Tag: gifts

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New ranges available in store!

As you might have noticed by now, we don’t like when things stay the same for too long! We’re always trying to improve our offering, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve got new goodies available in store…

In our coffee shop, you will now find a selection of house plants; terrariums; pots and macrame holders; vintage and preloved ornaments, candles, jars and bowls; books and more. As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll soon be introducing a new range of alcoholic gifts, including mead, ciders and premixed cocktails.

We hope you love our new range as much as we do – pop into the store today and see what takes your fancy!

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The Story of Rosemary & Bergamot

We’ve come a long way since we started, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the popularity of our Rosemary & Bergamot! We’ve been reminiscing (and cringing!) about our origins today, and thought we’d share the story of our signature scent.

Back in 2003, when we weren’t much more than a shed and our living room, we were approached by The Mill House, who were looking for a company to develop a range of luxury toiletries for their hotel.

At that point we were a relatively new company, making toiletries, food products and herb related crafty items – if you don’t believe how much progress we’ve made, check out this reminder of how we started!

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The team from The Mill House spent a productive morning with us exploring a variety of different scent options, and out of that session came two fragrances- Rosemary & Bergamot and Pine & Lavender (which has since been discontinued). The Rosemary & Bergamot was designed to be totally unisex, and (it has since been discovered) almost universally loved.

Initially we made soaps and hair and body wash for the hotel, but the Rosemary and Bergamot scent proved so popular that we expanded the range to 12 items (and it’s continued to grow even now). It remains our most popular fragrance and is used by many local (and national!) hotels and restaurants, including Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, St Enodoc Hotel, Playboy Club London and more…

Often imitated, but never bettered, our Rosemary & Bergamot range is made using the finest ingredients and will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated. Don’t take our word for it, pop in and have a smell!

bergamot

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Make your own – Bath Bombs (again!)

We know you’ve probably seen this before, but in honour of Christmas we thought we’d share our most popular gift making idea ever. These bath bombs are so easy to make, and are a fantastic, home made gift. They’re also great for relaxing after a hard day’s Christmas shopping!

Ingredients:

Witch Hazel Water

Bicarbonate of Soda

Citric Acid

Essential Oil (we like lavender for an extra soothing bath, but anything you like will work!)

Dried herbs, petals, flowers or food colouring  (again, lavender flowers are it for us)

 

Moulds:

We’ve got the kind of house that always has kids running around, and of course that means kids toys everywhere – so we used a plastic ball pit ball, cut in half (ingenious, we know) as our mould. But you can use anything that has the shape you like – ice cube trays, cupcake tins, whatever you’ve got lying around.

Bath.Bomb.how.to.image

Directions:

  1. Combine equal amounts of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.
  2. Add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, plus any flowers or colouring you’re using & mix thoroughly.
  3. Sparingly add Witch Hazel Water (a few drops at a time) until the mixture is just damp enough to hold its shape when compressed. Go easy on adding the liquid- if you add too much the mixture will do all its fizzing in your bowl instead of your bath!
  4. Pack the mixture firmly into both halves of your mould, then push together to join. (If using an ice cube tray or similar, just make sure to compress the mixture into the mould so it doesn’t all fall apart when you take it out).
  5. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before removing from the mould.
  6. If your bomb falls apart when you remove it from your mould, it’s probably too dry- put the mixture back in a bowl and add a few more drops of Witch Hazel water.
  7. Package in some cellophane with ribbon as a gorgeous home made gift – or spoil yourself and get that bath running!
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Exciting Times…

We can only apologise (once again) for the lack of blog posts recently – the days just don’t seem to be long enough! We did think you’d like to be kept updated though, so here’s a look at all the exciting events that we’ve got planned for the next few months…

stitchandbitch

lunchisserved

book.talk

italian.night

 

Dates for your diary:

Thursday 6th October – Stitch and Bitch

Wednesday 19th October – Irish Night

Friday 28th October – Halloween Trick or Treat

Thursday 3rd November – Toiletry Gift Making Workshop

Wednesday 23rd November – British Winter Staples Night

Details to follow…

If you see an event that takes your fancy, give us a call on 01840213442 to book. If you’ve got an event, group or meeting and are in need of a venue, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. We’d love to see you all, so don’t be shy and come along!

