Spotlight Archives | Page 9 of 12

Spotlight

Jenny Kellie : Tiny Magic Mail

Most people are familiar with the concept of the Fairy Door. We have one hammered into our wooden decking and occasionally the children leave a wilted leaf by the door in the vain hope that the fairy might swap it for some sweeties the next morning. Other than that, our imagination has run a bit dry! This is where Tiny Magic Mail comes into play.

After spending a year enjoying watching her own girls discover a world of fairies at home and persuading friends that it was the best thing ever, Jenny realised that some people just didn’t know where to start with this kind of thing. She always sat and fiddled with little creative projects in her spare time and so making a fairy washing line and a swing was fun for her. Introducing a little fairy door in to your home was easy enough but she thought on behalf of her friends who weren’t as creative as her – now what? This is when she decided that there was a definite market for making an attractive fairy door with extra tools and advice for parents on how to enjoy the magic and started Tiny Magic Mail.

Her products are aimed at children but with the important involvement of an adult who takes on the role of the fairy. Each of our boxes of fairy magic include ideas for interacting with your fairies and educational and fun activities to keep the magic alive as well as really beautifully made fairy miniatures.

Jenny has been designing for years and has always been lucky enough to be able to work from home often in the evenings and the small hours of the morning. Her children have been a huge inspiration for all areas of her designing years. She spent 7 years designing prints for children clothes and then after the birth of her first little girl she started illustrating prints and artwork for children’s rooms.

Tiny Magic Mail has given me her the opportunity to step away from the computer and be crafty, which she love and her girls have driven each step of the creative process. They release a new theme each month!

“I am lucky to have the fantastic support of a brilliant team of skilled and clever Mummies who make up the TMM company all with something different to offer, with 6 children between us and 1 due to arrive any day its been important that we all have an understanding of juggling motherhood and work!”

Start with the magic mail door box.

– a beautifully hand crafted fairy door with a few added extras to welcome your fairy

– a fairy post box ready to receive magical mail

– a tiny magical key ready to leave for the fairy or for your little one to find

– a welcome letter for you, the magic makers and for your little one from their new fairy, plus our helpful fairy interaction guide!

– pretty letter blanks to help your fairy interact

– a tiny bottle of sparkly fairy dust for granting wishes

– a hands on crafty activity to start spreading the magic

I think they may be very busy in the run up to Christmas!

Jenny’s Favourite’s

Shop – Anthropologie
Website – www.decobaby.co.uk
Hotel – She would rather a caravan!
Restaurant – The Breakfast Club – Hoxton
Holiday Destination – Seaview, Isle of Wight
Parenting Tip “Don’t sweat the small stuff, make a mess, have fun and listen!”

tinymagicmail.com

0 Comments

People Services Spotlight

Clare Wright : Classlist

It was never going to be long before someone invented an efficient and practical way to communicate with other mothers (and fathers) in your child’s class. I am over the endless ‘reply all’ filling your inbox and people starting a new email on the back of an old thread as they can’t (understandably) work out how to create a new group that you can send to with one click. I am in a Whatsapp group for my eldest sons class (Year 1). Frequently a topic has been started and never concluded as people miss it or they are onto the next thing quicker than you can say ‘did anyone take home Timmy’s swimming trunks?’ Anyway, let me get to the very exciting point. Clare Wright saw all these cracks and co founded Classlist.

“Both myself and my co-founder Susan are ex-management consultants and have had children at several different schools due to moving house in the UK and abroad. My eldest child has just started Senior School aged 13, and it is his fifth school, including 2 American schools in Brazil, where we lived for 4 years!”

Classlist is ideal for class and year group messaging, organising class/school events and RSVP. Parents add their own details, which can only be seen by their own year group. Classlist is data protection registered, private and encrypted, and it makes communication with other parents quick and easy. It is basically a private social network just for your school.

Classlist helps parents register, share and update whatever contact details they feel comfortable with. When you send a message on Classlist it always uses the latest details. We started out with a pilot at our own school, the Dragon School in Oxford, before building the mobile version of Classlist. We seem to have hit the nail on the head in terms of what parents need, as we have lots of new classes and schools joining Classlist.com every week.

There are some other great features based on the people in your school’s community: a school run sharing map (find other families nearby to share journeys with), and customisable private birthday invitations too.

