March Easter Edit

This month's Edit is all about Easter and Springtime decorating. I love the fresh bright and pastel colours that make an appearance at this time of year and March's Edit makes no exception.

As usual, each item can be found in the little maldod shop and direct links are provided below. Oh and if you read on, you might just find an exclusive Easter early bird offer for you!

1. Easter Bunny Ears.
This pack of 8 Bunny Ears are the perfect accessory for any Easter party. I can't wait to dish them out to my two and their friends for our annual egg hunt.

2. Pastel Pinwheel Set.
Great for decorating your home or a special occasion this Spring. It's birthday season in our house at the moment and I'm not sure I can resist hanging these beauties for much longer. This set contains 6 pinwheels in 3 different sizes.

3. Carrot Rattle
This crochet carrot is a lovely tactile rattle and was a favourite of my son Wilf's when he was a baby. It's also part of our brand new Sensory Giftset which you can find here.

4. My First Easter Milestone Card
I'm a big fan of the full Milestone Card range which we stock in the shop. So I'm thrilled to be able to offer you this Easter card for FREE! [The price shown in the shop simply covers our minimum P&P cost.]

5. Easter Garland
Who doesn't love a garland?! This bunny garland featuring gold foil 'hop hop hop' wording makes the perfect finishing touch for Easter decorating. Another one I might be adding to my own personal Easter shopping basket!

We've got an Easter Egg hunt planned in my parent's beautiful garden in Pembrokeshire this year, I can't wait to include some of these lovely items in my decorating and egg hunting plans.

If you fancy stocking up on this lot (and any other Easter goodies in the shop) too, then why not take advantage of our Easter Early bird offer.

You can enjoy FREE DELIVERY on all 'Easter' orders over £20 with the code EASTEREARLYBIRD until midnight this Friday 11th March.

Shop the entire Easter range here: EASTER AT LITTLE MALDOD.


Lowri x

February Edit

Well welcome February, a delicious short little month full of love.
 
It's a busy month for us with friends and family coming to stay, half term adventures and a hen do at the end which is guaranteed to be full of antics. As the last of the Winter months it also brings lighter evenings (it was still light at 5pm tonight!!!) and even more signs of Spring, good all round I say.

Of course it goes without saying that it's the month to celebrate all things LOVE and we're doing just that at little maldod with our new Valentines section. If you fancy showing a bit of extra love to your little one (or favourite grown up person) this month then pop over for a browse by clicking here.

Which brings me to this lovely bright selection of products which I've selected for February's Edit. Most of them are brand new to the shop and I'm delighted to be stocking them. As usual, you can read all about them and click straight through to the shop below.

1. Mama Zip Bags.
These bags have proved so popular since their launch a few weeks ago. They are the perfect size for carrying anything from makeup, toiletries or changing bag essentials to stationery. This bright yellow lettering on cotton canvas also makes it a perfect Spring accessory.

2. Pastel Letter Banner
You can have so much fun making little sayings with these DIY letter banners. The pack contains enough letters to make up little rhymes or sayings which you can change to suit any occasion. They make the perfect decoration, we can't wait to hang some Egg-cellent sayings around the house this Easter....sorry.

3. Wooden Heart Rattle
This wooden rattle has been a best seller in the shop since it's launch last Spring. A classic heart shape rattle that would make the perfect gift for a new arrival or Valentines treat for your little one.

4. Liberty Cupcake Cases
We are absolutely delighted to be stocking a beautiful range of new Liberty products by Meri Meri, which are part of our new PARTY range (here). The Cases are just one of the stunning new products which showcase classic Liberty patterns, I have me eye on a few for a certain little girl's 2nd birthday next month!

5. Hobo Soy Candle
This deliciously scented Lemongrass and Coconut Hobo Soy candle is also new to little maldod.  It is one of two candle tins recently launched which make the perfect 'non baby' gift for a new mum or mum-to-be, or just as a lovely new addition for any home. They honestly smell good enough to eat!

So there we are, my selection of goodies for this month. I have lots more new things in the pipeline for the coming weeks and months so watch this space.

