we love birthdays!

As you might expect, we love birthdays at notonthehighstreet.com. Not only is there an opportunity for cake, but most importantly we just love finding the perfect gift for someone special.

Last week, it was the turn of our CFO, Robert, to receive some birthday love. Being a dedicated fan of the proms, we decided to give him one of Betsy Benn’s popular destination prints, and chose to personalise it with the names, dates and details of some of the performances he has attended.

To see more prints that can easily be personalised to create a heartfelt gift, click here.

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 24 October 2011

we've got the doodle bug!

We love to celebrate innovative designs from our partners, and one new product in particular is experiencing great success. The doodle duvet cover by Stitch designworks has been awarded Best New Product at Top Drawer, one of the most prestigious trade fairs in the UK. The doodle duvet is a 200 thread count, white cotton single duvet cover designed to resemble a giant piece of file paper. It comes with its own pack of eight wash-out colour pens, for drawing a masterpiece, writing a story or leaving a message – then the duvet cover can be easily washed to start all over again!

Chrissie Probert Jones, founder of Stitch designworks and creator of the doodle duvet cover, said the product was born from her passion for both textiles and stationery: “I just love the idea of going to bed under a blank sheet of paper to decorate at will, and then be able to wash and change completely. I love the slightly subversive side of giving people permission to draw where they normally shouldn’t and the freedom of totally wash-out colour so there are no limits to what you can do – a really positive addition to your interior and one you won’t tire of!”

We have a sneaky suspicion it might be the most talked about children’s Christmas present this year…

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 22 September 2010

hey baby!

Like most people, we’re always gushing over anything baby-related, which is why we felt we had to share these pictures of two of the cutest babies ever wearing products from notonthehighstreet.com. One of our sellers Manuka Baby, who sells Merino wool and pure organic cotton clothing, bedding, and sleepwear, sent us in some of their gorgeous range to try out.

Six month old Petra is wearing the Layered Warmth Honeycomb Merino Wool Vest, which is available in three different sizes, from newborn to one year old. The vest is woven in a honeycomb pattern from super-soft 100% pure New Zealand Merino wool. Merino wool is said to help your baby to regulate their temperature – keeping them neither too hot, nor too cool!

Another of our favourites from the Manuka Baby range is the Sleepsac. Unfortunately it is baby-sized (it would really come in handy for power naps at your desk) so we asked another of our little friends, ten month old Christine, to try it out for us.

Perfect for traveling, this little sleeper allows you to quietly transfer your little one from the car-seat to pram to cot, and they’ll be none the wiser. Also made from Merino wool, the Sleepsac will fit your baby from newborn to two years old.

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 08 June 2010

twelve brilliant Father's Day gifts

If your dad is like mine, whenever you ask him what gift he might like, he’ll claim that he has everything he needs already and only wants gifts that he can eat. So I do quite a lot of baking. But always one for a challenge, I am convinced that the perfect gift for him is out there; it’s not edible, it’s impressive and it’ll make him rather chuffed. So along the way this year I’ve discovered a number of brilliant new Father’s Day gifts that it seemed wasteful not to share (and my dad hates waste):

FOR THE DAD WHO’S A BIT SENTIMENTAL

A cube photo frame is a perfect token gift that you can fill with photographs of family and friends. It works great with black and white photos – and it’s easy to create a story if you choose photos from one event. If you’re pushing the boat out, this personalised heroes sign is brilliant – choose three of his heroes and get an original piece of art made for him.

FOR THE DAD WHO HATES FUSS

A clock is a lovely gift to give, and one that you know will come in useful. This rev counter clock is perfect for sitting on a desk and looking cool.

FOR THE DAD WHO APPRECIATES FINE FOOD

A deliciously stylish set of olive oils that look brilliant and won’t break the bank. We’ve sampled them in the office and they are delicious indeed.

FOR THE DAD WHO LOVES GADGETS

Not a traditional gadget, but definitely something to get out to entertain guests! This hot stone grill is a brilliant alternative to BBQs.

FOR THE DAD WITH A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOUR

This ‘No dancing dads’ print is just brilliant.

FOR THE DAD WHO LIKES A PRACTICAL GIFT

A good set of knives is an essential for any kitchen, and this set from Japan is an affordable gift that will impress. Only get these for him if he’s the kind of dad to take good care of them as they do need a bit of maintenance. But for some dads that is part of the fun.

