Thinking a-head

Vases are a great gift when you’re unsure what to get someone. After all, everyone needs them, and you can never have too many.

But if you’re giving someone a vase this Christmas, why not make it a bit special. Say, a vase in the shape of a polar bear or koala’s head?

These ceramic vases aren’t particularly cheap at £35 each (from Graham & Green), but they are AMAZING. Plus, you can almost guarantee the recipient won’t already have anything like one already.

Depending on the design, they’re 15-19cm high and 12-20cm wide, making them a fairly decent size. What’s more, they’re actually really versatile. Yes, you can use them for flowers or foliage; but they also work well for bulbs; or as a quirky pen or pencil holder; or somewhere to store your makeup brushes…

In fact the only problem with them that I can see is that you’ll have problems deciding which friendly little fella to go for!

Glamorous Gifts

I’ve recently completed one of my favourite jobs ever – compiling this year’s Christmas Gift Guide for Glamour magazine (the UK edition). Visiting all the Christmas preview press shows, making a virtual wishlist of what to include, and gathering together over 1,000 amazing gift ideas before making the final edit… it’s been FUN.

The results of all this hard work (well, someone has to do it…) are in this month’s issue of Glamour, with the December 2015 cover date. A fabulous 94 presents have made the cut, spread out over eight pages and grouped by colour – and there really is something for everyone, and every budget. Regular blog readers will know I love a bargain, so while the posh brands like Mulberry are in there, there’s also plenty of surprises for those of us with teensy budgets.

I won’t spoil it for you, but here are a few of my favourite products that feature in the guide (below). And if you need any more inspiration, I’ll be sharing some of the lovely bits that didn’t make the mag over the next couple of weeks!

Above: You Rock cushion £12 Tesco; Swedish dala horse necklace £25 RosieWonders.co.uk; Copper bear cookie cutter £2.50 Sainsbury’s; Pear trinket pot £18 Oliver Bonas; Tristan the T-Rex toy £15.21 Amazon.co.uk