GOLDEN CHILD VINTAGE: nell mallia photography

I was so excited to be contacted by Clio from Golden Child Vintage about doing a shoot with the girls for her new vintage store. As you know, I love vintage and love dressing the girls in it, so I jumped at the chance. Plus I'm loving doing lots of commercial work right now (you can see more over on my website) - as well as family sessions - it's fun to do something a bit different.

We headed to the fields at Rainbow Woods and watched the cows. The house in the background is the prettiest you'll ever see - it's like a doll's house. So incredible. The September sun shone done and both the girls loved their dresses.

It can be hard to beat a bit of vintage, especially for children. It's awesome knowing they won't be wearing the same thing as every other child in the playground, and I can't help but think of the first person to wear those dresses - their childhood adventures, the stories those pieces could tell and how different the world was back then.

Clio has really kindly offered a 15% discount to my readers with the code NELLVINTAGE so head over and snag something for your little ones. Golden Child Vintage has such a great range of wearable and affordable vintage - seriously if Josephine was a bit older I'd be buying this and I'm really tempted by this and Clio has a great range of Osh Kosh dungarees too. It's a pretty tempting shop!

Can't wait to share a few more photos next week on my website of this little shoot too, so keep an eye out...

CRAWLING

WEARING: Nanny-made cardigan // Zara blouse // vintage French denim shorts // La Coqueta tights // Happy Circus booties // 

Crawling, crawling everywhere. And barely a moments rest...

WHAT PHINEY WORE

WHAT PHINEY WORE: Dress vintage // Cardigan h&m // Hair Bow happy circus // Tights john lewis // Boots clarks // Bag italian market circa early 1990s

While I was searching for a belt to fit round my ever expanding tummy the other day, Josephine found this little leather coin purse my Mum bought me back from a trip to Italy when I was less than 10. She hasn't taken it off since, and it's become as important to her when we go out as her coat and wellies. It's the sweetest thing and she's taking such good care of it. It's in good hands, for sure. 

I adore this little vintage dress too, such a lovely shape and collar and it goes so well with the pop of yellow of her cardigan. The perfect mix of vintage finds and the high street basics for which H&M is hard to beat, in my opinion.  

Running up and down the hallway of our building...it never gets old for Josephine. And I can't help but love that nonchalant model pose of hers :)

WHAT PHINEY WORE: bosca beauty

WHAT PHINEY WORE: Bosca Dress c/o la coqueta // Vintage Cardigan / Ribbed Tights la coqueta // Desert Boots clarks (similar - the leather version appear to have sold out)

For many months now, I've received a lot of lovely emails and comments from you guys about the clothes Josephine wears. I'm not going to lie, dressing this girl is so much fun and searching for beautiful vintage, secondhand and unusual pieces for her is one of my absolute favourite pastimes.

It isn't always easy though. I find the majority of the shops on the high street stock small versions of (unappealing) adult styles, made poorly for a price that, in all honesty, I can't justify spending. And little girls (especially) dressed as adults is something that just doesn't sit well with me. I want traditional and classic pieces, in beautiful fabrics, prints and colours that I know I'm not going to see every other little girl wearing in the playground. 

So, with so many of you asking where I find these great pieces I thought I'd start a new regular series called What Phiney Wore, in which I'll reveal some of my favourite stores (which I may later regret!) as well as some of the tricks of shopping for kiddos that I've learnt along the way.

Today, Josephine is wearing one of the most beautiful dresses in her wardrobe; The Bosca Dress from La Coqueta. If you haven't heard of this store yet, I urge you to go check out their online shop, or if you're in Hampstead in London, to drop in the store. Launched by inspirational Mama of five Celia in 2012, the brand stocks the most beautiful clothes for babies, girls and boys all proudly made in Spain. All you need to know is I could happily dress Josephine in every piece the store has on offer, and I've bought her the most fantastic winter coat too, which I have no doubt will be popping up in a What Phiney Wore post soon. 

The Bosca Dress is beautifully made from a Liberty floral fabric, and I adore the little detailing of the lace trim on the lining inside and and the corduroy buttons on the front. 

While Josephine's boots are Clarks Originals, if her wide little feet could squeeze into them, I'd surely be buying a pair (or two) of the desert boots from La Coqueta. And maybe a pair of Mary Janes too. 

But it's not just the dresses and coats, shirts and shorts that La Coqueta have on offer. Celia has sourced the best collection of ribbed tights and long and short socks I've found, and Phiney has several pairs in her drawer. In beautiful colours, and of the highest quality, they are perfect for boys and girls alike. 

Of course, I can't finish an outfit without a piece of vintage, and this chunky knit I found in a charity shop just after Josephine was born is the perfect piece to keep her warm on a crisp autumnal day. 

HAPPY CIRCUS: new listings

Just wanted to pop by and let you all know that I've listed a whole bunch of lovely vintage pieces in the shop. French, British and even a couple of South American items, all of which are fantastic! Above are just a few of my favourites. 

