The Ingenious Gifts & Gadgets Blog

Top 10 Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Father’s Day will be here soon. Here are my Top 10 gift ideas to suit any dad.

Father’s Day is celebrated on 16^th June this year and if you haven’t a clue what to buy for your dad this Father’s Day and are in a hurry, I have put together a list of my Top 10 Gifts to suit any dad.

Top 10 Father’s Day Gift Ideas

1. Cool Dad Music Socks
2. Personalised Whisky Gift Set
3. Guitars: 500 of the Most Seductive Instruments
4. Man Bowl
5. Personalised Father’s Day Message Mug
6. Sandals Silly Socks
7. Personalised From Russia With Love Kindle Cover
8. Habanero & Chipotle Chilli Chocolates
9. Whisky Bath & Shower Gel
10. Back Up iPhone Charger

It’s National BBQ Week from 27th May until 2nd June 2013

Don't forget it’s National BBQ Week from 27th May until 2nd June. The perfect excuse to have a BBQ.

Did you know it’s National BBQ Week from Monday 27^th May – Sunday 2^nd June 2013? It’s time to fire up those barbeques (if you haven’t already) and hopefully enjoy the sunshine and lighter evenings with some al fresco dining with friends and family!

We have a wide range of BBQ Accessories to make any barbeque a success, and if your barbeque has seen better days, then why not upgrade to one of our stylish Fire Pits which can be used as a barbeque as well as an outdoor fire to keep you warm on chilly evenings.
 

My Top 5 Recipe Ideas…

1. Chicken Drumsticks – marinated in BBQ sauce
2. Home Made Beef Burgers (TIP: Only turn them once, not several times)
3. Chicken or Lamb Kebabs – with lots of pineapple, peppers and onions (and tzatziki sauce)
4. Sizzling Sausages – topped with Piri Piri Sauce
5. Corn on the cob with lots of melted butter

New Essentials Summer 2013 Collection – now online

We’ve just added over 100 brand new items to our new Essentials Summer Collection – now online. Take a sneaky peek now.

Summer is nearly here and we’ve been busy bees in the office adding over 100 brand new lines to our essentials Summer Collection including practical and useful gadgets and accessories for your home, garden, DIY and travel. Our essentials by post catalogues will be landing on doormats any day now, but why not take a sneaky peek online (www.essentialsbypost.co.uk) and be the first to view the new collection.

Some of my favourites from this collection include the Willow Insulated Picnic Basket which can hold 2 bottles and is perfect for picnics or garden parties – all we need is some sunshine.

I also love the ’Shabby Chic’ Indoor or Outdoor Mirror which can be used to increase the size of your garden or conservatory, and makes a lovely decorative item.


When the sunshine does appear (which I hope will be very soon), then you will definitely want to make use of our Zoku® Instant Lolly Maker to make tasty and refreshing ice lollies. Why not get our Zoku™ Lolly Recipe Book as well to create 40 different, quick and delicious recipes with wonderful flavours.

If you’re anything like me and struggle to add or remove keys, then our Free Key® System is a must buy. No more broken nails – just a simple press down function and your key slips on.

Finally – if you’re fed up with receiving nuisance telephone calls and lots of pointless answerphone messages, then our Call Blocker is what you need. This clever device has the ability to block up to 1,000 callers at the touch of a button. Peace at last.

Don’t forget we have over 100 brand new products to view in our essentials Summer Collection.

You can also let us know what you think of the collection – we always love hearing from you.

Learn a new Craft or Hobby this May Bank Holiday Weekend

May Bank Holiday is nearly here. Here are 5 crafts that you should try!

The first May Bank Holiday is nearly here and here in the office we’ve got our fingers crossed for some nice warm Spring sunshine – we’re certainly due some. However, if it does decide to rain (which we really, really hope it doesn’t), why not spend your weekend learning a new craft or hobby that can be done whatever the weather!

