Fancy Some Strawberries and Lemons?

This Coming May 20th is National "Pick Strawberries Day"!

One of the most popular fruits in the World is celebrated this coming May 20th... yes, it's "Pick Strawberries Day"! I'm not sure where this day originates from or that it's even official but what the heck it's a great excuse to indulge in this sweet on the inside and sweet on the outside luscious fruit! And indulge you can as they are nutritionally power packed with all the goodness you need, unless of course you love to smother them with lashings of fresh cream and Swiss chocolate like I do!

For Serious Chocoholics Only... WIN a copy of the book!

Our brand new Chocoholics Indulgence Gift Box features the wonderfully illustrated and quirky book 'A Born To Shop Chocoholic'.  This delightful book includes deliciously indulgent choccy recipes and is accompanied by a delicious selection of chocolates all perfectly presented in an exclusive 'Hamper Boutique' gift box... this gift box is for serious chocoholics only!

The Wonderful History of Wicker Baskets

Seeing all the beautiful wicker baskets filled with gifts, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon still gets us very excited after many years.

Wicker baskets have played an important role throughout the history of the world. Being made from reeds, strips of oak, birch, or other fibrous materials, they have a long lasting durability and a simple rustic appearance.  Because of their simplicity and inherently functional nature, baskets have also served as a very popular form of ‘wrapping’ for gifts... for friends, family, baby showers and corporate gifting occasions.

In Celebration of International Women's Day...

In case you haven't seen our Facebook Post, in celebration of International Women's Day 2014 today we are giving you a 14% Discount to treat yourself to one of our pampering gift sets.  Simply enter 'WD14' at the checkout.

So what is International Women's Day? It's held on 8th March every year and each year celebrates different themes.  Last year the theme was' Time for Action to End Violence Against Women'.  For this year 2014, the 103rd year it's been held, the day has the theme 'Inspiring Change' and celebrates the Social, Political and Economic achievements of women everywhere. 

Flippin' Marvellous... It's Shrove Tuesday!

It's Pancake Day!  Follow our 5 Easy Tips and make sure you serve up good old fashioned pancakes you're kids (and you!) will love...

1.    Follow a recipe!  Yes, you may think this sounds obvious but really, if you've never made pancakes before you can't simply throw some eggs, milk and flour together and expect a good outcome!  See our recipe below and enjoy a delicious pancake.

2. Make sure you have a good quality non-stick pan... simply don't bother if you don't have one else your pancakes will remain in the pan only... stuck to the bottom of it!

3.  When preparing your mixture... mix, mix and mix some more!  The more your eggs are beaten, the more airy texture they will have... think soufflés and meringues.

4.  Make sure the hob is fully preheated before you place the pan on with the batter mixture and ensure you have brushed a thin layer of butter or oil to the base of your pan and warmed it before pouring the batter in.

An Amazing Find...

We had an amazing weekend at the Spring Fair this year finding many new and exciting products for our hampers and gift baskets.  We're very excited to be working our new range of Mother's Day hampers coming to our website shortly.

My favourite supplier this year is Patisserie de Bain who supply the most exquisite pampering products in the most gorgeous packaging.  Inspired by the love of a bygone era Caroline Rose, the founder, has produced a range of delectable handmade beauty products.

14 Valentine's Day Gift Ideas...

Valentine's Day will be here before you know it!  To help make this Valentine's Day one for you to remember, here are 14 of our best Valentine's Day gifts to provide some inspiration! 

Feel free to place your order now and select a "delayed shipping date" at the checkout.  Your gift will be despatched next Thursday for delivery on Friday 14th February.

So here we go with our top 14 gift ideas...don't forget to leave your comments below... we'd love to know what you'll be giving your loved one this year.

Say "I Love You" With The Perfect Gift...

Nothing says “I Love You” like chocolates and champagne on Valentine's Day!  At Smart Gift Solutions, we specialise in making the important people in your life feel extra special.  We've a wonderful selection of Valentine's Day Gifts built for every budget... we are the best place to shop online for February 14th.

Order today and select your shipping date of Friday 14th February... shop now @ Romantic Gifts

We hope you had a chance to enter our 'Win A Luxury Christmas Hamper' Competition on Facebook. We asked "what would you like to receive in your Christmas stocking this year?"

