MyRedPacket.co.uk Blog

You may think that you should only buy a personalised gift when it’s someone’s birthday or anniversary.  However, personalised gifts have the capacity to get a certain message across - just like a marketing slogan.

You may be having a summer barbecue for no other reason than to hang out with your friends and have a good laugh and a drink.  Say you need to buy a new apron (or even if you don’t need a new one but you fancy a point of interest for your friends to discuss) - so that your party clothes don’t get spat on by the barbecue; why not get a personalised apron that can be personalised with a humorous message?  Or even better, if your hubby comes over all, ‘MY barbecue!’ then get one for him.  Look at this one:

Now imagine his most embarassing photo on there - a true stinker where he looks the world’s biggest geek/weirdo/idiot.  Then the laughs from your friends when the personalised caption underneath says, “Eat my Sausage!”.  Priceless, and a definite star turn for your party.

A personalised gift can have a practical use too.  For example, imagine you have identical twins and often forget which one is which throughout the day.  By buying a personalised babygro like the one below, you only have to glance at the front to know which screamster you’ve picked up.  (Though you can’t get away with this when they’re older - at some point you will have to put the effort in to find some distinguishing features!)

You can even buy personalised chocolate bars.  Go above and beyond the call of duty - say that someone new is starting in your office and you want to welcome them and make them feel part of a happy team - what would you do?  Would you buy flowers, or a card?  Too much?  A bit too full-on?  Why not buy them a personalised chocolate bar and leave it on their desk.  Not with their name on - that might be bordering on stalking and give the TOTALLY wrong impression, but with a message like, “Welcome to XYZ office” or, “Something to get you through your 1st day”.  How brilliant a workplace would they think they’ve joined?

Sometimes we buy people gifts as a way of saying ‘Thank You’.  Maybe someone has been a shoulder to cry on when you’ve been going through a difficult time, or maybe they’re helped out with childcare whilst you moved house/went for a night away.  Flowers or a bottle of wine are satisfactory, yes, but a bit boring.  Why not get them their own personalised perfume?  They’ll be tripping over themselves to help you again!

Some gifts are so beautiful and unusual that it may be a wrench to let them go to the rightful recipient.  God knows how many times I’ve bought chocolates for someone in advance and they’ve been sat winking at me in the corner (the chocolates, not the recipient).  Before I could restrain myself the empty wrappers have been in the bin.  If you buy this beautiful charm bracelet and place the receiver’s name on it then you can’t pinch it for yourself.  Especially tempting when they’re as gorgeous as this!

That’s assuming you don’t have the same name as the person you’re giving it to, of course, or you’ve the same problem of resisting temptation!

A gift is one thing, but a personalised message really adds another dimension.  Instead of wasting the messaging element on someone’s birthday where the same phrase is repeated over and over again, let your imagination run wild!

It can be hard to conjure up gift ideas for someone whom may be a little quirky or have off-the-scale hobbies and interests.  For these go-getters, a box of chocolates or a wilting bunch of blooms may not be enough.

There are so many different ranges nowadays that gifts for travellers can be tailored exactly to someone’s passions.  For example, you may know someone who indulges in the sport of extreme ironing.  This sport involves trekking and climbing to the most far-flung spot then setting up an ironing board and smoothing out a few creases.  Some of the followers are actually sane, though it may not sound it.  Gift ideas for this group would be something that caters to their hobby.  I know the obvious choice is to buy them an iron - but let’s face it - is there really a power point on the top of Everest?

Travel and outdoor gifts are aplenty - take a look at this travel alarm clock:

Classy, compact and functional - what more could you ask for?  An alternative gift idea could be a travel screwdriver/tool set (just in case the iron breaks down).

For travellers that like to get about in relative comfort than those lugging an ironing board up a mountain, you could make their journey even more relaxing by buying them a deluxe travel pillow as a gift.  They are easy to transport, soft and colourful - and above all, very comfy.

The holiday season is upon us and all of a sudden it seems a crime to be indoors when the slightest speck of sunshine can be found.  Nothing beckons us more when the sun is out than water - be this an outdoor swimming pool, the seaside, a hot tub or sprinkler in the garden.  Gifts ideas for children’s birthday parties that occur in the holiday season could include outdoor sports gifts, such as lawn skittles or badminton sets.  Small trampolines or mini ball pools are great for younger children and for their parents too as they tire the little tykes out!

For someone who is a constant traveller, a personalised passport holder is a great addition to their luggage set and protects the most important document they’ll carry from grime and scratches.  It probably won’t stop it from getting lost though!

