There’s never a bad time for chocolate and if you’re thinking of breaking away from the eggs and going for something a little more special this Easter, Your Surprise have something absolutely perfect: Chocolate Bonbons.

Actually, the list of things these choccies are ideal for is endless: wedding favours, Christening or naming ceremony favours, presents, commemorations… you name it. There’s a way to include them.

Chocolate Bonbons in this instance are a box of 15 chocolates in a selection of shapes – flowers, squares, rectangles, hearts – and with options of white, dark and milk chocolate, filled with cream, caramel or praline, depending on the shapes you choose. You can then personalise the chocolate with an image of your choice, add a card and place your order.

We chose the heart shaped, cream filled, milk chocolate option, which I actually ordered for my husband for Valentine’s day and I put a picture of myself and my daughter on it for him.

These chocolate are really good. Yes, they cost more than something you’ll get at your local supermarket, but they also taste better and make a much nicer gift. The chocolate is really fantastic too. It’s Belgian, and smooth, rich and utterly delicious.

The only note of caution is to make sure the image you upload is clear. In the image above you can barely see my daughter’s face under a white hat against a white background, and on the chocolates you just see a bit of her face as the hat and background blur into one. A clearer outline or her without the hat would have made for a clearer impression of her on the chocolate. Still that’s not the chocolate’s fault!

If I have a party or a Christening or something in the near future, I think a Chocolate Bonbon in an organza baggy with a bit of ribbon and a thank you card would make a gorgeous token of the day for less than £1.50 per person, and as my guests bite into it, I’d be confident in the knowledge they’d think I paid a lot more.

Ok so today IS Valentine’s Day and your true love won’t get their gift if you order it now from Reader’s Digest but there are a couple of ways to get around that. First, be honest. Tell them you ordered the item late, that it’s coming and they get two Valentine’s Days for the price of one. Second, lie and say, “Darn Post Office.” Either way, take a look at some of these…

• Click here to get jewellery deals from Reader’s Digest

They are having a sale on their range of items classified under Jewellery on the site. I am uncertain as to the inclusion of a Pashmina under this but, hey, that’s just me. The deals on the site range from almost 50% off (check out the dragonfly made from freshwater pearls) to a few short percentages off.

The silver photo frame has a £5 discount, the adjustable silver ring is down from £42.99 to only £15.99 which is astonishing, and other jewellery items are really well priced. Take a look, snag a pressie for your loved one (or yourself) and enjoy it.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Completely forgot that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day? Thought you still had time? Gone pale with terror at the thought of seeing your partner’s sad little face when they realise that you forgot all about them? Never fear, I have some great ideas that will cost you very little in terms of cash or effort, but earn you plenty of brownie points.

Use this Memory Bits promotional code to get 20% off everything in their Valentine's Day store. This is a discount code for mums and dads. You're bound to find something in there that your other half would like (although unless they specifically asked for it, are hair straighteners REALLY a romantic present?).

Click here to use your Memory Bits promotional code

• Discount: 20%
• Applies to: everything in the Valentine's Day store
• Promotional code: val20
• Expires: 14th February, 2012

To use this code, go to the View Checkout page, and enter it in the Promo Code box. Hit the Redeem button and it will be applied automatically to your order.

I tested it out on this 100ml Elizabeth Arden Sunflower Fragrance, which was £22 and had been reduced to £12.60. Yes that's right, it appears that they also sell perfume on the site amongst the memory sticks, headphones, and iPod sports holders.

The code reduced this down to £10.08. Delivery is free in the UK.

Thanks to missgem at HUKD!

Use this Crabtree & Evelyn promotional code to get 20% off and free delivery on your order. A lovely discount to get at this time of the year with Valentine's next week and mother's day coming up. I'm a total sucker for the lavender scented Crabtree & Evelyn stuff. It's not cheap though, so really nice to get as a treat.

Click here to use your Crabtree & Evelyn promotional code

• Discount: 20%
• Promotional code: MDFD20
• Expires: 28th February 2012

To use this code, go to the Shopping Bag page and enter it in the Promo Code box. Click on the Redeem button and your order will be updated automatically.

