God Save The Queen

It's self-present time! Every now and then I get to have something too. I want a Diamond Jubilee souvenir  tea towel that I can frame and display in my kitchen to commemorate what I suspect will be the only 60th ascension anniversary celebration I am ever going to get to be a part of. I'm not into fine china and original art is beyond the budget currently so a tea towel in a simple box frame is the inexpensive, yet devastatingly effective, solution to my needs. That said, I have prepared a wishlist and  here are my top five designs:

1.  The Design Mould at Hirst & Hirst Living £10.00

Superb colour palette, the feel of a fine art print, a lovely rendering of St Edward's crown and makes appropriate and clever use of the wartime propaganda style without looking like yet another clone of the "that poster". Love. Love. Love.

2. Have A Gander on Folksy £9.00

Playful and eyecatching; I love the corgis and the monotone and distinctly patriotic feel. Incidentally, there are four other unrelated tea towel designs in their Folksy shop that are also little magic works of art and would also look fabulous in my kitchen. I particularly love the Bacon and Champagne ones. 

3. Sophie Allport £5.00

Exquisite illustration and I particularly love the little splashes of red and the subtle understatement of the handwritten script. Beautiful!

4. Victoria Eggs in collaboration with The Tea Shed £12.50

Here we have a beautiful landscape design available in a range of colours. I love the explosion of vintage fonts and the fact that they have the feel of old bank notes. Something a bit royal to read while waiting for the tea and cucumber sandwiches. 

5. Rachel K Designs £tbc

Finally, this design for a commemorative tea towel and four others like it we're featured in the blog of Birmingham-based designer Rachel Khor on 15th April. They are not currently available in her Etsy shop (at the time of writing) but the originality of the design and the pretty simplicity of it makes them well worthy of this list. Have a meander. This design is available as a set of four A4 poster prints for £17.99

God Bless You Ma'am!

Babies Who Lunch & Birds Who Fly

I just bought one of these Totseats £24.00 for a friend who is expecting her baby early next month. It's the sort of invaluable thing whose use you can only really appreciate AFTER you've had a baby which is why it is such a vital gift. Available in a range of lively fabrics and fitting almost any chair, this portable pack away highchair just slots into your baby bag. Put down that layette set and cuddly toy! This is the sort of thing a new mum really needs. And I was particularly pleased that I got this little beauty for a complete bargain through a half price offer on family deal site LittleBird. I've only been a subscriber for a couple of months and I've already used them twice. This is twice more than I've used a similar (discretion, valour etc.) site in the past two years! (I mean - how many electrolysis sessions and eyelash extensions does a girl really need!) A lot of their deals are confined geographically to the London region but not all - such as subscriptions and shopping offers. Anyway, I'm a fan and heartily recommend checking them out. Bon appetit!

Showcase: Roost Living

I've found a lovely online boutique called Roost Living selling an absolutely mouth-watering range of beautiful gifts and homewares. It's been ages since I've done a showcase and it usually follows that I post one when I can't choose between my finds on a single website. Here are a few of my favourite things from their very stylish site:

1. Upcycled lightshade made from vintage wooden rulers - from £320.00

2. Wobbly Bowls from £12.00

3. "Jelly" Teatowel £6.00

4. Blackwork Cushion, Square £110.00

5. Set of Three Artichoke Handkerchiefs £15.00

6. Flight of Fancy Cakestand £90.00

7. Silverleaf Bowls from £15.00

God Bless You Ma'am

With the anniversary today of Her Majesty's accession to the throne and a summer full of Diamond Jubilee celebrations planned, just for the fun of it, I'm digging up some royal loveliness. Not a "Keep Calm & Carry On" motto in sight. Here are some truly original patriotic present ideas fit for a Queen. God Bless You Ma'am!

1. Karen Hilton Designs Set of 3 Cushions £94.04

2. Queen Bee Pendant With Crown by Emillina Ballerina £9.73

3. Handprinted Commemorative Cushion by HELKATDESIGN £41.00

4. Empire Ribbons (Set of 6) 150cm of each from The DotComGiftShop.com £3.95

5. Corgi Brooch by Finest Imaginary £15.00

6. Chess Piece King & Queen Salt & Pepper Grinders from Sage Inspired by Life £38.00 

7. Drama Queen Shopper from Alphabet Bags £12.00

On the 21st Day of Christmas...

