Say Cheers with a glass of Barefoot Malbec

This Sunday we will be celebrating Father's Day.  It's always lovely to make the most out of these special days. It's a good excuse for me and the kids to make an even bigger fuss of Ian than we usually do. Father's Day also means he gets to choose what we do all day, including picking his favourite meal. It's nice to have a sit down meal together for special occasions, because often during the week we eat on our laps in the living room (especially now the football is on - we can't miss a match, especially as we have our own family sweepstake running!) This year Ian will be treated to a family cinema trip followed by our favourite Indian takeaway in the evening, served with a good bottle of red wine. Red wine is up there as one of his favourite tipples. A good red is not only delicious, it is also rich in antioxidants making it good for you if drunk in moderation. (That's what the experts say - and who am I to argue with that!!)

Barefoot Wine have a delicious addition to their range of wines and we received a bottle of the new Californian Malbec to sample. The Barefoot brand brings an element of fun and freedom into the wine market, promoting the idea that wine tastes better in a tee than in a tux!  Their new world Malbec red wine is an affordable crowd pleaser, perfect with or without food.  Malbec has recently risen in popularity having characteristics similar to a Merlot, making it an easy to drink and versatile red.

The Malbec red wine looks and smells lovely from the moment it's poured, with a rich, red colour. It is a full flavoured wine which is smooth and goes down easily with an instant warming effect. The flavour is reminiscent of dark berries with a hint of vanilla and a toasted oak finish. Ian and I enjoyed this wine very much. It is just the sort of red we love to drink together.

Barefoot have a range of red, white, pink and bubbly wines, which is perfect for any special occasion. Any of them would make a great gift for dad this Father's Day, or would accompany a special meal.

Barefoot wines are readily available in supermarkets and convenience stores and are sold in many pubs and restaurants nationwide. The Barefoot Malbec is currently available in Sainsbury's for £7.00.

Last Minute Father's Day Gift Ideas - Roberts Bakery, Wilkinson Sword and Beech's Fine Chocolates

If you are yet to buy a present for your dad this Father's Day don't panic! Here are some ideas for some last minute gifts that won't cost too much, but will be gratefully received.

Breakfast in Bed

Why not show him how much you care and treat dad to breakfast in bed for Father's Day? Perhaps you could make him a voucher (or print out the one below) and present dad with it so he can redeem it whenever he fancies an indulgent lie in with his choice of breakfast served to him in bed.

For Ian's Father Day Breakfast, we'll be making him a Quorn Bacon Butty using Roberts Bakery Soft and Fluffy Thick White Bread and tomato sauce. Served with a mug of black coffee, this is the perfect brekkie for dad!

Keep an eye on the Roberts Bakery Facebook page for their ultimate Father's Day Bacon Butty Guide!

Wilkinson Sword

Practical gifts can be much appreciated, which is why toiletries are always a good idea for dad. You can buy them in supermarkets so can be picked up easily wherever you are. They are a great idea for the dad who has everything.

Wilkinson Sword's Hydro 5 razor gives dad a revolutionary shave care system with its five ultra glide blades, hydrating gel reservoir and flip trimmer. It gives a high performance shave with the benefit of added skin care.

How about the new Wilkinson Sword travel kit, which includes a Hydro 5 Razor, travel cap and mini can of Protect shaving foam? It's a great idea with the summer holidays and festival season approaching. This kit is a Tesco exclusive, but Hydro 5 can be found nationwide. Wilkinson Sword products are currently included in an up to half price special offer with the Hydro 5 Groomer at £7.49 and the Razor at £4.19. Pair them with dad's favourite aftershave for a brilliant gift idea.

Find out the latest new on the Wilkinson Sword Men UK Facebook page.

Beech's Chocolate

If your dad has a sweet tooth or is a bit of a chocoholic, then you can treat him to some quality chocolates. Both Ian and my dad enjoy darker, richer blends of chocolate, savouring a few squares a night.

Beech's Fine Chocolates have a range of delicious, top quality 60g bars that are perfect for Father's Day. They are grown up chocolates for the more discerning palate with their range of interesting varieties.

