Our new friends from Sally Nencini

Say hello to our new knitted friends from London based designer Sally Nencini. Using supersoft Lambswool Sally has created a beautiful range of soft toys and cushions. With a great nostaglic feel and admitting that she is greatly influenced by the 'colours of early Galt and Abbatt wooden puzzles and picture card games', Sally has created a range who you really cherish.

Sally also has a beautiful blog here!

New Wanderlust range from Wild & Wolf

We're very excited to get in the new Wanderlust range from Wild & Wolf. A beautiful tropical design adorns satchels, make-up bags, passport covers, notebooks and more! The gold satchel is a current favourite, it's a perfect size and in a lovely vintage gold and flashes of exotic flamingoes and zebras line the inside. The umbrella is also top of our wishlist, it's guanateed to brighten any rainy day! Take a look at the whole range here!

Pinterest Competition!

You've got to Pin it - to Win it in our Autumnal themed Pinterest Competition. We're in love with Pinterest. It's such a great place to come across the weird and wonderful, and if you're not careful loose track of time!

We've created a board of all our favourite Autumn finds from cosy knits to warm auburn leather pouches to bright orange Nixon watches and Paul Smith mugs (perfect for hot cocoa!).

We want you to get involved too!

All you have to do is create your own Pinterest board titled 'Bloomsbury Autumn Look' and include your favourite Bloomsbury products that would make your Autumn season extra cosy!

The board must include at least 10 pins from Bloomsbury, but show us what Autumn really means to you.

Once your happy with your board email us with a link to your board at hello@bloomsburystore.com
We'll pick our favourite board on 25th October so get pinning!

Louis Ghost celebrates it's 10th Anniversary

It was back in 2002 that designer Philippe Starck created the Louis Ghost chair for Kartell. This year it's celebrating it's 10th Anniversary. We love the Louis Ghost here at Bloomsbury, it such a beautiful classic design that you can never get tired of. Created from a single mould of polycarbonate Starck describes it as a 'a sort of ghost, a reflection, the shadow of a chair' with clean minimalism and transparency taking the chair to a new level.
The Louis Ghost chair has become Kartell's best selling product and synonymous with the Kartell name. Available in a wide range of colours, crystal or opaque it's a design that's adaptable to everyone, be it in your bedroom or round a dinner table.
We've written about the Louis Ghost's notoriety before in this post here where artist Simon Martin created a film detailing the history of the Louis Chairs and how Starck has re-interpreted the design.It's just a winner with everyone!

via Kartell Press 10th Anniversary

iconic silhouettes

via Kartell press 10th Anniversary

Kartell 10th Anniversary

PS Christmas Collection

Here's a quick snap of the wonderful Paul Smith Christmas collection print, a quirky take on the mini on location print - this holdall is now in store!

Know your Paul Smith

We recently had a lovely visit from two Paul Smith accessories reps, Noel and Kim, for some training on the new season products and a really insightful look into how many of the Paul Smith pieces are made. We were led through the materials, the reasons behind the choices of colours, prints and fabrics and a sneaky peek at what to expect next season.

The first fascinating thing we learnt was that all of the prints across the men's bags are printed in the UK using a special sublimation process. This means the print is actually sucked into the fabric and won't ever come out or scratch off. So your bag may get a bit grubby but the print won't ever be affected! For this season Paul has started using a polyester mix (on the cycle components print) which I think really shows off the quality and details of the prints brilliantly. Another addition to the bags this season is the introduction of a cross-grained Saffiano leather on the straps. This leather is much more hard wearing and durable than previous choices and will ensure your bag will wear well, whatever you throw at it!

This season there is also a good number of items that are made in the UK, which we've noticed people are increasingly looking for. It's nice to know that a British designer is utilising our great traditions and workmanship. Some notable pieces are the women's cable knit snood, hat and mittens. This cute set was all knitted up in Scotland, with a beautiful mix of knit styles on the snood and hat, you just know this is going to be cosy! Just look for the 'Made in the British Isles' swing tags on pieces for items that are made right here. 

The knitwear, both men's and ladies, always have a nod to the signature stripes, usually in a more muted tone. But as a great example of how the accessories are linked to the main fashion lines - we were told that one of Paul's inspirations this season were jellyfish (???) and you can see some neon flashes throughout some of the knitwear. 

