It’s almost September! Did you know that September is the BIGGEST month of the year for birthdays? I did, because I have no less than four family birthdays and a best friend’s to boot! I need help with the perfect birthday gift for her. So I asked my team!

I’m always looking for new and exciting ideas for gifts. Especially this year- for gifts for HER specifically, where before lockdown we might have gone out for cocktails or to the theatre. I seem to be choosing more personal and thoughtful gifts in 2020, that are perfect for a socially distanced celebration.

At Bombus we do birthday gifts for her BRILLIANTLY if I do so say myself. We have a whole host of meaningful ideas, and I have definitely worked my way through them. My family are always delighted with a Bombus map.  Who wouldn’t be? They are works of art!

Bombus Team - Their Best Gifts

But what about the Bombus team? They’ve all been at the receiving end of a Bombus frame, and it’s no lie to say that we LOVE our personalised gifts. But if they had to choose the best ever birthday gifts they’d ever received, NOT including our Bombus art, what would they choose? I asked them…and it’s quite a variety!

So Bombus Girls, what IS the BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT you've ever received?

Amie

Amie is our Studio Manager, responsible for keeping the Bombus studio running smoothly whilst also producing and designing our Bombus range.

"My best birthday gift was for my 25^th Birthday. Mark (her partner) made me a cheesecake. It wasn’t a ‘cheesecake’, but a cake made of cheese. Like actual massive wheels of cheese. I was so surprised, and delighted"

If you’re not lucky enough to have Mark in your life but want a whole cake made of cheese? This company located in Kent specialise in British cheeses, and make incr-edible celebration creations.

https://www.thecheeseroomrochester.co.uk/celebration-cheese-cakes/

Fay

Fay is one of our Studio Assistants and spends a lot of time making sure your gifts are wrapped and packaged beautifully before being sent out to you. What was her best birthday present ever?

"Just before lockdown my family surprised me with the money for a trip to go to South Korea. It was my 21^st, and I’ve always dreamed of going and it’s the most thoughtful and exciting gift. I can’t go at the moment because of the pandemic, but I’m very excited about going in the future.’"

Fay’s family used one of our Bombus map cards, like the one below, to give her the surprise. What a great way to tell someone they’re going on the trip of their dreams!

https://www.bombus.co.uk/personalised-map-location-age-birthday-card.html

Carly

Carly is one of our studio designers and production team members. She is fast, efficient, and expertly skilled at making all of our products. She also does the in-house photography and product placement for some of our online platforms!

"It was my birthday last year while I was on holiday with my best friend- in Vietnam. We’d planned all of trip together except what we were doing for my birthday. Kamal planned a huge surprise taking me out of the city for an amazing adventure. I loved it. Best birthday gift ever."

Vietnam is a beautiful, and friendly country. I’ve been too and, like Carly, fell in love with the culture and the people. Want to visit when the world opens back up? I’d recommend Hoi An as the perfect introduction to wonderful Vietnam, and a beautiful place to take that someone special.

http://www.vietnam-guide.com/hoi-an/

Alex

Alex is our content and imaging superstar. What you see, and don’t see, on our product pages, our websites, our collated product images? That’s Alex.

"My best friend and I try to spend the BIG birthdays together. For my 40^th we went to New York, and while we were there we saw The Book of Mormon. It was AMAZING."

Have to say, The Book of Mormon really rates right up there with one of my favourite shows to see too…and our theatres need all the support they can get right now – so when it all opens up again make sure you book your tickets. It’s well worth it, and what a loss it would be if we lose our theatre culture.

https://thebookofmormonmusical.com/london/

And if you love New York like Alex and I do? How about this personalised map gift...

https://www.bombus.co.uk/hand-painted-and-engraved-framed-map-block.html

Sophie

Sophie has recently returned to Bombus after having her daughter, and we are so happy to have her back. She works as one of our studio assistants and designers, and has a really unique creative edge.

"Oh definitely the hot air balloon ride! I went for my 18^th and it was brilliant. I loved it."

We love a hot air balloon too – so much so that for last Valentines day we designed this hot air balloon heart print!

But if you’d rather go for the real thing, why not take to the skies with Kent Ballooning!

https://www.kentballooning.com/

Amelia

She’s the Boss! And leads our team of creative misfits.

"When I was studying at St. Martins College, in London, my group of friends surprised me with a trip to Paris for my birthday. We spent the time eating pastries and wandering around museums. It was brilliant!"

Paris is my favourite city in the world...and I cannot wait to go back myself for a hot chocolate at Angelina's on Rue Rivoli...*sigh* But for now you can order Angelina's gifts to be delivered to your home. YES PLEASE!

https://www.bombus.co.uk/paris-map-heart.html

Louise

Louise is one of our excellent studio assistants and is often found in amongst boxes of maps in our Map Room. She is highly skilled at finding and choosing the perfect map for your map gifts!

I asked her what her best birthday gift ever was..."It is a set of bookends that my Grandad designed, carved, and made for me."

Now, this one made me a little weepy. I mean look at how adorable these are! A precious and sentimental gift that Louise will treasure forever. We make bookends at Bombus too!

https://www.bombus.co.uk/pastel-rainbow-bookend.html

We can’t promise our bookends are made by your Grandad, but they are made by our superstar carpenter Roger who is as good as family to us.

And then there's me!

Jo

I'm responsible for Marketing and Accounts...and a lot of blogging!

Without a doubt, my best birthday gift ever arrived a few weeks before my birthday 12 years ago...let me introduce you to Bentley.

This scrappy, fluffy, filthy animal is the love of my life (my husband is well aware!) And there is no doubt he is THE best gift you could ever RESCUE for a birthday.

Remember though, while pets may be the best gift you can ever receive, they really ARE for life and should be carefully considered and discussed before being given to someone as a present. Adopt don't shop! And it's never a good idea to get a new pet around Christmas.

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/

That's all folks!

So there you have it. The Bombus girls and their best ever birthday gifts. But if you're still stuck? I'm sure you'll find exactly what you've been looking for right here:

www.bombus.co.uk

Bombus. The Original Map Gift Company.