www.handpickedcollection.com

Extracted from The Virgin Gardener by Laetitia Maklouf

This not just for the realm of the ultra-organised. Wreaths are deliciously easy to make and welcome you in to your own home after a long day at work, which is delightfully self-respecting and cheery

TIMING: Winter

YOU WILL NEED: A good armful of evergreen foliage. This could, of course, be holly, but pine, cedar, fir, juniper, box, bay, eucalyptus, sage and even magnolia or camellia are all possibilities. Either get this from a flower market or your own garden, or beg from a kind neighbour.

Strong scissors or secateurs

A roll of thin wire – like copper but preferably black or green.

A wreath form – available from some florists, markets and art or DIY stores – or you could make your own, like I do, using think wire, fastening the ends with thin wire.

Wire cutters

METHOD: First you have to make lots of little sprigs our of your greenery. Snap off small pieces of foliage – 10-15cm long and wire them together into a think little bundle. Make lots of these bundles and then begin adding them to your wreath by laying each bundle along the length of the wreath from and tightly wrapping it with wire from halfway up its length to the bottom. Don’t cut the wire, but add another bundle, using the top of this second bundle to hide the bottom half of the previous one, and carry on winding the wire around this bundle until you reach the bottom of it, at which pint add another and so on until you have covered everything. This is your basic wreath and you can either adulterate if with whatever turns you on or leave it as it is.

MY FAVOURITE ADORNMENTS: Obviously berries are a must for some, and you can go down the classic route with holly or pyracantha berries, or use something else, such as rosehips. If you want to branch out a little, I suggest glass beads threaded onto wire, fruit such as dried citrus or pomegranates, kumquats, flowers poked into the foliage such as amaryllis, or anything blowsy that you can get from the garage, or nuts and acorns – either au naturel or sprayed gold or silver (bore holes in these with a very fine drill bit, and thread the wire through before attaching to the wreath) … You get the idea: once you have the basic wreath, the sky’s the limit.

Lastly, it’s sometimes nice to spray the whole thing white or silver with some florists spray to give it a snowy feel.

AND MORE: You can create garlands and swags in exactly the same way, either by making a frame out of the wire or – much simpler – by wiring your foliage to a length of rope that you’ve swagged around you fireplace or wherever. It’s lovely to do this with a aromatic foliage like bay, to get a nice heady fug going.

Buy the Virgin Gardener>>

The Virgin Gardener is wonderful inspiration for novice gardeners and those who’ve never really considered the delights of growing plants. It’s full of ideas, tips and ‘recipes’ for things to grow and ways to display flowers and plants. A truly delightful book will work as well as a hard working reference book as a bath-time inspirational read. We highly recommend it. Laetitia Maklouf is our newest Expert Panel member and we’re delighted to welcome her to Handpicked. An accidental gardener who discovered her passion when encountering an old seed packet at the back of a cupboard, Laetitia went on to write The Virgin Gardener and co-present Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh.

Last month Pippa Middleton attended the Boodles Boxing Ball in a beautiful Temperley London dress accompanied by a glittery gold clutch, one and the same as our gold Wilbur and Gussie Clutch.

Buy the Gold Wilbur & Gussie Clutch from The Handpicked Collection>>

Christmas is a time of fun and frolics, delicious food and getting together with friends. It can also be a season of stress as you watch the clock count down and think you’ll never have enough time to get everything done. So to help you enjoy the festivities we asked Lorraine from the Party Times, the online magazine for Party Pieces, for her top tips on hosting a magical Christmas party.

1. First impressions count…

Welcome family and neighbours by lighting pathways with tealight garden lanterns, LED light sticks and fairy lights wrapped round tree trunks or branches. Meet guests with a beautiful red berry wreath and windows decorated with silver snowflake cut-outs, reindeers and Christmas trees using snow spray. Then as they enter inside beautiful displays of cross stitch Christmas paper chains fill all the empty spaces and fairy lights brighten the fireplace.