I'm trying to find things that you can also find on the high street now since most of the Christmas postage deadlines are now either upon us or past. How about this Set of 4 Mini Dishes £16.80 by Sophie Conran for Portmeirion. My love affair with this range of crockery and glassware began four years ago when I chose it as my wedding china and I use every piece of it. My mother gave me these bowls last year to further the collection. They are so diddy measuring 3.5cm x 9cm and yet so versatile. I use them when cooking to house prepared ingredients. I have one by the range with rock salt and pepper in it for seasoning cooking. They've been out a parties with snacks in and used at dinner parties for condiments. Made in a style that makes them appear hand thrown they come packaged in Christmas green paper and Sophie Conran's distinctive mint green, spotty boxes, they are a lovely present. In fact, unlike a lot of crockery ranges, most of the items in the range stand by themselves as things of beauty.  I found them on County China & Glass the but range is also available at John Lewis and stockists countrywide. 

On the 20th Day of Christmas...

Here's a nice surprise! I found this Mrs. Beeton Jelly Mould £15.00 in Tesco this afternoon. It's a very decent reproduction of the ceramic traditional Victorian types and comes really nicely packaged. Normally I get a bit fed up with all the big stores doing mass produced wash bags, manicure kits and novelty mug sets for the present desperate at Christmas-time so this was a really refreshing find. I never make jelly but I would love to put this on a shelf in my kitchen along with my collection of traditional stoneware kitchen crocks. I think it would look right at home. Perhaps you know someone similar.

On the 18th Day of Christmas...

Only seven more sleeps until the big day now. How exciting! Here is another great man-gift solution though that is not to say that this wouldn't make a fantastic Christmas present for culinary enthusiasts of either gender. This Set of 5 Kitchen Knives & Block £49.00 from Oliver Bonas is a refreshing departure from the traditional wooden job lurking at the back of the counter top bringing 'cutting' edge, almost sculptural design to the fore. Or, alternatively, it just looks damn smart and the perspex block puts pay to that irritating game of hunt the right knife. Particularly when you've got a massive Christmas dinner to prepare. 

Stocking Fillers 15

Completely scrumptious. This Breakfast Menu Tray £12.00 from Jelly & Blancmange is a lovely toy for a small child. I'm a big fan of traditional wooden toys and there's something about the smoothness and roundness of these pieces that is particularly eye-catching - I love the cheese! The Jelly & Blancmange site is choc-full of good quality festive accessories, tradional toys and magic party bag fillers so go and have a wander around. I know twelve quid might be a bit steep for the stocking but I reckon individually wrapped they'd take up quite a bit of room and it'll kickstart the training for when the little darlings are old enough to start serving you breakfast in bed (which is when...roughly...by the way?)

On the 14th Day of Christmas...

This is an inexpensive and extremely novel gift idea. An Enamel Matches Storage Tin £5.99 from The Gifted Penguin. It is big enough to hold one of those big chunky boxes of cooks matches, comes in two colours: slate and clay (pictured) and would be ideal for the kitchen, the shed or in the car for soggy camping trips or anywhere you care to strike a match. I venture to say that these is one of those brainwave presents for those people who "have everything". I also think they would look best snugly tucked into a lovely big willow basket of dry kindling for when the fire gets lit on cold winter evenings. Blanket's out everybody! 

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

It's definitely time to update the kitchen utensils. Most of ours are from my husband's first flat in London and have definitely seen better days. Also, because we have a lot of display space in our kitchen, it's nice if the things we put in it are functional but attractive too. For a while now, I've been collecting vintage stoneware mixing bowls and pudding basins for cooking. You pick them up at fairs and car boot sales for next to nothing and they are so much more attractive than modern crocks. My favourite is a giant cream T.G. Green & Co stoneware mixing bowl that has a duck-egg blue glaze inside. Smashing! It's for this reason, that I love these Milk Bottle Measuring Cups £22.00 from Anthropologie. The design is both classic vintage and novel and I love the raised lettering that denotes the measurements as it reminds me of my lovely stoneware collection and would look amazing on display in any kitchen. Anthropologie is a real Aladdin's Cave of inspiration. When I worked on the King's Road in London, I could happily while away a whole lunch hour in its Chelsea store and have always been able to find great presents there. An original and thoughful gift for someone who sees the kitchen as the focal point of their home. 

