Charlie: Keeping warm in the winter

Hi guys,

How's the chilly weather treating you? I've always been proud of the fact that I cope well with the cold weather... or so I thought!   

I was lucky enough to take my family to Lapland to see Father Christmas a few years ago. It was an amazing experience and I even caught a glimpse of the magical Northern Lights! It was just amazing - there are no words to describe it. 

Being very cold in Lapland, we invested in some thermals. And these thermals made an appearance again for the first time in two years at a fireworks display!   

They're probably not the most attractive of attire to wear under your clothes, but boy, they really make a difference. I think it's fair to say that winter is here!

See you soon, and stay warm!

Charlie x

Jilly: My most embarrassing QVC moment

Hi everyone,

I hate to say it but I burped live on air! It just popped out and was so loud that all the camera men fell about laughing. My producer was giggling in my ear and asking, "Oh my God, you just burped didn't you?"

I tried to compose myself and addressed the audience by saying, "Do excuse me, I just hiccupped". I couldn't even bring myself to say the word burp on air.

It's only happened once in 15 years, and it was a long time ago, but I'm still embarrassed!

Hope that's put a smile on your face.

Love Jilly

X

Glen chats to Lulu Guinness and Charlotte Tarantola

Hi everyone, Glen here.

As it's Designer Day tomorrow, I thought I'd give you a little insider info about the event in my new Style File.

I had a chat with Lulu Guinness about her new collection and I've also got you a sneak preview of the brand-new Charlotte Tarantola knitwear range we're launching!

Both Lulu and Charlotte's shows are set to be very popular, so make sure you get ahead by checking out the interviews.

Love Glen x

Claire Sutton: My mummy's birthday

I had the most wonderful experience last week and thought I'd share it with you.

It was my mummy's birthday and she came to stay, bringing with her a special present from my brother Neil. Neil had taken a small piece of cine footage and had it converted onto DVD! 

It dated back from… well, let's just say we worked out I was 6, Neil was 8 and my eldest brother Mark was 10. So a little while ago! 

It was fabulous to see my mummy younger then than I am now, flirting outrageously with the camera and looking amazing in a bikini. 

Plus, the utter joy of seeing my Daddy 'come to life' was incredible. He died when I was 13-years-old so it was emotional but incredible! To see his moving image, his face, mouth and eyes so like mine, and to be able to share him with my own children was so very, very special.

We can't wait to transfer all the other footage. I just wish there was sound, but hey, you can't always have it all. I was just grateful to have that!

I'll be in touch soon.

Love Claire
X

Alison Keenan: My winter memories

Hi everyone, Alison here,

We didn't have much of a summer so let's pray for snow this winter!

One of my favourite things to do, if there's been a snowfall, is to get up really early and walk in the newly fallen snow before anyone else has touched it. I love the crunching sound it makes and the stillness in the air.

When the children were younger we'd get up first thing and attempt to make a snowman, and then go sledging in the field nearby. We didn't always have a sledge but tin trays were just as good!

I also love sitting in front of a roaring fire listening to music or reading a good book, with a glass of mulled wine in my hand.

How do you make the most of the colder months?

Love Alison
X

Catherine Huntley on QVC's first Designer Day

Hi everyone,

I'm tickled pink to be launching a brand new jewellery range that's gorgeous and made just for us on Designer Day at midnight on Tuesday 18th November.

It's called Tacori for Epiphany and is breathtakingly beautiful. Tacori is a family-run jewellers who are highly acclaimed for their diamond and platinum treasures, which I think possess an heirloom elegance with a modern touch. I can't wait to show it to you!

Claudia: What a week!

I have had such a hectic week! My little boy Blake has had an ear infection and has not been sleeping very well. So, Steven and I have been taking it in turns each night trying to pacify him.

It really breaks my heart to see him suffering because as a child I had terrible ear problems. It actually resulted in me losing my hearing in one ear, although a lot of that was to do with too many horse riding accidents. 

With a lot of TLC he’s on the mend and chatting away to us about his beloved Spider-Man.

Where can I get some great Spider-Man goodies for Blake this Christmas? Spider-Man’s not that popular at the moment but Blake is obsessed.