2. Sprucing up the tree …

A tree full of glistening lights and an array of colourful decorations heightens wonder and expectation around Christmas. Colourful red decorations will stand out against dark green trees. Pick out timeless and unusual decorations with a nostalgic touch, and add a few edible chocolate treats and candy cane sticks to keep younger members of the family happy. Save any spare fir branches from the tree for napkin decorations or to add above the fireplace. Look out for make your own angel or Christmas decoration kits for a fun weekend activity to do with children and a perfect creative accessory for the top of the tree.

3. ‘Tis the season to be baking …

Cookies and biscuits are great additions to a family Christmas and children will love helping you make them. Look out for shaped cookie cutter sets in stars, reindeer, snowflake or Christmas tree designs. Store your baked treats in tins and hand them out to friends who drop by, served with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Hang biscuits on the tree by piercing a hole and threading pretty ribbons through them, or wrap in cellophane, tie with curling ribbon and hand out as end of term gifts.

Other wonderful festive treats include Christmas popcorn (caramelized and dusted with cinnamon) chocolate snowball truffles (coated in desiccated coconut) or chunks of gooey marshmallow-filled rocky road. Hand these out as end of term gifts or to family members in festive Christmas party boxes.

4. A gingerbread house …

Create a Scandinavian fairytale gingerbread house that’s literally good enough to eat. Not only will it look and smell appealing, it will bring out everyone’s inner child. Get your children to help build and decorate it, then put it on a windowsill or use as a table centrepiece, adorned with hundreds of sweets.

5. All dressed up …

Christmas themed tablecloths do all the ‘dressing’ aspect for you, and with so much colour in the print you just need to add a centrepiece. When opting for a more traditional table setting with plain red partyware, greens and whites, then choose decorative cotton napkins, fun placemats and novelty place card holders. Fill bowls with colourful treats such as candy cane, peppermints and other shiny wrapped treats (Roses or Quality Streets look fabulous).

Alternatively, arrange festive baubles in vases or on tiered cake stands alongside delicious treats. You can then arrange candles and nightlights at differing heights to create a dramatic and cosy atmosphere. Red crystal gems and snowflake confetti scattered in blank spaces on the table will glisten and catch the light, evoking a sense of enchantment.  And don’t forget rocking Rudolph party poppers, chocolates and make-your-own party crackers – a few essentials that make a big difference.

6. Winter brews …

Hot chocolate ganache sticks stirred into mugs of warm milk are wonderful seasonal treats for the family. Then top your steamy brews with frothy cream or mini marshmallows – heaven on a cold wintry night. Yet nothing fills a house with festive aroma faster than mulled apple simmering on top of the stove. Children will love drinking this too (without the alcohol) and can help prepare the apples, studding them with cloves.

7. A flicker of an idea …

At this time of year everything seems to gleam, so fill your house with lots of tiny lights such as green Christmas fairy lights. Fairy lights play an essential part and can be draped from beams, twisted round staircases and hung around door frames for a winter sparkle. Rustic rattan reindeers nestled in a corner and wrapped with fairy lights look stunning and magical. Light your Yule log or homemade cupcakes with angel flames – candles with a party piece of their own! When lit their flames burn red, blue and green creating a magical effect that children will go crazy about!

Tie star LED illoom balloons (filled with helium) onto the backs of chairs using curling ribbon or tie them in clusters around the room.

8. Shop online …

Make life easy and buy your children’s Christmas presents online. This will eliminate aimless shopping trips and mean you won’t have problems trying to hide their gifts while you’re out shopping with them. Write a gift list and a budget before you shop online, otherwise it’s easy to get carried away.

9. Wrap, tie & tag …

Try to wrap all your gifts as far in advance as possible, this will make you feel more organised. Look out for Christmas tissue paper, perfect for wrapping stocking-fillers and use red curling ribbon for a special touch. You can add ribbons, tags and bows later on, but label with sticky notes so you don’t forget what’s what. Chic satin ribbon can add colour to the simplest wrapping paper and can be used to tie around napkins or to hang decorations. Run out of gift tags? Cut up old Christmas cards into gift-size tags and use them instead.