There are also a few bow ties, hair bows and baby knits on offer at just half their normal price. Yes...HALF PRICE! All were knitted to be photographed for the shop and promotional purposes and are in absolutely perfect condition. Go grab yourself a bargain, because once they're gone...they're gone!! 

Thank you, as always, for supporting my little store. I hope you find something you like :) Happy weekend everyone. 

PARK LIFE: sandals

Josephine's new-to-her vintage sandals. They're the cutest things, even if they are a little too big right now. 

And for their first outing to the park on Saturday, knee high white socks were a must; if only to show off those chubby knees in all their glory. 

ROLL UP, ROLL UP: christmas shopping at happy circus

After months of really hard work and hours of scouring charity shops and markets, I am so pleased to announce the launch of a whole host of new goodies at Happy Circus.

Firstly, after the increasing requests and success of my hair bows and bow ties for weddings, I've designed a new range of bows for boys and girls, men and women, that are perfect for everyday and those special occassions. For the boys, the bow ties now feature knitted bows on carefully selected cotton fabrics with classic bow tie fastenings, while the girls can enjoy hair bows without ties (no more clumpy knots at the back of your head) in the classic size, oversize, little girl size and bow clips. I've also replaced synthetic wools with beautifully soft, plump cashmerino and almerino yarns in sorbets, tweeds and faded vintage hues.

Next I've added a new material to the ranges here at HC. I've loved working with felt over the last few years in an array of different projects, so I'm really excited to bring some of my designs to the shop. From multi-coloured triangular felt garlands to fun wall hangings that will look awesome in your child's room (or any other room in the house for that matter) these bright and colourful additions make me smile everytime I look at them, and hope you find the same.

Finally, I'm so excited to launch the second Happy Circus Vintage event. Over the last few months I've been gathering items for boys and girls of all ages and there are more than 30 truly awesome pieces on offer this time. The sweetest smocked dresses sit alongside chunky knitted jumpers while delicate blouses work perfectly with classic Osh Kosh dungerees.

I hope you'll go visit the shop and discover some treats for yourself, your kids, your friends and family this Christmas. I'm very happy to be offering you all a 10% discount off all your purchases over the next 48 hours - just become a follower if you're not one already and go 'like' our new Facebook page here, where you'll be first to know about new pieces, special offers and all behind-the-scenes news. Then enter the promotional code HCChristmas at the checkout to receive your discount.

Thank you as always for your support with my little shop. I'm really excited to see what 2013 brings in developing the store and hope you'll enjoy wearing your purchases as much as I did making and sourcing them.

Happy Monday everyone :)

TREASURE HUNTING

When you're on a budget, finding something special in a charity shop is, more than ever, like discovering a piece of buried treasure. And when said item has no price tag on and the crazy old lady in charge that morning has to pluck a figure from thin air, you know you could really bag a bargain.

 

This beautiful set of side plates, tea plates and bowls epitomise the style I'm so in love with right now. A simple yet pretty design in a muted shade, with just the right amount of vintage femininity. And all for £4.

I'm pretty sure that this very low price had something to do with a rather delicious nine month old baby charming the pants off everyone in that charity shop.

High fives Phiney - I like your style!

HAPPY CIRCUS: vintage goodness

As I mentioned a few posts ago, the pre-loved and vintage sale I went to recently was seriously packed with goodies. Too many to justify buying for Josephine, yet lots that were just too good to let go. So I had a think, decided to buy them up anyway and thought I'd pass them on to you, lovely readers.

Ben and I had discussed my rather lucky knack of finding really good secondhand and vintage kid's clothes in charity shops and markets and how maybe it could be an interesting way to make some extra cash and keep me from heading back to work full time. Which is something I don't want to do - but that's for another post.

So, for now, Happy Circus has a vintage section. I'm not sure how long it will be there, I suppose it all depends on how quickly this initial haul goes, so head over quick and don't miss out. Sizes range from newborn to age three (ish). It's all vintage, it's lovely and there are quite a few items I'm finding hard to part with. I've kept prices nice and low, so you can grab yourself a bargain, and each item has been freshly laundered and will be posted within two days of purchase.

Plus to celebrate this little launch I'm offering 15% until 9pm tomorrow evening. Just as a little something extra for you! So pop over and enter HAPPYCIRCUSVINTAGE at the checkout.

Let me know what you think, email me if you have any questions and I hope you find something you just can't resist ;)

WHAT PHINEY WORE: tropical edition

Because, let's face it, one vintage tropical fish romper just isn't enough...

Apologies for the slew of 'baby in the garden' photos, but this is how we're spending our days right now. And personally, I don't think there are ever enough pictures of this gorgeous creature!

DRESSING UP

Over the last couple of weeks we've been enjoying a little bit of girly retail therapy round these parts.