If you know of anything, do let me know.

I'll be in touch soon.

Love Claudia x

Simon on gardening, cameras and early starts

With half term over, together with a nasty sick bug that brought down the whole family, it’s nice to be back into the early morning routine! But having turned the clocks back, those early five o’clock starts do seem awfully dark and lonely.

It’s been nice to work with Kathy on a regular basis and have a bit of a catch up before The Morning Show starts. But I think my unshaven, un-showered, pre-show appearance has taken her aback a bit!

Vote in The 2008 Craft Awards

Calling all crafters!

Love QVC craft? Have your say and vote for QVC in the 2008 Craft Awards - you could even win some fabulous prizes!

Dawn Bibby and Leonie Pujol are also up for awards in the categories of Best Overall Card Designer and Best Craft Book respectively!

Find out more in our sister blog Craft Etc.

L'Occitane expert Alexis answers your beauty questions

Hi everyone, Alexis here,

I want to say a big thank you to all of you who sent in your questions to me. I'm going to be on QVC on Sunday 7th November so be sure to tune in for some more of my top beauty tips.

For now, I have selected some of your questions to answer which you will see in QGossip throughout the week. Here are the first few...

Do you have a facial regime within the L'Occitane range that uses exfoliators and rich creams for dry and mature skin? Jody

Dear Jody, we have a wide skincare range for all skin types and needs. Immortelle Skincare is our anti ageing range. It offers a slightly richer day cream moisturiser, called Immortelle Precious Cream. In this range we also have a fantastic Immortelle Cream mask which is rich and luxurious and can be used twice a week.

Our Shea Butter skincare range also features rich moisturisers, but if you want to tackle the signs of ageing too then I believe that Immortelle Skincare would be the best option for you.

Our boutiques have qualified skincare consultants who can help you to find your perfect moisturiser, so please do not hesitate to come and visit us in your nearest L’Occitane boutique. Kind regards, Alexis.

Dale's top tip for preparing for Christmas

Hi everyone, Dale here,

How are your Christmas preparations coming along? We are in full Christmas swing here at QVC towers with many of the shows already presenting a wide range of gifts - there's something for everyone.

But don't stress too much about choosing the perfect gift because QVC have extended there 30-day money-back guarantee. You can now return products until 25th January, so it's great for anyone who wants to plan ahead.

This extension really enables you to make a purchase ahead of time and in the comfortable knowledge that a swap or refund will not be an issue when you buy from QVC.

I'd better go, I'm just popping out now to take some footage of the Thames with Sunday's TSV - make sure you tune in.

Happy Christmas shopping!

Love, Dale x

Brand-new beauty range from Linda Papadopoulos

Linda Papadopoulos is a popular celebrity psychologist, well-known for her appearances on morning chat shows, Loose Women, Big Brother and Celebrity Fit Club.

With an avid interest in beauty and both looking and feeling great, she's launching her new beauty range Psy Derma and we're lucky enough to have it on QVC! We spoke to Linda to see what it was all about...

Describe your new range in three words

Unique, effective, ground-breaking and luxurious (oops, I know that’s four but I couldn't fit it all into three)!

Share your top three skincare secrets

1. Make time for yourself - this is important both for the well-being of your skin and your mind.
2. Learn how to look in the mirror - you'll feel a lot better about yourself if you focus on things that you like rather than on things that you don't.
3. Don't see skincare as a chore, see it as a treat.

Tova replies to customers about her signature fragrance

Dear everyone,

I want to assure those of you who have written comments about changes to the Tova Signature fragrance. This fragrance is as close to me as it is to all of you. It has my name on it and so the integrity of it is equally important to me. Neither the formula nor the fragrance has changed at all, that I can tell you with confidence.

When I celebrated the fragrance's 25th Anniversary I introduced a new art  deco bottle. The original had a frosted, opaque finish and the new one is completely transparent. With a new bottle, it's easy to perceive the fragrance differently. It's like eating ice cream from a bowl you don't usually eat it from - you think it tastes differently!

Dale Franklin reveals his most embarrassing moments

Hi guys, Dale here,

Well, there have been far too many embarrassing moments to mention ranging from guests using profanities on air and scenery and guests falling over, to a kid's ball of jelly exploding in my face and countless embarrassing callers, usually after midnight.

