Blog
Welcome to Osborn & William's blog page! We are very excited to have this space to let you know what we we've been up to and what we discover on our travels to bring you the very best of what's out there for precious bundles and new parents and young children. Happy reading...
31 January 2012
My goodness, good things do take time. The new website is so so close to being finished but there are some niggles before we can release it into the wild. We are in the final process of making sure the shopping cart is safe and secure and re-adjusting the menu so that it is nice and organised! Boring but necessary to ensure a smooth shopping experience. It is so frustrating to not be able to forge on with updating the site with more new products but patience is a virtue I tell myself on a daily basis. In other news, we have been attending all of the big shows to scout out new, fun, shiny gorgeous products for 2012. Big trends that we have spotted:
1. Union Jack and basically anything british- No surprise here as we are winding up for one britastic year of celebration with Jubilee craziness and Olympic mania. We can't wait! Look out for decs, bunting and union jack clothing from us to join in the celebrations. Lots of outdoor and sport-related toys and activities.
2. Autumn 2012 ( we know we know, a long way off, but all right now for the behind the scenes people!) lots and lots of plum tones in clothing
3. Rainbows a-plenty. Beautiful colourful and happy rainbows on everything from toys to room decoration. We love them.
4. Sausage Dogs- On everything from toys to clothing. Who can resist them? We stock a very adorable life-sized dachsund. Check him out!
Look for these themes and many more from planet Osborn & William.
By the way, we are now on Twitter. We will broadcast news and offers here. Give us a try- you never know what you may find!
25 October 2011
There is a tremendous amount of activity going on behind the scenes at Osborn & William. We are building a brand new website behind the one you are now looking at. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the website fairies can help us get it up and running before Santa writes his final lists. But great things take time and we want to get it as close to perfect as we can. I am so excited about the new site because it will allow lots of great interactivity. You will be able to make wish lists, write product reviews, respond to my blogs & view multiple images of products. I also hope you will be inspired but the gorgeous new look! If you have visited our Dedham High Street shop, you know how jam packed full of goodies it is. It is our goal in the new year to get everything in the shop on the web. A tall order but we aim high always. Again, I thank all of you loyal customers out there. Your custom is so appreciated!
15 August 2011
There is a distinct autumn chill in the air and our thoughts are turning towards cosy warm things... We have some rather delicious little numbers from Darcy Brown arriving daily. The girls and I just wish they came in our size! I don't wish to leave out the boys eithertWe have some wardrobe classics in the form of brushed cotton chinos an the scrummiest wintery Christmas jumper. As these beautiful clothes arrive we will pop them on the website. We always have limited sizes available so if you are eyeing something in particular, don't hesitate because they won't hang around for long. In addition to our Darcy Brown clothing we also have lovely snuggly pyjamas and night dresses from Powellcraft and Turquaz on their way.
  
6 July 2011
A quick note to let you know that Osborn & William will be at a terrific production of The Venetian Twins tonight and all this week at Castle House Dedham. The production is being staged by the Dedham Players and is nearly sold out- so if you'd like to pop along and visit Osborn & William's sweetie stall and take in a fun summer production- we'd all love to see you. Click on the link to find out more about the Dedham Players. To the players on opening night: Break a leg!
8 April 2011
What amazing Spring weather! It makes you feel lighter in your step and puts a smile on your face. The daffodils are blooming, the kids are breaking up for the holidays and baby lambs are being born every day. In the field opposite my house the boys and I go everyday to see how many lambs are there. Yesterday's count was 4. Adorable. Along with the lambs and the chicks, it's babies babies babies! We are getting cleaned out of our new baby and christening presents and are on the hunt for new and different pressies that are cute, well-made and useful for the new bundle. Look out for some lovely new things from Picallily, Organics for Kids and more snugglies and musical wonders from Trousselier.
In shop, we are running a special event tomorrow, the 9th of April. We will be offering 10% off of everything in the shop and 15% off of all clothing. How's that for a nice Spring gift? In addition, there will be bubbly wine, cupcakes, balloons for the children and samples of our burgeoning sweet shop... Come on in! Becky and I would love to see you.
