How do you have yours? Crunchy or smooth? With butter or without? Hot or cold? However you have your toast, you will be doing yourself a disservice if you weren’t applying lashings of your favourite Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter. The F&F journey started six years ago - two lawyers were making and selling peanut butter in local markets around Wellington until they decided to chuck in corporate life and dedicated themselves to ‘nut’ life. National Geographic says these guys are ‘divine peanut butter makers’ and fortunately for many, its available for all to go nutty over - yep, they do ..read more

  Well, actually as I sit here, not so Winterless today as the rain comes belting down and the wind sends the ponies into a frenzy! After purchasing Gratitude Gift boxes a few months back, I thought an intro was in order. Our Playground Collectively we are Maria and Ced ( Mad Erica) and we live in rural Waipu, Northland. I have taken sabbatical from my osteopathic practice to focus on learning the creative skills necessary to help grow Gratitude Gift boxes NZ. It’s no wonder we ended up living here. My great great grandfather was born in Waipu and his father migrated here, settling in W ..read more

  On an O/E many moons ago, I remember sitting in a cafe in Ithaca, Greece and ordering a range of fresh salads. A humus salad was presented as a plate of humus drenched in olive oil, followed by a tomato salad : tomatoes lost in a sea of olive oil and a green salad: yep you guessed it, lettuce drowning in olive oil also. A far cry from the classic Greek salad we are used to, or so I thought at the time. We are lucky to not have to go far to find the best olive oil the world has to offer right here in Northland. Exceptional olive oil is a must have in our Artisan gift boxes and Hillside ..read more

  Celebrating our very own Matariki this week, we thought it the perfect time showcase some of our wonderful local artisan Northland made gift box suppliers & share their artistic & original Northland flare. Sea and Clay’s Pretty Petals Bath Tea is perfect for the bath or foot spa Sea and Clay the very talented Sam has been with Gratitude gift boxes from the start. Her flare & originality makes her beautiful bath and body products an absolute fave especially in our Build a Box range. The inspiration for Sea + Clay is the small beach town of Mangawhai, New Zealand where the oc ..read more

  Revival being the optimal word when it comes to flowers. Who hasn’t tried all sorts of ways to get the most out of freshly picked flowers? Whether it be a Mothers day gift or a gorgeous pick from your own garden to liven up the house, it can be quite sad when your bright bouquet withers after just a couple of days. Do not despair, Dried Flowers can save your day! Dried versus Fresh Dried flowers are very, very low maintenance and long lasting. If you are after a certain look for your home or office, the choice is yours and available all year round. Because the flowers are dried they ca ..read more

  The history of Valentines Day is much more interesting than first thought. Legends of paganism, religion, tragedy, sacrifice and of course love & romance, makes this celebration day worthy of a feature film! Also called The Feast of St Valentine, February 14 was a day established by the Pope in 496AD to honour St Valentine of Rome who died on that day in 269AD. St Valentine was imprisoned for ministering to persecuted Christians during the Roman empire and it is told that while in prison he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execut ..read more

  Tucked away in a private 1.5 hectare oasis, near Piroa Falls in Waipu, Northland is our very own local Roastery, Air Coffee. Meet Walter, specialty coffee Roaster and Taster at Air Coffee and supplier of our increasingly popular Mocha gift boxes. In a Mud brick house surrounded by luscious Manuka and Nikau , Walter makes us a “pour over” coffee while we sit down for a chin wag. Walter, Air Coffee How did Air Coffee come about? I’ve always loved only good coffee, and started roasting with a small 1kg roaster until when my father passed away a few years ago, I bought a Sivetz coffee roas ..read more

  Once upon a time, there was a 9 year old boy named Alex. Alex lives with his Mum in Bream Bay, Northland where there are lots of kids his age, who enjoy the beautiful parks, beaches and playing with their mates at school. Alex has a disability. This means he is confined to his wheelchair and finds it difficult to join in with the other children at play and at school. Alex dreams of being able to have fun at the park like everyone else. This is a story about the inspiration and courage of two liked minded women striving to bring enjoyment to children's lives through their new local chari ..read more

  We all know that feeling when you jump out of the shower and go to apply your morning skin routine to find you are out of moisturiser! You instantly swear to get more organised and stock up before hand next time. I must confess this happens to me ALL the time, and is what prompted a very overdue meet and greet with one of our local gift box suppliers, Lara and Dan of Matakana Skincare. In a delightfully spacious unit tucked away behind Waipu’s retail hub is Matakana Skincare. The smell of essential oils welcome you as you enter the building. There is a hive of activity as Dan prepares ..read more

  Surely a last minute dash to the florist for a bunch of flowers or a box of chocys isn’t the be all and end all? After all, this day is about spoiling your mum, wife or any other special woman in your life. It is a day to show your gratitude toward this woman whom you respect and love. So with Mothers day right around the corner I got my thinking cap on about ideas for Mothers Day gift boxes. Then I thought, why not ask the people whom this celebration day is all about, the Mums. What does Mothers Day mean to you? Mothers day for me is a day to give back for all I do Mother's day to me ..read more