Tis the Season to be Molly....

Excuse the pun....all will be revealed. But yes, I am feeling rather jolly as the round of November gift fairs and shopping evenings near an end and the advent calendar is strung out ready for my own Christmas. (which is actually miles away from being organised although I did manage  to buy a christmas pud today)

I feel like I've rather neglected my blog post and face book pages recently as I do like to keep everyone up to date with the latest new additions to the range. I'm Making up for it now though with a lovely little give away over on FB to win either a Molly or a Megan rag doll with a retail value of £29.95. You can see details of the competition over on Facebook here. All you have to do is like our page and or share the post.

These beautiful dolls are from toy company Ragtales and I wrote a blog post about them earlier in the year which you can read here. They really are beautifully crafted dolls with adorable faces and plush velour knotted hair. With pretty dresses and stripy tights they each have their own personalities. And of course little girls love carting their dollies about so each doll comes in a linen carry bag too with her name embroidered on the front.

I hope you enjoy all your Christmas preparations this month!

Janne x

http://www.myheartandhome.co.uk

Mia's Wardrobe

I'm so excited to be stocking 'Mia' a beautiful cotton doll from English toy company Ragtales. She is designed to be dressed in a variety of hand finished clothes and arrives dressed in a pretty dotty frock and soft hand knitted cardi. White socks and smart black shoes complete the look. Her suitcase doubles as a wardrobe with hanging rail and little drawer to keep her clothes neat and tidy.

 With her pretty embroidered face and woollen pigtails she really is a traditional doll in every sense. Vintage styling and hand picked fabrics are carefully put together to create a unique doll.

A dark pink felt coat and a pyjama set are included in the set. 

She comes in a high quality suitcase that doubles as her dressing up wardrobe and really does make a very special gift for a birthday or christmas, designed to be cherished and loved. A toy to be handed down to the next generation just how toys used to be! 

Mia costs £49.95 and is available here

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

Oscar the dog

I was really excited to discover Ragtales earlier this year. I'm always on the lookout for new suppliers and fell in love with the British designed range of characters. All their toys feature lovely detailing such as hand knitted clothing, gorgeous hand picked fabrics and all made in the softest, high quality velour. They all come beautifully packaged too, making adorable gifts for birthdays and christenings.You can read my previous blog about some of our Ragtales toys here and Dollytales here.

Oscar the dog is new in to the range. He measures 35cm from his head down to his paws and comes in a linen bag with his name embroidered on the front. He is machine washable which is good news for all us mummies when soft toys for our little ones are subjected to....well lets just say 'everything'! 

 I love his dark grey hand-knitted woolly sweater and his jersey striped shorts

To celebrate the arrival of the new Ragtales range, Oscar is featured in our latest giveaway over on our Facebook page. Enter to win and he could be snuggled up with you in no time. He's just asking to be loved!

The Ragtales toys are full of charm and originality drawing their inspiration from the heritage of English life which is why they complement our nightwear range so perfectly.

You can buy Oscar from our site for £19.95 along with his buddy Dasher the dog a cute little dachshund that comes with his own kennel.

I think he's pretty irresistible xx

New season photo shoot part 1

I  was very excited when Vicki Knights agreed to shoot my new seasons range for me this summer. It had been a year since our last photo shoot with four gorgeous little models, so this year I wanted to include the boys. Having worked together before, I knew she would be able to make my vision a reality and produce some beautiful images that reflect my brand whilst capturing the innocence of childhood.

Inspired by a friends garden field, I decided on the 'outdoor camping' theme. The location is in an idyllic setting backing on to woods and the vintage tractor was the star attraction for the children. (along with a very friendly Labrador called Alfie who wanted to be in every shot)! 

Kiran, Scarlett, Eloise, Harrison and Ro were all real stars and given a teepee for a den, a bundle of sticks and some naturally crafted bows and arrows, their imaginations took over!

I love this quote by Michael Powell: "There is no land like the land of your childhood" and Vicki captured this perfect vision of children playing naturally together. The sun even made an appearance for a fleeting moment making the scene even more magical.

