Feb
06
A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking what I should do for Valentine’s Day – I mean, here on the blog, for the readers. I could write a post about how or why you should buy photography gift vouchers for your other half but then it starts getting boring after a while, doesn’t it? So I had an idea: why not team up with some awesome local businesspeople who can show us what they offer for Valentine’s Day? I randomly emailed some people who I thought would be interested and asked on twitter and facebook - and I met these incredible people who agreed to give us – that’s you and me – some great present ideas.
With the word, our guest bloggers!
Mary Malyon, from Natural Baby Shower, an awesome Baby Boutique based in Chertsey, Surrey:
At Natural Baby Shower we love babies, but we never forget their adults especially on Valentine’s Day. We’ve got a fantastic range of beautifully-made, organic gifts for parents and non-parents alike:
Purepotions Organic Bath Oil:
Luxurious and 100% natural, Purepotions Bath Oil contains organic oils including nourishing sunflower, soothing safflower and lavender, chamomile and calendula – all known for their healing properties. There are categorically no nasty parabens or petrochemicals, just pure bathing loveliness for your Valentine.

Pure Potions Skin Salvation Organic Bath Oil £7.75
Womama Organic Birthing Wrap Dress:
Despite the gossip mags full of prancing super-models, heavily pregnant and still in their smalls, Valentines undies will not win you brownie points with most mamma’s-to-be-very-soon. Womama’s super-soft organic cotton wrap is a stylish alternative. A beautiful nightgown which flatters and celebrates the lovely bump; a great replacement to ugly, nylon hospital birthing gowns and the wrap also looks great over jeans in late pregnancy and early motherhood when a mum needs something quick yet elegant to throw on in the morning. We’ve only got a few left in stock, you can check availability here>> http://naturalbabyshower.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=womama. More colours (including a Valentines Red) and sizes coming soon.

- Womama Organic Birthing Wrap Dress – Ocean Blue. £49.95
Oi Oi Nappy Bags for Mum AND Dad…
His and hers nappy bags, the perfect Valentines present for parents-to-be. When you become a mum it’s easy to lose sight of the stylish maven you once were. Even if she has a fantastic collection of It bags, it’s unlikely any of them will have space and pockets for nappies, wipes, extra clothes, toys: the list of baby paraphernalia is endless. This is where OiOi bags come in: they are on-trend AND they’ve got a special pouch for used wipes. Could a mum could ask for more? We love OiOi’s leather tote in Valentine’s red.
And if Dad wants his own bag, the Daddy Rider fits the bill. What better statement of intent? “I’ve got my own nappy bag, and I will change the nappies!”

- OiOi Red Leather Tote (left) £180; OiOi Daddy Rider Messenger Changing Bag (right) £190
Boo Boo Baby Luxury Mummy Spa Kit
The ultimate pampering gift set for Mums – whether her bump’s just beginning to show or her little one is already toddling. This luxurious, at-home Spa Kit will leave her skin glowing, firmed and stretch-mark free thanks to our three best-selling products, all wrapped up in a gorgeous, glossy box. Safe for use during pregnancy and nursing.

Boo Boo Baby Luxury Mama Spa Kit £39.99
Natural Baby Shower has also an incredible online shop so those a bit far away from Surrey can enjoy these great products as well. And you can also like their Facebook Page or follow them on Twitter.
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Here are Sarah Evan’s, from rightbag.co.uk, recommendations:
For Women – Plum Purple Krusell iPhone case
Soft and durable the case will form like a glove around your phone. Made from high quality genuine suede leather, with a super soft lining, it’s one of our biggest selling iphone cases. It would make the perfect present for any one who wants to protect their phone with quality and style.

Plum Purple Krussell iPhone Case £16.99
For Men – Checker Flag Pat Says Now Laptop Bag
These gorgeous Pat Says Now bags stand out from the crowd. Made of high-quality PVC, the padded interior compartment perfectly protects your laptop against shocks and the elements. There is ample space available in the main compartment for your mains adapter and books. The exterior front and back panel fasten securely with Velcro and smooth running zippers, which are easy to use. The clever designs in bright colours make every bag a unique accessory for out and about. The perfect present for a man that wants to stand out from the crowd with an excellent quality, bang on trend look.

Checker Flag Pat Says Now Laptop Bag from £36.99
For Men – Gelaskins Union Jack Skin for iPad 2
Gelaskins iPad 2 Cover Skin customises and protects the front and back of your iPad. The skins are made from 3M vinyl technology for easy and repositionable application. It can be removed and reapplied leaving no marks or residue and is bubble free with a durable scratch resistant coating. The skins are compatible with all iPad 2 acccesories and even come with downloadable matching wallpaper. The skins are extremely thin (less than 1mm) but offer tough, scratch protection. So if you want to avoid the bulk that comes with some other iPad 2 cases then the Gelaskins are for you. The perfect gift for the man that has everything.

