Lily and Lime

 Crikey, the second week of 2012 already, that first one passed in a blur!

January is the traditional time for so many slightly scary resolutions so I thought I would share a few...

1. Make resolutions that are actually practical

2. Kick the caffeine habit or at least beat it into a manageable daily number

3. Rediscover "feel good" 80's and 90's music and get dancing around the kitchen, ideally with the children... think Deacon Blue, classic "first time around" Take That, Erasure, Wham (yes really) and Whitney Houston 

4. Experiences not objects - family camping weekends, concerts, walking on the beach whatever the weather and fruit picking

I have a whole list of resolutions if I am entirely honest, but 2012 for me is about exceeding expectations and appreciating progress, so for now the four will be more than enough and who knows, perhaps they may last a little longer than the middle of January!

2012... the year of the London Olympics... I wonder what the world record time for eating a Cadburys Caramel Bar actually is? answers on a postcard then!

Enjoy your early days of January and good luck with those New Years Resolutions

Kirsten x

A chaotic week this one, Cambridge, Cheshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire in 3 days, leaving the team full of festive spirit, and with rather a lot of cardboard boxes to take to the recycling centre! 

We loved seeing familiar faces at the beautiful Arley Hall Shopping Spectacular and we were delighted to be invited to exhibit at the fabulous event for a second time.  Arley is a most gorgeous hidden gem of a country house, quintessentially British and nestled in the pretty Cheshire countryside and each year it hosts one of the best festive shopping events we have involved in. Designer-makers mix with carefully selected retailers to offer customers the opportunity to get started on their Christmas shopping in wonderfully relaxed surroundings. Do try and visit next year if you can!

In our Melbourne shop, displays have now begun to change to all things wintery if not entirely festive yet. Our unusual selection of decorations seem to be meeting with approval; my favourite have to be our giant Sleigh Bell duos although transporting boxes of them, and their accompanying authentic sounds, in a car for a two hour drive can induce a hint of festive madness to the sanest, calmest person...

Our current best-sellers include our Luxury Fragrance Diffusers, particularly in the warming Fig & Ginger and vibrant Clementine scents and our freshly arrived Avoca Hotties and Throws will be appearing under many trees on the 25th December.

Do get in touch if we can assist you with your shopping selections, we have a few surprising suggestions for the "tricky to buy for" and we love to help if we can.

Happy Browsing

Kirsten x

November, or at least in our home, "Movember" arrives in a deluge of cardboard boxes and excitement. 

Our final Christmas stock has finally reached us and with much of the range chosen in Spring of this year, it is a little like seeing totally new and surprising products. 

Our favourite brand new products would have to be the cosy warm scarves and throws from Avoca and luxury candles from Max Benjamin. Oddly, both ranges are from Irish designers and the quality is truly superb, so we are predicting some trips across to Ireland in 2012, purely for research purposes you understand!

One of our favourite finds from the summer design shows was from a new designer, named, rather fittingly "A Farmers Daughter". The quirky and frankly rather super Meat Cuts Tea Towels, Red Sheep, Blue Sheep Mug with matching Tea Towel and fun Rural Inspired Greetings Cards have meet with wide approval with the former being recently featured in The Metro paper. The team have now wrapped and dispatched so many of these that our knowledge must have ensured we could always work in a butchers shop if we tire of Lily and Lime!

Much of our time and energy is turning to Christmas planning and our range of Christmas Decorations are enough to make even the most "Bah Humbug" among us feel a little festive.. why not take a look?

Happy November or perhaps in your home too "Movember"?

We love unpacking new stock but the positive invasion of our best-selling Dog and Puppy Doorstops rather shocked us this afternoon! 

Sometimes you just don't remember how many cardboard boxes are needed to deliver what seemed like a totally normal number of products. The classic Mans Best Friend design remains our best-seller, but the introduction last month, of the monochrome option surprised us and many of these new arrivals will be leaving us tomorrow, albeit in rather more glamorous packaging than they arrived to us in! 
 Why not take a look at our very latest addition to the litter and let us know which design you like best? 

 Happy Dog Selection... At least these ones won't chew your kitchen chairs like our lovely spaniel did recently!

The eighth month of the year, already ... really?

We celebrate our two month shop anniversary and what a whirlwind nine weeks it has been, and a steep learning curve too, if we are honest. The huge advantage in being eternal optimists are numerous, however the belief that, to quote a well recognised phrase,  "If you build it, they will come" seems to have fact as its basis after all!

Kindness abounds in many places, often the most unexpected as well as the rather more everyday and the joy at rediscovering the kindness of strangers since we have opened cannot be underestimated. Our lovely neighbours have been universally welcoming and with the last of the building works to be completed during August the final new inhabitants of Williams Yard are warmly welcomed by us all.

 "Jacks" the coffee shop two doors away from us has opened and the cakes have been met with absolute delight. The ladies who own this bright, cheerful spot deserve to do so well, and their brand of hard work, humour and zest for life makes them the perfect people to dispense welcome and restorative coffee, and so much more to Melbourne residents and visitors alike.    

As always, we have been delighted by the press interest in our products during the Summer months and are working hard on confirming Christmas press product inclusions, ironic given the weather during the past week... sleigh bell or kindling bucket anyone?

More seasonal products receiving interest have included our enamelware Washing Powder Box and Silver Wine Cooler on the ForMyHome website,  and my favourite article and one of which we are particularly proud was the feature in the latest edition of The Financial Times "How to Spend It" report, after all if it's in The FT" it must be true! Do take a look.

July took us north to Harrogate and one of our favourite trade shows, and as in previous years, we discovered some absolute gems of new homeware and gift products which have begun to arrive with us. Focussing our attention firmly on the "Best of British Design" ensures our product quality remains at the highest level and the unique and quirky range for which we are known, continues to surprise, and we hope delight, customers new and old. Expect unusual and gently humorous designs on everyday items, including crockery and kitchen textiles, fabulous new greetings cards, gorgeous luxury candles from The Isle of Skye and the most indulgent scarves and throws from one of the oldest woollen mills in Ireland. 

So as the August weather begins to settle and I enjoy the last few weeks with my precious number two child before he begins his exciting adventure at school, we will hope for picnics and ice lollies, probably receive hot chocolate and windburn and embrace cake in copious quantities regardless!

Happy August

Kirsten x