The Handpicked Blog » Gift Ideas

What women really want

Heather King — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:52:34 +0000

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!

The Ginger Pig Meat Book & New Hawksmoor Moorgate

Heather King — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:37:05 +0000

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

Have you shopped our Big Summer Sale yet?

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:52:30 +0000

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.

Handpicked Wedding Gifts

Heather King — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:43:08 +0000

Wedding season seems to have been really amplified this year. We loved seeing the photos from Kate Moss’s three day wedding party. From the Galliano, vintage-inspired dress, the McCartney-clad bridesmaids and the fantastic rumours flying around (our favourite: that Moss had hired naked muscle men sporting tattoos of the happy couple’s faces to welcome the guests), it really did sound like a night to remember.

Lily Allen, a few weeks before, made it on the front page of The Sunday Times and topped off her wedding day glow by showing off her baby bump under her (also vintage lace) dress created by Delphine Manivet.

Carelessly, Royal Mail lost our invitations to both of these events, but we’ve been speculating from the Handpicked range of wedding gifts; what is the perfect wedding present?

Proving to be a Handpicked favourite from our new summer collection, is our Personalised Olivewood Bread & Chopping Board. Our designers can carve whatever word you would like into the pretty marbled olive wood. Last names and house names have proved popular so far. The rectangular Olivewood Bread and Chopping Board measures 15cm by 30cm. It comes in a gift bag, wrapped in some pretty tissue and grosgrain ribbon.

A long-standing preferred choice from our Wedding Presents section is our Silver-Plated Ice Buckets. Our silver Ice Buckets are made of hammered silver plate so are practically indestructible. The hardy leather strap will make easy work of trips to the garden for outside parties and will wear well with use. Our Silver-Plated Ice Bucket’s good looks will add glamorous sparkle to a dining table. Please note that the tongs are not included, it does come in a smart gift box.

Party Style and Birthday Gifts

Heather King — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:27:39 +0000

To create perfect atmosphere and make your event extra special, we’ve expanded our Party Style collection. Whether you are preparing a dinner party for a few friends, or throwing a garden party for lots, we’ve got all the accessories to make it picture perfect. Have a look at our mini sparklers, party dishes and paper chains for inspiration. It’s the putting-together of the little details that make the difference after all. Our favourite tip of the moment is to use colourful or sparkling tea light holders with flowers as well as candles. Our range of colours of our flower dotted metallic tea lights has an ethnic feel, and the inside glasses can be removed and used as a mini vase whilst leaving the metal part for your tea light. Set off some Chinese Floating Lanterns and you’ll have your guests oohing and aahing in all the right places.

If you’re going to a party instead of throwing one, don’t forget to check out our range of fabulous birthday gifts.

18th Birthday & 21st Birthday Gift Ideas

Heather King — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:33:57 +0000

We love hunting down gifts for any occasion. The Handpicked Collection’s range of birthday gifts has been steadily growing since our launch. We’re confident that no matter who you have to buy for, be it a tiny toddler, tricky teen or grumpy grandparent, we’ve got a gift for them that can be anything you need it to be. Our range of personalised gifts will stand out from the crowd and show that you really have put some thought into the birthday present you are giving.

18^th birthday presents and 21^st birthday presents celebrate significant milestones; with the help of our panel we’ve picked a selection of special gifts including jewellery or a style consultation for the girls and smart leather version of the addictive betting game Perudo for boys. Or how about a cool classic like the now famous Roberts Revival Radio?

The Handpicked Collection has lots of birthday gift ideas for all ages.

Unusual Father’s Day Gifts and Congratulations to Thornback & Peel, Purveyors of beautiful Rabbits

amandafox — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:57:15 +0000

We travel far and wide to find our suppliers, and are always interested to hear about their new products. One of our quirkiest ranges is produced by eccentrically English company Thornback & Peel. We’ve stocked their beautiful screenprinted designs since our launch, and their men’s handkerchiefs are fab Father’s Day gifts – and we’ve plenty more where that came from! But back to Thornback & Peel because congratulations are in order. The company scooped a Best Gift Award at the prestigious Pulse gift and interior accessories trade show for their Rabbit and Cabbage tea towel. It’s gorgeous, and we have the same print in a deckchair format. We hadn’t thought of using it to dry the dishes, but now that the rain is falling down the award has reminded me to rescue my own deckchairs from the quagmire that is my garden.

Handpicked Collection have lots of other thoughtful and unusual Fathers Day presents.

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

amandafox — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:42:56 +0000

He’s a soppy soul, the modern dad. Happy to change nappies (70% of dads in the developed world get busy with the baby wipes as often as mums, according to Pampers – and they should know), keen to take over night feeds, and always taking time off for Nativity Plays. Pre-paternity leave dads might scoff, but it’s now a badge of blokey honour to weep copiously at a child’s birth and maybe even know a child’s shoe size. OK, I don’t actually know a father who even knows which shoes his children might need on any given day, but the message we’re getting from our customers is that dads are no longer in the dark ages when it comes to looking after their children.

When we launched The Handpicked Collection we quickly realised that men enjoyed a bit of spoiling just as much as women. So we put together a carefully chosen selection that comes into its own as Father’s Day gifts. We’ve over 100 presents for men to choose from, including Personalised Father’s Day gifts, so that you can make your present every bit as special as he is.

As well as the surprising research about nappies (Pampers, is it really true?) one thing that has surprised us is the product that has become our number one best-selling Father’s Day gift. For a while it looked as though the Wall-Mounted Wine Rack would win the day. Then the Personalised Ale started being gratefully quaffed. But the gift that has won the day is our British-made Gin & Tonic Shower Gel. Completely alcohol-free and surprisingly refreshing, perhaps it proves that fatherhood makes men more sober and responsible citizens!

Father’s Day Gifts – Travel Photo Album

Heather King — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:18:43 +0000

We’ve got all stations covered with The Handpicked Collection’s range of unique Father’s Day gifts.

One of our favourite Fathers Day gifts is our sleek Travel Photo Album to carry your home. When we introduced this to our collection we had travelling in mind. We’d give this to dads who are off jetsetting around the world on business trips. Adding your own photos will be a great way to personalise your gift. Our Travel Photo Album is slim enough to be slipped into a briefcase and is made of recycled leather. There’s space for 36 photos in our Travel Photo Album, plenty of room to add a couple of photos of your own then let dad fill it up with photos that have yet to be taken. It takes 4” x 6” photos.

The Handpicked Collection has lots of other Father’s Day gifts including a whole range of Personalised Father’s Day gifts which includes cufflinks and a keyring display any photo or piece of children’s artwork that you like.

Backpack Picnic Set

Heather King — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:28:25 +0000

Call us optimistic, but we’re still waiting to see this heat wave that everyone keeps talking about. As summer is fast approaching, we’ll need to get our picnic gear all sorted out soon. Our new summer collection saw the introduction of a whole range of really useful melamine plates, bowls and salad bowls but our bestseller from last year is our Backpack Picnic Set £29.95.

This fantastically useful piece of kit comes with plates, cutlery and plates enough for two, as well as salt and pepper shakers and a bottle opener. There are two compartments, one where all this kit packs neatly away and another insulated section for all your bottles and Tupperware (no-one likes soggy egg mayo after all).

Though we’re all after them ourselves, the Backpack Picnic Set would make a great and unusual wedding gift or a wonderful present for people who love the great outdoors.

The Handpicked Collection has lots of great picnic and outdoor entertaining as well as lots of gardening gifts.