Life and style | guardian.co.uk

Christmas comes early at Dream Toys

Libby Wernham, 11, heads to the Dream Toys fair in London to find out what Santa will be bringing children this Christmas

Crosstown traffic

Will the Freecross, a cross-trainer on wheels, take off? Rachel Dixon rides one around London for a week to find out
The X Factor fashion disaster

Never mind how well they sing: what on earth are this year's X Factor contestants wearing?
Beer of yesteryear

Ingredients such as yarrow and bog myrtle are making a comeback. Beer may never be the same again, says Mark Dredge
Carnations? You shouldn't have

Carnations, once synonymous with petrol-station flower buckets, are making a comeback, reports Nicole Jackson

Latest multimedia

Food & drink
Malton needs you!

Malton is looking for a top chef to put it on the map. Can one great restaurant transform a whole town?
Pot Noeldle

A festive fusion of turkey and stuffing awaits your Christmas table. Ho ho ho
- Trouble for Ramsay
- Nigel Slater's classics

Fashion & beauty
Getting shirty

Gallery (16 pictures): Gallery: The online community Threadless present a collection of T-shirts featuring gym rats and gun-toting squirrels
Ask Hadley

Why on earth are women stepping out in their father's brogues? Hadley Freeman senses a fashion conspiracy
- More style advice

Dress your home

We've added a huge range of homeware and furniture to the Guardian Fashion Store
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Shopping and services

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Health & fitness
Tough love

In the US, interventionists claim their hardline tactics are helping people to get over their addictions. But will it work in the UK?
This column will change your life

Our impulses are often contradictory, but we can control which one prevails and become a better person, says Oliver Burkeman
Celebrity
Lost in Showbiz

Marina Hyde on the sad tale of Jennifer Aniston's depressed dog, and how Poor Jen is forced to take the miserable mutt to therapy
- Angelina and Sarajevo
Jedward's £3,ooo bedsheet

Jacko and Macaulay both signed the sheet, so Jedward were only too happy to fork out £3,000 for it
Women
The great cover-up

Some shops are refusing to move lads' mags to the top shelf, which is why one feminist group is taking direct action. Suswati Basu reports
The most influential women in the UK

JK Rowling tops the list, Victoria Beckham is runner-up and the Queen takes third place in National Magazine Company's top-100 list
- The world's most powerful women

Family & relationships
Kama Sutra

The 2nd-century sex manual is to be re-translated into contemporary English. Does it still stand up?
- More on sex
Dear Mariella

'Last week I ended up having sex with a colleague. He's still somewhat involved in a relationship. How can I get him to choose me and not her?'
Homes & gardens
Anatomy of style

Our experts' guide to the season's key interiors trends. First up: vintage
- Get the look: Vintage
- More ideas to transform your home
The katsura's whiskers

It may be the end of the growing season, but you can rely on toad lilies and katsuras for a grande finale, says Dan Pearson
Craft
Spreading a little love

Rob Ryan's prints are quirky and romantic. Huma Qureshi finds out if the artist is such a softie in real life - and passes on a simple paper-cutting pattern
How to make a chunky snood

Celebrate Wool Week - and prepare for the wintry weather ahead - by knitting your own snood from chunky alpaca yarn