Now Phiney is 6 months old she has, over night it seems, grown out of nearly everything. Luckily there are a few thrifty finds stored away that I've loved rediscovering, and a visit to this shop as well as the H&M sale has replenished her drawers. Plus my Nan has also taken the fabric I bought months ago and transformed it into a awesome collection of bloomers, with a couple more pairs still to come.

On top of all that, my lovely friend Amy text me on Saturday morning urging me to head into town to a sale she'd heard about. Offering pre-loved and vintage French kids clothes and antiques, I rushed to the car and scored some real treats for Phiney; some for now, some for the coming months and years. The very wonderful lady who ran the sale plans on holding them a few times a year, so I can't wait for the next one and the treasures we'll find. Plus I got my hands on a few extra bits and bobs that I'll be telling you more about soon, so tune in for that little announcement.

As for Mama, last week I shifted those last few pesky pregnancy pounds. Hoorah! I'm ready to ditch the joggers (well, in the majority) and have been scouring the shops for the 1950s style skirts that I love and complement the return of my waist. Thank you local markets and charity shops. I've been having a trying on session or two trying to decide what to wear for our visit from this lady on Saturday, but I'm changing my mind every five minutes. Thankfully it looks like we're about to get some sunshine. Fingers crossed!

ps. I've drawn the winner of the Hello Canvas print and I'm really happy to announce that the lovely Mama-to-be Jenny is the winner. Go check out her very sweet blog and watch her belly grow. Congratulations Jenny - pop me an email and I'll send you all the details of how to claim your prize. Thank you to everyone for entering. We have another amazing giveaway next week so watch this space...

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1. One of the veggie plot in our garden currently home to sweetcorn, courgettes, runner beans and peas.
2. The softest reusable nappies, folded and ready to be wrapped round a tiny bottom.
3. Just some of the vintage clothes in Josephine's wardrobe, including the most awesome stripey dungarees from here.
4. Thrifted wooden toys in the nursery.

Ben and I have always worked hard to live as green a life as possible; we recycle almost everything, make our own compost, grow our own food, rarely use the car and support our local shops and food producers to help reduce our carbon footprint.

When we found out we were pregnant last year, all these things took on a greater importance and meaning. Now we had a real connection to the next generation, the generation that would suffer the consequences of our mis-use of the planet more than any other. Now we were doing our bit to save the planet for our child, our baby. We knew straight away that we wanted to step it up a gear; not only to further reduce our carbon footprint but to set a strong and good example to our children. To teach them the importance of thinking about what they're doing to the planet and the importance of how their actions will affect other people, animals and environments around the world, both now and in the future.

We quickly decided that we wanted to try reusable nappies and that we wanted to avoid a nursery full of mass-produced plastic toys, opting instead for ethically produced, handmade or homemade ones. We also wanted to continue our love for everything secondhand, choosing to buy clothes, books and toys at charity shops when we could.

I'm really pleased, and proud, to say that we've achieved all those things. We use reusable nappies, on the whole, and think they're brilliant; the only new and plastic toys Josephine has have been gifts, although most of our family and friends have really taken on board our wishes and scour charity shops for lovely little secondhand treats. And with the exception of a few babygros here and the odd sale item there (because sometimes those bargains are just too good to resist) the majority of Phiney's wardrobe is vintage and secondhand. It's not always easy (as if I didn't have enough washing to do without a few poopy nappies chucked in), but we truly believe it's worth it.

So when I find a new vintage baby store stocked with delights, you can imagine how excited I get. The prospect of finding a truly unique piece for Josephine to wear, as opposed to looking like every other kid at Baby Cafe, and the comparatively great prices of secondhand to new is too good to pass up.

The lovely Emily, from new online baby and toddler boutique Little Vintage, contacted me recently asking if Josephine would like to try out a couple of pieces from her very tempting collection, and who was I to say no. Quick as a flash those superb stripey dungarees up there and an oh so cute knitted cardigan were hanging in Phiney's wardrobe waiting for her to grow into. Emily also sent the most fantastic romper covered in illustrated animals but, alas, it was too small. I've sent it back to her and it'll be back up in the shop soon. So if you have a baby girl, around three months old, please please go buy it. It really is the coolest.

Below are just some of the great pieces Emily is selling right now. They're good, right? The service Emily offers is second to none, with items quick to arrive and wrapped so sweetly, and she's always updating the shop with items for every age group, from newborn to age six and above. So go spoil that beautiful kiddo of yours and pick out something lovely. Not only will you be supporting this awesome new business, but you'll also be doing your bit towards being greener. That's one less mass-produced item in your home; a few miles spared on your carbon footprint. Oh, and a whole lot of brilliance in your little one's wardrobe.

ps. It's the last chance to enter the giveaways and claim your discount before they close tomorrow so head here for more details. Winners will be announced early next week.