If the code doesn't work for you to start with, type it in manually rather than cut and pasting it.

I tested it out on one of their suggested Valentine's Day gifts. Rosewater Eau Du Toilette, for £15.  The discount code knocked this down to £12. Delivery costs £2.50. So all in the set cost £14.50 including delivery.

Thanks to djmetsandy at HUKD!

Valentine’s Day is approaching like quicksilver and I’ve been on the prowl for clever little gifts that cost very little but keep on giving. The first of these is the Fulton Heart Shopper that’s made from strong, lightweight and waterproof material and comes in an adorable heart shaped bag.

The Fulton Heart Shopper is smothered in heart-shaped strawberries with a zip running along the side. Undoing this reveals a decent sized scooped bag that’s 45x35cm in size. It is very thin and feels plasticky but in a good way – your shopping will stay snug and dry inside this baby.

The seams on the bag are very tough. I yanked, tugged, pulled and stretched these but nothing gave way. I even tied the handle to the door and leaned backwards with my full weight and nothing even cracked. A great sign for those of us who stuff as much as possible into one bag.

The design on the main bag is also heart-shaped strawberries on a black background which sounds worrying but actually ends up looking chic and interesting. I have a thing for unusual fabrics and this fits the bill nicely.

Another feature I really like about the Fulton Heart Shopper is that the bag is attached to the storage bag by a thin strip of fabric. I can’t tell you how many times I have lost the containing bag for my reusable shopping bags so this is a total win.

The Fulton Heart Shopper would make an excellent Valentine’s Day pressie as it’s useful, cute and costs a very, very tasty £6 all in. The price, the quality and the design are all right for me and I am giving this the Worth Every Penny Award. It isn't available online yet, but it is coming soon.

These Valentines Fruit Hearts strike me as the perfect accompaniment to chocolates and sweet treats on the day of love. And they're easy to prepare too, so getting your toddler or young child involved will be a fun activity. Swap out the yoghurt for something a little sweeter - like a chocolate mousse and you have a healthy and tasty desert option too!

Do you know who makes those little Love Hearts sweets? Just in case you don't know what I mean, those are the little round sweets with messages on them, like True Love and Be Mine. They're made by a company called Swizzels Matlow. Now that's a pretty cool name, to me anyway. They also make Parma Violets, Drumsticks and Refreshers. Yum, yum and double yum. But Love Hearts are my favourite - so full of fruity, fizzy, chalky, sugary goodness.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I think it is totally unfair they've stuck it in the middle of half term mind you. If you've got kids it is harder to get romantic in the evening when you've spent the day looking at dinosaurs and queueing in the Natural History Museum. Mind you, when you've got kids it is harder to get romantic full stop.

It seems quite natural that there's a special range of Love Heart's products specially for Valentine's Day. The new range of Love Heart's is pretty cool. If you like these sweets (and make sure your loved one does before giving them!) then they make a fabulous alternative to the usual box of chocolates or a bunch of over priced roses. I know what I'd prefer! I received three items for review.

Click here to read more...

This is a lovely idea for both Valentines day and Shrove Tuesday pancakes, if you're okay with being a little untraditional. It'll probably take some work to get it right, but then the best things usually do, don't they? It's lovely - but may be a bit messy with syrup!

This is possibly one of those things that looks easier and cooler than it really is... but maybe not... it could be a fun idea for breakfast on Valentines day, but I expect it might be worth practising it before hand! (Click on the image for instructions.)

Once you've got kids, things like Valentine's Day don't have quite the same sort of romantic resonance they used to. You, your partner, plus 2.4 kids and a dog don't quite make for the same luxurious love-fest you might once have enjoyed.

But the kids are only around for a little while, and you can inject some of your own romantic fun in there too. But it is also a good chance to have a bit of family fun too.