Personal Project: Provence-style Hand Towels on a Hook

I really like making stuff for my family, friends and for my home. A lot of people gulp at the idea of a homemade gift but it doesn't have to be a sticky-back plastic job. You can add that personal touch to your presents to make them extra special without a degree in design. And for the right recipient, it will make the pressie that much more special. We were in Provence for our holiday this year and bought this hook from a local artisan shop in Roussillon. I like it because my kitchen has a lot of dark and light contrast in it: a canvas of white picked out with strong fire-engine reds, dark wood, enamelware and wrought iron details. I like the novelty of it too with its strong shape and bold type. Pretty hooks are lovely gifts to buy for friends because they are so useful and can go anywhere. I needed somewhere to hang a hand towel near the kitchen sink and as there was nowhere convenient at waist level to do this, I mounted my feature hook on the wall above the basin. I then made up some hand towels based on the traditional provencale style of sewing a loop of pretty ribbon to the centre of the towel so that it hangs in a nice big clump your can get your hands on easily. Here, I've used a plain white towel and added a loop of dark red gingham ribbon to complement the colour on the hook but you can decorate the towel as elaborately as you wish so long as what you end up with can still absorb water and go in the washing machine. Perfect as a house warming gift and an easy and thoughtful present to make with little ones. 

Hook: Find a good range at Denbee Country Crafts. Guest towels: 19p each from IKEA, Gingham ribbon: From a selection at Gisela Graham available at John Lewis and trendy gift shops. 

Bear Necessities

Yummy! I just found this "What Cake" Side Plate £22.50 on online boutique FromTheWilde.com. It's a lovely piece of illustration by JimBobArt. The bold red, white and black design is very striking and the humour unmistakeable. There are quite a few examples on the site but this one is my favourite because it reminds me of someone very close (and I'm not saying who). It would make a great gift for an art lover as an alternative feature piece for the kitchen wall. Or maybe for a nursery. I venture to say that it is far too nice to actually eat cake off but that's just me. I'm the same about tea towels. 

Showcase: Rigby & Mac

Just one more day and the countdown to Christmas officially begins so it's time for another great British shopping showcase. Rigby & Mac is a very stylish store made all the more perfect by the fact that it's eclectic range of products means it is possible to cater for many different tastes. I've had a good browse and come up with some inspirational finds for the holiday season.

1. Leather wrap-around bracelet £24.95

Personally, I'd like this in tan or olive. It's clean and elegant without being too dressy. I think it would look wonderful with a casual shirt, jeans and boots for that priceless "what, this old thing?" look. All in all, an excellent, modern present for a young woman. 

2. Numbered hook wall rack £55.00

I love this but then I am a total sucker for anything with ceramic knobs on it! The driftwood panel is so understated and provides a lovely contrast for the smooth, creamy hooks and sage green stencilled numbers. I can see this in the hallway of a period house adorned with colourful coats and scarves. It would make a great present for friends with big families by giving everyone their own peg. 

3. Mini kit £9.95

My godson's family recently moved to the country from the suburbs. Now they live right next door to a large section of Dartmoor National Park so, for his birthday in August, I sent him a kite not dissimilar to this so that he and his gadget-mad dad could go out and spend some man time together on weekends. Apparently, it has been a huge hit. A lovely gift for a small boy or girl and a the perfect thing to get everyone out on Boxing Day to walk off the excesses of Christmas dinner.

4. Ribbon watch £16.95

Both timepiece and fashion accessory, I bought this for a friend's daughter's 6th birthday last year and she absolutely loved it. Apart from the excitement of being able to match her watch strap to her outfits everyday (they grow up so fast!), it was a good way to keep her up to speed on telling the time and makes a great first watch.

5. Silver plated preserves lid £15.50

This is a highly unusual bit of silvery fun and would be perfect for someone who, like me, likes to make a bit of a feature of their condiments and sauces on a big lazy susan in the middle of their kitchen table. It comes in two styles: strawberry and orange (my favourite) and is presented in a gift box but I would probably send it packaged up with the jam or marmalade pot too.