10. Don’t leave it to the last minute …

Brainstorm all the jobs you need to do in preparation for Christmas and put them up on your pinboard at home. Mark off the jobs as you do them and give yourself an extra day to get everything done. Think what food you can prepare in advance (things like sauces, brandy butter etc), what you can freeze, and try to avoid the supermarkets during the weekday evening rush and at weekends. It’s always useful to update your address book in preparation for sending out Christmas cards. You could always get your computer-savvy child to help you type out all the addresses to avoid having to use your scribbled out address book.

A few special touches …

Buy a few small things that will make your Christmas celebrations extra special. Things like edible glitter will add sparkle and shimmer to cupcakes, biscuits and festive popcorn, and children will love the magical element it brings. A pack of sky lanterns and a wonderball party favour game or snowball splatter game hidden away and brought out on Christmas day will add a special touch, and if you don’t use them they’ll be perfect for New Year parties too. Shaped sugar lumps in fun festive shapes such as mistletoe, fir branch and pinecone are thoughtful additions for after-dinner coffee and guests will love them.

Last but not least …

Fill Santa treat bags with little surprises as going home gifts. Arrange the gifts on a tray and keep them hidden before going home time! Have a few spare for siblings and helpers.

Ryan Stanier, Director of The Other Art Fair handpickeds his favourite gifts from The Handpicked Collection. Our Mr Messy Mug (£5.95), Sandstorm Odyssey Weekend Bag (£124.95), Green Alpaca Socks (£34.95) and the Family Croquet Set (£25.95).

Ryan’s experience running successful fairs spans across fashion, wine and art. Working on London Fashion Week, The Wine Show and the British International Motor Show he left to set up a pop-up art gallery enabling young artists the opportunity to showcase their work in the Covent Garden Gallery. Following  it’s success he set his sights higher by founding The Other Art Fair, London’s first fully curated artist led-fair giving some of the UK’s most exciting young, artists a platform to showcase their work to a wider audience.

We’re very pleased to offer our customers a special offer on tickets to London’s newest and most exciting art fair. The Other Art Fair will showcase 100 of the best and brightest of young, emerging and unrepresented artists and you can get two tickets for the price of one as a Handpicked customer.  We’ve also got 10 invitations to the exclusive private view on the 24^th which we will hand out on a first come, first served basis…if you’re keen email heather@handpickedcollection.com asap!

Visit www.theotherartfair.com and type HANDPICKED.

Did you see us in The Daily Mail this weekend? Our new Personal Library Kit was featured in the front of Saturday’s magazine.

Personal Library Kit £11.95
It is frustrating to lend books and never see them again. With this kit, both you and the borrower will be able to keep tabs on whose it is / who has it. And don’t we all have ‘Shhhh’ fantasies about being the librarian doing the stamping?

Handpicked because: Helps you keep tabs on your library.

Give it to: The ‘forgetful’ member of your book club.

As the founder of SheerLuxe, the ultimate online shopping guide, Georgie Coleridge Cole is the ideal person to reveal what girls really want.

If you’re her other half then don’t buy things that are secretly for you. She does not want a Sky Sports subscription when she isn’t interested in sport. Feigning interest in the World Cup doesn’t count.

Her taste may be different from yours so don’t assume just because you like something she will too. If in doubt ask one of her best friends.

Don’t rush. Spend some time thinking about what she enjoys, might need and like to open. “It’ll do” is not the answer. If you’re not excited at the prospect of her opening it, it probably needs more thought.  Imagine yourself handing over your present. Are you already apologising for it? If you are you’ve probably got it wrong.

There’s nothing wrong with asking what she?d like. Don’t get her to buy and wrap it, though.

Women do not want novelty jumpers, nor do they want you to buy them clothes that are too fashionable (they’ll decide on the direction they want to go in, thank you) or too tight.  Handpicked’s poncho is glamorous, spoiling but likely to fit and suit  almost anyone.

Five Way Cashmere Poncho

Cashmere Poncho

Avoid household objects like rubber gloves or  new saucepans unless she specifically asks for them. Presents are supposed to be enjoyable. Washing  up is not.