 

 

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Make your own – Bath Bombs

A great gift idea for all occasions (and our most popular blog post ever!), our bath bombs dissolve in a hot bath for silky smooth, fragrant bath water. Bonus – they’re exceedingly easy to make!

Ingredients:

Witch Hazel Water

Bicarbonate of Soda

Citric Acid

Essential Oil (we like lavender for an extra soothing bath, but anything you like will work!)

Dried herbs, petals, flowers or food colouring  (again, lavender flowers are it for us)

 

Moulds:

We’ve got the kind of house that always has kids running around, and of course that means kids toys everywhere – so we used a plastic ball pit ball, cut in half (ingenious, we know) as our mould. But you can use anything that has the shape you like – ice cube trays, cupcake tins, whatever you’ve got lying around.

Bath.Bomb.how.to.image

Directions:

  1. Combine equal amounts of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.
  2. Add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, plus any flowers or colouring you’re using & mix thoroughly.
  3. Sparingly add Witch Hazel Water (a few drops at a time) until the mixture is just damp enough to hold its shape when compressed. Go easy on adding the liquid- if you add too much the mixture will do all its fizzing in your bowl instead of your bath!
  4. Pack the mixture firmly into both halves of your mould, then push together to join. (If using an ice cube tray or similar, just make sure to compress the mixture into the mould so it doesn’t all fall apart when you take it out).
  5. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before removing from the mould.
  6. If your bomb falls apart when you remove it from your mould, it’s probably too dry- put the mixture back in a bowl and add a few more drops of Witch Hazel water.
  7. Package in some cellophane with ribbon as a gorgeous home made gift – or spoil yourself and get that bath running!
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Sri Lankan Coconut and Dark Rum Snowball Truffles

We know everyone’s probably sick of it by now but nevertheless this week’s recipe is Christmas themed. (At least it’s only once a year!) These deliciously tempting truffles are great for the run up to Christmas, on the day or even as a special gift. Without further ado, Sri Lankan coconut and dark rum snowball truffles…

Ingredients:

200g Sri Lankan coconut chocolate

100g clotted cream (being from Cornwall, we always recommend Rodda’s!)

1 – 2 tbsp dark rum

50 – 100g desiccated coconut

 

Method:

The great thing about these truffles is that there’s no need for tempering or any of that fancy shmancy stuff. Just microwave your chocolate for 20 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until it’s all melted. Then add in your clotted cream and rum, and stir until it makes a beautiful creamy mixture. Refrigerate until it’s set hard enough to handle – usually around an hour. Scoop up a teaspoon at a time and roll into balls (you might want to wear some gloves for this – it can get messy!). Once you’ve formed your truffles, pop them into a bowl of desiccated coconut and roll until they’re covered.

Whether you choose to box them up as a gift or eat them straight away, these will knock your socks off! If you want to keep them for a later date, remember to keep them in the fridge – no one likes gone off cream… Enjoy!

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Make Your Own Christmas Compilation

I don’t know where the time keeps going, but it’s definitely happening a bit too fast for my liking! Christmas is just around the corner now and the money spent is already adding up – so here is our compilation of all things ‘make your own’ to keep Christmas cheap and still beautiful!

We’ll start with the all important gifts – some of these are our very own recipes and some come from some very clever people with more time on their hands than I have! Have a gander and give some a go yourself:

It’s a scarf, but with pockets!

This one takes a bit more time, but it’s so beautiful – a leather messenger bag.

Ministry of silly walks, in clock form.

Bath milk bags.

Soothing hand balm.

