Feed: Arabella Miller - Organic Kids Clothes - AggScore: 64.3

Arabella Miller - Sale Now On!

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Our sale is now on - organic kids clothes - bargains!
Don't forget that every purchase comes with FREE gift wrap and we also ship worldwide!

Eco-clothing - what's it all about?

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I'm often asked about eco-clothing and what the different kinds of "eco-clothing" really mean so I thought I'd do a quick blog to explain some of the more common descriptions:

Organic cotton - this is cotton grown without pesticides and chemicals. I've blogged about the meaning here: organic cotton. If you are buying organic cotton you need to check that it is certified organic to Global Organic Textiles Standards through one of the organisations who are able to certify organic standards - Arabella Miller clothing is certified by the UK Soil Association. Certification gives you peace of mind that your eco-clothing is organic.

Fairtrade - Fairtrade certification (Fairtrade or Fair Trade Certified in the US) is a product certification system designed to allow people to identify products that meet agreed environmental, labour and developmental standards. Overseen by a standard-setting body, FLO International, and a certification body, FLO-CERT.

Babywearing article in the Times

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Pleased to read an article in The Times at the weekend which was all about "babywearing" - using a sling to carry your baby. The Daily Mail have also followed up the story too.

I used a few baby carriers or slings with my youngest daughter - she much preferred to be held and using a sling let me get on with life.

Apparently lots of celebs are now advocating babywearing and Mylene Klass has even designed her own sling!

The article has info on Sling Meets and I was pleased to see one of my favourite slings, Calin Bleu, get a mention too.

In all, really positive apart for a strange quote from Gina Ford

“All babies are different and I don't think carrying a baby all the time results in a more clingy baby, but I have noticed that some 'baby-wearing' mothers interact less with their baby, and the baby can be treated more like an accessory than a human being.”

The full Times article is here.

News Release

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Press Release: New Organic Baby Clothes from Arabella Miller

November Competition

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Friendly Baby Competition - name the Arabella Miller Pet Pals!

We've got an extra competition this month, just in time for Xmas!

Win a fabulous organic soft toy courtesy of those cool peeps over at Friendly Baby!

All you have to do is answer a simple question and think of a name for the Arabella Miller Dog and Cat characters. They're the two at the top of our home page and in the Puppy Love t-shirt design. Entries must be made via the entry form the deadline is Midnight 10 December 2008.

Question: What brand of baby shampoo is stocked by Friendly Baby?



Competition rules:

Competition ends midnight 10 December 2008.

The winner will be contacted within 48 hours of the competition closing, and will receive their prize within 21 days.

Entrants must be aged 18 or over. Only one entry per household. Open to UK residents only.

Competition is not open to employees of, or family of employees of Arabella Miller Ltd.

The winning name will be chosen by an independent judge.

The winner will be named on this website, and in our Blog.

The Mumpreneur Experience!

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Thanks to all of you who sent emails and messages of support and, of course, voted, for Arabella Miller in the recent ITV This Morning Mumpreneur competition.
Lots of you have asked me what the whole experience was like, so here it is!

I entered the competition after learning about it from an online business networking forum, Mums Club. I had to fill a form in with details about Arabella Miller - after a couple of weeks I was called by This Morning and invited to a hotel in Manchester for the Regional Heats.

I had misunderstood what this part of the competition was all about - I thought it was an interview with the programme makers (doh!), so I got quite a shock when I turned up at the hotel to see that I was going to be filmed. The format was that everyone had to appear individually in front of a panel of three entrepreneurs, Tim Campbell, Judy Naake and Emma Harrison and give a two minute pitch live to camera and then answer questions from the panel.

I have to say I was very very nervous. How people do Dragon's Den, I'll never know! The worst bit was walking through the doors into the room - you faced cameras head on and then turned left to appear in front of the panel. My intro was shown as a clip to promote the heats - my voice is very squeaky!

