Barbara’s Christmas Gift Guide

2022 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDES

For Her:

Looking for the best gift to get your friends, sister, mother, granny, or the leading lady in your life? From plush pyjamas, gorgeous everyday jewellery, to the beauty items she didn’t know she needed… I’m rounding up the best Christmas gifts and ideas to get all the special women in your life. And maybe even yourself!

Let’s start with a beautiful pair of unique pyjamas, like the 100% cotton white hummingbird pyjamas by UK brand “Their Nibs” The super soft cotton has a lovely soft feel, yet is very durable and washes well. It makes the perfect pyjama fabric as it keeps you warm when it’s cold but can also cool you down when it’s too warm. Why not add the matching eye mask and make it a truly special gift.

What lady doesn’t love Jewellery? As a mother to four young girls, I personally like to wear everyday jewellery that doesn’t get in the way of all those everyday jobs, but still makes me feel “dressed” when out and about, my perfect piece in this regard is the sterling silver beaded bracelet with star charm wear it on it’s own or stacked with the heart charm bracelet. 

Need an affordable gift? Look no further than our Full Circle Under Eye Masks which target dark circles, puffiness and wrinkles Full Circle Beauty is a new and exciting next generation, sustainable beauty brand, committed to ensuring that the hottest new beauty trends are available to all.

What about your Mammy or your Granny? My Granny Tilly always loved a nice scarf, to wear with her good coat, and her good brooch. The super soft merino wool scarf in red, pink and navy block is perfect, not too bright, not too dull and the kind of scarf that adds complete sophistication to an outfit.

You can’t go wrong with a candle, they are a proven mood booster and a lovely gift to receive. Obviously, I’m biased but our own branded Lime, Basil & Mandarin candle is my personal favourite, the perfect mix of citrus and herbs.

On a budget, why not gift “headspace” that’s what I call my Notebooks, a place where I can write my never ending lists, goals, visions or simple thoughts. Yes, we all have a phone, with lots of apps to record our lists etc, but it’s hard to beat a nice new Diary, Planner or Journal. 

FOR HIM

Okay, I’m not going to lie, I find Men quite difficult to buy for.. I’m lucky that my husband is massively into Golf so first off, these fun golfers socks are an easy option. Another fun option is this Beer box of socks which includes three pairs of luxurious bamboo socks in grey, navy and teal with a fun beer print. Did you know the benefits of Bamboo Material? sustainable, antibacterial, hypoallergenic, super soft and breathable.

Or what about a little bit of luxury? in the form of a real leather wallet? This wallet is designed with luxurious brown Italian leather, which is both soft and durable, ensuring a sophisticated feel and look. Designed to be compact and space efficient .

STOCKING FILLERS & SMALL GIFT GUIDE

Big gifts are great. But these small treasures are sure to be loved by any member of your family this holiday season. Stocking fillers for everyone on your list – family, friends, teachers, secret Santa in the office, or at home.

What about a book? Something to curl up with on the lazy days between Christmas Day & New Year? The most fun we ever had  was named a “moving, immersive, often very funny study of family and sisterhood” by The Sunday Times or a nice mug  a perfect addition to any home or workplace, the feedback has been fantastic on these mugs, they most truly hold a big cup of Tea!

Or what about the gift of self care? These fabulous lip balms will come in handy in the cold icy months ahead, Fresh mint by Aliso and Sweet almond by new brand Wanderflower.

I hope you have found this Gift Guide helpful and I hope that Christmas 2022 brings you everything that you wish for.

Have a great one!

Much love, Barbara xx

Introducing Four Sister’s Candles

The Start:

So, about 9 months ago, 3 months into starting Four Sisters, I had a goal of bringing out our first own branded product by our 1st Birthday which would be October 2022. My initial idea was pyjamas, I even had designs drawn up and samples made but they just didn’t feel right. I suppose I felt they were an isolated product that would only be suitable for certain customers, and I wanted to bring out something that was more generic and easier for you, the customer to purchase.