If you are a class rep or teacher I would register your class or school pronto! It’s a game changer…

Clare’s Favourite

Shop : Brora

Website : Pinterest

Restaurant : Porthmeor Cafe on the beach and next to Tate St Ives in Cornwall

Hotel : My Blue Hotel, Jericoacoara, Northern Brazil

Holiday destination : Argentinian Patagonia

Parenting Tip

“This summer I was working a lot and my children had to amuse themselves. I wrote a blog piece for Classlist.com about what to do in the holidays, and I had a very positive reaction to my advice that you shouldn’t arrange much at the start of the holidays, but should let your children get really bored, and then they will get creative! I don’t allow any TV or devices until 6pm in the summer holidays – mainly because I can’t stand hearing ‘it’s my turn’. For me the biggest downside of devices is that when children are bored, instead of thinking ‘shall I make something, or shall I go outside’, their first thought is ‘can I go on the iPad?’. If they know that isn’t going to happen they get really good at filling their time themselves, and they can still have a go on the iPad later.”

0 Comments

Products Spotlight

Bluebird Tea Company : Tea Mixologists

I am currently straddling two camps – coffee or tea. This is in part to the Bluebird Tea Company who have created delicious and interesting blends to rival the staunchest of coffee drinkers – me. I am nearly tipping over. The Pumpkin Spiced Latte and Bonfire Tea are delicious and perfect for the impending Halloween and Bonfire celebrations over the next couple of weeks.

Bluebird Tea Company that was set up Mike and Krisi, a couple from Brighton. After working in the tea industry (Krisi) and bumming (in his own words) around as a ski instructor (Mike) they both became incredibly passionate about how fun, innovative and versatile tea could be. They knew there was a gap in the market for a top quality, young, fresh tea company that could create fabulous flavours of loose teas that were fun, tasty and affordable.

Rather than selling straight teas such as darjeeling or Assam, they take teas and create exciting flavours by mixing them with a wide range of blending ingredients including herbs, flowers, fruits, caramels, chocoate and even cake sprinkles! They take popular tea and build up ingredients to create unique flavours.

Peppermint – MojiTEA

Chai – Coco Chai No. 5

Lapsang – Bonfire Toffee.

I have tried the Bonfire Toffee and am stocking up the cupboard in time for Bonfire Night.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie is delicious and perfect to serve up on Halloween.

If you really want to impress The Pumpkin Spiced Latte Kit will convert you to tea latte’s forever. Here is a video to show you how to make it.

If Halloween and Bonfire Night aren’t your bag – their Christmas selection is out now, with gorgeous hampers, including a cocktail tea making kit. Now that is cool and a great way to get Granny off her PG Tips!

Mike and Krisi’s Favourite

Shop : Berts Homestore, Brighton

Website : Sofa.com

Restaurant : La Grand Ourse, Les Gets

Hotel : Artist Residence Brighton, London, Cornwall

Holiday Destination : Anywhere with fresh snow and a fire!

bluebirdteaco.com

0 Comments

Activities Events People Spotlight

George Whitefield : Sharky & George – Autumn Activity Tips

Sharky & George are the go to children’s party organisers for those in the know. They have a simple aim – to find the fun in everything. Their jaw-dropping children’s parties are all about getting everyone involved in active, imaginative, energetic games, races, competitions, adventures and missions – always involving a certain amount of mischief!

Charlie (Sharky) and George did their very first party in their last year (2001) at school for their House Master’s daughter’s 6th birthday. They continued doing parties for nieces, nephews, cousins and their friends for a few years and it was “getting a bit tricky to sneak out of our office jobs every five minutes to talk to mothers about balloons, water bombs and party bags whilst pretending to be all serious in our suits and ties!” They officially gave up their serious jobs to run S&G full time in September 2007.

Over the last 10 years they have created thousands of children’s parties throughout London and the South East, in Bristol and as far afield as Italy and Switzerland.

They do a wide range of themed parties, from the weird to the wonderful and everything in between. They are also happy to discuss bespoke requirements. I love the look of their Survival Parties – perfect for boisterous & active little ones!

George’s tips on how to entertain children as Autumn draws near:

Get outside and enjoy all the colours and leaves.
Build a den out of leaves and have a leaf battle.
Nothing beats a proper conker championships, make a score board and get competitive.
Use Andy Goldsworthy as inspiration for an awesome piece of colourful leaf art.
Leaf rubbing, put interesting leaves under a sheet of paper and use wax crayons to colour over the top to make awesome leaf patterns.
As it get’s dark earlier, it’s the perfect opportunity to play night games before bedtime, enemy spotlight (see how to play below) and glow stick 40:40 are brilliant.
Cooking, although messy, pizza, scone and cupcake making is so easy and so much fun, it’s worth the tidy up.
Building mini houses and villages. So much stuff falls off trees at this time of year, it’s perfect for creating mini worlds in the garden, these can be for real toy people or for fairies/goblins if you’d rather.

