These special bottles offer the sweetest connection to the people you love

Ever wish you could reconnect with somebody special from your past?

A new Irish business is offering tomorrow's grown-ups a chance to do just that. Message in a Bottle offers a collection of beautiful handmade ceramic bottles engraved with 'On the day you were born, 'On your first birthday' up to “On your fifth birthday' and 'On your first day in big school'. Inside the bottle is a paper scroll where parents or grandparents can write a handwritten message. A little tag lets the child know when they can open the bottle and read the message... on their 18th birthday for instance, or when they leave home or even on their wedding day. The idea of having a handwritten message from your grandparents or parents in 20 years time when handwritten messages will be a thing of the past is pretty special. "The story behind the Message in a Bottle journey for me began with a very rare event, namely, my daughter’s bedroom clean up!" says the Cork-based entrepreneur behind the idea, Mai Manning. During the clean-up, Mai found a little trinket box that contained a tiny note with tiny handwriting from the tooth fairy. The idea of the marking of a special time in a child’s life combined with the keepsake of a  loved one’s handwriting triggered the idea. "I knew of Siobhain Steele’s lovely work with ceramic bottles." Mai explains. "She loved the idea and Message in a Bottle was born. As if this idea wasn't sweet enough (we only wish these were around when we were little) for every bottle sold, Message in a Bottle will make a donation to CMRF Crumlin.