Archive for the ‘Great Gift Ideas’ Category

Face Like A Wet Weekend

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

Ah, Britain. Good old reliable Britain. It’s the middle of June, we’ve all bought new shorts and t-shirts for the summer and we’re confronted by what we in the office call “Murray weather.” I like the rain. I’m half Scottish and half Irish, I wasn’t built for the sun. However, I know that I’m in the minority and that for most people this weather is enemy #1, so here are some of my tips for enjoying the weather!

#1: Stand outside and embrace it

Ever seen a rom-com? Then you’ve probably seen a man standing in the rain, face to the heavens, water streaming down his face like a river of passion. As long as you’re prepared for it and you’re near to your house so you can go in and dry off, spending a minute or two in the rain is refreshing and wonderful!

#2: Movies

There’s a host of new movies out. If you haven’t seen it already, Jason Segel’s new Muppets movie is absolutely fan-flippin’-tastic. The critically acclaimed, Academy-Award-winning film The Artist has just come out. Daniel Radcliffe’s horror/thriller The Woman In Black is apparently a must-see for those who like to be terrified. And, of course, One Direction’s new DVD Up All Night: Live is out if you’re into that sort of thing. In short, we’re spoiled for choice as far as what to watch goes!

#3: Gadgets

We’ve got a ton of things to make sure you have fun this weekend, ranging from the technologically brilliant AppGun game to the old-fashioned fun of the Level Head game. The AppGun lets you stop an alien invasion in your house and Level Head is basically playing Jenga on your head, and there’s no way that’s not fun.

#4: EURO 2012

Come on, really? You didn’t see that coming? It’s the quarter finals and, with the notable exception of Greece, every team left in the tournament has a respectable chance of winning it. Yes, even England. Believe!

#5:

Top 5 Geek Fancy Dress Costumes

Monday, June 18th, 2012

—Guest post from Ian at Joker’s Masquerade–

Hi Gadget readers.

I’ve put this short top 5 geekiest costumes blog together in the hope that next time you come to pick an outfit for a fancy dress party you won’t opt for the same tired old costumes. I wish to show you the light, illuminated as if from the screen of a brand new Game Gear illuminating your small teenage face.

Here are my top 5 geek fancy dress costume ideas that you should consider next time you need an outfit:

  1. Zombie Geek costumePerfect for Halloween, the zombie geek costume includes jacket with shirt, braces, bow tie and trousers. It’s a great excuse to add a load of make-up and blood to your face and scare some kids.
  2. Angry Bird costumeHere’s a classic dress-up option, the Angry Bird costume includes a one-piece foam top and pillow pouch for extra stuffing to pad it out. I love the simplicity of how you can just throw this on and you’re off. Great if you don’t want to make too much effort.
  3. Transformers Sexy Bumblebee costumeIf you’re a true geek you’ll know that it’s way cooler to wear the Bumblebee costume over Optimus Prime. The Transformers Sexy Bumblebee costume includes dress, headpiece, petticoat, glovettes and leg covers.
  4. Brainiac Radiation suitThe Brainiac radiation suit is a personal favourite of mine. It includes jumpsuit and belt with tools. I love Brainiac, it was such a great show. This outfit really shows off your geeky side.
  5. Space Invader costumeFor my number one geekiest costume I’ve selected the Space Invader costume. It includes a one-piece alien overall top. Again, it’s fantastic if you want to make minimum effort, you won’t be in the mirror for hours applying make-up like you will with a zombie for example. It is simple, effective and very cool.Space Invader!

I’d like to point out that I have in no way been influenced by the Space Invaders T-Shirt, even though it is easily the coolest item of clothing ever. Isn’t it fantastic?

So there you have it, what do you think is missing? What would be your number one geekiest costume?

About The Author

My name is Ian, I’ve been part of the fancy dress industry for almost ten years. I first began working for Jokers’ Masquerade in 2003, in the warehouse, dealing with the product first hand, seeing thousands of costumes coming in through the doors and then eventually back out again, but in smaller boxes. I have since fallen into more of a digital marketing role due to my computing qualifications. As a result I seem to have a pretty good knowledge of what is going on in the UK fancy dress industry.

