Review: Fenwick 40th Anniversary The Snowman Tree Decoration & Mug

It’s hard to believe The Snowman is 40 years young. First shown in 1978, Fenwick have produced some 40th Anniversary gifts suitable for any age. I chose the mug (£13) and the tree decoration (£16). I purchased these items for my mum, as she is a retired teacher. When she was still teaching Christmas was her favourite time of year as she loved introducing her charges to the delights of Raymond Briggs’ Snowman. By the end of the term they all knew both The Snowman storyline off by heart and could sing the theme tune word perfectly (but not necessarily in tune!). She still loves the Snowman, and now the Snowman and the Snowdog, and Christmas has to stand still whilst she watches it on Channel 4. She has it on video, DVD and downloaded it to her tablet but it isn’t the same thing as watching it then!

The Snowman Tree Decoration is £16 and is a perfect miniature replica of the “real” one. He has been made exclusively  for Fenwick and he is a hand blown bauble (and very fragile). He is 11cm(h)x5.5(w) and arrived safety packaged in a branded box. He will be treasured for many years to come. 

The Snowman mug is £13. It is 100% bone china and is made in the UK. It has the two most well known scenes printed on either side of the mug and the 40 Anniversary logo printed on the bottom of the mug. Just like the tree decoration it came securely packaged in a branded box and will make a lovely gift. 

I purchased these items myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own.

  

Arty Pax The Snowdog Figurine

The Snowdog Figurine is inspired by Raymond Briggs and is part of the Arty Pax Signature collection. He comes either painted or in a set which includes paints and a brush so you can paint it yourself. There is also a version of The Snowman available. Painted he costs £8.99 and £3.25 p&p, unpainted £7.99 plus £3.25 p&p. The painted Snowman is £10.99 plus P&P, the paint your own kit costs £9.49 plus £3.25 P&P. There are other kits including Nemo, unicorns and a car money box available. The Snowdog measures 5.5cm (h), 8cm (w), 4.5 cm (d). I purchased him via their EBay shop and he came in a cute little brown Arty Pax brown bag with a lolly, so would not need wrapping if intended as a gift! 

I love the idea that they can be purchased ready painted. I lack both hand/eye coordination and the patience to paint one myself but like the look of the finished piece. This way I get to keep my patience and get a nice Christmas decoration! I think I will buy the Snowman for next year and claim that I painted him myself! 

I purchased this item myself. 

Available from Arty Pax 

Website

Ebay shop

Painted Snowdog 

Painted Snowman

Paint Your Own Snowman

Paint Your Own Snowdog

Restyle Your Walking Stick

I have now had to use a walking stick for several years and what strikes me most is the lack of choice. Yes,  there are thousands for sale on Amazon UK but the majority are very similar (floral) in style. I started off with the heavy silver NHS one, then wanted one that was more me. I remember going on the Switch Sticks Facebook page when they were asking for ideas and the answer was generally fun, cute graphics with examples of paperchase prints and cute animals. They came out with a line of sticks with colourful swirls, which were okay but not what their potential customers wanted or were asking for.

There are lots of floral walking sticks about but I don't always want that particular graphic. Classic Canes have got a cute fish walking stick that looks a bit like Nemo, a parrot  and a horse walking stick whilst Charles Buyers has a gorgeous British Birds walking stick, but they are the few that I could find.
I decided to restyle a walking stick so it suited me. I bought these 2 walking sticks. The leaves one is from walkingsticksonline.co.uk, the purple and black ones are from the stick and cane shop.
 I bought several packs of cute stickers from eBay and Amazon UK and some book backing plastic.
I placed  them where I wanted on my sticks.I cut the plastic backing into smaller squares and placed them over the stickers to prevent them peeling off or me picking them off. I think they turned out quite well.  Obviously they don't look as professionally done as if they had been created by Classic Canes etc but they are fun, different and fit my personality!

   Woodland stick:
Floral Garden Party Derby Cane 
Woodland creature stickers 

The Snowman walking Stick
Handbag folding stick - black
The snowman and the Snowdog foiled stickers 

Metallic bird walking stick
Handbag walking stick - black 
Birds and flowers 

Butterfly walking stick
Handbag sized metallic purple walking stick
Butterfly glitter stickers 
Metallic butterfly stickers


Backing film for books

The Snowman and the Snowdog, Raymond Briggs, LED Colour Changing Minature Figurine.

