Hi there! My lovely friend Jan from Aroma Beauty is doing another soap giveaway, so I thought I would let you all know.

Check out her blog here to find out how to win some of her divine new soap "Memories".

Even if you don't win her great giveaway, I do recommend trying some of her lovely products. They smell sooo good and do wonders for your skin.

Kirsty

Hi there! I am back online after an unexpected holiday and raring to get back into all things relating to gifts!

So, this week we take a look at the 7th anniversary with the traditional theme being wool or copper. The obvious first thought regarding wool to come into my mind was wool clothing.

Quality Soft Wools Australia have a very different selection of wool clothing for men and women. I love the Toorallie Women’s selection - beautiful modern knits in real wool, no synthetics here!

So, maybe you are like me and live in the Southern Hemisphere where we are currently in Spring and have packed away our winter woolies. Maybe it is worth considering the other traditional theme which is copper.

I came across a lovely site called Elegantly Unique which has both copper jewelry and tableware. The man in your life need not miss out either with their lovely selection of cuff links and rings. Or maybe he is the chef in the family and would love a beautifully crafted carving knife with copper detail. Worth a look!

The modern equivalent is a desk set, which possibly isn’t as popular as it once would have been.

You know the type I mean, the leather blocker, pen and ink well. For this anniversary gift, you could take the idea of stationary and focus on it.

For example, in one of my previous posts I talked about a fantastic pen shop that has a huge range of beautiful pens. Does your husband or wife use a pen in their daily work? The Pen Shoppe has pens to suit all budgets and a pen from them would suit any number of professional people.

Alternatively you could get with technology and upgrade from the humble desk set to something like a Blackberry (similar to a personal organiser) which will be invaluable for the professional.

These little gadgets are fantastic, but you need to think carefully about how your partner might perceive receiving such a gift. Are you telling them that they are disorganised?

So maybe this time you think you should stick to flowers. This year’s flower is the Camellia which is native to Asia. Did you know that the leaves of the Camellia (Camellia sinensis) are used to make tea?

Is your partner a tea lover? There are some gorgeous tea houses online that ship interstate and have a huge selection of tea on offer. Check out Teas.com.au who have stunning Bouquet Teas. Team a selection of teas with a cute tea pot and voila – you have yourself a gift!

Good luck!

Hi everyone! This is a quick note to let you know that I am taking a bit of time off this next week, so the next couple of posts may or may not be on time - it depends on how organised I can get over the next day or two!

Have a fantastic weekend and I will resume posting soon!

Best wishes,
Kirsty

Hi there! Thanks for joining us on the journey through anniversaries. Today’s post is about the 6th year anniversary and some gift ideas for the special occasion.

The traditional theme for this year is candy or iron. The two theme ideas are very different, but certainly give you more options for gifts!

Candy, sweets or lollies are all pretty common, but check out the lolly bouquets from “Candy Bouquet” or Lolly Potz who deliver Australia wide.

If you happen to be in the Mackay or surrounding areas Hamperific also creates chocolate bouquets which start from $40 delivered.

So perhaps you would like to spend a little more on your partner and a chocolate or lolly bouquet just won’t cut it. Why not take advantage of the great Aussie dollar and take a trip to California staying at the one and only Candy Cane Inn, located just outside of Disneyland!

How ‘sweet’ would that be? You certainly would win some ‘brownie points’ there!

Ok, enough with the bad jokes and moving on to iron. I am pretty sure that are not meaning the iron that you plug in and press your clothes either, so let’s not even consider that as an option.

Bliss Garden and Giftware offer some lovely wrought iron decorations and there are some truly special ideas from Overwrought (great name!).

Woodenware features as the modern alternative for this wedding anniversary, so check out my gift ideas from last week’s post.

Add to that range of ideas a woodfired pizza oven! Ok, so it’s technically not woodenware, but the idea of a pizza from your own pizza oven cannot be overlooked.

Delivery is POA, but prices start at approximately $1000 for a DIY kit.

The flower for the 6th anniversary is the gorgeous Tulip. Of course many great florists stock Tulips and their range of colours is very impressive, but if you want to see a stunning display of Tulips outside of Holland then plan your anniversary around the Tulip Festival in Silvan, Victoria (approx 1 hour from Melbourne).

Check out this year’s event which will wrap up on Tuesday next week to see what you will be in for next time. And remember to book your accommodation early to avoid disappointment!