Shiny New Things

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

Good afternoon chaps and chapesses, we’ve got a huge number of new products coming in for the summer this year, and I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk you through some brand new recent additions.

TALKINGCLOCK

Firstly, the Science Museum’s official clock! Far more accurate and detailed than your garden variety alarm clock, the science clock tells you the humidity, temperature and a host of other information. It’s also great for people like me who find it hard to open their eyes in the morning, as bashing the top of it will result in it telling you the time out loud so you can judge whether you really have to get up or if you can afford just 5 more minutes.

 

UKSCRATCHMAP

The ever popular scratch map has been shrunk down to the size of the UK & Ireland, but by being smaller it’s become far more detailed than before. How many of our nation’s counties have you been to? Have you seen what Scotland, Wales, or the two Irelands have to offer? Keep track of your travels and learn more about the places you’ve been.

 

MANAPRONSummer means it’s time for the men to make fire and overcook sausages, but to do that they’re going to need more than just an apron. How about a manly cooking overall that holds beer, phone, tongs and an abundance of other objects that make it feel more like the Bat-belt than an apron? It’s a great gift for father’s day and an excellent addition to the summer range.

 

WATERBOMBWAR

Finally we come to my personal favourite, childish though it may be. There’s nothing better than drenching each other in a summery water fight, and we’ve got a huge range of aquatic warfare items to arm you in the battle against boredom. The water bomb set contains a slingshot, more than 250 water balloons, carry cases and quick-fill caps to make it an excellent addition to your arsenal.

 

New Category! Fred and Friends

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Hello! I hope you’re enjoying the sunshine this Wednesday afternoon. I thought I’d just take a brief moment today to let you know about a band new category that we’ve recently launched on the site.

Fred and Friends

The category features a range of products from quirky American gift brand ‘Fred and Friends’. I’m particularly keen on Fred because although I like a novelty item as much as the next man, I always feel like a gift is better if it serves a real practical purpose. Fred stuff is usually a unique take on an existing homeware or kitchen item. This makes them ideal as quirky housewarming gifts or general gifts for work colleagues where you might not know them on a close and personal basis.

Kitchen-dwellers and bakers extraordinaire will find some really cool cake molds and different kitchen equipment. Baking a cake in the shape of a huge sandwich sounds like a ridiculous idea… and it is! But I’d personally love a giant Jam Sarnie for a birthday cake. (Which is coming up in August by the way, hint hint).

Head over to the category page and see if any of the Fred goodies catch your eye. We’ll catch up with you again at the end of the week!

Sam.

Gadgets in Action: Grow Your Own Football Pitch

Monday, March 12th, 2012

When I turned 18 almost 6 years ago, the event was tinged with a horrible sadness that still infects me to this day. Surrounded by loved ones raising glasses to my life and health, stuffed full of party food and with presents cluttering the floor around me, all I could think about was this:

I will never play for England.

Neither will this little guy.

Admittedly, I never really had any chance of playing for England, but turning 18 meant that it was definitely too late to suddenly develop into a world-beater; I couldn’t even play for Carmarthen Town, let alone my beloved Tottenham or England!

This sad realisation is something that almost all men will have at some point, but that doesn’t stop us dreaming about one day walking out onto that hallowed turf. Which brings us to the point of today’s blog: football stadia.

Decidedly not my living room.

Obviously it’s impractical to have an entire football stadium in your house; my lounge seats 7 people at best, so even trying to fit just a couple of thousand football fans in there creates some rather awkward logistical issues. But the grow your own football pitch range lets you bring a little piece of heaven into your house without ruining the carpets or needing to cook burgers for hundreds of hungry hungry hooligans!

A little bit of awesome.

Using the exact same seeds that each club’s groundsman uses, the step-by-step guide makes it easy to grow even for a horticulture-phobe like myself! The gift set is presented beautifully with a high quality photo of each stadium’s most famous stand, and Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man Utd and West Ham are all represented.

Even if you’re not a fan of any of those clubs, the England edition will let you live out your dreams of walking out onto the hallowed Wembley turf (as long as you’re on tip-toes and not putting all your weight down!) Each set also comes with a certificate of authenticity from the club to prove any doubters wrong.

It’s a harsh truth to hear that we’ll probably never play for our country, but at least now we can add an element of reality to our daydreams! To have a look for yourself, click here.

