Our gorgeous Pearl Tag Bracelet is this week’s Deal of the Week. Normally £29.95, at huge 25% off, it is now £22.46, and a perfect Mother’s Day Gift. Be sure to get yours quickly, the offer is only valid until midnight this Sunday and only whilst stocks last.

Pearl Tag Bracelet

Special Offer: Now £22.46

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 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

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.

The sun is shining!!! We’re all in such good spirits here at The Handpicked Collection HQ, we’ve been thinking of the best ways to make the most of all of this beautiful weather. We’ve checked the Met Office website and it looks like the sunshine is pretty much UK-wide, so hopefully we won’t catch too many people with a rainy corner for the Easter holidays.

What better way to encourage activity in the great outdoors than with our rather impressive Den Kit. Aimed at girls and boys of about 9-12, the kit contains all you need to make mini Bear Grylls out of your offspring. It comes with tarpaulin, groundsheet and rope to fashion your dream den, metal tent pegs and a mallet to keep it all in place, netting and camouflage paint to disguise yourself and your den. Oh, and metal mug for good cuppa once construction’s finished. If it all sounds a bit daunting, we’ve thrown in some instructions for good measure.

What better way to spend a sunny day in the Easter Holidays? Don’t forget The Handpicked Collection has lots of inspired Easter Gifts and also great outdoor games to keep everyone happy.

These are frames which you attach to the wall, they have openings in the top deep enough to slot in several different artworks at one time. They are made from minimalist, white-painted wood. You can add the most recent addition to the front of your collection.

The childrens art frames would make wonderful Mother’s Day Home Gifts. The Handpicked Collection has lots of other lovely Mother’s Day gift ideas.

The frames are available in A4 single, double or triple sizes, so more than one child can have a designated picture frame for their work. NEW is the A3 single size.

Lavender-Filled Silk Eye Mask £14.95

This is surest way to ensure a good nights sleep. The eye mask has soft silk to comfort tired eyes and is filled with lavender flowers; their scent is so soothing to help you drift off. Handpicked Collection also has a lovely range of mothers day pampering gifts.

Mum’s Vintage Apron £18.95

Our apron has a happy 50’s print with old style kitchens and bright colours. The pretty frill adds a retro touch and the tie round the middle ensures a snug fit. Mums will love this or check our whole range of kitchen gifts and kitchen essentials.

We started stocking our pretty Carolyn Sheffield Elephant Cachepots last summer. They came into our collection because we thought they’d be the perfect housewarming gift or hostess gift. The classic designs have been around for years and though they match the current interior trend for muted colours, they are also timeless and the elephant offers some individuality when displayed. It would make a lovely mothers day gift too.

Pop your potted plant into either the small or large Cachepot (literally meaning ‘hide pot’) to hide unsightly and grubby flowerpots.

When we bought our little Lily of the Valley plant last year for our Photo Shoot, we had to go back to buy another two because everyone wanted them in their homes. We got them from the little flower stall They smell divine and are really easy to look after. And of course, once you have a pot plant, you need a Carolyn Sheffield Elephant Cachepot!

We love the innovative Candelabra either standing alone or several looped together. Handpicked panelist, Thomasina Miers, suggested lopping several down a dining table with greenery intertwined for a beautiful centerpiece. We’d love to try this with pretty flowers too.

Black + Blum manufacture and design their products with modern city dwellers and space saving in mind; at Handpicked we’ve chosen products that we think can inject a feature piece into any setting.

The Black + Blum Fruit Loop is, like the others, smart and minimalist in some backgrounds, but in others, can add just a shiny modern touch to more rustic kitchens and fit equally as well.

These make gorgeous gifts for housewarmings or Mother’s Day. The Handpicked Collection has lots of lovely ideas for Mother’s Day Gifts.

Jo says ‘The Bookends sit in my husband’s study with photos of our children that we had taken. They are a great addition to the room as they break up the books and add different levels. I love that they can be used portrait or landscape. He really appreciated the gift.’

Natasha says ‘The Photo Tray comes with a mount underneath the top sheet of glass. The mount is perfect for smart photos but for a more personalised and artistic approach, try making a collage the whole surface of the tray. Using a mixture of postcards, theatre tickets and photos works well. Theming your collage around a holiday is a great way of preserving memories.’

Each is an alternative gift for Valentine’s Day and putting photos in of your children or your favourite holiday will make a lasting impression. Both can be used to cherish special memories of your loved one and so are a lovely way to celebrate a relationship.

Handpicked Collection has lots of Valentine’s Day Gifts to choose from. Don’t worry, there’s still time to get for Monday 14th February; choose Next Day delivery before 2pm tomorrow (Friday 11th).