a bib for all seasons

bib. el babero. bavaglino. bavoir. latz

Whatever you call it, they exist in all languages and they're a universal baby gift.

In English, the word 'bib' dates back to 1580, with the word having Latin origins from the word bibere, because it soaked up spills, so it looks like a bib has been the number one baby gift for a while now :)

They're great because they can be worn over clothes, so go with a multitude of outfits, and make even the plainest baby grow more exciting. They're practical and useful. They don't break the bank. 

It's the thoughtful present that doesn't require much thought at all! 

Here at Carry Me Home we sell a nice variety of bibs, from the big, bright, colourful beauty and the bib strawberry, apple and cupcake, to the Carry Me Home favourites, the 'I Love Chocolate, So Does My Mum' and the classic 'Oops' bibs.

 

We think the loveliness of our bibs speak for themselves. Look at how perfect the pink cupcake bib goes with the cupcake Happy Accidents dress, a match made in heaven!

The chocolate bib is a firm favourite, there are a lot of mums out there who love chocolate (we can think of a few!) and, when they're personalised, they become even more special gifts. 

So pop on a bib and get munching, slurping, stuffing your face full of goodies, because it really is the baby gift that has everything!

 

play date

Sometimes, when you least expect it, the Great British weather comes up trumps. It has been lovely having some sunshine for the end of the Olympics, and we're hoping that it lasts all the way through to the Paralympics and beyond!

Because, let's not forget, it is the summer holidays, so it's the perfect time to meet up with friends, go to the park, the pool, the zoo, have a picnic, have an ice cream...have a play date!

And what better outfit could there be for a fun summer play date than a cool summer playsuit? By definition, they're designed for play and to have fun in, especially in the summer months. Carry Me Home are big fans, mainly because play suits always come in soft, cooling, easy to wear cotton, and always with a happy summer prints. They've been incredibly popular in the shop as well, as babies everywhere rejoice the arrival of summer and go out to play!

Below are a few snaps of some of our faves, including the super sweet hawaiian playsuit, and the ruffly cuteness that is the pansy playsuit. The bamboo playsuit combines a bang-on-trend tie-dye print with some serious green, ethical dye production methods, and has just been added to the website too!

Look at these happy Carry Me Homers enjoying their recent play date, hanging out on the grass in the shop window. We can see you smiling Patrick bear, and what about the couple of cheeky Happy Accidents? Having fun with your friends, looking and staying cool,  that's what a play date (and a playsuit!) is all about! (And that lot have certainly achieved it!)

team gb

 

 I don't know about you, but here at Carry Me Home, we are in the midst of an Olympic fever!

It's probably because our lovely little shop is located in the heart of Central London, but it seems like every customer we meet is heading to the games, or has a new bit of Olympic news to share, which just makes the whole thing even more exciting!

Of course, we're a little bit biased toward team GB, who as we type are currently third in the medal table. What an amazing achievement this games has been for all of our Olympians!

We thought we'd champion our own team GB right here in the shop, by which I mean showcase some of our products that were 

designed and made right here in Great Britain...

 1. 'Rock Baby' baby grow
All of our Carry Me Home own label baby grows, hats, t-shirts and bibs are made from 100% cotton and manufactured in the UK. The designs are all lovingly made right here in Carry Me Home HQ in Kingly Court, London. And 'Rock Baby' has a union jack design as well, super patriotic :)

2. Thomas Bear
Thomas is just one of the fabulous Carry Me Home bears, which are limited edition, hand made in Yorkshire and come with a special personalised tag. A more special baby gift you could not hope to find.

3. Beau Loves Stripe Playsuit
All 'Beau Loves' garments are manufactured (with love) in the UK. This stripe playsuit is especially cute now that summer has arrived (and no-one can resist the tiny pockets on the bum, they're adorable!)

4. Happy Accidents Dress
Happy Accident dresses, toys and bunting are all handmade by one of our very favourite people, Steven. Now based up North, we are always excited to get a parcel in the post containing a riot of fabrics, colours and prints, lovingly crafted together to create one-off special garments, toys and decorations.

5. Arty and Bella
Handmade in London, Arty and Bella create the sweetest little hair accessories. Simple, cute and beautiful.

So, those are our 5 members of Carry Me Home team GB. Are there any of your favourite Carry Me Home items that we've failed to add? Which item should win a gold medal for cuteness? Do let us know on facebook or twitter, and enjoy the rest of the games :)

carry me...to the olympics!

 Thursday, July 26th 2012. 

This day will go down in history.

Why?

Well, because Carry Me Home (represented by the very proud Ella bear) saw the Olympic torch of course!

