Tag Archives: small businesses we like

Livie and Luca

This is another small business we love.  Livie and Luca – the place to buy adorable, comfortable, high quality shoes for children.  They do sell ladies’ shoes too, though my budget hasn’t stretched that far yet!

Early in the summer, I bought these beautiful shoes for Rabbit and Tiddler.

livie and luca 1

Both the children love their smart shoes.  They are easy to wear, comfy and practical, as well as looking wonderful for special occasions.

livie and luca 2

The first time they wore them, we were going to Toddler Group.  They were very proud of their new shoes!

Next up in the small-businesses-we-love series, where did Tiddler get that T-shirt?!

 

Books for Bugs and Ferdie and the Falling Leaves

I’ve been meaning to write this post, the third in my series about small businesses we love, for a while.  I have been waiting because I am going to be reviewing some books from the site soon, but I haven’t received them yet.  So for now, I’m going to tell you about a book we love that we bought from Books for Bugs last year.  I know I’m a little late writing about an Autumn book, but this is such a lovely one that I wanted to share it.

ferdie and the falling leaves 1

Ferdie and the Falling Leaves, by Julie Rawlinson, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke, is the story of a little fox who is worried because his favourite tree is losing his leaves.  He does everything he can think of to save it but nothing can stop the leaves falling.  Ferdie goes to bed feeling sad after the last leaf has fallen, but he wakes up to the wonderful sight of his tree shimmering with snow.  The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is perfect for reading aloud.

Last time we read the book together, Rabbit and Owl drew some pictures inspired by the story.

ferdie and the falling leaves 2

ferdie and the falling leaves 3

ferdie and the falling leaves 4

ferdie and the falling leaves 5

Books for Bugs specialises in books for children aged 0-7, and their aim is to encourage reading by making books more affordable.  The majority of books are priced at £2.50, and there are also sticker activity books available for just £1.50 each.

Coming up next in our small-businesses-we-love series, some very beautiful shoes…

 

Handmade Keepsake Teddy

I have been planning to write a series of blog posts about some lovely small family-run businesses because I try, where possible, to avoid handing over our hard-earned money to big companies with dubious moral and ethical standing.  I’m going to start with this one which has been on my list for ages.  I should have written it earlier, as it’s probably cutting it fine for handmade items to be ready for Christmas, but it is so special that you might not need Christmas as an excuse!

I’ve given away a lot of baby clothes, but it’s hard to part with my favourite ones that evoke so many treasured memories, so they inevitably end up in the loft not serving any purpose.  I was really excited when I discovered Handmade at Holmes, a small business run by a lovely mum.  She makes keepsake dolls and teddies, and I chose some of Rabbit’s baby clothes to send to her.

baby clothes

I was very pleased with the results and I’m really looking forward to giving Rabbit her new teddy for Christmas, as I am sure she will love it.

keepsake teddy

I think it’s the perfect present for little ones – and it ticks all my boxes for clearing out the clutter in my loft, recycling, and supporting an independent business.  Have a look at the Handmade at Holmes facebook page and you can see some other examples.  You can also get little advent stockings to fill with treats – I’m very tempted!

So that’s the first family-run business I want to recommend to you.  Next on my list is my favourite online independent toy retailer which is equally brilliant!