Prezents Blog!

Everyone loves tea right? It's a staple of British culture pretty much the most important drink in the world.

Our office is often flavoured with the aroma of some classic Twinings breakfast tea. It increases our productivity, obviously.

With such a passion for tea comes an adoration for quirky, collectable tea pots.

Particularly the Canadian artist, Heather Goldminc's decorative teapots. They are made from ceramic and each one is individually hand-painted. They come in absolutely superb  quality packaging making them a great gift for posting, too.

Shall we get down to it and show you some?

We'll start with the classic, English cottages we have. There's Bluewinds, Rose and, Prezent's personal favourite: Ivy. There's an image below for you to look at. The chimney  is the lid for the teapot and the ivy-laden brickwork is the spout. Prezents thinks it's a really classic looking teapot that's perfect for Grandma's shelf.

 

It wouldn't be a range on Prezents.com without some animals in amongst it! This range is no different and we've given you a variety of animals to choose from. Each one with their own characterful features.

 

There are six for you to admire. The rest of them are here.

 

Our Greenman wall plaques are perfect for adding some character to the garden. Here we give you an outline of the Greenman and seven of our favourite faces!

Who is The Greenman? 

Throughout the English countryside one can still find many ancient churches from the Medieval age: from small village parish chapels to vast Cathedrals and Abbeys.

Built by the master masons of the Dark Ages they sow the style and decoration of the age: the vaulted ceiling, the spire, the tower, the stained glass window, the tiled floor and the Gargoyle.

Originally an embellished water spout leading from a gutter, the gargoyle appears through out these churches, outside and in: high on ceilings, on the capitals of columns, at doorways, and on bench ends. Over the period they became increasingly elaborate and complex.

Faces divine and grotesque, mocking and humorous these are snapshots on the medieval mind which amuse and puzzle us still. What do these creatures mean? Why are such profane and grotesque images found in such places of reverence? There are many theories but few firm answers.

One of the most puzzling and contradictory of images is that of the Greenman. Seemingly this figure (usually just a face) emerging from leaves or made of leaves or even spewing leaves from an open mouth is an ancient pagan image, harking back to an age of Green Magic.  Why then does he appear so frequently in Christian Churches?

The Greenman is said to embody the life force of rebirth: that after the Death of Winter Spring must return and bring with it the Sun and Growth and Plenty. The life of medieval man had few certainties and comforts: the longing for a good Harvest and belief in the power of the Greenman may well have been too strong for the arrival of Christianity to suppress.

Thus he can be found in almost every church in England if only one knows where to look.

Here are seven of our favourites!

 

He’s surrounded by birds and luscious foliage, he comes in FIVE different finishes, he is Green Spirit.

 

Oak is old, wise and important. Also, he’s green.

 

This chap, Green Leaf, is absolutely mad. His mouth is wide open and leaves erupt from his throat. What a character!

 

This lovely lady is the Green Mistress. The detail on the flourishing flowers surrounding her face is exquisite.

Green Woodland is a more recent addition to our collection and one of our most popular, too.

Another lady in this collection is Green Flora. Her painted lips and golden leaves make her stand out from the crowd.

 

Green Majesty is the royal representation here. He is also proper beardy, too. The trendy one of the group!

We love a good globe at Prezents.com but none have had quite the effect that Mova Globes by Turtletech have. Literally, mind blowing...

You, literally, don't have to do anything with it. It sits in a corner of a room and on a sunny day it will rotate of its own accord. It's like a mini earth spinning on its axis for you. Plus, they're really cool to hold when you take them off of the stand. Like you're some kind of all-powerful wizard.

Now, we kind of suspected some Harry Potter-style magic was at the core of this product but it is, in fact, science.

A quick glance through the Mova Globe leaflet, that comes with this excellent product, tells you everything you need to know about the science inside this wizard-ball. Spoilers ahead...

Mova Globes contain a strong magnet inside to interact with the earth's magnetic field. Even with sufficient light level, a Mova Globe may have trouble turning steadily in a few location, such as high-rise buildings where the earth's magnetic filed is shielded by iron girders in the walls. Also, Mordor.

The inner globe floats in an almost friction-free environment. A globe has the same average density as the fluid it floats in, so there is no force of contact between the surface of the inner globe at the north and south poles and the inside surface of the outer shell. We told you, science an' that.

Here's where Turtletech really ramp up the science...

Think of a compass. The earth's magnetic field is able to reach inside a compass and rotate the needle to align it with the earth's magnetic field. Since the inner Mova globe is floating and not touching the outer shell, something is needed to reach into the globe and give the drive mechanism something solid to push against to create and maintain motion. The earth's magnetic field pushing against the drive mechanism much like it pushes against a compass to move it toward alignment.

The Mova globe gains its energy from the room light that passes through the graphic design and hits very specialised solar cells within the globe. An electric current provided by the cells powers a drive mechanism that is designed to move at a very low speed. 

We still think Wizardry. 

Mova Globes are a seriously cool product that make a great, albeit extravagant, gift. They're immediately noticeable and come in a variety of sizes and designs. They're all round, though...

At Prezents we quite like the weird and wonderful.

With that being said, we'd like to take a bit of time to introduce one of our most recent weird and wonderful additions.

The Pixies by Anthony Fisher are a quirky rag-tag family of misfits in a bunch of interesting poses and positions.