There are many gadgets that you can buy for the discerning traveller, or even people who like camping.  Multi-tool sets (ideal when you’ve forgotten the can opener and you’re in a field in the middle of nowhere with just your tent and the cows for company), torches, emergency phone chargers and even travel manicure sets!  I suppose it can get a little boring in the field of cows; filing your nails will at least provide a slight distraction!

For someone who loves the outdoors, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to assume they care for the environment too.  Great gift ideas for those passionate about the world in which we live are these recyclable wallets.  They are durable, water resistant and will last much longer than most normal wallets, plus they come in these eye-catching designs:

The designs are actually meant to deter would be thieves and pick-pockets - an unfortunate part of travelling.  By disguising themselves as letters, comics and so forth, the chances of them attracting any attention is vastly reduced.

It’s so rewarding to give someone a great gift that is actually going to be used, rather than a white elephant that may end up on a tombola stall or shoved in the attic somewhere, plus you’ve given the recipient a great deal of delight to know that his travelling life will be made slightly easier - leaving them free to focus on the delights and sights of pastures new.

On a woman’s wedding it’s quite right that she should be the centre of attention.  She may have organised a lot, or a little of her big day.  But we musn’t overlook how much support her bridesmaids give her and the great gifts that can be given from the happy couple to thank their beautiful attendants for their help.

Gifts for bridesmaids are probably influenced by the age of the bridesmaid.  For instance, you wouldn’t buy some expensive perfume for a four year old flower girl, but it would be a great gift for a young teen who is starting to notice how many unattached male relatives there are on the groom’s side!

For an adult bridesmaid a nice gift could be a pretty necklace; the accompanying box can even be engraved with your own message of thanks, like the one below:

There are some great gift ideas for bridesmaids out there that carry an element of fun too.  The big day’s soppy enough without adding to the emotional outpouring.  You could raise a smile throughout the whole congregation by giving your attendants personalised chocolate bars like these:

Perfect for any bridesmaid, of any age! Other bridesmaids’ gift ideas include personalised mugs, glasses and compacts - something that they can look at often and remember what a great event they were part of.

Sometimes, bridemaids have a lot of responsibility. They may have to solely organise the hen do or bridal shower, arrange all the other bridesmaids’ dress fittings and support the bride in anything she needs a second opinion for.  All that and she’s not even the one getting married!  All the more reason to spoil her.  Perhaps you could treat her to a spa break - even arranging your own ticket so that you can enjoy a girlie weekend together when the fuss of the big day has died down.  Or perhaps there is a designer dress she has had her eyes on for ages - if you give her the outfit when the speeches are being read (which is the usual time to hand these types of gifts out) then she could even have the dilemma of what to wear for your night do sorted!

An alternative gift idea could be to buy her an aromatherapy gift set so that she can recharge her batteries after what will probably have been a hectic few weeks in the run up to the wedding.  She can unwind and really spoil herself - take a look at this one:

Of course, most of these gifts may tempt the bride to treat herself and who can blame her?  Once married, you could find that the girlie nights out and shopping trips decline in number slightly so it means even more when you do get together for a good time.

Bridemaids are not just ornaments to fill out the photos, they play an integral part of the wedding party and proceedings.  If you are struggling with what to buy your bridesmaids as thanks for the support they’ve given you on your big day, just think of what you would like to receive that would feel like you’re being spoilt and I’m sure you’ll be along the right lines.

Haven’t you sometimes got bored of seeing the same gifts on the shelves, or even receiving the same things yourself?  Wouldn’t you like to give a gift that makes someone say, “Wow!”?

Some items don’t even look like gifts.  For example, look at these:

They look like Mum’s gone straight to Iceland and bought the family size gateau, but they’re actually top-quality face towels made to look like strawberry tarts.  They look good enough to eat and they’re practical too!  Great as a stocking filler or just a little something to put a smile on a loved one’s face…..before they wash it with the face towel.

There are plenty of novelty gifts available for someone who never quite grew up.  Technology may be used for fantastic things like re-creating the creation of the world in the Hadron Collider.  But it can also be used to plug a dancing cactus into the side of your laptop.  Amazing.  You can buy gadgets to tone your (ahem) love muscle, fake parking tickets, fake dog poo, fake Asbo certificates - all guaranteed to humiliate someone, somewhere.  I’m sure there is someone in every person’s life who they’d like to play pranks on - in fact, I’m already up to double figures with people on my humiliation hit list.