A coffee table book or hardback cook book make lovely gifts, but avoid novels unless you specifically know of authors or genres she enjoys.

Jane Packer's Flower Course

Give pretty things for her home that she might not truly need or feel that she can justify buying for herself.   Silver Jug (below left).

Listen. Women drop hints ALL the time so pay attention. Email yourself or write a note whenever she mentions she needs something or you might forget when shopping time comes around.

Plan carefully and put some time aside to research what you want to buy. Don’t rush to one shop at the last minute in a panic and buy any old thing. Read what people on The Handpicked Collection’s panel, who might have something in common with the recipient, recommend.

Silver-Plated Jug

Try not to get the same thing every year. If you gave her bath stuff last year, think of something else. Remember that if she says don’t get me anything, she actually means do…

Wrap your gift beautifully. Half of  the fun is unwrapping something lovely –  if you’re not great  at it, pay someone  else to do it for you.

And finally, keep  the receipt!

Have you come across the Ginger Pig Meat Book yet? In our new catalogue, we feature this King of Recipe books alongside our new Juice Collection Carving Tray, a great gift combo for chefs and meat-lovers. This hearty tome, created by the highly celebrated meat producers of Yorkshire, Tim Wilson and Fran Warde, has won multiple awards and become famous for recommending the best breeds, cuts of meat, styles of cooking and has a big emphasis on where meat comes from and how to get the most out of it.

Fan of the movement is the team at Hawksmoor who use Ginger Pig produce in their restaurants in Seven Dails and Spitalfields. Claimed in many notable places as The Best Steak In London, the company is opening its third branch at Moorgate.

Hawksmoor Guildhall, a British Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar, will open on Monday 31^st October and will be open daily from 7am to cater not only to carnivorous (and beautifully reared) Ginger Pig lovers, but also to early morning breakfast goers. Included on the menu are bourbon-infused cornflake milkshakes and marmalade martinis.

We quite fancy one, but if you’d rather see how to make the meat yourself, The Ginger Pig comes highly recommended from us (and The Best Steak In London).

Hawksmoor Guildhall
10-12 Basinghall Street
Moorgate
The City
London
020 7397 8120
EC2V 5BQ

http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk

Witch’s Hat
• Paint four sheets of newspaper black. When dry, roll one sheet into a cone about 16 inches high and tape together, holding the cone shape in place. Then cut the bottom edges until it stands flat on a table, creating a fringe effect.
• Next cut several pieces of red, orange or green crepe paper into strands, to create the hair, and tape the ends to the inside of the cone.
• Using the other three sheets of newspaper for the hat brim – roll the outer edges in to create a circle, taping them in place. Trace around the cone bottom onto the centre of the brim you have just made, and then divide the circle into quarters, cutting along the centre lines. Push the cone up through the brim and tape in place.
• Cut out a cardboard buckle, cover with foil and tape to the front of the hat.

Dracula’s Cape
• This is very easy to make. Take a black bin bag and on one side split it up the seam all the way to the top. On the other side cut a hole in the corner big enough for your child to pop their head through. Make sure your child is wearing a white shirt and black trousers to complete the look.

Headless Ghoul
• To create that whaoo effect, dress your child in a oversized duffel coat, zip the coat all the way to the top hiding their head inside the body of the jacket. Also give them a flash light and a tape-recorder full of spooky sounds for them to play from within the coat.

Ghostly Monsters
• Use white face paint, cover your child’s face, neck, ears and hands and use a white swimming hat over their hair. Then use orange peel to create the teeth and black eyeliner to add scars. To finish the look, dress your child in white or black clothes and cover in talcum powder.

Frankenstein’s Feet
• Take two shoe boxes or small cardboard boxes, paint them black and cut holes in the top for your child’s feet to fit through. To keep the shoe lid attached to the box bind with black electrical tape – it’s great fun watching them walk.

Ideas courtesy of http://www.perform.org.uk/

Do you ever take a moment to think about your safety and whether you’re doing all you can to protect yourself from crime?  Have you ever considered how you might react if faced with a nightmare situation?

