Have you seen our New Window Display!?

"Cycle To Work"

Here are some examples of the items we have used in our new window display:

1. Newgate Wall Clock | Bubble Cream  £65

2. New York Taxi Bookend  £18.95

3. Anglepoise Lamp | Type 1228 Lime Green  £95.95

4. Orla Kiely Cushion | Linear Stem Slate Blue  £39.95

5. Happy Jackson Doormat  £24.95

6. Scrabble Mug | C  £7.95

7. Manifesto A4 Notebook Love What You Do | Wild and Wolf  £12.95

8. Ella Doran Mug | Cameras  £9.95

9. Cyclopedia: It's all about the Bike Book  £16.99

10. Ella Doran Mug | Artist Tools  £9.95

11. Ella Doran Placemats | Bikes of Hackney  £55

12. Pantone Mug | Graphite 2336  £9.95

13. Pencil Sharpener Desk Tidy  £15.95

14. Pencil Sharpener | Camera  £21.95

15. Newgate Alarm Clock | Covent Garden White  £21.95

16. Cavallini Wrap | Les Bicyclettes £2.95

17. Chrome Lobby Phone | Wild and Wolf  £59.95

18. White Scandiphone | Wild and Wolf  £41.95

19. Simon Spilsbury Print | Man and Bike  £29.95

Welcome Paul Smith Fans, to the new print for Spring/ Summer 14!

Paul Smith Men's 'Mini on Location' print. 
NEW For Spring/Summer 14.

Paul Smith has given it's iconic Mini-on-location print a richer rework for the new season. With a fresh colour scheme. Well done Paul Smith you never disappoint us! 
 

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The Mini was photographed at Rufford Country Park in Nottinghamshire. In the Hometown of Sir Paul Smith himself!

Situated at this park is Rufford Abbey, a country estate. If you have the chance I would definitely recommend to have a look. Been here before and is lovely to walk around. The grounds are extensive, with lots to explore. 

Here are some examples from his new range:
(They'll be on our website very soon. But, they are in our shops now though!)
 

 





This is part of our display in our Quiet Street Shop (Downstairs) - - >











Rufford Country Park: 
Just to prove its beauty to you and why Paul Smith chose to do the photo shoot here. 
Some lovely attractive photos for you....

New Year Resolutions For 2014

Welcome to the New Year 2014! Hope you all have had a great one so far!

I thought I'd try and help you out with getting these resolutions of yours running smoothly and on the right track. Here are my main three I'm planning to involve this year...

*Starting the Gym.*

To get that christmas dinner tummy off. To start your New Year healthy... I'm going to tell you what my ideal gym set is going to look like.... It will hopefully give you ideas too.

Go for a Anorak theme!

Anorak Shopper | Kissing Rabbits £21.95

Anorak Bath Towel | Rabbit £24.95

Anorak Toiletry Bag | Rabbits Medium £15.95


And don't forget to get a new waterbottle too!

Fire Extinguisher Water Bottle in Red | Wild and Wolf £9.95

Little Miss Sunshine Water Bottle | Wild and Wolf £9.95


*Take care of your skin.*
Eat more healthly is a starter. But, it matters which products you use too. I recommend some Burts Bees good'ness; Natural, earth friendly products.

Daily Moisturiser, Facial Cleanser & Body Lotion is always a good starter kit.

Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleanser £9.99

Burt's Bees Ultimate Care Body Lotion £11.99

Burt's Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturising Cream £14.99

*Brighten up your home.*

Give the house a burst of colour or a bit of quirky fun. To give you a change for the year. Not looking at the same old, same old everyday.

Bring instant colour to a room with Pantone. http://www.bloomsburystore.com/search?searchterm=Pantone

Pantone Coasters | Set of 6 £16.95

Pantone Chair | Fuschia Pink £38.50

Pantone Tin | Red £14.95


And for that quirky fun.. Definitely need one of our adorable animal heads. Above the fireplace? Above your bed? In the kids room?

These are my favourites:

Animal Head | Elephant £65

Animal Head | Fox £49.95




Have fun with the New Year Resolutions anyhoo!

Bath Christmas Market

The Bath Christmas Market is open and we have our usual spot in Abbey Square by the Baths. Come and see us in hut no. 10. The stalls are as beautiful as ever but this year there are 150 huts to explore. Grab a mulled cider and a bag of hot chestnuts, have a ride on the carousel and soak up the magical atmosphere. The market is open until Sunday 15th December.

Stocking fillers for girls and the evolution of the Christmas gift

How much do people spend on a Christmas stocking these days? We found this fascinating infographic looking at the financial evolution of the Christmas gift and could not resist sharing. A little girl's Christmas stocking holds much more in the 21st Century. The average spend on a child at Christmas has increased from less than half a percent of the monthly  income 100 years ago to 5% of monthly income in 2012.

