Keep your pennies safe in this vintage styled Paper Plane purse that looks like an envelope. There is also S.W.A.L.K (sealed with a loving kiss) detailing on the back. Popper fastening and a zip. *Price: £12. Walker Art Gallery and Museum of Liverpool shops, 0151 478 4199/0151 478 4545, both open seven days a week, 10am-5pm.
WHAT A CARVE UP
18 month cured Serrano ham from Leon. This is a particularly long cure for Serrano, which balances flavour and texture just perfectly. A whole leg, approx 7kg - that's a lot of Boxing Day butties. Optional accessories include stands and knives (£115) and a special carving masterclass, on January 24.
£85. Lunya, 18–20 College Lane, Liverpool One, Liverpool, L1 3DS.Tel: 0151 706 9770.
YES WE CAN
'I like a colourful sock. I'm a sock man,' said George W Bush. But he'd have loved this in his stocking. War On Terror, the board game where everyone starts with the best intentions. Then you notice your neighbour has more oil than you. Before long, war is waged, nukes are dropped, revolutions are fought and terrorists are doing your dirty work, before turning on you. Playing it will bring out the nastiest aspects of your character. Great family fun.
£29.95, News From Nowhere, 96 Bold Street, L1 4HY. Tel: 0151 708 7270.
KEEPING IT PEEL
John Peel shaped the music collections of thousands of radio listeners. This iprint, from Automatic Trout, quotes one of his typical viewpoints and looks fabulous in a black frame. Available in two sizes, with the smaller version also being a greetings card which is black inside.
Postcard size: £5, 30cm x 40cm print, £21. Made Here, 1st Floor, Metquarter, Whitechapel, Liverpool L1 6DA. Tel: 07956 852331.
LONG TO RAIN OVER US
The weather outside may be frightful, but you can brighten up the greyest day with this colour-change umbrella. It's designed with a hydrochromatic link. The spots are white in their dry state and become transparent when wet. Ooer.
£17. Nook and Cranny, The Bluecoat Courtyard, School Lane, L1 3BX. 0151 702 5324 ext 196
BROUGHT TO BOOK
Man With The Golden Gun First Edition
Ian Fleming's final James Bond novel, The Man With The Golden Gun, was published in 1965, many months after his death. This was just a first draft and received polite reviews, at best. But anyway, don't let that stop you from buying it for the spy who loves you. This superb first edition, with dust jacket, is currently on sale at Brian Kernaghan's wonderful and new antiquarian book shop which stocks all the wonders of the printed world. Want an Ian Fleming autograph with it? He's got one.
£70 alone. With autograph, give them a call. Kernaghan Books, The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX. 0151 703 9077.
IRON BREW
Watch the years melt away by starting your morning with a brew in this mug. Before you know it you'll be arguing the miners' cause and the poll tax with your kids, like it was yesterday. I Still Hate Thatcher Mug, £6.99, News From Nowhere, 96 Bold Street, L1 4HY. Tel: 0151 708 7270.
IF YOU WANT A CATHEDRAL...
It took decades to finish but now you can do it in a morning. Build your own Anglican Cathedral, stick lights on it if you like. Send it to an ex-pat relative, see if it floats in the bath. Choice is yours.
£18.50, Made Here, 1st Floor, Metquarter, Whitechapel, Liverpool L1 6DA. 07956 852331.
BUCKLE THE TREND
Utility's collection of satchels are hand crafted in Liverpool by artisan leather smiths and members of the Guild of Master Craftsmen. Made from premium quality leather and hand dyed in the UK, they are vailable in a range of wacky colours and sizes.
£59-£95. Utility - Liverpool One Gift Boutique, 8 Paradise Place, Liverpool
L1 8BQ. Tel: 0151 702 9116. 86 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HY. Tel: 0151 707 9919.
KNITTED OUT
Christmas jumpers are all the rage this year so if you'd rather be post-modern ironic than post modern moronic get yourself wrapped up in one of these. Practise the provocative pose adopted by the shop window dummy, here, and take to the kitchen floor while the sprouts are doing. Your mother-in-law will never forget.
£15, Ryan Vintage, 102 Bold Street, Liverpool.