Because the nightwear we stock is traditional in style I wanted the shoot to have a real feeling of nostalgia reflecting the wonder of childhood. I think Vicki has captured this perfectly.

You can see the updated site here which includes lots of the new photos and you can read Vicki's blog about the shoot here. 

This is only part of the shoot and I look forward to sharing some more very soon.

Janne
xx

Photo Shoot

July and August is the time of year when most of my family are enjoying their summer, but I'm trying to get my head around Christmas, booking fairs and ordering new stock (all with the usual panic of have I ordered too much of one thing and not enough of another or will it be a ridiculously warm winter as I order fleece PJs)! Its also time to update the site with new stock, photos and a new look too.

Last year I met Vicki Knights through twitter, loved her photography style and asked her to take some commercial photos of my nightwear for my site. The shoot was so much fun featuring a friends three gorgeous girls and my daughter Eloise. It was pretty and whimsical in the idyllic setting of the Medicine Garden. You can read about that shoot here and here.

This year I wanted to carry on the theme of 'idyllic childhood freedom' and include boys too as I have gorgeous boys pjs on the site. As one of Surreys leading child and lifestyle photographers, Vicki gets booked up months in advance and so I think I booked the session last February! These are some photos I took of Vicki in action. She is of course used to taking photos of children, but not necessarily lying flat out amongst prickles and rabbit droppings faced with a line of fire! Alfie the golden lab was determined to try and sneak into every shot too!

I prefer to have outdoor lifestyle photos of my range rather than staged studio shots and loved the idea of a teepee sleepover/campout where the children would run around and play naturally with bows and arrows, climb trees, find sticks from the woods and munch on marshmallows afterwards. Pinterest was a great source of inspiration and over the months leading up to the shoot Vicki and I exchanged ideas.

I had already ear marked the venue for the shoot. A friends house set on the edge of a wood complete with cats and a dog as well as a vintage style tractor. It couldn't be a more perfect place in which to bring the shoot to life.

I loved making the teepee from a pattern I bought on ebay. I'd almost forgotten I could sew! And roaming charity shops for props and vintage finds is always satisfying. My husband who secretly loved the idea of whittling sticks produced amazing bows and arrows with twigs from the garden and feathers collected on our dog walks.

He also made the signpost too. Every thing came together and fingers were crossed for some early evening sun.

I am so thrilled with the results of Vicki's shoot and look forward to sharing her photos later in the week.

Janne x

Rainy Day Baking

What a fabulous summer it has been and so much worth celebrating. The start of the summer was filled with the excitement of the Olympics and we were very lucky to have the road cycle racing and time trials come virtually past the door. Like so many others we were out waving the flag and glued to the TV, feeling proud to be British and thrilled that 'we' pulled off the whole event so well! And this week another excuse to keep checking the TV as the Paralympics take place.

We've had lots of  reasons to celebrate in this house too. We've been to two beautiful weddings giving us the opportunity to dress up in our hats and heels and reunite with family and friends. My eldest son turned sixteen and passed his GCSEs so a big sigh of relief all round! We've had another fun photo shoot with Vicki Knights Photography and I look forward to sharing  the results with you over the next couple of weeks.

And in amongst all of this, we've been busy with some lovely homely activities that we never seem to have time for during the busy school term time: Baking, blackberry picking, sewing, walking the dog together. 

I've always loved baking with the children. It keeps them busy and there's always a yummy treat at the end. (My teenagers are only interested in the yummy part now) All this rain over the summer has meant plenty of baking opportunities though! One baking session on a grey afternoon was the perfect opportunity to test out our lovely aprons too. 

We always have some lovely vintage style aprons on the site and this ruffly one is gorgeous! You can view it here. It also comes in orange or green.

I hope you all enjoy the last few days of the holidays. They have come round far too quickly for me.

Janne x

Sweet pea

I'm not the most enthusiastic gardener between November and March. You'll find me pottering inside whilst everyone else is happily busying about outside painting fences, sweeping up leaves or tidying the shed. Once April arrives though, and the days are a little longer, dryer and warmer (in theory) I'll be out in my wellies, living the 'good life' and wondering if I should invest in chickens and goats!

