seamandala

Right, it's that time of year again...yep, the summer holidays are just around the corner. 

This year, why not try a new and enriching activity with your children, courtesy of Camelia Chinmayashakti and her lovely Seamandala parties?

I'll admit I was a bit clueless as to what it all involved, but to put it simply...

'More easily recognised in the West as art, mandala making is a fun, relaxing and creative yoga activity for children and adults...designing with natural materials [which] stimulates and allows for a positive, creative experience with colours, textures and aromas.'

'Bringing children closer to nature through yoga and art' 

sounds wonderful, especially to us Londoners. 

Camelia has already held successful events at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, where the children especially loved the 'petal shower' (you can see just how much fun they were having in the photographs below).

They make wonderful, different parties, and since the weather is reportedly going to improve there's no excuse to get out into the summer sun and enjoy making, creating and having fun in a natural setting. Bliss! 

Mention Carry Me Home and get a 20% discount, all details of how to bbok a party are on the seamadala website.

 

Inspired by the riot of colours and textures experienced in a seamandala party, we looked around our own little Kingly Court boutique, for our own Carry Me Home sensory experience, and here are a few snaps of the colourful clothing and toys we found...

Perfect for playing out in the park, in a field, or on the sofa, we think a bit of Carry Me Home would be the ideal mixture of comfort and colour to wear to a seamandala party. How about a lovely ladybird My Happy Accidents dress, or a bright green Cheeky Little Monkey baby grow, both of which are definitely in tune with nature :)

For your little munchkin, exploring the natural world there can be nothing better than this baby grow, or this lovely mask t-shirt, great for any little nature superhero.

So, may the holidays commence, and instead of being bored on the sofa we hope everybody gets out there and explores the natural world around them. 

Oh, and I wouldn't mind a petal shower either, it looks great!

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! ;)

Made for Mother's Day

How time flies! Can you believe it's already March? The weather is as unpredictable as ever, but fingers crossed for spring time sunshine soon!

Of course there is one VERY special event that is happening this month...Mother's Day! That's right, if you hadn't already got it circled on the calendar and underlined in the diary, it's on Sunday 18th March.

Here at Carry Me Home, we think it's very important indeed to show mums some TLC and give them a big thank you. And mums, there's nothing wrong with a bit of self-gifting either!

So, we've put together a few Mother's Day gift ideas (as always available online and in our Kingly Court baby boutique) that we're sure any mum would love to receive!

How about a 'Boo Boo' gift box containing lots of beautiful lotions and potions for any new or expectant mum to pamper herself with?

Or there's our ever popular 'I love chocolate so does my mum' which comes in a bib or baby grow and would make a super gift alongside a nice big box of chocs, mmm...

And for that extra special gift, why not get your bib, baby grow, hat or t-shirt personalised? It makes a unique present and is sure to win many brownie points (that's a hint for the dads!)!

Whatever you do and wherever you are have a super day, and mums put your feet up and enjoy! x

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

Stocking Fillers - Gifts £10 and under

I don't know about you, but in our house one of the best things about Christmas is unwrapping lots of amazing surprises, filling the room with lots of lovely shiny paper. What could be better than waking up to a mountain of small gifts, all waiting to be unwrapped?

That's why I thought I'd share some of our small but perfect gifts instore and online. They make brilliant little pressies, wonderful stocking fillers or a nice something extra for someone special, just because.

And the best bit is? They're ALL £10 or less.

These elephant lights (above) are a great gift. As you can see the colour of the lights changes, making them a perfect little treat that'll last for years to come. We also have a moon or an angel. £9.95

A bib (below) is a perfect small present, and we have lots to choose from! The fruit bibs are popular year round, and specially for Christmas we have the pudding version (which look amazing on Christmas and Boxing day), £10 each. Our very own small bibs with the classic 'oops' or 'star' are 100% purse friendly at £3.50. Or our large 'I love chocolate' or seasonal 'I want my chrsitmas pudding' bibs, which fit up to 18months. £8.50

Or how about a game for when everybody (especially little ones) are tired of watching Christmas T.V.? Our traditional wooden soldiers £9.50 are by far our best selling Christmas toy. A game of 'Snap' £2.95, or 'Heads and Tails' £3.95 bring some old school family fun.

Last up, the all important accessories. For the little ladies we have Arty&Bella hair clips, handmade in London and available in a range of colours £8.95. There are also gorgeous Dimples socks £5.95 in size 0-12m, for girls the mary janes are available in red, pink and black, for boys the trainers come in brown and blue.

Everything is available right here and in our shop in Kingly Court.

Bunting

Here are some pictures of bunting Ive made recently - Ella, Gracie and Callums mums kindly sent us some pictures to put on the blog!

I seem to have made i mistake with the boys bunting though - i made it to say 'Callum' but that's not Callum in the picture - that's superman!? I went for lovely bright primary coloured fabric patterned with polka dots, gingham, numbers, spacemen and stripes.

Gracie's mum asked for bright, graphic fabric so i went for a mostly pink and green colour palette, with cupcakes, polka dots, butterflies, apples, strawberries and numbers and i think it looks fab with Gracie's bright floral wallpaper.

Ella (Gracie's little sister) needed a soft, vintage colour palette for her bunting so i used lots of pale pink and green fabric - florals, gingham, kittens and spots. And in the corner - it looks like Ella has one of our lovely white 'Thomas' bears - lucky girl!

Carry Me Home bunting is made to order. Just tell us the name or word you would like, if there are any particular fabrics or themes you want, and what colours you fancy! Pop in to the shop and say hello or drop us an email. Hand made by me, can be ready to collect from the shop, or posted to you in a week. Remember bunting isn't the only thing we personalise - Gayle personalises t shirts, baby grows, bibs and hats too!