And making a big, fun, extra-ordinary breakfast is a good way of keeping the kids occupied too. I don't know how you do it, but in our house we decided to alternate Valentine's Day and our anniversary. So one of us gets spoiled with a sleep in, breakfast in bed, and some quiet time with the kids rushed out of the house if the day falls on a weekend. Or the school run covered if it is a week day.

And of course we have our special Valentine's Day breakfast. If you do this too, I have just one word of advice. Make sure that you include a cleaning up and washing up clause in your agreement, so you don't come downstairs all rested and relaxed to a wreck of a kitchen!

Click here to read more...

If you've managed to get the crayons out of your heart shaped mould, here's another lovely and easy rice crispy hearts recipe that you can use it for and I'm sure the kids will love. It's going to get messy... but what fun!

Lynley’s feature on how to create utterly awesome Valentine’s Day cards got me thinking. I am not a fan of the day either but I do like the idea of using it to do something creative and fun without spending money on cheesy cards or sparkly rubbish. So I decided to find some brilliantly unusual ideas that could make great Valentines gifts as well as translate into other presents for birthdays or Easter or Mother’s Day.

Use this Build-A-Bear Workshop promotional code to get £3 off your order when you spend £15, a saving of 20%. This code can be used online or click on the printable voucher below to use instore.

A handy little saving at this time of the year, with Valentine's Day just around the corner. Could make a lovely Valentine's Day gift.

Click here to use your Build-A-Bear Workshop promotional code

• Discount: £3
• Minimum spend: £15
• Promotional codes: 497301
• Expires: 14th February

The Build-A-Bear shops are simply lovely places to visit, and the online shop is also full of lovely, sweet, cuddly toys. You have been warned!

For the printable code to use instore click here.

To use your code you’ll need to go through checkout. You’ll have to provide your delivery and billing addresses, then when you get to the Payment page enter it in the box under Do You Have A Coupon? Press the Apply button. You don’t need to enter anything else just yet if you only want to see if the code will work.

I tested the code out on this sweet 45cm Kisses For You Puppy. The cost £15, with £3.25 for standard delivery. The code took this down to £15.25 all in, so effectively the code gives you free delivery.

Thanks to cattarn at HUKD!

My view is that if you're going to say anything on Valentine's Day say it with chocolates. Well that might just be me, but I can't be the only person who loves nothing more than cuddling up with a chocolatey treat?

Personally I think that all chocolates are pretty much right for Valentine's Day, you don't actually need to make a special range with that as the theme. Especially if you're a chocoletier named Thorntons. But no. It would seem that not satisfied with making some of the most delicious chocolate treats known to mankind, they also have to make some stuff specially for this one particular day of the year.

I received three items from the range for review, and I have to say I gave them a thorough testing! What I found interesting is that these are not expensive sweets or chocolates. In fact, they were all priced at less than a fiver. A nice way perhaps to add that little bit extra to your day when you're on a budget.

Click here to read more...

I loathe enforced holidays. Like New Year's. I hate that you're told you have to party. I'd much prefer to party because I feel like it, not because I am told to.

It is the same with Valentine's Day. Why all this emphasis on just that one day? Having said that of course, there's something really quite sweet about exchanging cards and telling people that you love them.

If you want to avoid the whole commercialism of it all, then make your own card. It also means something a little bit more, or at least that's what I think anyway. I've look around the internet and been amazed at some of the truly beautiful ideas that people come up with.

Click here to read more...

There are only a few weeks left to Valentine’s day – good thing it happens after January pay day, not so?  Boots have a great range of fragrances available, so have a look below and see if anything grabs your fancy. These offers are available till 14 February.

•  Gorgeous Fragrances for Valentine’s Day
  
  
• Fragrance: Lacoste Touch of Pink, Eau de Toilette, 90ml
  Price: now £32.66, was £49.00 – save £16.34
  Description: Combines a playful burst of blood orange with the fresh sparkle of coriander, and notes of jasmine and violet, for the playful and light at heart
• Fragrance: Davidoff Cool Water Man, 75ml
  Price: now £25.33, was £38.00 – save £12.67
  Description: With fresh notes of peppermint and orange blossom, it’s a compelling masculine fragrance that evokes the dynamic vitality of nature and the ocean. Combined with mint, coriander, geranium, cedar, oak moss and musk, it’s ideal for daytime wear and will suit the sporty type.
• Fragrance: CK One, 100ml
  Price: now £22.66, was £34.00 – save £11.34
  Description: Loved by millions, it’s a unique, citrus floral and herbaceous scent. CK One begins with light and refreshing tones of bergamot, lemon and mandarin.  This scent will surely remind you of the good times.
  
