News Edition
Fairtrade Felt Decorations
If you're one of our lovely local customers yon't won't have failed to notice our beautiful selection of festive Fairtrade felt decorations filling our Christmas windows and on display throughout the shop too.
With several hundred designs from hanging tree decorations and stockings to beautiful wreaths and garlands, there really is something for everyone, whether you're a staunch traditionalist or are on the lookout for something super quirky this Christmas.
Stocking Fillers
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Christmas Trees....
Does yours go up in November or do you leave it until Christmas Eve?
Do you plump for an opulent artificial tree or spend hours walking through a forest of fresh trees desperately seeking THE ONE?
However and whenever you kickstart Christmas this year (for us its always the first weekend in December) we have the most gorgeous range of tree decorations for the festive season ahead with well over 100 hanging tree decorations in addition to fabulous garlands and wreaths.
Stocking Fillers
As a child, the most exciting part of Christmas was to wake up (at about 3am naturally) and find a stocking filled with little gifts at the bottom of my bed, “He’s been!” I would squeal before spending the next hour excitedly picking through the treasures Santa had left for me.
Fast forward to 2019 and the traditional tangerine in the toe of the stocking remains. The stocking itself is a fair bit smaller in size but filled with beautiful gifts that will last for years rather than the day.
In truth I could fill a stocking ten times over just from the bits we sell in-store! The final contents are still a work a progress but some of my absolute must-haves follow…
French toymakers Vilac have been producing heirloom toys for well over 100 years and their kaleidoscopes, telescopes and twisting acrobats are the perfect shape and size for stockings, for the more musically inclined the sweet animal maracas would make a wonderful addition.
Sonny Angel dolls are a hit with children and adult collectors alike and in the 2019 limited edition Christmas series they are wearing the cutest woolly jumpers, hats and mittens! We also have the Flower, Vegetable, Fruit, Animal, Caribbean and New York series as well as the Birthday special edition. Blind boxed, you could receive any one of the designs in any given series or, if you’re really lucky, one of the special secret versions!
We have been collecting Schleich figures for several years now and they get played with most days. Founded in 1935 Schleich is one of the most prolific toy manufacturers in Germany, famed for their realistic animal figures. We have a huge collection of farm and wild animals at home already already so all eyes are on the hand painted fantasy Bayala collection this Christmas and their beautiful unicorns and Pegasi.
Meri Meri make the most adorable hair slides, necklaces, stickers and temporary tattoos, both Christmas themed and beyond. They make for a fun and really inexpensive stocking addition. 
A more recent tradition here is to include a Christmas tree decoration in the stocking, Felt So Good and Amica make the most gorgeous hanging decs, Fairtrade and handmade in Nepal. The Felt So Good Seagull is predictably one of the best-sellers at our Brighton store but it will be the Sloth in a Santa hat wending its way to our house this Christmas.
I do of course have to include the one thing stocking sized that found its way into the letter to Santa. Maileg is a Danish brand of charming characters with the most beautiful attention to detail. The pocket size mice are particularly beautiful and amongst our expansive collection of characters and accessories you can find some Christmas themed cuties including the Fairy Little Sister Mouse with detachable wings, available in assorted colours and priced at just £15.
All of these gorgeous items (and many more besides) can be found both online and in our Brighton store, nestled amongst lots of beautiful independent retailers in Brighton’s North Laine. Well worth a Christmas shopping visit if you can find the time.
We wish you a Meri Meri Christmas
We're just a week away from the start of December and the official countdown to Christmas!
Just when we thought we couldn't love Meri Meri's award-winning collection of partyware and gifts any more than we already did, the Christmas delivery arrived and it's love!
Their Winter Woodland Christmas Countdown is a beautiful advent calendar and sets the tone for a really special Christmas, it comes with a set of woodland critters crafted in natural wood and a Christmas tree to create a festive scene. The set also includes a cotton drawstring bag to hold the figures and can be brought out year after year.
Dressing up is so much fun at any time of year but especially at Christmas and we love this luxury head dress in the style of reindeer antlers. The antlers are crafted with wool, embellished with gold stitching and finished with brightly coloured tassels giving any outfit the perfect festive twist.
Their cute range of children's jewellery and hair clips also includes some festive themed pieces, including these embroidered elf and naughty/nice hair pins, the perfect stocking or advent calendar fillers.
Beautifully decorated rooms make for a really magical feel and Meri Meri's pretty garlands brighten any room. From fun festive mini garlands with a Santa scene to more traditional gold stars, we have something to suit every home. Our favourite though has to be this luxury garland with knitted gold triangle flags attached to an ivory coloured yarn with flecks of gold, just stunning!
Christmas isn't Christmas without crackers and Meri Meri's range this year includes snowmen, elves, reindeers and Santa as well as some beautiful woodland and moon/stars designs.
Every set contains a joke and hat with gifts ranging from the traditional toys and tattoos to hanging decorations and bracelets.
The hardest part is choosing one set from this beautiful collection but this year we'll be having these stylish mini crackers crafted with a natural paper and gold star pattern finished with neon string ties and a woodland themed decoration. These crackers contain a joke, paper hat and temporary tattoo.
For more festive themed ideas and to see the rest of Meri Meri's collection click here.