Their book ‘Don’t You Dare’ includes ‘Enemy Spotlight’ and has lots of games that don’t require expensive props or hours of preparation. Good to have in the back pocket over the holidays!

George’s Favourite’s

Shop : Cranch’s Sweetshop, Salcombe

Website : www.vat19.com ‘Curiously awesome gifts’

Restaurant : The Shed, Notting Hill Gate

Hotel : Soneva Fushi, Maldives

Holiday destination : North Cornwall coast

Parenting tip…

“Play, play and keep playing! Take play seriously, it’s the most important thing in the world for all ages, play is definitely the best way for children to learn and almost more importantly it’s key for adults to play more”

Where can you go and see Sharky & George in action?

Sharky & George is joint hosting the VitalityWest Fun Run with Savills on 15th November. They will be warming up the crowd before zipping around the one-mile fun run course flying rocket balloons and blowing bubbles to spur on the runners. They’ll also put on loads of fun and games while the grown-ups finish the 10k slog. Sign up for the event here and enter the code WESTRUN20 to get an exclusive 20% discount.

Sharky & George have also joined forces with Belmond who have created a Festive Express train journey through the country side in December, with 3 course lunch and children’s entertainment from Sharky & George. We are going on it and cannot wait – it is set to be spectacular! I will keep you posted.

They have are also offering a new Mannying service called P.I.C (Partner In Crime), taking children aged 4 plus out for the day, including activities like skateboarding lessons, chocolate making, stadium tours & learning dance routines. I can’t wait to try this in the holidays. Bring on P.I.C!

www.sharkyandgeorge.com

0 Comments

Big Fashion Products Spotlight

Amelia Bainbridge : Auree Jewellery

Having had a jewellery sabbatical for the last five years – I haven’t trusted a little tot not to pull it out of my ear or off my neck – it is time I start adorning myself with something a little bit more glamorous than a lonely hair tie. I have just the place to start – Auree Jewellery.

Amelia always wanted to set up something for herself and having worked in the jewellery world for nearly 10 years, she thought it was about time to get on and do it. She saw a niche in the market for beautiful jewellery that would travel through life with you – but that was affordable and didn’t need to be kept safe. Auree Jewellery moved very quickly initially – from business plan to launching the website and their first collection.

She was inspired by her (highly!) spirited Grandmothers – one, a vivacious and daring traveler, the other a phenomenal multi-tasker – they both approached life with an enthusiasm and energy that influenced her from a very early age. Both they, and many of her friends have done (and do) incredible things and she thinks that these inspiring independent women should have jewellery that lives alongside them.

“Jewellery is only as interesting as the person who wears it. It’s the personal stories and the triumphs and sadness that your jewellery will experience alongside you. Auree is for people who love jewellery and who appreciate good quality and design. We use a lot of fresh coloured gemstones with rich association and powers – aiding sleep, bringing happiness, promoting well being. They have been used for protection for centuries, so if the Greeks can do it, what shouldn’t we?”

Chennai 18ct Gold Vermeil & Gemstone Necklace – £195 (short) and £295 (long)

Eivissa Aqua Chalcedony & Gold Vermeil Earrings £95

Walton Russian Wedding Ring – from £295 & Engraving from £20

Westbourne Pendants – £95 each & Chain £70

Panarea Gold & Blue Chalcedony Earrings £65

Amelia’s Favourite’s

Shop: Green and Stone of Chelsea Amelia has happy childhood memories of many hours browsing this Aladdin’s cave Art shop

Website: i-escape.com Amelia’s ‘travel guru’

Restaurant: Nuovi Sapori – New Kings Road, London

Hotel: Hotel Signum, Aeolian Islands, Sicily

Holiday destination: Paxos – unspoilt Greek heaven.

Parenting Tip : “Get a dog – the perfect child sitter”

Amelia is offering 10% off your first order to The London Mummy readers (valid until 31st December)

Discount code : THELONDONMUMMY

0 Comments

Big Fashion Little Products Spotlight

Georgie Jones: Arambha

Georgie was living in Ethiopia with her husband and 2 small boys for 2 years. She was inspired by the rich culture, vibrant colours and century old techniques there, so she decided to look into working with some of the very talented local artisans. Through meeting various people along the way, she came across groups training and working with people from some of the poorest areas in and around Adidis Ababa and founded Arambha, which sells ethically made clothes, shoes and accessories.

