Number 4 on the checklist? Build a den. Parents can get a head-start ticking off the list with The Handpicked Collection’s bestselling Real Adventure Outdoor Den Kit. The kit comes in a rugged camouflage bag and includes all the necessary garb for a hideaway worthy of Bear Grylls himself. Tarpaulin, groundsheet, mallet, rope, camouflage paint, webbing haversack, tent pegs, metal mug, instructions and hours of fun, all for just £29.95!

Click on the image below to see the full list. How many have you done?

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

Congratulations to all the other nominees and winners from the evening too.

Another of our must-reads is Wallpaper*, the achingly hip publication that lets you know what you’ll be driving, wearing, holidaying in and reading months, or even years, before you finally do it. So when Wallpaper*’s Digital Director Kay McMahon, who DJs in her spare time as Special Kay (geddit?), gave the heads up on some of her favourite sites, we were all over it.

Contemporist – I started getting addicted to modernist design blogs when I started doing my own house renovation. I defy you to spend five minutes on on this site and not find something that tickles your fancy. If you don’t, clearly we have very different opinions on design!

Obsessilicious – I’ve probably bookmarked hundreds of design-related fan blogs (as opposed to advertising generating design sites) but this is the one I keep going back to. It’s well curated, well written and I never get tired of looking at the photos that chair obsessive ‘Griffo’ posts.

CycleStreets – Most of the people who work at Wallpaper* are into cycling. I hadn’t even ridden a bike in London before I started working here. This site helps plan a fast, balanced or quiet route anywhere in the UK.

ffffound – The ultimate image bookmarking site. There are others, but ffffound focuses on design in all its wonderful forms and throws up hundreds of images – with no context, making discoveries a little random. It’s a refreshing way to get visual stimulus.

Heads Down – So many music sites, so little time. This one is great to dip into as the ‘edit’ is always bang on, not only the selection of mixes to wrap your ears around, but the interviews with various DJ heroes are always intriguing.

Yes, it is cheaper than a weekend overseas but these beauties aren’t for the faint hearted. There’s no running water and no electricity. So bring your Pump Up Penguin Torches and book a few days in a nice hotel afterwards so you can hose yourself off.

We also heard about the Gypsy Caravan Company through Dorset Cereals who are doing a competition to win one of two like this one:

Third prize is a Single Striped Lawn Lounger from Handpicked Collection. Exactly the same one that we were raving about yesterday.

Also here is a link to Sheer Luxe have about gifts for goddaughters featuring Handpicked Collection.

Coloured indeed they are, I have a bright yellow one and a bright pink one at home. The pink in the photo we have is not accurate. The colours are very jolly and the beauty of a ceramic knife is that the blade doesn’t dull if you put them in a dishwasher as stainless steel knives do. These little knives are super sharp and stay that way too.

At £5.95 a pop, what’s not to love?

Click here to read Handpicked Collection’s interview of Kaye Thorne – founder of Hot Brands Cool Places. And click here to see Handpicked’s founder Jo McGivern interviewed by Hot Brands Cool Places.

Woman & Home magazine offered women who had recently started a business the chance to benefit from a mentor session with the mega-successful Jo Malone. I was invited to a studio in central London for a photo session, and got the chance to ask her a bundle of questions. The answers were really interesting, and gave me lots of inspiration for The Handpicked Collection.

From Jo, I learned some lovely tips on retaining the small company feel as your business grows, both from a customer point of view and staff. Even when her business was huge and selling internationally, she was in touch with all levels of staff and was non-hierarchical. I have a close relationship with all our team at the moment as we are small, and it was great to hear that she managed to continue great relationships when her business grew. She gave me tips such as keeping closely involved at all levels as much as possible. For example, making sure I regularly spoke to customers when they called so that I could learn about what they were ordering, and what they liked and didn’t like about the company. Our customers are the most important thing to us so, as we grow, we never want to lose touch with what they are feeling or saying.

I also discovered that feeling exhausted while running a business was all part of the course! Jo was extremely friendly, very helpful, and really generous with her time. I’m now more addicted than ever to her products, particularly the Jo Malone white jasmine and mint bath oil.

Click here or on the image below to see the full article.