Get personal with an Initial Pendant £20. Hand-out Beard Oil and Shampoo (£20.95) to the hirsute, present face masks (£3.50) and nail varnishes (£7.95) for those Teachers who love to be pampered. Pencils (£4.95) & Ovengloves (£11.95) with attitude for Teachers with a good sense of humour and plenty of other ideas from our HUGE range of candles, Jewellery, Stationery and Mugs.
We'll find something just right!
We have a brand new Toiletry Range! We really do like to go the extra mile and so when nothing caught our eye at the recent round of trade shows in London and Paris, Ian dropped in on Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna (which is the leading international platform for the cosmetics and wellness industry), to see if he could find anything special there. He struck gold, and we are really delighted to launch this new range from The Handmade Soap Co. who are based nearer to home in Co. Meath Ireland. We love their products and their ethos - meet founder Donagh Quigley (originally a Master Thatcher).
"We started out small, selling our lovely handmade soaps at farmers’ markets and to kind neighbours… and from there, things just grew and grew.
Pots got bigger, our range blossomed, and we added a few more hands on deck… but our mission remains the same:
To bring pure, heartfelt joy to your everyday, so even the small things feel precious.
Using thoughtful essential oil blends and nature’s pantry, we have lovingly created a range that will boost your mood and your skin in equal measure.
And oh, does it smell divine.
Put simply, it’s everything you need to grab life by the happy. So, go grab it with both hands."
We were particularly looking for a well priced range that would sit comfortably with the ever popular Burt's Bee's Range and appeal to both Men and Women - we think we have found our match.
Lemongrass and Cedarwood - Lose yourself in this sweet oriental fragrance. Citrus top notes with a lemongrass zing, eucalyptus and lavender middle notes and earthy base notes of Patchouli and Vanilla.
A Musky, manly mix of Basil, Lime & Sweet Orange.
The products themselves have 99.7% Natural - no nasties, (the other .3% is the binding agent and preservative which makes the lotions behave so wonderfully).
They are made with coconut derivatives, vegetable emulsifiers and scented with essential oils.
There are no SLSs, parabens, petrochemicals. No product is tested on animals, ever and even the card in their packaging is from sustainable sources and printed with vegetable-derived ink.
Another crazy Christmas under our belt and a chance to recharge our batteries for the exciting year ahead!
I've really enjoyed reflecting on our highlights of the past year!
In January we resolved to be good to ourselves with some amazing Toiletry ranges which have continued to be well received, plus we introduced a stylish hip new boy range with Beardsley!
We reflected on our 20th Birthday year and in February I showcased some of maps secrets and the hidden talents of Ian Morris, we shared our love for Archway for Valentine's day with our exclusive I love archway range!
March brought Mother's day and a chance to feature the work of a friend from the beginning of my journey - Maxwell Dorsey
Spring - and we introduced another new range from Seedballs - for those who like a little guerilla style gardening!
I really enjoyed featuring the work of 2 more local designers Harriet Wide and Elizabeth Avery in our Wedding window, which also featured the work of our good friend from Mumhadoneofthose vintage ceramics.
Our most popular blog of the year was celebrating our 21st birthday in June with 21 things you probably never knew about us!
New branded bags and a loyalty card initiative over the summer.....
We lived the dream with Nina Dogmetchi in September....
Her amazing book the lazy leopard is available online and instore!
The ongoing Bleeding London project was really interesting. One of our customers Jen Pedler - local resident and local historian has photographed every street in N19, read more about her and the project here.
One of the biggest highlights of our year came in Septmeber when we were nominated for a Time Out Love London award - we were absolutely overwhelmed by the tidal wave of support and were thrilled to find out in November that we had won best shop in N19! Thanks again to everyone who voted for us - we really appreciated all your comments and support!
Ian became an Islington Face, we were named as one of londons leading specialist shops and finally in December we were really privileged to be asked to take part in the Metropolitan Police Christmas Tree Campaign. You probably noticed the tree at Archway station decorated with tags asking for donations.....
Together with other local businesses Absolute Print & Pines & Needles we helped the Islington Met Police collect over 300 gifts to be given to children in care across the borough.
We've had a fabulous year - thanks so much for your loyalty, support and friendship!
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