Lovely Things

Peacock wreath and ornaments at La Redoute

I've been seeing a lot of bird, and particularly peacock-themed Christmas decorations this year - it seems our love affair with these glorious birds and their dazzling colours is nowhere near over. My favourites so far are these beautiful peacock tree decorations from La Redoute. They're made with velvet and embellished with beads and real peacock feathers and are two for £9.

You can start your peacock theme right at your door with this unusual wreath also from La Redoute. It's velvet-backed and detailed with beads, sequins and real feathers, finished with blue ribbon and costs £17. Both items are included in the current 'buy three, get cheapest free' offer.

Marks & Spencer 3 for 2 on Christmas gift wrap

Marks & Spencer have some pretty wrapping paper and tags for Christmas, and they're currently part of a 3 for 2 offer, so you can stock up early in anticipation of all those late nights sat up wrapping gifts (what? You mean you don't love that part?).

Shown here is gold damask wrap which has a lovely traditional look with a pretty feather design. I also really like the vintagey 'brown paper' style background. For more, continue reading by clicking below...

The holiday season & Christmas is coming...

Well, Lovely Things readers have spoken! The results of our poll on when we should start writing about Christmas are in, and the winning option, with 40% of the vote is...October. So, get ready for a range of pieces with holiday season themes: baubles and tree decorations, wreaths, decorating and our famous gift guides (including last-minute gift ideas, gifts under £10 and gifts under £20).

So to whet your appetite to begin with, take a look at the Heal's Christmas Gift Ideas brochure with a range of gifts and a few decorations we'll be seeing on the site soon.

(Pictured is the very Christmassy reindeer cake stand from Next in red and white porcelain, £10. Damn I want a mince pie now!)

Coloured and metallic tea light candle holders

I'm often asked where one can buy the pretty coloured metallic tea light candle holders we featured back in 2006, as they're no longer available from Heal's. Sadly I've not been able to find exactly the same set again, but I've done some digging and come up with a range of alternatives for those of you who love the look.

Pictured here are coloured 'cupcake' tea light holders from lovely store Rockett St George. They come in a set of four and cost £9.99. You can also buy a very similar set of six for £12.95 from Amazon or blendboutique.

Continue reading below for more brightly-coloured metallic candle holders...

Lovely Things reader poll: When should we start covering Christmas?

It's always a tricky one where Christmas and the holiday season is concerned. I don't like to start writing about it too early, but I know some of you get organised months in advance, especially when it comes to decorating and securing the best tree ornaments. Given that we're already starting to see readers visiting Lovely Things via search terms that bring up our previous Christmas articles (like the ever-popular blue Christmas decorations feature from two years ago), I thought it best to ask you for your opinions using a simple reader poll. So please give us your honest opinions, and feel free to leave additional comments too.

Ideal Home editor responds

Thanks to Susan Rose, editor of Ideal Home for responding in her blog 'Sue's News' to an issue I raised last month about magazines being published early. I was perusing the January 2007 issue of the magazine and thought it interesting that, because most consumer mags publish a month earlier than their cover publication date, in order to respond to what readers want to see in December, their January issue is filled with great ideas for Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.

Sue explains why magazines do it, and it's understandable: readers want to know about the latest, greatest ideas and trends as early as possible. And of course, each mag wants to give it to us before other publications do! While this wouldn't usually be a problem most months, when it gets to seasonal festivities with specific 'celebrate by' dates, editors have a tough time.

Naturally you want to read about the festive season in December, but does that mean you're getting the latest info by reading it in a magazine with a January publication date? Wouldn't the trends for January (being out early in December), mean you're getting a heads-up on what's new, rather than what's now? Certainly a tricky one...

Last-Minute Gifts: Hot Water Bottles

For the chronically disorganised among us, the fact that today is the last day for shipping from many online stores ushers in a strong sense of panic. One of the things I love about buying from ebay is that often you're buying from an individual - an individual who understands your need to have something posted out quickly using next-day postage. There are some very cute hot water bottle covers around at the moment, and it's a lovely gift for someone who really feels the cold in the winter months. Details via the link...

Gift Guide: £10 and under

Still Christmas shopping and need a few ideas for inexpensive gifts? Here's our gift guide to presents £10 and under...

Who can resist snuggling up with a hot water bottle on a chilly night? Especially when your bottle has its own woolly jumper! This rainbow-coloured, roll-neck hot water bottle cover comes with a standard size 750ml hot water bottle inside and costs just £9.

Gift Guide: £20 and under

Ah Christmas shopping. It can be tricky finding an interesting gift without having to spend a lot of money, or a lot of time trawling websites and shops. And if you have a lot of people to buy for, the whole thing can really take it out of you. To give you a hand is our gift guide to lovely things for home and living, for £20 or less...

Alternative Christmas Decorations

Not a sparkly, tinselly type? If you'd like to inject a bit of retro personality into your festive decor, these recycled vintage vinyl decorations might be just the ticket. Made by New York artist Jeff Davis, the records come ready to hang as a set of three for $18. Given that Christmas is looming large in the calendar, UK readers might need to buy with an eye to next year's decorative scheme. If you're in the US, take advantage of express shipping to have these in your hot little hands this week.

[via Retro to Go]