Thanks for stopping by and, as always, for supporting my small business.
Lowri x

Countdown to Christmas

Anyone else counting down the sleeps? I know am! Mainly because I'm asked every morning (afternoon, evening) to count on my fingers how many sleeps it is.

I am SUPER excited to be launching a special little maldod Christmas countdown today (the 12th of the 12th), to share the excitement, help with any last minute shopping and sprinkle a little festive fun along the way.

Each day for the next 12 days on social media I will be sharing a different special offer, free gift or giveaway. Starting today!

To kick things off for day 1 you can enjoy ONE WEEKEND OF FREE DELIVERY! Yes, that's free delivery on ALL orders all weekend when you use the code 'LITTLECOUNTDOWN1'. Pop over to the shop here to put it to good use.

If you signed up to our newsletter you'll have received details of this in your inbox today along with an exclusive 'first newsletter' discount code. If you haven't already signed up, you can do so here to make sure you don't miss out on future special offers and news.

Have a wonderful festive weekend all.

Lowri x

December Edit

It goes without saying that my edit for this month is leaning strongly towards Christmas gifts. I'm sure you don't mind a little help with your shopping do you?!

So, in the interests of keeping this post succinct and, ahem, edited, here it is (as usual, you can click through to the shop on all items).

1. Poppifleur Handmade Liberty Bow £4.95

These bows are so sweet, they're beautifully handmade and the fabric is spot on for Winter. Available in this deep winter blue print called Anderson or a classic floral Liberty print called Danjo. They make ideal stocking fillers and also make a perfect clip on dickie bow for any little Mr with a party to go to this month.

2. Frost Ho Ho Ho Plate from Buddy + Bear £7

Perfect for all your festive snacks! I absolutely love the design of these plates (across the whole B+B range). They are unbelievably sturdy, as my two put to the test on a daily basis. As I hear them crash to the tile floor I'm always amazed they haven't broken in half! A total winner in my book.

3. Fable Heart Pink Sapphire Crown £20

A pop of colour if ever I saw one! This is a brand new crown in the fantastic Fable Heart range. It is bound to catch the eye and whether you're young or old and wearing it, compliments will be flying your way! Silver and Gold crowns  are also available, what's your colour of choice?

4. Knitted Dinosaur Rattle £8.95

I'm such a fan of this stripy T-Rex, who I'm yet to name. This is a great stocking filler, the bright colours and tactile felt spikes will keep little ones entertained for hours. 

It is also a fairtrade toy so you can feel even better about your purchase.

Fable Heart Pink Sapphire Crown £20

A pop of colour if ever I saw one! This is a brand new crown in the fantastic Fable Heart range. It is bound to catch the eye and whether you're young or old and wearing it, compliments will be flying your way! Silver and Gold crowns  are also available, what's your colour of choice?

5.Wooden Build a Helicopter Set £12.99

This wooden helicopter is a fantastic gift for a little one who likes to sit and carefully take things apart, fiddle with screws or play with Daddy's tools. The set contains 13 separate pieces and a sweet wooden hand tool which is great for developing those fine motor skills. It's also a great size to pop in a bag for on-the-go entertainment.

So there we are, some great present ideas and just a tiny edit from this year's Christmas Shop. As it's Friday AND Christmas is only weeks away, I'll be including a surprise free gift with every order including any of the above items, for today only. A Secret Santa if you like!

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday and I'll be celebrating all things independent with some other great offers. Check back here and on little maldod social media for more details tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and happy shopping! 

Lowri x

Refuge - An Important Christmas Story

On Saturday, whilst away with friends, I stood in an independent bookshop with the following book in my hands and goosebumps on my arms.

The cover of the book, a clear nativity scene but with an unusual title, caught my eye from outside the window. By the third page I was drawn in to the most beautifully told, human depiction of a very well known story.

It tells the nativity story from the perspective of the donkey, focusing on the plight of a refugee couple who, with their newborn baby, depend on the kindness of strangers in a foreign land.

Touchingly written and absolutely relevant to the story of today, I knew straight away I was going to buy it and mentally ticked off another three names on my Christmas list. With £5 from each book going to War Child, a charity supporting children affected by the horrors of war, there was even more of a reason to buy it.