There was also the time when Claudia Sylvester's stockings fell down during a show. I tried my hardest to carry on while she could hardly contain herself, laughing uncontrollably and looking like Nora Batty!

QVC UK's 15th Birthday tap dance

For anyone who missed it the first time round, here's the moment you all voted for - when Julia, Claire and Catherine tap-danced for your pleasure to celebrate QVC UK's 15th birthday. You go girls!

If you're having trouble seeing the video, click here.

Still having issues seeing video? Read technical help guide.

Get Sarah Chapman's celebrity skincare tips

High-profile beauty expert Sarah Chapman is introducing her new beauty range to QVC, and we can't wait to check it out! Sarah regularly contributes to glossy magazines like Vogue and appears on TV, most recently Channel 4's 'Ten years younger', plus she has her own clinic so she's a real source of knowledge.

Sarah's launching her new beauty range at QVC this Sunday and we caught up with her during the week to pick up some beauty tips...

What do you enjoy most about being a beauty expert?

I love the challenge. It's really rewarding when clients get satisfaction and happiness with their skin’s improvement and you really can change the way they feel about themselves.

I also enjoy researching different aspects of beauty, working with the media on news stories, and writing advice columns on latest treatments and products.

Catherine Huntley heads to the Steiff Museum in Germany

Hi everyone,

You'll never guess where I'm off to! This Friday I'll be in the Steiff museum in Germany and you can see me there live from 8pm on QVC.

Yes, me and my beloved Steiff kittycat are off to Giengen, birthplace of Margarete Steiff, founder of Steiff and creator of some of the very first teddy bears. Throughout the show we'll have lots of new bears, different kinds of animals, some cosy Steiff friends and even some limited edition collectables for you to enjoy.

My children bought me a teddy bear several years ago which I would always take with me if I was away overnight. They would hug it full of hugs and then I had their hugs to keep me company when I missed my littlies' cuddles.

Don't miss our presenters tap dancing!

For canes, top hats and lots of fun, tune in to the Morning Show at 9am on Monday to see Julia Roberts, Catherine Huntley and Claire Sutton perform a tap dancing routine!

Tap dancing was the most popular challenge in our 15th birthday poll, so don't miss out on what's sure to be a great performance.

Find out the winners of our 15th birthday polls

We've been busy counting up your votes (what a fantastic response!), and here are the winners...

1. Your favourite QVC product: No prizes for guessing this one - Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish was streets ahead of the competition. Just read some of the comments to find out why.

2. Your favourite QVC show: Was this one close or what? Loyal crafters and beauty fans voted with equal enthusiasm, but Paper Crafting with Dawn Bibby just pipped In the Salon with Alison to the post with 45% of the vote compared to Alison's 32%.

3. Presenter challenge: Lots of you wanted to see all three challenges, but seeing the talented starlets Julia, Catherine and Claire perform a tap dancing routine came out top - go girls! We'll let you know when it happens.

Thanks for all your votes and birthday wishes,

The QGossip team

Lulu Guinness returns to QVC... and Catherine Huntley can't wait!

Hello everyone, Catherine here!

Lulu Guinness is back... and boy, has she been in demand. She's been so busy recently with London Fashion week, but she's taking time out of her hectic schedule to come back to QVC this Friday.

I had the great pleasure of launching Lulu Guinness bags on QVC earlier this year. The premiere show sold out so quickly, we didn’t get much of a chance to chat to Lulu herself. I was so disappointed.

I fell in love with Lulu Guinness bags instantly, and I even visited her New York boutique when I was on holiday. Check out the piccy! Keeping two teenagers amused on holiday was hard work, so a trip to Lulu's boutique was my little treat - Mum's half hour of 'me time'. It was absolutely divine!

Lulu's show is going to be a busy one, so join me for a girly night this Friday at 8pm. Straight after the Lulu Guinness show, I'm also presenting the stunning Jacqueline Kennedy collection. It's a great collection of jewellery, and much talked about too!

Bags and jewellery - a fab way to start the weekend, wouldn't you say?

