Sale!!

The turkey is eaten, the gifts are unwrapped. Whether your family and relative have left or not, take some time to browse through our Sale!

Everything in store with at least 50% discount!

In Retrospect

December is an emotionally charged month. It's a month of dreams and anticipation, but also of stress and maybe even loss. But the last month of the year, is not only about Christmas and the running up to it, it's also about looking back, recapping the year. Remembering the good things, learning from the bad.

The other day I started rumbling through the Christmas decorations. All of a sudden my little girl said: "See snow!". She pointed at the snow globe I bought for her last year and I was really touched by the fact that she remembered it from last Christmas, she was only 1 1/2 years old then! It made me think about last year, my hopes and anticipations for this year.

I also remember my first collection of Tea. I still especially adore their Fall collection from 2006. We still have some items left.

Twill Dress and Temple Twill Trousers by Tea Collection

Getting in the Mood

I am definitely starting to get in the mood for the Christmas season. The Lego Calendar (below) was a real hit with the children this morning. We are celebrating our first Christmas in Edinburgh this year and I am truly looking forward to it. Family and friends are coming here and this year I am really going for it, both food wise and with the decor. I am still not sure what the end result will look like, but I have started to stock up. And tomorrow, the first items are going up!

To help you get in a Christmas mood, we have 25% off all our winter stock.

Christmas Advent Calendar

I just realized yesterday that it is December very soon! Last year, I bought the Lego Advent Calendar, which was a huge hit with my son. He found it so exciting to open, to get a little Lego treat every day, so last night I ordered 2 identical ones, one for each child. (They have express delivery)

You can still get your copy, click below to go directly to Lego:

Christmas on it's way

Christmas season has really started now, I went to a children's party today, very close to a shopping center and had a walk through it. My 5year old was (still) amazed by the Santa's Grotto and my little one said: "Wow, fireworks!", when she saw all the Christmas lights reflected in the roof top windows.

I love Christmas shopping, but I must confess, I do most of my shopping online. I just do the odd browsing, just for the feel of it. It's more pleasurable that way and it's never a must to get out into the crowds.

Being a retailer, this is a very busy season and I just love stocking up on wrapping paper, ribbon and shiny labels. Christmas wrapping is my all time favorite todo and it sure comes handy to have such an interest in this profession. So if this is not your favorite thing to do, to get into the holiday spirit, let me do it for you. Just let me know and I will happily wrap your Christmas parcels this year.

Name a parent who hasn't been obsessed with sleep..

Sleeping baby in Tea

I still am and my first born is 5 1/2 years old. Having had a "tricky first baby" and then a very "easy second baby", I've recently had a bit of a flashback. My son had a sleepless night a couple of nights ago, due to a tickly cough and I felt absolutely shattered in the morning, remembering the days when that was my normal way of life.

Being Swedish by origin, I usually scan the Swedish News magazines with my morning coffee and today, I particularly agreed with Terri Herrerra Eriksson, a columnist at Aftonbladet about her thoughts on the sometimes sententious advice parents get from experts.

She questions whether some of them even have children on their own. One particular advice, that she is being skeptic of, is the "sleep whenever your baby is sleeping". But what if the baby isn't sleeping at all? Or just in 15min intervals..?

I would like to extend that panel of experts, pouring advice over newly parents, to include the nearest and dearest of our family. I for one, remember some of my mother's advice on getting my son to sleep even though someone (her) was clattering in the kitchen when I had finally been able to put my little son down for a nap. She had had a good 8h night of sleep and I had been up feeding at midnight, carrying him between 2am and 4am and then another feed at 8am, but she told me:

But you have to make him get accustomed to noise!

Yes, but that is brilliant, why didn't I think of that? When I finally get him to sleep, I will head straight towards the kitchen, grab a saucepan and start marching around the kitchen banging it really loudly.

Pima Cotton - Lasting Luxury

Pima cotton is, like it's close relative Egyptian cotton, a luxury extra-long staple (which means extra long fibers) cotton. It originates from the Pima Indians, from the south west of United States and is considered one of the most desirable types of cotton on the market in the world.

It's long fibers makes Pima Cotton garments, luxuriously soft but at the same time more durable.

Pima Cotton Sweater Hoodie by Tea Collection,
now at 15% off

Time to have some fun!

Christmas is around the corner and the magazine stands are full of magazines with articles letting us know how you can create the most fantastic Christmas for your family without loosing your sanity.

Not here, not today. Today is all about letting go of all to-do's. If you already have a loong list of todos for the Christmas, tuck it away for the day.

What would you like to do the most? Read a good book? *haha, yes that will certainly work with toddler/ baby/ children around*.. Cook something? *But, I do that every day.

So my suggestion would be. Dress your little ones with several layers of clothing (not forgetting yourself) and go to the park or the woods to do some serious leaf kicking! I promise you, you will feel better afterwards.