 

 Here you can see Ella herself, in amongst the massive crowds of shoppers, Olympic enthusiasts, office workers and passers-by. We're all waiting for the torch with baited breath, lining famous Regent Street in the blistering summer heat.

It was all very exciting, having THE Olympic torch pass so close to Kingly Court and Carry Me Home. All of a sudden London has gained a real sense of anticipation, and there is a lovely, lively atmosphere around the city. Over the last week we've had a fair few customers who've travelled far and wide to be a part of London 2012. From NBC news to American soccer fans, it has been great to meet lots of excited people, and it just makes us get more and more excited!

Which brings me back to the torch...

You see, the thing is, little Ella (yep I'm blaming the bear) got so excited by the prospect of the torch, she didn't manage to take any decent photographs of it. So overwhelmed by the crowds and the anticipation, and being such a little bear, our photos don't actually feature the flame itself (rather just beneath the flame-see the torch bearer in the bottom left segment). 

But I think we've captured a wonderful sense of the occasion, and of just how many people turned out to support the Olympics and join in the fun. 

(Ella's not giving up the day job to become a photographer, she's sticking to being a professional bear)

And it did get us thinking about what would be the perfect, gold medal winning outfit to wear for the Opening Ceremony tomorrow...

1.Medal T-shirt
yep, un-questionably the best t-shirt to wear for the entire length of the games, without taking it off. Ever. It is that good, and that appropriate.

2. Trainer Shoe Socks
Behind every great sportsman/ woman/ baby is some good equipment. Athletes need trainers. Babies need socks.

3. Happy Accidents Dress
Because even though we're supporting everybody, we're supporting team GB first, and this little London dress is a stylish way of flying the flag.

So... let's hope it's a games to remember, we can't wait for the exciting next few weeks to come. Carry Me Home wishes everybody the best of luck, and if you've got tickets to events have a wonderful time! x

p.s. if you have any better photos of the flame when you saw it, we'd love you to post them on our facebook wall!
 

toy story

 Do you need to buy a gift for a baby or little person that you know?

Are you unsure of what to get? Unsure if they're big or little, tall or short? Unsure exactly how old they are, what size they are or if the British weather necessitates short or long sleeves???

Sometimes, these things can be an absolute nightmare. The choice, the decisions...everything!

Here at Carry Me Home we have a great range of baby and children's clothes and accessories, and we're always happy to help and give a friendly opinion or some advice. But sometimes, you need to think beyond baby grows and bibs and dinky little socks, and enter the world of

TOYS!!!

The gift of a toy can be the start of a beautiful life long friendship. It can comfort, console, share in the fun and help little ones learn about and explore the exciting world around them. There's no real gender bias with a Happy Accident toy (pictured below), and the textures and colours are so fun and wild they're bound to inspire some amazing pictures and stories! Each one is lovingly handmade and unique, what's not to love?

Whereas with a baby grow or t-shirt  there is an absolute certainty that sometime down the line it won't fit, that's not a consideration with a toy. Our Carry Me Home bears are beautiful, soft towelling teddy bears, each with a unique identification number. They're exclusive to us, so owning one makes you part of an elite special members club! We've sent them all around the world. 

Boo the yellow bear (pictured below) is currently playing with the other toys in the shop...

we wonder where he'll travel to, who'll be his owner and what his forever home will look like.

Toys can be educational (we used the wooden alphabet blocks, currently on sale in the shop, to spell out all of the words in the photos), and they can also be fun. How could you not have fun with one of these new car toys (below)? We've just added them to our website, and we reckon the gift of one of these little motors could start a life long obsession with cars (best warn mum and dad!). 

So, whether it be a cheeky monkey, a little set of hand-painted wooden soldier skittles, a beautiful collectors Whimsy doll fox or baby's first bear, you really can't go wrong with a toy.

That's our little toy story :)

wimbledon!

High excitement here in Carry Me Home today, as we await tomorrow's Wimbledon Men's Final.

 It has been 74 years since a British man has won Wimbledon, and in that time a lot has happened! We've had 17 prime ministers, won a world cup, and...

Carry Me Home was born!

So, to celebrate Andy Murray's momentous achievement of getting thus far (I hasten to add, he hasn't won it yet!), we thought we'd show you a few baby essentials for a day at Wimbledon (or in front of the telly!). 

And especially for any little lady or little man thinking of playing in years to come, these are for you :)

 

  

Firstly, all good tennis players need good footwear, and you can't really go wrong with a pair of Mary Jane or Trainer socks. There are two pairs in each gift box, so you can change mid-way through . And you could always use the box to keep your shiny gold medals in :)

Of course, you can't go to Wimbledon without having some strawberries and cream. Make sure you protect your tennis whites with a lovely big red Strawberry bib.  

