Five favourite Easter thingies

I'm not a big Easter celebration sort... but I could be tempted by some of the sweet bunny-egg-chick themed things in the shops right now. Hard to resist...

1. Our Workshop is a lovely place to browse online for handmade and vintage goodies. And these egg-shaped salt and pepper shakers, just £3.50 would not only give a sweet Easter twist to your Sunday lunch – but you could use them all year round.

2. These Russian chicks, £10 (set of four), from John Lewis are totally pointless but make for a dinky festive mantlepiece adornment. And kids will love playing with them too.

3. Simple but stylish, no? Wooden bunny ears egg-cup , £10.95 from Not on the High Street (check out their sweet Easter egg cosies too)

4. I had a bit of a bonanza window shop at NOTH (or should that be eggs-travaganza, ba-boom). These dinky crocheted chick egg holders, £1.50 each, are adorable though, how could I resist? Perfect for a children's egg hunt, or simply on the table for breakfast or a small, chocolate-y pudding...

5. Do you need bunny-shaped Easter bunting? YES YOU DO! Get yours from Etsy, around £3.30 per garland, plus £1.57 for postage.

PS – if you're looking for cute Easter cards to send, try Claire Giles. Lovely graphics.

Gorgeous Ukranian love birds

These love birds are actually badges (they're about 6cm x 7cm each), but I think they'd look lovely on a mantlepiece or a shelf above the bed.

They're one of a little flock, sold in Moloco, the Etsy shop of architect and designer, Maria Bormosheva, who lives in Ukraine. You can buy them from her Esty shop, from around £9 each (including postage) where her profile makes you want to buy her lovingly crafted little things even more: "Once I understood that I cannot live without being engaged in needlework," she writes, "and so I am here." Lucky us.

Animal-themed interiors

The wonky-legged pup was being particularly charming today – and it doesn't take much to make me come over all animal-y. That did it. So thought I'd do a round up of some favourite four-legged items for the home. A couple of things I've had my eye on for a while...

1. This Bitossi dachshund  (or 'Hound No. 44' as he's affectionately known) is part of the Rimini Blu collection created in the early 1950s by Aldo Londi who was, at the time, art director of Bitossi ceramics. There's a whole menagerie available alongside him at SCP but he is one of the cheapest – he's £30.71 and measures 24cm high – and, I think, the best.

2. Oh 'Urban Fox' how innocent and wholesome you look on this sweet Lisa Jones bone china mug. Nothing like the rangy and mange-y specimens that prowl the city streets round these parts, bin riffling, courting deafeningly and cat scaring. £12.50 from Hunkydory Home.

3. It is only as I type now, that I see I have osmotically been drawn to a double dachshund situation. That is what happens when I spend time with my 99-year-old granny and we talk about bad husbands and the short-legged succession of expensive dogs she always much preferred (spouses and canines, I should add, all hers). This 50x50cm cushion is just a tenner from Habitat.

4. Want this lamp. Want this lamp. Want this lamp. Why oh why is it £79 (from Liberty)? The long lasting joy it would bring its owner would surely justify the cost. But, just in case, I've also found that Good Gracious sell almost as nice versions (and in different colours) for just £39.99. They're currently out of the white ones though (just red, pink and green). But Caravan have them at £49.99. * NEWS: GG have white rabbits back in stock – and they are, I'm reliably informed, the very same as the Liberty ones!