Starting with the most striking, this Large Carved Nordic Wooden Heart is absolutely stunning: it measures 30cm high so will make a real statement in your home and would make a wonderful Valentine’s gift.

Or for decoration but with a practical purpose too, how about this pretty Cream Wooden Heart Clock?  It would look lovely in a country-style kitchen, bedroom or hallway.

These Porcelain Heart Dishes were amongst our bestselling products this Christmas and it’s easy to see why - they’re so pretty and at only £7.50 they’re also really affordable. 

Or for a more humorous take on the heart theme, we don’t think you can go wrong with this witty Keep Calm Union Jack Heart.  A reminder to everyone, everywhere that sometimes you just need to kick back with a cuppa!

This rustic style Wooden Hanging Heart is only £4.95 so makes a stylish little gift to show just how much you care.

This gorgeous Owl Flower Press is the sort of thing that a little girl wouldn’t think of asking Father Christmas for, but you can bet she’s going to get hours of fun out of it - and it looks so pretty too.

Christmas Dinner for young children can be a bit of a bore, rather than the feast that the adults enjoy.  So if you want to keep your children at the table for a little longer, then this book should help.  Something to Keep you Happy at the Christmas Dinner Table is full of games, puzzles and colouring in and is sure make them smile as they take their seats at the table.

Now, most children are lucky enough to receive a mini mountain of toys and books at Christmas, so why not be a little more creative and treat them to something for their bedroom.  The pleasure a lovely picture brings will last a lot longer than the latest plastic tat!  I absolutely love our range of canvases from artist Jessica Barrah - there are various designs to choose from, including the Guards Canvas and the Little Bird Canvas.

Or for a really modern look, our selection of Laser Cut Paper Prints are truly stunning, with the Fairy Girl Picture being especially striking.

And of course, we have to mention our ever-popular bookends in a range of designs:

We hope this has given you a few ideas - visit our Children’s section for the full range!

We have fallen in love with the beautiful jewellery that Ridley & Dowse produce, but for a little bit of their designer style at a fraction of the price, this Daisy Blossom Bookmark (£9.50) makes a great gift for the reader in your life.

For fans of rustic chic, this lovely Heart Chalkboard (£4.99) is a great way to keep on top of To-Do lists or shopping lists.

Another great little Christmas gift for fans of hearts are these bestselling Porcelain Heart Dishes (£7.50).

The Gelicity Spa Bath range is a really novel idea that will give the recipient a lot of fun.  By adding a sachet of crystals to a bath, it turns the water into a sort of jelly to create spa-like bath in your own home.

Or how about giving someone a little peace at Christmas time?  We certainly all need that and this gorgeous Peace Tea (£4.99) is a wonderful warming blend of Rooibos, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Nutmeg, Liquorice, Ginger and Mace.  Mmmmm.

We hope this little guide has given you some ideas for Christmas gifts for under £10.  There are many more on the site.

Back to normal now (although the Things have still only done one full week of school so far) so expect more blogs from me soon.

Coco Cards has such a fantastic range of contemporary and stylish invitations and stationery, whether you’re looking for birth announcements, wedding stationery or invitations to either a child’s or adult’s special birthday party, I would thoroughly recommend taking a look.  They were quick and helpful and we were delighted with our invitations. Below is the style of invitation that we went for:

I must say, I’m also liking the idea of the Mummy Calling Cards: a great excuse for some lovely new stationery, and apparently these are the next big thing, so go and get ahead of the pack!

In the aftermath of his Christening it got me to thinking about unusual gifts for children.  McBaby was given some truly beautiful Christening gifts, all of which were really thoughtful and once children come into your life, it seems that you are always buying them gifts – new baby gifts, Christening gifts, birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, and then gifts for all your children’s friends too.  So finding a unique gift for the children in your life can be difficult. 

But unique gifts for children will be appreciated for much longer than the latest must-have toy, and parents will also thank you for an unusual present.  So, to help you out, here are some ideas for unique Christening gifts for children, some shamelessly pinched from McBaby’s friends and relatives, others all my own work!

