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Father's Day Gift Ideas - What Type of Dad Is Yours?

So with Father’s Day soon approaching (June 21st in the UK in case you didn't know!), I thought I would lend a hand to any of you who don’t know what to buy your dad by writing about our Father's Day gift ideas. Similar to the one written for Mother’s Day, I have tried to pick a different leather bag (or accessory) for different types of dads. So whether your father is constantly hitting the gym or prefers to dabble in all the latest gadgets, there should be something for him here!

The Out and About Dad

First up in the mornings, the man on the move; whether he’s constantly on business trips or sneaks off for a weekend playing golf, he will definitely appreciate one of our gorgeous leather travel bags. These bags get better the more they are used as the leather begins to soften and darken, and so the gift will be appreciated for many trips to come. My personal favourite is our special leather laptop bag which works perfectly for business or pleasure, with enough space for documents and a 15” laptop, as well as fitting an array of your bits and bobs: clothes and cameras and whatever else you may need.

special-16-x-12-leather-laptop-bag_Large-Leather  

You could also go for our leather weekend bag or one of our larger duffle bags as they have all the space he could need while looking extremely stylish!

 

The Sporty Dad

Next we have the gym-obsessed father who spends his Saturday mornings trying to get the family out of the house and beat his personal best. If this sounds like your dad, then worry no more, we have the perfect bag for him to drag to the gym in the early hours of the morning – one of our leather duffle bags. Ranging in size from 16” to 24”, there will definitely be the right one for all his gym clothes and fancy running trainers, and, because of how great it will look, he will never want to go anywhere without it! travel-bag-large-leather-duffel-bag-16_1

Gadget Man

If your father is constantly upgrading his tech and always downloading the latest apps, then one of our leather iPad covers would be the perfect gift! Whether you choose to protect his iPhone with a lovely iPhone cover, his iPad , Macbook or even iPad Mini, his gadgets will look great and be protected when he’s on the go. In both tan and black leather, and with three styles to choose from, I think one of our leather iPad covers is a particularly good choice, especially the beautiful black leather iPad case organiser (my personal favourite). ipad_organiser_black_inside

The Workaholic

For the corporate dad who is always making deals and dashing to meetings, our large black leather messenger is a great present. It’s sleek and stylish, and its simple design looks good with everything, and it has enough space for endless documents, folders and even a 15” laptop! We do have a smaller version as well as countless other laptop bags if this isn’t the one for him! large-leather-laptop-bag-vintage

The Cool Dad

Last but definitely not least we have the cool dad; always on trend and down with the kids, he is (or at least he thinks he is) the least embarrassing father, using the latest slang and wearing the latest fashions. If your dad is a little like this, and perhaps you want him to tone it down, then our leather laptop bag is a great gift to make him look effortlessly stylish, and as the design is so timeless, he will impress everyone with his classic style! mens-leather-weekend-bag Hopefully this has somewhat helped you with the difficult task of finding a good Father’s Day present, and to add an even more special touch, you can get the gifts personalised with a short message embossed into the leather like his nickname, initials or something a bit original perhaps.  What more could you (or he) ask for this Father's Day?
large-leather-laptop-bag-vintage

The Perfect Mother's Day Gift For Every Mum

BEST MUM 10

 

With Mother’s Day fast approaching (Sunday, 15th March 2015 in the UK), it’s time to start thinking about a gift to say thank you. To save you the trouble of shopping around for ages before deciding on the perfect present, I have picked five of our bags for five different types of mothers that will hopefully help!

 

Remember that we can also add the personal touch with a lovely message or name embossed subtly into the leather of most of our products.  So, see if we have the ideal Mother's Day Gift for your mum.

 

1.       The Working Mum

    For the mother who is constantly lugging files and documents into the office, while still remaining dutifully on call if you need anything, one of our laptop bags would be a fantastic way to say thank you. My personal choice would be our medium black leather satchel because it is not only super practical, but it looks great, and is big enough for all the bits and bobs she might need, alongside her work and even a 11” or 13” laptop. We do, of course, have lots of other laptop bags in different styles, sizes and also in gorgeous tan leather!

     

    Large Black Leather Satchel

     

    2.       The Retired Mum

      A perfect gift for your retired mother is our large leather weekend bag because no matter where she is travelling or what she is exploring, she will look stylish as she does it. She will also never leave anything behind, with enough space to carry whatever she wants with her. The bag simply gets more gorgeous with age as the suntanned leather softens and becomes more and more unique and special.