Image source: MoneySupermarket;

We may be spending a lot more on children at Christmas but the little surprises that go into a stocking still need to give value. We have collected a varied selection of gorgeous gifts for girls that are bound to delight. Have a look at our Pinterest board for inspiration.

Have a Mary Berry Christmas

Bath officially declared Christmas open this week when Mary Berry turned on the  lights in the city. We were delighted to welcome Mary into the shop as Bloomsbury Store was used as a cozy base for the media interviews.

Mary chatted to young customers and perused our products for foodies including this cute cookie stamp.

Mary Berry has done a lot to rekindle the Brits love of baking. We have a fantastic selection of quirky cookbooks for the foodies in your life. Check out our Pinterest board for some inspiration.

Stocking fillers for boys

When it comes to stuffing a Christmas stocking you would expect the contents to have changed a great deal since the 1950s. This comparison of stocking fillers for boys over the last 60 years might surprise you.

1950s
In the 50s and 60s a little boy's Christmas stocking might contain: a Matchbox car, action figures or toy soldiers, Silly Putty, Hornby or Scalectrix accessories, Lego, Mr Potato Head, a card game or top trumps, a bag of marbles, a Slinky, a yo yo, crayons or pencils, a magic trick, a comic book, a selection box, an orange and a sixpence.

2013
These days the sixpence has been replaced by mobile phone credit top up cards, computer games have replaced Scalectrix and trainsets, and the orange is only included by the more nostalgic stocking stuffers, but many of the gifts have stood the test of time.

Action figure : Tintin Figure
Silly putty : Planet Putty
Lego : Lego Storage
Card game : Gruffalo Pairs Game
Marbles : Kaleidoscope Bag of Marbles
Slinky : Ridley's Springy Toy
Yo yo : Ridley's Yo Yo
Crayons : Octonauts Set of 24 Crayons
Magic Trick : Magic Linking Rings
Comic book : The Complete Tove Jannson Comic Strip Book

For more boys' stocking fillers, have a look at our Pinterest board.

A book festival for food lovers

As well as selling unique gifts and accessories, Bloomsbury stocks an eclectic selection of books. It is only fitting that we should, inspired by the style and wit of the Bloomsbury set and the impressive literary heritage of Bath.

  

With independent book shops, literary events and festivals throughout the year, there is always something to excite book lovers in the city.  Topping and Company Booksellers  recently launched The Autumn Book Festival which runs until the end of November. As well as an array of novelists, biographers, humorists and nonfiction writers they have arranged some fantastic events in association with The Great BathFeast, inviting celebrity chefs and food writers to talk about their books. Guest speakers include novelist Joanna Trollope, crime writer Ian Rankin, rocker Brian May, the Great British Bake Off’s own Mary Berry and travel writer Bill Bryson.

Bloomsbury Store might not be able to compete with Topping and Company or Mr B’s Emporium but it is the place to find all the classic Tintin books  and is renowned for its selection of art and design titles. Lovers of the Great Bath Feast will also find some gems on our shelves.

Have a look at our Pinterest board for some recommendations.

A brief history of cufflinks for dapper gents

According to the International Cufflink Association decorative cuff fastenings have been around since the time of King Tut with hieroglyphs depicting chain and stud type fastenings on the cuffs of well-dressed ancient Egyptians. Cuff links were introduced in Europe in the 17^th century when slits were first cut into sleeves but the term cufflinks did not appear in writing until 1788.

Cufflinks as we know them were made popular by regency dandy, Beau Brummell who insisted that they were the only piece of jewellery a gentleman needed. The fashion soon spread throughout society along with the shirt and tie. The cufflink used to be a necessity but in the 1930s sewn on buttons became the fastener of choice.

Modern dressing could have meant the end of the cufflink but there are so few opportunities for masculine adornment that the cufflink has survived. No longer a necessity, they are now treasured items able to inject wit and style into any gentleman’s outfit.

There is a cufflink for everyone and every budget. The wearer can hint at interests and passions with novelty cufflinks or demonstrate style and discrimination with their choice of quality cufflinks made from precious metals and jewels.

For wit, we recommend Tatty Devine’s Swallow Tatoo Cufflinks which reveal your inner biker, even when you are dressed in a suit and tie.

Simon Carter’s stylish Silver Knot Cufflinks,  hark back to the silk know fastenings of 19^th century France 

and for high fashion you need look no further than Paul Smith’s Ministripe design from his Autumn and Winter 2013 collection.

