Artist Colour Palette range!

Would you believe it? It's "back-to-school" preparation time again, which gives us a great opportunity to revel in our fun stationery-inspired up-cycled Artist Pencil range!

For the men, a splash of colour and quirkiness can be added to a favourite shirt with the Artist Colour Palette Pencil Cufflinks. They are perfect for an art teacher or craft lover, and each pair is completely unique!

For the ladies who love bright & bold jewellery, the Artist Colour Palette Pencil Necklace, hand crafted from real colouring pencils, is a stunning addition to a wearable collection and a brilliant innovative gift for any art enthusiast!

www.ellieellie.co.uk

Traditional Family Fun!

Throughout this month, Brighton Beach welcomes guests to celebrate one of the greatest old-fashioned puppet shows loved by all ages - Punch and Judy! Brighton is know to have helped this world famous show become as popular as it is, and it's back once again!

The ever growing puppet show dates back to as far as the 16th century, and has survived the centuries! It got us thinking about timeless family games and entertainment.

Many of us will remember playing certain games such as Snap or Dominoes with our parents or siblings when we were young, but are they something you never really grow out of? Perhaps it is the feeling of nostalgia and happy memories that make us go back to these family favourites!

Whether you love an evening in with a board game or enjoy outdoor activities in the garden, you can guarantee hours of fun with our selection of Traditional family games, not forgetting our lovely Traditional Bingo Game and Five Game Compendium for a few different choices!

For more information on the Punch & Judy Show in Brighton, head over to their website!

www.ellieellie.co.uk

Brighton Festival: Ellie's Ellie's picks! Part 2

We're halfway through one of Brighton's biggest celebrations of the year, and we haven't been disappointed! There's been something for everyone, from fancy dress and book-reading for kids, to plays and live music performances in the city's best-loved venues.

So what's in store for the last few days of one of the biggest highlights in the UK's event calendar?

Nina Conti: This Tuesday, for comedic fun for all the family, don't miss the ventriloquism talents of Nina Conti (along with her puppet friends of course). See a screening of her 'docu-mockumentary" her Master's Voice, alongside a live performance guaranteed to leave both adult and kids wanting more.

Carousel: What goes on at fairground after closing time? You'll find out in this enchanting journey through dramatic movement with an equally enticing soundtrack - meeting all the weird and wonderful characters along with way. For a breathtaking performance of energetic choreography and music, visit the Southpaw Dance company on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 to experience at atmosphere you won't find anywhere else. 

How We Used To Live: This is definitely one for history enthusiasts and vintage lovers. Narrated by Ian McShane, it's a film of rare footage of London from the fifties through to the eighties. See the transformation of England's capital and an insight into its developing nightlife, vehicles and housing. The brains behind the idea and who made it a reality are nineties band Saint Etienne and filmmaker Paul Kelly, who will be on hand to give a special treat to their viewers with a live performance of the intriguing soundtrack too!

www.ellieellie.co.uk 

Brighton Festival: Ellie Ellie's picks! Part 1

This year, the early May Bank Holiday Weekend is kicking off with a bang - marking the start of Brighton Festival! The highly anticipated event is now in it's 49th year, and from tomorrow until the 24th of the month, has plenty of amazing acts, art, and exhibitions to keep its growing reputation as one of the most exciting festivals in the UK for all ages to enjoy. 

When there's so much to do and see, it can be hard to decide where to begin! So this week we've chosen our top recommendations of what you definitely shouldn't miss in the coming days:

- Children's Parade: What better way to open a festival than with thousands of local children stepping out in extravagant and obscure costumes that they have designed and made just for the special event! Several schools from around the area get involved in the parade every year, with kids from infant to secondly school taking to the streets along with their teachers and parents. Always based on different subject, "taking flight" has been announced as the theme for 2015. From Kensington Street to Madeira Drive, you can expect some spectacular sights!

Louder than words - it wouldn't be Brighton Festival without some showstopping dance acts. This Sunday 3rd, The Cathy Walker Company brings us some explosive choreography alongside live instruments being played, with two talented dancers caught up in a complex and competitive dance-off! Taking place in Woodingdean Central Park, this is definitely where to go for some mesmerizing excitement for all the family.