       

      leather weekend bag

       

      3.       The New Mum

        If you are buying a gift for a new mother, our leather overnight bag might be the perfect thing as they make brilliant nappy bags. They are the ideal size, comfortable to carry because of the cross-shoulder strap, and no one would ever guess they are full of bottles and nappies because of how great they look! I use mine daily to haul the boys’ toys and food around, and absolutely love it, so I highly recommend this as a gift!

         

        travel-bag-leather-overnight-bag

         

        4.       The Trendy Mum

          For the mother who always looks stylish, no matter the situation, one of our leather saddle bags is a great gift. I have already expressed my love for these gorgeous bags in a recent article so I will keep it short, only saying that these are the perfect presents for the mum who likes to stay on trend, and if given, they will definitely be appreciated! A great choice at the moment is our hugely popular Vintage Two Pocket Leather Satchel as it is a great size and is simple but stylish, but we have loads more saddle bag style options in other sizes and designs.

           

          Two pocket leather saddle bag satchel

           

           

          Hopefully this has been somewhat useful, and whatever happens with a gift, make sure that come Sunday, 15th March you thank your wonderful mothers for all they do! Remember, if you do decide to get one of our bags, you can make them even more special, by getting them personalised, with their initials or even a short message to remind your mum that you love her!

          Time To Delve Into The Unknown – Spring clean your handbag!

          With Spring well and truly under way (and even some sunshine here in London!), there is no more avoiding the dreaded spring clean. One thing I am definitely guilty of over the winter is filling my bags up with an unlimited amount of junk (as you may remember reading about it in this post last year.  To quote...

           

          “…collection of beauty products and accessories that I had no idea were at the bottom of my satchel – 2 hair bands, 3 hair clips, a pair of earrings, my mascara and concealer, a huge pot of Vaseline, an empty tube of hand cream and 3 different colours of lip-gloss… …a pen, chewing gum, a sachet of sugar, a dummy (I am a mother you know), some sweet wrappers, tissues, mints, 3 coins (all of different currency) and finally, inexplicably, a pair of socks.”

           

          In an attempt to embrace the (occasional) sunshine, I am trying to downsize my favourite, stuff-everything-in handbag - the medium leather weekend bag for a smaller, more summery bag like the vintage two pocket leather satchel. The main problem with this is that over the winter, my bag filled up with so much unnecessary rubbish that I could barely see inside it (I have just had my second son so I do have an excuse). It needs a proper clear out before I can even think about swapping to a smaller bag!

          How much stuff in my bag

           

           

          Spring cleaning my handbag was a tiring process; after emptying its contents onto the floor, the first thing I did was throw away all the rubbish: gum wrappers and receipts, squished cereal bars and empty hand creams. Then the remaining junk was sorted into piles - beauty products, accessories, toiletries, children’s stuff etc. That was when the fun began; I had to decide what I would desperately need in my new (miniature) handbag, my answer, of course, was “all of it!” I found out that I am very good at thinking of scenarios where having 7 lip-glosses and £5 in 3 different currencies by my side was a matter of life or death.

           

          After a lot of deliberation, I managed to get rid of a few bits and bobs and I attempted to fit ‘the essentials’ into my summer bag. It was all going well, but then the bag started to look quite full, and I still had a pile of (very necessary) mascaras, dummies and tissues on my bed. I squeezed it all in but I couldn’t quite shut the bag. It was then that it dawned on me that maybe I just wasn’t made to use a small bag.

           

          I decided that if downsizing wasn’t an option, and the small bag was best kept for when I could go out with no children in tow, I would give my current leather bag a loving refurbishment, and continue using it. I sponged it with rapeseed oil and left it near (but not too close or touching) a radiator for 24 hours to dry. It now looks like a new bag, without the hassle of actually having to cut down on what I carry with me – the best of both worlds! If you have a very well used leather bag, or you just want to give yours a bit of special care, you can use vegetable, sunflower or baby oil as well (test on a small hidden patch first).

           

          For more tips on caring for your leather bag, including if you get it wet or the smell is a little overpowering, just read our full leather bag cleaning guide.

           

          I hope this was useful in motivating you to clear out and revamp your bags – maybe you’ll be a bit more successful than I was! If so, after all that hard work, there is only one thing you can do – treat yourself with a new bag for the summer!  You can have a look at our selection of gorgeous leather handbags.