When I told my future Maid of Honour, Hollie that I was getting married she put together a lovely parcel for me filled with wedding magazines, planners, coloured felt tips, post-it notes, wedding doodle books, chocolates and business cards from local wedding companies.
When she moved into her first owned house a couple of weeks ago I knew that I wanted to put together a pack for her too, having gradually collected items since she first told me she was going to be moving.
The first item I picked up was this spoon which I found on a stall at the NEC craft show back at the start of November.
I decided that most of the presents should be practical, and as Hollie is a non-drinker and had killed all plants she was given when she moved into her flat a few years back there would be no alcohol and that no plants would make it into the pack!
In the bathroom basket I packed the following:
* A Good Homes magazine
* Paint tester cards
* Scissors
* Loo roll (always vital!)
* A first aid pack
* Spare change
* Sellotape
* Washing up sponges
* Teabags* 3 bags of chocolate stars (for Hollie, her husband and little boy)
* Clothes pegs
* A lightbulb
* Colouring book for her little boy to keep him amused whilst they’re painting
* Rubber gloves
* Air freshner
* A pot of safety pins/paper clips
* Sugar
* Party poppers
* Wooden moving spoon
…and then tied a ribbon on the side!
It seemed to go down well even if it wasn’t the most exciting of gifts like the gift baskets in Ottawa that we saw recently!
On a completely different note, Dan and I headed to our friend Vicki’s house with several of our other friends last weekend for a ‘Christmas brunch’. This has become tradition over the past few years and is basically an excuse to eat a lot of cheese and crackers and wear Christmas jumpers…
Check out the beautiful cake they had for the event!
If only I liked Christmas Cake! Although whoever got the section with Santa on would have gone into a sugar-coma from all that icing!
That cake is amazing!
What a lovely idea for a gift too- looks so pretty in the basket.
Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted…Winter Cooking
It was such an amazing looking cake! Literally everybody there took a photo of it!
Mary recently posted…A housewarming gift
That is such a lovely lovely gift! So practical and thoughtful. What a nice touch

YOU DON’T LIKE CHRISTMAS CAKE?? Insane. 😉 That cake looks ahhhmazing.
Anna @AnnaTheApple recently posted…Physicool and nakd Fruit & Nut Bits
Haha! This made me laugh!!! Nope, I picked the icing off a friend’s slice, but I don’t like dried fruit – so no raisins or sultanas for me! I really want to have one of the layers of our wedding cake as fruit, for tradition, but I could literally count on one hand the guests that would eat any!
Mary recently posted…A housewarming gift