As a Christian, the nativity story is central to how we, as a family, celebrate Christmas. Although it still makes me smile everytime my three year old asks "when is it going to be Father Christmas Day?"... on a daily basis. I know that this book will become a treasured read but also know that it will help to explain some more present issues to my questioning son. Questions such as "why we are sending teddies to children who don't have any? "Why have they had to leave their homes?" and "why are Penny and Pip (our Kindess Elves) here to teach us to be kind?"

I realised that this book is an important read not just for those that hold the nativity story close to their hearts but for anyone, young or old.  So I set about contacting the publishers, Nosy Crow, and by Tuesday had placed an order for as many books as they could spare (their warehouse was completely sold out!)

All 20 copies are now available in the little maldod shop. Due to the nature of the book I've decided to offer free delivery and as a result won't be making any profit on it at all. It somehow seemed wrong and I felt it was more important to me that people buy and read it. You can find it in the shop here.

If you're interested in reading the fascinating account of how the book came to publication, in an astonishingly short space of time, you can find an account on Nosy Crow's blog here.

I really can't recommend this book enough and feel priviledged to be able to send it off to people's homes this Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by.
Lowri x

A Tale of Travel and of Sisterhood.

In November 1840 my husband's Great Great Great Grandfather stepped aboard a ship in England and set sail for the Falkland Islands. His name was George Markham Dean. Little did George know at the time that his voyage would create a deep and special bond between the Islands and his family for generations to come.

When I was considering my piece for this month's Styling the Seasons post I, as usual, had to wait a little while for inspiration to come knocking. Having read up, watched videos and thought long and hard about 'flatlays' (I kid you not), I knew that the key to my post was the background upon which it was placed. I wanted something with texture, warmth and a surface which carried meaning, so when I remembered about an old chest that we've inherited I knew it was perfect.

The wood you see in this photograph is the top of an old chest that belonged to George Markham Dean's Grandson, my husband's Great Grandfather, George Thomas Dean. He was born and brought up in the Falklands but spent his school years in England. This chest would accompany him every school holiday when he would travel, for weeks at a time, across the seas to spend time at home and then return back to school.

Over many years, this chest would have travelled tens of thousands of miles, been marked, knocked, stamped and sprayed with salty sea water on every journey it made. I can only imagine the conversations it's been present for and secret treasures it has carried. It now sits in our living room, belonging to the same family, generations later, waiting to be filled with treasures of our own.

I could quite happily have just photographed the grains and marks of this chest but as this is a styling challenge, this month being a flatlay, I knew I had to find things to sit with it which would be sympathetic but equally as beautiful in themselves.

On the 14th of this month I attended a Sisterhood Supper, hosted by Lou Archell (from Little Green Shed)  with the Sisterhood Camp at The Forge in Bristol. The afternoon and evening was a tonic, a truly inspirational time to connect with fellow creative women, to learn, make and feast on the most delicious seasonal supper. It was a treat in every single way. This post here, written by Laura Pashby on the Sisterhood Camp blog sums up the evening perfectly.

During the afternoon I had the pleasure of choosing a selection of the most beautiful flowers and foliage and to make myself a floral crown. I proudly wore the crown for the rest of the day, only taking it off when I had to step out into the cold, wet night to drive back home.

So taken by the crown and the evening it represented, that I knew that I wanted to use it in this post. I love how the crown's leaves, flowers and feathers mirror the textures and grains in the wood. The scent of the foliage as I cut it and sprinkled it across the chest promised of Christmas trees and the magic that lies ahead in December, something which I look forward to every day throughout November.

In a few short weeks, following a trip to Patagonia that my Mum has dreamed of since she was a girl, my parents will travel to the Falkland Islands and spend Christmas on one of it's beautiful islands. This particular Island remains dear to my husband's family and having also visited before we had children, my heart too was captured. The landscape, the flora, fauna and bird life that can be found there is like nowhere else I've been, things I only wish the Islands were better known for. 

I feel so priviledged to have a piece of the Islands' history in our home and to be able to write about it on this November night, 175 years after our family's connection with the Falklands began. We plan to respectfully and gently restore just a couple of elements so we can use it again, hopefully adding our own stories to it before it's passed down to our children.

In the meantime, I'm sure you'll spot it in the odd photo here and there.