The other day I was conversing with a friend of mine through Facebook when she mentioned that she hadn’t organised her Father’s Day gift for her Dad in Darwin. This happened to be on the Friday before Father’s Day and she was in Sydney, so unless she personally flew the gift to her Dad, there was no way she would have been able to get him something for his special day. Or was there?

It made me realise that there are many people in the same boat and a couple of months back I was in a similar dilemma with my lovely cousin, Alison. It was to be her birthday on the weekend and even if I had sent the gift early in the week, it still would have gotten there late thanks to their show day holiday on the Friday (I had been caught out the year before).

So what do you do? Well, I had a brain wave with my cousin and this is a little trick you can do in situations – especially if the gift recipient is in another state!

Firstly you need to think. Think about what they would like and where you would buy it from if you were there with them. In my case I wanted to get Alison a candle for her new home when she gets married next year. In all honesty I could have sent the gift and had her receive it late, but I truly detest paying unnecessary postage, so I found another way….

An outdoor candle and holder was on my wishlist for Alison. Next I had to think about where to get it from… One of my all time favourite shops in Darwin is Dusk.

If you love candles then check them out online for a store near you, or if like me you don’t have one locally, you can just drool with envy and prepare a mega shopping list for when you do visit a shop one day (the closest one for me would be Brisbane!).

A Google search will most likely give you ideas as to the types of shops you will be looking for, or if you already have a franchise in mind, look at their store locator page.

Now, I knew that this shop was in Darwin, but you will need to check and see if the shop (where your gift is) is close by to your gift recipient. Then you will need to research that shop’s phone number and give them a call. Most stores will process your order over the phone (providing you have a credit card) and many will even wrap it for your recipient ready for collection if you mention it is a gift.

And that is the one catch… your gift recipient will, in most cases, need to pick up their gift from the store where you have purchased it. Some, I might add, may have delivery options, so ask when you are placing your order.

Finally, give your beloved friend or relative a birthday call and tell them they have a gift waiting for collection. Make sure you give them the right shop location and put it under their name. If you are really organised, then you can prepare a card and send it with instructions on how to get to the shop with cryptic clues – or you can just tell them!

So there you go – when you get stuck and need to get a gift in a hurry, think local to your gift recipient and order over the phone! Never a late gift again….

Sincerest apologies for the delay in this post - I have been enjoying the school holidays!

Well, when I saw that the 4th year anniversary traditional gift theme was fruit or flowers I kind of thought that this was a bit of a drop out gift.

What happened to all the lovely thought and consideration to give your beloved something really, really special? Fruit for goodness sake?

But then I got to thinking about fruit and flowers and well, you could have some fun with that! If you happen to live in Sydney then you are in luck! Delicious Flowers create some great looking fruit bouquets with strawberries, chocolate and even wine if desired.

A similar service is offered to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney through Edible Blooms.

If you don’t live in the metropolitan areas and really like this idea, you can have a go at creating one yourself. Make sure you have a good selection of fresh fruit, a sharp knife and that you create it as close to the day as possible or your fruit can turn brownish thanks to oxidization!

Another option is to think of a resort/B & B that has a fruit name… For example, I found this gorgeous little cottage in Albany called Lemon Tree Cottage.

There is also Mango Bay Fiji if you like to travel a little farther, or Apple Tree Cottage on the Sunshine Coast. There, now who said that fruit was going to be boring?

The modern themed anniversary present again really did nothing for me as it was an appliance.

Please, please, please do not buy a kettle, toaster or any other common old appliance UNLESS your beloved has specifically requested one. Even then, think twice about whether the gift will truly be appreciated.

I don’t believe that there is any need to gift common, everyday appliances for birthdays or anniversaries. Remember my friend who got an iron? She STILL remembers and begrudges her hubby for it.

So, what are the alternatives? Think luxurious, and special. Does your better half drink coffee? An expresso machine to make their own cappuccino or café latte.

Check out your local appliance retailer such as Harvey Norman, or try Appliances Online for a great deal.

During my travels through cyberspace I stumbled upon this little “appliance” which apparently is great for both parties.

A word of warning though before simply purchasing this little gizmo – make sure this would be something that your beloved would appreciate or your anniversary evening may well be spoiled!

Finally, the flower for the 4th year anniversary is violets. These are interesting little flowers because there are a few different types including the African Violet and then the Viola type which are like Pansies.

Depending on the type you prefer most are available from nurseries in punnets (and can be grown all year round as perennials) as opposed to being a cut flower at the florist.

To make the most of these pretty flowers, get some gorgeous pots and good quality potting mix and fill with different colours. For more information on looking after African Violets check out Tumut Valley Violets.

Good luck!