I did quite a quick pitch (I was too worried about running out of time) and then answered lots of questions about Arabella Miller. The panel were great and very chatty - instead of a 10 minute session I was in there for over 30 minutes! At the end the panel had to give a yes or no - with three "yeses", I was through to the shortlist and had to wait until the end of the day to discover my fate.

Filming continued throughout the day - and at the end, the shortlisted mums had to go back in front of the panel in two groups of three to hear the result. When it was my group's turn I was convinced that I wasn't going to get to the final. I thought that they were commiserating the losers before the winners iysim! It was fantastic to get the news I'd got through - although I'd signed a confidentiality agreement in advance which meant I couldn't actually tell anyone!

Between the Heats and the Live Finals all the finalists met in London for a training session with Emma Harrison. It was really great to receive her advice for our businesses. She was very inspiring. Part of this day was also filmed and broadcast before the Final.

So, onto the final.
Ron and I travelled to London the day before the Final and were met at the station by a car to take us to our hotel. We went out that evening to our favourite restaurant to celebrate.
The next morning we were picked up by another car at 8.00 a.m. and taken to the studios. We were met on arrival and taken to the 'Green Room", and then into make up (lots of fun).
Just before the programme started I had the opportunity to sit on the sofa and run through some mock questions with the floor manager and practice the pitch (or "plea" as the crew called it!). I managed to do the whole of my practice pitch looking at the wrong camera and I also changed a lot of what I said as a result, that's why I am using cue cards when we did it live - I couldn't be confident that I would remember all my words!

The time from then went very fast - I saw the other guests, X Factor's Girlband, opera singer Katherine Jenkins and Roger Moore being shepherded in and out - and then it was the Mumpreneur's turn! Fern and Phil were both lovely and did their best to keep us all calm. The studio is much smaller than it seems - they make the most of all the available space too. After filming I presented Fern with some clothes for her little girl, Winnie - the Flutterbye dress and a matching t-shirt.

Although I was disappointed not to win, I did get a lot out of the whole experience. Arabella Miller had some great media coverage as a result. I also made some great friends - who I'm working with now in lots of different ways. The best thing had to be the support I had from friends, family, and lots and lots of people I didn't know at all!
Thank you all very much for all your support. It is truly appreciated.

Celebrities join 'Love Spiders' campaign!

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Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust has launched a campaign to persuade the public to fall in love with an animal that many people would run a mile from - the spider.

Supporting the campaign are writer and broadcaster Germaine Greer, TV action man Steve Backshall, TV bug expert George McGavin and TV presenter and leading diver Miranda Krestovnikoff. Steve Backshall enthuses that 'Spiders are in many ways the most exciting creatures on earth', whilst Germaine Greer relates the touching tale of her relationship with Dymphna - a yellow-kneed huntsman spider from Australia!

There are about 650 different species of spider in the UK ranging from tiny money spider the Minute maro (Maro minutus) to the huge Cardinal spider (Tegenaria parietina) with a leg span of more than 10 centimetres.

Spiders consume millions of household and agricultural pests every year but 31 species are now listed by the Government as being in need of urgent conservation action. Buglife is working to stop these spiders from declining and going extinct.

Endangered species include the incredibly rare Ladybird spider (Eresus sandaliatus) that lives on just a couple of sites in Dorset, and the Distinguished jumping spider (Sitticus distinguendus) is also only known from two sites, but both threatened by development plans.

Buglife's 'Love Spiders' campaign aims to raise awareness of these rare species and of how amazing and incredible spiders really are! Buglife's 'Love Spiders' web pages include amazing spider facts, fantastic photos of spiders, profiles of rare species and loads of fun downloadable activities for children.

'Spiders are wonderful animals', explains Zoë Bunter of Buglife. 'There are spiders that can change the colour of their bodies, just like chameleons, they can be very caring, some courting male spiders present gifts to their lucky ladies, and some mother spiders devotedly take care of their young in nursery webs. Spiders shouldn't be scary and we'd like to invite everyone to join us in showing our amazing spiders some love!'

