Wee Birdy

London's best Christmas crackers: the charitable cracker

This is my third annual round-up of the best Christmas crackers around - both in London and online. I admit that I have a bit of a thing about this very English tradition, from the silly hats and jokes to the surprise trinkets that come tumbling out. I'll be profiling a new cracker each day this week, so stay tuned...

Cracker crib notes:
What? Purple Peacock Feather Crackers
From? Liberty.
How much? £29.95
The booty? Each of the six handmade crackers include ‘gift’-donations to a Variety Club charity, such as helping to pay for a sports wheelchair or giving a gift to a child in need. And for every box Liberty will donate £10 to the Charities Advisory Trust.

Christmas shopping nights in London – part 3

Here's my final round-up of London's best Christmas shopping sales, markets and events. Get your diaries ready and dig in...

3 December: Late Night Exmouth Market Christmas Shopping Extravaganza
Indulge in some mulled wine and nibbles while you consider your purchases from independent boutiques like EC One Jewellery, Family Tree (pictured below) and Clerkenwell Tales Bookshop. 5-9pm.

5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 21, 22 and 23 December: Pop up Christmas
If you’re in the Stoke Newington area, you might like to check out this Christmas market, which features a variety of brands and designers including Joseph Joseph, Pantone and Rude. You can also make merry with the requisite mulled wine and mince pies, along with Christmas carols and Father Christmas. Click here for more details.

12 December: Bust Craftacular
The Bust girls are back with their festive spectacular, offering over 60 stalls of crafty, handmade goodness. Shop to the sounds of ‘60s girl-pop courtesy of Sheila B, and try your luck at Tatty Devine’s Christmas Tree Tombola (can’t wait to see that one!). Keep an eye out for Belgium Waffle’s Cruel Tea stall, although prudish types may wish to avert their eyes. Adm £2. Click here for more details.

12 and 19 December: Of Cabbages and Kings Christmas market
This Stoke Newington market will be offering a host of festive treats, with refreshments from the Of Cabbages and Kings café. Look out for handmade wares by the likes of Edwyn UK (see below), Strikk handknits and Helen Rawlinson. Click here for more details.

12 December: The Mangle Xmas Sale
Tatty Devine, Rob Ryan and Amanda Fatherazi are just some of the big names to feature in this festive Shoreditch sale. Entrance is free and there will also be tea, cake and music. 11am-6pm. Click here for more details.

18, 19-22 December: Somerset House Super Christmas Market
If you’ve left Christmas shopping ‘til the last minute, here’s your chance pick up some great gifts of the non-high street variety from designers including Michael Marriott, Carl Clerkin and students from the Royal College of Art and Camberwell. Adm £2. Click here for more details.

Christmas shopping nights in London – part 2

 
As promised, here's part two of my Christmas shopping round-up, which actually includes quite a few fairs and fetes, so it's not strictly nights. Part three coming tomorrow...

1 December: Supermarket Sarah
Get stuck into the spoils of Portobello market courtesy of Supermarket Sarah, when she’ll be setting up shop in the Poke foyer of the Biscuit building on Redchurch Street. You’ll be able to shop online as well. Email [email protected] to get on the guest list. Click here for more details.

2, 9, 16, 23 December: Columbia Road Christmas Wednesdays
With the promise of mulled wine, mistletoe and mince pies, Columbia Road’s Christmas Wednesdays is one of the more romantic ways to shop for Christmas. Check out my write-up on last year’s event. Don’t miss some of my favourite independent boutiques, like Cerise, Ryantown and Lapin & Me. From 5-9pm.

3 December: Content Beauty Shoppping Night
Head over to London’s gorgeous organic beauty boutique for free makeovers, drinks and a hefty 20 per cent discount. RSVP to [email protected] as space is limited. Click here for more details.

3-6 December: East London Design Show
Boasting an impressive line-up of UK and International designer-makers, the ELDS is one of the biggest independent shopping events in London. I went along last year and picked up quite a few good Christmas presents – and took full advantage of many of the special deals and discounts on offer. Adm £4. Click here for more information.

