Counting down to Christmas:

Whether you like it or not, Christmas is now officially just over a month away.  Some very organised people will have already made a start on their seasonal shopping, and a select few seriously ill individuals will have completed the task (wrapping and all) back in August.  

For the majority of us, though - despite all the good intentions in the world - the 25th of December will creep up far too quickly.  Before you know it, you'll be the person tearing your hair out in the middle of M&S, or fiercely wrestling a fellow shopper for the last Downton Abbey box set.  Usually, that person is me.  But not this year, friends, not this year.

Thanks to the (admittedly quite early) John Lewis Christmas launch night last month, I've been brainstorming gift ideas for my family and friends for a while now.  Like last year, I met Gillian and Lianne (and also the lovely Laura for the first time) at the Edinburgh branch to see what John Lewis have got in store for Christmas 2014.  We were all greeted with a special cocoa infused gin and tonic and tasty canapés from the in store Hotel Chocolat Café - something which I'm sure would make the everyday Christmas shopping experience infinitely better.

As always, we were spoiled rotten by both John Lewis and the Stripe team, and I had a lovely time catching up with some of my favourite Edinburgh bloggers.  Hopefully the snaps I took at the event will help you get into the Christmas spirit if you aren't already - is anyone else getting excited about putting up their tree way too early?

Have a look below at my John Lewis Christmas gift guide which I've split up into a few different categories.  Maybe it will inspire you on your Christmas shopping quest, or maybe it will just make your own wish list longer...

Food & Drink:

1. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV Champagne with Ice Jacket Carry Pack: If I'm ever taking a bottle of white or fizzy wine to a friend's house, I like it to arrive chilled and ready to drink. Now, this might be the most first world problem you've ever heard, but carting a bottle with a cooling jacket on it around is always a pain and obviously the John Lewis buyers think so too! Personally I think a carry handle on an ice jacket is a genius idea, and this one comes with a bottle of Champers too (worth over £35 on its own) - bonus!  (£48)

2. Hotel Chocolat Classic Christmas H-Box: If you're going to give a box of chocolates as a Christmas present, you'd better make sure they're something special. Pretty much anything from Hotel Chocolat is guaranteed to taste great, but doesn't this special Christmas box look amazing too? (£12)

3. Edinburgh Gin Cocktail Set: I'm a big fan of Edinburgh Gin (as any regular readers/friends and family members will already know!) and I also love a good cocktail. This cocktail making set comes with everything you'll need to come up with your own concoctions at home. I particularly like the little Edinburgh Gin bottle stopper. (£45)

4. Natalie Chocolates Fondant Sugar Mice Stick Pack: My Mum (err... I mean Santa) always used to put a sugar mouse in my stocking, so I still always associate them with Christmas. These ones are a soft fondant, so will save any cracked teeth dramas on Christmas morning! (£2.50)

5. Build Your Own Gingerbread Train: We're big train fans in my family, so I had to include this cute alternative to a traditional gingerbread house. (£15)

6. Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb & Ginger Liqueur: Edinburgh Gin usually come out with a new flavoured liqueur around Christmas time, and this year it's rhubarb and ginger. These taste great in cocktails, or with some prosecco and I'm curious to taste the new flavour for myself. (£18)

Comfort & Beauty:

1. Barts Maria Beanie Hat: I have a strange relationship with hats. I kind of have too much hair to really stand a chance at making them look good on me, but I still always find myself hankering after woolly bobble hats at this time of year - especially when they're as cute as this one. (£19.99)

2. Benefit Pretty Parfait Gift Set: As a total make up novice, I've always been intrigued by what Benefit has to offer, but could never justify shelling out money on expensive products that might not work for me.  This gift set comes with four famous Benefit items that I haven't tried, one of which - the Benetint lip and cheek stain - is worth £24.50 on its own!   (£29.50)

3. MAVALA Nail Polish Bauble in Rouge Rubis: Despite being an amateur when it comes to make up, I do have a soft spot for nail varnish.  (I've barely had my natural nail colour for more than 24 hours in the last five years, and that's not an exaggeration!)  I've never tried the MAVALA brand before, so buying a single polish like this seems like a good way to try it out, and the fact that it's encased in a Christmas tree bauble is just an added bonus. (£5)

