What is the best gift you have ever received?

An anniversary present to a wonderful place in the west coast of Scotland where we went to celebrate our 5th anniversary.

It’s the sort of place you have to stay overnight as you go there by boat and then after a fantastic 7 course dinner, you are there for breakfast the following day. As I am a real foodie, this was just spot on for me and was somewhere I had wanted to go for ages. Sadly now, it no longer exists as it was in the past, so I am so glad we went for it.

What is the worst present you have received?

A bouquet for a major birthday which had none of my favourite flowers and arrived on a morning when we were heading off for three days. They didn’t check that I would be there before they sent it and the flowers were rustic and not at all “me”.

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

It was my dad. He had no hobbies or outside interests and was very work orientated so present buying was a nightmare.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I love it. I love trying to find something that is just ‘the person’ I am buying for and that usually means buying something that is different and a bit funky.

What is your top gift buying tip?

It has to be buy things when you see them, whenever and wherever you are. I buy pressies when I am on holidays, away for the day and when browsing new sites on the web. When I see something that will really suit a particular person, I just get it and put it in the present box. It really takes the pressure off birthdays and Christmas.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

www.silver.uk.com

www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

www.peruvianconnection.co.uk

Biography

Heather’s dream is to bring the world back to walking. There are so many wonderful benefits as a result of walking both physical and psychological and through her work, Heather introduces her clients to these and sees them blossom. Walkers’ Coach runs, short, medium and long walks, trek training, fitness and weightloss training and provides a safe and supportive environment for people to air their challenges and find a solution. To find out how Walkers’ Coach can help you, check out their website.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

My husband re-wrote the words to a James Blunt song to fit our relationship and had them framed. It was quite an emotional Christmas morning when I opened that by the fire at my parents!

What is the worst present you have received?

I must have been lucky, I can’t think of any! I do remember my mum getting me some underwear for Christmas when I was quite young and being mortified when I opened it in front of everyone.

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

Dads are the hardest I think, it’s so easy to get sucked into the standard golf, DVD, garden routes and not think about what they would really want.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I love buying gifts, I like to have something really thoughtful that I know the person will really love – I like that people will look forward to my gift.

What is your top gift buying tip?

You don’t need to spend a lot to get something really thoughtful. Be creative too, make something or find something you can experience with that person.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

www.plumo.com

www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

www.asos.com

Biography

Catherine runs Warrilow PR, an agency that specialises in consumer campaigns for businesses wanting to raise their profile, really stand out and create a buzz. From small to large publicity campaigns, to copywriting and market research, Warrilow PR can untangle your PR needs.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

This year for my birthday, my husband took me to the Newick Park Hotel and country house for an overnight stay and beautiful meal, with champagne in our room on arrival. He arranged babysitters and it was just perfect, which made up for my ‘interesting’ Christmas present….(see below)

What is the worst present you have received?

Christmas 2007 – random last minute presents from my husband, worst of which was a figurine of Sawyer from LOST. What on earth was he thinking?

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

My husband’s uncle. His tastes are quite high brow and I always struggle to come up with anything appropriate.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I enjoy giving gifts that show that someone has taken some time to think carefully about what the person would really like, and made it really personal to them. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

What is your top gift buying tip?

Don’t leave it until the last minute!

What are your favourite gift web sites?

Our Polaroid Guest Books make fantastic wedding, anniversary or birthday presents as they capture the event in pictures alongside handwritten notes from the guests, making a really personal gift.

Biography

Helen Rankin owns Instant Forever a company that supplies photo guest book packages for weddings, christenings, leaving dos, parties and corporate events. For more information visit www.instantforever.com or contact Helen on 0845 094 1311.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

Hhhhmmmmm…. A homemade anniversary card from my wife. Because it was not only imaginatively done (she had used 4 matches as candles on a cake she’d drawn, to signify the 4 years since our wedding), but it had obviously taken quite a lot of effort. Having said that I’ve also been given a lovely pocket watch, which I use all the time.