You can be a part of Buglife's Love Spiders campaign by sending in your spider photos, or photos you take of your own spider crafts. Pictures will be displayed on Buglife's Spider Gallery web page.

For more information see http://www.buglife.org.uk/discoverbugs/lovespiders/

Newborn Baby Clothing Essentials

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Choosing newborn baby clothing is a lovely moment when you are expecting a new baby. When designing our new organic baby clothing collection, I had four "must-haves" on my list.
These were what I myself, as a mum, couldn't do without for those first few weeks.

Rompers - For ease of dressing nothing beats a rompersuit! Arabella Miller rompers have lap (envelope) shoulders for easy dressing and are available in two cool organic prints. Inside-leg poppers mean you can dress baby quickly and as they're footless, they last that little bit longer than babygros with feet.

Baby Hats - Even if your little one arrives with a full head of hair (!) every newborn baby needs a baby hat to keep their little noggin warm. I designed a fuss-free beanie style which looks cute on both baby boys and girls.

Nightgowns - A baby sleepgown is essential for the first few months, keeping baby snug and warm but providing easy nappy access for nightime changes. I found my nightgowns so useful that I designed the Arabella Miller sleepgowns to be that little bit longer to last between 6-9 months. Nothing beats eczema-friendly soft organic cotton next to your baby's sensitive skin.

Baby Blankets - Truly versatile - for both the early months and beyond. I designed an extra large organic cotton baby blanket so that you can use it at night, as a pram or buggy blanket, or during the day as a play mat. Arabella Miller organic cotton baby blankets are an affordable luxury buy - a double layer of organic cotton in two delicious prints with a contrast trim. My baby blankets can be washed again and again and then handed down, still looking hip and feeling soft.

Spotted! Arabella Miller Flutterbye Kid's T-shirt!

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I got a fab surprise the other day when I visited Chelltune - the specialist website for all things baby signing.

Chell, Director of Chelltune, won an Arabella Miller Flutterbye T-shirt in a competition a few weeks ago, and here is her daughter Anya modelling the prize!

Chell also made a lovely comment about the t-shirt:

'I must admit that because the t-shirt is white I was reluctant to put it on my daughter; I didn’t want it to get ruined. She has worn it a few times now and I’m really impressed with the quality. The first time it was worn Anya managed to cover it in food (nothing unusual there then!). Despite being scrubbed then machine washed the t-shirt came out looking immaculate, I was surprised as many of her cheaper t-shirts from the High Street just haven’t washed well at all."

In the picture on the right Anya is signing "butterfly" which is pretty cool.

Chelltune offers a range of practical products using British Sign Language (BSL) or Makaton to help you and your little ones sign together.

This includes the Let’s Sign range, including posters, flashcards, ebooks and reward charts. They also stock products that are useful if you attend classes such as Tinytalk, Sing and Sign or Sign with your Baby or teach your infant at home yourself.

I was particularly taken with the cute finger puppets, figurative/signing puppets, teaching mitts and glove puppets.

How to Make a Bug Hotel

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Arabella Miller is a proud supporter of Buglife, here's a great Autumn project which kids will love (and so will bugs!)

As the leaves fall, create a cosy spot for bugs!

As the weather gets colder there’s something you can do to help the bugs in your garden survive the winter. This autumn, why not create your own Bug Hotel?
With just a few pieces of simple equipment and some dead leaves, you can provide a safe, dry place for bugs such as ladybirds, lacewings, ground beetles and even bumblebees in your garden.

Bugs love untidy gardens! Piles of dead wood and leaves lying around the place are a source of food to some bugs and provide shelter for others. For many bugs a heap of autumn leaves is the ideal place to hibernate through the winter. This autumn, why not make a bug hotel out of a 'tidy' leaf pile? This is a great activity for children – they’ll enjoy gathering the sticks and leaves and helping an adult to make a cosy home for bugs!