10% Off Mother’s Day Gifts and Gelicity Spa Giveaway

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Like me, you may be thinking that you should probably get a present sorted for Mother’s Day next Sunday. It’s easy to forget as Mum isn’t going to nag you to do it!

No problem though, because not only do we have a great range of unique Mother’s Day gift ideas, we’re currently offering 10% off our whole Mother’s Day range with voucher code FBMUM10. So now there’s no excuse not to get Mum something extra special!

Mother's Day Gifts

We also have it on good authority that Mums like to feel pampered so we’re giving away two packs of Gelicity Spa foot treatments as an extra gift for Mum this Mother’s Day. The prize includes a pack of three Cool foot treatments with Peppermint and Menthol as well as three Soothe treatments with Lavender and Lemongrass.

Gelicity Foot Spa Treatments

Gelicity Foot Spa Treatments

For the chance to win, simply head over to our Facebook page and answer the following question…

If money were no object, what gift would you most like to give / receive for Mother’s Day? Dinner with Gary Barlow perhaps? A shiny new Mercedes? A permanent holiday in a tropical paradise? The more ambitious the better in our view.

Just like our page and leave a comment to enter. Competition is only open to people living within selective mainland UK and Northern Ireland, Scottish Highlands, Scottish Islands, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. We’ll pick our favourite post and get in touch with the winner on Wednesday afternoon. Good luck!

Loquax Competitions
ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
UK Competitions

Dancing Cat Wins “Gift Of The Year 2012″

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

It’s a day of celebration here at Gadget HQ as we’re proud to announce two big successes in the Gift Of The Year awards!

First off, the Air Swimmers: ranked as “Highly Commended” in the Copywatch-sponsored Hot Novelty section, it’s an excellent end to the year for one of our best-selling and coolest products. If you haven’t checked out this video of it defending it’s smaller, most alive cousin then it’s definitely worth checking out: take THAT little kitty!



Of course, the “Highly Commended” award is only really a runners-up prize, but given how many toys and gadgets entered this competition it’s still a fantastic achievement. But what amazing, wondrous and incredible gadget could oust the Air Swimmer from the #1 spot?

Ladies and gentlemen, the WINNER of the Hot Novelty category, and proud owner of the title “Gift Of The Year 2012”: The Dancing Cat MP3 Speaker!

Beating out their canine rival Patch The Talking Dog, the Dancing Cat jived and discoed its way to an epic victory. And now that he’s set the example, cats everywhere will be doing it…

You’re very welcome.

Coming Soon: Star Wars Scalextric

Monday, March 5th, 2012



Scalextric and Star Wars. They’re two of the biggest toy brands of all time, selling millions on a yearly basis, and now they’ve combined. I’m sure they’ll be a … force to be reckoned with!

Awful puns aside, the combination of Scalextric and Star Wars sounds fantastic, and we were fortunate enough to get a sneak peak at this year’s Toy Fair. Unlike normal Scalextric, the Death Star Attack set features two starfighters that are slightly too big, so it’s impossible to overtake one another without sending them flying off the track.

It may not be how Scalextric usually works, but we reckon it’s a great touch to add an element of battling to the set; kids don’t love Star Wars because they’re fast, they love Star Wars because they love pretending to blow up their mates!

All-in-all this is a great looking set, with fantastic attention to detail on both Luke’s X-Wing and Darth Vader’s TIE-fighter, and the decision to make it glow-in-the-dark is inspired. The track itself is also designed to go in and out of the box it comes in, so for a few brief seconds every lap you’ve got no idea where your craft is, if you’ve taken out your opponent or if you’ll successfully emerge from the other side. It’s great looking and has the essential quality of being quick to learn but difficult to master, ensuring that you’ll come back and play it again and again.

Star Wars Death Star Attack Scalextric is available from July onwards, but get your pre-orders in now to avoid disappointment!