I’ve always used Pinterest and have umpteen boards of ideas for both my business and home, so in true Barbara style, I started “pinning” ideas of what our candles would look like, scents, labels, packaging etc.

The thought did cross my mind about learning how to make these candles, but to honest, I couldn’t find the time, what with 4 kids, a part-time job, running Four Sisters, a million of after- school activities and general day to day madness of life, that I know everyone is experiencing since we’ve returned to non-Covid times. So, I reached out to the professionals, candle manufacturers, lots of them, all based in these wee Island of ours. I had good responses from the vast majority, but I never found the “right fit” I had almost all but given up on the idea, when one random Monday, at 1:51pm, an email landed into my Four Sister’s inbox from a candle manufacturer all the way down in West Cork, and the rest is history.

The Middle:

Next, was the hardest part?? What scents would I go for? I had some very interesting scents in mind at the beginning that the candle manufacturer was good enough to make into samples for me, but to be honest, they just weren’t right, and it was back to the drawing board. I decided to just keep it simple. Fireside was one that I had already tested, and I knew that it was so lovely and unique, that it was worth taking the risk on. Fireside is an intensely rich and full aroma candle leading with crisp top notes of bergamot, lemon leaf and warming spices, enhanced by fresh eucalyptus and lavender. The perfect candle to enjoy of crisp evenings when the fire is lit and the wind is howling. Lemongrass and Ginger is one of my all-time favourite scents, it has top notes of tangy lemongrass, Sicilian lemons and leads into spicy ginger root and grated nutmeg. Lime, Basil & Mandarin was chosen after my favourite perfume and it is our take on this famous scent. It has a refreshing citrus scent, uplifted by basil and thyme with a hint of lemongrass and spearmint. And, lastly our final scent chosen was Cotton, a lovely light and fresh scent with a hint of melon and background of white flowers. It just reminds me of those Saturday’s spent attempting to get the house in order and having a lovely fresh scent burning in the background.

The End:

Finally, the scents were developed and tested, and good to go.

Next, came the box and labels, and much more pinning on Pinterest. Again, I went a bit mad with the designs and making it “stand out” but to be honest, I kept coming back to the colours in my brand, again and again and settled on something elegant and not too harsh on the eye.

And finally, before I knew it, it was photo-shoot day. Massive thanks to Neil McLaughlin Photography, who is based locally, and who also took my very first pictures for Four Sisters. I didn’t want to overthink it or use a “staged” location, so all candles were photographed in my home, in the only tidy places available, in places where I personally like to light candles.

So that’s just a little bit of background to how our candles came about. The support to date has been phenomenon and I hope you love them as much as we do.

The Aftercare:

I also thought I would mention a few things that you can do to maximise the burn time you get from your candle-

  1. On the first burn, allow the wax to melt the full way out to the jar. If you don’t allow it to melt the full way, this can cause tunnelling, which means most of your candle will end up getting wasted.
  2. Only burn the candle for the time suggested, I recommend 2-4 hours as burning for longer has no additional benefit.
  3. Trim your wick to 4mm before lighting, wicks which are too long create a bigger flame which in turn will melt through the wax faster.
  4. Keep your candle on a flat fire-resistant surface, once lit it is best not to move your candle as you could create a spillage of fire hazard. Don’t leave your candle on top of stoves or other hot surfaces and don’t burn your candle in drafty areas. Keep out of direct sunlight also as they can be sensitive to heat and light.
  5. Remember to keep your candles out of reach of children and pets.
  6. Once finished, you can wash out the candle jar with warm soapy water, and ta da, you have a lovely container for make-up brushes, pens, markers etc.

I hope you enjoyed this blog, stay tuned for my ultimate Christmas Gift Guide which will be posted in the coming weeks.