What is the worst present you have received?

An apron! I have no idea why, but my in-laws bought it for me. It wasn’t a hint about the washing up or anything, as it was more of a carpenters apron. I’m not sure what happened to it, but my wife did take a picture of me wearing it, with a very puzzled look on my face!

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

My stepfather. Because he hasn’t got a hobby as such, but likes ‘tinkering’. I usually get him a bottle of whisky or something DIY related. He has virtually every tool there is now I think! (and most brands of whiskey).

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I do enjoy it to an extent, but I do get fed up if I end up doing lots of traipsing around. It’s always a challenge to get a balance between ‘useful’ – which can verge on boring if you’re not careful, and ‘frivolous’ – which can easily tip over into ‘throwaway’. The joy is finding something a bit unusual that is just a perfect match for the recipient (hopefully!).

What is your top gift buying tip?

I’ve got two, I hope that’s okay…
1. Remember, you don’t have to buy “stuff”. We’ve told some of our friends and relatives not to buy us any more stuff! Not only have we got enough things already, but we don’t NEED anything. We would prefer a charity donation, gift experience, hamper, flowers or a favour as a gift. Others may agree! I have some printable ‘favour vouchers‘ here, which anyone is free to use…

2. Use Giftgen.co.uk to get ideas without having to painfully wrack your brain, or traipse aimlessly around the shops.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

http://www.giftgen.co.uk !!!! (my site)
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com
http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk
http://www.buyagift.co.uk

Biography

Mark Rowe is the Co-creator of GiftGen – The Gift Ideas Generator. Mark is 38 years old, married with no children.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

A lovely orange leather TODs handbag, I use it every day. My husband never knows what to buy me but this time he got it just right. What a surprise it was when he gave it to me all wrapped up over a birthday dinner for two.

What is the worst present you have received?

My worse gift was an electronic wine cooler. It was a wedding present from two very close friends, I thought they knew us better…

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

My husband is not easy to buy for, as he doesn’t really want for anything material, nice trait to have but not when it’s his Birthday!

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

Yes I enjoy buying gifts, I love wrapping them up and imagining the person’s face when they open it!

What is your top gift buying tip?

Buy something that you know they’ll love. If you can’t find anything at the time better to wait. You don’t have to give a gift if you can’t find one,  a card will suffice. Then when they’re least expecting it you can present them with something you know is perfect!

What are your favourite gift web sites?

I like Cox and Cox

Biography

Australian born Sharyn Wortman worked in advertising for 10 years as an art director before making the decision to come to London. “Once I had had enough of working in advertising I gave myself a week to come up with a new idea. I like to be quite spontaneous and this is one of the most inspiring things about running my own business!” she explains.

She continues by saying: “If anyone had ever read my fortune and told me that I would run a tea company in London one day I would have told them they were crazy, and yet at the age of 35 I find myself doing exactly that and loving it.”

Sharyn lives and works on a boat on the river Thames, loves to entertain friends and family and experiment in her kitchen. As a result of endless pots of tea over breakfast, lunch and dinner she came up with her blends.

In 2005 Today was Fun won best new Organic Product for its Sleepy Tea and received a highly commended award for Gift of the Year. Then in 2006 the company won best new Organic Product again for Green Green TeaTM. “I must be doing something right to keep on knocking off the big boys,” Sharyn says. “I think it is a combination of creativity, passion and not being surrounded by people who play safe.”

Karon, what is the best gift you have ever received?

The best present l ever received was a vintage sewing box from my best friend. It was filled with old reels of cotton and silk, a pair of tiny old scissors, a handmade needle case and a pin cushion. It was a well thought out gift as l adore anything vintage and so useful, l have it by my chair in the living room and use it every night.

What is the worst present you have received?