As you might tell, I've loved every moment of Styling the Seasons this month and feel hugely inspired on a creative level. The challenge is hosted by Katy (Apartment Apothecary) and Charlotte (Lotts and Lots) and this month is in collaboration with Emily Quinton from Makelight along with Ruth Garner from Gathered Cheer. If you're interested you can read more about this month's challenge here.

Thank you so much for reading.
With love,
Lowri x

November Edit

Time for my monthly edit of goodies from the little maldod shop. I am so excited to tell you that the Christmas Shop is now open and stacked full of great gift ideas, stocking fillers and, it goes without saying, personalised stockings!

Naturally, this month's edit had to include some great new festive products, some for your home, for your little ones to prance/crawl/ dance about in and a few great stocking fillers. I hope you enjoy it, as usual you can click on any of the links below to find the items in the shop.

1. Cherry Red Trim Crochet Basket
This is the second season I've stocked these beautiful baskets from Blossom and Bear. This time they feature lovely seasonal trims (also available in Mustard, light and dark grey) and these smaller baskets have useful handles. Fill them with small winter woolies, Christmas chocolates (anyone spotted the Quality Streets tins yet?!) or use as an extra special gift basket.

2. NEW Pup Egg Cup
 We love this new addition to the wonderful egg cup family brought to you by Buddy and Bear. With two faces (one awake and one asleep), this sweet pup is a lovely addition to the breakfast table. A bear and bunny are also available and all 3 would make a perfect stocking filler for young or old!

3. Sophie La Girafe Bubble Bath
This Bubble Bath is a luxurious and gentle treat for bathtime. The selection of safe organic ingredients includes: White Tea which fortifies the skin and provides antioxidant protection and Lavender Water which relieves skin symptoms and prevents skin irritations.
I don't know about you but I'm partial to a hot bubble bath in the colder months so I'm pretty tempted by this myself!

4. Let It Snow Hand Lettered Vest
This grey vest with brush lettered detail is brand new to the Clothing Collection at little maldod. Perfect for anyone dreaming of a white Christmas. Available in sizes from 0-3 to 18-24 months even toddlers can enjoy wearing this new design. Personalised vests are also available in this range and make a great and unique gift.

5. Ho Ho Ho Plate
Another fantastic product from Buddy and Bear. We're sure that lots of you will be enjoying festive treats, from cookies to Christmas dinner, on these lovely plates. Great for everyday use and just perfect for leaving special treats out for 'you know who' and his fleet of reindeer.

So there we have it, a little taster of the festive fun that awaits at little maldod. November is our birthday month, I can't believe the shop will have been open for 2 years in a few weeks time. Keep your eyes peeled for special offers to celebrate, any excuse for a little hurray in my book!

Speaking of which, there's a special thank you on Instagram this evening as I've reached over 4,000 followers (I'm amazed!) Pop over to find out how you can get FREE delivery on orders over £10 but hurry, it ends midnight (3rd November). If you're on Facebook then why not enter an amazing giveaway happening this week. Four great items are up for grabs including the Pup Egg Cup above, it closes 8pm Friday.

Thanks for stopping by this evening and, as always, for your ongoing support!
Lowri x

October Edit

This little blog has been a bit neglected over the last month or so. It's safe to say that things have been busy round here! I've got lots to share with you over the coming weeks though, from Autumn recipes, London adventures and some seasonal home styling.

But before all that I want to share with you my October Edit for little maldod. Yes, I know it's nearly a fortnight overdue! I'm delighted to have launched a new range of products and hope you love what you find in the shop. All the new lines have been carefully chosen to fit in perfectly with little maldod, offering colourful designs, some beautifully handmade items and thoughtful gifts.
 
So without further ado, here's an introduction to my pick for the month. You can find them all in the shop by clicking on the product title.

1. Milestone TODDLER cards
 The wait is over, they are finally here. I've been excited to use these cards since I received word of their development over the Summer. A beautifully designed box of cards which help to record those milestone moments from toddlerdom to school age. I have been hopeless at recording Anwen's milestones and hope that using these cards will make up for only filling in about 5 pages of her first year's book (poor second child!)

