Valentine's Day has become a little maligned in recent years.  Too many jokes about petrol station flowers and chocolate boxes has meant that we've lost that romantic spark!

Let's change that for 2022, we all need a bit of a boost don't we, so let's bring back some romance with some truly unique gifts...

On 8th March we celebrate International Women’s Day, a date that has become more celebrated in recent years, and deservedly so.

Last year we had the honour of taking part in a collaboration between The Princes Trust and Not On The High Street as part of their Women Supporting Women Campaign.  During this collaboration we created a blanket design with an empowering feminist message…"Here’s to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them".  It is a quote that has resonated with us ever since so we did not want to let this year’s International Women’s Day pass without highlighting its importance again.  This year we have taken those powerful words and created a bold and beautiful print to highlight them, we hope you like it and find it as uplifting to look at as we do!

Although the statistics suggest that opportunities for women are improving it is still worrying to us to hear that, last year, approximately 388,000 women were not in employment, education or training. 

It can be difficult to know how best to help personally when faced with such statistics but here at Drifting Bear HQ we do our best in our day to day lives by ensuring that we reach out to colleagues, friends and family in the most inclusive way possible.

Our own workforce is made up of some super talented and inspiring women and we love supporting other businesses who also promote equal opportunities within their workplaces, both small and large, locally and internationally.  

Happy International Women's Day to all the strong women out there and to the men who support and lift them up.

Thanks to all our loved up customers who placed orders with us this Valentine's Day we have been able to share the love by planting lots more trees!

This month the trees donated from your orders will be planted in Ethiopia an area that is facing great challenges due to environmental degradation.  Taking place on communal lands and around homesteads the planting of these trees will be tied to sustainable business for the local community: fruit and coffee production beekeeping and animal fattening. Community cooperatives will be the primary implementers of the project while school clubs will be established to engage in the tree plantation to learn by doing.

As always we would like to thank everyone who has placed an order with us and helped us to continue with this work that we feel so passionately about.

Wishing you a very happy February... keep spreading the love. x

Tanya David and all at The Drifting Bear Co.⁠

* Image courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'

Back in March the UK was treated to two big events, first was the amazing sight of a total solar eclipse, and second was the introduction of our beautiful and unique 'I love you to the moon and back' moon print!

This weekend we are in for another special treat from above! A very rare combination of both a total lunar eclipse AND a super moon will fill the skies. This combination was last seen in 1982 and won't be seen again until 2033 so make sure your set your alarm! You can get the complete lowdown on this event here in this great video from NASA...

To celebrate this very special event here at The Drifting Bear Co. we are offering customers a 20% discount on all our moon products this weekend (26th-28th September). Simply head on over to the Space section on our site, choose your product and personalisation, and place your order. Use discount code MOON20 to receive your 20% discount and then head on out to watch this spectacular sight.

The clock is ticking! Like the eclipse, our super moon discount is fleeting. Sale starts here at 0.01am on 26th September and ends at 12.59pm on 28th September. 

I love the Summer holidays, lots of walks on the beach (the ones I'm allowed on of course) and chances to lap up spilt ice cream at the seaside. It seems that I'm not the only one who's a fan of Summer as the lovely team at The Drifting Bear Co. are having a Summer Sale here on the website! So while you're basking in the sun why not take a look at all the lovely prints and gifts you could buy at a bark-tastic 20% off! Simply use the code SUMMER2015 when you get to the checkout, simple as that.

Perhaps you can use your 20% to help celebrate a friend or relatives academic success with our new Graduation Coordinates Print. Displaying the coordinates for the University, along with the course and grade awarded, this makes a unique graduation gift to cherish. You can also display the name of the diligent student, the University name or any other special message. I know a few pups that have recently passed their agility courses so will definitely be helping them celebrate with this print!

 Also new this month is our New Baby Phase of the Moon Clock. Designed with the exact moon phase on the night of the baby's birth, this clock would be a lovely gift for new parents and a beautiful addition to a nursery wall.

