12 reasons to smile in 2012!

It's that old familiar feeling, we've had all the excitement of Christmas and New Year, and now we have... January. The weather is a bit, well not really anything, and we're all feeling deflated after all of that festive excitement.

So we thought we'd share some Carry Me Home joy, and give everyone 12 good reasons to smile in 2012! (No workout DVDs or diet plans here, promise!)

1. This 'Smile' t-shirt. It just makes you feel happy!

2. The fact that the 'Smile' t-shirt is part of our sale! online and instore.

3. Sale shopping in general. Nothing quite makes you as satisfied as a hefty discount (speaking as a lady with new boots and mittens (1/2 price) I can guarantee this).

4. With this in mind, the rest of the Carry Me Home sale is a perfect happy place. Featuring this lovely babygrow (pictured below), along with several other items of clothing, toys and accessories. 5. New stuff! New Year, new lovely things coming into the shop, like this fabulous t-shirt (we'll put it online soon, or pop in to the shop and bag it first!)

6. Chocolate. Always and forever the ultimate pick me up. Even the yucky ones at the bottom of the tin and the last of the selection pack.

7. A chocolate bib, of course :)

8. The Grayson Perry exhibition at the British Museum. I wouldn't suggest you take the kids, but this is a lovely exhibition featuring lots of strange artefacts collected from the British Museum's archives, alongside new and old works by Grayson Perry (ceramics, tapestries...iron cast death ships) The real reason to go? The show is a complete homage to Grayson's teddy bear Alan Measles, who features everywhere. The picture below shows Alan Measles' own version of the popemobile, in which he and Perry toured Germany. Click here for more information.

9. Alan Measles the teddy bear is 50 years old, and cherished by his owner. We like to think our Carry Me Home bears are worthy of that kind of devotion. Like Hubert here. I'm sure he'd love to have his own exhibition!

10. All the new babies that will be born in 2012

11. Olympics, Euro 2012, diamond jubilee. Quite a lot is actually going to happen this year. Thought I better mention that.

12. There's only another 352 days until Christmas!