Two For Tea

My toddler has been invited to her first proper birthday party so this calls for a big post.  In honour of her mate Esme's 2nd birthday (and because HM's recent insatiable interest in the content of my jewellery box has indicated that she is a real girl now) I will break things down into two important shopping areas. Outfit and present. Let's start with the clothes!:

Outfit

1. Wild Things - Funky Little Dresses by Kirsty Hartley £32.00

The retro look: So funky and pretty without being too pink and girly. Gorgeous!

2. Sister's Guild Bobo Choses Dress £35.00

The casual chic look: I can just imagine how gorgeous this would look with some white pedal pushers and bare feet.

3. Bethany Dress by The Eggcup Clothing Company £100.00

The classic elegant look: A touch more formal but absolutely to die for and the vintage rose print makes it truly spectacular.

4. Tutu by Cotton Fairies £14.99

The junior fashionista look: I love the punky-ness of this pretty little skirt casually paired with a faux-fur jacket and bother boots. Adorable. 

5. Pink Loafers by Skeanie £34.99

I've just ordered a pair of these for her along with a couple of other styles from the Skeanie website which now ships to the UK. Paediatrically-approved and much more stylish than anything Clarks has to offer, I anticipate becoming a regular. 

6. Port Red Shoes by Livie & Luca £34.99

They look sort of edible don't they? Love them.

7. Flower Shoes by My Little Boots £16.75

Reassuringly sturdy while being irresistibly dainty.

Gift

1. Wooden Biscuit Game  by Ella James Living £12.00

Fun, educational and so pretty. I love the vintage box too.

2. Personalised Embroidered Nursery Cushion by Big Stitch £48.00

Slightly pricer but timeless, tasteful and classic. Something to keep forever. 

3. Rubber Stamp Set by Lollipop Designs £7.50

Most two-year old girls will be getting into art by now in a major way. These collections of stamps in sweet little bags will keep them well occupied while creating their daily masterpiece.

4. Allsorts Button Bracelet by The Blue Pebble £9.60

Edible. That is all.

5. Owl Handbag by Vicky Davison £12.00

Pretty to display in a bedroom and perfect for toting about all those little everyday essentials like toy cars, bangles and small toys.

No Brainer of The Month

I just found this and it is, hands down, my new absolute ultimate recommendation for a new baby gift. Available now in a whole rainbow of colours from the completely edible baby boutique Tuppence & Crumble for £19.95. It's completely out of this world! 

Enough said.

On the 22nd Day of Christmas...

I bought this Gazillion Bubbles Machine £15.99 for my godson on his fourth birthday. He had all his mates in a village hall for a do and this made them go crazy. Honestly, I had no idea. The only downside was a very slippery floor but the nippers were all having too much fun to notice. I can't recommend this toy enough for hours of fun and it can be wheeled out time and time again. Available from Toy's R Us and other large toy stores. 

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Here is something that parents either love or hate. It's up to you but I know for a fact that kids absolutely love them. Bath Crayons £4.00 from Hawkins Bazaar is the perfect way to encourage creativity even whilst bathing (we should all be so lucky). I have given these before and received withering looks as a consequence so choose your audience. They do wash easily off all surfaces and have a clever retractable mechanism for storage between use. Hours of splashy fun! If you are too late for the post, find similar at The Early Learning Centre. 

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Amazing and original and packaged in a lovely tin with a hand-drawn design printed on it. This witty range of Clothes Plasters (from £2.99) are embroidered patches designed by artist Jennie Maizels and require only a hot iron to affix individuality and flare to your children's clothes. They come in packs of one, two, five or ten (£9.99 the ones in the tin above) and there is a style to suit all. My favourite is the "Love" range mainly because I have a favourite jumper with a moth hole at the chest and I think one of these would prolong its life considerably. Gorgeous!  

On the 19th Day of Christmas...

It is astounding how quickly children grow up and once they are standing, it's fun to keep track of their progress. My dad used to mark the height of my brother and I on the doorway to the kitchen with a biro. They've just had a refit but those little scratchy marks and dates are still there - a little piece of family history. This Davy Dragon Height Chart £31.00 from Kid's Rooms is a beautifully conceived decoration for the nursery or playroom to help chart their progress. It is made from fabric, attaches like a hanging to the wall and has little fabric picture frames that mark the latest height of each child that you can put a photograph in. Perfect as a christmas, birthday or new baby gift that will last for years. 

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Only a week left until the big day. So exciting! I took my daughter to her first birthday party yesterday and to save a lot of aggro, we all drew names in a Secret Santa style arrangement so that each child got one present from another child. So simple. So sensible. I drew my friend's son Oscar and we chose two Rubber Ducks £5.00 each from John Lewis for him; the two blue ones at the top in fact because I love the little rubber ring they have 'boy' written all over them. Also a great stocking filler idea for some seriously stylish splashing. 

