I love Not on the High Street for the very simple reason that no-one in their right mind would go looking for the stuff they sell f on the actual high street, Mary Portas style. Personalised aprons, sweets, gifts, cookie cutters, pictures, maps, benches …the list is endless. And far too long. However, if you want a handy gift which speaks more volumes than you could ever write…this is the website for you. some great gift ideas, which make you look far more thoughtful than you actually are. Take a peek, and see if personalised bunting is really for you!
Cotton Blog
t-shirts, fashion, stuff...
Archive for ‘Gifts’
FizzyT, March 4th, 2012
FizzyT, February 25th, 2012
I was having a little hunt around for things celebrating the Queen’s diamond Jubilee this year. I was taken aback, to put it mildly at how much stuff is being churned out so that we (and most of America) can buy a little something to commemorate this event. Along with all the other events for which we must buy little mementoes, like the Olympics and the Royal Wedding.
I vaguely remember the silver Jubilee when I was at school and we all got a coin and a mug; I wonder if there’s enough money in the kitty for kids to get coins these days? And if they do, will their parents grab them and sell them straight-away on EBay?
Anyway, there’s more Jubilee stuff than you can shake a stick at. All the mugs, tea towels, aprons, boxes of fudge that you can imagine. And more besides. I have to say though, having trawled through pages of sheer and utter tat, I think I like the Stuff churned out by Prince Charles at Highgrove the best. It kind of seems the most authentic as well, since it’s Charlie making it for mummy (although he is cashing in a bit). Just like Mother’s Day, but a bit more queenly!
FizzyT, February 23rd, 2012
I just found this brilliant mug on EBay which gave me a chuckle or two. It has to be the perfect gift for any self respecting shoe buying woman, so definitely one to think about for birthday, Easter, Christmas or just appropriate yet slightly random gift.
The Louboutin shoe has become the benchmark of sartorial shoeness. Victoria Beckham always wears them (so high it’s starting to look as though she’s on stilts), Rihanna has about a million pairs, and pretty much every celeb worth it’s Hello! spread has that telltale flash of red peeking out from under her skirts (and just how much fun would Freud have with that).
So this has to be the mug for the woman who thinks about shoes every six seconds. Which is probably all of them!
FizzyT, February 8th, 2012
After long consideration, and much scouring of shops, catalogues and websites, I think this little gem has to be my favourite Valentine’s Day t-shirt. A corker from sartorial corkers Snorgtees, this has love and zombies written all over it. What a classic combination. Love. And zombies. A match made in heaven.
To be fair, this is probably more of a boy present than a girl present. Girls might like something a bit more sentimental and squishy. Something that says “I love you so so much, I want to eat you all up.” Hmmm. Actually, come to think about it, it’s perfect for boys AND girls actually!
FizzyT, February 6th, 2012
Whilst the lovely queen jubilantly professes her love for this green and pleasant (ish) land, the eternally optimistic are busy wondering what to do about Valentine’s Day.
Personally, I’m of the opinion that nothing says I love you more than a cup of tea, or if you’re feeling really nice, then changing the loo roll, However, for the less romantically challenged, you need to be deciding on your love token, and who to send it to. Even if it’s your mum.
With this in mind, I feel I ought to take a moment to recommend our keyrings as a small yet beautiful gift for St Valentine’s Day. Totally practical, lovely and much more subtle than a bunch of red balloons attached to a gorillagram, it’s the perfect way to say “I love you!” and “please stop losing your keys”
FizzyT, January 25th, 2012
Big news today is that Mickey Mouse has hijacked Joy Division’s beautiful (if a little weird) artwork from their ”Unknown Pleasures” album. Naughty little rodent. Anyway, Joy Division purists are up in arms at the alleged theft at the pinching of their special wiggly lines, and drummer Stephen Morris has weighed into the argument saying “I was quite angry when I first saw it. No one asked us. They’re trading off the band and our album cover. I don’t like the design at all. It’s horrible.” And indeed he has a point. What’s Mickey doing looking all pimply?
Originally, the blurb on the Disney tee gave reference to it’s inspiration, stating that”…..inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey’s image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That’s appropriate given few stars have made bigger waves than Mickey!” however, this has now been removed from the website, as too many grumpy fans complained, presumably. And maybe they thought it would be better all round if they didn’t draw attention to the ripped offness of the design.
The t-shirts have now sold out, making Disney very joyful indeed. They might be taking the Mickey is it a joyful decision?
FizzyT, January 20th, 2012
Following yesterday’s post about how Italians are going mad for t-shirts with “Keep Calm and Vada a Bordo, Cazzo!” and other slogans, I thought I would just show how easy it is with our template to create your own “Keep Calm” t-shirt, mug, hoody or other product from our extensive range.
Go to the tab that says “Designs” at the top of the front page, choose your item, and then try out your slogan and our preview option will show you how your item will look. Have a go at using different spacing or writing less words on a line to keep the text larger.
It really is the easiest way to create a brilliant slogan, which will work brilliantly as either a gift, or your own statement piece. Have a go, and have fun!
FizzyT, January 17th, 2012
An article in the Guardian today told how designer Ali Miller has seen sales of her teapot soar due to what can only be known as ‘The Sherlock Effect’.
The pot, quite a beautiful piece as it goes, was featured at a key moment in the series when the sleuth was pouring a brew for his arch enemy. Miller’s website went into overdrive, and is now frantically trying to keep up with the demand for the range.
Sherlock aside, the cups, saucers mugs and tea pots are really lovely. The famous teapot is depicted with a map of the British Isles, and around the tea cups, various scenes are printed.
These are the must have items of crockery right now, so go snooping!
FizzyT, January 16th, 2012
Inspiring!
Beyonce has been busy popping out the mini Jay-Zee of late, but the multi-tasking mega diva managed to produce a t-shirt together with her mother to help raise funds for President Obama’s re-election campaign.
The singer has hopped (and popped) on board an a project spearheaded by the Editor of American Vogue, Anna Wintour. Along with other celebrities and designers, the endevour, called “Runway to Win” aims to sell as much merchandise as possible for the president, and includes amongst other things, a t-shirt by Marc Jacobs with the slogan ‘I Vote Obama’, and various bags, scarves and wristlets. There are also pieces by Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Derek Lam, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, you name it, they’re there, behind the scenes, squirrelling away, like er…sartorial campaign squirrels. With an army like that how can he possibly fail!
FizzyT, January 7th, 2012
I love this selection of bone china mugs and bowls with fine line designs of London attractions and places. Really, truly beautiful, and with the Olympics coming up, a fantastic way to celebrate all things great and British-y without resorting to Union Jacks, which quite frankly, we will be sick of come the end. These are by Martha Mitchell Design and are available from Contemporary Lab. Each mug is is little bit different, and all the designs are individually applied by hand. None too pricey either at £12 a pop.