It's The Thought That Counts - Christmas Indulgences Under £20!

 

It's The Thought That Counts - Christmas Indulgences Under £20! Festive Felicitations To All On This Glorious Morning! I am tucked up in the Bergère Bed, in my double-brushed, cotton PJ’s (the warmest that I have ever owned) with the lights of the Christmas tree twinkling away in our front window (it's my gift to the dog-walkers that pass our cottage very early in the morning!) and am feeling very festive and merry indeed! I sleep well here - the silence and darkness are still so new - I was just saying to the Good Doctor that, when I wake-up, I only know if it is time to rise by the sound of the birds - the hoot of the owl changes to the coo of the doves! If there is no birdsong, I stay put! Having served the good people of East Dulwich (and beyond) all week, and availed myself of the booster jab yesterday, I am back in Amberley awaiting the arrival of my future brother-in-law (and his fiancée) who are coming to inspect the cottage and have luncheon at 'The Sportsman Inn' just down the lane. Then we are off to London for a party to celebrate the birthday of Lady Ange, whom many of you will know as the head of our mail-order dept but who is also a very old friend. How old, nobody really knows - it is rumoured that she sailed on the Titanic, and while she remains tight-lipped on the subject I have noticed that she never takes ice in her G&T! This week I wanted to feature some stocking fillers that may be small but are beautifully put together. Gifting should be about thoughtful selection rather than the amount spent. It is so much nicer to receive things that people have really put some effort into - it makes one feel special. I am getting better at this, but Lawrence was a master and I have several friends who also excel - for example we received a very smart 'Amberley' fridge magnet (it covers the Zanussi logo perfectly!) and a walker's pub-guide to the South Downs from the lovely Jo as a moving in present - kind, thoughtful and... well, perfect. And so to the gifts..... Shop Now - Handmade Cotton Face Mask - £12.00 I am kicking off with facemasks - controversial as a gift perhaps, but stay with me! Now I have resisted stocking them to date, however the C-word doesn't appear to be going away and so my reasoning is that if one must wear a mask, then wear something chic! Our masks have been hand-made for us by the very talented Martina (a theatrical costume designer) from the Japanese fabric that I purchased in Paris. I am calling the collection 'Kabuki Ninja' for they are both glam and theatrical! They are also very effective as have 4 layers of fabric (so nothing is getting through), are lovely and warm and have tiny beads at the ears to loosen or tighten the elastic so that they fit snugly. Two of them are very 'geisha' (cherry blossom/cranes), while the other is a more unisex blue and I have been sporting this all week - it's quite debonair ! Shop Now - Cotton & Wool Mix Scarf - £20.00 Our cotton/wool mix scarves are HUGE, so they trap lots of air and are warm in winter and can be used as a wrap in the summer. Lovely colours too. Shop Now - Coasters - From £2.00 Coasters are a must in our cottage - my mother instilled it in me NEVER to put a drink down without one and she is a very wise woman. We have round, white marble - sooooo sophisticated - or, for the those that favour recycled products, coasters that are made from plastic bottles (these can be popped in the washing machine if, like me, you make a ring of red wine!). I have chosen some really vibrant colours to make the table sing!   Shop Now - Recycled Glass Vase - Tall - £15.99 Shop Now - Recycled Glass Vase - Round - £13.99 Equally dazzling are our new, 100% recycled, glass vases in lemon, lime and mandarin! The glass is textured - it looks like it has been given a half-twist, resulting in a wave-like pattern. We have a tall, elegant version or a smaller, curvaceous rendering. Shop Now - 4711 - (EdC) 25ml - £10.00 Shop Now - Caldey Island - Caldey Island Cologne for Men (EdC) 100ml - £20.00 Shop Now - Jean d'Aigle - Splash Cologne Collection 250ml - £18.00 We do have some excellent fragrances at a modest price, including the original 'watch' bottle of the legendary cologne 4711 which was created in 1793 (Lady Ange may well have been at the launch party). The monks of Caldey Island make a tremendous cologne for gentlemen, with notes of spice, incense and musk, or choose from our gorgeous cologne splashes from the South of France, including a warm amber, cool lavender, heavenly rose and a fabulously fresh fougère! Shop Now - Luxury French Linen 'Bon Apetit' Napkin - £10.50 Shop Now - Bird Pie Funnel in Tin - £6.75 Shop Now - Egg Coddler - £19.00 For foodies, what could beat a 'Bon Appetit' napkin from France - trés chic! Or perhaps the classic, blackbird pie-funnel in a charming little tin! Egg Coddlers are a go-to gift of mine as they are such fun to play with - the GD and I are quite adept now and we have some great recipes on our website. Once you have kissed and coddled, there's no going back to plain boiled eggs! Shop Now - Luxury Soap - £6.95 Shop Now - Bamboo Soap Dish - £6.99 Shop Now - Natural Sea Sponge - From £20.00 For lovers of luxury (and those with a glamorous bathroom!) I would proffer soaps in gold, platinum or black - these are tinted all the way through, so always look perfect on the soap dish! Speaking of which, our bamboo soap dish is very useful indeed and skandi-simple so will fit into almost any interior. And finally, a natural (farmed), sea sponge to indulge the bathing belles! Shop Now - Doggy Poo-chette - £14.00 And let us not forget dog-lovers (and Amberley is the epicentre of canine ardor!) for we have the cute, yet cheeky, poo-chettes which will attach to belt or lead! Well, I suppose I must get up now and make the cottage respectable for our guests - and myself come to think of it! It's a hectic w/e but that is the fun of the festive season - it's all go! I shall need a long, lie-down in 2022. I will leave you with pictures of our latest acquisitions - the interior is coming together quite nicely! The impressionist, still-life is from the 1960's and came from our favourite antique shop called '24' in Arundel (do take a look if you are passing - they have excellent taste!) and the Serpentine Chest-On-Chest is from Wales and means that I finally have drawers to call mine own! Right - onwards and upwards! Wishing you all a very jolly sojourn, Michael x