Love Catherine x

The birthday polls are now closed

Hang fire everyone, voting in the birthday polls has now finished.

We'll be announcing the winners on air in Friday's Morning Show and also here in QGossip, so watch this space...

Alison Keenan's most embarrassing moment

Hi everyone,

There have been mercifully few, but I think my most embarrassing moment came when I was presenting a beauty workshop with guest Helen Harvey from Nails Inc.

We were talking about the shape of nails and how best to file them when I thrust my middle finger up in front of the camera. I was merely showing the viewers the shape of my nail and held it there for far too long before realising I was offending the nation!

Hope that's tickled you!

Love Alison x

QVC birthday polls - your favourites so far…

Have you been taking part in our polls? Here's a quick update on how things are looking at the moment...

In the favourite QVC product poll, Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish is streets ahead of the competition, with the Northern Nights feather bed, Decleor and Gatineau battling it out for second place.

For your favourite QVC show, it's a really close call between In the Salon with Alison and Paper Crafting with Dawn Bibby - which expert will come out on top?

Finally, the presenter challenge suggests you want showbiz, with the tap dancing routine currently leading the way.

Do you agree with the choices so far? Remember, there's still time to vote for your favourites below.

Julia Roberts celebrates her 15th anniversary at QVC

We caught up with Julia Roberts as she celebrates her 15th anniversary with QVC. Here she reminisces about her first ever show, her highlights and most embarrassing moments...

Tell us about your first ever show...

I first appeared on QVC on 1st October 1993 with Jon Briggs for the launch of QVC TV. It was terribly nerve racking and exciting because we were welcoming everyone to a new way of shopping.

My first show was a gold jewellery show. I can even remember what I was wearing - it was a coral-coloured jacket which I still own and it still fits me which is amazing! You could say it's a piece of history.

Choose a birthday challenge for our presenters

Today's the start of our 15th Birthday Week, and to kick start the party we've got a cracker of a poll for you:

Q: Which presenter challenge would you love to see?

A) A tap dance routine performed by Julia Roberts, Claire Sutton and Catherine Huntley
B) A cake decorating competition between Kathy Tayler, Simon Biagi and Pipa Vanderburg - judged by Julian Ballantyne
C) A fitness challenge between Julian Ballantyne and Jill Franks!

How to vote: Leave your answer as a comment below.

The winning presenter challenge will be announced on air at the end of Birthday Week - we'll let you know when.

Vote for your favourite QVC show

It's nearly our 15th Birthday (yay!) and to continue the celebrations we've got another fun poll for you:

Q: What's your favourite QVC show?

We've picked out 20 shows for you to choose from:

1. Richard Jackson's Garden 2. Paper Crafting with Dawn Bibby 3. In the Salon with Alison 4. The Morning Show 5. DIY on Sunday 6. Small Office Home Office 7. Home Electronics 8. Beauty Workshop 9. Cleaning Solutions 10. In the Kitchen

11. Car Care 12. Diamonique 13. Health and Fitness 14. Northern Nights 15. Fashion Essentials 16. Gems Galore 17. Time for Watches 18. Silver Style 19. Essentially Gold 20. cook's essentials

How to vote: Leave your answer as a comment below.

We'll announce your favourite show on air during Birthday Week - we'll let you know when.

Take part in our 15th birthday poll

Get ready to party - it's our 15th Birthday very soon! Birthday Week runs from Thursday 25th September to Wednesday 1st October.

Help us prepare for celebrations by voting in our birthday poll:

Q: What's your favourite QVC product of all time?

How to vote: Leave your answer as a comment below. If it's got an item number add this so that we know exactly which product you're voting for.

The winning product will be announced on air during Birthday Week - we'll let you know when.

Jonathan from Welsh Farm Organics: How to cook the perfect sirloin steak

Hi everyone!

My name is Jonathan and I'm the farmer from Welsh Farm Organics. On Friday I'm presenting Welsh Farm Organics premier show and I'm very excited!

I run the farm with my family; there's my lovely wife Sally and my three young children Maldwyn, Max and Archie. I've worked on farms all my life, and it's so nice being able to work with my family.