This miniature LED colour changing snowman ornament was inspired by The Snowman story written by Raymond Briggs.  He doesn't have glitter and water swirling inside him, but changes through more colour combinations via a single LED light in the base.  He stands 8cm tall, so he is quite dinky but still very bright when switched on.  He comes fitted with the LR44 batteries needed to make him work. I purchased mine online for £5 from John Lewis, but they have sold out.  They were still for sale onsite there and at The Range. Online I saw them for sale through   Ebay UK    (£2.95 & £3.95 p&p) and from Christmastreesandlights.co.uk for £9.99 including P&P.

He looks great as a nightlight or sat on a window sill and will definitely be brought out year after year!

I purchased this item myself and all views are my own.

The Snowman and The Snowdog, Raymond Briggs, Colour Changing Water Figure Ornament

The Snowman and the Snowdog colour changing by water figure is £9.99 from The Range.  Inspired by the book The Snowman from Raymond Briggs, he is 22cm in height and needs 4x AAA batteries for the LED lights inside his tummy to work.  The colours change,  glitter and water swirl around inside him.  It is so relaxing to watch! He is bright and eye catching and still looks impresssive when he is not lit up. The only disappointing aspect is the lack of the Snowdog!

I purchased this myself from The Range UK. Original RRP £15, now £9,99.
Available Here

Snowdog Christmas Tree Decoration

The Snowdog  Christmas tree decoration is available from Wild in Art for £7.80 plus p&p.  The decorations come in four colour ways, original (inspired by the Snowdog in the Snowman and the Snowdog, sparkly red, sparkly silver and sparkly gold.  The sparkly versions give a twist to the original and are inspired by the original Snowdog figurine. Each one costs £7.80 but you can save £5.20 if you buy the set of four. There are larger versions available for £35 each. 

They are made from earthenware and measure 7.5cm tall, 4.5 cm wide and 8.5cm long, the gold thread measure 4cm. He has an adorable face and would make a great gift for a Snowman/Snowdog fan of any age. 

Wild in Art bring The Snowman and the Snowdog to life, creating Snowdog trails.  Working with local charities they do not only bring awareness to these causes, but also raise vital funds and contribute to the local economy as well. Great North Snowdog, the first of these trails boosted the local North East economy by £16.5 million pounds.  More than 676,000  people visited the trail. The Snowdogs were then auctioned off for charity. During the Snowdog Art Trails 7.5% of the purchase price goes to a charity chosen by Wild in Art. In 2016 they worked with charity partners St. Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle for ‘Great North Snowdogs’, and Martlets Hospice in Brighton for ‘Snowdogs by the Sea’. In 2017 they worked with Tŷ Hafan, the Children’s Hospice in Cardiff for ‘Snowdogs: Tails in Wales.  

I purchased this item myself.

Available online from Snowdogarttrails.co.uk
Information about their charitable endeavers Here

Jewellery for Literary Lovers

Ever had a relationship with a book or series that you couldn't put down, empathised with or just counted down the months until the next one in the series was published, or know someone who is all/ any of the above. Then what about some book related jewellery? 

Recently my mum had to get rid of some treasured books and as a compromise I found on Etsy (where else) a seller, MalteseMagpie who converted the front cover of books in to chunky acrylic bracelets. The buyer can choose 8 pictures which she the pits into acrylic. The buyer can choose a silver or gold background. She ships from the USA so you have to take into account customs charges but altogether including shipping the final price was around £54 for a piece that is unique and means a lot to my mum. The whole process including delivery time took about 3 weeks.

If you want to buy just one book themed piece of jewellery on Etsy there are lots of sellers who sell the Harry Potter series as pendants so it always worth searching for the cheapest, always factoring in shipping and customs. My pendants cost between £6 - £10 each depending on the seller and what the front cover is. Beatrix Potter was the most expensive.

The Literarygiftcompany.com do a range of book related jewellery which aims to recycle as much as possible. Want an Aslan brooch made out of paper, Your own mini Harry Potter bookcase pendant or a pair of Too Kill a Mockingbird book and typewriter earrings? These and much more can be found at this great shop. 

Enchanted Leaves do a huge range of book/film related jewellery. Your own hobbit door necklace, pet dragon, golden snitch or labyrinth door knocker earrings can all be found in this Etsy store. 

The choice is endless, especially when there are so many innovative, enthusiastic sellers on Etsy, EBay and Notonthehofhstreet.com.  Happy browsing!

All views expressed in this post are my own and the photos have either been taken by me or I have obtained permission to use stock photos.

Links:

Maltese Magpie: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MalteseMagpie

Literary Gift Company: https://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/collections/new

Enchanted Leaves: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EnchantedLeaves