The clock can be personalised further to show the time of birth using a large star for the hour, and a small star for the minutes. When the hands align with the stars the clock acts as a unique reminder of the special moment a child entered the world.

Woof! I've just spotted a break in the rain here in sunny Devon so I'm off out to track down some ice cream.  

Sydney x

p.s - don't forget our Summer Sale!

Hello, Sydney here again!

May has been another busy month for everybody here at The Drifting Bear Co. with the start of wedding season upon us and Fathers Day just around the corner.  Whilst I'm pretty sure I'll always be a single pup, I have been pondering what I can buy my dad David for Father's Day.

There's certainly plenty of new personalised products for me to choose from as the Drifting Bear team have had their thinking caps on again and produced a great new range of personalised items.

First up is this Personalised Photo Print on Wood, a photo print with a difference!  These natural wood slices come from responsibly sourced Ash trees and make a unique canvas for your treasured photos.  Ideal as a personal and thoughtful gift for any wedding couple or dad, these wooden slices bring the wonder of the great outdoors in to your home.

The tree rings featured on each slice not only make each piece unique, but beautifully reflect the passing of time and would be a great way to celebrate a special birthday or anniversary.

Whilst the traditional gift to give for a fifth wedding dog anniversary is a chew toy, in the human world it's wood!  This makes these wooden slices a perfect anniversary gift for the humans in your life.

Next is our Personalised Wooden Wedding Keepsake which would make a great gift for couples looking to remember a special date and celebrate their love.  Simply provide two names and your special date and The Drifting Bear team will create you a beautiful gift.  

I'm already a bit of a wood fan, and am always partial to a stick or two, so can see that the natural and unique materials of this item would make a great addition to a rustic wedding day, as part of the styling for the day and then as a momento of the day for years later.

Your wooden slice can be displayed in so many ways making this a really versatile personalised gift.  I think I would keep mine in my toy box or next to my food bowl but they would look equally good attached directly to a wall or simply placed on a shelf.  You could even attach a hook and hang the wooden slice on ribbon or natural twine. Alternatively, order more than one and create a unique set of wooden images to compliment your home's style (as shown above). 

These beautiful personalised gifts are proving to be really popular so I better get my order in quick.  I don't even have to worry about getting my paws round the wrapping process as each wooden slice is wrapped neatly in tissue paper ready to be presented to the lucky recipient!

Now to get on to the serious business of picking which photo of me dad would like… there are so many to pick from.  

Sydney x

Our latest prints have been inspired by those adventures shared with a loved one. It doesn't matter how big or small. From swimming with dolphins to making mud pies in the garden, these prints are all about remembering the good times and making everyday memorable.

With Father's Day in mind, first up is our Personalised 'Adventure' Print. With Dad as the main adventurer, this print rewards badges for each of Dad's adventures, either alone, or with a child. The title can be changed to suit anybody - couples, friends, or a lone adventurer!

Our new Personalised 'Our Adventures' Print takes on the same idea, but lists the adventures on a zig zag pattern that resembles a destination signpost. The proud adventurers names appear in a logo at the top. This print acts as great reminder that adventures do really happen here, there and everywhere!

We all love a good love story and felt privileged when a customer chose to order one of our Personalised Coordinate Prints to commemorate a very unusual engagement. When we saw the text “ENGAGED, LONDON MARATHON 2014, MILE 17”, we couldn't help but get in touch to find out more - How exciting!

We get lots of orders for engagement and wedding gifts, but this proposal was a little different. The order was a gift for Laura and Craig who got engaged on Sunday 13th April 2014, during the London Marathon. To run the marathon in itself is a huge achievement, but imagine the adrenaline rushing around as Craig knew he was about to propose! 17 miles worth of anxiety… gosh.

We were able to use the exact coordinates where, down on one knee, Laura's answer to the all important question was of course “Yes!”.

We’re so happy we were able to create a print for such a momentous occasion and wish the couple a lifetime full of happiness.

CLICK HERE to view all our Personalised Coordinate Prints.