I thought I'd pop in and share with you how to cook the perfect sirloin steak. Sirloin is my favourite steak by far, it has so much flavour!

Cooking sirloin steak is very simple, it doesn't need much doing to it as it's bursting with juicy flavour. I always cook it in a frying pan, as it gives you more control over how you like it cooked (for juicy steaks from my farm, just tune into the show).

Suzi B from California Style reveals this season's jewellery trends

Dear friends, 

I hope you've had a lovely summer that's included lots of fun and fabulous jewellery too! The year has flown by and now here we are with autumn and winter just around the corner.

It's been a great year for jewellery and accessories, and that trend continues for the upcoming season. This month I'll be celebrating my 14th anniversary on QVC UK, so it's fitting that the 'statement necklace' is taking centre stage in the fashion world as it's one of my favourite pieces in my new collection, and is perfect for any celebratory occasion!

Watch QVC Beauty - our new beauty channel on Sky

We've got a treat for all you beauty lovers out there. You'll never have to miss your favourite beauty shows on QVC again because now you can watch them whenever you want on our brand new channel - QVC Beauty.

Showing 24/7, you'll be able to catch clips of beauty products from favourites including Liz Earle, Decleor and Elemis, as well as themed shows like In the Salon with Alison. With new shows every day, make sure you tune in regularly to see what's on.

The channel is only available to those of you with Sky, and you can find it by pressing the Red button on your remote, going to QVC Multiscreen and selecting QVC Beauty. When you spot something you like, you can buy it easily, just by pressing the Yellow button.

We love it!

P.S. If you like QVC Beauty, then check out Alison Young's Beauty Bible.

Tignanello handbags come to QVC!

Hi everyone,

My name is Carla and I'm going to be launching Tignanello handbags on QVC TV this Friday (5th September). I thought I'd pop down and give you a sneak preview before the show. I'm so excited to be representing such a wonderful range of handbags and launching them on QVC!

If I had to describe Tignanello bags in three words, I would use 'high-quality, classic and functional'.

Tignanello was started 19 years ago by a man Lenny Dreyfuss who wanted to make beautiful leather handbags at affordable prices.

Claudia: The West End Shopping Event and my favourite places to shop

Hi everyone,

I love the buzz and excitement of shopping in London's West End, and that glamour is what today's West End Shopping Event is all about.

We'll be featuring four big names in West End shopping, including the luxurious Elemis spa which is a fantastic place to relax and be pampered, and the Nails Inc nail bar where I go to have my nails done as a special treat.

Plus, we've got Lulu Guinness bags - which I'm seeing in all the magazines at the moment - as well as fun and stylish Lola Rose jewellery of which I'm a big fan.

Craig's Northern Nights bedding picks

Hello all,

I'm doing my first Northern Nights Presenter Picks show on Saturday at 4pm, and I'm so excited!

Northern Nights was one of the first shows I presented at QVC and it quickly became one of my favourites.

Prior to hosting Northern Nights I really didn’t know that much about bedding. After I renovated my flat a few years ago I decided to upgrade my bedding and I stupidly spent around about £450 on a duvet set!

The frustrating thing is, now I know about thread counts, I realise the store must have seen me coming! I paid all that money for something that looked nice but didn’t have the quality of Northern Nights.

I've learnt so much about bedding during the shows, and I've been inspired to completely change the way I sleep and even the way I feel about my bedroom and bedding. I wanted to share this new passion with QVC viewers who have been part of this journey and new viewers who, like me, weren’t sure what all the fuss was about.

Kathy Van Zeeland chats about her bag collection

Hi everyone, Kathy here!

Since my bags are appearing on Friday's Fashion Day, I thought I'd pop down and have a little chat about them.

How I started
I started Kathy Van Zeeland bags about four years ago when I was designing for one of the biggest accessory companys in America. I really wanted to start up on my own as I thought I could bring something fresh to the market.

My maiden name is Van Zeeland, so I named the company in tribute to my father who had recently passed away. Plus I have three sisters and wanted the Van Zeeland name to continue.

Catherine Huntley's style

Hi everyone, I'm doing my Accessory Picks show today at 5pm, and thought I'd chat to you about my fashion loves...