Bath salts – so easy and they can come in any smell you fancy!

Bath vinegars – a nice jar or bottle can really make a difference to this one.

Lightbulb terrarium, does it get much more creative?

Beautiful wood burned boxes. If you’ve got the tools and the time, these make the most gorgeous, unique gift.

This elegant, delicate votive candle holder is just so beautiful, I want a room full of them!

 

It’s all well and good having gifts sorted, but it never really feels like Christmas until the decorations are up! Here are our favourite DIY decorations:

Double lattice ornaments

Christmas tatting patterns

We used this video to make the decorations for our shop this year – they’re rather stunning!

Super intricate, ever so delicate, paper snowflakes

If you’re looking for more ideas, here’s 17 easy peasy decorations you could give a go

 

And of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a drink or two! Have a go at some of these Chrimbo cocktails:

Still our favourite, the Chocolate Alexander

A classic with a twist, Appleberry Mulled Wine

We love a bit of cardamom, but we’d never have thought to put it in a martini! This bitter orange and cardamom martini is just to die for.

Cranberry mojito, tastes as good as it looks!

It’s Christmas, of course that means there has to be eggnog…

And in case you need something a bit more warming, hot chocolate and baileys – enough said.

 

There you go – everything you could possibly need to get you through another Christmas (or at least get you tipsy enough to not care!)

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Make Your Own – Hand Balm

Love our fathers as we may, I think we can all admit that buying them gifts can be a pain! So if you’re fed up of the standard beer and socks this father’s day, why not make your own gift? This fabulous hand balm recipe works wonders even on the roughest of hands – and the men in our lives need some pampering occasionally!

balm.blog.jars

Recipe:

200g cocoa butter

200g shea butter

400mls sweet almond oil

few drops essential oil (whatever fragrance you like – we love lavender for its fab healing properties!)

 

Method:

– Melt the butters in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, until completely liquid.

– Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the sweet almond oil and essential oil.

– Pour into sterile containers (you can just sterilise some old glass jars for this), cover with greaseproof paper and leave to cool.

– Once completely cooled, place carefully in the freezer until set.

– Cap the jars, ribbon for an extra special touch and then you’re all set!

The great thing about this is it can last for up to 18 months if kept in a cool dry place– so you can make one big batch and have home made presents ready all year!

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Make your own – Bath Bombs

A great gift idea for all occasions (and our most popular blog post ever!), our bath bombs dissolve in a hot bath for silky smooth, fragrant bath water. Bonus – they’re exceedingly easy to make!

Ingredients:

Witch Hazel Water

Bicarbonate of Soda

Citric Acid

Essential Oil (we like lavender for an extra soothing bath, but anything you like will work!)

Dried herbs, petals, flowers or food colouring  (again, lavender flowers are it for us)

 

Moulds:

We’ve got the kind of house that always has kids running around, and of course that means kids toys everywhere – so we used a plastic ball pit ball, cut in half (ingenious, we know) as our mould. But you can use anything that has the shape you like – ice cube trays, cupcake tins, whatever you’ve got lying around.

Bath.Bomb.how.to.image

Directions:

  1. Combine equal amounts of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.
  2. Add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, plus any flowers or colouring you’re using & mix thoroughly.
  3. Sparingly add Witch Hazel Water (a few drops at a time) until the mixture is just damp enough to hold its shape when compressed. Go easy on adding the liquid- if you add too much the mixture will do all its fizzing in your bowl instead of your bath!
  4. Pack the mixture firmly into both halves of your mould, then push together to join. (If using an ice cube tray or similar, just make sure to compress the mixture into the mould so it doesn’t all fall apart when you take it out).
  5. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before removing from the mould.
  6. If your bomb falls apart when you remove it from your mould, it’s probably too dry- put the mixture back in a bowl and add a few more drops of Witch Hazel water.
  7. Package in some cellophane with ribbon as a gorgeous home made gift – or spoil yourself and get that bath running!