For more cufflink inspiration along with a selection of accessories for dapper gents, have a look at our Pinterest board.

A range of stylish cameras and accessories to put the fun into photography

Can you remember the joy and frustration of analogue photography, waiting for your film to come back from the developers and that thrill when you open the envelope to see you photographs for the first time? We love analogue and want to put the fun back into taking pictures that is why we are celebrating the fourth anniversary of Lomography in the UK by featuring a collection of the most stylish cameras for analogue fans.

 
Lomography is a community dedicated to experimental and creative analogue photography. The community share photos, tips and inspiration and supply a variety of low-fi cameras and experimental film designed for play. Anyone can be a Lomographer. Just pick up a camera and snap whatever you fancy, then wait to see what develops.

La Sardina is a great choice for the style conscious, decorated in a variety of prints including this lovely deckchair fabric. It has a wide angle lens, ideal for selfies and landscapes alike and it takes 35mm film. Add a flash and a selection of experimental films to see what this little camera is really capable of. You can find inspiration on the Lomography Sardina website. There are tutorials and galleries of Sardina images shared by Sardina users. Why not join in and share your own Sardina photographs.

Here in the South West there are plenty of opportunities to get out and about with your Sardina camera. Why not join Bath Photo Walk for their Autumn Photowalk in Victoria Park. Or meet local lomographers in Bristol. Bristol Lomo Club meet once a month.

You could store your images in this Ted Baker pretty floral photo album or display your favourites in pride of place on the fridge with this set of vintage fridge magnets from Cavallini.

Lomography UK are running a celebratory competition over on their Facebook page. Enter the fourth anniversary competition to win one of four cameras.

These gorgeous little cameras start at £59 and we have a selection of colourful and experimental film from £8.50. See the full range here http://www.bloomsburystore.com/brands/lomography or pop in to the store.

Accessories from Paul Smith and Ally Capellino for Fabulous Fashionistas

Bloomsbury’s own Fabulous Fashionista, Jean Woods, has been making the news this week after appearing in the Channel 4 documentary. With features in the Radio Times and Daily Mail, it is clear that he media are fascinated by her unique, age defying style.

Jean is proof that there is no age limit on style and this selection of stunning products will tempt fashionistas of any age. Team a Swirl Jaquard Stripes Silk Scarf and Grey Stripe Beanie from Paul Smith with a dark red Ally Capellino Kelly Bag for a youthful injection of colour.

There is still time to see Jean and the rest of the fashionistas in this inspiring documentary on 4od.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/fabulous-fashionistas/4od

Fabulous Fashionistas

Here at Bloomsbury Store we’ve been getting very excited over our Jean appearing on Chanel 4's Fabulous Fashionistas! You may remember us blogging about Jean being filmed back in April, and now she will finally be hitting the screen!

Award-winning director Sue Bourne explores the art of ageing in the company of six extraordinary women in a Cutting Edge film. With an average age of eighty, Bridget, Daphne, Jean, Gillian, Sue and Lady Trumpington have something inspirational in common – to keep going, to look fabulous and to have fun. Without botox or plastic surgery, these women are redefining old age – in style. Not one of them feels like an ‘old person’ and, in their own ways, they are defying expectations of the ageing process. 

Fabulous Fashionistas features uplifting, often poignant personal stories and insights into how staying young and dressing with style is about more than following the latest trends, but about an attitude to life itself. 

Keep an eye out for Jean serving in the shop!

Catch Jean and 5 other stylish ladies on Channel 4 on Tuesday the 17^th at 10pm. 

Make your lips shimmer

We're really looking forward to getting some new products in from Burt's Bees, soon to arrive will be these wonderful UK gift sets. The previous gift sets we have stocked have been geared towards the US market so these beautifully new branded sets feel more us. We love the packaging in sunny shades of yellow and the products as always are sublime. Even better with these sets are the savings you'll make - usually getting one products for free!

New Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Gift Set £19.99 (saving 16%)

Burts Bees Honey Collection £15.99 (saving 40%) free mini body lotion!

Burt's Bees Mini Collection £5.99

The new Ultra Moisturising lip treatment should be in very soon also and we can't wait to try it out. Made with kokum butter it'll be a real treat for dry lips, and with winter soon approaching we'll be stocking up on it. We'll let you know as soon as it arrives!



But if you can't wait to get a Burt's treat why not try out the Burt's Bees lip shimmers, they're a great way to get a flash of colour across your lips whilst caring for them too. All Burts' lip shimmers are 100% natural and contain the same beautiful moisturising ingredients that the famous lip balms do too. With a range of 7 luscious shades to choose from you can't go wrong, so get lip smacking!