• Another unique Christening gift idea is to buy a bottle of wine or champagne and then add a message to the bottle saying that you look forward to enjoying a drink with the child on their 18th (or 21st) birthday.  You could even buy wine from the year of the child’s birth.
• Or how about a collection of DVDs of classic films, Disney films are always popular, or to make the gift even more personal, you could buy some of your favourite films when you were a child and write an accompanying note explaining what you enjoyed about them.  Personal touches like this mean some much more than a generic gift.
• McBaby received some lovely books for his Christening and I think you can’t go wrong with books.  Thing 2 was bought some beautiful antique children’s books by her Godfather and his partner, which we all adore.

So, here are some of my ponderings on unique gift ideas for children’s Christening presents.  Can you think of any more?  What did your children receive that you particularly loved?

Today is such a gloomy and dull day that I’m thinking about holidays and escapes.  And the site I always turn to when planning a break is Tripadvisor, so this is our first Website of the Week.  You’ve possibly already heard of it (it’s a big player in the travel world) but if you haven’t, I warn you now, it becomes addictive.  It’s a fantastic way of getting the inside story on hotels, apartments and resorts with thousands of reviews from real people on their trips, which makes it a great way of choosing a holiday that will suit your needs.  I would never stay anywhere now without checking out the Tripadvisor reviews - after all, holidays aren’t cheap so it’s worth doing your research!

If you’re feeling the same (and speaking to people it seems like there might be a few of you!) then do check out our Energy Boost Aromatherapy Candle.  The fragrance of this candle is lovely: geranium, refreshing orange and patchouli, and it includes a little booklet of tips to boost your energy too.

I have a couple of little tips that I find boost my energy levels - half a lemon squeezed with a dash of hot water really helps me to get the day started (provided I have the energy to squeeze said lemon!), and fresh air first thing also works wonders, which is why I love to walk the Things to school.  Oh, and of course if all else fails then a lovely cup of Dragonfly Swirling Mist White Tea with some Cadbury’s Bar of Plenty chocolate does the trick (in the short term!).

Looking at my home, there are so many things that need sorting and tidying and decluttering, and I’ve found some wonderful blogs out there that really inspire me, so I thought I’d share.  IHeart Organizing is so inspiring and has some really lovely interiors ideas, plus her photos are so zingy and bright. 

http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/

I feel the next one needs a warning before you click on it - there is a VAST amount of information on this site and you may lose an hour or two by visiting.  But it will be worth it if you take on board even a fraction of the organising ideas.

http://orgjunkie.com/

Lastly, a UK site, which is fairly new, but definitely worth having a look at:

http://lemons-lemonsqueezy.blogspot.com/

At Beautifulthings.co.uk we’ve got a few products that will help with your spring clean.  My absolute fave of the moment is this gorgeous vintage-feel decorative chalkboard

Such a great place to keep all those bits of paper, coupons, receipts etc that seem to just hang around.  Or why not use it to jot down your shopping list as it occurs to you.  Or this Home Chalkboard is an equally lovely but more affordable option:

So, good luck with your spring sort out - and remember, the best way is to choose a small project, one at a time.  Baby steps and all that! 

This Rose Relaxation Box makes the perfect gift for a mum who needs a bit of a pampering treat - and if her children are under 10 this will surely be all mums!  Willow Beauty create gorgeous organic products at affordable prices - their philosophy is that organic beauty should be for all.  Their products are all Parabens and SLS-free and as well as smelling divine, the packaging also means that this gift box is a real treat.  I would also recommend checking out their Hand Cream and Soap Gift Box, which is only £18.

This Mademoiselle Tea Set will look gorgeous in the kitchen, whilst also being a lovely practical gift - she can make that cuppa for one in style with this!

This Mayan Music Ball Necklace is the perfect gift for mums with babies, as the gentle tinkling of the music ball is said to help relax babies.  Mayan music balls are used for meditation and relaxation, but also look stylish too - a unique gift as no two music balls are the same.

This pretty Rose Jewellery Stand is a lovely addition to any dressing table - keep necklaces and bracelets nicely organised in a pretty display.  No more untangling necklaces!  Do check out our Gifts section for lots more gift ideas for mum and we are always happy to answer questions on any of our things, or make sugggestions.  Happy Shopping!