Much love, Barbara xx

 

 

 

 

Ultimate Gift Guide for Her- Four Sisters

It’s time for my first gift guide and I wanted to start by sharing my ultimate gift guide for her. This could be for any of the women in your life, mother, daughter, sister, friend, wife, or even yourself!

So I’ve put together a few suggestions from the Four Sister’s range I love and think any women would love as well.

I’ve also broken it down into three price categories, €20 and under, €40 and under & €60+.

€20 and Under:

  1. My number 1 recommendation is any of the Lisa Angel mini jewellery travel cases. These handy little jewellery cases will carry her essential jewellery items for a night or two away and something that can be used over and over again. Each case opens via a zip to reveal a lined inner with ring rolls, two small sections and one hidden section inside the lid for her rings, stud earrings, and other dainty jewellery bits. Available in square or round shape in a variety of colours, you simply can’t go wrong with this unique gift!
  2. The importance of self-care is huge at the moment. Give her the gift of pampering with either a 6 pack of individual sheet masks or 5 pack of individual spacemasks  The sheet mask gift set will help restore hydration and help treat specific skin concerns for a glowy, dewy completion, whilst the spacemasks will will promote relaxation as well as providing instant relief from headaches, eye strain and tiredness. She will most definitely thank you for her glowing skin or full night’s sleep!

€40 and under

  1. What woman doesn’t love a new piece of jewellery? Especially something that can be worn by day or night. My recommendation here is one of the Lisa Angel necklaces. Obviously I am biased as I hand-pick all of the products for Four Sisters, but the Lisa Angel range is excellent. I’ve been wearing the Interlocking hoop necklace a lot recently as it is so versatile and goes with everything. I would accompany one of the necklaces with one of the previously mentioned mini jewellery travel cases. Total cost = €39.95 which is excellent value for money.
  2. Keeping with the importance of self-care- gift her a home spa experience, with a luxury hand made candle , award winning lip scrub and either an individual sheet mask or spacemask.A little box of pamper goodies. My personal favourite beauty item is the Aliso lip scrub. The luxurious lip scrub features finely ground sugar crystals that will help her pout looking fresh no matter what the Irish weather throws at her. I can see the difference it has made to my own pout and I’m obsessed!

€60 and above

  1. Okay, you want to spend that little bit extra and are looking for something unique and beautiful. It’s a no-brainer, the Powder Pyjamas are what you are looking for! Made from 100% modal fabric which is a more luxurious, expensive fabric, proven to keep you cool and incredibly soft to touch. Nice, feel good pyjamas are a lovely gift to receive and something that will last for years to come. Available in three different prints and accompanied by the iconic powder gift bag, these make the perfect gift.
  2. My second recommendation would be a cashmere and merino wool luxury throw This is a gift that will keep on giving. I gifted the grey throw to my own Mother at Christmas and she is thrilled with it. It’s used almost daily either at the end of her bed, on the sofa or quite recently, outside with the garden furniture. It’s a luxury item that will last for years and years and who doesn’t love curling up in a nice blanket with a cuppa or in my case, a large glass of red!

A snippet of what is available for gifting at Four Sisters. I personally recommend any of the above items if you are a bit stuck on what to buy, because lets face it, buying gifts is not always easy!

I’ve also put together a couple of tips when trying to think of the perfect gift:

  1. Make a list of all the things that they like. It’s simple but effective.
  2. Don’t make work for them. Don’t give a present that requires them to organise a meal out, night away or surf lesson! Only buy a voucher for an online retailer so it’s easy for them to use it and doesn’t require them to take half a day to go somewhere to use it.
  3. Solve a problem they might have- Think back over conversations or something they said. Have they mentioned a favourite perfume, Author or skin product. Are they always complaining that they need to write things down, buy them a notebook, you get the gist, it shows that you listen to them.
  4. Stalk them (a little) check out their social media pages, who do they follow? what brands do they like? Tie this in with tip number 1 and you should be able to pull together a few ideas.

