On the 11th Day of Christmas...

Today I tackle the problem of what to get a man for Christmas. For me the hallmark of success in this matter is if the damn thing makes its way out of the packaging in time for the following Christmas. Sure, you can give them practical gifts like socks and golf balls because they will almost certainly use them but, when it comes to giving a man a present, there is a certain satisfaction to be had from finding something novel that they might actually quite like. (I'm not expecting any spontaneous emotional outpourings or anything). I like this hand turned wooden cherry bowl £40.00 designed by Andy Beck at Treecycle available via the Folksy artisan site. It's the ideal shape and depth for dropping in and scooping out keys, change, gum and billfolds as and when needed and will look fantastic in your hall or home office.

On the 7th Day of Christmas...

Perhaps not for vegetarians this one. I was really sorry not to get to the V&A Museum on a recent visit to London. It is one of my favourite places in the Capital and I had arranged to have tea there with my godmother before London Transport intervened and I got stuck in a tunnel. Grumble. Grumble. So, instead, I've done the next best thing and had a little wander around their online shop over a nice cup of Earl Grey. Mounted game heads seem to be all over the place at the moment but I think this Floral Stag Head £45.00 is the prettiest one I've seen. It is the perfect gift for someone who (like me) likes to cover the walls of their home with interesting stuff as well as paintings and photographs. It would look great in a recess, above a door or over a mantle mirror or guest bed.  It would also look fabulous mounted above an ornate hook in a hallway or cloakroom. Made of lightweight wooden board, the surface design is derived from 18th and 19th century Italian textiles and it comes in a self assembly pack so there's fun to be had putting it together too. All proceeds from the shop go back into helping keep this great British institution accessible to all as a free resource which is  more than enough reason to go for a littlegift shopping there. 

Showcase: Patchwork Harmony

Last Christmas I ordered this Storage Jar £18.95 from Patchwork Harmony for an old friend and she loved it. In fact, it was so nice that she very nearly got something else instead. Let's see what else they have in their Aladdin's cave this Christmas.

1. Handmade Porcelain Candleholders £18.00 (3 for £50.00)

I have some similar to this in glass that I use to decorate the garden in summer but I think I prefer this teardrop shape to the round ones I have. They seem more stable and are a better shape for hanging. There's also something very romantic about the way that firelight makes porcelain glow.

2. Mini Trays £7.50

My mum has a collection of these that she likes to ferry rounds of tea and coffee around on. They are less cumbersome than full size trays if you're just having a drink or a snack and they look lovely. I've also seen them used to decorate console and bedside tables. I avoid this however because if I leave anything shallow and flat lying around, it won't be long before my husband comes along and fills it with the contents of his pockets.

3. Cotton Drawstring Laundry Bags from £7.50

I love, love, love the typography on these simple bags and the cotton ticking-style fabric they are made from. It makes them look really clean and classic. I always fold a bag like this into my luggage when I go away but this one would also look gorgeous hanging on a pretty hook in the bathroom when not in use. 

4. Vintage Style Hooks from £4.50

Speaking of pretty hooks, they always make a nice present in their own right. Who doesn't need to hang stuff up? Ones like this that are based on vintage designs and have ceramic embellishments look really smart almost anywhere in your house. I like to put different ones on the small return of a wall in my kitchen where they have enough drop to hang aprons, shopping bags and baby bits and I have a similar one to these above the sink where I keep a hand towel. 

5. Wooden Bird Doorstop from £12.50

Even if you don't actually need to weight or wedge a door, interesting and unusual doorstops always add another layer to a room at a level that's hard to cater for. Lots of things can go on surfaces and walls but it's not so easy to find ornaments that look perfectly at home on the floor. They make quite good non-threatening presents for men too. My brother is notoriously difficult to find gifts for and our mum got him a little fabric owl doorstop a couple of Christmases ago that he was a bit confused by at first but cannot now deny has come in very useful in his flat.

Workshop Wonderland

Have you ever wandered around antique fairs, flea markets and car boot sales thinking: That's nice! It would come up beautifully if I gave it a lick of paint? I do. Frequently. Ever since I discovered some very old Annie Sloan books on furniture painting techniques a while back, I've been completely hooked. Now we just need a bigger house to accommodate my creations. Workshops are a fantastic way to treat someone who, like me, has a particular leaning towards a certain type of skill or hobby. Mine will always be crafts although I have been known to try new things. My aunt once gave me a one-day crash course in cookery at the Leiths Cookery School in London which was, to say the least, terrifying but left me with my sanity intact and a few tips and tricks under my belt that I use to this day. 

West Egg Interiors is an online boutique store which specialises in sourcing and restoring vintage furniture and decorative home wares. Each piece a one off, this shop is a treasure chest of deeply desirable stuff to complement your house and they also provide one-day courses where you can go along and learn about decorative techniques yourself. Furniture Painting Workshops £115.00 last for one fabulous fun-filled day and you can learn all sorts of useful painting, distressing and waxing techniques to give you the confidence to go let rip on an upcycled masterpiece of your own. The courses are designed for beginners and based near Colchester in Essex. If this is a bit out of your way, then doubtless there are others that a Google search will turn up for you, but I like this one because I particularly like West Egg's shop and philosophy. A workshop makes an unforgettable gift but, if it's too tempting to give away, do what I've done in the past; take a mate and agree pay for each other to go as a mutual birthday present. These things are always so much more fun in company anyway.

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. 

Scandi Baby Chic

A couple of days ago I mentioned one of my favourite gifts from when I had my baby last year and the good news is that I've finally tracked them down. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Danish company that makes them, Maileg, doesn't have an online store and, at this time, no retail outlets in the UK. I can only locate their shops in Scandinavia and North America. This makes sense now because Catherine's husband is in fact half-Danish and they make frequent trips to the country. Anyway, I thought it would be nice so put these wooden hangers on the blog because they really are exquisite. I've never found anything that comes close to their design or shape. According to their website, it looks as though Maileg products may shortly be available on a new website called Scandi Chic which is currently under construction. However, I notice that some of their lovely range of toys and accessories are currently available at Sister's Guild including this similar one (£5.50) below which is equally lovely. 

I look forward to seeing what other products will become available when Scandi Chic goes live and will keep this page posted with updates.