We were also told that the signature Paul Smith stripes and swirls are being pulled back a bit, you can already see that this season. Don't worry they aren't dropping the stripes, but want to be more selective with how they use their signature. This is evident in the women's handbags, looking at the collection the swirls are mainly confined to the edges and trims allowing just a hint of the swirling colours. Personally we think this is a nice move as it makes that hit of colour a bit more subtle and elegant. Check out this Globe bag for one!

Pro tip - If your covetable Paul Smith handbag should get dirty then a tiny bit of washing up liquid in warm water lightly applied should help lift out marks, also a spit polish will lift out subtle marks.

Something else to look out for this season are the special pieces with the 'Daydreaming with my Camera' swing tags. These pieces feature a photo print taken by Paul on his trips around London. So the beautiful hankies we have in store are all shot by Paul - we really like the close up Number 20 as this is the Paul Smith head office front door!

As for next season look out for dark prints and colours and the use of more upholstery style fabrics. We all cooed over some beautifully heavy striped fabric that was going to be used on bags and shown the next Mini on location prints...think spotlights...

Tintin Adventures

As you all know we are HUGE Tintin fans here at Bloomsbury and we're thrilled to now be stocking these official Herge hand painted metal figures. These aren't the only new Tintin items in the shop as we have new T-shirts (kids and adult sizes!), larger resin figures and of course next years calendars, diary's and agendas! Another new addition are some beautiful postcards with the book covers and some original sketches from the Tintin archives.

How could you ever choose just one of these little guys - surely a new collection is called for!
Find them here - Tintin

 

 

  

ps - why does Tintin alsways looked so shocked????

Back to School Cool

It's almost time to dust off those text books and practice your handwriting and spelling again. We have so many back to school cool items you'll be the talk of the classroom. Here's a handful of school essentials to guarantee you keep your A grades. And don't just keep your pencil case in check, make sure you look ready to take on the new term ahead.

click through the items to shop our selection of school cool  - 

1. Nixon Dial watch £89.95 / 2. Work Less Play More pencil case £7.95 / 3. Cavallini NYC eraser £2.95 / 4. Suck UK giant sharpener pen pot £14.95 / 5. 50/50 coloured pencils £7.95 /  6. Clockwork key pencil sharpener £15.95 / 7. Ally Capellino Jasper leather document case £195 / 8. Shoe Shine brush  £24.95 / 9. Lego Lunch boxes and drinks bottles in various colours £9.95 each / 10. Ally Capellino Dean rucksack £220

Go Metropolitan

We love our Metropolitan Cafe upstairs at Bloomsbury, New Bond Street. Serving perfectly brewed teas and coffees (a strong latte is a welcome wake up call in the office!) and beautifully handmade cakes, biscuits and treats. With a super tasty veggie menu with daily specials you'll never be stuck at lunch time.

We found this lovely little write up of the Metro over on A Rose Beyond the Thames (link here!), a lovely blog of reviews of the wild and wonderful.

Thank you!

Ruark Audio R1 Gets Bold

We are pleased to now have the award winning Ruark Audio R1 in a sunshiney, bright limited edition orange. This beautifully coloured radio marks the start of a new collaboration between Ruark and the music charity Nordoff Robbins.

Nordoff Robbins has been dedicated to changing the lives of vulnerable children and adults through music since the 1970's. This inspirational charity not only helps the vulnerable but has a great programme to train music therapists and link music and health.

From each sale of a Ruark Audio R1 in the special edition Orange, £15 minimum will be donated to the Nordoff Robbins charity. Each unit comes with a Nordoff Robbins lapel badge and certificate of authenticity. The R1 has never sounded or looked so good!

Find it here! See how you can help the Nordoff Robbins charity here.

Homemade Lemonade

Nothing is more refreshing on a warm summers day as homemade lemonade and it's one of the simplest things to make.