When I was first going out with my ex husband he gave me a black nylon sailing scarf for Christmas. I don’t sail but he did and of course claimed it back on the principal of ‘well if you don’t want it l’ll have it’.
It was so bad as it really showed a complete lack of thought.

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

Any man l think. They always hate to get the usual things so you have to go out on a limb a bit to find something different but not too off the wall.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I love buying gifts and tend to pick them up throughout the year and then stash them away for Christmas and Birthdays. I like putting people and gifts together, a bit like a jigsaw. A friend of mine is a really keen DIY guy and l know he loves chocolate. So for his birthday l got a little chocolate tool box filled with chocolate tools. An inexpensive but fun gift that really went down well.

What is your top gift buying tip?

Don’t leave it till the last minute. Just pick things up throughout the year whenever you see something that you just know so-and-so will love, and you will have something for everyone and save time, stress and money in the long run.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

Well mine obviously! Just joking, l love Caroline Zoob‘s site, Etsy is wonderful for gifty things and you can get some really unusual things there.

Tell us more about yourself and your business…

My name is Karon Grieve and l run a small online business called Dream Acres.

I grow herbs on my smallholding in Ayrshire and use them to make a wide variety of scenters, sleep pillows, ornaments and pot pourri. It was my love of herbs, sewing and vintage fabrics that all blended together to form Dream Acres just over three years ago.

When I started the business, it was very much a case of working at the kitchen table, now l have my own log cabin to work in and the business is thriving.

I have had my products featured in many of the top magazines including Country Living, BBC Good Homes, Period Living, House Beautiful and the like, and also on national television. My designs have even been sold in Libertys of London, but l prefer to sell from my own web site throughout the year and at the big gift fairs at Christmas time.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

A beautiful, sexy, red Toyota Celica!  I was truly not expecting it.  She is so beautiful and I named her Kitten.  I have always really loved the old style Celica, but I saw it as luxury car.  So I was really blown away when I received it.  Friends now call me Penelope Pitstop!

What is the worst present you have received?

A ‘Who Want’s To Be A Millionaire’ quiz book. I used to like watching the show, and would have loved to have taken part in it, but a quiz book!  Not really my style.  It was from a past boyfriend and I felt he had not even thought about what I would really like.  Another boyfriend gave me a book on Sudoku!  Needless to say these two are both ex’s.

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

My Father.  Because it is always a shirt, a cardigan or jumper, it never feels good to me – but this is what he says he wants.  Our relationship was never close, so I find it difficult.  I would like my xmas gift to him to be more thoughtful, appropriate.  But he is not really into material things, or gestures, sees it all as a waste of time.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I enjoy buying gifts for others, and I enjoy the look on their faces when they open it too.  Once, when a friend was getting married, I wanted to get something really appropriate, but very different from the norm.   I had seen this wonderful crystal for sale.  It was encased in it’s natural egg-shaped rock. It was split in two, exposing the beautiful snow like crystal centre. But then fitted back together perfectly to form the egg shape.  I told them it represented their relationship, two perfect halves of the same whole. They were really pleased.

What is your top gift buying tip?

Listen, get to know the person. Think, what would they want, enjoy?  Remember, it’s not about you.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

I can’t say I have a favourite. I am a spontaneous person, but I do use Amazon for books, as it offers a whole selection of books, some you cannot always get in the UK. I have also used the Red Letter website for unusual gifts.

Biography

Eileen Rawson of www.rawson.co.uk, is a world renowned Feng Shui Consultant & Home Healer.  Eileen educates people and businesses on the transforming power of Feng Shui.  Where personal consultations focus upon health, wealth & blessings, businesses learn crucial techniques on how to improve work relationships, and increase productivity and finances.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

Well apart from husband and children (lovely & maddening all of them) I think the best gift I ever received was in a Christmas stocking when I was about 7. She was a lovely lady in a crinoline, elaborately dressed about 3” high and made entirely of icing! She was both beautiful and ephemeral and I think this is what I found so attractive – that I could receive such a beautiful and extravagant gift. She was destined to be eaten (and eventually she was) but the memory of her lives on forever.

