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!

Are we the Greatest?

Tomorrow night we will be attending the very prestigious 'The Greats Awards 2012', the leading awards in the gift industry. We're very excited to be finalists for not one but two awards!!
Firstly we're up for 'Best Gift Retailer of Jewellery' and even better we're entered into the the awards for 'Best Online Retailer and/or Mail Order Gift Retailer'. There is some good competition for the titles but we're hoping to take the top spots.
'The Greats' is now in its tenth year of celebrating not only the gift industries finest independent retailers but big country wide names as well.
We will be tweeting throughout the night to keep everyone posted on the frivolities of the evening so you can join in. (tweet us at @bloomsburystore)

We know that none of this would be possible without any of of you so a big thank you for getting us this far, and lets hope we're bringing home those trophy's.

Wish us luck!

Literary Mugs

Update: We now have the beautiful Literary Transport mugs in stock as well as the notebooks - so you can jot down all your novel ideas whilst having a good cup of coffee!

Corgi Competition

We have a competition running over on our Facebook Page to win a surprise Bloomsbury Jubilee package! 

Be sure to check it out! 

Pick up a Penguin

We get a great mention from PaulaShx on her blog (link here) featuring our Penguin Deckchairs, and in fact everything Penguin! A wonderfully written on all thing's 'Bookish' her blog pulls together everything literary. Actually, I'm now coveting the amazing book tent she features, perfect for literary breaks.

Weekend Getaway

It's the May Bank Holiday and we're thinking of getting away from it all (especially this rain if possible!). If you're doing the same, here is our tried and trusted list of essentials to take on a weekend away.

1. Miller Harris fragrance's are our new favourite must have! My personal favourite is the Fleur Oriental, guaranteed to transport you to distant lands.
2. Burts Bee's Radience Day Creme will keep you looking fresh and glowing whatever you get up to.
3. Tokyo Milk mini soaps - will not spill in your bag (like most of my shower gels!), comes in cute mini sizes and will lightly frangrance your bag, you simply can't go wrong.
4. A scarf can be the most versatile item in your wardrobe, I love this World of Hearts scarf by Beck Sondergaard is a beautiful large wrap to keep you cosy in the evening.
5. Take a travel journal to keep note on all the sights and sounds of your weekend. I always have a notebook close to hand for those sudden moments of inspiration, delicious dinners and whatever else won't fit on a postcard. The Literary Transport range is a perfect fit.

6. Remember to brush twice a day! 

7. I always have a camera when I go away and this handy little Ted Baker case is perfect to keep all your kodak moments safe and sound.

8. I can't be the only one who can't go anywhere without handcream - my favourite is Tokyo Milk's Gin & Rosewater with it's shea butter drenching moisturiser and light exotic fragrance.

9. Never leave the house without your Burts Bee's lip balm, it's a real lifesaver!

Oh and I'll be taking one of these Rob Ryan umbrella's with me - you know, just in case!

Tea Time!

New in this week are these lovely ceramics from designer Ali Miller. Ali seeks to revive forgotten and discarded household objects with artwork that you will cherish. Ali has a knack for creating home wares that feel personal and at the same time are widely appealing. Her re-styling of vintage ceramics into a new treasure has us so captivated that tea time will never be the same again!

Update: We've spied Stephen Fry with these on the Holiday in Britain advert on TV!

Literary Transportation

Brand new in this week are these beautiful new Literary Transport (link here)  notebooks from Wild & Wolf. Take a journey with your favourite novels - "A good book transports the reader to another time or place; both real and imaginary", and note down what you find there.

Pucket!

We're completely addicted to this new board game - Pucket. The aim is get all the 'pucks' on to your opponents side of the board and we're just too competitive! Online now (here) and in store near to Christmas, we're sure you'll love it as much as we do. It's not only a fantastic game but beautifully hand crafted from wood in India.

To Dry For

Gorgeous new tea-towels from la cerise sur le gateau - just too good for the dishes. Maybe frames would suit these illustrations better. Plenty more designs in-store!

 

  

 

Bloomsbury are very excited to now be stocking Miller Harris (link) luxury fragrances and candles. With more than 20 years in the world of fragrance Lyn Harris founded Miller Harris in 2000. 

'It's all about the scent which differs from the commercial world where the bottle is often designed before the fragrance - although the packaging is beautiful, the colours are perfect with the Miller Harris sunflower motif, which is an 18th century botanical print. 