We have lots of great Craft and Hobby ideas to try, perfect for the whole family.
Our top 5 suggestions are…

1. Become an Antique Hunter with our best selling book - Antique Marks
2. Try Wood Whittling with our informativeThe Little book of Whittling
3. Learn a new language for your next holiday (Choose from French, Spanish or Italian)
4. Create pretty Friendship Bracelets with our Friendship Bracelet Maker
5. Get drawing with our Art Doodle Book and Creative Colouring Book for Grown-Ups

Time to get walking for Get Walking Week

Did you know it’s Get Walking Week from 4 – 11 May 2013? Here are my Top 10 walking essentials for any walker.

Did you know it’s Get Walking Week from 4 – 11 May 2013? If you haven’t already, then now is the perfect time to dust off your walking boots and get outside in the fresh air. Walking is a great form of exercise and has huge health benefits. You don’t have to be super fit though; even a gentle stroll will do you the world of good – plus it’s a free form of exercise!

Before you go though, why not take a look at some of our Walking Accessories and Essential Gadgets for any walker, rambler or extreme hiker.

Here are my Top 10 Walking essentials which you shouldn’t leave home without…

1. Reflex® Folding Water Bottle
2. Emergency Poncho
3. Emergency Blanket
4. Shewee® Extreme Set (for the girls!)
5. Ultimate Survival Kit
6. Folding Spork
7. Multi Colour LED Headlight
8. Foldaway Walking Stick Seat
9. Folding Insulated Mat
10. Emergency Mountain Whistle

If you want to make your walk more fun and enjoyable, then why not invest in a Pedometer which keeps count of your steps and calories burned? Choose from our Talking Pedometer which is currently on Sale, or our Steps & Distance Pedometer. You should be aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day (1,000 steps at a brisk pace normally takes 10 minutes, and most of us walk between 3,000-4,000 steps a day already).

Good luck and happy walking!

Top Tips to combat snoring for National Stop Snoring Week

It’s National Stop Snoring Week from 22 – 26 April. Here are my top 5 tips to put an end to that annoying snoring!

Did you know it’s National Stop Snoring Week between 22– 26 April, so if you have a snoring partner who keeps the whole house up (or if you snore yourself!), here are some great tips to help combat snoring.

There are many reasons why snoring happens, from drinking or eating too much, to blocked nasal passages, allergies, funny sleeping positions and much more.

Here are my top 5 tips to help stop snoring and get a better night’s sleep.

1. Clear your nasal passages
2. Sleep on your side
3. Avoid caffeine and heavy meals 2 hours before bedtime
4. Moisten the atmosphere you’re sleeping in with a humidifier
5. Sleep with your head higher than your chest

Travel Paraphernalia Summer Collection Preview

Take a sneaky peek at our brand new Travel Paraphernalia Summer Collection - with over 35 new lines for holidays and short breaks.

It still doesn’t feel quite like Spring yet, even though the clocks have gone forward and the nights are lighter. However, the weather looks like it might be starting to warm up (hooray!) so now is the perfect time to look at those holiday accessories and essentials you might need for any trip away.

We have just added over 35 brand new lines to our Travel Paraphernalia Summer Catalogues which will be landing on doorsteps from next week, but if you can’t wait that long then we have a sneak preview online (www.travelparaphernalia.co.uk) of all the fabulous new items.

Some of my favourites include The World’s Lightest Fold-Flat Wheeled Cabin Bag which folds virtually flat for easy storage and has a massive 44 litre capacity to hold all your holiday clothing and essentials.

If you have a passport with a RFID chip then our RFID Passport Slip will prevent illegal scanning and give you peace of mind whenever you travel.

I love the Battery-Powered Storm Lanterns available in 2 sizes which are perfect for dining al fresco, camping and caravanning. With adjustable energy-saving yellow LED lights that help create a natural looking flame, there is no smelly kerosene or danger of fire.

And for the kids, what better comfort to have than a Bo Bo Backpack Blanket Buddy in either a Lion or Giraffe design, which make comfortable pillows, and include a snuggly fleece blanket inside the tummy to keep your child warm when travelling or at home.

