How to... give thoughtful presents for your girlfriends

I don't have many birthdays to buy for at the beginning of the year but come spring and I have lots of girlfriends' birthday presents to shop for. I love shopping for other people, when I know what I'm looking for and when I have a fabulous idea. But sometimes it can be a horribly stressful experience with no clue what to get. For anyone else who has found themselves in this stress I have put together a comprehensive how to guide.


For the friend who likes to travel:

• a jewellery roll like this beautiful beaded one from M&S. And why not fill it with a few pieces of jewellery to get your girlfriend started? Like a gorgeous cocktail ring? Or a pair of chandelier earrings?
• luxury leather accessories like Aspinal of London's personalised British Travel Collection which includes two stunning Aspinal Luggage Tags, an Aspinal Classic Passport Cover and finally the Aspinal Classic Travel Wallet.
• a city guide for their next trip. Why not buy a Moleskine City Notebook and personalise with your own tips for the city of choice?

For the friend who loves to shop:

• a chic cream coloured purse like this from Smythson. And why not load it with a voucher from their favourite store?
• a Topshop Style Advisor Shopping Spree. Load up a Topshop Gift Card with any value from £100 to £300 and your very lucky friend will get the ultimate shopping experience with one of Topshop's Style Advisors in the London Oxford Circus store, as well as access to the VIP fitting rooms, free gift wrap on their purchases and be treated to lunch for two at the EAT cafe. The ultimate shopaholic's treat!

For the friend who likes to bake:

• a handwritten recipe and the ingredients to make it. Buy a lovely tin - like these by Cath Kidson - and fill it with the ingredients.
• a recipe folder - like this from Paperchase - part filled with your favourite delicious recipes and leave space for your friend to add their own.

Another way in which to make it special is to theme the gift. For this, find an old box. An old shoe box is often good as they are a good size (not too big and not too small) and have a lid. Then cover the box with some funky wrapping paper and line it with brightly coloured tissue paper. Then comes the hard part. What to put inside the box?


A girl's night box:

• a DVD. Something girly like Sex and the City or Pretty Woman.
• a mini bottle of fizz.
• chocolates. Like this rather scrumptious collection courtesy of Thorntons.
• chick lit like Sophie Kinsella's Confessions of a Shopaholic or Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding.

A sleepover box:

• snuggly sheep slippers like these cuties from La Senza.
• spotty pyjamas for a night on the sofa like this pretty pastel pair from M&S.
• pampering beauty products like a luxurious Chanel nail polish in Dragon red or a Clinique Cleansing Mask.
• a lovely mug like this Cath Kidson one from John Lewis. And don't forget to include a few sachets of hot chocolate. Very important.

I hope you have found these ideas helpful. Let me know your thoughts.


*P.S. Just so you know - none of these are sponsored links - they are there as a guide!!