• Fragrance: CK IN2U, Her Eau de Toilette, 50ml
  Price: now £21.00, was £28.00 – save £7.00
  Description: Fresh and energetic aromas of pink grapefruit fizz, zesty Sicilian bergamot and notes of luscious vanilla soufflé and smouldering red cedar, this is the key scent for romantic moments.
• Fragrance: Paul Smith Extreme for Men Eau de Toilette, 30ml  
  Price: now £16.09, was £21.45 – save £5.36
  Description: Slightly woody, with notes of bergamot and rosemary and the spice of nutmeg and Cardamom. The perfect scent for the lively and sophisticated man.

If you are on the lookout for a cute, quirky and quick Valentine’s Day present, then this little charmer from Penwizard could do the trick. It costs £9.99 to get one of these Me To You Love Book’s made and it is personalised with your partner’s name and other such details.

• Click here to make a Valentine book with Penwizard

The books usually cost more with their P&P charges but at the moment they have a free delivery code of 405689 which you can enter at the basket. So you can nab more than one if you fancy stocking up on personalised books…

The Me To You Love Book is great for Tatty Teddy fans and would be a really lovely gift for someone whose partner is far away or on business on Valentine’s Day. You enter your name and their name as you go and they will appear throughout the book. You will have to order your Valentine’s Day book by 09 February though, otherwise it won’t be delivered on time.

Your Surprise are a great supplier of seasonal gifts and I’ve used them for quite a few things recently and have always ben impressed by the quality of what I’ve received. They are offering PlayPennies readers an exclusive 10% off their range of Valentines gifts. The last order date for receiving items in time for Valentines day is 8 February.

Give your sweetheart a real treat for Valentines day

• Discount: 10% Off
• Expires: 14 February 2012
• Valid on: Valentines gifts
• Discount code: Valentine2012

Some of the items you can choose from are the chocolate hearts, chocolate lollies and chocolate bonbons, and I can tell you from experience that the Belgian Callebaut Chocolate that YourSurprise.com uses is really good, quality chocolate.

For something non-edible, you can look at pendants, underwear, snow globes or a keyring, just to name a few.

Depending on what you order, there’s about a four day delivery time, and I’ve procured some of those delicious looking bonbons for my hubby for Valentine’s day. I’m hoping he’ll share them with me though!

As part of the Valentine’s month of love, I was sent a bottle of Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil to review. It sells for £7.95 (including free delivery) at Feel Unique.com and has several different uses, making it a rather versatile product.

Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil is made from a bunch of local herbs, is free from nasties like parabens or PEGs, and has been dermatologically tested. You can either use it as a massage oil or you can drop some into your bath for the ultimate relax and unwind.

The oil itself has Evening Primrose and sweet almond extras included, making it very good for hydrating the skin, and the lavender and grapefruit extras are supposed to calm and relax the mind. Certainly my husband seemed very relaxed after I’d given him a massage with this oil!

The oil smells very nice, it has enough of a lemony edge to make it gender neutral. Your man won’t shy away from it in case he smells like a flower garden. My husband gave me a course on professional massage as a present so I knew exactly how the oil should work. And it did.

It stayed warm, spread well, and didn’t need constant reapplication. As a massage oil it is very good indeed.

Then I followed the instructions for a relaxing bath by pouring two capfuls under water. It was very milky and soft. I did feel a bit oily after I had finished soaking in the hot water, but it was a worthy trade-off against how yummy I smelled, and how relaxed I felt.

Overall, I think that Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil is expensive but worth it. It smells good, does what it should, and a little goes a long way.