FOR THE DAD WHO PUTS FOOTBALL ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE

You can’t get better than this England Vs Germany vintage sign. Or a Keep Calm and Carry On England poster is a very apt gift for the months ahead!

FOR THE DAD WHO LOVES CHEESE

This sturdy, unique slate cheeseboard will stand the test of time and make eating cheese even more enjoyable (if that’s possible).

FOR THE DAD WHO’S HIPPER THAN YOU

If he’s hip, and he loves tea, these great british teapots are fantastic – choose from iconic british brands marmite, tate and lyle or colman’s mustard. Or if he’s not a tea fan, a poster is a great gift, and these retro film illustrations are rather stunning – there’s 12 films to choose from. Finally, vintage bus blinds make a brilliant style statement, and a sentimental one too if you can find a destination to suit.

So many ideas, and only one Father’s Day.

Posted by jokite on 04 June 2010

a bondi birthday

Holly is taking a well-earned break at the moment catching up with family and friends in Australia. It was also her birthday last week, and we sent some goodies over for her to open while she was away. So if you’re sending a gift or two to far-away friends, we recommend the following as being brilliant gift ideas for travel and rather nifty to post too!

Alphabet bags Initial Tote bag (H) from Alphabet Bags

Wine bottle stopper in F and H from Letteroom

Personalised notebook (“Holly’s great escape”) from Noble Macmillan

Smokey earrings in gold from Hurley Burley

And there’s even more to open on her return! Well we had to show the gifting guru we’d learnt a thing or two…

Posted by jokite on 07 April 2010

fairtrade fortnight

Quite a few of the lovely things to buy on notonthehighstreet.com are fairtrade, but we don’t often shout about it so this is the perfect time to bring out a selection and tell you about them and why we love them.

I’m in the middle of moving house at the moment, and have been looking for a shelf unit that’s not too big, not too small, not too imposing but definitely unique, and I came across these gorgeous wooden shelves by Kwetu. Made from sustainable cypress wood in Kenya, each design is unique as it is handcrafted and provides a sturdy but functional feature of a room.

Last year I bought some beautiful new bedding from Nkuku and I am still raving about it – it is so well-made and pretty, the cotton is beautifully soft and everyone compliments me on it (not that I have that many visitors to my bedroom!). They still look as great as the day I bought them.

Spring time always means a bit of a refresh at home and investing in a few new things which will change the look of your place. I love these plant pots from Recycle Recycle – they are bold and bright, and have an industrial feel to them which is so on-trend. I think my friends might be getting some of these as little gifts this year too – they can be used as storage, to hold bottles or utensils – so useful!

And talking of essential little gifting ideas, a perfect token for a friend could be one of these pretty leather purses from Ella Georgia Jewellery. Handmade in Vietnam, the makers of these purses are earning four times the national minimum wage, so that’s a nice thought when you pop your pennies back into your purse. And when choosing a little gift, you can’t fail with these chocolate alphabet letters – they are suitable for so many occasions, saying sorry (not needed too often luckily), parties, thank yous, birthdays or just to tell someone you are thinking of them. Children love them too for their bright patterns (and their yummy taste!).

Childen are also loving these brilliant knitted animals from Gorgeous Goodies – they turn into the toy that can’t ever be put away. And for dressing up the babies, these kimonos are absolutely adorable and such fabulous quality. I have a couple of friends with babies on the way and I think these might just make the perfect gift. And for a treat for new mums, they just might want this stunning photo album and a gorgeous new top from the very funky Exclusive Roots that covers up a multitude of sins but looks stunning, the perfect thing for feeling good again after giving birth.

And all being Fairtrade too… what a wonderful way to help the world.

And that’s just the start! To see all our eco-friendly products, click here.

Posted by jokite on 24 February 2010

heart-shaped heaven

The most delicious food is often the simplest – and that seems to be the motto of Taylors Truffles. Claire started the company in October 2008 after being hounded by friends to make her truffles more readily available. Word spread and slowly but surely, truffles started taking over Claire’s life. She started tentatively taking part in fairs, and when that proved to be a success, she started sharing a warehouse space with other women running their own small businesses, and that is where Claire heard about notonthehighstreet.com. The warehouse sounds like a great scheme – the women are put into groups to try and help support each other when starting out, providing business advice and a good support structure which is essential when starting a small business. As you may imagine, it’s a pretty lively place!

