Day 35 - Neglected Novels, Diaries, Short Stories & Cookery Books

Persephone prints mainly neglected fiction and non-fiction by women, for women and about women. The titles are chosen to appeal to busy women who rarely have time to spend in ever-larger bookshops and who would like to have access to a list of books designed to be neither too literary nor too commercial. The books are guaranteed to be readable, thought-provoking and impossible to forget. They are sold mainly through mail order, through selected shops and they have their own shop.

59 Lamb's Conduit Street, WC1N 3NB

(nearest tube stations Russell Square and Holborn).

Their titles include novels, short stories, diaries and cookery books. They are all carefully designed with a clear typeface, a dove-grey jacket, a 'fabric' endpaper and bookmark, and a preface by writers such as Jilly Cooper, Adam Gopnik, and Jacqueline Wilson.

'The answer to a present-giver's prayers.' Vogue

'There are cute books, there are beautiful books and then there are Persephone books.' The Irish Times

'What unites all the books is their timelessness. The writing is fresh, psychologically accurate, frequently moving and funny.' Daily Telegraph

'Oh, the bliss of Persephone Books!' India Knight, The Shops

All books are £10, or 3 for £27

Day 35 - Online Discount £10, £20 or £30 John Lewis until Midnight 26th November 2007

Promotion Code XMAS10, XMAS20, XMAS30

John Lewis

Day 35 - Mail Order, Instore Discount 15% OKA / RAPT until 6th March 2008

Promotion Code HBVP07

RAPT

OKA

Day 36 - Day to Evening

Its size makes this a great day-to-evening bag. it even has hidden accessories, like an inner pen pocket and detachable key fob. Anya Hindmarch 'Lautner' handbag.

Black patent leather bag with bronze trim and gold hardware. Anya Hindmarch bag has a designer embossed plaque on front, a strap across top with large hooks on end, a concealed magnetic fastening and black suede lining.

Product Code: 23384

£555 from Net A Porter

Day 36 - Classic Vamp

For the trendsetter, Bittersweets (New York) have designed a necklace aimed at the man in your life.

Solid silver necklace which moves as you move. Two garnets are set in the top fangs, which bear the taste of your last victim.

Approx £240 from Liberty

About The Artist

Bittersweets NY was created in 2002 by a girl who used to work at a foundry, welding and finishing art for famous people and housewives. In order to pay expensive NY rents she found a warehouse in Long Island City where she could live cheaply and still bike to work. The ground floor was home to several night clubs that switched from topless, to full nudity, to salsa, on a rotating basis. After 2 1/5 years living there-to avoid comparisons to Flashdance and a coked up neighbor, she moved from her spacious 1200 square foot studio, gave up sculpting and her foundry job, and started making jewelry in her new tiny apartment.

The idea behind Bittersweets NY is making something exquisite out of the everyday objects and designs that are taken for granted. Why reinvent the wheel? The first project, Bloodlust Princess, was a matching necklace, beltbuckle, tiara and mini ashtray set based on the design of the dollar store Vampire Teeth available once a year for Halloween. Of the four items from the orignal set, the Classic Vamp Necklace, now cast in solid sterling silver, is still in production. The sterling silver Heart n Dagger was inspired by true love, of course. And the Maggot and Earthworm series stay within the ideology of borrowing a design from another tried and true source...nature. Bittersweets New York opened a retail shop on Broadway in Brooklyn. There you can find all sorts of bittersweet surprises including one of a kind pieces. Stop in, if you dare

Day 37 - Wall Lamp

The Pistillo chrome-plated wall lamp (diameter 62cm) the ideal light fitting for enhancing any room.

£420 from Habitat

Day 37 - Shaking All Over

For the perfect christening, new baby or first Christmas present. 100% sterling silver bunny rattle.

£150 from Asprey

Day 38 - Sloes

Jonathan Curtoys is one of the new breed of wildlife-friendly farmers. He worked as an environmental lobbyist before joining former business partners Julia and Richard Brown on their farm.

The first plan was to set up a breakfast cereal business, but Curtoys wanted to encourage wildlife on the farm so the hedges were left to grow and given a two-metre margin of land to protect them. It was only then that Curtoys realised how many blackthorn hedges there were and had the idea of turning the sloes (ancestors of wild plums) into gin. "It almost happened by accident," he says. "The breakfast cereal business didn't do well and it's ironic that the wild food did."

By 2005, three years after starting Sloe Motion, there was a 40 per cent increase in breeding birds and the butterfly species count had risen to 21 - the highest in Yorkshire. "Not cutting the hedges has given us a crop for free as well as being massively beneficial for wildlife," says Curtoys, who now also buys sloes from local farmers and is planting more hedges.

As well as its sloe gin £14.95, Sloe Motion makes sloe vodka £14.95 and whisky £14.95, and also produces chocolate truffles £8.95 and chutney £3.95. There are plans for a sloe coulis and a fruit cheese in the not too distant future.

Day 38 - Wooden Programmes?

The surround might be natural Swedish beech, but the LCD TV inside is anything but wooden. HD-ready with a high-end 1,000:1 contrast ratio and split screen display.

£995 from wi5

Day 39 - Is This The Most Expensive Xmas Bauble In London?