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s annual National Personal Safety Day aims to raise awareness of simple, practical measures that everybody can take to avoid violence and aggression and live safer, more confident lives.  To mark the event, The Handpicked Collection will donate 15% from sales of our personal safety accessories for a whole week (Sunday 9 October to Sunday 16 October).

Why not take this opportunity to get a few Christmas presents that also offer peace of mind to your friends and family members?  You could be their own personal guardian angel!

	When under threat, women often find that they are unable to scream.  Named after the Hindu Goddess of Speech, “ila”, the alarms in the collection are designed to scream on their behalf in order to shock and disorientate an attacker or thief, and to attract attention.  The ila DUSK (£15) is a stylish charm that hangs conveniently from a handbag or backpack and, when activated by simply pulling the chain, emits an ear-piercing 130dB woman’s scream, giving precious seconds to get away.
	Most women get their keys out of their bags in advance of approaching the front door or car, so the ila PEBBLE (£9.95) key-ring alarm is literally on hand in case of an attack close to the home or vehicle.  The ila PEBBLE releases a 130dB siren.
	For enthusiastic joggers, the ila SPORT (£19.50) is a stylish pedometer, calorie counter and personal alarm.  Clipped unobtrusively to sports clothing, the ila SPORT is easily activated with one hand, and can be switched off to avoid false alarms.
	Whether at home or away, placed on the floor against the door inside a room, the innovative ila WEDGE (£14.95) emits a siren when activated, which will scare off a potential attacker or thief, warn the victim that they have an unwanted visitor and alert neighbours.
	The ila HOOK (£14.50) is a bag hook that attaches to any counter top or table, from which you can hang your bag so you can always keep it close at hand.  Also contains a built-in compact mirror. Please note: this product does not feature an alarm.
	The ila WORDLOCK (£6.95) locks with letters rather than numbers so you can set it to a memorable word.  TSA-approved, so luggage won’t be forced open by airport security in the US. Please note: this product does not feature an alarm.

A note about The Suzy Lamplugh Trust

In 1986 Suzy Lamplugh, a 25 year old estate agent, disappeared after she went to meet an unknown client.  So far her body has not been found.  She has been presumed murdered and legally declared dead.  Her parents, Paul and Diana Lamplugh, believed that Suzy was simply unaware of the possible dangers that individuals can face in society.  Paul and Diana founded the Trust to highlight the risks people face and to offer advice, action and support to minimise those risks.  The Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s mission is to raise awareness of the importance of personal safety and to provide solutions that effect change in order to help people to avoid violence and aggression and live safer, more confident lives.

For more information about National Personal Safety Day please visit www.suzylamplugh.org/npsd2011

Shop our Big Summer Sale>>

The weather may be taking a turn for the worse but there’s still time to brighten your day with one of our carefully chosen gift ideas at a special discounted price. Once all the things in our 75% off section won’t be coming back once we’ve run out of stock. Our Shining Knight Cufflinks are shaped like a Knight on a chessboard and are made of shiny silver rhodium, a wonderful gift for a man in your life.

There are some fantastic bargains on our jewellery; the best of which is our Charm Cluster Earrings, they come in a variety of semi-precious stones; rose quartz, amazonite and smokey quartz. The stones dangle prettily amongst Thai 925 silver charms of fish and flowers. These are at a huge 75% off, originally 34.95 and now £8.74.

Another piece of our jewellery at a quarter of the price is our String of Pearls. Again these come in three different varieties; wobbly pearl – this gives an interesting texture and is finished with a larger clear quartz stone, the rose quartz option is made with freshwater pearls, coin pearls, rose quartz beads patterned at intervals and finished with larger rose quartz baubles. Our smokey quartz with pearl necklace has a smoother finish, the string of white pearls looks lovely against the dark smokey quartz. We love these, they do not have a clasp but are meant to be wrapped round, twisted or tied to fasten them. These are at 75% off, they were £39.95 and are now £9.99. A perfect gift for a girl friend or family member.

The Big Summer Sale finishes midnight on Wednesday. The Handpicked Collection has lots of other great gift ideas.