Lovely presents

A slightly belated round-up of some of the great homes-y gifts I was given this Christmas...

My bro and sister-in-law got me some old printing blocks spelling out my name. 

I added them to a few presents I accidentally bought for myself before Christmas (yellow jug, blue vase, bright green jug – £25-ish the lot from a local non junky junk shop). You can find your own wooden letterpress letters at Not On The High Street, from £4.50

A charity shop find from my neighbours, Emma and Sarah. "It's quite disgusting, you'll probably hate it," said Emma. Perhaps it is a bit love or hate, but I find it beautiful, especially against the blue kitchen walls. Rummagers may find similar gems at Oxfam's online store.

The picture on the left is actually a tapestry – the frame is vile, but that will go. My friend Holly bought it for me (after we spotted it out shopping together in a secondhand store in my local Brixton market for £20). The one on the right was another present for me, from me. Oops. I found it at The OK Corral - it was a series of three, and - last look - there was one left (filed under "miscellaneous"). £20.

How brilliant that I have friends who see stuff like this dinky rabbit moneybox (£7 from Muji) and buy it for me. Hurrah! The cards of birds in the background are, left, by Sara Nester (who also happens to work in the same studio as me, at Iliffe Yard, and she printed up some of her lovely illustrations to sell at the Pullens Yard Open Studios. A friend bought it for me there; and the one on the right, Blue Tit, £4, comes from Shop Jill – I found it at the brilliant Our Workshop Christmas fair. Yes, another present for myself. Oh dear...

My crafty and talented friend, Holly Atkins, made a whole extended family of these owl doorstops to give away as Christmas presents. I love mine. I've called him Alfred.

Another crafty friend (lucky, aren't I? I'm useless with a needle and thread) – Rose Skelton, also a genius photographer and clever journalist, gave me the left-hand one of these rather chic lavender bags.