It goes without saying that we give gifts to show we care. People like to feel special and appreciated and a thoughtful gift can have the same effect of a thousand beautifully written words. It doesn’t have to be expensive but the basic principle is that it shows the person that you care and they are important to you. There seems to be 101 occasions for buying gifts these day, birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, new home, new baby, new job, leaving your job, leaving the country, leaving school.. the list goes on and on. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of gifts that I need to buy but I try and keep it simple, think of the 4 tips I’ve listed above and do your best, that’s all you can do!

I hope you have found my first gift guide helpful. Buying gifts can be daunting, time consuming and challenging, especially when you have are buying for that woman that quite simply has everything! My advice in that scenario is a candle, she will never have enough candles!

Until next time, much love, Barbara.

 

What does Spring mean to you?

Spring is here, although as I write this today, you would think it is still winter. Nevertheless, the signs are there, the daffodils are out, and the leaves are reappearing on the trees. Although Autumn is my absolute favourite season, I get so excited for spring, it is a chance to start a fresh and embrace every opportunity to get outside.

I got a bit ahead of myself a few weeks ago with the lovely few days of weather and got the garden furniture out! Although ever the optimist, and in the words of Dermot Kennedy, “Better days are coming” Hopefully in the form of better weather, but also literally. I don’t know about you, but I have really felt this the past month with the removal of nearly all Covid restrictions, and our lives becoming busier with the return of all the after-school activities, birthday parties and the odd night out! When we think back to this time last year, it’s exciting to see what this Spring will bring.

Here’s what I am looking forward to.

  1. Spring break, unfortunately not in Florida, but I am looking forward to heading away for a few days.
  2. Spring cleaning- I always get an urge to do a deep clean of the house in springtime and this goes hand in hand with changing my cushions/throws etc. I’m changing my John Hanley throw in grey to the mustard mix and adding some Feline Navy Cushions and Distressed Cushions to compliment it. I also find this Spring-Cleaning guide really useful if you are like me and it takes a month to get the job done
  3. New scents, I love amber/musk perfumes/candles in the colder months but like to change to more fresh and floral scents for the Spring/Summer months… my favourite summery perfume is Clinique Happy and for the home, the Eau Verbana candle or Strand candle are my top picks.
  4. Colour, colour, everywhere… I will be adding more colour to my outfits, I live in jeans, t-shirts, and trainers but once I get out of the raincoat, I look forward to trying out the new Powder products that were recently added, the Tulip Headband is my favourite and I also look forward to using the Floral Pouch on our few days away.
  5. Get togethers- I think we have about 4/5 coming up over the next few months, with some people we haven’t seen in over 2 years. I think one of the most important things the pandemic has taught us is how special time is with our family/friends, and on that note, I’ll finish with some inspiring words from Steve Jobs- “The most precious resource we have is time”

Much love, Barbara

 

Find out about my recent trip to Springfair

What is Springfair?

Recently I spent a day at Springfair in Birmingham. Springfair is the UK’s No.1 wholesale Home and Gift show for the retail industry. It is held at the NEC, Birmingham in February across four days and is designed around three key areas, namely Home, Gift and Fashion. It hosts thousands of brands,  and there is a massive variety to choose from.

How did I find out about Springfair?

One word- Instagram! I noticed back in November/December that Brands that I currently stock such as Sass & Belle, Malini and Lisa Angel started mentioning Springfair and intrigue led me to the Springfair site. I knew this was something I wanted to attend, and I registered my interest. A few weeks later, I got a call from the curated meetings team where they asked if I would be interested in signing up to the curated meetings programme, I jumped at the opportunity and agreed to meet with five distinct brands at Springfair.