The range includes:

White Chocolate

Milk Chocolate

Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate with Natural Ginger

Dark Chocolate with Lime and Chilli

Milk Chocolate with Anglesey Sea Salt

The Dark Chocolate with Natural Ginger is 55% cocoa solids. It is smooth and dark with a subtle hit of gingery warmth. It is delicious.  The 55% Dark Chocolate with Lime and Chilli is a really inventive flavour, with a citrus tang and a hit of heat. Ian really liked this one...it's a proper manly flavour! The chocolates are delicious on their own or would be excellent ingredinets in a recipe. (Watch this space for a recipe in the near future using a sample of Beech's Fine Chocolates that I was sent to try!)

Beech's have been making fine British chocolates since 1920 using the finest, natural ingredients. The packaging is really attractive, bearing the Beech's crest. The dark chocolate varieties are suitable for vegans, while the rest are vegetarian friendly. Beech's have an extensive and impressive range of vegan friendly chocolate creams, chocolate Brazils and chocolate thins

Beech's currently have a competition online where you can win a holiday or a hamper of chocolate simply by signing up to their newsletter. Just by entering you receive a 10% discount code to use against your first order.

The bars are £1.50 EACH or 3 for £4.00 or 12 for £12.00 with FREE DELIVERY on orders over £12.00.

Visit Beech's Fine Chocolates for more information.


We received these samples for the purpose of this review.

Father's Day Gift Guide - featuring Scruffs Hardwear and Truprint

Scruffs Hardwear

Scruffs make menswear that works just as hard as dad does. With durable materials and stylish designs, dad will enjoy wearing the workwear to show that he is #scruffsenough for anything, whether at home or at play. I received a sample of the Scruffs range to try out.

The Scruffs authentic vintage T-shirt is made from thick 100% cotton and is comfortable to wear. It is well made with good stitchwork and has branded label detailing on the sleeve and at the bottom of the shirt. It is available in sizes up to XXL and comes in grey or blue. At £11.95 it is a great price for a quality men's T-shirt.

The Scruffs Boxers are firm fitting and stylish, made using tough, durable polycotton. They have a Scruffs logo printed waistband.  A two pair pack of large boxers are £10.75.

Other gift ideas from Scruffs include a handy bottle opener belt for £11.95 and a water resistant and shockproof sports watch for £19.95. These would all make practical Father's Day gifts for a hardworking dad.

You can view the entire range of Scruffs workwear, safetywear and accessories at Scruffs.com.

Truprint

I have been busy making Father's Day mug and coaster gift sets for my dad, FIL and Ian with Truprint. I have also created a lovely notebook to give to Ian, featuring photographs of myself and all five of our children. At just £5.99, the notebooks come with plain or lined paper and can be personalised using a range of patterns and layouts.

When I give someone a notebook, I think it is really lovely to write a note on the first page. For Father's Day, each of the children can write a personalised message or draw a picture inside for dad to treasure.

Find this and other Father's Day gift ideas online at Truprint plus find details of an exclusive discount code valid until June 15th 2015.

Father's Day Gift Ideas #TruprintDads

Father's Day this year falls on June 21st, giving us all a few weeks to come up with the perfect gifts to give as we celebrate the men in our lives and everything that they do for us. This year, with my own lovely dad, my father-in-law and Ian to get gifts for, Kizzy and I decided to get creative and make them some personalised pressies.

We decided that it would be a nice idea to make each dad a personalised mug with a matching pair of coasters, and then filling the mug with something to match their personalities. This gift could then be wrapped in cellophane and finished with a ribbon to create a beautiful, bespoke present that will be treasured.

The first job was to create collages to go onto the mugs and coasters. For my dad and my FIL I used old family and personal photos to create images that would bring back happy memories. For Ian, Kizzy created something arty, celebrating the things that her dad loves (including all five of his kids!) I used Picmonkey to do the photo editing. Making the images first gives you much more creative freedom to design the perfect collage using overlays, clip art and filters.

Once we had the designs, we used Truprint to create the photogifts we wanted. (Truprint currently have a great Father's Day promotion, details of which are at the bottom of this post!) The mugs and coasters are easy to make online by uploading the images onto the site and editing them and adding text. With the mugs you can choose the colour of the inside of the cup and have a choice of font for the text. The coasters come in a pack of six, so by uploading three designs, I made a pair of coasters to match each mug.

