Crabtree & Evelyn have some wonderful offers on at the moment. I was browsing there today, and came across more info on the history of Crabtree & Evelyn. It's fascinating, especially if you're into products which embrace the riches of the world. My mother and I have been giving each other Crabtree & Evelyn products for years, most often as little gifts, perhaps as a welcome or as thank you.
From small acorns great trees grow...
The company was founded 40 years ago by Cyrus Harvey. It started out as a small, family run business specialising in fine soaps from around the world to an international company with over 500 stores worldwide. It's known for its fragrances, fine foods & gifts, all of which come beautifully packaged.
Crabree & Evelyn...inspired by 17th century naturalist, diarist & conservationist John Evelyn
Crabtree & Evelyn's product ranges are made with fruit, flower and plant essences, and the company is inspired by John Evelyn, who was a 17th century Englishman. A naturalist and conservationist, he travelled Europe experiencing wonderful cultures & natural environments. He was a tremendous diarist - The Diary of John Evelyn is available from Amazon
. His estate Sayes Court was planted with elm trees and his gardens were the wonder of the age. In fact there's a campaign to save the site where this wonderful designer and diarist created his garden, the campaigners calling to save what they describe as a "crucial piece of national heritage".
The company's icon is the Crab Apple Tree, and it's native to Britain. The fruit is a bit saw, but when raw it's perfect for making traditional jam and jelly. The Crab Apple represents beauty and was used in the early home apothecary or still room.
Still rooms existed at a time when the garden was important - fresh flowers, herbs and fruits from the gardens and orchads were used to make fragrant waters for the bath and delightful essences for the skin. Fruit preserves brightened the winter larder. And life's little luxuries were enjoyed.
Treat Mum to an extra special something!
So if you're looking for a little luxury to give someone special, take a look at Crabtree & Evelyn. They've got a lovely array of hand care items, bath and body, beautiful soaps, fragrance, gifts for the home - and gifts for men. They've also got the rather gorgous Fine Foods selection, encompassing delicious biscuits and shortbreak, preserves and jams, tea and accessories, confectionary and sweets, plus various gift ideas.
And with Mother's Day coming up fast on Sunday 18th March, this could be a great time to get some great buys and treat your Mum to something lovely - click here for Crabtree & Evelyn's gifts section
If you want to send a tree gift, how about sending a fruit tree? Those fabulous people at Tree2mydoor.com have a wonderful range of fruit trees, including apple trees, pear trees, fig tree, plum tree, cherry tree, apricot tree, peach tree, kiwi fruit vine, a nectarine tree gift, a berry box, raspberry gift box, a gooseberry bush gift and blueberry plant gift. So you've plenty to choose from.
Whereas a florist sends flowers, Tree2mydoor.com specialise in sending trees in the post. They provide tree gifts and wild flower gifts as an eco friendy alternative to giving flowers for special occasions. They have wonderful gift ideas, including conservation gifts - perfect for anyone who cares about planet earth, as you can dedicate a tree in the UK, Ireland or South America. They also have a lovely Welcome to the World gift for babies - a wonderful idea! Plus trees for every occasion from anniversaries and birthdays to house warming, birthdays, memorials and more! Visit Tree2mydoor.com to see for yourself.
This is an amazing offer from Red Letter Days for any Big Cat Lover - a 2 for 1 Breakfast with the Big Cats
You can tuck into this wonderful gift through Red Letter Days - and for just £95 two of you can have breakfast with those Big Cats.
Tigers, white lions, snow leopards, jaguars, African lions and cheetahs live at this wildlife park, enabling you to get close up and personal on a raised pathway so that you've got an unrestricted view of the big cats' domain.
Make sure you take your camera to snap away, and you can spend the rest of the day enjoying the other attractions at the park.
The experience includes a continental breakfast over-looking the Lions' enclosure - a breakfast to remember with a view like that.
Take home a keep-sake t-shirt to help you remember your Big Cat breakfast - as if you'd forget!
This is an amazing offer, as it's usually £190 but is currently available for £95. The catch is that you MUST book and take this experience by the end of April 2012. You're in a group with up to 20 people, and the experience itself lasts about 45 minutes. Participants must be 18 and over - please check the Key Info before you buy.
One of the RSPB's best selling categories is that of their binoculars - and these Puffin Binoculars are part of that collection. If you're looking for a gift pair for someone who loves wildlife and birds in partiuclar, these Puffin Binoculars could be just the thing.
The RSPB Puffin Binoculars are described as good entry level, high-quality binoculars, suitable for adults & older children. They are supplied with a case and strap, a handy bird identification guide and a FREE pin badge. They also come with a one year guarantee.
They are on sale for £49.95 - which is very good value, considering that some binoculars can be - well, very expensive. Mind you, if you're budget stretches further for your gift, you could also look at the RSPB Rambler Binoculars - they get very good reviews and are for sale at £97.50
If you're looking to introduce a child to the wonders of wildlife, you could take a look at the RSPB's Children's Binoculars which come in at £27.50, ideal for kids aged 7 to 12. "Not just for children", says one reviewer, adding that they make a great every day, must have accessory you can just throw into a bag.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (the RNLI) does wonderful work saving the lives of people and animals at sea and on cliffs. Like many charities, they have an on-line shop. You can help support their work by giving a sea-loving friend or relative a gift from this nautical charity. One very nice collection in their range is that of the Sail Away. As you can imagine, all the colours are nautical, giving a fresh sea-worthy look to your kitchen and reminding any sea-lover of the joys & adventures of sea-life! It's also a great way to lend your support to this charity to help that rescues such as the one featured below continue.
. His estate Sayes Court was planted with elm trees and his gardens were the wonder of the age. In fact 