2. Pumpkin Rattle
I could stop right here really. This pumpkin rattle is just too cute. A little treat for little hands this Autumn and doubles up as a lovely seasonal decoration. Keep your eyes peeled for a Styling the Seasons post featuring one very soon.

3. Honeycomb Decorations
This set of 5 animal decorations are just lovely. The pelican and and toucan have already found their way to the end of a couple of shelves in our house. Featuring a classic honeycomb centre, they make a fun and playful addition to any nursery or playroom.

4. Elizabeth Taylor Crown
I am DELIGHTED to be the first UK stockist to receive these stunning crowns made by Fable Heart. They literally flew off the shelves after their launch last Wednesday evening. I still have a handful left in stock and have my fingers crossed that I'll be able to have a second lot in before Christmas. This gold crown is simply stunning, each sequin is stitched onto woven fabric, and is backed by a reversible white Irish linen. As soon as I can I will be placing my own order with the super talented Claire and waltzing round in my own!

5. Olive the Lula Doll
Olive is a beautiful new addition to the Lula Doll collection and is exclusively handmade for little maldod by Lula Handmade. Olive's dress is made from a soft Needle Cord Liberty dress with a pretty rose pink floral print. The dolls make an extra special gift and each one is truly unique as there is only one doll of each hair colour. Take your pick to suit the little lady she's for. There are 3 other dolls to choose from in this range and Ivy, Greta and Flora are all equally as lovely!

So there we are, a unique Autumn selection. I have some VERY exciting things just around the corner, I can't wait to share them with you! Let's just say your Christmas shopping will be well and truly covered by little maldod this year.

Thanks for stopping by,
Until next time.
Lowri x






 

Happy Post

I love happy post. You know the kind, hand written envelopes, parcels neatly wrapped up (I really do love brown paper packages) and things that make you wonder what's inside. I'm sure, like us, you get plenty of rubbish through the post and far too many A5 envelopes with little plastic windows and typed out addresses. So when a little something special makes it's way through the letter box it always means a 'happy post day'.

I like happy post so much so that I decided to sign up to a monthly subscription called the 'Happy Paper Club' with The Green Gables. I've posted about the club before but in case you missed it, I thought I'd fill you in! Gabrielle at The Green Gables had the genius idea of filling a box with her wonderful eco-friendly, joy-filled stationery and sending it out to club members each month. I can't tell you just how exciting it is to get the box through, the contents of which is a complete surprise.

Here's a little peek at the contents of June's box.

If you fancy joining the Happy Paper Club, subscriptions for July's box are now open and available to buy by clicking here.

Something else that I've signed up to to send a little happy mail is a wonderful project called the 'Summertime Surprise Project' hosted by Lucy Heath from Capture by Lucy.

Back in the Spring Lucy hosted the Springtime Surprise Project, where everyone who joined was matched up with a partner, given details of their likes and interests and invited to send them a kindness parcel (to the value of £5). I was matched up with another lovely lady called Lucy and was sent such thoughtful gifts which still make me smile when I see or use them.

On Sunday I received details of my Summertime Surprise partner, I can't wait to start putting it together and wrapping up a special gift to send her. If I make a new friend along the way then even better! If you fancy taking a look at the types of gifts exchanged and get inspiration to send your own kindness gift, then check out the Summertime Surprise Project hashtag on Instagram.

When I send orders out to customers I take as much time and effort in wrapping them as I would if I were sending them to a friend.  I often receive lovely feedback about how orders are wrapped and that people don't want to open them!

In fact, just today I added a little gift tag to distinguish two similar items ordered so the recipient wouldn't have to open them to tell the difference before gifting them. It's all about the little extra touches.

These added touches are all part of the 'postage and packaging' cost which is unfortunately unavoidable for online shopping. I've been mulling over my own P&P costs recently and have decided to make a few tweaks to make buying with little maldod even better. I try to keep my postage charges to a minimum anyway but realised that for certain items (namely stationery and prints), if ordered on their own, the postage charges could be reduced a little. And you know what they say, every little helps.

Speaking of little, this 'Hello Little One' print by talented Ingrid Petrie (of Ingrid Petrie Designs) is new to the shop. There's a great selection of new prints and stationery (and a whole lot more) in the shop now, take a look by clicking here.

