Gift Company White Clock and Calendar Blocks Review

clock-one-titledI am lucky enough to bring you a selection of items from Gift Company throughout October and November. This UK based family run company prides itself on providing unique and quality giftware, homeware and furniture.

After being contacted by Gift Company we arranged for several items for me to review, these are just some of a range of products available online at their website.

Each week I will be bringing you an item, photographed in detail, and then I will give you a variety of information about that product before giving my final review. This is the ideal time of year to start thinking of Christmas presents, so it’s a good idea to look for gifts you may not have seen before. And by purchasing from Gift Company you are also supporting a UK business.

Today I will be showcasing their White Clock with Calendar Blocks gift. This rustic almost ‘shabby chic’ product is mostly white with black detailing.

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The first thing you notice about this gift is the striking bold fonts and the various shapes of the product. I like the archway wooden shaped top, it compliments the circular clock face.

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I have always wanted a product such as this in my home. When growing up my mother had a date box (as I called it) where we could rotate small metal turnstiles in order to move the days and months to the corresponding day. I have always liked wooden items, and this piece goes well with so many other things in my home. White products fit in much easier than coloured ornament pieces too. The size is very good and the numbers and letters are in a clear enough font to be seen from across a room. I like the hands on the Quartz clock as well, delicate and a nice addition to the piece.

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What Makes This A Great Gift

✩ Strong and durable wood for regular use.
An excellent educational piece in order to teach children about days and months.
✩ Easy to adjust the various calendar elements of the product.
✩ An ideal gift for its usefulness with the clock and calendar, as well as it’s white which is an ideal colour for most homes.
Uses an AA battery which is easily accessible and easy to replace.
Great size so the item that can fit onto a shelf or unit in the home, not too big a piece but with large enough numbers and letters to be seen from across a room.
Blocks can be displayed however you want within the diameter of the framing.

To Be Aware Of 

✩ The white painted surface might get dirty over time. Also by continually moving the blocks they scrape against the painted wooden surface as they slot into place, and as the months go by slight scuff marks will begin to appear on the paintwork. This is unavoidable as you use the product.
✩ The writing on the blocks isn’t perfect, some letters haven’t been stamped with much ink, for example the ‘Y’ on the month of May. I would hope that they will not wear away over time and with use but this is a possibility. I would recommend only ever cleaning it with a duster, so as not to take any of the paint off the items.
✩ The glued area of the plastic battery part of the clock was a little messy in my honest opinion. You wouldn’t see this if the ornament was placed against a wall or on a shelf where the back faced away from any view. The only time you notice it would be when changing the battery.

Dimensions and Product Information

Item Description: One wooden frame which contains two square number blocks and three rectangle month blocks. In the top half is a clock face situated centrally. The item is completed with a wooden arch shape at the top of it and curved sides that complement the contrast of the more square shaped calendar blocks.
Colour: White over all with black writing and the hands of the clock are black and red.
Box Materials: Wooden with a Plastic fronted Clock and back for the battery.
Clock and Calendar Dimensions: Unit Width 14cm Depth 7cm Height (highest point of arch) 23cm. Clock face is 7cm.
Products Clock is made by: Quartz.
Requires 1 x AA battery for the clock.

clock-seven-swclock-three-swFinal Review

I am going to give this clock with calendar blocks a final review of 3/5. My reasons for this is mostly down to the quality of the item. I was a little disappointed with the glue being so messily applied to the battery compartment and the fixing of the clock into place. I also feel with constant use that the white paint will begin to scrape off and mark over time. It gets extra points however for being a well made item that is useful to a home, and can be educational. The clock face is a good size as is the writing on the blocks. Over all it’s a decent piece that I would happily display in my house. The product retails for around £20.00 but Gift Company sell this piece at a bargain of £5.99, a gift worth getting if you know someone who could do with a gentle reminder of what date it is.

