Well actually I was rather poor at making daisy chains and could never have the patience to make a friendship bracelet or the skill. But now, I can wear one, gift one, buy one for a loved one in a much easier way, with Links of London friendship bracelets.

I’m lucky to have the now out of stock, Rainbow multicoloured Links of London friendship bracelet. I love wearing it, it goes with everything thanks to it array of colours. Yet is subtle when it needs to be due to its perfect size and silver tones.

I love looking at this range of bracelets from the fabulously luxurious jewellers, Links of London. My current favourite is the hot pink friendship bracelet. A perfect colour for the bold bright summer season. You can even personalise the bracelet if it is a gift; there is the option to engrave initials or dates on the back of the toggle. So you can make that friendship everlasting.

For Autumn/Winter I’m favouring the Coral and Grey Glitter friendship bracelet. Burnt orange was a mainstay colour on the AW13 catwalks and this coral gives me a hint of that without being to over the top for an accessory. Winter is always about adding a touch of glam, with the party season – so the grey glitter is perfect for bringing out the sparkle, dressing up that LBD or just adding a touch of bling to your weekend outfit.

There are so many great combinations available – even in watch form. Mix and match you favourite colours to celebrate the warmth and affection between the closest of friends or just treat yourself to the hottest accessory of the moment!

I always put a lot of time and effort into gifts; I like the unusual and the creative rather than the obvious and the standard gift affair. So when it comes to wedding anniversaries I am no different. The wedding rings have been on for a while, but how to celebrate year after year?

The Challenge

Everybody celebrates the “big” wedding anniversaries including silver, pearl, ruby, gold and diamond – but what about the slightly less glamorously-named milestones? Of course, they aren’t any less important when you’re celebrating another year together!

The challenge is to come up with a list of inspired gift ideas for him, for her, or for a special couple for the first five years of marriage. Here are the traditional and the modern symbols of these years.

Year             Traditional            Modern

1st                  Paper                          Clocks

2nd                 Cotton                        China

3rd                  Leather                      Crystal/Glass

4th                  Fruit/Flowers          Appliances

5th                  Wood                         Silverware

So here are my top picks of the weird, the wonderful, the creative and the help you be inspired when it comes to anniversary gifts.

1st Anniversary – Paper vs Clocks

Well paper.. hmm read “boring”. You could get a celebratory newspaper from the year your beau was born. Do not buy a watch – it’s bad luck to give as a gift and new carriage clock for the mantelpiece is a bit 1960′s!

I love this wagging tail dog clock available at Cuckooland.com – if you are both dog lovers it’s perfect unique gift or if you’re allergic to dogs like me, it’s a perfect pooch pet without the sneezes!

2nd Anniversary – Cotton vs China

We spend a third of our lives asleep. So why not make your bedroom a boudoir; a sumptuous location perfect for a good nights sleep. A place to relax, canoodle and rejuvenate. Celebrating your second anniversary with a new duvet set might sound a bit boring, but a good nights sleep is essential for any relationship and it’s better than a new china teapot!

Plus your husband can finally go to bed with Kylie Minogue – his dream come true with this fabulous Kylie Minogue duvet set for House of Fraser!

3rd Anniversary – Leather vs Crystal/Glass

Hmm this is a tricky one. Crystal and glass symbols are all too easy to choose I think – maybe something your parents or relatives would gift to you as part of your anniversary. But if you had the whole wedding list covered at the wedding itself you should be sorted when it comes to glasswear.

How about a completely different concept? It’s easy for me to say, buy your lady a fabulous new leather handbag. And yes, she would love one. But handbags can be such a personal thing, maybe an area to be avoided for the gentleman shopper.

So how about a gift you can both share, and can use the glasses element too….

with a Silver Plated Ice Bucket with Leather Detachable Handles by Culinary Concepts at Cuckooland.com. A unique gift for wine lovers, with a touch of the leather to celebrate the anniversary! Cheers!

4th Anniversary – Fruit/Flowers Vs Appliances

Oh my this is an disaster area waiting to explode… Appliances?! 4 years in to the marriage.. do not ruin it by a) buying your wife an iron b) buying your husband a hedge trimmer c) buying each other a new vacuum cleaner.

Live a little and give some energy to your relationship with something that can grow, prosper and thrive as your relationship does.

Tree2mydoor has the perfect 4th Wedding Anniversary Gifts. So for a unique treat, send a fruit tree gift from Tree2mydoor as a long lasting sustainable alternative gift. I’d rather fancy a lemon or cherry tree; but why not choose something that will bloom over the years and give you sweetness with a delightful blueberry bush.

5th Anniversary – Wood or Silverware

I’ve been quite homely with all my gift ideas – but that’s the beauty of anniversary presents. About celebrating your life together, building a home, creating a family. I love this quirky choice for the 5th year anniversary gift from Not on the High Street.com – A personalised rustic birch wood vase by letteroom.

Personalise with initials, with the date of your wedding or a special message. If you have ever wanted to carve your initials into a tree but never quite got around to it then these vases are just the thing!

What do you think of these original, quirky wedding anniversary gift ideas?

Check out Wedding Rings Direct; an independent jewellers based in Brighton which designs and makes wedding rings and jewellery in their on-site workshop.

Once you have decided on the perfect dresses for you and your bridesmaids, one way to really make your wedding sparkle is with high quality wedding stationery. If you choose the right colours, themes and styles – stationery can really set the tone for the rest of your big day. We have highlighted some things for you to consider.

Use wedding stationery to define your individual style

Perhaps the best thing about wedding stationery and some of the services available these days is that you are in full control of how you tailor each aspect. Whether it is your save the date cards, wedding invitations, table plans or even the menus – a bespoke approach can be adopted down the last drop of ink.

Shapes, sizes and colours

Once you have decided upon the theme, you can then co-ordinate the shapes, sizes and perhaps most importantly the colour of your wedding stationery. This can be done to match your dress as well as things such as table cloths and the lighting at your wedding. For the fashion conscious, this can be an absolute godsend as it allows you to make a real impression. You may want to go down the route of glitter and sparkles, but again this will depend on the kind of approach you have adopted for your wedding day.

Consider your text carefully

Although not strictly a fashion issue, there is one more tip we can give you which we think could make your wedding and its look a resounding success. Take care of the text content and consider your use of calligraphy. This can again complement the whole aesthetic of your wedding day and go hand in hand with all the other fashion considerations. Wording can set the perfect tone for the rest of your wedding day and remember, your guests are likely to be looking at things such as save the date cards over and over again so make a lasting impression.

We hope these pointers will really help you to fuse fashion and your wedding stationery perfectly to create a wedding day that will be remembered for years to come.