Gelaskins Union Jack Skin for iPad 2 £22.99
For Women or Men – Verso Prologue Kindle 4 case
The Verso Prologue Antique Case Cover is wrapped in luxurious fabric. It is an exceptionally crafted cover and could easily blend into an old world style library disguised as a classic novel. But admirers will soon realize this cover offers far more than a striking vintage appearance. A handy front pocket makes a convenient place to store travel or business documents. The interior cover features a velvety microfiber fabric to help protect your device from scratches. The unique design features the Verso patent-pending strap system to enable a secure fit for tablets and e-reader devices. The perfect compromise between a book and a Kindle.

Verso Prologue Kindle 4 case - Red £36.99
For Women – Knomo Slim Black
The Knomo Slim is handcrafted from durable nylon quilting and leather for the ultimate protection against knocks or bumps. The unique design stands out from the crowd whilst being practical to boot and the front zipped-pocket is handy for your travelcard or other small items. The Slim’s retractable padded handle is comfortable to carry and helps it to easily fit into a larger bag. The detachable, extendable strap means it can also be worn across the body or on the shoulder while the slip pocket on the back can carry cables or paperwork. The Slim, like all other Knomo products comes with its own unique tracker ID number printed on the double stitched tag within, to help you be re-united with your bag if lost. Pippa Middleton’s favourite laptop carrier, and our best selling laptop case. The perfect present for some one who loves beautifully crafted gifts, the Slim will not disappoint.

Knomo Slim Black from £49.99
Rightbag.co.uk is an innovative online shop specialising in funky, stylish tech bags for women (and some for men too) – from your computer to your kindle, they have got it covered (no pun intended, honest). You can also like them on Facebook or follow their Twitter.
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And finally, Lisa Berry from Cheeky Little Prints and Gifts, an online shop selling wonderful keepsake jewellery and an exciting gift range.
Fingerprint Charm
A solid silver charm showcasing your child’s fingerprint. Regular fingerprint charms are currently available as hearts, curved hearts, circles, rectangles and squares. These beautiful charms are perfect for necklaces and some are also suited to charm bracelets. You can present your fingerprint charm on a stunning sterling silver snake chain or perhaps a beautiful charm bracelet, just add it to your order.

Fingerprint charm from £44.99
Fingerprint Cufflinks
A pair of solid silver square fingerprint charms with sterling silver cufflink fittings soldered at the rear. Each hand crafted cufflink features a fingerprint as well as hand inscribed name personalisation. The cufflinks can be a combination of either 2 child or 2 adult fingerprints or 1 of each.

Fingerprint cufflinks from £84.99
Small Rimmed Plate – Ceramic Keepsake Kit
Our Ceramic Keepsakes are now available in kit form! It is now possible for you to create your own Ceramic Keepsake, perfect for our customers that live too far away to visit us and these kits also make perfect gifts! This Ceramic Keepsake Kit contains a fully glazed small rimmed plate, a pot of special paint in your chosen colour, a sponge and full instructions. These kits are easy to use; simply apply the paint with the sponge to your child’s hand and/or foot and then place their hand and/or foot onto the glazed ceramic piece to make the print. Don’t worry if the print is not what you wanted, you can either wipe away smudges with a damp cloth or a baby wipe or you can wipe off the whole print and start again! Enough paint is supplied for several prints to be taken. You can personalise your Ceramic Keepsake by painting on your child’s name, age or a message etc using the remaining paint and a fine paint brush. Alternatively you can use a porcelain painter pen to personalise your item and these are available to purchase from us. The porcelain painter pen can be used to personalise any glazed ceramic item. Your Ceramic Keepsake needs to be left to dry for 24 hours and is then baked in the oven according to the instructions supplied.

Small Rimmed Plate - Ceramic Keepsake Kit from £14.99
Coffee Mug – Ceramic Keepsake Kit
This is the coffee mug version of the plate above and works exactly the same way. For the coffee or tea addicts out there!

Coffee Mug - Ceramic Keepsake Kit from £11.99
As well as on their lovely website, you can also find Cheeky Little Prints and Gifts on Facebook.
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So, I am hoping by the end of this post you will have plenty of ideas – and if you have a different suggestion, why not share on the comments below or on our Facebook Page?
Finally, I would like to say a big big thank you to Mary from Natural Baby Shower, Sarah from rightbag.co.uk and Lisa from Cheeky Little Prints and Gifts for their fantastic suggestions. I hope we can take our collaboration further in the near future!