Georgie with one of her sons

The groups Georgie works with provide sustainable jobs and lifestyle for all their employees – they are housed, fed and their children are educated. They also pay a fair wage which is very rare in Ethiopia. Along side all of this, all the materials used for her Arambha collection are locally sourced, handmade using traditional techniques and equipment and where possible, recycled.

At her shoe workshop seeing her first children’s moccasins sample!

5 gorgeous colours to choose from

Not only are the children’s moccasins amazing, Georgie also has a fab collection of things for women too. I adore the women’s moccasins – uber cool and very comfy.

Ladies mocassins with the Asaita scarf

There is a great selection of colourful accessories including scarves and ponchos and the little girls skirts are so sweet! Below is one of my favourite scarves and a beautiful necklace that comes with a touching story.

Mojo Scarf

“Bullets to Beauty” necklace made from recycled bullet shells and glass beads

Take a look at all the gorgeous things at Arambha whilst knowing that anything you buy supports women and families in Ethiopia. Who needs more of an excuse to shop than that?

Georgie’s Favourite’s

Shop: Merkato in Addis Ababa – largest open air market in Africa

Website: Barnaby Gates – beautiful wallpaper and fabric, especially their Star designs

Restaurant: Soushi in Cirencester

Hotel: Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge in Nepal

Holiday Destination: The Luberon Valley in Provence

0 Comments

Interiors Products Services Spotlight

Alexandra Geddes : Love From Ophelia

Love From Ophelia creates bespoke stationary featuring illustrations of real people. Most commonly children, but also fashion portraits, family groups and recently Christmas scenes and new homes. The cards can be personalised with text, addresses and a gorgeous range of fonts and colours. Here is a set of notecards with a picture of my youngest son in his blue check pyjamas with his name above in ‘Greswell Grey’. They are so smart – they are almost too good to send to anyone!

Alex started Love From Ophelia for many reasons. She loves stationary and since having children has enjoyed buying them lovely cards and paper to write their thank you letters. She was always looking for something a bit different and unique and struggled to find it. So, Alex spent the last year learning about graphic design and how to turn illustrations into printable products. It has been a huge learning curve and she has loved every second. Having had a career as a Management Consultant, she knew she wanted to work for herself so Love From Ophelia fits the bill perfectly. She can work when she wants and is also doing something she loves.

“When I started designing the range, I envisaged it would mostly appeal to mothers with pictures of their children or a family portrait. However, my customer’s have been so diverse – from a pilates teacher leaping through the air to a Society’s Christmas Card!”

Alex with her gorgeous family

Each pack is beautifully presented, carefully in a cellophane envelope finished with a ribbon. They would make a lovely present for a Godchild or a cool change of address cards with a drawing of your new house.

If you can’t decide, what about a picture of your family pet?

Alex’s Favourite’s

Shop: Katie & Jo or J Crew

Website: The Model Method

Hotel: Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco

Restarant: Petersham Nurseries Restaurant

Holiday Destination: Crabbing in Aldeburgh

Love From Ophelia

0 Comments

Books Products Spotlight

Poppy Fraser: 10 Minute Suppers For Children

Thank goodness for this wonderful book. Even my 1 year old was starting to have an opinion on the limited choice of what was on offer, especially over the holidays when, after 36 hours worth of children each day (3 x 12hrs!) the frozen drawer became my best friend. I have admitted before that I am not a natural at whipping up something imaginative from scratch, so I am delighted that Poppy Fraser has brought out her second book 10 Minute Suppers For Children.

A cookbook full of delicious, nutritious and lightening quick recipes is music to all parents’ ears. The recipe’s are created that the whole family can enjoy them too. I know my husband would think Christmas had come early if I served up any of Poppy’s recipe’s. I particularly like Poppy’s ‘Raw Banana Flapjack’ – we always over order on the bananas and they are multi purpose – to have as a snack, pudding or instead of breakfast.

No one understands the pressures of a kitchen full of tired, hungry children better than Poppy, who has four of her own, two of them Irish twins. Poppy wrote the book because she was desperate to come up with a system to help her cope at that time of day when the children are exhausted (as was she). She knew she was about to have 2 babies under 1, as well as the 2 elder boys, so things were going to be tricky. The less time spent cooking, and the more time being freed up for other things was vital.

“The charitable element of the book, with money from each sale going to Cancer Research, was also something important to me, having watched my beloved father die from cancer.”