A Morning with Jacqueline Wilson: On Sunday 10th, head down to the Brighton Dome Concert Hall where the best-selling author will be chatting about her work and novels, including how she created much loved characters such as Tracy Beaker and Opal Plumstead. Tickets are £6 and there is also the opportunity to purchase pre-signed books, as well as hear all about her brand new creation The Butterfly Club (which is her 101st novel!) for younger readers.

www.ellieellie.co.uk

Winter Wonderland!!

The gates to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park open this Friday,  the 22^nd of November, this year at Hyde Park promises even more fun and thrills as last year, providing a lot of Christmas magic for all the family.

Soak up the festive atmosphere in the park for free this winter, and enjoy all the entertainment and Christmas fun! There are also opportunities to go ice skating or to the circus.

With a number of festive attractions this year, including ice skating, the magical ice kingdom and a number of rides, this is a great day out for all the family to enjoy. Open till the 5^th of January, it would be a great new year activity to enjoy if you haven’t got time to go before Christmas!

Take a look at all Hyde Park has to offer, and the magic if Winter Wonderland now!

Get set for a spooky halloween!

Tulley's Farm has a world wide reputation for supplying outstanding local foods, providing a great experience with friendly service and fun family seasonal events! Around Halloween, Tulley's Farm transforms itself into its Halloween festival, with fun days and fright nights!

On the weekend of Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th of October, and in November Tulley's Farm hosts its Spooktober fest, fun park and its Shocktober fest scream park! A great event for families and friends!

Voted the UKs No1 Halloween family attraction, the day is sure to be filled with frights as well as fun and is something the family won't forget!

Including fun shows, fireworks, a horrid hayride, boo barn and spooky trails this festival has everything for all the family!

Find out more about the festival and for tickets see the website!

Scrabble Cookies!!

We all love baking here at Ellie Ellie and there is nothing better than a homemade treat in the office. When we came across these scrabble cookies we were so excited to try them out and see if we could make them look as good as the picture (never happens). Our love of Vintage Letter Tiles, used in our cufflinks and pendants made these cookies look even more tasty!

Here is a great recipe and step by step guide of how to make them! Scrabble cookies 

 

Keep your eyes peeled for Ellie Ellie's attempt at Letter Tile Cookies, fingers crossed!! We hope you enjoy trying out this recipe. 

To find out more about our Letter Tile Jewellery, take a look!

Have you found any other great cookie ideas?

Crazy Customising!

Here is a little crazy customisation we’ve stumbled upon this week. We aren’t sure about these customised Lego shoes here at Ellie Ellie HQ, love or hate?

If these Lego shoes don’t quite take your fancy why not try and customise an old pair of shoes you were going to chuck out and give them a new lease of life.... go on!!

Here are a handful of ideas inspired by Ellie Ellie’s favourite things… Have a go using scrap comics, maps or sheet music with Papier Mache, or you could try it with your favourite wrapping paper or old stamps.

For a fun, personalised look you could use locations that are special to you, and we love the idea of personalised insoles for your wedding shoe, a great way to have your memories with you on the day...

Another favourite of ours at Ellie Ellie is these stamp pumps, we think this is a lovely way to reuse stamps and create an individual look. 

 

Not forgetting our love of old vintage comics, personalising your old pumps and heels with comic print is a fabulous idea, use your favourite comic book characters and stories to make your shoes tell a story.

For a step by step guide to mastering papier mache, the perfect way to customise your shoes, have a look at this tutorial  Getting started with papier mache

What we're listening too

The girls at Ellie Ellie HQ are known throughout the office block, for singing rather loudly, attempting harmonies and free styling lyrics (obviously as well as being extremely hard workers and highly professional).

This week Danielle brought us the most beautiful retro radio to have in the office, so naturally we all took turns to pick albums and songs that we wanted to share with the gang. 

Our new radio in all her glory! What a beauty

If you're music lovers like us here are our fave songs that we wanted to share with you, if you do one thing today give these a little listen- drop us a comment to let us know what you think!