Leaf kicking clothes by Deux par Deux

Winter 2008 *check*

Or, at least it has started.

Today I booked my tickets to the trade show every children's store owner has to attend here in UK. The Premier Kids. It's a great way to get your head around the trends for the coming season (there are even seminars in case you don't have the ability to get your head around it all..) before you place your orders as well as get yourself out there and make some new contacts.

I am very much looking forward to this event, my sales agents are really nice and I am looking forward to having a moment of their time just going through the collections without the stress of making a decision on what to buy.

But as a mother of 2 children (2y and 5y) I admit that there is another upside to an event such at this..

After a whole day of browsing children's collections I truly enjoy retiring to my hotel room. My quiet hotel room. 1 or 2 nights just to myself. Ahhh!

I just want to dive in!

Last year I had a bit of an over doze of that though. I flew into Manchester directly from Sweden, where the whole family had spent a week on holiday (redecorating a house, so not too much vacation..). Anyway, I had to fly via Copenhagen and when I arrived at Manchester International my luggage had gone to Amsterdam instead of UK. Incidentally I didn't travel in any business outfit, but rather in a tank top, jeans and pink crocks, so I was a bit annoyed that I wasn't able to attend the show first thing.

I went to my hotel, checked into my room and ordered lunch. I didn't believe my luck when I managed to pour coffee all over my jeans.

And luggage stuck in Amsterdam. So there I was, sitting in my hotel room, without even trousers to wear, phoning every person working at the hotel as well as luggage department at the airport, not to mention Scandinavian Airlines. 3000phone calls later, the luggage arrived (the next morning..) and I was finally able to attend the show, but it was one whole day spent in bed. The hotel staff was ever so helpful though and gave me little pampering kits.

In January I will be prepared for the worst. Wearing my outfit when traveling and carry my makeup in my handbag!

Italian longings

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

I have never come across anyone not having one or more longings for something Italian. The wonderful climate, the stunning architecture, the beautiful opera, the fine wine, the exquisite cuisine..

The high quality, the particular attention to details combined with the generosity, warmth and ease of Mediterranean life. What I wouldn't do to have an hour or two on my own in the Milanese shopping galleria Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Browsing boutiques and having a cup of cappuccino while reading a magazine. *bliss* (Instead I have legs firmly tucked under desk working while the rest of the family is attending a Christmas Market.)

I have a little bit of Italy around me though: Trussardi, founded by Dante Trussardi, a Milanese leather manufacturer in 1911. He quickly became the prime supplier of gloves to Harrods in London, SAKS in New York as well as a supplier to the British Royal Family.

The company has been prospering since, always led within the family and in the 70s, they started designing bags and leather jackets. That was the start of the fashion influence Trussardi has played in Milan and consequently all over the world, over the past decades. Today, Trussardi stands for high quality by it's generous use of only the finest fabric, the usefulness of a classic item still innovatively transformed into something out of the ordinary.

Classic with an innovative twist.

Tea for Tom

Tea Collection is a highly regarded brand all over the world and I was very pleased to see adorable little Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, wearing Tea when walking around the set of Tom Cruise's film Rubicon in Berlin in September.

Photo: Solarpix / PR Photos

The top Suri is wearing is the Magdalena Pointelle Mockneck. We are offering several gorgeous tops from the Tea Winter 2007 collection, but if you want to create the same look, why not go for the Jasmine Pointelle Mockneck Top from last season?

Jasmine Pointelle Mockneck Top

Okker Gokker

We are very proud to announce that we have signed up with fabulous Danish brand Okker Gokker, with start Summer 2008.

Okker Gokker

The thing with having a children's clothing store, you always "live ahead", so this month, all orders are already placed for Summer 2008, we are loading Winter 2007/2008 stock that has arrived and we have started thinking of Winter 2008/2009, what brands to extend to, or which we should order less from next season.

Having children myself, I sometimes miss the anticipation of buying autumn wear or looking forward to next years summer colours. But on the other hand, is there anything more exciting than looking into the future and shaping your own, so to speak?

That, I love.

Welcome to the My Little Corner Shop Blog!

I feel very excited about the idea of starting a blog, a way to show all of you visiting our store who we are, but also a lovely way of just being able to tell you more about the products we sell. As an online store I sometimes miss the opportunity to recommend something to a particular customer.

This way I hope I will be able to chat to you about the store, my thoughts and recommendations in a more informal way. Or maybe you are just curious about what life running a children's shop is like?

Whatever reason for you reading here, feel welcome to join us!

I am starting our blog with a picture of our children, having just celebrated my birthday a month ago at our local Zoo.

My son is wearing a Clayeux shirt and Trussardi trousers and daughter
is wearing Lupus et Agnus Reversable Trousers