Wee Birdy

Wee Christmas finds: Top 3 stockings (and a grizzle at David Jones)

Did I tell you that I visited David Jones' Christmas shop last week? (David Jones' is a major Australian department store, kind of like John Lewis in the UK). I know it's unfair to compare DJs to Liberty's magnificent Christmas shop floor, but I couldn't help but be disappointed by the sad and overpriced stock on offer. Who is doing DJ's buying??? And whose great idea was it to hide the Christmas shop in a dim little room at the back of the fourth floor of the men's store? And where's the magic??? Any chance DJ's can entice Yasmin Sewell back to Sydney? She did a superb job at Liberty. Gawd, even I'd put my hand up for the job.

Anyway, it took me all of three minutes to do my rounds of the DJ's Christmas shop (good Christmas shops usually have me lingering in their magical wonderlands for at least half an hour), and it left me kinda cold and uninspired. So I headed back to the safety of my favourite shops online in search of Christmas stockings and found these three beauties:

UK designer Donna Wilson is white-hot at the moment, isn't she? She's featured quite a few times in my gift guides, and her homewares range is spot-in, with genuine hand-made charm, gorgeous colour palettes, and just the right kind of kookiness. Her hand-knitted Christmas stockings, above, are AU$40 from Third Draw Down.

Ahhh yes, you can trust good old Fortnum & Mason to deliver on the luxe goods, with this sumptuous velvet stocking hand-stitched with silver balls and a soft white cuff. It's pricey but it looks it. And it will last forever. £85 from Fortnum & Mason (ships internationally).

Toast: now that's a UK store that knows what it's doing. This knitted Fair Isle stocking (above and top of the post) is made with organic wool. Best of all, it's £9.50 (ships internationally).

Have you seen any other gorgeous stockings? Tell me about them in the comments.
Australian readers, what do you think of DJ's Christmas stuff this year?

Wee Christmas finds: Gifts for her

I'm on a roll compiling all my new wee finds into Christmas gift guides. Such fun! Here's one for the girls, starting at £6.75.

1. PPQ Letters SteamCream, £9.95, from Liberty (ships internationally).

2. 3.1 Phillip Lim printed silk-satin bralette, £99, and printed silk-satin shorts, £99, from Net-a-Porter (this links to the UK store, so be sure to select your own country before purchasing).

3. Philosophy limited edition Apricots and Cream shower gel, AU$38, from Mecca Cosmetica (ships to Australia and New Zealand).

4. Comfort and Joy by India Knight, £6.75, from Wee Birdy’s UK Amazon store (ships internationally).

5. Melly Rose gold small face Liberty knot watch, £55, from Liberty (ships internationally).

6. Kimono fabric mirrors, £9.95 each, from Muji.

7. ‘Use my beehive’ tea towel,  £11, by Donna Wilson (ships internationally).

8. Vivienne Westwood Chick & Gem Stone Egg brooch, £115, from Vivienne Westwood (ships internationally).

9. L'Artisan Parfumeur Nuit de Tubereuse EDP 100ml, £78, from Space NK.

10. Shall we Dance? by Maggie Alderson, AU$32.95, from Borders (free delivery within Australia). For international shipping, purchase from Readings.

11. Women’s necklace, £29, from Cos (instore only).

Wee Christmas finds: Gifts for romantics

My top picks of the best wee pretties around, starting at £10.

1. Charbonnel et Walker pink Marc De Champagne truffles (oh dear god, my favourites), £11.50, from Liberty (ships internationally).

2. D.L. & Co Le Pomme rose mini candle, £30, from Liberty (ships internationally).

3. Stella McCartney Knickers of the Week camisole, £65, from Net-a-Porter (this links to the UK store, so be sure to select your own country before purchasing).

4. Bourjois limited edition Paris-themed blush pots, AU$20, for Australian stockists call 1800 181 040 (available from Boots in the UK).

5. Guerlain Or Impérial Sublime Radiant Powder Face & Body, US$85, from Sephora.

6. Pink Rob Ryan journal, £12, from John Lewis (only ships within the UK).

7. MOR Lychee Flower Lip Delight, AU$14.95, from MOR. (UK readers can purchase MOR products from Space NK).

8. Strange Invisible Perfumes in Prima Ballerina, £120, from Content (ships internationally).

9. Day Birger et Mikkelsen pearly knitted open-ended necklace, £60, from Net-a-Porter (this links to the UK store, so be sure to select your own country before purchasing).

Wee Christmas finds: Custom illustrated Xmas cards

 
Are the days of the dodgy family photo card behind us now? I certainly hope so, and these exceptionally charming cards from the Rifle Paper Co prove that you can still go to town with your annual family portrait Christmas card - just with a lot less cheese. Featuring hand-painted portraits in your likeness and lettering by Anna Bond, you can expect a one to two week turnaround for your card.

Thanks to India Knight for her tip about Rifle Paper Co and their genius customised business cards.

Wee Christmas finds: Gifts for him

Some of my favourite wee finds for blokes, including some good blokey present cliches, like socks (but look, they're Happy Socks!), chocolate (but look, it's shaped like a penknife!) and shaving stuff (but look, it's beautiful old school English stuff!). How did I do?

1. Chocolate Swiss Army Knife, £2.75 each, from Pedlars (ships internationally).

2. Taylor of Old Bond Street Manicure set in leather case, £49.95, from Selfridges (ships within UK only).

3. Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids by Todd Davis, £11.89, from Wee Birdy’s Amazon book store (ships internationally).

4. Hand-crafted wooden micro radio, £150, from the V&A shop (ships internationally).

5. Music Balloon speaker for MP3 players and phones, £35, from Pedlars (ships internationally).

6. Hand-crafted wooden desk set, £75, from the V&A shop (ships internationally).

7. Taylor of Bond Street Sandalwood shaving soap with wooden bowl, £16.95, from Selfridges (ships within UK only).

8. Lazy Oaf for Selfridges Fats Dom T-Shirt. £28, from Lazy Oaf (ships internationally).

9. Five-piece chocolate bar library, £27.50, from Fortnum & Mason (ships internationally).

10. Mustache on a stick, US$36, from Something’s Hiding Here’s Etsy store (ships internationally).

11. Five Colour 01 socks, US$10, by Happy Socks (ships to selected countries. Sydney readers can find Happy Socks at Incu).