The Beatles - Can't Buy Me Love

Ben Howard - Keep Your Head Up

 James Vincent McMarrow - If I Had A Boat

  Kodaline- Love Like This

 The Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way

  Nina Simone- My Baby Just Cares For Me

If you're music lovers like us, these may tickle your fancy. Handmade from original music sheets, these are perfect for any festival goers or musicians (or those who just love a good ol' fashion sing song!)

Ellie Ellie's Music Sheet Studs - find them here!

Ellie Ellie Music Sheet Mirrors are perfect for sorting out those fly-aways. Find them here!

Ellie Ellie's Music Shore Heart Pendants are perfect for a festival outfit! Find it here!

Enter Ellie Ellie's Father's Day Competition!

IT'S COMPETITION TIME!

WIN one of our best selling Personalised Map Keyrings plus your choice of gift wrap & matching card for your Dad this Father’s Day!

All you have to do to win is head over to the Ellie Ellie Facebook page, 'like' us and comment on our competition post telling us which TWO locations you would choose for your Dad and why?

The best personalisation story will be chosen on the 10th of June by a sophisticated panel of the Ellie Ellie team! So dig deep people, it’s all about the location & good luck!

For more information about our Map Keyring, check it out here!

101 Summer Activities

After all that inspiration if you're still stuck for ideas, you can't go wrong with Ellie Ellie's Pick Up Sticks Game! Hours of fun for all the family and can be played come rain or shine (we know what the British weather can be like!)

A great game for all the family, find it here!

Camping for beginners!

There really is no better way to escape the hustle and bustle of general life than escaping to the countryside for a camping trip. Whether you're looking for something to do with the kids, or a woodland party with some friends, a camping trip is a great option!

 

We've gathered together some great tips for first time campers! If you're new to camping, these handy tips should set you well on your way.

 
Tents-

Always go for a tent that's a bit bigger than what you think you need. 9 times out of 10 you'll need extra space, plus when it comes to sleeping it'll give you a bit more comfort than being sandwiched like sardines.

Bedding-

Sleeping bags are a handy tool, but if you're like us and you like your creature comforts ..take your duvet! Nothing spells a good nights sleep then your own duvet and pillows. We'd go for extra blankets to make a lining for the bottom of the tent too! If you can get your mits on some vacuum pack storage bags to make the bed stuff more easy to transport that would be a bonus!

Clothing-

Always be prepared for what ever the British weather can throw at you. Make sure you check the weather forecast before you pack to give you a rough (emphasis on rough) idea of what you are likely to be dealt.You'll need everything from wellies, to sun cream.

Light-

Make sure you've invested in some good torches, as it gets pretty dark out in the sticks no matter the season. If you decide to take a late night stroll to explore, you'll need a torch to find your way back! It's essential, so don't over look it!

Food-

Most likely you'll be cooking off a BBQ or open fire, so keep it simple. Think about taking things that don't need too much preparation (unless of course you can prepare it before you set off!) Remember anything that needs to be kept cool needs to be kept in a cool bag!

Ellie Ellie's Recycled Picnic Bags are a great piece of equipment for outdoor adventures - thermal lined to keep your food or drinks cool, it's a great size too so big enough for picnic nibbles!

Make room for some Easter activities!

Easter is a great time of the year, with a bit of luck Spring will be starting to show it’s face and families will be home together for a day of egg hunts and chocolate eating competitions.

We’ve found a little game that is huge fun for all the family.. Pin the tail on the bunny!

To play is simple – just print out our bunny picture (right click and save the image to your computer, then you can pull it up as an image and print as big as you fancy!) gather some cotton wool and glue it onto a small circle of card (roughly 5cm round) and wait for it to dry. Pop some double sided sticky tape on the back of the tail, grab yourself a vintage scarf to act as blindfold and you are all set to play!

If you fancy going the whole hog, why not get the kids to get their creative juices flowing? Everyone loves a bit of colouring in!

Pin your bunny masterpiece up on the wall, blindfold your first player and give them a spin around! Watch in hysterics as they try and find the bunny and pin on the tail!

Great game for an Easter party, whether you’re a big or little kid! Enjoy!