Wednesday, 30 July 2014

Ellie Ellie is 2! (Well nearly)

Ellie Ellie turns 2 on Friday (Happy Birthday to us!) and we are taking the time to look back at our favourite moments from the past year! It has been such a jam packed year, full of birthdays, a busy Christmas, new team members and milestones we've picked a handful of brilliant Ellie Ellie moments to reminisce!

Getting our new postal bags in September to send all our orders in! 


Launching our snazzy new website in October! www.ellieellie.co.uk


Celebrating 20,000 orders with Notonthehighstreet.com in November with bucks fizz (of course) and the team! 


Meeting Theo Paphitis at the Small Business Sunday Birmingham event in November! Very nice chap indeed!


Christmas Jumper in December during the Christmas madness! 


Welcoming our newest member of the team, Ellie Ellie's mother hen, Hayley in February! 


Here's to many many more brilliant moments and to the next year!! 

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Technology Free Time!

There is little time these days when technology, phones, social media and tablets don't get in the way of spending quality family time together. If you fancy some technology free time with your family there are so many activities you can do that doesn't involve documenting every step on social media.


You could introduce a technology free day each week, and a time for a technology free activity at the weekend too. With the summer here, the days are longer and warmer and there are endless opportunities of different activities in the countryside and city! 

Friday, 25 July 2014

Women of the Year Awards

As you may know from our recent posts on Facebook, Ellie Ellie were nominated for an award at the Sussex Women of the Year Awards. The award we were shortlisted for was the Online Business Award which we were very excited about. After launching our new website back in October we are continually working hard to improve our website for our customers and it's great to be recognized for our hard work!

As we were shortlisted for an award we got invited to go to the awards ceremony on Friday the 18th of July at Fontwell Racecourse, where we enjoyed a three course dinner and drinks followed by the awards. 




Danielle was announced as the winner of the Online Business Award and went up to accept her award! 

 


It was such a great evening, meeting fellow business women from Sussex that had been shortlisted for other awards. 



Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Ellie Ellie Wears

The summer is in full swing and we have been having great weather so far (fingers crossed for the rest of the summer).

This week Ellie Ellie wears celebrates the sunshine that we all love with a summer inspired outfit! This dress from Orla Kiely is an absolutely beautiful colour for the summer, with lots of pastel colours being seen on the high street and catwalks this season. It is a very simple dress but has a cut out detail on the back which makes it great for a day out, evening party or garden bbq. Teamed with these slip on shoes which are made from vegan materials it makes the best summery look! Finish off with one of our British postage stamp pendants and this straw bucket bag from Rokit, which can fit your beach or picnic gear in nicely!


Summer dress: Orla Kiely
Slip on sandals: FC Select Vegan Footwear
Straw Bag: Rokit
Stamp Pendant: Ellie Ellie

Sunday, 20 July 2014

Say Hello to the New Ellie Ellie Office!!

We had some very exciting news at the beginning of July which means we are getting ready to start another Ellie Ellie adventure. The whole Ellie Ellie team are getting ready to move into our new offices in Hove, which is a converted old soap factory! All the team are very excited about this move, which will see us move to a bigger office which much more space for our growing team. We really love our current office and have made it our own working space, changing the layout numerous times to fit the needs of the business, but there is no longer enough space for the growing team, so Hello Hove!

We are in the midst of organising our big move and will keep you updated every step of the way! Here are some pictures of our new space... Keep your eyes peeled for more!




Friday, 18 July 2014

We're going nuts for enamel!

You may have seen on our Instagram that we did a brilliant summer shoot last month in the lovely Sussex countryside, where we included all our new traditional sports day games and recycled rug and our new enamel plates and bowls.

We are going nuts for enamel this summer, it is the perfect way to serve your food and nibbles at a picnic or bbq. Even if you just fancy eating outside one evening, enamel is hard wearing and can be used outside without the worry that it may smash if dropped. Our new enamel is cream with a red trim and is the perfect companion in your picnic hamper, it's extremely light and durable, and ideal for kids to use!

 Here are some pictures from our summer photo shoot, and our new enamel plates and bowls!





What are you getting up to this summer?



Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Summer is here!!

We are very excited at Ellie Ellie HQ, as summer is here, the sunshine is out and we get to wear our summer wardrobe that has been gathering dust for months. If you are trying to think of ways to entertain the kids this summer when they break up for their long holiday, we've got a great list of activities for the kids and the whole family to enjoy!


Sunday, 13 July 2014

Keep the kids entertained on long car journeys!

If you are heading for a British summer holiday in the next few weeks we all know that the dreaded car journey is upon us and the kids have to be entertained. Whether you are headed to Cornwall, Wales, the Lake District or camping in Hampshire there is bound to be a long car journey to conquer first. We've come up with some simple games to keep the kids entertained so you can all enjoy some family fun this summer.

