Home for Christmas

Christmas has been a bit too much fun for homeshoppingspy! I’m looking forward to returning to regular blogging next week. Meanwhile, here’s a few things I’ve enjoyed from a Christmas in South Devon:

1. A blustery walk along the coast to Blackpool Sands for pasties and chips on the beach!

2. I received this lovely Winter bike Christmas card, available from Etsy.

(clockwise from left) 3. Nigella Lawson’s Christmas Cup cocktail as seen in Stylist. Cherry brandy, sparkling wine and ginger ale (tastes like liquid cherry drops – amazing and very festive!). 4. Chocolate mince pies. I made these for a Christmas party and they went down a storm, visit BBC Food for the recipe. 5. Pretty crackers from Toast to complete our table setting on Christmas day. 6. To add a little sparkle we used these charming nativity scene tea light decorations from Dee Puddy. I hope you all have a fun New Year’s Eve. I’ll see you on the other side. – Alice

MUST HAVE: Organise your life with a stylish 2012 calendar

2012. The year of The London Olympics and another extended bank holiday, with thanks to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. So, make sure you’ve got yourself a lovely calendar/wall chart/year planner to set you on your way. Lately, I’ve become a little obsessed with this lovely food blog Simply Breakfast by photographer Jen Causey. Everyday, she photographs her wholesome brekky propped with an extensive range of covetable kitchenalia. You may wonder why I’m suddenly wittering on about a food blog. Well, she has decided to design a 2012 calendar complete with a lovely breakfast idea for each month and recipes:

For another idea, over at Lisa Stickley London HQ, they’ve come up with a cute illustrated calendar with a phrase to sum up each month.

For the Rifle Paper fans out there, these botanical illustrations are very pretty and oh so country. Available from the lovely Lynne at Papermash:

And how nice is this typographic wall chart from German designers Snug Design?

Now for those who aren’t anticipating a busy year (each day = 1cm) but are planning on doing a lot of measuring (doubles up as a tape measure); this is a quirky idea from Present and Correct and great stocking filler:

Lastly, Lollipop kindly sent me this wall planner that I wanted to share with you. Plan is to hang it from a bulldog clip in an alcove above my desk at home. Love the colours. Thank you Lollipop!  – Alice

PREVIEW: H&M SS 2012 TEA TOWELS

Let us take a momentary pause from all things wintry to admire the new H&M SS 2012 tea towel designs. Who would have thought these 50 x 70cm pieces of cloth could bring such joy? As a homes journalist I have accumulated quite a substantial heap; I might have to start framing them on the wall…

     1. Lemonade. 2. Sel Aux Herbes, denim. 3. Cutlery. 4. Tea time. 5. Sel Aux Herbes, natural. 6. Coffee pots.

From a mere £3.99 a piece, they’re without a doubt the nicest and most affordable I’ve seen on the high street. Available on line and in store soon. Which one’s your favourite? – Alice