Don’t forget to take a look at all our brand new accessories, gadgets and essentials from our Travel Collection. You can always let us know what you think of our new collection by leaving a comment below – we always love hearing from you.

Here are a few pages from the Travel Paraphernalia Summer 2013 catalogue...

It's National Pet Month

As it’s National Pet Month we thought we’d share our favourite pet stories with you all.

Did you know it’s National Pet Month from 1^st April until 6^th May? We are a nation of animal lovers and our office is no exception. Between us we have 6 cats, 2 dogs, 30 goldfish and even 1 Chilean Rose Tarantula (called Bella)! We have put together a few funny and strange anecdotes to share with you, which we hope you will enjoy!

Gemma - “I have 3 cats - Blossom (7 years old), Basil (4 years old) and Arabella (1 year old, AKA Shrimpy - don't ask!), and wherever you look in our house, there’s always a cat. Basil thinks he's a dog as he runs around noisily, not silently like most cats!  He also likes to annoy us by switching the DVD player on with his nose whenever we're watching anything that isn't the Lion King. Blossom snores - so I have a snoring husband in my bed, and a snoring cat under it (she sleeps right beneath me).  She also shouts at me a lot.  No idea what she's saying though! And Shrimpy hates people.  Won't be touched by the human hand (rescue cat) but she LOVES Basil (while he merely tolerates her).”

Emma - “I have a very handsome cat called Sims, who likes rolling in dirt and shoelaces!”

Jane – “We have a Border Terrier called Teasel, (who is the love of my husband's life) and a very beautiful long haired Tabby cat called Mrs Cat - she is rather amazing because she is nearly 20 years old.  We also have about 30 goldfish in our pond - they are the offspring of goldfish that were in large bowls forming table decorations at our daughter's 21st Birthday party, ten years ago!  (Girls of that age are not impressed by flower arrangements!)”.

Cam - "I own a Chilean Rose Tarantula that is now 3 years old. About 6 months after owning it, I came downstairs to find it lying on it's back in it's tank. At first I thought it had unfortunately died but then I noticed it moving slightly and sat down to witness one of the most amazing sights – like a scene out of a sci-fi movie, it was malting and shedding it's exoskeleton…. About 2 hours later there was a perfect 'empty' replica of Bella sharing the tank."

However, not all of us here at PFM Head Office have a pet. After questioning some of the team Chris told me he’s “always wanted a Siberian Husky”, whilst Nicola would settle for a Parrot and a Chimp! I on the other hand would be pretty happy with a little fish...or two, or three!

So it’s your turn to let us know what pets you have, or what pet you have always dreamed of having - you could always share your favourite pet stories with us too! Let us know as we always love hearing from you.

PS. Don’t forget to check out our range of Pet Accessories for your cat and dog too.

Sorry! No Results

If you searched our website and got the Sorry! No Results page we would love to know what you were searching for so we can investigate why this happened.
 

Please let us know the search word or term you used in the COMMENT section below.
 

Thank you for helping us to improve our website.
 

David Lyall
Head of eCommerce

Easter getaways and Easter fun

Here are my top 5 travel essentials for any Easter break, plus fun things to do at home.

Easter is just around the corner, so if you are taking an Easter break away in the UK, travelling abroad for a well deserved holiday or just planning some fun days out with the kids, then make sure you don’t leave home without these travel essentials.
 
We have everything from travel gadgets to lotions and potions, bag packers to security products and lots, lots more.
 
Here are my top 5 travel essentials for any trip away…

1. Antibacterial Toothbrush Guards
2. American Safety Lock – Brass
3. Anti RFID Scanning Organiser
4. Luggage Packing Cubes – Set of 3
5. Universal Power Adaptor

1. Decorate your own Easter egg and then have an Easter Egg Hunt
2. Bake an Easter cake and get cooking
3. Revisit old board games
4. Have a family picnic (indoors if the weather is cold and wet)
5. Relax and read a good book