Black & Taylor - Archie Black's Dog Soap

What a wonderful discovery we made at The Amazing Blog with the handmade soap company Black & Taylor. Our dear and recently departed four-legged friend Mojai was just the perfect guinea pig for their Archie Black’s Dog Soap . In fact, you couldn’t ask for a better subject to test out a specific ‘doggy bar’ of handmade soap. Mojai was ‘super’ hairy with a rather unique double-coat, he had the most amazing undercoat which comprised of oodles and oodles of the very softest fluff.  He was also rather partial (thank goodness) to bath-time.  This dog soap contains Sunflower Oil which is rich in vitamins A, D, and E and is easily absorbed by the skin. And is scented with Lavender and Citronella Essential Oils which act as a natural bug repellent. All of which is extremely useful for those of you who have pets – with Summer approaching and with all the nasty beasties that are lurking in the long grass. It is easy to use and lathers up nicely. I was apprehensive as I wondered if it would leave a ‘knotty’ matted coat that I would spend hours combing out. But I’m happy to report that both pet and owner were extremely happy with the result – and with the price at £3.95.

Black & Taylor don’t just produce a Dog Soap they have a wonderful selection of products for humans. We were particularly taken with the Gift Sets like Gardeners and the Patchouli & Rosewood. I also love the idea of  Black & Taylor Wedding Favours.  Where you can choose up to any two soaps from their entire range of special wedding gifts for guests. i.e. Rose Geranium and Sunflower Blush for the ladies and Patchouli & Rosewood for the gents. All of which can be made into heart shapes or blocks and wrapped in a variety of coloured Organza bags to match the wedding day colours. Black & Taylor soaps are vegetable oil based, meaning they do not use animal fats and are scented using high quality essential and fragrance oils. Each of their soaps are genuinely handmade using a centuries old process that ensures each bar is of the highest quality. They will not dry your skin as they have absolutely no detergents or harsh ingredients. We are sold on this great little British soap company and their prices - starting from £3.95 on their website. We particularly love the way that these handmade soap last so much longer than commercial soaps. So throw away that supermarket brand and back British!  

MADE - Tourer GT 6 Gear Folding Bike

With the sun shining and the cold finally starting to fade we can really begin to enjoy what’s right outside our doorsteps. What better way to enjoy the new weather than by taking a bike ride through your favourite park or just down the street to your favourite pub. But lugging those big huge bikes around just becomes a pain right? Well, we at The Amazing Blog have found something that will make your biking days a lot easier. The Tourer GT 6 Gear Folding Bike from Made is the perfect bike for all your summertime adventures.

Made has designed this bike for the modern and convenient lifestyle. With its super compact folding capabilities, it’s small enough to fit practically anywhere and easy enough to carry around. You no longer need to worry about tripping over your bike in the hallway, just collapse it down and simply stow it away. At first glance it looks a bit small but truly it's perfect for anyone, tall or short. I am just shy of six feet and found it easy to adjust the seat to my optimal height. The six gears and small wheels really take the hard work out of cycling. This is the ideal bike for anyone who just wants to simply enjoy the summertime sun without the hassle that accompanies traditional bikes.

So, take the streets in style and purchase your own Tourer GT 6 Gear Folding Bike from the Made Website. At £269 it is a tad spendy but I believe you will find the simplicity and convenience to be quite worth the pricetag. Plus, we are lucky to offer you a generous £30 discount exclusively here at The Amazing Blog. Just enter the code MADEAMAZING30 upon check out and recieve one of these bikes for only £239 - quite the deal! With these blue skies no one wants to be trapped inside so get ready to enjoy the sunshine, riding all over town with ease.

Crumpled City Maps - Berlin

Since I absolutely love traveling to new countries and new cities and I recently decided to plan a weekend getaway to Berlin. With the help of Crumpled City Maps it was easy to make my way around the city and go to different museums, galleries, and see the different architecture. At The Amazing Blog we like to test out new products that have an edge to them. Crumpled City Maps truly are the “maps of the future”.