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How cute? Why not stuff a stocking with this Blue & Red Rose Coathanger £4.20 from This Is Pretty. I met someone once who (quite vehemently) believed that padded hangers were the work of the devil and I could never understand why. Obviously some are nicer than others (pastel yellow, crocheted and smelling of mothballs are a no-no of course) but who could say that this child-size hanger isn't cute as a button and wouldn't look so smart with a pretty dress hanging from it in a wardrobe or on the back of the nursery door. It would also make a lovely present for a 1st birthday or new baby. 

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Sometimes lovely things serve no purpose other than to add a little superb decoration to your life and this is one of them. Santa's Magic Key £5.50 from East of India at The Contemporary Home is a little piece of wrought iron joy on a vintage manilla gift tag and would make a lovely stocking filler, advent calendar gift, present embellishment, party favour, table or tree decoration. I would most like to hang it on the wreath on our front door. Gorgeous. 

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Completely scrumptious. This Breakfast Menu Tray £12.00 from Jelly & Blancmange is a lovely toy for a small child. I'm a big fan of traditional wooden toys and there's something about the smoothness and roundness of these pieces that is particularly eye-catching - I love the cheese! The Jelly & Blancmange site is choc-full of good quality festive accessories, tradional toys and magic party bag fillers so go and have a wander around. I know twelve quid might be a bit steep for the stocking but I reckon individually wrapped they'd take up quite a bit of room and it'll kickstart the training for when the little darlings are old enough to start serving you breakfast in bed (which is when...roughly...by the way?)

On the 15th Day of Christmas...

So cute. My daughter was given this little Owl Holdall £13.75 by my aunt for her first birthday. It's great because she is getting interested in everything and she simply loves the opportunity to empty my handbag. Now I just fill it full of interesting things from the nursery, kitchen and bathroom and watch her go. I've trawled the internet for them and most places seem to be sold out but I found some available at Bazaar Barnstaple and Amazon do them as well but at almost twice the price and even they are running low on stock so they must be very popular. I particularly love the design of the holdall because the neck of the bag is narrower than the rest of it so even if it gets up-ended, you won't end up with absolutely everything on the floor in Tesco. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

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More sweet treats for your little ones (and big ones as well) this time from master confectioners Hope & Greenwood. A great way to reward all that good behaviour, For A Good Boy/Girl £3.50 are perfect for stockings of for trimming the tree. Each small decorative box contains milk chocolate balls wrapped in silver foil and topped off with a ribbon. I also think they would make rather original favours for a festive wedding or formal dinner. Vintage sweetie heaven. 

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

 

Depending on your point of view, this Doodle Table Cloth £30.00 from Sophie Likes is either a Godsend or the worst idea ever conceived. My guess though is that the idea of encouraging creativity and keeping the little darlings at the table for the duration of a meal will drop most in the former camp. And it's a wicked present for an auntie, uncle, grand- or godparent who doesn't have to deal with the washing machine anyway ; ). I once got a mildly withering look from a friend after I gave her kids bath crayons but they were ecstatic and I'm sorry, but it is the recipient's joy that counts. It comes complete with 8 different colour felt tips and the colours wash out at 40 degrees in the machine so the fun can just go on and on and on. Have a look because Sophie Likes also has a pillow case, and single and double duvet options but even I am not brave enough to recommend drawing on bedding. It could result in some pretty embarrassing conversations after sleepovers. Still a brilliant idea though and could be an original present for those older 'children' that you know.

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Something for everyone and so indulgent. This is the Christmas Present Card £10.95 from The Biscuiteers - a business that has made an art form out of cakes and cookies. Choose your personal message and take pleasure watching them eat it. And what's more, the gorgeous gift box it comes in can be used afterwards to keep trinkets and personal keepsakes. Knocks a tin of Roses out of the park. Yummy!

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Here's a nice thing to find in your stocking. This pretty "Little Star" Children's Mug £7.50 is from a collection by Jamie Oliver at lovely online gift emporium It's Darling. I have something like this in mind for my little 12-month old who is currently 'practising' drinking out of a cup. Who knew? She has rejected almost every sippy cup on the market and prefers good old porcelain china like her mamma. She also seems to be really getting into tea (very weak and decaff, of course!) Altogether, she's a chip off the old-ish block. All she has to do now is figure out how to drink without waterboarding herself and, for this, perhaps a smaller mug will help. Baby steps! 

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Three lovely things today because frankly I couldn't choose between them. Trinket Box Felt Craft Kit £2.95, Spaceboy Set of of Colouring Pencils £1.50 & Three Stripey Mouse Craft Set £4.95 all from the DotComGiftShop.com where you will find many, many more lovely things for under a fiver to stuff your stockings. I chose these three from the creative kids section because that's my bag. I love the little felt and ticking mice in particular. They are simply the essence of innocent childhood magic.  