Once ordered the photo gifts were delivered to my door within a few days, ready to have the finishing touches applied.

Depending on the dad's tastes, the mug can be filled with all manner of small gifts. We decided on using retro sweets, sachets of hot drinks and character socks and a keyring for our three presents. But you could use stationary products, a new tie, a miniature bottle of brandy with some sachets of coffee, some packs of seeds or some bars of dad's favourite chocolates. Another idea is to make dad some promise vouchers, either by hand or on the computer, to be exchanged for things such as bringing him breakfast in bed, washing his car or letting him take control of the TV for one day! 

You can really have fun making this gift, from creating the collages to putting the finished gifts together. I like presents that look good, show thought and are functional after the big day.

The price of the photo gifts that we ordered from Truprint are:

Photo mugs 11 oz from £7.99

Coasters x 6 £14.99

6 x 4 photo prints from 5p

Another quick and easy idea for a Father's Day Gift is to buy a cheap photo frame and buy prints to go in it. It's very simple to do and the photo prints cost just pennies making it a very reasonable gift. This is an excellent present idea for grandads, who you possibly don't get to see very often. It's a nice touch to include a declaration that you promise to send updated photographs four times a year to replace the photographs so they can always have some up to date pictures of the grandchildren hanging on their wall.

You can find the mugs and coasters plus other fantastic Father's Day gift ideas on the Truprint website. Last day for ordering for Father's Day is June 15th.

Truprint have a special Father's Day offer saving you up to £30 off your order.

Code LOVEMYDAD gives £10 discount on order £20-£49.99 and £30 discount on orders £50 or more!

Minimum spend does not include P&P charges

Offer is valid until midnight 15th June 2015.

Offer is valid for single use during the promotional period and to customers residing in the UK on Truprint.co.uk only.

P&P charges will apply

Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or on pre-paid prints.

Please allow an additional 1-2 delivery days during this promotional period.

I received credit to make my Father's Day mugs and coasters.

Father's Day Crafts from Baker Ross

When it comes to special occasions, nothing beats a homemade gift from a child who loves you. Knowing that they have put in their time and effort to create something special makes them the most precious of presents to receive.

For Father's Day, Baker Ross have a brilliant range of crafting goodies to help children make something really special for their dads. Freddy received some of the sets and we hosted an after school get together with his cousins to try them out. 

The things we tested out included:

Father's Day Foam Stickers: pack of 120 £2.99

Tie Book Mark Kit: pack of 4 £2.99

Toolbox Photo Frame Kit: pack of 4 reduced from £3.96 to £1.99

Car Wooden Desk Tidy Kit: pack of 3 £3.45

Father's Day Car Cards: pack of 8 £1.99

With Baker Ross products, you know you are getting a brilliantly thought out craft activity containing everything needed to make something that looks great. With pre-cut foam pieces and self-adhesive stickers, many of the kits are really easy and straightforward to do. Children just need to add their own artistic flair to make a design that their dads will love.

The children seemed to really enjoy doing the crafts for their dads. They don't always stick religiously to the instructions, but they all put their own unique spin on the activities to create unique gifts. The foam stickers were stuck on with some wild abandon at times, but this makes the gifts even more unique!

We particularly loved the Father's Day self-adhesive foam stickers. With shapes such as guitars, ties, lap tops, footballs, moustaches, newspapers, remote controls, power tools, golf clubs and PS3 controllers, there are designs to match any dad's personality. There are also slogan stickers with phrases such as 'World's Best Dad' and 'King for the Day', which are ideal for card making. We used the stickers to personalise the car shaped wooden desk tidy, which we filled with sweets to make a lovely gift. Alternatively, you could use paints to create a unique design on the easy to assemble 3D wooden car.

The tool box photo frames will grace any dad's desk and will look fabulous with a family photo inserted. They look really cool once completed and are a lot of fun to make with the assortment of self-adhesive tools to stick on around the foam frame. The frame is free standing, slotting into a base.

The tie bookmarks come in four different designs and the 'Dad Rocks' one complete with a guitar sticker is perfect for Ian. The other designs include sports, a race car theme and a #1 Dad design. They would be a perfect additional gift if buying a book for dad this Father's Day.