We were lucky enough to try out the truffles last week. What an absolutely delicious treat – perfect truffles in my eyes. Not too sweet, with a smooth and creamy texture, and despite the satisfyingly-large size, still managed to be rather moorish! We shared the heavenly treat around the office, but I must admit, I felt rather protective over these things of beauty. They arrived prettily wrapped in a simple cream textured-card box with a tiny red paper rose tied on with teal raffia and make the perfect gift for a loved one.

The heart-shaped truffle is the most popular, so that is what she makes, and as well as her original truffle and a mint one (with mint sourced from her friend’s mint farm, no less), she is currently working on a ginger truffle… that sounds just wonderful.

Wedding favours are also on the cards.

Posted by jokite on 02 February 2010

featuring Maximillian the moose...

For fresh and quirky babywear, beautifully made from 100% soft cotton, take a look at the new range from Olive&Moss. Their designs are based around animal characters with serious expressions, illustrated in a colourful graphic style in unisex colours. Their greeting cards are loads of fun too – simple happy graphics to make a child smile. Read more about Olive&Moss.

Posted by jokite on 24 November 2009

getting organised in the most pretty way

We love The Aviary – their style is so beautiful and on-trend. Beautiful journals and diaries makes a stunning and unusual gift, or you could browse their shop for ideas and inspiration to get organised in the new year. Specialising in handmade, decorative home ware, jewellery, gift items, original artworks and stationary, The Aviary adds a unique touch with vintage ephemera, making each item too good-looking to hide away.

Posted by jokite on 18 November 2009

delighted by Silver Leaves

We received a package from Silver Leaves yesterday, with beautiful necklaces and chocolates. It was a lovely surprise and the necklaces are just beautiful (Summerly and I are both wearing ours today with pride). Thanks Silver Leaves, it made our day!

Posted by jokite on 07 October 2009

corporate gifting with a difference

Corporate gifting can traditionallly be a bit dull, and rather safe.

With that in mind, we’ve just created a gorgeous new corporate gifting department to break the mould! It’s a great destination for buying gifts for clients, colleagues or employees with a thoughtful, yet still corporate, feel.

We’ve pulled together some lovely ideas that are perfect for thank yous, birthdays, leaving presents, get well soons… whatever the workplace occasion, we think we have the gift to cover it. We’ve also included personalised items which are a really touching way to reward someone.

And to give you some extra inspiration, last Christmas the notonthehighstreet.com team all received pretty little parcels containing rather lovely examples of corporate gifts:

An engraved stone personalised with a name and a message

A Silver Kitsune necklace personalised with a name

A Noble MacMillan diary personalised with a name

And we all felt rather special indeed.

Posted by jokite on 11 September 2009

disco in the dishwasher

We were a delighted office today when we opened a big box choc full of new mugs from Disco Butterfly. She’s been off the scene for a short while but she is back with a bang with these gorgeous new ‘A little bird told me’ mugs, which can be personalised too. They’re also very usefully dishwasher-friendly. Thanks Anna, we love them and we’re glad you’re back.

Posted by jokite on 09 September 2009

a whole new level of personalisation

Sew Very English really excelled themselves when I requested a personalised tea cosy for my nanny’s birthday. My nanny, Victoria, lives on a boat and Tracy asked me a few details about what type it was and the colour. When the finished article arrived, the tea cosy was not only personalised beautifully with hand-embroidered names, it also had a rather accurate appliqued boat on the front. It also had an extra label sewn inside, ‘with love from the Cornishes’. It’s utterly delightful. I was so proud to give it and Victoria really loved it. Thank you Sew Very English, we were sew very impressed!

Posted by sophiecornish on 01 September 2009

spell it out...

These gorgeous little love letters, which can be hung on a bush if you like (don’t they look pretty?), or alternatively on door knobs and bed posts, as each one comes with a fabric loop. They are all individually handmade, from the fabric of your choice. They’re perfect for children’s bedrooms and if you have a child with a particularly long name now is the time to buy as they have 10% off in our sale! Click here to find out more.

Posted by jokite on 12 August 2009

Joanne's birthday corsage

We love birthdays in our office, because we have so many beautiful gifts to choose from on our site (plus there are a lot of budding bakers here, so we are never short of a cake or two). One of Joanne’s presents was this eye catching and unusual felt corsage, which she was very chuffed with (as you can see). It’s stunningly made, and the shades of colour helpfully seem to match many outfits (as Joanne pointed out). If you fancy snapping up your own, it’s currently in the sale so be quick!

Posted by jokite on 30 July 2009