Christmas cards and gift guides

It's nearly the first of December and we're in full festive mode, having worked flat out last week to get the Christmas gift guides up online. Check them out when you have time - I compiled the home and interiors ones which were thoroughly enjoyabe to put together (all in a week's work!). Some of my personal favourites on the list include Cox and Cox's squirrel nutcracker, teatowels from To Dry For and the Milkii milk jug.

But as a stationery addict, I have to say the guide I enjoyed putting together the most was the one I made for Christmas cards. It's way too easy to go for big boxes of cheap cards, and while I thoroughly appreciate the fact that a card is but a card, and it's cost-effective to buy a big box of 100 for a £1 in the discount store, sometimes it's so worth spending on something quality, that feels beautiful in your hands and, as the team at Blush cards says, to run your fingers over.

It felt pretty good to be able to feature some of the smaller independents along side the big names online - and I love English Design & Co's very cute and high quality "happy holidays" cards, and Hello Lucky's cute gingerbread men too. The sort of thoughtful, cheerful cards, perfect for writing a personal message in, that show you've taken care in choosing something special. Sometimes it's just nice to take that time to make it worth someone's while to send something special.

And on that note, I'll be back later on in this week with a thoroughly lazy and luxurious "How to" and a fun cooking feature come Friday. See you then - and in the meantime, why not check our my Christmas shopping suggestions over at the Guardian: there's something for him, her, kitchen queens, dressing the tree and those cards too!