Happy Christmas

Have a lovely Christmas everyone! I had lots to share, thoughts about having a small business, Christmas decorations {or lack thereof}, but I got distracted by wrapping up orders and working full-time! I'm exhausted! How about you?

Over Christmas I'll be:

*Hosting blog school with my cousin, Hey Homewrecker {if you're based in Northern Ireland, please let us know, I'm hoping to find her a blog community there!}
*Making a washi tape town with my neice and nephew
*Planning a day trip to Dublin {let me know if you have any suggestions of quirky things to see}

A few random links, some of which I've been saving for a while:

*Christmas music {I'm obsessed with A Charlie Brown Christmas}
*Love this table
*A happy New York wedding
*Rainbow wreath!
*Guilty

{I've just had the snow globe print reprinted on white paper, and it looks great. Orders placed today, 21st December, can be sent special delivery tomorrow, at no additional postage charge.}

Let it snow...

Not yet, until I've posted all my orders and caught my flight home next week, but the weather's really not making it feel that Christmassy... Love this Let it Snow bag {£12.}

Gift guide: for nesters

1. Church's Candles {£15.50}, 2. Woollen blanket {£95}, 3. Spool candle {from £45 - and from lovely new shop, Sparrow & Co.}, 4. Lavender bag {£7.50}, 5. Bird cage plate, 6. Ceramic envelope {£15}, 7. Happy chopper {£19.95.}

Christmas washi tape + more...

I'm still sending out orders within 24 hours, and so far there's no sign of snow, or a postal strike, so there's plenty of time to order pretty Christmas washi tape/Japanese masking tape to embellish your presents. From top left; gold snowflake washi tape {£3.50}, Christmas cross stitch washi tape {£4}, Santa washi tape {£10 for 4} and Red spot washi tape {£3.50.}

Some other Christmas goodies I haven't shared yet;

Mistletoe stamps and pine cone stamps {£9.99 each}, Rifle Paper Co. Christmas tags {£5 for 10}, Boxed large Christmas tags {£8.50}.

Festive labels {£5}, Pop-up card - this has such a sweet translucent spotted envelope {£5}, Rifle Paper Co. Christmas postcards {£10} and for easy labels, just cut tiny pieces of this gingham fabric tape {£8.50} into a Christmas design. It's expensive but you can get so much out of it if you use a craft knife to make the most of any scraps.

If you haven't seen it yet, Jeska styled a stunning feature on gift wrapping ideas in the latest edition of Heart Home Magazine.

Gift guide: for kids

The first of my remaining gift guides, for tiny kids who don't realise what presents are yet, and whose aunt just buys them things she'd like herself; 1. Ladybug print {£20}, 2. Tiny Toms {£24}, 3. Silver lame leggings {£15}, 4. Animal hooks {£22.95}, 5. The book I buy every child, or their nostalgic parents, Dogger {£4.19}, 6. B is for Bear {£12}, 7. Sweet Dreams Banner {£10.}

Handmade Christmas pop-up shop

Another weekend, another craft fair... I wanted to let you know about this Handmade Christmas pop-up shop, which is being held at the home of Marga from Chocolate Creative, in Peckham, on both Saturday and Sunday.

Do you know Chocolate Creative? Margarita is such a positive and encouraging person, her energy is amazing! I especially love her wall hooks and hope they are an internet sensation... Anyway, Marga and some of her designer friends are setting up shop this weekend. You can find out more, including the address, here. I'm sure it will be a very welcoming environment!

Other events:

*We Make Christmas Fair, Battersea Arts Centre, Saturday 10th December

*Selvedge Christmas Fair, St Augustine's Church Hall, N6

*On Monday Lauren and Helena are hosting a London Blogger's Party.

Have a lovely weekend. I'll be finishing off the rest of my gift guides, ready to share on Monday. There's still loads of time for Christmas shopping...

Gift guide: for me...

I'm putting together a few gift guides, and thought I'd start with an easy one, of things I would like... 1. Copper shoes {£70}, 2. Pole Brun {$30}, 3. A morse code necklace, in silver please {$56}, 4. A Liberty print watch {$90}, 5. A Richard Weston iphone case {£33}, 6. Ferry from Ardrossan harbour {$50}, 7. A calligraphy necklace {$195}, 8. Handpainted beach pottery shards {£28.}

Also on my list: a haircut with the German guy at Sassoon in Covent Garden who my friend says is amazing, a knife skills cookery course, a polarizing filter, tickets for Swallows and Amazons or The Animals and Children took to the Streets at the National Theatre... What's on yours?


{NB, I told you about the Animals and Children took to the Streets last year when it was at the Battersea Arts Centre. If you can go, you really must - it's utterly wonderful. It was sold out for a few weeks but they've just released more tickets.}

A Christmas blog excursion

Last week I was invited by jewellery designer Emma Cassi to watch her and her friend Kate {they met through their blogs} paint the Christmas windows of one of my favourite tea shops, Orange Pekoe in Barnes. What a treat! I've always loved Emma's intricate work and blog so I was very excited to meet her. You can read Holly Becker gushing about a visit to her home this year here, but her descriptions are very apt.

{Some of Emma's lovely wish bracelets.}

{You can just see the Pandora Bell nougat, beautifully packaged.}

{Stocking up for Christmas.}

12 years ago, when I first lived in London, there was a shop in Wimbledon called Estillo, which I loved. They sold paintings made with gold leaf, which I adored, but could not afford, so I bought a large canvas and gold leaf and tried to recreate something similar myself. It was not totally successful, but as I'd spent so much money on the gold leaf, it hung in my living room for several years. Recently, through reading her blog and looking at her paintings online, I suspected that Kate was actually the artist of the original painting, and she confirmed it was true! Kate used to be a buyer for Estillo - what a small world.

{Tea caddies in the background.}

Kate has some more photos of the windows here. Thanks for inviting me along, Emma and Kate, it was lovely to meet you both. If you're in the Barnes area, you can see the windows for yourself - and stop for tea and cake at Orange Pekoe. I'm still drooling over an orange whisky cake I had there last year which was delicious.

{PS, Emma will have a stall at the Selvedge Christmas Fair this Saturday. If you meet her, you will understand why I left wondering if it's too late in life to become more French and elegant...}

The advent calendar that never was

This year I had grand plans of making an advent calendar.

I used red and white striped paper bags {so cheap!} and cut out a number on a cutting mat using a craft knife and green masking tape.

I was going to hang it on a line, using bulldog clips or wooden pegs, and red and white baker's twine, but I ran out of momentum after number 1. Next year!

I hadn't seen Martha's idea for basically the same advent calendar, but when I was thinking of what to put inside the striped bags, I did use this idea which I saw in the latest Anthologie magazine.

Chocolate eclairs with a festive touch, using a small strip of spotted tapes. I think they look pretty on display in a glass dish.

In other news, my relationship with Blogger is not going so well. I have all kinds of problems with the resolution of photos I upload, but I'm trying a few techniques I read in this useful article.