Thursday, 19 July 2012

rainbow and green go off on a jaunt...part 2

Yippee! it's the first day of the school holiday, and we have nearly 7 weeks of freedom from routine ahead of us...this is equally exciting and daunting, but we're so tired that right now I'm enjoying the change of pace.   I doubt I'll be getting much child-free time, so I'm very glad that me and Lou managed to escape for a few hours on Tuesday and go exploring!

After all the crafty and vintage goodness of Flo-Jo and Shop (see my last post), we wandered a bit further down the road to the absolutely gorgeous independent kid's boutique, The Pippa and Ike Show...


  


I have been meaning to go there since it opened a year or two ago.  I don't know why it's taken me so long, but now I've been there once I'll definitely be back whenever I have spare cash to spend on my or anyone else's little ones...it's just stunning. 


 
It's full of stylish and colourful Scandinavian and European clothing brands including Smafolk (70s-tastic prints, my favourite!!) and Bobo Choses , and toys, prints and homewares by great designers and brands like Ingela P Arrhenius and Ferm Living. 

  
Again, the way the space has been styled is so pleasing.  It's bright, colourful and cheerful; me and Lou found ourselves chatting for ages to the lovely owner Lianne, while we browsed through her gorgeous stock.  Although there was loads that I liked, I'm trying very hard to be restrained at the moment so I was careful not to let myself get too keen on anything.  I thought I was going to get away without buying anything, and then I saw this...

R's size, the last one in the shop, and half price!  What was I supposed to do?!  My kids are generally dressed in pretty cheap clothes, often cast-offs from friends or stuff from charity shops.  But I do have a serious weakness for Smafolk prints, and R has just grown out of the only special top that he has.  So yes, my resolve weakened.  But kids need clothes, right? 

Lianne told us that she has a new Webshop due to launch next week, so the link above is to the blog rather than the shop.  They have a sale on at the moment so when the Webshop goes live there will be bargains to be had!  And most exciting for me, I showed her a few photos of my fabric palettes from the other day,  and she said she'd be interested in stocking some of my handmade vintage fabric lampshades and cushion covers.  So I'd better get busy over the summer break!

There were other shops we'd have liked to look in, but after the fun of The Pippa and Ike show, Lou had to get to an appointment so I walked home because the sun was shining(!) and I was feeling energised by a morning of adult conversation and eye candy.  I have a feeling we will be going off on another jaunt when we get a chance...I'll let you know when we do! 

Rachel x

22 comments:

  1. Another great shop! I would love to have a shop like this, I grew up in a sweet shop and am early years trained so this mixture would be right up my street! What kind of lampshades do you make? Ada :)

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    1. You should definitely run a shop like this Ada, sounds like you've got the perfect balance of skills and experience - not to mention an eye for a gorgeous retro pattern!

      I make really simple drum lampshades out of fabric, if you click on my March archive over on the left you can see a picture of one I made for a friend. x

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  2. What an amazing looking shop! I don't think I could have resisted Ingela P Arrhenius animal russian dolls x

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    1. It was a struggle Rebecca, they are definitely top of my wishlist for my next visit. I recommend checking out their new Webshop when it goes live next week, I don't think there was one thing in that shop that I didn't think was lovely! x

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  3. whoop whoop another great shop to go visit
    thanks xx

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  4. Wow that looks like an amazing shop, so many lovely things. I love the top for Rufus and how exciting to be selling your lovely lampshades there. Looks like you had a great morning. xx

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    1. Hi Caroline, yes I think you'd love it, lots of gorgeous Scandi design for kids. It will be exciting to see my things in a shop, just got to find the time for making now! xx

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  5. What a gorgeous shop. And there is nothing better than a little jaunt with likeminded crafty friends. I have been opping today with two of my sewing groupt, what fun! good luck with creating your own range to sell. melx

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    1. Yes going out with friends and time for relaxed browsing is a great way to spend a day. Did you find anything good in the op shops?

      The thing about making with vintage fabrics is that because I haven't got masses of any one fabric, my pieces will be limited edition or one offs, which makes the making process a lot more fun! xx

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  6. Lucky Rufus, hope he enjoys his new top - it's great.

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    1. Thanks Polly, I'm sure I'll do what I did with his old Smafolk top, which is put him in it at every opportunity and wear it out! They grow so fast I want to get as much use out of it as I can - then I can cut it up and put it in a cushion cover or quilt! x

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  7. Great top and it was in the sale. My boy is just too big for tops like that and we are reduced to pretty uninspiring clothes. So you can totally justify it! The shop looks fantastic too. I actually got Col from Hello Olive's plates there (mail order! - not been to your neck of the woods but you and the Shed always make it sound and look so beautiful that I must visit at some point). x

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    1. Yes come to Bristol Jen! It's great, and me and Lou would love to show you around. The shop is brilliant, I'm so pleased with that top. You're right, as boys get older their clothes get so boring, and it was in the sale! xx

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  8. That shop totally looks like my cup of tea! x

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    1. You would love it Col! Check out the new Webshop when it goes live next week, then you can see all the loveliness for yourself. xx

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  9. What a great shop - I am so jealous! Would love to get a look around - will definitely check out the webshop! Love your blog - just added to my reading list, Bee x

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    1. Hi Bee, welcome and thanks for following me! It is a lovely place, we're lucky in Bristol to have a lot of great little independent boutiquey type shops. Have a great weekend. Rachel x

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  10. You have some fantastic shops in your neck of the wood, I am very jealous. You were totally right to buy that top. It was in the sale so, technically, you saved money ;-) x

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    1. We are very lucky in Bristol, it's got a good buzz and people seem to have a real 'can do' attitude about setting up their own businesses, which is really inspiring and makes for great shopping! And you're so right, I mean really I was economising by buying that top! x

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  11. I love the independent shops, you can always find something very special. Stock my collection in little shops like this one in Australia. Wow, i bet you cant wait to get started on light shades and cushions to display in the shop.

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    1. Independents are the best, I love buying from them knowing that I'm supporting local makers. I bet you feel proud when you see your designs in those shops, I look forward to feeling that way too! x

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