Crumpled City Maps puts a unique twist to the original square paper map. These maps are meant to be crammed into your pockets (or in their little pooch that they come with)  and are 100% waterproof. are printed on lightweight, flexible material - so practical; where as we all know that  'folding' a regular paper maps is a bit of art form!  So when I travelled to Berlin I just casually stuffed the map into my pocket everytime after looking at it. It was raining the entire weekend, and the joy of having a robust map that was completely undamaged - was priceless. These maps also provide 10 “Soul Sights” which are specially chosen places around the city that might be of specific interest. I decided to go to Shadows of Memory, which was the 4D Holocaust Memorial. It was absolutely breathtaking to see how thousands of pillars were evenly spaced around the centre of Berlin. I found the memorial quite emotional, remembering the 6 million victims of the Holocaust. Overall the map was easy, convenient and really helped me get around the city – especially in the rain!

Since they feature over 30 cities worldwide I will definitely be buying another one of  these Crumpled City Map when I next travel.  Not having to deal with the tedious task of folding (and unfolding) the map as well as being able to use it in the rain really helped reduce the stress that comes with travelling in a strange city. For only £10 you can have your very own Crumpled City Map they are available from good map and bookshops like  Stanfords, Foyles or Volte Face

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Nordic House - Botanique Oil Lamps

Gazing out the window to see sunshine and beautiful blue skies makes me crave being outside more than ever. My colleagues and I at The Amazing Blog cannot help but brainstorm all the spring activities we want to do. One of my personal favourites is coming home and having dinner or a drink on my roof terrace amidst the fresh spring air (which I’m definitely doing tonight!). Setting the mood with some candles and basking under the starry sky can always help take the edge off after a long day’s work. Thankfully, we have found the lovely Nordic House Botanique Oil Lamps to help us do just that.

The Nordic House Botanique Oil Lamps emit a soft candle light glow that is just bright enough to see your drink without blocking out the shining stars. I find the small flame and gentle coloured base really help set the mood for relaxation. Made of a distressed ceramic, these oil lamps come in grey-blue, old white and taupe. These chic lamps are quite economical too, just a small amount of kerosene oil can last weeks. And if you are in a place where bugs become a bit pesty during spring, use citronella oil instead and keep the bugs at bay. At a modest £12.95 they have become an essential to my outdoor entertainment.

The ceramic compliments my rugged terrace beautifully, but if the distressed look doesn’t quite match your style don’t be turned away. The Nordic House offers a wide variety of oil lamps on their website. From modern glass and contemporary copper to oxidised metal and aged stone, they are sure to have a style to suit your home. With weather like this, being outside is a necessity. I cannot wait to get off work and unwind with a calm candle light dinner under the spring night sky.

Pairfum - Perfumed Honeycomb Sachet

There is nothing worse than walking into a musty room or opening up a stuffy wardrobe. The smell of stale air practically drives me mad. Thankfully, we at The Amazing Blog have found a solution to this obnoxious problem - The Pairfum Perfumed Honeycomb Sachet.

Unlike standard sachets, The Pairfum Perfumed Honeycomb is subtle and not too overwhelming. And to be honest, when it comes to sachets, being subtle is key. There is nothing worse than replacing the scent of stale air with an overly powerful synthetic aroma. We hung this sachet up in our office and then in our basement wardrobe and it simply eliminated any odours with a pleasant lavender essence. After 2 months it still continues to fill the air with a refreshing scent.

As our readers know we love natural and organic products, and the Pairfum Perfume Honeycomb Sachet is everything but synthetic. Made from 100% natural beeswax, each sheet is coated with a pure perfumed infused nectar. The oils are nontoxic and biodegradable so this sachet can be placed throughout the house without causing danger to food or pets.

We found that Pairfum Sachets provide the perfect subtle aromatic scents to replace the stale air of your wardrobes and rooms. For only £8.99 you can bring a lovely spring scent inside your house and wardrobe. Go to the  Pairfum website to choose from a gallery of fabulous smells.