6. Sophie Conran measuring utensils £22.25

We started our Sophie Conran for Portmeirion collection with our wedding gift list. It is the most beautiful pottery and we have collected many pieces since...but we don't have these! Adorable little measuring jugs with handwritten measurements on the inside. Like most of the range, they look like little sculptures, display beautifully and would put a big smile on the face of any enthusiastic cook.    

Showcase: House Knutsford

It's so nice when amazing shops introduce themselves. I checked out new Twitter follower House Knutsford's beautiful website this evening and have decided not to go to bed until I compose a wishlist of stunning gifts from their collection. It's a tough job but I suppose I'll just have to do it! 

1. Jeeves Pendant Light £150 by designer Jake Phipps

I can see these looking fabulous in a pantry or wine cellar but they would look just as effective in a dressing room or walk-in wardrobe. I love their bold shape and the way the gold metallic lining gives off a warm glow. Their long black cord allows for low suspension to give a lamp effect. Position it over a vintage telephone on a console table for a surrealist look.

2. Rose Flower No.12 Soap £12.50 

I like nicely packaged, good quality soaps but I rarely use them to wash my hands. I like to put them in drawers to scent my clothes and keep my boudoir smelling beautiful. This packaging looks almost too nice to hide away so I might need two: one for the drawer and one for the toiletries bowl in my guest room.

3. Caracalla Bagaglio Salvatori/Shelby No. 5 Aston Martin Holdall £295.00

Make a man very, very happy. One for the boys this and for car lovers everywhere. 57cm x 32cm x 28cm and every sumptuous inch made from and embellished with high quality leather.

4. Joseph Joseph Index Plus Chopping Board Set £65.00

I own the earlier version of this without the knife block and I have given it several times as a housewarming gift. I find it is particularly suitable for boys because, even if they completely ignore it, it looks undeniably cool on the work top in a trendy bachelor pad. The four boards are colour coded according to type of food: raw meat, cooked food, fish and vegetables and they all fit neatly into a silver knife block with handy tabs to 'file' them away when not in use. 

5. White Dog Light £65.00

A bone china lamp that glows from within to give off a low, warm light. Great for fending off the monsters under the bed. Also available in rabbit and owl designs. 

6. Queen of Everything Mug £11.00

Finally, and at the risk of completely over-exposing mugs this week, I have to just slip this little bone china one in because it is so pretty and a nice stylish antidote to all the relentless 'Keep Calm & Carry On" kitsch that seems to be absolutely everywhere at the moment. As I mentioned in my earlier post (A Grateful Cuppa), I think delicate, elegant mugs with unusual designs make lovely thank you and housewarming gifts especially if you pair them up for a couple.

A Grateful Cuppa

I love to give mugs as thank you presents. And I don't mean the big chunky mass-produced kind with daft cartoons and slogans. I like to find exquisite little pieces that look like works of art, wrap them up in generous amounts of soft tissue paper and present them snuggly nestled in mini gift bags with ribbon handles. The days of matching crockery are long gone. Modern style dicatates that we collect things for our home that we find beautiful and that 'complement' rather than 'match' eachother. The more eclectic, the better. Personally, I always choose my mug according to what I fancy to drink and for a rare afternoon's feet up with the papers and a pot of fresh loose leaf Earl Grey, I would have to choose something like this (above). The small Love Birds Red/ Pink Stipe Senseo Mug £6.95 is just one of a range of beautiful designs by Pip Studio. Delicate and vibrant, I love the little robin and the subtle gilding. They are definitely available in Selfridges because I bought a few as thank you gifts for some friends who helped us out with a project we had to deliver recently but I have seen them in other independent gift shops. Pack two different ones together as a great thank you present for a couple.   Decorative, eye-catching and practical, they make a great impact when you really want to let someone know how much you appreciate them.

Windows Are Illuminated

I've just sent one of these to my aunt who made me lunch today. We had a lovely afternoon and she's just had her kitchen and living room completely updated so I wanted to find her something decorative to go in it. The kitchen in her lovely Victorian semi has always been the centre of her house and home life and family is the driving force in her life. This cream house lantern £6.95 from Strawberry Fool has room in the back for a tea light that allows a warm glow to flicker through the windows. So pretty and a memorable way to say "Thank you for having me. Your house looks great".

