CURLY AND CANDID

On the 28^th June Roy and I will be celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary. TEN YEARS! We are quite chuffed about this, nowadays it is an achievement and yet for us it has been the most fantastic ten years. Anyway, the reason for mentioning it is that we are both looking for gift inspiration.

Traditionally tenth wedding anniversary gifts should be based on a theme around aluminium or tin however we’ve decided to pass on the traditional theme this year (tin??).

I’m easy to buy for I think. Roy struggles so I have a list of gifts and treats that tickle my fancy and every so often I add a few items for him to choose from or to give him inspiration. This is a good plan otherwise I could end with a Gameboy or similar (Yup – my birthday 1999, a thoughtful gift for when I was working nightshifts). I’ll drop hints and keep putting things in the wishlist I think 🙂

Roy is easy to buy for. He is a loveable geek. Like me he loves sci-fi and fantasy and unlike me he is quite a creative person as he is very good with art, clay models, music etc. He is also a tech lover. What he’d really love for his Man Den (other than a portable loo so he never has to leave it) is some Wireless Speakers. I personally love sound and music but absolutely hate wires everywhere.

At one of our first homes Roy bought a surround sound type thing and of course the wires would hang down and drive me mad. This was before the wonder of Wifi Speakers became known.

I am actually tempted to get some for him and some for the garden. You can now use these wireless speakers anywhere you like and how great would it be to have music outside when you are relaxing or having a barbecue without a mass of cables everywhere?

Speakers may not sound like the most romantic gift but we tend to go for practical and wanted over fluffy and meeting someone’s romantic criteria. Fluffy teddies and chocolates are lovely but something that we’ll use and get constant pleasure out of is a much better gift choice in my book.

My question for you today is: If you could choose any gift for yourself for a birthday or anniversary this year, what would it be?

*Written in collaboration with the mentioned business but true to my thoughts, feelings and experiences.

I have always wanted a piece of fingerprint jewellery however have never managed to get my bottom in gear and actually do anything about it. When the lovelies from NotOnTheHighStreet got in touch and asked if I would like to review something from the fabulous Button and Bean I didn’t hesitate for a moment before accepting gratefully.

Button and Bean offer a range of personalised fingerprint jewellery for him and her, all of which make fabulous gifts and keepsakes. From pendants to cufflinks there is something here for everyone. It took me a while to narrow down which item I would like best to be honest however in the end this gorgeous Personalised Fingerprint Heart Necklace caught my eye.

ButtonandBean Heart Necklace — Click to visit the product page

When the kit arrived I immediately handed it over to my husband who like many men didn’t read the instructions. The instructions are very clear; once you mix the two putty-like substances together you need to get your child’s fingerprint straight away as the putty starts to harden very quickly. As he hadn’t read this (I hadn’t either in all fairness) we found ourselves with a wasted kit. I was aghast to say the least! Fortunately replacement kits are available for a small charge and are quickly sent out.

This time we were organised and ready, mix, stick finger in and go. A very simple two minute task if you read the instructions first. Off my boy’s fingerprints went…..

Although the estimated time on the website for orders is between 10 and 24 days my beautiful new necklace arrived pretty quickly (I’m guessing for key times such as Father’s Day or Christmas it would take an extra day or so within this range as they are understandably popular for gifts). I have worn the necklace every day since.

I’m not a big jewellery person to be absolutely honest, wearing my wedding ring and the occasional pair of earrings however I’ve not wanted to take this off. It looks great regardless of what I wear and being solid silver is going to last if I take care of it. Once I’ve eventually stopped wearing it (I can’t see me wearing it when the boys hit 18yrs old for example) I will have a beautiful keepsake which is personal to us with their unique fingerprints displayed in such a pretty way.

Would I recommend Button and Bean? Absolutely! From the first kit being sent to receiving my necklace I have been very pleased with the service and the obvious quality of the work. Would I buy another piece as a gift, yes I would. Roy may well find himself with something lovely for his birthday or Christmas.

I have received numerous comments on my personalised fingerprint necklace from people asking where I got it from and how easy it was to use the kit and I’ve told everyone the same.
“If you read the instructions it is easy to do and very worth it. I adore it!”.
I’ve worn the necklace for over a week and it looks as good as new and the chain is also of a high quality.

I was lucky enough to receive this Button and Bean piece of personalised jewellery at no cost in exchange for an honest and open review. I can honestly and openly say that I am over the moon with my new favourite piece of jewellery and based on my 5* experiences of Button and Bean would recommend them without hesitation.

Practical Anniversary Gifts

Personalised Fingerprint Jewellery from Button and Bean (NOTHS)