For this Christmas, say it with words with Art on Tiles

 Art on Tiles – the bespoke hand painted tile company – is offering a chance for homeowners to express their individuality with a service offering hand painted tiles featuring the wording, layout and even the font of the client’s choosing.

Jonathan Waights, principal artist and founder says: “People can come up with whatever they like - it is a chance to be completely individual, witty or romantic, to quote someone else or make something up. Quotes about food and eating are very popular for the tiles above the stove. Quotes for the bathroom tend to be more romantic – or even a bit naughty.’

The Art on Tiles standard hand painted 5 inch tiles with one letter per tile can be ordered for £10 each and blank matching tiles are also available for £1.20 each. The brick shaped tiles shown here are £12 painted and £2.20 plain, with a moulded border available for an additional £4 each.

This range and others can be seen and ordered from www.artontiles.co.uk or readers can contact Jonathan direct on 01243 552346.

Examples of past commissions:

http://www.artontiles.co.uk/tile-info-Herbs-112

http://www.artontiles.co.uk/tile-info-Words-147

http://www.artontiles.co.uk/tile-info-Aga-tile-panel-words-253

(EDITOR: This will make a Christmas present that will last, in effect, for ever. What a wonderful gift!) 

What would your dog tell you, this Christmas?

Apart from: "I love you," that is?

"I’ve got a bone to pick with you…. I’m sick of squeaky toys. I’m bored of bones. And that woolly doggy jumper you got me last year, well that is not making an outing this year let me tell you!! This year I want to get my paws on the doggy-licious collars and leads from www.luxuryhound.com

I’ve heard through the dog-vine that, this season, purple is THE colour to be seen in around the park. My wish list to Santa “Paws” therefore includes a must-have purple suede collar and lead. I just know that it would give me a new leash of life!

I know exactly where you can find these one-of-a-kind dog collars. Luxuryhound - a Scottish boutique with luxurious leads and a variety of doggy accessories is the best for a pampered pooch like me! Don’t I deserve better than those scratchy collars and tight leads?

I want to strut my stuff this New Year without getting lost in the crowd. With my very own inscribed dog tag proudly around my neck showing off my fine, furry chest and an extra D-ring handily located at the back, I will make all the other dogs jealous. Whether one is a pocket sized pooch or a Great Dane, any dog can look as glam as me and of course I can be colour co-ordinated with your latest dog walking outfit so we can be a pair of fashionistas!

Also, whilst I’m lolled out by the fire under your feet wearing my brand new collar, we can both relax in the knowledge that we have helped other pooches that are not as lucky as me. Luxuryhound donates 5% of the profits from every product sold straight to dog charities so less fortunate hounds can be looked after or helped to find happy homes.

So, if you don’t want me hounding you this Christmas, just please get me a gorgeous bespoke Luxuryhound collar and lead. Otherwise, it will be you in the doghouse on Boxing Day…. woof woof!"

OK, you heard it from the horse's, sorry, the doggies mouth!

FACTFILE:

Luxuryhound is a wonderful doggy boutique based in Scotland that specialises in luxury leads and collars for dogs of all shapes and sizes. Luxuryhound was set up in 2008 by Mirren Fischer, who works with a variety of quality artisans and craftsmen, top-notch suppliers, and patient dog models to get designs, prints, and stitching just right. Luxuryhound products are also environmentally friendly as their tweeds are bought from local small weavers and organic farms; their leathers progress from well-treated herds to tanneries that use vegetable dyes and control their emissions tightly. 

To see the full range of products please visit www.luxuryhound.com

Excellent deal from Sports Direct

Whether it’s golf shoes for dad, skateboards for your brother or snow boots for mum; whatever you’re buying from SportsDirect.com, this week the sportswear giants are offering free delivery on everything!

With so many offers available, plus the free delivery, now is the ideal time to being that Christmas shopping list online. Avoid the high street hustle and bustle and get everything from BMX bikes through to Table Tennis Tables delivered to your door- for free this week! You can currently purchase the ever- popular Muddyfox Chaos BMX bike for only £69! Reduced from £149.99 and available for free delivery.