Seasonal Sauce

I don't own a gravy boat. I've thought about it a lot over the years but never actually got round to seeking one out. The only time I ever seem to need one is on Christmas Day when putting the finishing touches on lunch. And for that reason, I must admit to being very taken by this lovely new seasonal Gravy Jug & Stand £34.95 by Emma Bridgewater. Resplendent in cream, green and red and printed with delicate little hearts and the word 'Joy', it would indeed be a pleasure to roll out this little beauty once a year at Christmas dinner. If you go elsewhere over the period, I think this would make a lovely thank you gift for whomever is responsible for directing operations in the kitchen over the holidays. I would probably place it on a large sheet of crisp cellophane with a teeny, tiny potted poinsettia inside it and close the whole lot up with a thick, green, satin ribbon. Scruptious!

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Say It With Herbs

We once drove down to Dorset to visit a friend who had quit the rat race to raise her new family in one of those dreamy old english villages. To say she had 'gone native' was an understatement. In one seemingly gigantic step, she had graduated from a small two bed flat in London to a beautiful old thatched cottage complete with Aga and authentic low beams. No word of a joke, my husband and I were salivating before we even reached the front door. In addition to this, they had a rambling garden that climbed all the way up to the top of a little hill in which they kept bantams and grew all of their own vegetables. Sigh. Anyway, I digress. I was staying for a few nights and I needed to find them an appropriate gift to thank them for their hospitality. Now, I confess that I have been guilty of turning up with the odd bottle of wine (good stuff) on certain occasions and there's very little wrong with that if followed up with a nice, handwritten note, but, given the drama of their lifestyle change, something was holding me back from doing so now. Even a good bottle of red seemed too paltry an offering, so I found an old balsa wood crate, cleaned it up a bit and filled it to the brim with farmer's market fresh herbs and vegetables. I figured she could have lots of fun on the Aga with the produce and use the crate for something practical to keep plants in in the garden afterwards.

How much more spectacular would my gift have been if only I had known about Growing Gifts. This Cornflower Blue Apple Crate £16.50 (L30 x H21.5 x H16cm) can be personalised with up to fourteen letters per line and makes the perfect vessel for a present to say thank you or anything else for that matter. The picture suggests that it works just as well as a unique wedding gift. I also now have my mother (a keen gardener) in mind for Mother's Day. So versatile and shows both thought and originality. And so far as treating someone goes, it doesn't get much better than that. 

Little Foldable Works of Art

A couple of Valentine's ago, I bought a set of two tea towels for my culinary lovin' husband in a bit of a rush. We never buy each other extravangant gifts on this occasion because we like to spend the money on a good steak instead but a gesture must be made...and this was mine. They were ribbon-wrapped, brilliant white, crisp and thick with a great red type printed onto them which, in my rush, I thought said: LOVE. So I was a bit non-plussed when he unwrapped them and the beautiful scrolling script revealed the legend: TEA TOWEL. Still to this day, we can't quite bring ourselves to use them much because they are  so pretty but I still think the artist missed an opportunity with the wording there.  

I love illustrated tea towels like this though. They're little foldable works of art. This beautiful design The Great British Biscuit £10.00 is by British artist and illustrator Jill Tytherleigh. Check out her very lovely website too. Now, personally I would NEVER use something as gorgeous as this to wipe the crocks. Most likely, I would pin it onto thin foam core in a nice simple boxframe (like this one) and hang it in my kitchen (though very little wall space left in there now) or give it to someone framed as a housewarming gift or as the perfect pressie for an enthusiastic chef.

Emboss Yourself!

How lovely are these! I was browsing 'The Works' in town today and came across a nice little set of stencils for capuccino and cake making and found myself remembering how much I wanted to find an embossing set for decorating my daughter's Christening cake earlier this year. And voila . . . there is one via the caviar of kitchenware bloggers Kitchen Critic. Letter press cookie cutters.  I love the range of typesettings and it's a steal at £14.99 from Firebox. Stamping magic ! Incidentally, I got by by in the end by using a letter shaped cutter and the results weren't half bad but I would have made more of a splash with this. I suppose there's always her birthday...