 

One Wimbledon stipulation is the wearing of white, and we've got a few suggestions for that all important outfit...

how about a lovely Angel baby grow, complete with beautiful golden wings on the back? Line decisions are sure to go your way :)

Or, a nice Medal T-shirt, which shows you're confident of winning.

Whatever you wear, and whoever you're supporting we hope you have a fabulous day, and you never know, some history may be made!

P.s. if you have no interest in tennis, all of these outfits are perfect in a non-tennis context too! x

summer 7

Well, the month of June is nearly at an end, and what a month it has been! We've celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, celebrated our lovely dads on Father's Day and most importantly...celebrated our 7th birthday!

Yep, in true Carry Me Home style, we decided that instead of celebrating for a day, we'd celebrate for a month, and we did so by offering special discounts on all kinds of goodies instore, online and around Kingly Court.

It has been a marvelous month, and thank you to everybody who wished us well and came and visitied the shop to share in the fun. To continue the festivities (and the 7th birthday theme) we thought we'd show you our top 7 summer buys, that will ensure babies accross the land (and beyond) look and stay cool this summer. So, without futher ado, here we go!...

1. Liberty Print Nappy Pants (sizes 0-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m, £18.50)
Heading to the beach this summer? Whether it be Brighton or Barbados, these Liberty Print Nappy Pants are simply beautiful!

 

2. Seagulls Dress (size 6-12m, £36.50)

 My Happy Accidents have long been one of our favourite stockists, and this latest dress is a triumph! Look gorgeous eating icecream by the beach, and when you spill it all over your favourite new dress you can reverse it and have a lovely new gingham dress striaght away. Magic! See other beautiful summer dresses right here.

 

3. Pink Frills Playsuit (sizes 0-3m, 3-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m, £32.00)

Another lovely, summery, girly outfit, perfect for a beach baby! :)

  

4. A Tiny Suit Baby Grow (0-3m, 3-6m, 6-12m, 1-2yrs £34.00)

We always sell out, we always have waiting lists, because put simply, this baby grow cannot be matched for it's cool, classic and very very cute style. And where do babies where these baby grows to? Yep, all of those summer weddings of course! 

5. London Bus Lights (£19.50)
How could we forget, it's London 2012! This is London's year, and to celebrate our amazing capital city, home of Carry Me Home, we've got these rather fabulous London Bus Lights, which look great in any little man or little lady's bedroom.

 

6. Medal T-shirt (0-3m, 3-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m, 2-3yrs £18.50)

And, on the subject of London 2012, this t-shirt will see any young sport enthusiast (or child of sport enthusiast) through the entire Olympic period. Simple, effective and sweet!

 

 7. Katie Bear (£28.00)
Finally, to see you through summer, what you really, essentially do NEED is a Carry Me Home bear. The perfect companion for all of your summer adventures!
(Wonder which lucky person will be carrying Katie the bear home with them?!)

So, let's hope next month (which is the 7th of the year coincidently)!) is just as fun as this month has been, especially with your super summer7 Carry Me Home goodies :)

baby bauhaus

So, the four day jubilee extravaganza is over...what next? Well, if you're in London, I'd really recommend the 'Bauhaus: Art as Life' exhibition at the Barbican. If you're a fan of Bauhaus style, or if you don't know anything about it, this exhibition provides a vast array of art, furniture, home wares, rugs, you name it, all in the Bauhaus style.

  

'But what has this got to do with babies?' I hear you ask...well, the Bauhaus school of design married art and craft practise to create fashionable and functional goods for every aspect of our lives, including children! Above you can see a wooden block boat toy, one of numerous toys in the exhibition. 

Fun and function!

 And here at Carry Me Home we also believe that children and babies should be able to look cool and feel comfy all at the same time (never compromise!). Our lovely baby grows are all super fashionable, but also soft, cosy and perfect for all little men and little ladies. For example, how about some rainbow braces, or trendy breton stripes?

 Another strong aspect of the exhibition was typography, and we're also a little bit alphabet partial ourselves :) learn in style with a funky poster, or some wooden letters

We think the Bauhaus would be proud!
Information on the exhibition can be found here,
and (nearly) all of the products can be found on our website here.

And, if you're not keen on the exhibition, don't worry, there's the European Championships, Father's Day and the Olympics coming up to keep you busy! x

Seeing Double

As our facebook fans will know, we discovered this gem of a video on youtube today, which showcases some amazing twin sharing (super cute!).

Watching this got us all teary-eyed, but it also made us think of all of the perfect gifts for twins that we have in our Kingly Court baby boutique, and online.

 Like these fabulous Happy Accident Toys, who just like twins are similar but very different all at the same time.

