Christmas Fairs

Tis the season........

I love November and once Bonfire night is over, then the Christmas countdown truly begins. We have a number of gift fairs coming up, so if you are local then please pop along and come and say 'Hello'. We'd love to see you!

A pirate is for life, not just for Christmas

Ahoy there! "Shiver me timbers" and whatever else it is that pirates say, "surrender the booty". Well, with less than 100 sleeps till christmas we are stocking up on our pyjama and gift ranges here at My Heart and Home HQ and pirates are playing a big part this year. 

We have some adorable pirate rag dolls in stock and at 40cm high they make great first dolls for toddlers. With his cheeky little face, there is nothing scary about this cheery little chap. We have him in both large and mini size, with the smaller size just perfect for the christmas stocking.

We have some great pirate jimjams this year in super soft 100% cotton interlock. Cosy and warm, these pyjamas feature a cheeky little pirate appliqué on the front making them great for boys or girls. Seeing as they are red and white striped they make fabulous christmas pjs too! They start from age 2-3 years and go up to 8-9 years.

If you are quick then pop over to our Facebook page and enter our pirate bundle giveaway. There is a great selection of pirate booty being given away to one lucky winner!

And remember....  a pirate is for life, not just for Christmas!

Introducing Paxton

This is Paxton the fox and no he's never been involved in news night! Paxton is the wee younger cousin of Chester who has been a very popular addition to our Ragtales crew.

At 22cm tall, Paxton is made from a soft chestnut colour velour with a long bushy tail. He has a lovely brown, hand knit stripy top (which no doubt some very determined toddler would whip off and use it to dress another toy) and a purple polka dot lining to his pointy ears. He has a rather smug grin. (I think he knows that he's my favourite Ragtag).

Paxton and his Ragtag friends are suitable from birth and make perfect little baby keepsakes. They are just the right size for little toddler hands, with loveable, tuggable ears, paws and tails. They all come with hand finished, vintage style clothing making them charming and quirky toys.

Here is Paxton helping in the garden. He's checking out the agapanthus that I bought at the flower show a few years ago.

This is Chester. He's a bit bigger at 35cm tall and comes in his own named linen draw string carry bag. He's also a fan of hand knitted waistcoats and likes wearing purple trousers! 

Paxton has lots of other friends and we stock some of them too. Priced at £9.95, they are great little newborn gifts.

So if you are looking for a fox to help out in the garden this summer take a look at Paxton here.

Janne x

Wealden Times Midsummer Fair

The beginning of June saw fabulous sunshine and My Heart and Home showing at The Wealden Times Midsummer Fair, near Rolvenden in Kent. The setting for this idyllic country scene was the beautiful Hole Park Gardens, with it's clipped, neat lawns and beautiful topiary shrubbery, and all set in the Kent Weald. I have never been to that part of Kent and couldn't believe how stunning it all looked in the June sunlight. Gentle rolling lushness and dotted with Oast houses. I want to move there!

I don't often attend three day events as it is quite a feat trying to juggle family life and being away from the dancing/swimming/dog walking schedules not too mention all the other challenges of family life! But my wonderful hubby agreed to take a few days holiday to help me and I'm so pleased with the way it all worked out! It was such a lovely few days! (i'm afraid these iPhone photos don't do it all justice)

With bags packed and stock loaded it was quite a car full to transport and then unload into our 2mx2m allotted space in purple marquee.

The Wealden Midsummer fair really is the quintessentially english event with everyone welcome including dogs. I love it when doggies come and visit the stand and I'm always in awe of how well behaved other peoples dogs are! I just know my black lab and a crowded marquee aren't designed to go together!

There really were some stunning stalls at the fair selling everything from beautiful home-ware to baby clothes,  dog beds to vintage clothing and I was so glad I could be part of it all. There was such a lovely mix of stall holders and customers too, which always makes for a wonderful atmosphere.

I was pleased with the way everything fitted into the space provided and our hand finished cotton nightwear was perfectly suited to the event. Best of all, wellies were not required for the whole three days!

Here's hoping that this fair will be a permanent fixture in our calendar!

Janne x

Wealden Times Midsummer Fair

I'm so excited to be included in this years Wealden Times Midsummer Fair in June as this is my very favourite type of setting in which to showcase my range of children's cotton nightwear. I think this love of the 'quintessentially English fair' must go back to my childhood. Both sets of my grandparents lived in Devon and many summers were spent holidaying there. I still remember the thrill of dressing up in my summer frock and heading off to the village fete with my holiday pocket money. The sun was always shining and my granny complete with her 'clip clasp' handbag, would guide my sister and I through the crowd, buying a raffle ticket here or a jar of jam there. Sometimes it was the village fair and sometimes the local hospital fete. I remember the wonder of winning an embroidered green cushion when I was about seven, but just so elated that I had a winning ticket and had won something! There was always an ice-cream or a huge slice of cake and of course some homemade treasure such as a lavender bag or a knitted toy to take home.