There are some hugely practical gifts out there that are unique and stylish.  The keyring below could literally be a life saver - it stores paper money in it, so should there be an emergency where you’ve lost your wallet, or even easier to do - come out from the house without it - there is always this emergency fund with you.

You might think this is not the most extravagant gift but the minute you get one, all your friends will be saying, “Where did you get that?  I could do with one of those/like someone to buy me one/please give me it”.

Then there are the types of gifts that are sheer novelty.  They don’t provide much practicality but they’re just loads of fun!  Racing grannies and fighting granddads, for the little kids and big kids; shooting duck games, finger drums, wind-up break dancers, bullsh*t detectors, backwards clocks, remote controlled tarantulas….I could go on.  Bring any one of these out at a party and people will flock to have a go.

I think the success of these kinds of toys are because we never truly grow up.  We watch our kids with their toys longingly after a hard day’s slog and think, “I want to have a go!”.  Because we can’t just take over the kids’ toys we buy our own adult versions - because as Mars said, “Life is work, rest and play”.

Although it may be true to say that unusual, gadgety gifts are more for men, you’d be surprised to know that there are just as many for women.  Like this chocolate calculator - “The Choc-u-lator!”:

Perfect for a lady’s work needs yet don’t be surprised when brought out from the desk drawer all female colleagues’ tongues will be salivating.  In fact, it may be too tempting to use!

There are so many unique and unusual gifts and gift ideas out there; perfect fillers for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas - even Valentine’s Day for the more wacky couples!  It doesn’t matter how outlandish or off-the-wall your recipient is, there is always a gift to suit!

The main theme of giving a present is that it’s usually a surprise.  A treat - either a surprise gift for a planned occasion or something that is given out of the blue - both instances will bring great pleasure to the recipient.

But there is the practical element to consider.  For instance, it’s not that easy if you live with the person whom the gift is for, to keep it from them - especially if you were buying them something like a new car.  Surely, they’d question a vehicle if it was sat in their drive for a week or two?  Or maybe you fancy buying them a horse because they’ve always wanted one.  You may be able to keep it at stables until the day of the ‘reveal’ but you nipping over there twice a day to feed and water it could lead your other half to think you are up to something else!

Perhaps then, the best surprise and inexpensive gifts are small but oh-so-perfectly formed.  Something like a ring that comes in its own box and can be hidden in a jacket pocket until presented.  However, if you don’t know your lady’s ring size, it may be difficult to obtain this information without raising suspicion - the answer is to either borrow one of her current rings without detection (such as when she’s in the shower) or to get a bendy/plastic ring-measurer and place it round the desired digit when she’s asleep.

There are loads of things at MyRedPacket.co.uk that are not only beautiful gifts but ones that can be easily hidden.  Trinket boxes, perfume, a personalised poem; all gifts that can be hidden amongst clothing in your wardrobe for the perfect moment.

There are also loads of ‘Name a….’ gifts.  Examples such as, Name a Rose after your loved one - not only do they get a whole variety of rose plant named after them, they also receive some seeds of said variety to plant in their garden.  She can go outside in the summer and gaze at ‘herself’ when in full bloom!  You can also name stars after people, buy a title such as Lord or Lady and even send a message into space concerning your loved one.  Cosmic!  The gift is in the naming so the accompanying box of documentation can be hidden on a bookshelf or in the glove box of your car.

Take a look at this gorgeous mirror compact.  Not only is it covered in diamante but you can also personalise it, so that everytime she takes it out of her bag she can read your message of love.  As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also heart-shaped!  Great size too - just right for placing in your coat pocket out the way of snooping eyes!

You’ll notice that this article seems aimed at men sneaking secret presents behind their womenfolk’s back and no mention of how women can hide gifts from men.  That’s because women could walk in naked with the gift dangling across their chests but if they time it when the footy’s on then the surprise gift will remain a secret, I assure you.  And if your man’s birthday is during this World Cup you could probably bring home a gift of a new DIY work bench, position it as a coffee table under his nose and serve him his drinks off it - and he still wouldn’t notice. 

Not that we complain that men don’t pick up on these things - otherwise we’d never get those sale bargains into our wardrobe or that to-die-for pair of shoes will stand out like a sore thumb against the other 99 pairs you already own.

It is a lovely idea to surprise someone with a gift, whether it’s for their birthday, alternative occasion or just for the hell of it.  Not only is the recipient getting a beautiful gift, they also get the clear message that someone has gone to such trouble to make the moment even more memorable by organising the surprise.  So make life easy for yourself - don’t get her a new surfboard that you have to pretend is a new kind of ironing board for a month - get something small, but beautifully formed.