A good nights sleep

Who's had a good nights sleep this month? We've got the fan on, the duvet off, windows wide open, but each night is a challenge in this weather. We all want to stay cool during these hot summer nights and with little ones feeling uncomfortable and irritable in this heat, it's really important to choose the right nightwear for them to sleep in. All our beautiful nightwear is 100% cotton. We don't do polyester or manmade fabrics which can cause existing skin conditions to flare up. A cool breathable and natural fibre, cotton is probably one of the best options for sleeping in this heatwave. All our nightwear is machine washable and is easy to dry. If you want to skimp on the ironing then a light tumble dry is all that is needed. 

Loose fitting nightwear is best and as all our nightdresses are based on traditional victorian designs so there is plenty of room for movement. This Powell Craft Rosie nightdress is one of our best sellers in summer with it's vintage rose print design.

Loose fitting pyjamas or nighties allow for circulation around the body so slim fitting all- in-ones and tight fitting pjs are not ideal in our hot and sticky July!

We have lots of fun designs for boys too, but these classic lightweight stripe pjs are great for both boys and girls. 

Wishing you all a good nights sleep this summer!

Janne x

New season photo shoot part 2 - Nightdresses

It's been a busy couple of weeks here at My Heart and Home. Busy in a good way with family staying, but that invariably brings lots of extra washing, ironing and cooking! I realised I haven't even shared half the photos from the August photo shoot with Vicki Knights so thought I'd show you some of the beautiful nightdress scenes in this blog post.  Vicki is used to working with small children, but not always with animals at the same time! Austin the cat was always destined to star in our shoot, but Alfie the labrador was determined to get a look in too.

There's nothing like seeing your little poppet brushed, scrubbed and ready for bed in a pretty white nightdress for a hint of nostalgia.(big sigh) As a Mum of 9 year old Eloise (featured in this photo shoot with her friend Scarlett), I know there is only a fleeting few years in which to enjoy 'fairy stuff', before nightwear decisions are out of our control!

 All our Powell Craft nightdresses are 100% cotton and have been modelled on Victorian designs which were always white, with high necklines and long sleeves. Well, the shapes might essentially be the same, but I prefer nightdresses with a little more whimsy and these  feature owls, fairies, mice or angels. Edges are trimmed with lace and each night-dress has hand finished appliqué or embroidery detailing. As the festive season approaches lots of Mums, Grannies and Aunties will be wanting to see their own real life angel under the tree on Christmas morning! You can see the nightdresses we stock here which start at age 2-3 years.

We were lucky enough once again to work with Surrey lifestyle family photographer Vicki Knights to shoot some more lovely nightdress photos for the website. You can read the 'Secret Garden' blog post about last years photo shoot here. 

 If you have any questions about the nightdresses and sizing don't hesitate to get in touch!

janne@myheartandhome.co.uk

Janne x

Picnic tea party

I've been waiting for a little ray of sunshine before sharing this blog post, but as the summer races by in a grey mist, there is no time like the present. Besides you cannot fail to feel sunny when you see these gorgeous pics from a photo shoot with Vicki Knights Photography late last August. They cheer me up every time I look at them.

If you are regular visitors to my site or facebook page you will have seen these photos over the past few months. I am only just sharing them now because a) I've only recently started a blog b) I was waiting for summer and c) they are simply timeless. Just beautiful summery photos that capture the innocence of girlish play. Truly whimsical and dreamy just like the nightdresses.

When presented with tea sets and cake stands the girls just sat down to play naturally and with the perfect back lighting from the evening sun the images of the girls are beautiful.

I do love a vintage tea set and luckily my in laws have a shed full. They should have gone into the vintage china hire business years ago!

This timeless Jenny nightdress is still the customer favourite online and at gift fairs. White with a  pretty rose print, lace trims and mother of pearl buttons, it is a suitable nightdress that little girls, Mummies and Grand Mothers can all agree on!

Charming, adorable, gorgeous are all words customers use to describe the nightdresses and I think Vicki truly captured the spirit of the girl's nightwear range in these photos. I am so excited to be working with her again this August. We are planning another outdoor photo shoot with the emphasis on our boys pyjamas this time and I can't wait to share!

You can see previous blog posts about this shoot here and here and on Vicki's blog here.


Janne x

A Secret Garden

The Secret Garden photo shoot

Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel, 'The Secret Garden' was the inspiration behind this very English of photo shoots taken late last Summer by Surrey family lifestyle photographer Vicki Knights . I wanted to show the children's nightwear range in an alternative way to the usual indoor scenes and loved Vicki's work and use of natural light in her photography.   

Children seldom rush to get dressed first thing in the morning and I loved the idea of photographing the girls still in their pjs and nightdresses outside, natural and free, exploring the vegetable plot and feeding the chickens. Vicki and I put our heads together and came up with a number of styling ideas, props, our four gorgeous models and kept fingers crossed that it didn't rain!

Many of the girls  nightdresses and pyjamas  are inspired by original Victorian designs. Designed in England and made in beautiful soft cotton, they all have pretty hand finished detailing. The 'Secret Garden' theme was perfect and I could just imagine Mary walking the walls of the Misselthwaite Manor in one of these nightdresses.

The rose garden plays an important theme in the novel and these are some of my favourite images from the shoot. This nightdress is guaranteed to make even the most boisterous little girl look angelic!

The Medicine Garden in Cobham, Surrey was the perfect setting, with it's Victorian walled garden, beds of lavender and vegetable plots bursting with cabbages. Vicki runs her photo workshops here and I love the nursery and the delicious cakes in the cafe! 

As you can see the caterpillars have got the better of the cabbages!

You can read more about this photo shoot on Vicki's blog here

I can't wait to share more photos from this shoot including a very whimsical tea party!

Janne x