Hello there, chums. We don’t mean to alarm you, but there are only nine days to go before we’re all stuffing our faces and unstuffing our stockings. If you’re still short of a few gifts, have a squiz at our art director Kate’s top-notch picks below.

Clockwise from top-left:

1. I'm all about the bow moment we’re collectively having right now, and these sweet earrings by Victorian brand Martha Jean are at the top of their game. For years Martha Jean has been a go-to of mine for fun jewels, and these pretty dangles are no exception. Affordable, unique and wearable with many an outfit, both for going out and more casual.

2. I've been trying to slowly build a solid gold jewellery collection, because I am a girl who loves some bling but is too lazy to be constantly taking pieces on and off. I often visit the Kirstin Ash website to peruse – it’s digital window shopping at its finest! This necklace – with its teal sapphire, emerald and blue topaz gems – is just so beautiful. Plus, Kirstin Ash is donating 50 per cent of profits from the piece to Living Ocean, so my purchase would also be an act of sustainability, right?

3. After finding Lech Blaine's memoir Car Crash so moving and powerful, I’m an unthinking “yes” to his new book, Australian Gospel. It’s more narrative non-fiction from Blaine, this time delving into his family’s history. Australian Gospel has been described as “a dark comedy about the tangled fates of two couples and the children trapped between them,” and I have no doubt it will be equal parts heartbreaking, humorous, cutting and insightful.

4. One day I will be the person who effortlessly hosts gorgeous dinner parties, and I believe this is the jug that’s going to help me get there. It’s fun, a little quirky and gives the appearance that I’m wonderfully well-travelled.

5. Time is very much a fluid concept in my brain and so the Pomodoro technique is something I’m trying out. Basically, it’s a time-management technique that involves breaking work into short, focused intervals (with breaks in between). This sounds easy but is hard for my brain. Plus, the timer also needs to be visible and fun like this one, because a) for me it’s out of sight, out of mind, and b) I need to gamify even the simplest of tasks to make my brain engage.

6. This one is for the Melbourne/Naarm folks. Aurora is relatively new – part of The Conti Hotel refurb down in Sorrento, on the Mornington Peninsula – and they have a series of pools (at various temperatures) alongside saunas, showers and salt rooms for you to enjoy, all within a beautiful building. At the thought of nabbing an Aurora Bathhouse pass, I can feel my parasympathetic nervous system kicking into gear already. 

7. I’ve been hunting for an overnight bag for a while. Something with pockets that’s bigger than a tote, but not as cumbersome as a small suitcase. Chuck in some daisies and I think this one by Kip&Co might be for me!

8. The love of bows continues! This time it’s in the form of a blouse. Between the sunny colour and the soft fabric that means you have shape in those sleeves without looking like a meringue, the Suki Blouse is the 'nice top with a pair of jeans' that I’d love to have in rotation.

9. I've been wearing the same scent for years (shoutout Issey Miyake) but lately I’ve been craving a refresh. I went to MECCA, spoke with a fragrance specialist, and they absolutely nailed it. First bottle they led me to was Green Play and it ticked all my aromatic boxes – it’s fresh, not too sweet, kind of androgynous but not musky or woody, and there’s a bit of mint in there as well. Honestly, delish! 

10. I went looking for a fun photo frame and this Etsy store de-liv-ered! The only question now is how many cake-themed frames are too many?