We think it's a pretty great collection of alternative, mystical gifts that's packed with charm and humour. Take, for example, the Pixie Boy relaxing. He comes in two pieces and looks great in a garden with foliage and shrubbery growing around him. Why not get the accompanying Pixie Girl, who similarly comes in three pieces.

We've got large pixies (mentioned above) and small pixies, too. This set of four Pixie Children Playing is fun set of smaller sculptures for those who want to bring the weird and wonderful inside the home. 

There's also a Pixie riding a snail, flying an owl, reading books and relaxing in a rocking chair. Simply put, theres a pixie for everyone! 

What are Pixies?

Pixies are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name. Akin to the Irish and Scottish Aos Sí, pixies are believed to inhabit ancient underground ancestor sites such as stone circles, barrows, dolmens, ringfort or menhirs.

 

In traditional regional lore, pixies are generally benign, mischievous, short of stature and attractively childlike; they are fond of dancing, gather outdoors in huge numbers to dance or sometimes wrestle, through the night.

 

In modern times they are usually depicted with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed hat, although traditional stories describe them wearing dirty ragged bundles of rags which they happy discard for gifts of new clothes. Sometimes their eyes are described as being pointed upwards at the temple ends. These, however, are Victorian era conventions and not part of the older mythology.

See the entire collection of quirky celtic companions here.

You will not meet a brighter, more vibrant, colourful community than Prezents Pomme Pidou money banks. The ultimate gift for those who want to save the pennies.

Our comprehensive collection is unparalleled online and we're proud to say that nobody goes Pomme Pidou like Prezents.

The family has bears, birds, cats, chickens, cows, dinosaurs, dogs, dolphins, ducks, elephants, frogs, horses, mice, owls, pigs and whales. So if you can't find a gift for someone in amongst that lot we're not quite sure what we can do!

Here's what the head of design at Pomme Pidou, Carolyn says.

"I continuously work with my team to bring you our newest creations. We are inspired by fashion, interior design and world travels; and use these themes to combine the newest trends with whimsical shapes. We are delighted sac and every time we welcome a new member to our Pomme Pidou family! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!"

 So what do you need to know about Pomme Pidou?

• They are handmade.
• They include fine lines and colour clouds.
• They are sensitive to direct sunlight so must be kept away from the sun.
• Each handcrafted money bank has subtle variations in colour and pattern.
• Each one is unique!

They really are an excellent gift for anyone and we are absolutely certain we've got the right choice for everyone!

See the family here.

We'll be the first to admit that, at Prezents, decorative ceramic picture tiles are our bread and butter.

They are one of our most popular collections we've compiled a nice succinct list of reasons why you should add one to your home decor today!

1. Each one is unique. Across the collection we have a vast amount of tiles and each one is hand drawn and hand-painted in the factory. 
2. They are 3D. The outlines of the artwork on our wall plaques are drawing using a clay-filled pipette. This results in the lines of the tile being raised and any with lots of detail have a nice feel to them.
3. The colours are vivid. When a tile goes into the kiln at the factory a tile has no colour whatsoever. It is then blasted at a very high temperature producing the colours. This method gives all of our tiles a bright and vibrant colourful glaze-like finish.
4. Many are artist's reproductions. We'd all love to be able to afford a Brent Heighton, Steve Thoms or Van Gogh painting but realistically none of us can do that! Our licensed reproductions of artists' work gives you the chance to a proper piece of art into your home.
5. They come in different sizes. No matter what size the room we've got a tile thats perfect. From the small 8 x 8 inch tiles that can be stood up to the massive 12 x 12 statement pieces we've got you covered.

If that's not enough, we will never sway you! Go and a have a browse through the catalogue. Plus, if you spend £30 or more you can get free mainland UK shipping!

P.S. DON'T FORGET THE DISCOUNT CODE - NEWPREZENTS. Because we're helpful at Prezents.com there's a useful image below to show you how to do it.

Well the weather has well and truly turned hasn't it?

Here in the countryside at Prezents HQ we are certainly missing the Summer sunshine. We often find ourselves gazing into the more colourful, bright, 'seasidey' products in the shop. The beautiful Sunshine, Sand & Sea by Martin Wiscombe is a brilliant tile and really gives a taste of summer. Martin Wiscombe also has a gorgeous piece of artwork with Beach Huts on here. While we're on Martin, he's also got two vintage caravans that are ideal for the towing holiday fanatic! Finally on tiles, what summer-loving person's home isn't complete without a seaside scene? They're all here.

We think we've got you covered with our groovy, natural eco-friendly jute shopping bag. It's all summery so not only can you use it for your shopping now, but when the Summer comes around again it'll make a brilliant beach bag, too.

You're also going to love our Summer Stripe Monica Richards of London doorstops. We've got the gorgeous bright pattern in a dog, elephant, duck and mouse! They're a great, vibrant piece of home decor.

As is the norm, our Monday morning was incredibly busy with extra hands in the warehouse picking the weekend's orders. More than 150 were sent out yesterday - it really is getting to that busy time for us and it's only going to get busier and busier.

Join the Prezents.com experience and treat families, friends and, most importantly, yourself to something special with us!

Remember to use the discount code NEWPREZENTS to save yourself 10%. Here's a screenshot of where you have to put the code in to help you out! Click the 'Add Discount' button, type in NEWPREZENTS, press apply and it will take off your 10%!