Thank you for reading this review today, I hope that you have been inspired, and if you want to visit the Gift Company website to see this item or any others you will find the links below.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Find Gift Company on a variety of Social Media by searching for ‘Gift Company’.
Here is the link to the Clock and Calendar http://www.giftcompany.com/p/15106/X-White-Clock-With-Calendar-Blocks–14*7*23-1-12-R15

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Gift Company ‘Memories’ Keepsake Box Review

keepsake-box-titleI am lucky enough to bring you a selection of items from Gift Company throughout October and November. This UK based family run company prides itself on providing unique and quality giftware, homeware and furniture.

After being contacted by Gift Company we arranged for several items for me to review, these are just some of a range of products available online at their website.

Each week I will be bringing you an item, photographed in detail, and then I will give you a variety of information about that product before giving my final review. This is the ideal time of year to start thinking of Christmas presents, so it’s a good idea to look for gifts you may not have seen before. And by purchasing from Gift Company you are also supporting a UK business.

Today I will be showing you this awesome white wooden ‘Memories’ keepsake box, which has a frame built into the lid, to make the present just as unique as the memories you would put inside it.

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An ideal size to hold a variety of trinkets, this box has two silver hinges and is made from sturdy lightweight wood. Because it’s white it can fit into a variety of different places in the home and won’t look out of place.

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The frame section in the lid is a good size, a heart shape where a 5×5″ photograph can be placed. It’s easily accessible from inside the box where three flat photo hinges support the heart shaped area. You can remove the shape in order to cut around the photo of your choice using it as a template before securing it all back into place.

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Another beautiful feature of this box is the three dimensional word ‘Memories’ on the front, and the writing underneath it which reads ‘the best thing about memories is making them’ in a silver font. There is also a three dimensional heart in silver also, that sits just below the writing.

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I feel that this box is an ideal size for the sorts of memories I would use to fill it. Tickets, Photographs, Memories of Days Out such as Maps and Guides, all fit comfortably within the box. As you can see in my next photograph, the space is more than adequate for 6×4″ photographs as well as a variety of different sized papers.

What Makes This A Great Gift

✩ Strong Hinges for durable use.
✩ The base has feet so it won’t slip when placed on flat surfaces.
✩ Easy to Customise with the frame in the lid and you could stick other three dimensional items or stickers to the wooden lid to make it more unique.
✩ An ideal gift for ages of teenagers through to adults, everyone needs something to keep their trinkets and keepsakes inside, this box is an excellent all rounded item.
✩ White colour fits into the majority of home decor without looking out of place.

To Be Aware Of

✩ The white painted surface might get dirty over time, but this can add to the look of the box, well used and filled with happy memories of days gone by.
✩ The writing on the box that I received wasn’t set straight, however this doesn’t matter to me because I’m going to customise the box, but if you’re a perfectionist it’s something to be aware of, all boxes won’t be exactly the same, but that adds to their charm in my opinion.

Dimensions and Product Information

Colour: White and Silver
Box Materials: Wooden with Metal Hinges
Closed Box: Length 24cm Depth 16cm Height 7cm
Inside Box: Length 22.4cm Depth 14.4cm Height (Deep) 4.5cm
Photo Area: 5×5 Photo in a Heart Shape
Product Made By: Flame Homeware

inside-keepsake-box-dimensionsI have already begun to place items into the box, it can be something used to cheer you up on a bad day, to look back at fun things you did and places you visited. And it makes you realise just how lucky you are to be able to put these things safely inside a box such as this…

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Final Review

My final review for this gift company item is 5/5. I have found the product to be made to a high standard, and care has been taken in its design to ensure a well thought out piece. As a gift it can be easily customised to ensure uniqueness and its sizes have been well determined for its uses. A good quality item that I am sure many people would like in their homes, or will know of someone who could benefit from having one to store their memories inside.
The keepsake box is also good value for money with a retail price often around £15-£20 but Gift Company sell their version for just £10, another reason to consider this as a gift this Christmas.

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Thank you for reading this review today, I hope that you have been inspired, and if you want to visit the Gift Company website to see this item or any others you will find the links below.

✩ Sabrina ✩

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Find Gift Company on a variety of Social Media by searching for ‘Gift Company’.
Memories Keepsake Box http://www.giftcompany.com/p/17480/Memories-Keepsake-Box