10 Best Valentine’s Day Ideas… That Don’t Cost A Fortune (Part Two)

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Welcome back, how was your Tuesday? Excellent, glad to hear it. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado we bring to you:

10 Valentine’s Day Ideas That Don’t Cost A Fortune – Part Two

5) Photographs

Presumably, you have some photos of the two of you together, yes? Cracking stuff, you’re an excellent boyfriend or girlfriend and should be commended for it. Now, get the best photos on your memory card, head down to anywhere that develops photographs and print them off for a few quid. Buy a nice looking photo album and arrange them in chronological order and boom, great gift #5.

 

 

4) Self-sacrifice

Does your partner like doing something you hate? Excellent. Swallow your pride and go do it. Even if it seems expensive, like going to a football match or a West End show, it’s an investment that means you don’t have to go again for at least a year!

 

 

3) Theft

Just to clarify, I don’t mean mug someone, steal their jewellery and pass it off as a gift. If you’ve ever seen a romantic comedy, you’ll know that they provide us with many incredible moments that are just begging to be “adapted”. Don’t pass it off as your own, but find out your other half’s favourite rom-com and steal the moment from it. I particularly like John Cusack and the boom-box in Say Anything or Andrew Lincoln’s pretend carol singing in Love Actually.

 

2) Art (painting, poem, song)

Can you draw? Can you sing? Can you write? Nothing says “I love you” like the gift of art that you’ve made yourself. If you feel adventurous you can write them a song, paint them a picture or write them a poem that you’ve made yourself. Alternatively, borrow someone else’s music, pictures or words and copy them. Either way, the thought makes up for the lack of monetary value and then some.

 

 

1) Repetition

Remember what you did on your first date? Good. Chances are, it wasn’t that expensive but you probably had a good time because check it, you’re still together. Repeating a first date is a classic move, it shows that you’ve put thought in and that you remember your whole relationship. The more little details you can throw in, the better. If your other half has a romantic bone in their body, they will love it.

So there we go, some excellent Valentine’s day ideas to make sure that everyone’s pleased. Happy Valentine’s Day everybody.

10 Best Valentine’s Day Ideas… That Don’t Cost A Fortune

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Valentine’s Day is, and I think I speak for everyone in the world ever here, a source of abject terror and immense fear for all of us. If you’re alone, it’s the most depressing day of the year. If you’re with somebody, it’s the most stressful and potentially disastrous day of the year. You know you have to get them something good, but you don’t have any money! What to do, what to do, what to do…

10 Valentine’s Day Ideas That Don’t Cost A Fortune – Part One

10) Personal Vouchers

This is a gift that’s fraught with danger and isn’t really very good, but if you insist on doing it then there is one simple rule to follow: be cute and romantic instead of, to put it pleasantly, “risqué”. Nobody likes a risqué voucher. Something like 10 free back rubs or 5 free babysits (if you have children) is much better than two tickets to the gun show.

9) The Romantic Walk (It’s February. This is risky).

“But Murray, a romantic walk sounds so nice! Why is it so low down the list?” I hear you ask. Because we’re British, and it’s February. This has the potential to go horribly, horribly wrong. I once spent valentine’s day walking around the zoo in the freezing cold with torrential rain; I couldn’t even keep my hands warm because it was valentine’s day, and that means holding hands. But if the weather’s nice and you’ve got no better ideas then god speed, good luck and take a scarf.

8 ) The Romantic Night In

If this is your plan, then you must follow one simple rule: cook. Do not, under any circumstances, order in food because then it’s nothing more than a cheap restaurant meal. If you put the effort in to spruce your place up a bit, throw some vegetables in a pot and rent a movie or two then this is an excellent budget valentine’s.

7) Silver Love Heart

I promise, this is the only Gadgets product I’ll promote in this list, and it’s only here because it’s really cute and perfect for the first valentine’s day since you said those magic words. This is definitely not suitable for anyone who’s been together more than a few years, but if you’re just starting out then have a look and thank me on the 15th.

6) Mix-tape

Warning: Under No Circumstances Should You Misinterpret Mix Tape To Mean “Playlist”, “CD” or “Now 68”. This is all about romance, and taking 10 minutes to burn a CD that they can just skip through means diddly squat. I mean go out there, buy them a £5 Sony Walkman from a charity shop and agonisingly record a track-by-track account of your relationship and what they mean to you. It’s all the good points of a mix CD with the added bonus of not being rubbish.

That’s the end of Part One of this countdown; join us again on Wednesday for the top 5!