3 and 11 December: Cheshire Street Late Night Shopping
As many of you will know, I have quite a soft spot for Cheshire Street and its lovely line-up of independent boutiques, including The Shop, Shelf and Labour and Wait. Head over to the East End and enjoy drink or two whilst you shop, and don’t miss Mimi and Dragana Perisic for special discounts on all purchases. From 6-10pm.

4-6 December: V&A Christmas shopping weekend
Stock up on arty Christmas gifts and enjoy 15 per cent off all purchases at the V&A shop this weekend. If you can’t make it over to the South Kensington museum in person, you can redeem the discount online by entering in ‘VAXMAS091’ into the offer code section when you come to the payment details screen.

5 December: We Make London Christmas Fair
Lots of local crafty goodness on offer here, from the likes of Fabric Nation, Beeb Design and London Clay Birds (love!). Pop along to Chelsea Town Hall for all the fun. Click here for more details.

5 December: Tea and Make (a great British Christmas fete)
Well worth the trip to Forest Hill in South-East London for this lovely little fete, offering an excellent variety of wares by the likes of Selvedge Magazine, Hannah Waldron and Polly George. There are also free craft workshops and fun stuff for kids. Click here for more details.

Christmas shopping nights in London – part 1

It’s that time of year again when I round up my favourite spots for Christmas shopping in London. There’s a plethora of events, markets, and shopping nights on offer this time around, from candlelight shopping on Cheshire Street to buying direct from the artisans at Cockpit Studios. With a focus on the hand-made, design-led and independent shops, here are my top picks (part two is coming tomorrow)...

26 November: One Night in November Xmas
This East London shopping night boasts an excellent line-up of designers including byGraziela (retro-style kids’ bedding), Studio Special (cool clocks) and Share the Feeling (stocking fillers handmade in Hackney). There will also be extra Christmas cheer by way of champagne, cupcakes and raffles. 7-10pm, Thursday 26 November, 20 St. Philip’s Road, E8 3BP.

 

26-29 November: Made in Clerkenwell at Craft Central
Buy direct from over 70 designers at the Craft Central studios, and take your pick from a variety of jewellery, fashion, homewares, ceramics, accessories and traditional crafts. Don’t miss The Design Pop-up Shop, which features Esther Coombs’ distinctive ceramics (see below). Click here for all the details. Adm £2.50.

26-29 November: Homeworks
This collective of designer-makers, including the likes of Made with Love by Mrs Booth, Petra Boase and Lou Rota (see below), will be holding a Christmas sale at the Twentieth Century Theatre in Notting Hill. Click here for all the details. Adm £1 for the Special Yoga Centre.

 
27-29 November: Hidden Art London Christmas Fair
Setting up shop at the Old Truman Brewery, the fair will offer up some great alternative gift options from around 60 UK designer-makers. Take advantage of a sustainable gift-wrapping service by Fabrications, and there will also be drop-in craft workshops for children. Click here for all the details.

27 November: Cockpit Arts Open Studio
Buy direct from the artisans at this open-studio event, held at both the Holborn and Deptford locations. Nosey around their studios and consider your purchases over a glass of mulled wine or two. Click here for all the details.

Wee find: Vintage Christmas decorations

There's been a real trend for nostalgic Christmas decorations this year, with all sorts of glitter-adorned glass reproduction baubles gleaming from department-store windows. But I quite fancy the real thing, like these vintage decorations from Primrose Hill shop Shikasuki.

The glass pine cones are Russian and date from the '40s and '50s, while the feather angels date from the '40s. There's also a great selection of '60s transparent baubles with miniature 3D scenes. Prices start at £3.50 for a bauble, with the larger angels priced at £35.

Shikasuki
67 Gloucester Avenue
Primrose Hill, London
NW1 8LD
Tel. 020 7722 4442
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am-7pm
Sunday Noon-7pm.