Another extreme sports favourite is the No Fear Deluxe Skateboard. Available in five different designs, this classic skateboard has been reduced from £29.99 to just £6! These deals are certainly not to be missed and are available only whilst stocks last.

If it’s clothing you’re looking for, the winter essentials sale is still on too! With everything you’ll need for this winter all at incredibly low prices; there’s wellies from £6, fun winter hats from £3 and even waterproof Regatta jackets from only £18. With free delivery, shopping this winter will certainly be easier!

The free delivery offer is available from now until midnight Wednesday 2nd November 2011 and applies to mainland UK standard shipping only. For full details of all the offers currently available log on to www.sportsdirect.com where you can sign up for offer related e-mails. You can also stay on top of the latest discounts and offers by liking the Facebook page or following SportsDirectUK on Twitter.

Do something great this Christmas. Amaze your kids!

Who says knowledge is boring? Or that frivolity and fun should be eschewed for learning? Only those unfortunate people who have never found the joys of Maps Toys!

This year Maps Toys are inviting you to make Christmas one big, fun and exciting experiment for your children and their friends! (If they want to share the fun, that is!)

For this year Map Toys have some fun and funky toys and games that are sure to puzzle and excite both children and adults this Christmas!

There's something for the mucky pup in us all, called Yuck (should cost about £17.99) a gigantic tub that contains a whole host of top secret formulas to create some tremendously icky stuff. Create snot that looks disgustingly real, and something that looks like... vomit? As well as making disgusting treats, your children can learn how to grow their own bacteria farms using a real petri dish! Yuck! This is suitable for children from age 8 and upwards and for adults who do not have ticklish stomachs!

But, to coin a phrase, there's more!

Why not create some awesomely fun towering geysers, with the  Great Geysers present. (You can expect to pay something in the order of £14.99 for this.

The kit gives you all you require to make a gigantic fountain with fizzy pop and some Mentos sweeties! (So if you get your video camera out, you and your kids can put their efforts up on You Tube, just like the professionals!) But there's a serious point behind all this frivolity and fun, children will be able to perform 12 serious and informative scientific experiments with the kit.

There's also some rather more sedate yet equally fun experiments to be undertaken with the Lab in a Bag, which contains enough experiments to last through the entire year. There are four in the range which include Newton's Antics, Come to Your Senses, Test Tube Wonders and Test Tube Adventures. They should cost £14.99 each. They come complete with a handy plastic carry case.

Children can learn some fun tricks like how to balance six nails on the head of one nail with Newton's Antics to discovering why they might hate vegetables with Come to Your Senses!

Many parts of the UK were fortunate enough to have a real White Christmas last year, the first in many years. But it's unlikely we will be lucky enough to have a White Christmas two years on the trot, so if you want to give your children a taste of a White Christmas, why not buy them some Amazing Snow Grow? It's so simply to use! All you do is get your special Insta-Snow powder, sprinkle it on a dish, add just a splash of water and before you can say White Christmas, you will have an eruption of snow! Insta-Snow looks so realistic it can fool people into thinking it is real. Especially as it even feels cold to the touch!

To find out more just visit www.mapstoys.co.uk

From You to me! A teddy to eat, a teddy to keep!

From You to Me have come up with the perfect Chirstmas gift this year: Two Tatty Teddy's in a box. One made from exquisite Belgian chocolate, the other a delightfully cuddly Tatty Teddy that you can keep for ever!

Both bears feature the special blue nose beloved of Tatty Teddy fans the world over and they come in a delightful presentation pack with an illustration of Tatty Teddy with a Christmas stocking! It's unbearably cute! (Sorry!)

The special presentation packs are priced at a modest £6.99 and are available from selected Morrison stores, nationwide.

It makes an ideal present for a mum, a daughter, a sister or a dear friend. It's certainly something that will be a beloved and treasured gift for many, many years to come. Because everyone loves Tatty Teddy!

