soho arts fair

Ok, it's Thursday. The inevitable day when that familiar topic is raised...

"So, what are you doing this weekend?"

If you're still not sure what you'll be up to, we've got a rather excellent suggestion for you, especially if you're interested in fashion, dance, painting, drama, mosaics, ceramics, photography and...Soho.

This Friday 24th and Saturday 25th August marks the inaugural Soho Arts Fair, and it's being held right here in our very own Kingly Court!

 

The Soho Arts Fair  will be a magnificent showcase of young British artistic talent taking place right in the heart of London’s West End. The event is founded by the Art Alive charity, which is based here in Kingly Court (they're Carry Me Home's neighbours!). Their aim is to help children, adolescents and young adults to realise their potential and find their place in society through the use of art.

You can watch a video all about it here: http://vimeo.com/47197982
 

There will be a number of activities starting from 12pm each day, including free running by Parkour Generations, mosaic and ceramics, photography, dance and drama, street artists and a youth choir. And all events are free!

While you're in Kingly Court enjoying the Soho Arts Fair do pop up and say hello to us here in Carry Me Home, we'd love to see you all down here enjoying and supporting such a worthwhile, fun and creative event.

These cheeky little monkeys are so excited about the Soho Arts Fair, they won't let go of the flyer! Only one more sleep to go, see you all there! :)

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!
 

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!

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 :)