Last Thursday evening, I took part in my first ever Virtual Blogger Event via Zoom! The event was hosted by Moonpig to help spread the word of the brand's mobile app which makes it easy to send cards and gifts to loved ones during these difficult times.
Although some restrictions on the lockdown within England have recently been eased (such as unlimited outdoor exercise etc), it's still not permitted or considered safe for people to visit family and friends at their homes due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This has been putting a big strain on relationships and the emotional aspects of not being able to see your family or friends have been upsetting to say the least.
Thankfully, technology has been amazing for keeping in touch with those outside of your immediate household, and it's been great to see more people going back to some 'old-fashioned' ways of communication such as sending a card in the post and making more phone calls. Before Covid-19 happened, I couldn't remember the last time that I received a physical card through the letterbox, but now every time that I get one from a friend or family member, it instantly cheers me up!
Back to the virtual blogger event, after a quick 'Hello!' to everyone who joined in over Zoom, we were introduced to a demo of the
Moonpig app (you can download it here) by Jasper, which is available for both iOS and Android customers. The app is free to use and it's quick and simple to set up your account by just filling in a few details at the sign-up process. Once you're all set up, you can browse the hundreds of card designs that
Moonpig has available, and they really do have a card for everyone and every occasion from classics to the more contemporary - I spotted some
Tiger King ones whilst I was scrolling through earlier which are quite funny ;)
At the top of the homepage on the app is a slideshow of the current Moonpig offers and I thought this made the shopping experience even easier as it was clear to see the discount codes. Who doesn't love a cheeky bargain?!
The ordering process is also incredibly concise and easy - just select the card that you're interested in and then it displays how you can personalise it - there's even the opportunity to 'handwrite' a message inside the card using a stylus pen which I thought was a lovely touch.
As you can see above, Moonpig has three card options to choose from; a digital eCard (handy if you've left things too late!), a Standard Card size and a Giant Card size which is brilliant if you want something that's more of a novelty. iOS users can even use the AR view on the app to physically see how big the cards are by moving your phone around the room, a digital card pops up on any surface which is very clever.
There are lots of interesting features within the app including a page to add a reminder date and an option to import from an online calendar. I'm terrible for forgetting the dates of people's birthdays so this feature instantly appealed to me and I've already synced up my calendar to my account so there are no excuses now!
After the app demo, we were treated to a
Cocktail Masterclass with James from
Mix and Twist and using the contents of a very generous cocktail box which had been delivered the day before, we created three delicious cocktails using
Silent Pool Gin as the main ingredient. I love gin so I'd been looking forward to this part all week!
The first cocktail was called a Gin Garden (above) which was bursting full of flavour thanks to plenty of fresh mint and cucumber. Next, we had a fun 'quick-fire' round where we raced to make an Elderflower Collins - I almost spilt the entire bottle of Gin over my keyboard in the process but luckily it all went to plan and the result was delicious! Finally, the last cocktail was perhaps my favourite - a Strawberry Gimlet which involved a fresh Strawberry puree and of course, plenty of Gin. Yum - thank you James for being an awesome bartender!
Moonpig are not just famous for their personalised cards, their range of fresh delivery flowers is simply beautiful and for the final part of the event, we had the pleasure of taking part in a
Flower Workshop with Roxanne. She shared her top tips for arranging a professional-looking bouquet and offered advice on how to make fresh flowers last longer which I found really useful. We were able to arrange our own bunch thanks to a gorgeous fresh flower delivery from
Moonpig which featured their bestselling
Luxury Rose and Peony Boquet*
(above, £50, link).
I was truly blown away when this arrived as the flowers were in perfect condition and I've enjoyed watching the Peonies come into bloom over the past few days; they are so stunning.
One of the many gifts available at Moonpig
I thoroughly enjoyed the Virtual Blogger Event and had a great time chatting to fellow bloggers over Zoom. I hope more brands do these virtual events now and in the future, as I've often struggled to accept event invites due to not living in London, so this makes it so much more inclusive for bloggers to join in. Thank you Moonpig for being an amazing host!
Discover the full range of Moonpig cards, flowers and gifts at moonpig.com/uk and don't forget to check out their app!
