gifts for 2011, Part 6: Handicraft Gifts.
Novel gift ideas for crafty types.

51. Cupcake Sewing Tub - goregous sewing basket with cupcake pin cushion.

52. Classic Calligraphy Set - includes an assortment of barrels, nibs and ink cartridges, plus paper and font ideas.

53. Pin And Button Sewing Basket - goregous design sewing basket, fully lined with pin cushion and pull out accessory tray.

54. Victorian Decoupage Christmas Craft Card Set with cards and attachments.

55. Bumper Sticker Packs, rolls and sheets of decorative stickers, ideal for crafty creations.

56. Knitting Pin Roll With Needles - handy knitting needle holder roll with 6 pairs of knitting needles.

57. Wooden Christmas Craft Stamps, set of five Christmas scene designs.

58. Box of Mixed Faux Jewels, features a selection of craft jewels in 7 pretty designs.

59. Rose Cross Stitch Set - choose from red or white design, with paper template, yarn and needles.

60. Christmas Card Attachments - choose from three designs featuring Christmas decorations, parcels and Santa's outfit.

100 Gift Ideas for 2011, Part 7: Christmas Novelty Gifts
Festive Fun Gift Ideas

61. Reindeer Door Stopper - cute, fun and bright, also available as an Angel design.

62. Musical Christmas Bear - with flashing cheeks, plays 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'.

63. Baby's First Christmas Shoe Tree Decoration - in pink or blue, a lovely keepsake gift for baby.

64. Santa Cookie Jar, a cute ceramic cookie jar in the shape of Santa Claus.

65. 14 Piece Nativity Set, with stable and figurines.

66. Personalised Gingerbread Apron - Christmas themed apron for little chefs.

67. Peter Rabbit Baby's First Christmas Photo Frame - cute keepsake and an ideal gift for Christmas.

68. Santa Sweet Dish, a cute novelty item.

69. Set of 2 Bottle Stoppers - featuring snow globe designs - one snowman and one Santa style.

70. Mini Christmas Hamper - includes a Christmas pudding, tea and coffee, shortbread and more Christmas treats.

100 Christmas Gifts For 2011, Part 8: Collectables And Figurines.
Ten Christmas gift ideas for collectors.

71. Me To You Money Box - cute figurine from the Me To You collection, with piggy bank.

72. Piggin' Facebook, a humorous figurine from the popular Piggin' collection.

73. Disney Traditions: Cinderella, a musical figurine of Cinderella (Disney).

74. Royal Doulton 'Rebecca' Figurine - beautiful figurine from the Royal Doulton 'Pretty Ladies' collection.

75. Lilliput Lane 'Drunken Duck Inn', part of the Lilliput Lane collection.

76. Snowbabies: Fresh Fallen Snow - delightful figurine from the Snow Babies range.

77. Laughing Winnie The Pooh Figurine, part of the Disney Showcase collection. Tigger figurine also available.

78. Betty Boop Santa's Little Helper - cute figurine from the Betty Boop collection.

79. Maasai 'Hiba' Figurine, part of the Maasai collection by Gleneagles Studio.

80. My Blue Nose Friends: Bells - cute reindeer figurine from the My Blue Nose Friends collection.

100 Christmas Gifts 2011, Part 9: Books.
Wordy Christmas Gifts.

81. Paperback 8 Pack: Thrillers, a collection of thrillers. Authors include Wilbur Smith and Ian Rankin.

82. The Titanic Experience - a collectable book about the legend of theunsinkable ship, includes 30 rare and newly researched facsimile documents and an audio CD.

83. The Complete Encyclopedia of Formula One - packed with facts and figures including driver profiles and statistics, and details of F1 circuits.

84. Best Ever Recipes From Around The World, a collection of ten cookbooks featuring cuisine from around the world. - #.

85. How To Trace Your Family Tree - a practical handbook for anyone interested in geneology and family history.

86. AA Learner Driver Kit, comprehensive kit including driving test books, L-plates and CD.

87. Reference Library - collection of six books make up a study library, including dictionary, thesaurus, atlas and more.

88. Pregnancy And Babycare Guidebook - essential reading for parents and parents-to-be.

89. Danielle Steele Collection, set of eight novels by Danielle Steele.

90. LED Book Light - perfect for book lovers, flexible book light clips onto your book for night time reading.

Top 100 Christmas Gifts 2011, Part 10: Personalised Gifts.
Personalised Christmas gifts for something a little more special!

91. Personalised Giant Pencil Case - large pencil case personalised with any name, plus personalised pencils, and accessories.