4. OPI Nails - Gwen Mini Christmas Holiday Stars Gift Set: OPI have a great reputation, but up until recently their nail varnishes were pretty difficult to get your hands on in the UK.  This special Christmas set has four festive colours (with amazing names like 'What's Your Point-Settia?') and the mini sized bottles will last longer than you think.  Bargain! (£14.50)

5. John Lewis Christmas Tree Duvet Cover and Pillowcase Set: Some people might think decorating your bedroom for Christmas is over the top, but I am not one of those people. Last year I bought a snuggly, tartan flannel duvet cover for the winter months, but I'd be willing to take it one step further with this pretty Christmas tree number.  (£40-£50)

6. Fat Face Reindeer Jersey Pyjama Pants: If I'm going to be properly cosy under my Christmas themed duvet, I obviously need the appropriate reindeer pyjama bottoms to wear. I usually get a new pair as a present every Christmas and wear them to death throughout the year. As long as you get the size right, it's an ideal gift idea for anyone!  (£28)

Gadgets:

1. Lumie Bodyclock Go 75 Wake-up Light: I've hankered after one of these alarm clocks that simulate a sunrise for a long time because I have real difficulty waking up in the morning. The idea is that the gradual light will wake you up naturally, rather than jolting you out of bed. I'm not sure if it would work, but I really like the idea! (£75)

2. Joby GripTight GorillaPod Tripod for Smartphones: My Dad has a GorillaPod, so I've seen firsthand how cool and useful they are. I've wanted a tripod for my iPhone for a while (more for filming than taking photos, but it could come in handy for that too!) and having the bendable legs means you can wrap it around anything to get your shot, rather than carting around a bulky, tall tripod. (£25)

3. Nespresso Inissia Coffee Machine by KRUPS in Red: I never thought I would be a coffee (or tea) drinker, but apparently adulthood requires a lot of caffeine. We had a Nespresso coffee maker in one of our USA hotel rooms, and it was really easy to use. Buying a machine like this might be a bit pricey, but at around 30p per Nespresso pod I would save a lot of money on coffee in the long run! (£62.99-£80)

4. Apple Wireless Remote: Having a remote for my laptop (and phone) is a bit of an extravagance really, but it could come in handy while watching movies in bed or listening to music around the house. I don't think the Apple remote is compatible with third party programs - like Netflix - but that's not the end of the world when it's not overly expensive. (£15)

What's on your Christmas list this year?

Inferior Inspiration #13: Wedding edition!

A couple of weeks ago I found myself caught up in a whirlwind wedding week (not my own, I hasten to add) in lovely Brittany, France.  The beautiful bride and dashing groom were my very good family friends Anna and James, who went on to enjoy a well deserved mini-moon in Paris after the festivities were over.  I was honoured when Anna asked me to be a bridesmaid for the first time, and I'll never forget the amazing experience I had alongside such a lovely bunch of ladies.

Let's be honest though - mushy romance stuff aside - the best part about getting married has to be receiving lots of presents, right?  Like most couples, Anna and James registered for gifts so their family and friends could purchase something online, but they were also happy for guests to bring along their own choice of wedding present.  It was a brave move - they risked ending up with seventy or so romantic birdhouse mailboxes (any Office fans out there?) - but they also opened themselves up to a little bit of surprise and mystery (alongside the towels and Playmobil pandas - a must have for all newlyweds).

As this seems to be a wedding heavy time of year for a lot of people, I've put together a list of gift ideas below (at varying costs) to inspire those guests bold enough to go 'off list'.  By now you all probably know that I usually lean towards practical things, but that doesn't mean they can't be beautiful too!

Making a scrapbook or album of photographs is a fairly low cost gift option, but it is undoubtedly one of the most thoughtful presents anyone could give.  I think the laser cut heart scrapbook from Paperchase (£12.50) is very wedding appropriate, and you can either fill the whole album with special memories, or leave some pages blank for the happy couple to add to in the future.