Gift giving gets easier as new website launches

With Christmas on the way, quickly, the time is on us to start thinking about what we are going to buy our loved ones to celebrate the festive period. But present buying is fraught with dangers, just what do you get them? You don’t want to waste money buying presents they won’t like. Equally, it can be difficult to hide disappointment behind a fake smile, and you’re never sure if you’ll get caught out returning an unwanted gift. And let’s face it; we all hate those awkward ‘So, what do you want?’ conversations.

Isn’t it time we made life easier for one another? Just in time, GiftList.co.uk has launched to change the way you let loved ones know exactly want you want, whatever the special occasion.

Perfect for any gift giving celebration, GiftList.co.uk is free to set up, easy to create and simple to share with family and friends. Lists can also be swiftly and securely added to social media websites Facebook and Twitter. Equally family and friends lists can be easily found on the website, ensuring that every gift is wanted and appreciated.

The website features millions of gift ideas from hundreds of respected UK retailers. With GiftList.co.uk there need never be an unwanted gift given again. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births, examination passes, Christmas, christenings, whatever the occasion; stop guessing and start sharing your gift list today.

“GiftList.co.uk will revolutionise the way we shop for gifts, taking all the hassle and guesswork that plagued the traditional gift shopping experience,” explains Dave Mason, spokesperson for GiftList.co.uk, adding; “GiftList.co.uk will ensure that the perfect present is given and enjoyed every time.”

FACTFILE:

Launched in 2011, GiftList.co.uk is a simple, free to use website that is suitable for any special occasion, whether birthdays, weddings, baby showers, or Christmas.

Users can quickly create a list, while browsing through millions of gift ideas and products from hundreds of respected UK retailers. The finished list can then be easily and securely shared with friends and family, via social media websites like Facebook and Twitter or by searching on the website.

Gift givers can quickly access a list and buy in confidence direct from the retailer.

GiftList.co.uk is owned and operated by Really Good Presents Ltd, a sister company of Really Good Domains Ltd. Really Good Domains was established in 1999 and is the leading online marketing company for the UK automotive industry.

How it works: GiftList.co.uk can be used for any occasion where people need to buy presents.

GiftList.co.uk is completely free to use. When someone buys a gift through the site, the affiliate partner pays Really Good Presents Ltd a small commission on that item.

GiftList.co.uk does not sell any products directly; instead visitors buy a gift from the affiliate retailer. For example, if a present on GiftList.co.uk is supplied by Argos, the item is purchased directly from Argos via their secure servers.

Prices remain competitive on GiftList.co.uk as users have a choice of which retailer to purchase from.

Fireman Sam Spin and Rescue Game

The fireman Sam Spin and Rescue Game is a game that will be a sure hit with all fans of the hero of the Welsh Fire Service, Fireman Sam.

Sam and his fellow fire officers are responsible for fire and rescue services in the fictional Welsh coastal town of Pontypandy, where there is always plenty of action for Fireman Sam and his colleagues.

The Fireman Sam Game consists of a Fireman Sam figure, the special electronic spinner the spinner base (actually, a sort of spinning arena) 20 Rescue Cards (broken down into 5 Fireman Sam cards, 5 Tom cards, 5 penny cards and 5 Elvis cards. There are also the hero markers, too.

The object of the game is deceptively simple. You must be the first player to collect all five rescue cards that belong to your hero.

Before the game play can commence, an adult should unscrew the lid on the top of the spinner and put in two AAA batteries (these are sometimes called LR03 batteries) in the battery compartment, ensuring they are the right way round. Close the lid, tighten the screw and place the Fireman Sam figure on the top of it.

Position the spinner base on a flat surface (a table is perfect) then turn the electronic spinner on with the switch on the side and you are ready for action!

The rules are that the youngest player will start the game by taking a hero marker, the player to their left does the same. You can chose any hero you like. You must then slide your marker into one of the slots on the spinner base in front of you.

The game is simple but exciting. The youngest player gives Fireman Sam as powerful a spin as they can. A fire station bell rings! Players must wait until Sam finishes spinning and watch carefully to see who Sam is pointing at. If he stops by your marker, you need to pay particular attention to what he says to you.

