I don’t have a lot to say about this absolutely stunning maze pendant light other than to utter “wow” and “I NEED it”. Which is rather handy given my to-do list today being about as long as Santa’s list*. This beautifully crafted mirrored pendant is available from Dwell for £129 and would make a breathtaking centrepiece (forget the holly wreath and fairy lights – treat your dinner table to this for a thing of beauty all year round).

*Potentially a slight exagerration.

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Right then, it’s December and that means one thing, Nice gang: it means that I’ll be posting lots of “gift ideas” in the hope that Father Christmas takes note and pops one in my Christmas stocking. Of course, some pieces are destined to remain fantasy (Santa, despite his Christmas magic, still has a budget) and top of my wintery wish list – and has been for some time – is a Solange Azagury-Patridge red Hot Lips ring. Priced at £990, proceeds go to support RED and its efforts to eradicate AIDS in Africa.

London-born Solange Azagury-Patridge taught herself her craft, starting out with probably the most important piece of jewellery a lady ever receives: her engagement ring. In an interview with the Design Museum, Solange says it’s her lack of formal training that sets her aside: “the advantages of being self-taught are that I have no preconceptions or received opinions about the rules of jewellery. Being an outsider is my raison d’être.” After working for Butler and Wilson, she then went on to work for Boucheron before establishing her eponymous brand.

Her iconoclastic, unpretentious and bold luxe pieces are right up my street and aside from the Hot Lips ring, I’ve also got my eye on the Cupid’s Arrow ring (£990):

And for a real statement piece, the “F off” ring (£1,200):

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As we shiver our way into December, with the New Year on the horizon, I’m starting to make plans for 2013, mostly with the objective of getting to warmer climes. Simultaneously, I’m also on a strict eating and exercise regime, meaning these lovely lamps really caught my frozen and famished eye.

These ice cream lamps are the brainchild of Alex Garnett, an independent UK designer who produces work with an emphasis on fun and originality. His biography states that “his main forte is subverting mundane everyday items into unique, quirky collectibles” (and I’d tend to agree, Exhibit A: his bollard lights).  Get your ice cream lamps direct from Alex’s online shop for just £45.

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Hands up who played “librarians” as a child…. Just me, then. Regardless of whether you were an odd young one like me, fantasising about checking out books, this personalised library kit is ace. Including nifty library book pockets, cards, a date stamp (and ink pad) and the requisite tiny pencil, this kit means you can share your books around without the fear of never seeing your beloved tome again. At £9.99 (via Amazon), this makes a lovely little stocking filler for any friends you have that might be as odd or as slightly OCD as me….

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I first discovered VERAMEAT jewellery around a year and a half ago and my Seahorses Kissing ring has become one of my most loved jewellery pieces EVER. Created by Ukraine-born Vera Balyura, VERAMEAT is hand-crafted in New York. Every piece has a precise, sculptural quality and includes the most beautiful range of witty and sometimes dark pieces. And it’s all very affordable (remarkable given the craftwork that goes into each piece).

I recently acquired the Littlest Mermaid ring (pictured above left, $108 in Sterling Silver) and the dainty Freedom ring ($68 in Sterling Silver) and am in very grave danger of buying the Elephant ring as above too ($76 in Gold Brass). This Snoop Dog ring breaks my heart a little bit too. And I love love love the Spine ring too ($48 in Gold Brass)… Ellie, stop, Christmas is coming!

Have a browse and if you’re in New York, make sure you pop into the East Village workshop too.

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Today, SNT readers, is a very special day. Today, Free People launches in the UK <insert squeeeee sound here>.

Free People is sister brand to Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters (and it shows – the cool of UO, mixed up with the vintage feel of Anthro) and it’s possibly my most favourite clothing brand ever.

I’ve been (expensively internationally) shopping its range of boho-chic clothing, as modelled by the likes of Lou Doillon for a year now and cannot get enough of its free spirited, flowing pieces with beautiful detailing. Prices aren’t Topshop cheap but there’s not one thing on their brand spanking new website that I don’t love: Free People does understated and undone styling perfectly.

And now I can shop the FP site guilt-free, with free delivery to the UK until the end of November (and no pesky customs charges). Above are a few of my current lust-haves however you can expect many more Free People pieces coming up very soon.

L-R:

1. Golden Enchantment Dress, £198
2. Harrow Studded Hobo, £450
3. Danced to Pieces Mini Dress, £98

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In peace-time Britain, it’s hard to imagine living in the midst of a war. Harder still to imagine what life was like during the World Wars: the Blitz, evacuation, munitions factories and national conscription. As I’m sure is true for many of you, I’m so proud of my grandfathers and great grandfathers who fought in the Wars to enable us to live freely, as we do today. I also have friends who’ve fought in more recent wars and am awed by their patriotism and bravery. So with this in mind, I’m rather serious about Remembrance Day (in fact, I think this is probably the most serious post I’ve ever written….). I get up early on Remembrance Sunday to (tearfully) watch the parade, empty my purse every time I see a poppy seller and get (probably irritatingly) stressy about observing the 2 minute silence at 11am on 11/11. So, I’m right behind the Imperial War Museum’s Poppy Field campaign.

The idea is simple but beautiful: head down to the Imperial War Museum between 11am-5pm between now and 11th November and create your own poppy from paper and wire. Then, plant it in their Poppy Field in the Atrium to “ remember those who gave their lives to protect their country, from both world wars to conflicts today”. Once you’ve planted your poppy, take a snap and share it on your social networks. Follow the growing field here: #poppyfield.

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I spend a LOT of time thinking about and listening to music: gallavanting around the country to live music events and discovering new music while doing my day job. So it only seemed right that I share the odd find here. ‘Something Nice Today’ is never going to be a music blog – my tastes are far too eclectic (and often downright embarrassing) – however from now on, I’ll be sharing the odd new music find in a new category: HEAR.

On repeat today is ‘Your drums, your love’ from Alunageorge. The duo, Aluna Francis and George Reid, emerged around June this year with their debut ‘You know you like it‘. Mixing electro with classic R&B flavours, this is right up my street (and the video’s pretty beautiful too):

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Whoops. It would appear that I fell off the face of the earth as the Olympics started. And what a few months its been: both for me and all of glorious Great Britain.

A big event in my calendar of late was my bestie’s 30th birthday, for which I set myself the rather gargantuan task of finding her thirty birthday presents (more on this over on my Heart Home magazine post today). One of the easier presents was a Kate Spade ‘idiom’ bangle as I’ve had my eye on these for ages. Each bangle is gold plated or in a gorgeous bright enamel colour with a nice little saying engraved on the inside. For Sarah, I picked the ‘Heart of Gold’ one (cos she has) and seeing as I tend to operate a ‘one for you, one for me’ policy on present buying, I bought myself the bright green ‘Stroke of Luck’ bangle. Although I very nearly got carried away and bought the ‘Get Carried Away’ bangle too.

Bangles are available for between £20-25 (plus international shipping) from Nordstrom, or for slightly more in the London stores.

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