I hope you'll agree that when a little maldod package drops through your letter box that it really does feel like a happy post day!

Thank you so much for reading and as always, for supporting my shop and business.

Lowri x

Spring at little maldod

Morning!

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the arrival of Spring.

What an exciting few days its been! I've been looking forward to launching the Spring range at little maldod and am delighted to have finally shared it with you all. A massive thanks for all the lovely comments and positive feedback I've had about it.

Those of you that have followed little maldod's journey since the start, may have noticed that this Spring range features a whole host of other wonderful products which are not made by my own fare hands. Whilst I still fully intend to design and create for the shop (I love it too much to stop!) I realised towards the end of last year that I wanted to expand what was available but was limited in my capacity (there's only so much time these hands have to make things!)

So this morning I thought I'd share a bit more about the lovely businesses I've had the pleasure of working with for this new collection.

Last Summer I started following the joy filled company that is The Green Gables on Instagram. I am a lifelong stationery fan and when I discovered this wonderful, joy spreading and eco conscious business, run by a lovely lady called Gabrielle I was hooked!
Back in October I bought a pack of the Mummy-To-Be notes for a friend's baby shower and they were a huge hit, giving us all a chance to write an encouraging note to our friend.

Mummy-To-Be Notes, £8.50

When I was thinking about products that would work well with little maldod I knew that the Happy Notes that Gabrielle has designed would be perfect. The Happy Boy and Happy Girl notes are just the sweetest and make such a nice gift for a new older sibling.

Happy Girl and Happy Boy Notes, £8.50

I've connected with so many other wonderful independent businesses via Instagram. Another talented lady I've had the pleasure of finding is Sarah at Blossom and Bear.  I love Sarah's mini prints, they look great as an addition to a nursery or can be used to send a little note to brighten someone's day.

Mini Prints, £0.95

I was delighted when Sarah agreed to design a 'thank you' print too which is now available to buy as a pack of 6 notes. I could quite easily stash this lot away and spend my days sending little notes to friends!

Thank you notes, £3.50 for pack of 6

Another business I'm so pleased to have come across is Lula Handmade. This time, it was after a fortuitous little potter around my parents local town of Narbeth in Pembrokeshire. Having spotted some beautiful handmade dolls in a shop there I eventually got in touch with Katie who makes them and jumped for joy, when she agreed to work with me. She even agreed to produce an exclusive range just for little maldod.

Tilly, Ivy and Martha the Lula Dolls, £21.95

I'm not exaggerating when I say I deliberated a LOT before finally deciding on the designs of the dolls now in the shop (known as Ivy, Tilly and Martha) and I'm thrilled they're proving so popular.

I'm continuing to stock the fantastically popular Alphabet Flashcards from Hope and Rainbows and very excited about the arrival of some new bows from Poppifleur in the next few days!

Spring Bows, £4.95

I'm also looking forward to introducing some gorgeous handmade crayons from the Crayon Box, with some great Easter Egg shapes, a creative alternative to chocolate this year.

Finally, I'm very excited about the arrival of some lovely baby friendly necklaces! I bought one of these necklaces from My Mama Rocks and when my daughter loved it so much, it was the seal of approval I needed to bring them to little maldod. They're a lovely, alternative gift for a new Mum.  

So there we have it, a whistle stop tour of the fantastic new products in the shop and the businesses behind them. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying working with such talented and lovely people and hope you love the new products as much as I do.

Thanks so much for reading and once again a huge thanks for all your support this week.

Have a cracking weekend!

Lowri xx

Gently starts and creative cogs

Good Morning,

Its been a while since I stopped by here. I think I've accepted that whilst I love reading and admire other people's blogs, it seems that my own is subject to little flurries of activity!

But last night I went to bed with a mind whirring with inspiration and ideas for the shop and I wanted to let you know that there's some exciting things planned for little maldod over the next few months.

If I'm honest the craziness of Christmas orders left me exhausted and I was very happy to switch off and have a rest over the Christmas period. Reopening has coincided with a pretty big building project at little maldod HQ too so the new year (for the shop at least) as had a gentle start.