I flew over at dawn on the morning of the 7th February and it was so exciting to be up in the air again, how I missed flying! I looked out the window for all 44 minutes of the flight! Luckily, the NEC is located right next to Birmingham Airport and a quick walk led me there. I was totally blown away by the sheer size of the arena and the number of businesses exhibiting their brands, I didn’t know where to start but a quick coffee and a quick map later, and I was in shopping heaven!! I met so many lovely people and it was so nice to be able to talk “face to face” after this nightmare of a pandemic. There were no pushy sales tactics being used and overall, it was a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

I enjoyed all the meetings, and left with my little wheelie suitcase jam packed with product brochures.

What did I buy?

So far, I have placed orders with Rex London, Powder UK, Eleanor Bowmer, Siip Infuso and Oddsocks, stay tuned to find out what beautiful new products I will be adding to the website in the coming weeks.

What did I learn?

That I had found a fantastic outlet for adding new Brands to the Four Sisters family, and that one day was simply not enough! Don’t worry though, I’ve already booked to go back in September for two full days to Autumnfair and I am ridiculously excited already!

Where did I stay?

I have never been to Birmingham but found the Grand Hotel on booking.com and thought it looked beautiful.  A quick 10-minute train journey took me there from the NEC and I was blown away by this absolute beauty of a hotel, again, my excitement was palpable! An inspiring mix of old and new, it combines the original Victorian architecture with striking modern features and has the most insta-worthy staircase I have ever seen.

After walking 20,000+ steps that day, I slept like a baby and was on the early flight back the next morning to see my four babies. An absolutely fantastic 24 hours and I look forward to returning in September.

Show the Mother Figure in your life you care this Mother’s Day

Mothers day is nearly here! It’s time to pay your mum back for all the home cooked meals, lifts, babysitting, or in my case, Ironing! It’s such a special day for us to celebrate the mammies/mammy figure in our lives. It’s a day to make them feel special & tell them how much they mean to us. I don’t know about you, but every year I struggle to decide what to get, so I wanted to help us all out and post some mothers day gift ideas that are fitting for that special Mammy/Mammy figure in our lives.

Eau Verbana Classic Candle

You really can’t go wrong with a nice candle! This is the one gift that is almost universally appreciated, and research shows there are many benefits to lighting a candle. A nice scented candle can do wonders for your mood, as well as making a room feel lovely and cosy. The Eau Verbana scent is fresh and lemony and perfect for coming into Spring. These candles are handmade in Co. Wexford, using sustainable soy way for an eco-friendly clean burn which will last up to 32 hours.

Spacemask Self heating eye mask- Pack of 5

Spacemasks are self-heating eye masks that will relieve tiredness, headaches, eye strain and any other tensions after a long day. Simply place the Spacemask over your eyes and the loops over your ears, recline and be ready for some serious relaxation. A truly unique gift. I gifted these to my own own Mother at Christmas and she advises that they are the best thing she has ever used to relieve any type of headache.

Cashmere & Merino Throw in Raspberry Herringbone

I adore this throw and this colour, guaranteed to brighten up any home as well as adding pure comfort. A more expensive gift item, but one that will last for many years. Handmade in Co.Tipperary by Irish brand, John Hanley using Merino and Cashmere wool.

Mama Necklace in Gold

This necklace makes a fabulous gift for any stylish mama. This necklace is ideal for wearing by itself or layered with other necklaces. It is 14ct gold plated and is such a beautiful piece. I wear mine almost everyday and have received so many lovely compliments about it.

Merino Luxury Wool Scarf in Red, Pink & Navy Check

You really can’t go wrong with a scarf! I know my own mammy rarely leaves the house without one, and it’s such a simple way to add a bit of colour to any outfit, even the leggings whilst out for a walk. This scarf is made from 100% fine brushed merino wool and is incredibly soft. A vibrant and stylish scarf suitable for any Mammy.

And finally, Don’t forget the Card! Have a look at the Greetings Cards section where there are a couple of perfect options.

I hope you found this gift guide helpful, here’s to all the fantastic Mothers out there, I know mine is one in a million! And if you are a Mother, I hope you enjoy your day and get truly spoilt.

 

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