Month: December 2012

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My Top Gift Tips – Pauline Leonard, VIC

Not many people would know where to start when it came to organising a dinner for 50, but Melbourne chef Pauline Leonard takes it all in her stride. Pauline shares her Top Gift Tips with us this week:

1. The best gift I ever received was…some fresh truffles, dug that day.

2. The top gift on my wish list is…a house in Tuscany!

3. The best gift I have ever given was…a dinner party I catered for a friend’s surprise 50th for 50 of her friends.

4. The hardest person I have ever had to buy a gift for is…my darling husband. He has me, what more does he need?

5. The best last-minute gift is…a bottle of something special, be it wine, sauce or oil.






6. My hot gift buying tip is…buy gifts as you see things throughout the year, don’t wait until a week before the person’s birthday. Failing that – get them a gift voucher to one of my cooking classes – young old, men, women, kids – they all love cooking in my classes.

Learning to cook is an invaluable, life-long skill
Check out Pauline’s cooking classes at Queen Vic Markets, Melbourne

Pauline Leonard is a Melbourne chef who runs cooking classes at Queen Victoria Markets, weekend gourmet food tours to the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, Saturday tasting tours in the picturesque town of Healesville in the Yarra Valley, and 10 day gourmet food and wine tours to Italy! For more information, check out www.tastecooktravel.com

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BRAND OF THE WEEK: Moleskine

Moleskine products “represent, around the world, a symbol of contemporary nomadism”. Moleskine.

Great artists and thinkers such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwinwere the inspiration behind the classic black-covered Moleskine notebook. A small French bookbinder used to produce a simple rectangular black notebook with rounded corners, an internal expandable pocket and the signature elastic page-holder. For over a century, this artisan book maker supplied a number of stationery shops in Paris, where many of these artists shopped and purchased their notebooks. These notebooks became constant companions to this set of artistic avant-garde icons, capturing their innermost thoughts through notes, stories and sketches.
 

By the 1980s, these little black books had almost become obsolete, but their scarcity had been noticed. Bruce Chatwin shared the story of the little black notebook in his book, The Songlines. The shop where he usually purchased his notebooks from in Paris only had a few books left. After offering to purchase 100 notebooks (enough to last a lifetime) he soon learned that the bookbinder who made the books had died and the company had been sold by his heirs. It was Chatwin who named this notebook Moleskine after the French name, carnets moleskines which referred to the black oilcloth binding.

A decade later, in 1997, a small Milanese publisher revived this iconic notebook and named it Moleskine. The Moleskine brand has built a reputation on good, old fashioned quality and the range has been extended beyond the humble notebook to include diaries, planners, stationery, bags and other office accessories, as well as the popular Passion Journals.
 

Despite the dizzying pace our world moves at today and the constant evolution of technology, Moleskine has forged a firm place in the hearts of people who appreciate quality, and the simple pleasure found in the smell of paper.

BUY NOW and receive FREE DELIVERY on any Moleskine product purchased before 5pm Mon 10 December 2012. Simply enter coupon code MOLESKINE when you place your order.

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Who wants to be out Christmas shopping when you could be at the pub?

Mr Gift

Top 12 Men’s Christmas Gifts

Mr Gift has gifts for every guy – avoid the Christmas rush this year and shop from the comfort of your home

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a traditional Christmas carol that many would be familiar with (especially at this time of the year with Christmas carols playing everywhere you go!).

The Twelve Days of Christmas is actually thought to be a very old carol, originating in the late 1700s in England, or possibly even France. There are several theories behind the meaning of the song, with one of the more popular theories being that the carol was actually a memory game sung before the Twelfth Night (the eve of 5 January) which marked the end of the festive season. Whilst we may never be sure of the exact meaning of the quirky lyrics to this old favourite carol, we’ve drawn some inspiration from the song to create our own 12 days of Christmas for men.
Check out the below Mr Gift top 12 gift suggestions for 12 different types of men.

SPECIAL OFFER: To thank you for your support throughout the year, we would like to offer you a 20% Friends and Family discount, valid until 5pm Sunday 16/12/12. To redeem your discount:
1. Login or create a Mr Gift account
2. Simply enter Coupon Code F&F when you checkout.

This offer can’t be used in conjunction with other offers, but feel free to pass this Coupon Code onto your family and friends.

12 Busy Businessmen

Cockpit Clock and Weather Station $49.95
Keep your desk tidy with this unique desk box that includes:

  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
  • 2 clocks for different time zones

View more business, office and stationery gifts…

11 Chefs Cooking

Joseph Joseph Elevate Knives Carousel Set $149.95

This set of 6 high quality knives come beautifully packaged in their own rotating knife block.

View more gifts for chefs and the kitchen…

10 Gardeners Gardening

Pro Gardener Tool Belt $34.95
Keep all of your gardening gadgets and tools at your fingertips with this handy tool belt.

View more gardening gifts…

9 Gadget Guys

Weather Station $49.95
This smart weather station features:

  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
  • A wired sensor to measure indoor and outdoor temp and humidity
  • An alarm with snooze function

View more gadget gifts…

8 Metro Men

Beauty Mate Big Boy Gift Pack $59.95
The ultimate Beauty Mate Gift pack that includes all our favourite products:

  • 1 x Shampoo 200ml
  • 1 x Conditioner 200ml
  • 1 x Moisturiser 100ml
  • 1 x Shave Gel 100ml
  • 1 x Face Wash 100ml
  • 1 x Form 100g or Shape 100g

View more grooming gift ideas…

7 Travellers Travelling

Würkin Stiffs RFID Passport Wallet, black/green $99.95
Würkin’s high-tech passport holders will keep your personal information safe by protecting the data on your passport chip using RFID technology.

View more men’s accessories…

6 Homeboys Chillin’

Large Belvedere Glasses (pair) $29.95
These cool glasses have been repurposed from Belvedere Vodka bottles and make a great gift for the person with everything.

View more gifts for the home…

5 Fitness Fanatics

Moleskine Wellness Journal $39.95
Monitor your exercise regime and diet whilst setting motivating goals with this comprehensive and versatile Wellness Journal.

View more Moleskine journals…

4 Beer-lovers Belching

Fred Thirsty Hopped Up Beer Glass $14.95 each or 2 for $25
A quirky beer glass that beer-enthusiasts will love!

View more Wine, Beer and Coffee gifts…

3 Caffeine Addicts craving coffee

KeepCup Reusable Coffee Cup $14.95 each or 2 for $25
Enhance your coffee drinking experience with these stylish reusable cups.

View the KeepCup range…

2 Winos whining

Nuance Wine Finer II: The 4-in-1 Wine Aerator
The quickest and easiest way to aerate any wine.

View more Wine, Beer and Coffee gifts…

…and a BBQ Chef burning the snags!

MAN LAW Digital BBQ Tongs $29.95
Don’t burn your snags (or any other meat) with these handy BBQ tongs that will prevent you from over or under-cooking your meat.

View more BBQ accessories…

There are still lots of new products arriving for Christmas, so keep checking our New Products section if you need some more gift inspiration or last minute gifts.

We’ve also had lots of fun blogging – check out the Mr Gift Blog for our latest Top Gift Tips, recipes such as the best chocolate chip cookies (in the world!) and new brands including MAN LAW BBQ accessories, Wurkin Stiffs men’s accessories and iconic German pen brand, e+m.

We hope we can help you get on top of some of your Christmas shopping so you can enjoy the festivities this December.