All you need is:
Plastic mesh or chicken-wire
Sticks such as long twigs or dead plant stems
Garden string/wire
A flat piece of wood
A pile of dead leaves

HOW TO MAKE IT

Make a tube: Most garden centres sell chicken-wire or plastic mesh by the metre. For our bug hotel we bought a one metre length of green plastic mesh, curled it into a tube and tied it in place using four twists of plastic covered garden wire.
Put sticks through the tube at the bottom: take some dead plant stems or twigs and poke them through the sides of the cylinder at the bottom. The twigs overlap to form a mesh which stops the leaves falling out of the bottom if you pick it up; it also stops the leaves touching the ground and helps to stop them getting damp.
Fill the tube: with the twigs in place you can fill the cylinder with dead leaves
Give it a lid: put a piece of wood on top to stop the rain getting in (the wood has to be heavy so it won't blow away).
Top it up: as the leaves in the hotel dry-out they will shrink, so try to keep some extra ones to top-up the tube.
Secure it: if your garden is very windy it might be an idea to make some v-shaped staples out of coat-hanger wire and use them to pin the bottom of the cylinder to the ground.
Once you have made your hotel put it in a quiet corner of the garden - preferably somewhere in the shade. As the nights start getting colder, bugs will find your hotel and use it as a safe dry place to hibernate.

If you want to find out more about how you can help conserve the small things that run the world, visit Buglife or call us on 01733 201 210

New Organic Baby Clothes

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Our new funky baby clothes are now in stock, including organic rompers, dresses, long sleeve tops, sleepwear and baby trousers. You can see some of them on the video below.

Win prizes as a newsletter subscriber

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Introducing our new FREE prize draw for newsletter subscribers only!

Each month a lucky newsletter reader will win a £25.00 voucher to spend at Arabella Miller.

All you have to do to be in with a chance is sign up here!

Baby Boys Clothes at Arabella Miller

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Before I launched Arabella Miller I spent time asking other mums what they liked/disliked about baby boutiques.

Mums with boys told me they had a real problem finding designer baby clothing which had boys baby clothes that they would actually like their baby to wear!

Common comments were concerned with dull colours, motifs that were either too babyish or too grown up!

So when I started to design infant boy clothing, I decided to take the cue from our most popular t-shirt print Close Encounters and adapt it to make some cute baby clothes especially for baby boys.

I'm a Finalist in the ITV "This Morning" Mumpreneur Comp!

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Wheee!

I'm amazed to have been selected as a Finalist in the ITV This Morning competition to find the UK's top Mumpreneur!

I was shortlisted after a written application, to take part in the Northern heats from which three mums were chosen to go forward as Heat Winners. The judging panel comprised entrepreneurs Tim Campbell, Emma Harrison and Judy Naake, and the heats themselves were a cross between X-factor and Dragon's Den - except the panel were much kinder!

I took organic kids t-shirts with me to show the panel and they loved the designs.

The next stage will be live studio finals on October 20th 2008. I'll be interviewed on the sofa with Phil and Fern and then This Morning viewers will have a phone vote to decide the winner!

Arabella Miller Finalist in Best Green Business Awards

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Wahoo! Arabella Miller has just been unveiled as one of four finalists at the Startups Awards 2008 in the Best Green Business category.

The Startups Awards are organised by Crimson Business’ Startups.co.uk, in conjunction with Barclays, comprises of 17 categories, each showcasing the best new businesses in the UK. The overall winner will walk away with a £5,000 cheque.

The winners will be unveiled at an awards ceremony on Thursday 30 October.

We are thrilled to be a finalist in the Green Business category and are looking forward to the event in October. It’s great that all our dedication and hard work has been recognised by Startups.co.uk, and we’re delighted to be in with a chance of not only winning the category but also the much-coveted ‘Barclays Startups Business of the Year’ prize.

Startups.co.uk is the UK’s largest independent online resource for budding entrepreneurs and the Startups Awards is one of the leading events on the small business calendar.