We loved reading all your comments especially Matt Smith! who we think wouldn't quite fit but wouldn't that be lovely? But then the largest Christmas stocking measured 168 ft 5.65"  in length and 70 ft 11.57" so anything's possible!

So many lovely wishes and all so different, except for quite a few of you were hoping for your favourite shop vouchers or experience day vouchers and an ipad/tablet.

We're all looking forward to announcing one lucking winner later today.  If you haven't aleady entered there's still time, so jump on over to our Facebook page and enter here.

Know Somebody With the X Factor?

Sam Bailey will be receiving our You're A Star Retro Sweet Case this coming Saturday... we think this is a superb gift choice for that special someone with the X Factor!

We're rooting for Sam, a former prison officer that's finally found the spotlight for her exceptional singing voice.  We wish the married mum of two, no doubt an inspiration to so many women, all the luck in the world and will be cheering her on all the way.

Click here to send the You're A Star gift to that someone special in your life.

Top Three Festive Drinks...

We asked you what your favourite Festive tipple was and (no surprise really) Bailey's came out tops.  They'll certainly be a bottle or two at our house on Christmas Day!

Second was Mulled Wine and Third was we think was a toss up between Eggnog and something sparkling like Champagne or Bucks Fizz.

Winter In Venice for Christmas

We are absolutely delighted to let you know that we've just added the Winter In Venice collection of gift sets to our Pampering range.  What we love most about their fabulous gifts is that they have combined a high quality re-usable product to keep things tidy around the house or garden to bring a pampering experience and long lasting gift that's second to none!

The ruby red collection shown just here is an example of their clever and practical packaging... what looks like a faux leather hat box is in fact a jewellery case.  Fitted neatly inside the lid is a removeable tray for keeping jewellery. 

Spook-tacular Halloween Photo Competition

Halloween is on the way and spirits are rising!  We're about to announce the Winner of our Spook-tacular Halloween Photo Competition on our Facebook Page.

We love all the creative costumes on young and old alike (and your pets!)  Some have been too scary to look at without feeling squeamish and have really spooked us!

Here's wishing you a very scary, but fun filled, Halloween with plenty of trick or treating, carving pumpkins and for me maybe a spot of apple bobbing and one or two horror films!

Seven Solid Days of Chocolate Indulgence!

Yay! It's Chocolate Week from 14th-20th October! So if you're an absolute chocoholic, you'll love seven solid days of indulging your sweet tooth and trying out all the best chocolate! Get started with our selection of indulgent chocolate gift selections... Chocolate Hampers.


And just to make you feel an itzy bit less guilty
you can go for dark chocolate which contains hefty amounts of disease fighting flavenoids... antioxidants also found in red wine and many fruits and vegetables. In fact, it appears to have more flavenoids than any other food!  So go for it!

Happy National Cupcake Week!

It's National Cupcake Week 16th-22nd September... are you ready?

Visit the National Cupcake Week website for all the information you'll knead (whoops! sorry) to get involved in making your own cupcakes, promoting your business and all the latest on the events that are going on throughout the UK to raise money for important charities.

And in the meantime leave your comment below to let us know what your favourite flavour cupcake is or like and share our Facebook post to win a dozen of our delicious cupcakes

Who's been watching this years The Great British Bake Off?

As you may already know from last years blog posts documenting The Great British Bake Off - Smart Gift Solutions are BIG fans of this wonderful baking show, and follow the show's progress almost religiously and we'd like to know what your thoughts are on this year's show!

Who are you rooting to win, and what have your favourite recipes been so far? Our personal favourite from this seasons show has been Frances' breadsticks that were designed in the form of matchsticks - fully equipped with a match box too! It was absolutely adorable... such a fabulous idea!

Let us know your thoughts by commenting below, or leaving us a message on Facebook - we'd love to know if you're following this year's show like us!

2013 SUMMER COMPETITION!

It's that time of year again - Summer Competition Time! And this year we have a very wonderful treat for our customers indeed. We're giving away a whopping £60 voucher for you to use on our website, allowing you to treat yourself, your family or your friends and colleagues to some wonderful treats. 

All you have to do to enter the competition is simply comment below what you would spend your voucher on, and what the gifts you choose would go towards - perhaps you'll create a wonderful picnic basket for a family day out, or buy yourself some pampering treats!