We've escaped the building chaos this weekend and have retreated to Pembrokeshire for some fresh sea air and time with my parents.

Yesterday I managed to grab an hour to potter in their local town Narberth and, while I was there, picked up these gorgeous off cuts of vintage woollen blanklets.

Its finds like these and getting my hands on new materials that really get my creative cogs whiring. I have some lovely things planned for them and am really excited to introduce a new range of gifts to you.

For a while I've also been thinking of dusting off my ink pens and paintbrushes and having a go again at some ink drawings. I've made a lot of these as gifts for friends in the past so fancy exploring whether they'd be right for the shop too. Watch this space.

I love designing new vests and tees and they're definitely the most popular item in the shop. I'll be refreshing things with some new designs for the spring and am looking forward to sharing a few Easter designs with you.

Finally, if you browsed the shop before Christmas you'll have noticed that I introduced some lovely products from other independent businesses.

Pereira Liberty Print Bow, available here

I was delighted to stock some of the beautiful selection of bows from Poppifleur and the very popular Alphabet Flashcards from Hope and Rainbows.

Alphabet Flashards, available here 

Working with Anna and Kate has been brilliant and I have my fingers crossed that I'll be able to continue to stock their lovely things. I'm very keen to develop this area of the shop and would love to work with other small businesses. I already have some gorgeous products in the pipeline which I think you're going to love!

So there we are, a little update on my little shop. I hope you like everything that's to come.

I'll try to pop by again soon but if you'd like to follow the day to day you can find me posting daily on instagram @littlemaldod
I'd love to see you over there.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful end to the weekend.

Lowri X

A big brother and a little sister

Hello!

Prenote, this post was meant to just be a feature about the 'big/little brother, big/little sister' vests and tees. However, I'm afraid in writing it I've realised just how great siblings really are, so this post is more about that now. If you decide to read on you'll just have to excuse the sentimentality!

Watching my son and daughter start to interact and 'play' together is, for my husband and I, the nicest thing ever. Our daughter Anwen is at an age now where she won't sit still for long before she's off and trying to get at her brother's toys, usually causing much fuss in the proceedings. Just yesterday I told Wilf "well let her have just one piece of duplo and she might not try and knock it all down then." But when she's not getting into mischief and he's not grabbing toys (read, anything she picks up) back from her, they genuinely appear to be building up a sweet little friendship.

I have a sister who is just under two years younger than me, exactly the same age gap as there is between my two. Although we're really quite different in character and had our fair share of arguments growing up (oh, I could tell a story or two...) we are now very close. She's one of the reasons little maldod exists and has been a constant supporter/encourager/advisor from day one. She's an amazing, fun and very generous Aunty but most importantly I can without doubt call her one of my best friends.

I have friends who are like sisters and I know my husband definitely has mates who are like brothers too, but I think there's something extra special about the bond that siblings have together. From the memories shared of family parties, holidays, silly things we made each other do and things that used to wind our parents up (yes, a few stories there too!) to just 'getting' each other and being able to talk straight. I'm loving seeing Wilf and Anwen growing up and forming that special bond from a young age.

When Anwen came along our lovely friends and family who visited bought gifts for Wilf and showered him with attention as a new big brother. I've always thought its important to make the older sibling(s) feel really special when a little brother or sister comes along as its such a huge change for them, regardless of their age.

The big/little brother and big/little sister vests and tees are a lovely gift idea, not just for Christmas but also for a little one with a new sibling.

Available in the little maldod shop. 

I'd intended to have big brother/ little sister tops ready and waiting for when Anwen was born but alas that didn't feature in my newborn preparations. However, I'm delighted that they're now available in the shop. I made up samples for my two to model but as you can see from the photos below (the vests being hardly readable) they had other ideas.

Can you tell he's had enough by this point?!

Anyway, you can see them properly above and they're available to buy online now (links above.)

Thank you so much for reading.

Much love,
Lowri 

Christmas has landed!

Morning all!

Hope you had a great weekend and that your week is off to a good start.

I'm delighted to share little maldod's Christmas 2014 range of vests and tees with you all today! Christmas vests were really popular last year so I wanted to make them available to you as early as possible. I've added no less than 8 new designs and really hope you like them.