I love planting vegetables and especially peas. I like constructing the twiggy pyramids for them to climb up. The seeds are a good size for little hands to hold and make for a happy afternoon of parent/child activity. They are so easy to grow and as soon as they start to peek through the surface there is very little to stop them climbing. No input is needed from me until harvest time 8 weeks later.

 This year I went for the cottage garden look and planted sweet peas in amongst the peas and so ended up with a delicious scented tangle on each  pyramid.

We've got a great little 'Giveaway' over on facebook at the moment. The lucky winner can choose a  gift wrapped box full of surprises suitable for the age of their child.

Puppy Love

With discussions mounting in the house over what to buy our 'puppy' for his first birthday this week, I couldn't resist a little blog post about him. Actually, 'Brigg' is not a puppy anymore, but a big bounding black labrador with lolling tongue, wagging tail, hair that sheds everywhere and a habit of lying in the middle of the kitchen floor causing a major trip hazard at every turn. He's had the dishwasher door slammed shut on his nose more times than I want to admit to!

I have three children of school age and most days have the house to myself. One year ago my day was crammed full of running my business and household chores. It was a home that was calm and quiet from 9am till 3pm. I congratulated myself on how I  (and  home) had come through the early years of childhood with sanity and furniture more or less intact. I wondered what lay ahead for the teenage years. 

And then this image appeared in my inbox one day last September with the words: "here is your new puppy". (My OH had agreed to take one of his friends puppies six months previously, but we had not until now managed to have a 'proper' discussion on the subject).

No discussion needed! Heart over ruled head and last October Brigg bounced into our lives.

Pots of bulbs have been shredded, shoes have been destroyed (I'm down to one pair of mismatched flip flops), cuddly toys have missing limbs, two birthday cakes have been inhaled, the recycling bin is his personal toy box. He knows the difference between a dishwasher being loaded and unloaded and he can hear ham being unwrapped or the snap of the flora lid at a hundred paces. He's caused more mayhem, mishaps and upsets then anyone else in the family this year, but would we be without him? Absolutely not!! With children at different schools and with varied ages, activities and interests, he is the one thing that is constant throughout. The common thread. Whether it be family walks, heart to heart discussions on school friendships,  camp building in the woods, hashing out GCSE choices on the rec, cricket in the park, he is there! 

He wolfs down his food,he drips water everywhere, he has no regard for doormats and leaves a trail of mess and destruction. Just like my children really! Okay, I don't have a spotless house any more, but I have gained a loyal, loving and faithful pal who makes me laugh and keeps me busier than ever!


And just incase you're wondering about his birthday present......he's got a new squeaky toy pheasant to chew on!(and yes, it will be gift wrapped) 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

The village fair

I haven't exhibited at many country fairs this year and just as well because what a wash out this Summer has been! However,on Saturday it was The Claygate flower show.This was my very first fair four years ago and I feel a strong sense of fondness and attachment to it. Besides it's virtually on the doorstep and I have lots of local customers popping by to see me and friends stopping for a chat, cups of tea and cake in hand. It's a sociable, family friendly day (and one where my OH will quite happily load up the car and put up my gazebo for me)!

The fair is steeped in tradition and is far more than a flower show. The WI have a cake stall, the scouts and guides run tombolas, the marquees are full of homegrown fruit and vegetables with gardening stalwarts vying for first prize year after year. All age groups can enter any number of competitions from 'best garden in a pot' to 'funniest family photo'. There's a dog show, a vintage car raleigh, a fun fair, morris dancing, marching bands and lots of lovely stalls like mine. There's a fancy dress parade, an animal petting area, BBQ's and teas a plenty. There really is something for everyone. 

Quintessentially English and charming, the Claygate Flower show attracts a huge crowd whatever the weather, but as I unloaded white cotton nighties from the back of the car (in the rain and mud) didn't know whether to admire my stoicism or question my eccentricity! 

My customers, I'm glad to say are equally stoic and despite two downpours and trudging about in slippery mud, brolly in hand, it was a great day. Of course we'll be back the same time next July! 