My style
I can't really define my fashion sense, if I like it I wear it. I do love the fashion of the 1940s and 50s, it's so glamorous! Dressing seemed to be an art form back then with co-ordinating accessories and the Hollywood perfect make-up.

Totally in contradiction with that, I love my jeans and live in them when I'm not getting glammed up. I used to wear some really punky styles back in the day too!

I believe you should never pigeon-hole yourself, wear what makes you feel good and if that's a tutu and boots or a twin-set and pearls then I say good for you!

Presenting Claudia Sylvester's diamond ring - in new shades of gold

To our regular viewers, Claudia Sylvester is well-known as a presenter, and before that, one of our fashion models. But our jewellery-lovers also know that she's designed her very own 9 carat gold diamond accent ring.

Since its successful launch on January's Gold Day, the ring has been a sell-out hit twice over. Claudia's reworked the design for its third outing, but it still retains its beautiful contemporary styling sprinkled with diamonds.

Would you like to craft with Dawn Bibby on QVC?

Just a quick one for all you crafters out there - how do you fancy crafting with our expert Dawn Bibby live on QVC?

Sound good? Then enter our crafting competition in Catherine Huntley's new blog, Craft Etc.

Click here to find out how to enter.

Good luck!

Simon Biagi: My Morning Show experience

QGossip spoke to Simon Biagi backstage after he'd finished his first Morning Show. Simon teamed up with fellow presenter Kathy Tayler in the show - following in the footsteps of Debbie and Dale who presented in Monday's first ever Morning Show.

How was the show?

I found it really exciting - it was nice to have a real burst of energy first thing in the morning and get the day off to a bang.

Did your background in morning TV help?

Yes it did. Kathy used to work on TVam and I was at GMTV. We would kick off the day at six o' clock in the morning and start like there was no tomorrow!

The Morning Show was a bit like going back in the past, but that was quite nice because once again I'm beginning the day with a 'sprint'.

Start your weekdays with The Morning Show on QVC!

Hi, Dale here!

I don't know if you've heard on the grapevine, but on Monday we're launching The Morning Show - brand-new and on air daily at 9am from Monday to Friday.

It will feature the day's best QVC products, including our Today's Special Value. The Morning Show is something to definitely make room for in your busy viewing schedule!

Each day, The Morning Show team (which I'm going to be part of) are planning to have fun introducing you to the best products coming up in later shows. There will also be expert guests dropping in to talk us about new products. Plus there'll be competitions to enter.

See you on Monday,

Dale x

P.S. Check back here next week for exclusive interviews with me and other The Morning Show presenters

Alison Young is excited about Beauty Day!

I'm getting excited about Beauty Day on Saturday. We're focusing on award winners, so it's a celebration of what QVC always does best which is cherry-picking the very best formulas.

Recently these formulas have been winning worldwide awards from magazines, trade press and newspapers. Whether they're chosen by other professionals or customers, hundreds of the award winners are sold at QVC.

Some of our long-standing guests will be joining us to celebrate their existing product ranges including Liz Earle, Fiona from Decleor and Lee from Philosophy, as well as guests you may have not met, such as Rebecca Korner, the founder of Korner Skincare which has won a massive anti-ageing award.

So join me on Saturday 19^th April for a day of pampering!

Alison xx

Richard Jackson visits Anthony Heywood's garden (part 2)

The second instalment of garden expert Richard Jackson's visit to Anthony Heywood's riverside garden, where Richard gets to grips with Anthony's trimming troubles...

Get your hands on the Bosch trimmer featured in this video.

Missed the first part of this? See Richard Jackson visits Anthony Heywood's garden (part 1).

Richard Jackson visits Anthony Heywood's garden (part 1)

Anthony Heywood introduces green-fingered expert Richard Jackson to his beautiful riverside garden and explains his gardening troubles...

See Richard Jackson visits Anthony Heywood's garden (part 2) to see the solution to Anthony's garden woes.

Meet jewellery designer Mischa Sundstad

Mischa Sundstad has been involved in the fashion industry for 20 years, but we know her best as silver jewellery designer on her range Mischa by Design. She was at QVC getting ready for Silver Day on Sunday 23rd March and she spoke to us about Angelina