Our hangman and noughts and crosses chalkboard games are perfect for long car journeys, they are a great size to fit into a backpack or in the back of the car, and can easily be played amongst the little ones on the back seat. You could hand our treats for the winner too!



Another great game to play is the good old fashioned eye spy, which means you can get the whole car involved!

The yellow car game is always a fun game and means the kids will be concentrating on spotting the cars. Simply shout 'yellow car' when you spot a yellow car and you get a point, the person with the most points at the end wins.

A great idea is road trip or car bingo, simply print out a number of different bingo cards and everybody has to get a full card as they spot different things. Here are some great examples:


You can even get the kids to colour in this one before you start your journey! 


Friday, 11 July 2014

Happy Campers!

Camping is fast becoming a popular way to spend the summer holidays with family, it's great to pack up a tent, food and your sleeping bag and spend the night outdoors. With the amount of camp sites around the UK it is a great activity to do for a day or even a week or more.

As well as all your camping essentials, there is often a few bits and bobs that are forgotten when you pack to go camping, do not fear, we have a great checklist so you can remember those all important things that slip your mind.


Happy Camping!

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Ellie Ellie Wears: Festival

It's that time of the year again, where people pack up their tent and head to their favourite festivals. Glastonbury has already happened, with a record number of people going to watch Dolly Parton, but there are a number of festivals still to come this summer. 

Ellie Ellie wears this week is all about festival style, whether you are a dress and wellies girl, or shorts and a t-shirt the overall festival look is very relaxed and laid back. These Levi shorts are a wardrobe staple this summer, teamed with this crochet top from Topshop for the ultimate laid back look. This aztec backpack from Pull and Bear is a brilliant festival must have. Finish off the look with these fun pencil stud earrings from Ellie Ellie, which are made from upcycled colouring pencils. 


Top: Topshop
Shorts: Levi
Backpack: Pull and Bear
Earrings: Ellie Ellie

Sunday, 6 July 2014

Refreshing Summer Coolers

There's nothing better than eating outside in the summertime, food always seems to taste better when it's eaten outside and the same goes for a refreshing drink. Summer is the perfect time to experiment with new drink flavours. We shared a tasty lemonade recipe with you last month which is perfect for a summer garden party, and these tasty drinks are also summer ready!


Citrus Peach Cooler:
Ingredients:
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 lime, sliced
- peach nectar
- cloudy lemonade
- handful of strawberries, sliced
- sparkling water

Here is the simple method:

- Put the lemon juice and lime juice into a large jug and add the sliced lemon and lime and a handful of ice cubes
- Add the peach nectar to fill about one third of the jug and top up with Lemonade
- Add the strawberries and top with sparkling water

If you fancy something a tad stronger, this Gin and Elderflower Sherbet from Jamie Oliver is so delicious and refreshing on a summers day


All you need is:
- 50ml elderflower cordial
- 50mil good-quality gin
- 1 handful of ice
- 150ml bitter lemon
- a few strips of lemon zest

Simple mix the elderflower cordial and gin together in a small glass, crush the ice and add it to a cocktail glass and pout over the gin mixture. Top with bitter lemon and your lemon zest! The perfect summer cocktail!

Gin & Elderflower Sherbet 
Citrus Peach Cooler 

Friday, 4 July 2014

Le Tour De France

The Tour de France kicks off tomorrow, with the annual bicycle race taking place primarily in France while also making appearances through nearby countries throughout July. Now in its 101th year, the Tour de France this year is made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,664 kilometres (Wow).

The exciting thing about this year is that the Tour starts in the UK tomorrow, from Leeds! We have got really into cycling this Summer at Ellie Ellie and are going to keep updated with the race to see how all the cyclists are getting on. Our bicycle recycled storage bag and lunch box bag have been really popular this season, with a lovely vintage bicycle print which we love and is great for storing your bicycle gear or lunch when your out for a cycle.



If you can get out and about this summer a family cycle ride is a great idea to get out into the countryside or seafront! Happy cycling!

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Our Top Sale Picks!

As you may know, our big summer sale is happening over at Ellie Ellie! We have made our summer sale this year even bigger and better than last, with a lot of great products you can get your hands on!

We've picked our favourite products in the sale and here are our top picks, what is your favourite?


Danielle picked our Wine Cork Handmade Recycled Noticeboard, something she would love for her kitchen! 


Ava picked our Traditional Pin the Tail on the Donkey game, perfect for garden party's this summer.


I picked our Retro Sweet Jar Wine Gums sweets, my all time favourite sweets and they are simply delicious!


Lindsay picked our Retro Sweet Jar Rhubarb & Custard Sweets.


Holly picked our British Postage Stamp Pre-Decimal Pendant in blue, one of her favourite colours!


Melissa, a huge Lego fan, picked our Lego Storage Head

Shop our Sale Now to find our favourites!