Janne x

London PJs

When it comes to children's nightwear it seems that bold London images are pretty hard to resist and these iconic Grenadier Guards pyjamas are proving popular with parents and children alike. (And several Hollywood A listers have also been spotted buying them for their kiddies too). With the Jubilee and Olympic fever this year, 2012 is the perfect excuse for celebrating with a little piece of your own London.

Making a bold statement at bedtime, Pixie Dixie PJs are made from the highest quality, softest 100% cotton jersey. At the moment we stock the traditional style button down pyjamas tipped in red at the collar and cuffs and with comfy trousers elasticated at the waist. We can't guarantee bedtime will happen with military precision , but having a favourite pair of pjs at the ready is quite an incentive for snuggling down!

We'll be stocking some more iconic London PJ styles in the Autumn ready for the Christmas PJ rush.

With many overseas customers looking for presents to send back home, we seek out perfect little gifts and keepsakes inspired by our capital. The London bus pencil holder is new into the range and the Rag doll Grenadier Guard and soldier laundry bag are always popular lightweight gifts to send in the post.

This month at www.myheartandhome.co.uk we are offering FREE p&p. Just select free postage option at the checkout.

Nighties and Wellies

There is something rather appealing about waking up in the morning, sun streaming through the windows, early morning dew still on the grass and rushing outside to gather eggs and feed the chickens........all this whilst still in your nightie! This was the atmosphere Vicki and I were trying to recreate in this photo shoot named 'nighties and wellies'. Wellington boots go with absolutely anything don't they? And just lately, they are the only thing we've all been wearing!

Many of the nightdresses on my site are taken from original Victorian designs and hark back to a time of childhood innocence when we like to imagine life carefree, relaxed and happy. Summer days stretched out forever and adventures were to be found at the bottom of the garden, in the vegetable patch...secret gardens were created. Who needed to get dressed? 

We had The Medicine Garden all to ourselves when these photos were taken in the hazy, sunny days of late last summer by family lifestyle photographer, Vicki Knights. These girls certainly ran around enjoying the attention and the pretty nightwear.They were amazing little models! We were allowed to sneak into this derelict green house, (now restored and transformed into the most beautiful cafe) and as you can see the light was stunning when these were shot at about 6pm.

The Victorian walls of The Medicine Garden were the perfect back drop for the white cotton nighties. I love the contrast in colour and texture.

I'm often asked what length the nightdresses are meant to be. That is entirely down to choice. I quite like them full length so there is still plenty of room for growth. If you are buying for a three year old or younger then I wouldn't go that long You can see more nightdress styles on my site here.

You can read my first blog about this shoot, 'The Secret Garden' here. 

Janne x 

Molly and Megan

A few months ago I was thrilled to discover Ragtales, a new and emerging toy brand. I'm delighted to be one of the first independent retailers to be stocking their beautiful range of rag dolls and soft toys. I have written about  the Ragtags in a previous blog post here, but I'm  dedicating this one to these two lovelies, the Dollytales.

With soft cotton bodies and plush velour knotted hair tied up with ribbons, these pretty dolls have plenty of character. Friendly, gentle faces with rouged cheeks and freckles will surely make  them firm favourites in the playroom. With timeless appeal, these dolls really hark back to the days when dolls were handmade with love and care, designed to cherish and hand down to the next generation.

Molly has a pretty velour dress with flouncy skirt in a ditsy floral print and net petticoat. Stripey tights and polka dot knickers complete the look! 

Megan is a real cutie in a pink polka dot dress and velour ballet wrap and matching shoes.

Both these dolls are suitable from birth and it is the attention to detail and authenticity that makes them so special. They both come with a cotton carry bag embroidered with their names making them a perfect travel companion for little girls.

These sweeties make delightful keepsake gifts for god daughters, christenings, a first birthday or simply because us Mums find them completely irresistible! This is one lovely testimonial from a thrilled customer:


"Omygiddigoodness the Molly doll is BEAUTIFUL....totally exceeded my expectations and I'm thrilled. My daughter is going to love her. I encourage all those with little girls in their lives to get one too! Thank you!" (Katherine Morgan Textile Crafts) 


I can't wait to see the next range of toys that Ragtales have designed.

Janne x