I've featured a few of my favourites below, but you can see the full range here. 

Rudolph and Penguin Vests and Tees, from £9.95

A couple of cheeky little chaps have joined us this year - Rudolph (his mates) and a Penguin can now be found on both our vests and toddler tees.

Christmas Tree Vest/Tee, from £9.95

I'm a big fan of this Christmas tree design. Perfect for those that prefer things a bit more understated.

Candy Cane Vest/Tee, from £9.95

This design is a festive take on our bestselling polka dot buttons vest/tee. I ended up eating too many candy canes (ahem, props!) while photographing this, I'd forgotten how good they are. Must remember to buy more for our tree.

Limited Edition Stocking, £14.95

I have also added some Christmas stockings to the shop today. Last time I blogged I shared my plans for some limited edition designs. This 'children at play' stocking is the first in this range and is now available to buy. There's only TWO of these though so be quick if you don't want to miss out!

Large Personalised Stocking, £24.95

Large Personalised Stockings were very popular last year and are also now available. Here's a picture a customer sent in of theirs hanging at home last December. We love customer photos!

For anyone interested in ordering one of these, please note that the dispatch times for these are slightly longer than for other products. Instead of the usual 7 working days, these stockings will take 14 working days to be made up and dispatched. I hope, seeing as they won't be put to use until the 24th December, that this doesn't cause any problems! If you need an order urgently though then drop me a line and I'll see what I can do.

Trust me when I say that I have PLENTY more planned in the way of Christmas so do keep your eyes open for the launch of more products. However, I thought I'd offer those of you who like to be organised, a special early bird discount! *** To receive 10% off all Christmas Vests and large stockings until midnight on the 31st October, just enter code: littleearlybird at the checkout.***

I thoroughly appreciate that its still only October and with spooky Halloween around the corner (we're bypassing that altogether thanks!) that some of you may not even be thinking about Christmas just yet. I'm even beginning to wonder if I have enough festive cheer to keep me going for the long haul (will resort to eating more candy canes if not). However every year December 24th comes round more quickly than the last so I don't think it can hurt to get organised and start planning for this extra special time of year. I hope you agree!

I'll keep you updated on the launch of new products over the next couple of weeks. But for now, thanks so much for reading and happy shopping.

Lowri x

My Stocking Bicycle

Morning,

Happy Friday friends.

Just a quick post today, I don't normally write my posts when the children are awake and I've just remembered why...... The tune of Bob the Builder doesn't exactly help the thought and writing process.

But I wanted to pop by and tell you about some plans I have for some lovely stockings.

I opened up my fabric stash the other day and had a good look through at the huge range that I've accumulated over the last year or two. I'm terrible for buying fabrics and taking ages to actually use them for something. However I'll often place a couple along side each other and match up patterns and colours that I think 'work' together.

The other night I hopped back on my stocking making bicycle (took me a while to remember how to make them but appears its like riding a bike!) I made the stocking you can see in the picture below. Its a lovely size, lined with a mint green polka dot and has this gorgeous 'children at play' fabric.

She reminds me of me as a girl!

I loved the process of choosing the colours and making up something with fabric I've been saving for something special. So, I've decided to make up some other stockings like this for the little maldod shop. I'll make up one or two more of the stocking you can see above but as I have a limited amount of the fabric there'll only be a couple available. I'll then make up some more in other fabrics I like together.

Unlike the other products in the shop which are made to order, these stockings will be made up and then added to the shop. This means they won't be available for personalising but can be popped in the post to you pretty promptly.

Below is a small selection of fabrics that I like, not necessarily that Christmassy but I think they'd look great as stockings! Which are your favourite?

The designs of each of these stockings will be limited and I'll pop photos on the little maldod social media pages as and when new stockings are added. So if you see one you like be quick as they might not be around for long. 

Large personalised stockings will be available again this year as well as mini stockings which will be great for hanging on the tree and popping a chocolate or two in.

I'm hoping to have the Christmas stock photographed and added to the shop at some point in the next week or so. I'm looking forward to sharing it all with you. 

Right, off to turn off Bob and get ourselves out of pyjamas......

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Much love,

Lowri x