Miller Harris is an amazing brand of fragrance for us here at Bloomsbury, exclusive to our stores in Bath. I was particularly excited to start selling Miller Harris because this fragrance house is intrinsically English with an eccentric twist. I feel the company is led from the heart.' - Chloe Davies of Bloomsbury & co. 

The beautiful range of perfumes, for both men and women, allow you to choose a scent that suits your mood or the occasion, so you can build a collection of fragrances, rather than being tied to one.

They also have a beautiful blog (link) full of Lyn's inspirations - it's definitely worth checking out!

Pomegranate Jewellery

Here is a look at the beautiful Pomegranate Jewellery we have in the New Bond Street shop. The colour's of the stones used are so delicious and each facet really shines out. With so many shades, shapes, sizes and on a choice of silver or gold finish each piece is so special. The whole range makes a gorgeous gift for a friend or a lovely treat to yourself, the only problem would be which colours do you prefer....?

Pottering Around

 Get out in the garden! These new garden forks and trowels adorned with Orla Kiely prints should encourage you. From the new Orla Kiely garden range  by Wild & Wolf you can mix and match with some lovely plant containers also (link). Made from stainless steel with an etched wooden handle and a leather loop for easy storage.

Orla Kiely began expressing her creative love of pattern and colour in 1995 and since has grown and grown. Her patterns now adorn bags, stationary, clothing, homewares and (now!) garden accessories (link).

 

And the winner is.....

Here is the winner of our Alex Monroe Bumblebee competition Becky. On winning Becky commented "I am thrilled with it. Thank you SO much - I never win anything so I am over the moon with my beautiful bee. I will definitely be back for more Alex Monroe jewellery, it's lovely." Congratulations, it looks beautiful Becky and we're happy the bee has found a good home!

Thank you to everyone who entered our competition, keep your eyes on the website (link) and facebook (link) for more competitions running soon.

A Bird in the Hand

The shop is full to the brim of wonderfully beautiful wares at the moment. Everywhere I look I want something! Some personal favourites at the moment are these metal birds and glass perfume bottles. I just love the vintage recycled feel to them. 

And how about the prints behind them - both from Whistlefox (link here), great additions to a growing ornithological collection. 

Make sure you stop by the shop soon to see what treasures you'll find - or maybe you have recently found a new favourite treat, we'd love to know about it. Send us your photo's and why you cherish your new purchase and we'll post the best replies here. 

emails to - vicki@bloomsburystore.com / info@bloomsburystore.com

Don't be late

Wish we could have these awesome slides in our office! Students at the University of Munich now have no excuse for being late to classes.

Sole Mates

Summer days are fast approaching and we love the Paul Smith summer sandals and pumps that will see you through the long sunny days. Bright pops of colour, fine leather linings and the impecable Paul Smith details make these shoes a must for any summer outfit. Click below to see the whole Paul Smith shoe collection.

Clockwise from top right - Comfrey Sandals, Dafodil sandals, Musk espadrille, Primrose pumps in red, Canoa flip flops.

And don't forget to get your toes ready for those must have sandals! Burts Bees have some fabulous products - the coconut foot lotion is a personal favourite, not only because it softens and smoothes your heels and soles, it smells like a tropical beach! The Burts Bees Tips and Toes kit is a one stop shop for all your summer needs, and being all dinky sized they are easy to throw in your handbag! Click below to see the our Burts Bees range. Or you can also visit our sister site iloveburt.com who stock the whole range of Burts Bees products (and an added bonus of free lip balm with orders over £25!!).

Shown here - Aloe and Linden flower after sun soother, Coconut foot lotion, Tips and Toes kit, Lemon butter cuticle cream.

Easter Crafting

Little Florence has been busy over the Easter break creating a super cute puppy keyring, in-between hunting down all those yummy chocolate eggs! These keyrings are easy to make with pre-cut felt shapes and all the items you'll need to hand! Also available are bunny's, squirrels and racoons. What did you guys get up to over the weekend, we'd love to see!!

Blooming Lovely write up!

We had a very lovely write up by one visitor to our shops, thank you very much Libby Page! Anyone else recommending us? Let us know and we'll give you a mention!

Make sure you check out Libby's blog (link here!), she has a quirky take on London life!

Easter Bunny treats

The Easter Bunny has visited Bloomsbury and left some very special Easter eggs. Visit us online to see if you can find any and you will be treated to 15% off!!