Department store Liberty has claimed it is selling Britain's most expensive Christmas decoration - a £395 bauble in the shape of a grand piano.

Designed by New York jeweller Jay Strongwater, the bauble is made of handblown glass.

There is also an egg priced at £250 and a teddy bear at £195.

Day 39 - Breitling Emergency

This is the adventurer's watch - inside is a radio beacon which, if activated, will broadcast on an emergency frequency.

It's worn by mountaineers, sailors and pilots worldwide.

Sir Richard Branson once used his to initiate a sea rescue.

£3,420 from Breitling

Day 40 - Decks Appeal

Beautifully etched in stainless steel, this outrageous set of Stainless Steel playing cards are the jet set of card play. They come on a large steel sheet that looks so good you'll probably just want to mount them on the wall as a cool 'objet d'art', but if you want to actually play with them, just press them out of the sheet and you'll have possibly the most exclusive and beautiful deck of playing cards on the planet.

Features
A finely etched deck of 54 stainless steel playing cards with zebra stripe back
Mounted in sheet form for display or can be permanently removed for play
Modern interpretation of classic English face design

Size:
Each card - 8.7 x 5.6cm (standard playing card size)
Each sheet - 46 x 31 x 0.02cm

£195 from I Want One Of Those

Day 40 - E.vil

New York based label e.vil is famed for it's ironic and cheeky T-shirts. The jumper versions in cashmere are a must for any female's wardrobe.

£235 from Bunny Hug

Day 41 - Holistic Driving

The a2om academy takes a holistic approach to life behind the wheel. Pupils fill out a psychometric test online, then a programme is individually tailored to suit their behavioural needs. Simulators test responses in risky situations. Pupils keep driving diaries, have e-lectures and take lessons in dual-control Audi A3. There is also vital post-test mentoring.

a2om:courses

Full Course - Delivered at home and/or at School or University

A complete driver education programme for novices encompassing in car, online and in class lessons, the DSA theory and practical test and a post test mentoring programme that delivers post test motorway, night time and adverse weather training. From an initial psychometric evaluation a bespoke curriculum is prepared for each student ensuring that upon graduation from the academy not only will they be safer drivers but also have a more detailed and thorough sense of the road and the issues drivers inevitably encounter whilst driving.

Graduation from this course offers life membership of The a2om mo2a Club, as well as Royal and SunAlliance insurance discounts that would save approximately £1000 per annum on own name insurance for the first three years.

£2,500 inc. if paid in advance, or a £300 deposit followed by 11 instalments of £210.00 (£2610. inc. in total)

Post Test Course - Delivered at home and/or at School or University

A course dealing with all aspects of road driving and driver behaviour post test when for the first time the newly qualified driver is alone at the wheel. Using online and in car lessons this programme covers key crash risk scenarios and develops coping strategies. Designed to build upon technical skill proficiency the post test course aims to mature the driver's attitude to the road and increase overall awareness and responsibility.

£1750 inc.

Conversion course

Now available to those who have already started the process of learning to drive or have already taken and failed a DSA test. These courses are priced on the basis of an assessed drive with one of their Senior Educators.

Day 41 - Twisting The Night Away

This glorious Vigneto wine opener is of Italian design and manufacture. With its ergonomically designed handles, opening a bottle of wine has never been so easy. An extremely handsome and sturdy wine opener finished in satin and matt black.

superbly engineered

Italian design and manufacture

Teflon coated screw for easier extraction

Replaceable worm

Inclined guiding rack

Variable leverage angle

Ergonomic handles

Luxury presentation gift box

To keep your Ghidini Vigneto wine opener in tip top condition, hand wash in soapy water.

£99.95 from Style Cook Shop

Day 42 - Flights of Fantasy

The Icarus is an absolutely stunning light, the latest creation from designer sensation Tord Boontje.

Gigantic, lightweight and delicate at the same time, it is made from various layers of polyester. It comes with a cone-shaped plastic safety protector, which prevents the material from coming into contact with the light bulb.

Flat-packed for quick and easy assembly. Maximum lamp rating 60 watt. Drop approx 78cm.

The idea for the Icarus started as an experiment with cutting paper to create a dimensional form for light, discovering a structure with overlapping feather shapes that resembled a swan's wing. The end result is very romantic, delicate and absolutely dreamy.

£58.50 from Dutch By Design

Day 42 - Hip Louis

Cognac is now a hip drink for young clubbers, and Louis Royer is leading the revival. This £99 XO (Extra Old) blend is a gentle introduction to the spirit.

Available from The Drink Shop

Day 43 - Ultimate Shaving Experience

Collezione Barbiere - the art of elegant shaving, with a twist of Italian style.

Brush & Razor Stand £330.00 from Acqua Di Parma

The beautifully designed stand holds both the pure badger hair brush and the shaving razor - a sophisticated combination of burnished brass and fine wenge wood.

Day 43 - Accessorise Your Man

Bring a touch of seasonal fashionability to your man's outfit with a choice of accessories.

A long scarf is as dandy as it is practical in the winter, can be worn both casually and formally.

Paul Smith £45.00

Day 44 - Green Fingers

For those of you with green fingers, these beautiful, and handy Bradley's quality Rosewood Handle Secateurs are a must.

£33.00 Mia Wood