Well, times were simpler then and things have moved on considerably, but don't we just love the charm of a good old fashioned country fair? The cream teas, the WI homemade preserves with their gingham covers, the wellies, the cooking shows, the smell of the marquees, the fluttering bunting. This fair promises to be jam packed literally with the most beautiful hand-picked array of artisan stalls and vendors selling home and garden wares, fashion, gifts and jewellery. The tea tent will be a highlight and foodies will be in their element with local farmers, producers and wine makers selling delicious products in the food avenue. There will be gardening experts on hand sharing their knowledge of growing flowers and vegetables and top chefs at work in the kitchen theatre. All this will be set within the  grounds of the lovely Hole Park in Rolvedon, Kent.

E tickets for the fair are now on sale and you can claim your exclusive discount code by quoting EXS14 when purchasing tickets on line before midnight on 30th April 2014. This entitles you to 25% off the gate ticket price. The ticket price includes free entry to Hole Park Gardens so this promises to be a fabulous day out for all the family.

I can't wait to tell you all about it in June. And no, I won't be needing my wells because the sun is going to shine!

Janne x

Easter gifts

The sun is shining! It's official... Spring is well and truly here and so is the arrival of some lovely new items to our online shop. With a Facebook giveaway and 20% off until April now is a great time to take a look round some of our new gifts and children's nightwear ranges.

A bunny isn't just for Easter so if you have a new Spring baby due in the family, or perhaps looking for a christening or first birthday gift then look no further than Bo rabbit. He (or he can be a she) comes beautifully presented in a hat style gift box, making a lovely keepsake. Designed in England by toy company Ragtales he is soft enough to snuggle and handsome enough to sit on a bedroom shelf. There is even the option to kit him out in a pyjama or nightdress set too. He also has a little brother in the form of mini Bo who also comes beautifully packaged in a smaller keepsake box.

Joining the beautiful quilted mouse house play set , we now have a gorgeous home for bunnies! This lovely quilted and lightly padded rabbit house play set decorated with embroidered flowers and applique bunting makes a lovely Easter gift alternative to chocolate! It comes with two little sister mice just perfect for imaginative play. When not being played with, it makes a beautiful hanging decoration in a bedroom.

We have one of these adorable rabbit play sets in this months Facebook giveaway so please take a look and enter to win in time for Easter.

If you are ordering online this month then don't forget we have 20% off using code SPRING14

Have a great week everyone,

Janne

We love everything twirly

I had great fun last year with these petti-skirts. I love everything twirly and frothy and if you are a follower of me on pinterest you will know that too! They were so popular at all the gift fairs with mummies, grandmothers and of course little girls. The age range that sold out the quickest though, was the 10-12 yr age group. These skirts look great teamed with leggings, Converse and a little crop jacket or even a hoodie (A&F of course)! The older girls loved all the muted greys, teals and navys whereas the little ones wanted the pinks and lilac. I'm really looking forward to stocking more colours and styles later in the year although you can still find some really pretty colours online here. These really are an all year round fun and twirly party skirt. And after all there is only a short window in time in which you can get away with wearing something so pink, frilly and frothy!

Now, I'm not suggesting that you co ordinate your party skirt with kitty, but the day I took the photos of these gorgeous pink and grey petti-skirts, was the day the neighbours cat Bluebelle appeared. Obviously, I just couldn't resist putting the two together!

I think this pink and grey just look so scrumptious together!

Have a great week,

Janne

Little pyjama sale

Happy New Year everyone. (I think I can just about get away with wishing everyone that till the end of January) Hope all those new 2014 resolutions are going well!

I've got lots of new plans for My Heart and Home this year, including stocking some brand new baby gift sets, baby blankets and newborn keepsake toys. Already orders have been placed with a lovely new English toy brand. I'm looking forward to Bubble (The kidswear trade show) next week and seeking out some new baby wear and pyjamas to add to the range too.

In the meantime we have a new years pyjama clearance going on, so please take a peek at the nightwear section on the site and see if you can grab a cosy winter bargain for your little one. We have some great skinny fit robot pjs for boys on sale and the prettiest cosy crown print pjs for girls.

These are just some of the winter styles on sale this month with prices starting from as little as £12.95. I'm looking forward to posting up some of our new Spring range very soon.

In the meantime, happy juicing!

Janne x