What is the worst present you have received?

An orange jumper, not designed for my shape or my colouring. Were they on something when they chose it? Clearly it was not something I would EVER wear, even to do the gardening.

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

Any male over the age of 11. There are only so many socks/bottles of whisky/ toiletries you can buy. It helps if he has a hobby but it is possible to have too many golf tees.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I do as long as the recipient is not a male not over 11! I enjoy most seeing lots of lovely things in one place that I can compare so I can picture the person with it. I love things beautifully wrapped as well.

What is your top gift buying tip?

Think of them not yourself and ask a friend (theirs, not yours) if need be.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

I’d Google chocolate and I also like www.silvercompany.co.uk.

Biography

Liz Copeland is a nutrition coach for people who find healthy eating difficult. She can show you how to change your beliefs and behaviours around food so that you can eat well, look good and feel great! Her e-course and newsletter “No More Rabbit Food- weight loss tips for people who love food” can be found at www.ConquerEmotionalEatingForever.com.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

The best gift I ever received was my Christmas present from my boyfriend 2 years ago. It came in a beautiful pink box and contained a present for each of the 5 senses: a fabulous Diptyque candle for smell, a mammoth box of Valrhona chocolates for taste, an iPod for hearing, a DVD box set of Pedro Alomodovar’s films for sight and a kiss for touch.

I loved it because it was so thoughtful and romantic and contained all of my favourite things. It really showed he’d given it lots of thought. Somehow, if he’d given me just the iPod or the films or the chocolates it would have been more ordinary – the kiss was the best part!

What is the worst present you have received?

My mother’s cousin is an artist and she gave me one of her paintings for my new flat. I thought it was hideous and the colours and style clashed with everything else but I had to hang it in my living room for the sake of family diplomacy!

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

My boyfriend. He has everything he needs and doesn’t have many “wants”. He has very particular likes and dislikes and is really hard to buy stuff for.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I love getting gifts for people. I enjoy coming up with really personalised and imaginative ideas and then finding just the right present to fit.

What is your top gift buying tip?

Don’t leave it to the last moment. If you see something which you know fits a particular person, get it – even if Christmas or their birthday is months away.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

I’m passionate about good quality chocolate and you know that it’s always appreciated. At the moment Chococo and Rococo Chocolates are my favourites. Not only is the chocolate exquisite and original but the packaging is beautiful too!

Biography

Audrey Boss is co-author and founder of ‘Beyond Chocolate: How to stop yo-yo dieting and lose weight for good‘ – the intelligent alternative to failed diets, depressing slimming clubs and unrealistic quick fixes for women who want to nail “healthy eating” and get the body they want. www.beyondchocolate.co.uk

Kirsteen, what is the best gift you have ever received?

A handmade mobile phone holder. It was great because it stands on the ground like a piece of furniture and stores nine mobiles and chargers, keeping them neat and tidy for all the family.

What is the worst present you have received?

Candles – because I had originally given them to the sender for their birthday but they must have forgotten and given them back to me for my birthday! They were unusual so it was not a coincidence.

Who is the most difficult person you have to buy for?

My grandmother because she has everything she wants and needs nothing.

Do you enjoy buying gifts?

I love buying gifts! I enjoy searching for something unique to the recipients personality and taste.

What is your top gift buying tip?

Type something to do with the person you are buying for into the ebay search engine and see what comes up. You can very often find some really unusual but suitable gifts or it helps spark up some ideas.

What are your favourite gift web sites?

Amazon

www.boohoobaby.co.uk (Baby Gifts)

www.fungiftsforgirls.co.uk

Biography

Kirsteen Black runs Virtual PR and offers Virtual Administrative, Secretarial and Public Relations services and advice to individuals wanting to train as a Virtual Assistant.