Or how about one of our own designs, like the ever popular Cheeky Little Monkey or A Star is Born? You could even personalise them to make them that little bit more extra special. 

 

And for those special occassions, you really can't go wrong with a fantastic tuxedo baby grow or pearls dress. These have both proved so popular for weddings, we've got a pretty impressive waiting list for the black version of the tux!

Of course you don't have to be a twin to enjoy any of these things, but they do look super cute in pairs, and might solve any sharing issues that arise! ;)

be our valentine!

Just incase it had slipped anybody's mind...it's valentine's day next tuesday!

But don't panic, there's still time to get any cards, gifts, flowers etc. for your loved ones.

And don't forget the little ones, show them the love with one of our cute carry me home baby grows or bibs (maybe 'it started with a kiss' or 'i love chocolate, so does my mum'?). For those cool customers how about a rockin' tattoo style 'love' t-shirt. For that extra special treat, what about Boo the carrymehome bear? There's even a love heart on Boo's foot...we challenge anyone not to fall in love with Boo the bear!

Everything's available online, or at our lovely boutique in Kingly Court.

something a little bit special :)

This morning we got a lovely email thanking us for a customised baby grow order we recently made. 'Worth the wait' looked perfect in gold writing with a pretty silver star (although I did get slightly confused on the phone with 'worth the wait/ weight in gold'!) and it was certainly well received...

"Just wanted to say a big thank you for our gorgeous Baby Gro we received today in the post. Its totally perfect and we can't wait to see our new arrival in it!"

...how lovely is that?

It's always so nice to hear when someone loves their new and unique carry me home gift. Below is a little showcase compiling some of the customised orders we've had recently. Often people get inspiration by looking at our existing designs (online and in the shop) and adapting them. No ask is too big or small and we're always happy to help you decide on what to say, what colours to pick or what pictures to have. We know how special every new little arrival is, and how wonderful it is to have something unique and personal that baby, mum and dad can keep and cherish for years to come.

I feel all warm and happy now, so thank you back for our lovely thank you, and if anyone has any pictures of their little ones in a carrymehome baby grow, hat, bib, dress, t-shirt...we'd love to see them! x

'C' is for carry me home

Here at Carry Me Home we love letters and we love learning. And there's nothing more important than getting to grips with your ABCs!

Look at all the different fonts we found in the shop, it's a typography treasure trove!

But can you solve the puzzle? All of the letters below are taken from our most popular products instore and online. Which ones are from where?

Good Luck!

carry me a rainbow

This morning I got a very nice surprise when I was given this gingerbread man, free with my morning coffee. And very tasty he was too! So I thought I'd spread the love, Carry Me Home style :)

Here at Carry Me Home we're surrounded by lots of colourful, bright and cheerful goodies, it's like being in the middle of a rainbow!

So, if your little one will only wear red, or play with orange toys, or if they're just singing a rainbow...we're sure to have something to make them smile. Just looking at all these vibrant, fun baby clothes, gifts and toys is a feast for the eyes!

We've added some new and exciting products online. The fab 'tiny universe picture book' teaches those all important first words such as 'caviar', and 'champagne', and makes an excellent funny present for the baby who has everything. There are two new bears joining our online bear family, so let's hope Hubert and Red are settling in well. The ever popular 'miss minnie' t-shirt has now been joined by the babygrow version, and there's a lovely new t-shirt 'kisses, hugs & rock n' roll'.

And...for anyone who's not already done it, if you like us on facebook, as a special thank you we're giving you a nice big 15% discount at http://www.carrymehome.co.uk/

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!

Gifts for Girls

We came up with some Christmas present ideas for boys last week, and as promised here are some lovely things that have been popular recently and that we think would make brilliant gifts for girls.

As you can see above, we have lots of lovely little gifts that will appeal to any little lady (and probably their mums too!). From beautiful accessories (because a girl can never have too many) such as the giraffe print tights and mary jane socks, to a pretty breakfast set (for ladies who breakfast?!) and a guitar rattle, for any aspiring little rockers.


If it's baby's first Christmas there's no better way to celebrate than with a 'my first Christmas' bib. Why not get it personalised and make it a wonderful keepsake for years to come? For Christmas day there's nothing better than Arty & Bella hair accessories. Each lovingly handmade in London, they are so pretty I'm keeping my fingers crossed I might even find one in my stocking this year (take note Santa).

And, speaking from personal experience you just can't go wrong with a new outfit. Whether it's a winter warmer like the cherry print cardigan or a fancy but comfy pearls dress (ideal for Christmas lunch), we have lots to choose from!

See these gifts and lots more on our website, and in our shop.