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I was so excited when I found these. Can you guess what they are? Legomen! Yes. Obviously. But there's a difference because they are also Legomen Crayons £4.00. Small pleasures. I found them on a website called Colour Me Fun and they come in 8 colours in a free cloth bag. A sensational stocking filler  that would also make a great children's party bag. The site is stuffed with different designs from stars to dinosaurs. There is even a pick'n'mix option. I like the space invaders myself but then I am the wrong side of thirty. Legomen are timeless and great for unleashing the creativity in any young artist. 

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Ok. This is quite extravagant for a stocking but bear with me because I think it's almost irresistible particularly if one of your number is getting or has recently received a two-wheeled present this Christmas. The MPH Bike Bell £20.00 from Pedlars is one of three ingenious and humorous designs, one of which will suit any enthusiastic cyclist. And, if you don't want to spoil the surprise, just install it before you wheel out the joy.

Showcase: Manchester Christmas Market

For my daughter's first birthday, we took her into Manchester for some Christmas shopping, pretty lights and gluwein (for mummy of course) at The Christmas Market. This is our second year visiting and it really really is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours in town. Here's some of our finds. 

We found some lovely gift shopping at Quite Contrary Designs just outside the Town Hall. I bought these two fabric covered mirrors £6.00 each as small gifts for friends. I love the contrasting fabric and the soft punched leather pouches they come in. Artist Mary Shears hand makes all her products working with vintage inspired fabrics, buttons, leather, tweeds and wool fabrics to make seriously gorgeous bags, scarves, keyrings, brooches and cushions. Her business is resident at the Manchester Craft & Design Centre in the Northern Quarter if you don't make it down to the market this Christmas.                                                                     

It has become a custom to find a new Christmas decoration for my daughter every year. It's a really nice thing to do for a baby (her godmother does it as well) and it means that eventually, our tree will be covered in unique and unusual baubles that will hold a lot of meanings and memories (for us more than for her I imagine but nobody says gifting has to be selfless!) Yesterday, I added this small nativity £3.50 to our current collection from one of the traditional German stalls. It is made from wood with tiny figures exquisitely painted. It was the little sheep on the right that sold it to me though. So cute!  

Speaking of sheep, we found this lovely Sheepey Scarf £10.00 as an additional birthday present for Her Majesty. I particularly liked it because, at the moment, she refuses to wear hats and it comes right up around her ears thereby giving her head at least some coverage. It's by a company called Jomanda and they make a whole range of soft toys and children's accessories that are suitable from birth. They are definitely a business to add to my Fantasy High Street. I don't know any parent who wouldn't be thrilled to receive something like this for their baby. 

Another lovely find was the ceramic stall by Interlude Ceramics. Based in the heart of the lake district, they product a simply stunning range of wheel-thrown stoneware crockery, mugs, jugs, bowls and one-off pieces. They also receive commissions. A few days ago, I posted an Engagement Album featuring gift inspiration for couples and this (above) makes a lovely addition. Last night, I bought this delightful little stoneware Christmas Pudding £1.00 to put on the mantlepiece in our sitting room for the festive season. Yummy.

Finally, no journey home from a Christmas market would be complete without having to share the passenger seat with the top half of a seven foot fir tree £15.00. We picked up ours in the main square outside the town hall for an unbelieveably reasonable price. The vendors there said that they have plenty in stock but they're going fast and the prices will most probably go up as demand intensifies and supply begins to dwindle so get down there fast. Completely in the mood for Christmas now. Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly...Fa-la-la-la-lah.............

I Heart MCR!

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When I was quite young, my mum gave me a wall-mountable pottery profile of a cat's face with a tiny hole in the mouth that dispenses string and a slot for scissors. My husband hates it. He says it's the creepiest thing he's ever seen and gives the impression that the cat has tapeworm. None of this can be denied. It is very odd. But I also can't deny its usefulness and the reason I still have it is that I still use it all the time. I have probably saved hours of my life over the years sat in the tedious occupation of unraveling tangled and knotted balls of string because of it and I was reminded of this when I came across this nice String Tin £4.99 from a range by artist Madeleine Floyd available at Lakeland. It is covered in exquisite bird illustrations and is quite diddy at 11cm making it an unexpected surprise for the stocking. I would probably try to find some nice pretty twine and maybe some Embroidery Scissors £5.00 like those below from Make Do Mend (which would make a nice stocking filler present in themselves) to put with it depending on the age of the recipient. 

Great for the garden, a home office, the kitchen and, of course, all those hundreds of small people projects where glue and sticky-back plastic just aren't getting the job done.