The colour in car cards come in three designs; a camper van, a Mini and a race car. They can be coloured in with felt tips, crayons, pencils or paints and come complete with envelopes. 

Seeing how proud Freddy was to have made his daddy a selection of such lovely gifts was a delight. He and his cousins carried out the crafts with such enthusiasm and really enjoyed creating the things that they made.  There are going to be two very happy daddies on Father's Day!

Find all these Father's Day craft packs plus hundreds of other themed craft ideas and accessories at www.bakerross.co.uk.

Last Minute Father's Day Gift and Card Ideas

Gift ideas from Asda

You can pop into your local Asda store and easily pick up something for dad this Father's Day.  You'll find gifts at pocket money prices to top of the range high tech gifts, so there is something for every budget. Perhaps dad would like a bottle of whisky or maybe you could buy the ingredients to cook him breakfast in bed?   Maybe socks, pants, T-shirts and PJ's would fit the bill or how about a box of chocolates. CDs, DVDs and games make great gift ideas.There is so much choice.

The Mr.Men merchandise from George is a fun gift idea for dads. Dads will love feeling like the Mr Strong of the family.

Or how about this Star Wars notebook and light sabre pens for the Star Wars loving dad in your life? Maybe Luke Skywalker could get this for Darth Vader, who after all is his father!

The Dog's Doodahs Cards

There is still time to order a card for your dad from The Dog's Doodahs.  Orders made before 2pm are posted the same day by first class post.  There is a range of cards from the sentimental to the downright rude!  So whatever the age of the kids and the taste of their dad, there will be a card to suit.

We were given a code to make one and the kids chose this lovely photo card for their dad.  It is a lovely design and the photographs will make it very precious to him.  There are loads of other designs they could have chosen including one that suggests he was "mum's bitch"!

The Dog's Doodahs is an all-occasion online card and gift shop selling a host of traditional, cute and funny cards alongside some rather cheeky ones which feature jokes about alcohol, sex and getting old.  Many can be personalised with photos and text on the front and the inside, so you can tailor the card to the recipient, bringing a smile on their special day.  The site is fun and friendly and perfect for anyone looking for something a bit risque!

A standard size (A5-ish) card is £3.99 delivered from www.thedogsdoodahs.com


Give Dad A Hug and Say Thanks

A recent survey commissioned by Wilkinson's Sword says 49% of dads won't get a hug or kiss this Father's Day and 44% of people admit to not thanking their dads for everything they do for them.  Women are more open with their emotions than men, who on a whole, find it more difficult to express their love to their fathers.

That is so very sad.  We're a very touchy feely family who tell each other how much we love each other on a daily basis. Ian used to be a bit uptight about his emotions, as he doesn't have very demonstrative parents, but after 20 odd years with me, he is now as gushy as it gets!

Wilkinson Sword are asking for us to express our love through making a #Dadication on Facebook or Twitter, telling our dads what we are grateful for.  I really like this campaign, giving good dads the recognition they deserve.


             

So don't forget to dish out the hugs, kisses and thank yous this year...they don't cost a penny and will mean more than any gifts!!

Ravensburger Scotland Yard Game Review

Mr. X is hiding from the detectives at Scotland Yard. With a few clever moves down the London Underground, by taxi or by bus, can Mr. X escape the trap of the Detectives, or will you anticipate his moves and catch him red-handed. The chase is on…!

This is the premise of the newly relaunched game from Ravensburger.  It's a family game for 3-6 players aged 8 and over.  We received one to try out. 

One player chooses to be Mr X, and they get to wear the cap.  He starts the game with a secret starting point, from where he moves from station to station, logging his progress in his travel log.  Meanwhile, the other players act as detectives trying to find him and catch him.  Mr.X's playing piece only appears on the board at certain times, making it very hard to keep track on his journey and predict his destination.

The game sees players travel by taxi, underground or bus using tickets as their fare. Journeys have to follow the routes on the game mode and can be made by either of the modes of transport.  Players will be able to tell how Mr.X travels but not where he is going, and need to work out which route he may have taken using their powers of deduction. The tickets are all clearly visible in the log but as Mr.X can use black tickets to disguise his chosen modes of transport this is not as easy as it seems.  

