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SURPRISE ME

The original ring carving kit, to be cast in silver. £115, The Workbench ; 2. Our hardwearing Five Year Garden Planner. £45, Fraser & Parsley ; 3. Personalised leather cable tidy. £18, Konoc ; 4. Soft herringbone blanket. £50, The Tartan Blanket Co. ; 5. Absolutely un-killable Pilea houseplant. £34, Little Buds ; 6. Personalised fabric dog-bone ornaments. £13, One Daisy a Day ; 7. Classic leather dog collar, £44.95, Mungo & Maud

 YOUNG CHILDREN

A charming penguin picture for the nursery. £30, Emily Adlard Designs; 2. Toddler’s best friend, the push along dog. £60, John Lewis ; 3. Bird Bingo, fun for all the family. £19.95, Conscious Craft 4. A kit for little botanists. £49, Conscious Craft ; 5. Nature explorers monthly subscription box. From £11.95 a month, Mud & Bloom ; 6. The fantastic Happy Self Journal, for 6-12. £19.90, Happy Self Journal ; 7. Percy Penguin (large), a soft new winter friend. £31, Jellycat

FOR HIM

Marshall portable Bluetooth speaker. £99, John Lewis. ; 2. Our new navy & brass Recipe Binder. £45, Fraser & Parsley ; 3. Christmas spiced fudge - yum. £6.50, Laura’s Confectionary ; 4. A classic Manhattan style cocktail set. £41.95, Rusty Barrel ; 5. Black Le Creuset cast iron shallow casserole. £240, John Lewis ; 6. Pink grapefruit & thyme gin - delicious. £39, Pipehouse Gin 7. Seriously the best kitchen scissors we’ve found. £7, Little Fields Farm

FOR TEENS

This hot pink bag can be worn with the long strap or as a clutch, £75 by Atelier Kika.B ; 2. We love this rainbow and silver bead bracelet for all ages! £45, Rikke Line ; 3. In case your teenager needs reminding they are, indeed, EPIC. £18, Catapult Clothing ; 4. A 🌈 keepsake of a memorable year perhaps? £3, Empathy Action ; 5. Stainless steel plastic-free 1L bottle. £19.50, Green Tulip ; 6. Retro Cadbury’s chocolate tin. £5 Tesco & other supermarkets ; 7. Gym or weekend bag, the Strong Girls Club is the one to join. £36 Mutha.Hood ; 8. Light organic cotton scoop neck tee. £32, Love Sweat & Tees ; 9. Our bestselling Rainbow Stripe phone case, £5 from each sale goes to the Trussell Trust, a UK-wide food bank charity. £39, Fraser & Parsley.

FOR HER:

These soaps are lovingly handmade in Kent, £3.75 by Merrywood ; 2. The original self-warming eye masks. £15 for 5, Spacemasks ; 3. Subtly casual gold bead and bar bracelet, £45, Rikke Line ; 4. Our classic gold embossed bee cards. £25, Fraser & Parsley ; 5. Heavenly Rose Geranium Mineral Bath Soak, £8, Heavenly Herbals ; 6. Toasty warm and soft cashmere wrist warmers, £45, Bricks & Stitches ; 7. Gold ammonite studs for nature lovers. £90, Alex Monroe ; 8. Soft, organic, ethically produced sweatshirt. £49, Love Sweat & Tees ; 9. Wonderfully soothing green fig candle. £24, Plum & Ashby.

Ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes at F&P?

We're excited that after 11 years we're here with our first blog, we plan to share our loves and inspiration with you, but first we wanted to start by giving a little back. 

We are inspired daily by women entrepreneurs who like us are small business owners, following a dream. Together we share ideas and knowledge. But to those starting out there are gems that we wish we'd known... 

DO ONE THING WELL: make sure your idea or product reflect what you do best. Do your research, see what's on the market already. Be realistic about the size of the opportunity, the risks and the realities. Be slow and steady, make decisions that are affordable. Strive for the best quality and pay attention to every single detail. 

LEARN AS YOU GROW: successes and mistakes are as vital as each other. Don't carry mistakes around with you, instead use them as stepping stones to learn and help you grow. Find your tribe and please your customers. Work out what they expect, what makes them happy and face up to feedback and issues as they arise. Launching something new? Listen to your intuition but canvas opinion. Ask questions but take on board feedback. 

And finally, Oprah Winfrey says it all ... "SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO WILL LIFT YOU HIGHER". We feel especially blessed that our business was founded on a mutual love of stationery and a friendship that's grown over the years ... especially when life has tested us to breaking point. There have been times when work and our companionship have given us the biggest relief. So we'd say to anyone setting out, connect with someone that you truly trust and respect who has no ego, understands your vision and will bring cheer and sanity in equal measure. 

We'd love to hear from you!

Rachel & Josie xx