What you'll need:
6 large lemons
150g sugar
2 1/2 pints boiling water

Method:
Peel three of you're six lemons, being careful to not include any of the pith - this will make your lemonade bitter. You can use a vegetable peeler and then scrape the pith away. Put this into a bowl along with the juice from your lemons. Add in the sugar and the water and give it all a good stir up. Leave the bowl in a cool place over night and taste in the morning. At this point you could sieve out all the lemon bits but I always keep them in!
And voila it's ready to bottle up and put into the fridge. You could also use raspberry's to make pink lemonade, though you may want to up the sugar a little, adjust it to your taste.

Doesn't it look great in our cafe water bottle and glasses! (find them here)

We'd love to know some of your recipes and see what you've been creating with your Bloomsbury finds! Let us know in the comments or share your pics on our facebook page here.

Medal Winning Window

We're so excited about the London 2012 Olympics starting tonight, we can hardly sit still. To get in the winning mood for all those medals we're going to win, we've got our own podium in the window! We've transformed some pretty plain wooden crates into glorious shining beacons of gold, silver and bronze. Amazing what a can of spray paint can do.

Take a look at our medal winning products - and the great little Olympians running around in the mix!

Going for Gold!

Look at that beautiful podium

Usain Bolt? With the Paul Smith new season holdall in the cycle components print.

The Opening Ceremony tonight promises to be a real spectacle and we're thankful the sun has lasted so well, even if Danny Boyle plans to create his own clouds to make it rain!

Animal Magic

Here's a quick look at some new items from Sacndi-Chic we have these amazing soft wall mounted Animal Heads. Choose from Black Bear, Elephant, Fox and Polar Bear all £49.95 each. Keep a look out at Christmas for a Reindeer also!

Tour de Force

A big congratulations to Bradley Wiggins for winning the Tour de France and becoming the first British winner. It's also getting us very excited about the Olympics starting this week and now that summer has actually started we'll be out and about with our bikes. We have so many great gifts for those of you love cycling too!

Timbergram postcard £3.95

Bike bell £16.95

Puncture repair kit £4.95

Bicycle clips (set of 4) £3.95

Framed bike print £14.95

Summer Sale Picks

Our Summer Sale is in full swing and we know many of you have been enjoying it! There are still some great deals to be had, here are a few of our favourite picks!

This summer seasons accessories collections from Paul Smith and Ally Capellino have given some great classic shapes and colours which will last you a life-time. The summer sale is a great way to buy investment pieces at a snip!

Summer Brights

A new exciting brand at Bloomsbury this summer is the Italian home label Bitossi, a family business that boasts a long tradition in the artistic ceramics sector. Their furnaces which are located around Montelupo Fiorentino, near Florence are testimony to this fact, which you can find documented in the State Archives ever since the 15th century.
We've some very beautiful figurines in some very bright colours! Check out the owls and cats below. Amazing by themselves or lined up together they make such an impact. With their handmade look and super glossy finish they are something to really treasure.
We also have the gorgeous glass tea sets in store, see the last picture below. Delicate glass tea glasses with strainers and shaped sugar bowls add a touch of elegance to any table top. More in the range to come along soon so keep your eyes peeled! 

image from bitossihome.it

Daddy Cool

Fathers Day isn't just about socks and ties (although we do have some very cool Paul Smith socks!) lets think outside the box. We have some fantastic gift ideas for your Dad whether he's retro cool, sophisticated cool or just plain cool - ideas here!

And it's not just your dad - what about Grandads, father-in-laws and husbands! Show them how special they are with a gift they will remember and make them break out in that special dad dance just for you!

Here are our top picks.

and if you really must - or maybe he does really need some socks we always think Paul Smith are the best!

London Olympic Torch Relay

The Olympic Torch relay has reached Bath and we're super excited about it passing right outside our front door! The sun is shining, the people are gathering and as we took up our spot, here's what we saw....

some very enthusiastic cheerleaders to get the crowds going

the crowds are growing outside the shop here in Bath

eye spy

the Bloomsbury team  - who's this coming round the corner...

Olympic Gold medallist Jason Gardener carries the torch

big smiles all round

and as quickly as the torch passes by our cakes have sold out!

 

the torch carries on today off to Bristol

What an amazing experience, we're now looking forward to the opening event of the Olympics in July. But before that not to forget the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, it's sure going to be a British Summer. Lets just hope the sun stays out!