Don't forget to like and share on Facebook too, to spread the word about our competition - which will be announced on the 23rd of August!

GOOD LUCK!

National Allotment Week!

This week in the UK it is National Allotment Week, and to celebrate we'll be bringing you articles with facts on how to look after your allotment and why you should own one if you don't already! To start off this week, here are a few facts about the happiness of gardeners - with proof that getting outside and dirty can spruce up your lifestyle!

In a poll taken by Gardener's World, it was discovered that of the 1,500 people who were tested, a massive 93% stated that gardening improves their mood highly!  A combination of the fresh air and the satisfaction of achieving a noticeable result, such as a beautiful garden, growing your own vegetables or noticing flowers springing up all over the flower bed, there is no doubting that gardening causes a natural high!

The poll also showed that 80% of gardeners felt satisfied with their lives, compared to the 67% of non-gardeners - proof that perhaps opening an allotment or fixing up your garden will enable you enjoy a new aspect of life and take the strain off others, such as work!

For more interesting facts about the world of gardening, stay tuned! Or you can check out the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners, for ways to get involved this week.

5 Foods To Stay Healthy This Summer

As you know, we've been experiencing a scorchingly hot summer this year, with 2013 proving to be one of the hottest years on record. Can you believe that Monday the 22nd of July was the hottest day in 7 years? So, in weather so drastically different to what we usually experience in the UK, we thought it appropriate to provide you with a few tips on what to eat to make sure you're staying healthy in the madness of the heat!

1. WATERMELON!

This is a great fruit to consume on hot days - with a percentage of 92% water, it is perfect for keeping up levels of hydration, acting as both a tasty snack and a water supplement. It also contains lycopene, which protects skin cells from sun damage! A tasty sun lotion...

2. GRILLED VEGTABLES!
Perfect on the BBQ, and a brilliant way to remain healthy throughout the summer, and of course very tasty indeed. There's a variety to choose from... whether your tastes are bell peppers, asparagus, courgette or red onion - they're fab for adding flavour to any summer meal and provide you with your necessary source of greenery. Try them on skewers with your favourite kinds of meat - chicken, lamb, pork? 

3. BANANAS!
As well as tasting delicious, bananas are also helpful for replenishing your body after its loss of fluid through sweating, and is a rich source of potassium. If bananas don't float your boat, how about dried fruit or greens- fab sources of potassium too!

4. ORANGES!
Oranges, similarly to Watermelons, are a great way to keep yourself hydrated, as they are 80% water, and they're also another brilliant source of potassium. If you didn't already know, a loss of potassium can put your muscles at risk of cramping, so replenishing it is highly important during the hot summer days. 

5. RASPBERRIES!
Would you believe that one cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber? This means they are an excellent way to prevent weight gain and lower your cholesterol level - by increasing your intake of fiber to 8 grams per 1000 calories, you can lose upto 4½ pounds!

Here at Smart Gift Solutions we sell a variety of fruit baskets that you can either treat yourself to, or send to a friend this summer for both a healthy treat and a way of showing them you're thinking of them. Click here for our selection, suitable for all different occasions...

6 Tips for Healthy Hands!

As you may well know, the downside to gardening can be the stress it can cause on your hands - creating dry skin, cracks and even blisters. So, to avoid that this summer we've put together a short and sweet list of top tips to avoid hands that suffer at the expense of your gardening!

1. Wear gloves! The best way to keep your hands dirt free and protected.

2. Sprinkle talcum powder on your hands before putting on your gloves, and it will make the process of removing the gloves later a lot easier for you.

3. Keep your nails short to avoid them breaking, or having dirt trapped underneath them.

4. If you don't want to shorten your nails, you can make sure they have lots of vaseline under them before applying your gloves, so dirt is less likely to be trapped under your nails! 

5. Both olive oil and baby oil are the perfect treatment for rubbing on your hands after a hard day of gardening, to keep them well moisturised and in the perfect condition. 

6. Be sure to massage your cuticles - both before and after - to be sure you don't find them drying out and breaking away easily.

Remember - just because you love to garden, doesn't mean your hands should suffer - follow these 6 rules and you can keep hands as soft as the petals you're working with!

Happy Gardening :)