He will say one of several phrases which will tell you what you need to do. Can you collect all five hero cards? Go on! It's fun to find out!

The game is loud and exciting and will surely be a hit with confirmed and new Fireman Sam fans! It can be played with 2 to 3 players or with 2 to 4 players.

It will make An ideal Christmas present for fans of a variety of ages!

The Fireman Sam Spin and Rescue Game is available from Argos, Tesco, Toys R Us, The Entertainer, Amazon, Play.com priced at £9.99 RRP.

Kids want Gadgets for Christmas!

A new Shopzilla poll reveals what 6-12 year-olds want this Christmas. Santa is not taking austerity measures this Christmas judging by the poll which reveals that electronic pets, laptops, tablets, digital cameras and games consoles are likely to be piled up under the tree this year. On average children in the UK are expecting £167 to be spent on them by their parents, which may not be enough for some of the more costly toys in the list.

£167 is the average amount that 6-12 year olds expect their parents to spend on them in total with more than half anticipating their gifts will cost under £150 in total. The ‘gender pay gap’ may start at a very young age if this Shopzilla survey is any indicator – boys aged 6-12 expect an average of £183 spent on them by their parents this Christmas while the girls are expecting a total of £155 on average – 18% less than the boys. However, Cars 2 toys are just as popular with girls as boys, reaching number five on both male and female Christmas lists.

Kids want to be just like their parents with ‘grown-up’ items such as digital cameras, laptops, iPads and smart phones making the top ten. 14% of the children surveyed no longer play with or use last year’s top gift any more and 12% can’t remember the best gift they received last year.

Neil McCarthy, Sales and Marketing Director at Shopzilla said: “The sheer newness of a must-have item is what attracts many of these young shoppers. It’s not just about getting the right item, it often has to be a certain colour and a particular model. Retailers who anticipate these trends and are able to meet demand will be able to tap into the tech-savvy young market.”

Top 10 most-wanted GIRLS’ toys and gifts:

1. Laptop/tablet
2. Digital camera
3. Nintendo 3DS
4. Electronic Pet
5. Cars 2 Toy
6. A real pet (not a toy)
7. Mobile phone/smartphone
8. Games for a computer console
9. Lego
10. Games Console

Top 10 most-wanted BOYS’ toys and gifts:

1. Laptop/tablet
2. Electronic Pet
3. Nintendo 3DS
4. Digital camera
5. Cars 2 Toy
6. Games for a computer console
7. Lego
8. Mobile phone/smartphone
9. Games Console
10. Moshi Monsters

www.shopzillasolutions.co.uk

(EDITOR: Parents! Just bookmark That's Chirstmas and visit us regularly to check for stories about discounted gifts. I think parents will need all the help they can get, this Christmas!)

Nudo Olive Oil with much more

Everyone knows that olive oil is good for you. And everyone knows that for you to get the best in quality, you really do need the first cold pressed extra virgin olive oils.

This is the oil one can expect from Nudo Olive Oils. But there is much, much more from Nudo Olive oils than that!

Nudo is a farming co-operative -launched and operated by a British husband and wife team, Cathy Rogers and Jason Gibb.

Nudo uses only the finest quality olive oils using genuine small scale artisan farming techniques in the Marche and Abruzzo provinces of Italy.

The flavourings in the carefully flavoured range of Nudo Olive Oils are all carefully selected and often employing fresh, locally-grown herbs.

Indeed, foodies will not be surprised to discover that when they make Lemon olive oil fresh lemons from Sicily are placed with Leccino olives which are then ground using a gigantic millstone in the traditional, time honoured method.

These flavoured olive oils can be used for roasting, for drizzling, baking or cooking or for making into a simple, yet fantastic dip with some crusty Italian breads!

But Nudo offer lovers of good food still more. You can join in and help protect this ages old way of life by adopting an olive tree. For the sum of £65, you will receive a special adoption certificate and in the spring, you will receive the golden oils produced by your very own olive tree! To learn more about this fascinating programme visit www.nudo-italia.com/groves

The above idea would make a first rate Christmas present for the foodie in your life!