A detective will win if he arrives at the location of Mr.X who then has to reveal himself.  However, if the detectives become immobilised through not having the correct tickets to continue their journey, then Mr.X remains undefeated.

This game is all about strategy, skill and deduction. It is definitely one for older players who are able to follow the gameplay and work out Mr X's movements.  The game lasts for around 45 minutes to an hour and can get quite tense at times.  Players need to be committed to the game and it can get a little complicated. However, when the kids enter into the spirit of the game it gets quite competitive and allows them to unleash their inner detectives and try to outwit Mr.X (who in our case was Daddy!)  

The instructions are quite extensive and there are two versions of gameplay which makes it a bit complicated to work out.  But through playing and slightly tweaking the rules to suit ourselves we were able to make the game work for us.

The game cards and tickets are all made made from quality card and the detailed game board featuring London City is beautifully made, as you would expect from the Ravensburger brand.  

This game would make a great gift for Father's Day, allowing dads to take on the role of Mr.X and take on their families in this game of wits.

Find out more here: www.ravensburger.com/uk/products/games/family-games/scotland-yard-26117/index.html  RRP £19.99

Matchbox 60th Anniversary Classics

As children, we had a much loved collection of Matchbox cars.  The brilliantly detailed, scale models of assorted  vehicles provided us with hours of fun as we wheeled them around in our own imaginative adventure games.  This year, marks the 60th anniversary of this iconic brand.  To celebrate, they have released a collectible line of twenty four of their best loved classic vehicles, each one coming with its own retro box.

We were sent a Routemaster Bus and a Blaze Blitzer Fire Engine to review.  These truly are timeless toys that will appeal to children and grown-ups alike.  The retro feel of these Matchbox cars will transport dads and grandads back to their own childhoods, giving them a nostalgic journey through time.  Little ones, new to the brand, will love sharing moments with their dads as they whizz the vehicles along the floor.  The Matchbox 60th anniversary celebratory video really made me smile.  

Other vehicles in the collection include a VW Beetle, a vintage tractor, a London Taxi, a police car, jeep, Austin Mini Cooper, ambulance, Mustang and a Porsche.  Six decades of iconic vehicles are making a welcome comeback to toyboxes and collections!

The Matchbox 60th Anniversary Collection vehicles have an RRP of £3.99.  They would make a wonderful Father's Day gift for dads or grandads who are fans of the Matchbox brand.  I know Ian is going to love these vehicles and will enjoy introducing Freddy to a much loved toy from his childhood.

Find out more at www.matchbox.com

Photo Books for Father's Day

This Father's Day why not make your dad a photo book filled with special photographs?  I think it is a fabulous, personal gift idea and something that will be treasured for years to come, bringing back precious moments and family memories whenever it is looked at.

Albelli have given us the opportunity to make our own photo book for Father's Day.  Unfortunately, with the bout of illness that has struck everyone in our house down over the past three weeks, we haven't managed to create one yet.  As the deadline for ordering is June 9th 2013, I will be doing it this weekend so we get it back in time for Father's Day.

Taking a look through the Albelli website, there are some really inspirational ideas for making a brilliant, personalised 'Book for Dad'.

You can include photos of dad's favourite things: his car, the dog, his favourite food, his record collection and of course the kids!  With funky layouts, fun frames and photo masks, text boxes and cool clip art to play with, the book can be made exactly how you want it.

With a little effort, every page can be turned into something magical.  You can tell a story, capture the mood and create a really special photobook.  The Photo Book Creator has all the tools you need to design and edit a book to your own specifications.  The Inspiration Pages include step by step tutorials so you can achieve specific effects and themes such as using watercolour backgrounds and  brush stroke masks to display photo images of your kids' artwork within the photobook.

If you don't have the time you can always opt for a pre-designed photo book where you simply have to upload your images into a template of your choice.  A bit of editing and tweaking can be applied so you are completely happy with the end result.

Prices start at just £6.95 for a Pocket Photo Book.  A Large Landscape Photo Book starts at £24.95.

I'm really looking forward to getting creative and a little bit bold as I create the Photo Book for Ian's Father's Day present.  I'll report back when we receive the finished result!

Here is a book I made for Ian last year showing the excellent quality of the Albelli photo books.

Find out more at www.albelli.co.uk