If you're in the market for a bigger gift in the same vein, Polaroid style, instant cameras are very 'in' at the moment.  Sadly, Polaroid film is pretty ridiculously expensive these days, but the Fujifilm Instax brand is a comparable alternative.  I think their Mini 8 Camera (which comes in a few different colours) is adorable!  The John Lewis set of a Mini 8, batteries and twenty shots (£69.95) seems to be the most cost effective, seeing as Amazon are charging £59 just for the camera.  Make sure you hand this present to the bride and groom on the special day so they can start taking snaps straight away!

Crockery might seem like a boring cop out, but there are plenty of cute and quirky marriage appropriate pieces out there that I'm sure any couple would appreciate as a reminder of their wedding day.  You can find 'Mr & Mrs' mugs in different styles and at various prices all over the internet, but I'm a big fan of the Emma Bridgewater set (£39.95) because they also do a matching tea pot with four mugs (£54.95) and a 'Just Married' cake plate (£39.95) all in the same pattern and style.

Le Creuset is a fairly traditional gift, but (even though your Mum undoubtedly has some in her kitchen cupboards) the brand is still very popular, and they have some lovely and unusual items in their range that will last forever!  I like the idea of giving little 'Sweet Hearts' lidded dishes (£30 for a set of two) as a wedding present, maybe even filled with the bride and groom's favourite sweets or chocolates?  A good trick for guests on a budget is to keep an eye out for these dishes in TK Maxx, as they usually have them for sale individually at much cheaper prices.

Everyone loves a good novelty gift, but - come on, guys - let's make sure yours are cute and useful so they don't end up at the back of a cupboard somewhere, 'til death do us part.  They always say communication is key in any relationship, and the speech bubble chalkboard from Urban Outfitters (£12) will give the new Mr and Mrs an easy way to leave love notes (or abuse) for each other every day.

I think a heart shaped vinyl record would be an adorable wedding present, whether it's to be played or hung up on the wall for decoration.  The one above happens to be a remastered version of 'Love Me Do' by The Beatles which I found on Amazon (from £5.99) but any heart shaped record would do!  I know that Scottish band Kid Canaveral also have one for £4.99.

Finally (if you don't fancy any of my suggestions) there are approximately one billion lovely wedding gifts for sale at notonthehighstreet.com.  My personal favourite has to be these 'big spoon' and 'little spoon' pillow cases (£25).

Homeware Christmas gift guide:

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  I certainly have... not.  I'm not quite sure where November has gone.  I'm usually fairly unprepared for the festive season, but this year is the worst so far.  Still, I'm looking forward to getting started and spoiling my friends and family.

If you're still in need of some inspiration, I've thrown together a quick homeware Christmas gift guide.  My ideas aren't revolutionary, but they are fairly gender and age neutral, so there should be something for everyone!

Source: here

Mugs are an affordable present that everyone will appreciate.  You can wrap it up with some of the recipient's favourite tea, coffee or hot chocolate, and maybe some biscuits too. 

1. Tunnock's Teacake Mug (by Gillian Kyle) from madefromscotland.com (£11.50)
2. Monogrammed Mug from Anthropologie (£6)
3. Christmas Town Half Pint Mug (by Emma Bridgewater) from John Lewis (£15.96


Giving wall decoration as a Christmas present can be tricky, but if you know your friend or family member's taste well enough, go for it!  They'll think of you every time they walk past your gift in pride of place.

1. Wooden Deer Head from Oliver Bonas (£28)
2. Batboy Print (by The Grey Earl) from madefromscotland.com (£20)
3. Cosmic Coat Rack from Oliver Bonas (£55)

Vases always come in handy, and they can be as functional or ornate as you like.

1. Owl Bubble Vase from Oliver Bonas (£14.50)
2. SOCKERART Vase from IKEA (£14)
3. Pragmatic Vase, Eat Cake from Anthropologie (£38)



You didn't think I could resist some cushions, did you?  Well... you were right.

1. Hand Knitted Cushion from Matalan (£18)
2. Tunnock's Teacake Round Cushion (by Gillian Kyle) from madefromscotland.com (£36.50)
3. Canvas Cushion Cover from H&M (£6.99)

Good luck, everybody!