92. Personalised Tea and Coffee Mugs, personalise with name and tea/coffee/sugar preferences.

93. Personalised Clock, in a choice of designs: fire engine or ballerina.

94. Personalised Wooden Puzzles - set of three wooden puzzles in a personalised box.

95. Personalised Baileys Gift Set - engraved glass and miniature Baileys, plus Baileys' truffle chocolates!

96. Personalised JLS Clock - Great gift for the number 1 JLS fan, with inset image and personalised with any name.

97. Personalised Rocking Chair for children, in a choice of two colours/designs: racing car or flowers.

98. Personalised Vodka, a smooth pure vodka, with personalised label, with gift box.

99. Personalised Star Of Fame - immortalise yourself on the star of fame foundation database, includes A3 framed certificate.

100. Personalised Honeysuckle Cottage, cute dolls' house with figurines and furniture.

To buy all of these great Christmas gifts and many more, visit the 24studio website.

Monday 8 August 2011

Salt Dough Christmas Decorations

Looking for ways to have a thrifty Christmas? why not have a go at making your own Salt Dough Christmas Decorations,
Salt Dough Christmas Decorations
Ingredients needed:
200ml water
10oz plain flour
10oz salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:
Mix it all the ingredients together then when you're ready roll the mixture out, cut into shapes with cookie/biscuit cutters, my personal favourites being Snowmen, Gingerbread Men and Bell shaped cookie cutters,

Place on a baking tray, make sure you have made a hole in the top of the decoration for the ribbon to go through afterwards, a cocktail stick is a good thing to use. (make sure you make the hole big enough as when you bake the dough the mixture will grow slightly)

A personal favourite of mine is to add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the mix before baking to make the decorations smell nice and Christmassy (don’t use too much though)

Bake in an oven at approx 180C for 20 minutes, then paint and/or varnish or add glitter to make your own unique decoration.

Perfect for giving as a gift, or if the kids have helped you, keeping for sentimental reasons, they can even be re-used for years to come.

If you are truly inspired by all things Christmas then take a look at 24studio.co.uk/christmas they stock a wide range of Christmas gifts, trees, cards, wrap and decorations almost all year round as well as Craft material and Craft kits.



Tuesday 2 August 2011

Christmas Trees

Retro Christmas TreeMany people see the Christmas tree as the most important of all their Christmas decorations, and I can see why, as usually it is the biggest decoration in the house, and maybe even the one that costs the most money.
Most people have a distinct style of Christmas Tree, often favouring the same sort of style year after year, whereas there are some people who change their Christmas Tree year after year following the different trends. Speaking of which do you remember the other year when one of the high street stores featured upside down Christmas Trees in their shop windows, the country went mad for them! I was not one of them though, as I firmly believe that Christmas Trees should stand from the ground up!
Some people prefer real Christmas Trees to Artificial Trees, maybe its something to do with the smell of them, or the pine needles, or the fact that they don’t have to pack them away at the end of Christmas, or maybe its even for environmental reasons.
Choosing a real Christmas tree can be a daunting task if you don’t know what you are looking for or what the best tree is for your needs, as some real trees apparently don’t shed needles, while others do, so if you’ve got a pet its best to try and find one that retains its needles. I found this useful article today on Choosing a Christmas tree if you need help and advice.
I’ve found a great online shopping site that has a vast range of artificial, LED, traditional and pre-lit Christmas Trees, and the great news is their Christmas Range is out now. I love the Retro Pre-Lit Christmas Tree they have for sale - the multi coloured lights take me right back to my childhood.
Happy days, it’s a lot less stressful when you can shop early.

Thursday 28 July 2011

Advent Calendars

The first advent calendars appeared in 19th-Century Germany, when various methods of counting the days between the start of Advent and Christmas Day were used. Starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, or simply on 1 December, the Protestant Christians would keep track of the days by making marks on their doors with a piece of chalk, which would then be rubbed off one by one as Christmas approached. Other practices then developed, including burning a candle or putting up a small religious picture to mark each day.

These days during Advent, people make or buy Advent calendars as a way of counting the days to Christmas. Usually these calendars have twenty-four 'windows'.

Traditional calendar windows open up to show a picture of something linked with this time of year. One may show an angel or one of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus. Others may show pictures of Christmas presents, a candle or anything else to do with Christmas. The last window to be opened usually shows Jesus himself, lying in a manger.

Popular advent calendars today usually have chocolate hidden behind each window. The theme/ picture displayed is usually a character from a TV show or film.

Some people like to make their own Advent Calendars, this Homemade Origami Calendar pattern is one of my favourites, but doesn’t really leave much room for treats.

If it’s an advent calendar full of treats you're looking for, especially if you have younger children then a Wooden Advent Cabinet might be more suitable, where you have 24 little drawers in which to pop a sweet or a chocolate.

Dont forget to put an extra special treat in door number 24 though!