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!
 

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!

icons

There's always a lot going on in Kingly Court, so we weren't all together too shocked when we saw a life-sized telephone box with a bright illustration of an angry man on the phone (pictured top left in the picture below).

And the more we walked around the streets surrounding Carry Me Home, the more telephone boxes we found, each decorated differently.

We were intrigued! Using the number one detective tool (Google), we set about trying to find out what these boxes are all about, and here's what we found...

 "The good old British phone box was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to commemorate King George V's Silver Jubilee.

This year we’ve got a Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 to look forward to, so we decided we needed to do something to celebrate. That something turned into BT ArtBox. It’s a campaign that thrives on the nation’s artistic talent.		Across London’s streets you’ll find replicas of the Gilbert Scott phone box, transformed by the imaginations of some of our very best creative minds. Then later on we’ll be auctioning all the boxes off to raise money for ChildLine’s 25th anniversary."

 

Which is all pretty impressive, isn't it? What a wonderful idea, supporting a cause like Childline, whilst also celebrating a Great British Icon, in this very British of years, 2012.

You can read more about the project here: http://www.btartboxes.com/00Home.php

 

And this also got us thinking about our very own Carry Me Home icons.

They're the products that are always popular, whether they're new additions or old favourites, these products have a certain Britishness to them, and they just scream Carry Me Home!

Like the iconic London Bus Lights, pictured above, which have reminded many a young visitor of their first trip to London! Or how about the pop-up soldiers next top them? They're a new addition to Carry Me Home, but we thought they were too cute to miss, and since the Soldier Skittles (below) have been a long-standing favourite (especially around Christmas time?!) we thought they'd look perfect in the shop!

 

We've just received a new delivery of the Tuxedo Baby Grow, and as usual they are selling like hot cakes. There can't be many baby grows that have a waiting list as long as your arm! It seems to be THE essential baby wear for special occasions (weddings at the moment!)

And, who could forget the classic Rock Baby? The number one choice at our market stall in London's Old Spitalfields market, and a perfect little London gift to take home and share.

Well, those are our choices for Carry Me Home icons, but what do you think? 

Do let us know if you have anything you think should be added to the list, like a favourite baby grow, bib or toy that reminds you of  

Carry Me Home.

We're on facebook and twitter, or comment right here!

Easter treats at Carry Me Home

Here at Carry Me Home we're getting a little too excited about the up and coming bank holiday weekend, and all of the lovely Easter-y chocolate we'll hopefully be tucking in to!

But then who can blame us for getting excited? We're surrounded in the shop by a whole host of delicious and delightful easter-themed baby gifts, that would make an ideal present for any little one.

Of course, we had to show you these 'I love chocolate so does my mum' bibs and babygrows; how Easter perfect are they? You could even get one personalised with the baby's or mum's names to make them extra special.

Or how about this rather seasonal, rather lovely little rabbit night light? Not only is he incredibly sweet, he makes the perfect Easter gift that will last all year round!

In other non-chocolate news (it makes a change for us!), we've just had a delivery of all of these beautiful new baby grows, baby and toddler t-shirts and playsuits. They're all designed and manufactured right here in the U.K. to the highest standards, and we are simply in love with all of them. You can find them all online now.

So whatever you end up doing on this lovely long weekend, have fun. And a very Happy Easter from Carry Me Home, 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!

Spotted in the paper

Squint and you can see me and Sarah standing outside the shop.