Happy Christmas - and thank you!

Well, that's it for another year... the last few orders have gone, and it's time to wind down (and open the Quality Street tin). It's been an absolutely fantastic year for PhotoFairytales, and that's down to all of you - my lovely customers. I want to pass on a HUUUUUGE thank you to each and every one of you. The buyers, the followers, the supporters - thank you.

PhotoFairytales is closing at 3pm today, and will reopen again after a Christmas break on January 9th. You can still place orders while I'm away - the website is still open - but I won't be able to acknowledge or start work on your order until I'm back.

I wish you all a fantastic, relaxing and peaceful Christmas. I hope Father Christmas brings you everything you wished for, and I look forward to catching up with you in January.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sarah xx

Christmas Orders - final deadline call!

Last call for Christmas orders today!

The last items still available to order close at 5pm today, as follows:

 Santa Letters & Telegrams

Birth Prints

Happy Faces Prints

Tooth Fairy Letters

All Personalised Prints, 8x10" size as listed below:

Ticket prints

Family prints (eg, 'Tree' and 'Nest' designs)

Ministry of Silly prints

Mother's Day prints

Love Poems

My Message to You prints

Personalised Prints for Teachers

I Love You This Much prints

Love Prints

Superhero Prints

Vintage Prints

Cook's Conversion Charts

Meaning of Name prints

New Home Prints

Word Art Prints

Timeline Prints

Grandparent Family Prints

Our Dad Prints

You can still order PhotoFairytales gift vouchers up until 5pm on December 19th.

To view these items visit the website here: http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/allgifts.html

To view all the last order dates for Christmas click here

Personalised Mugs, Family Tree prints, and more - last call for Christmas orders!

Last orders for many items today!

The order book for the following items closes at 5pm today:

Personalised Garden Fork & Trowel Sets

Personalised Mugs

Fantasy Portraits, artwork only orders

Family Tree Prints (8x10" size)

Personalised Gift Sacks

Metal Street Signs

Official FC Gifts

Hammers

Personalised Magazines

Personalised Newspapers

You can find them on the website here: http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/personalisedgiftplates.html

To view all the last order dates for Christmas click here

Personalised Canvas Prints, all A3 wall prints, handmade Hoop Prints - last call for Christmas orders!

Last orders for all many items today!

The order book for the following items closes at 5pm today:

All A3 sized prints

Personalised Hoop Prints

Fantasy Portraits with Unframed Print or Mounted Print

Canvas Prints

You can find them on the website here: http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/personalisedgiftplates.html

To view all the Christmas last order dates click here

Personalised Blue Heritage Plaques and Wall Signs - last call for Christmas orders!

Last orders for Blue Heritage Plaques and Wall Signs/House Signs today!

The order book for Blue Heritage Plaques, House Signs and Wall Plaques closes at 5pm today! 

You can find them on the website here: http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/allgifts.html

Personalised Board Books, Photo Albums & Memory Card Games - last call for Christmas orders!

Last orders for all personalised Board Books, Memory Card Games and Photo Albums today!

The order book for these items closes at 5pm today! 

You can find them on the website here: http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/allgifts.html

How to wrap presents - Top 10 Easy Gift Wrapping Tips!

The perfect place for Santa's presents this Christmas... a special personalised
sack under the tree! More designs at PhotoFairytales.co.uk

Buying Christmas presents is just the beginning: that's the easy part(!). Now comes the wrapping...

If you're a bit fingers and thumbs when it comes to wrapping a present you're not the only one. Sellotape that sticks to itself (assuming you can find the end), paper that isn't quite big enough, weird non-square shapes (ever tried wrapping a football?), scissors that won't cut... any of that sound familiar?

Do you wish you were the kind of person that could do that slidey scissors thing? You know, those superior beings that don't have to chomp, they just open their scissors and swish through the paper in seconds?

Here's my easy Top 10 Gift Wrapping Tips to help you through - and if you need some inspiration take a look at my Gorgeous Gift Wrapping Ideas over on Pinterest!

• Rather than adding labels (and all that endless 'To' and 'Love From' writing), wrap presents in a specific colour for each person - either a certain colour of paper, or ribbon - that way they know exactly which colour-coded gift is for them without the need for a label.
• Use a tape dispenser - whether its a hand held one (Scotch Tape do a great one that actually fits on your hand - they've got it on half price at Tesco at the moment!) or a super-posh one - doesn't matter which but its so much easier that trying to get it straight off the roll! If you're a sellotape fiend and tend to overdo it, use patterned decorative tape instead and make it a feature!
• Don't necessarily buy posh paper with a Christmas theme - buy something plain so that you can use leftovers for birthdays, etc, during the following year. Dress them up with Christmas themed ribbon or tags instead. Plain brown wrapping paper looks fantastic for Christmas presents - it can be dressed up to look fantastic (take a look at my Pinterest board for inspiration), and its super on-trend this year!
• Use the roll of paper as a cutting guide to make sure you cut a straight edge.
• Don't be tempted to use too much wrapping paper - the more you use, the bulkier the folds will be. Essentially, you need the width of the present plus two heights (see image below). The length needs to be enough to wrap around your present and overlap by no more than about an inch.

• Not enough paper? Yep, we've all done it - got half way through wrapping to discover the paper isn't big enough! Wrap the bulk of the present, leaving gaps on the ends, then add a sash in a coordinating paper around the middle to disguise the gap. Here's a video to show you how!
• No ribbons or bows? Cut a strip of the same, or a coordinating paper, and use that as a finishing touch instead.
• How to wrap a football! Watch this lady, she makes short work of it and I love the ribbon trick! She's got another great video on how to wrap a wine bottle, and one on how to wrap an awkward shaped present.
• Put some good Christmas music on - you can't wrap Christmas presents without a bit of Slade or Wham on in the background!
• Oh, and the slidey-scissors-through-the-paper thing? The trick there is to have nice sharp scissors and good quality paper. But if you can't master it and need to cut the traditional way, use decent sized kitchen-type scissors and don't cut right to the end of the blade: stop just before and slide your scissors along the cut to continue. That way you don't get the snipped/chomped look. And if you do still get the snipped/chomped look don't worry about it: just do a little fold over to disguise it and give a neat edge.

Take a look at my Pinterest board for some stylish gift wrapping ideas that are all simple but, I think, pretty cute and effective!

If you've got any tips for gift wrapping, please do leave a comment and let us all know - I'd love to hear from you!
Sarah x

Personalised hand painted gift plates - last orders for Christmas!

Last orders for all Gift Plates today!

The order book for handpainted gift plates closes at 5pm today, so don't dilly dally! 

You can find them on the website here: http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/personalisedgiftplates.html