22 February 2011
Can this be the first chat with you since the new year has begun? Well, I can inform you that we needed the break after our first in-store Christmas! It was all go go go for a few months. But, with the last of the winter weather lingering under British grey skies...it is a good time for reflection. I have learned so much in the past few months about running a shop and what customers really want. We are set in a little-ish village and we have a very strong and loyal local customer base (thank you!). People want great quality for great value. People want to shop in a lovely environment with friendly, solicitious customer service without the hard-sell. People want unique products that can't be found in the big soul-less high street chains. People want variety. Well, dear reader, we aspire to meet all of these desires. We thoroughly enjoy sourcing these goodies and putting them before you. I can not tell a lie, it is a constant challenge and I can assure you, we work round the clock (even dreaming of toys and goodies at 3:00 inthe morning!) to make Osborn & William a one stop shop for all your children's gift giving needs.
Latest challenge- beautiful clothing that not everyone else is wearing but should be. May we introduce you to our new gorgeous line of clothing from Darcy Brown?
 
Stay tuned for more special clothing to come from Rachel Riley over the coming month...
9 December 2010
Taking a moment away from the High Street Shop to drop you all a note. This has been a tremendously busy week and it is a challenge keeping on top of stock control! Bestsellers this week have been our Jack Russells and the Djeco Drawing a Fashion Collection. Both are now sold out before Christmas. We will of course get more in for January but I must apologize to all of you looking for them for Christmas. It is not always easy to predict which items will be the most popular!
If you are in Dedham tonight or the next two Thursdays leading up to Christmas, stop on by for some late night Christmas shopping. We endeavor to make the experience very civilized with champagne and bubbly music!
26 November 2010
Happy pre-Christmas nuttiness to all of you! We have been so busy in the shop over the past week. I think the 'oh my gosh Christmas is only a few weeks away I better buy all my presents' has really kicked in! We are trying to make sure that we maintain good stock levels throughout the next few weeks. It is a tricky balance as this is our first shop Christmas. The big best seller has been our little shopping trolley.  It is universally loved and we so enjoy seeing little ones pushing it around and filling it up with shopping goodies. Sadly, we can't get anymore in before the big holiday. There is absolutely no stock left in the UK :-( Never mind, we have plenty of other fabulous toys to go around. We have lots of the very popular cupcake & pizza sets and dogs and dollies aplenty! Another fantastic gift to fly out lately has been our hampers in little cases filled with sweeties and pocket money toys. We carry so many pocket money treats that it is difficult to keep up on the website. As we grow, we will hire more elves to keep up with the demand ;-)
6 October 2010
The body is a bit exhausted today! I was at Cressing Temple doing their fabulous Shopping Extravaganza- sadly not shopping for moi but happily manning the Osborn & William stand. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and admired or purchased. These shows are very hard work- putting together an attractive stand in two hours flat is no easy task I can assure you- but for very worthy causes. In this case the cause was Action Medical Research. I am sure the team who organised the fair raised quite a lot of money!
In other news, I would like to welcome our new shop assistants extraordinaire Melanie & Emma. They are absolute delights and will serve you with a smile and helpfulness in abundance. Emma will tail the days on Tuesday afternnoons and Melanie will be in the shop on Mondays and Thursdays. You're great girls- keep up the good work!
27 September 2010
The shop goes from strength to strength! We have been featured this month in Essex Life Magazine as one of Dedham's High Street heroes- hooray! I have been photographed along side our now famous giraffe. We have had many in the window now- each time we pop one in- he disappears to a loving home. All of our big cuddly animals have been very popular and there has been much giggling as the big creatures make their way up or down the High Street with their new owners. Great stuff. Here are a few piccies of the shop...
Outside the shoppie...
Inside the shoppie...
Allison in the door of the shop...
31 August 2010
Oh my goodness what a time we've had over the past couple of weeks! We've gone from an empty shop with manky carpet and tired walls to a thriving colourful children's shop in no time. I am absolutely amazed at what we've achieved in so short a space of time. Friends and family have been so encouraging and supportive. Special thanks to Lisa, Sue, Sophie, Elizabeth, Emma, Briony, Anne, Jayne Alexia & Alice. The husband has been invaluable in his expertise with a screwdriver and paint brush and being in charge of small boys. Paddy & Sam for your marketing expertise. Thank you to all of our first customers for coming and buying and giving us great feedback! That's what it's all about. Community and involvement. Especially great to see all of the babies and children coming in and having fun! Right, back to pricing everything. Also, all of you coming online after visiting the store, stay tuned. All the fabulous instore products will be trickling onto the website over the coming weeks. We need to move some things around and make room, so be patient with us please! It'll be worth it. xoxo
14 August 2010
Well, in shop news, we have had in Gary the fabulous carpenter and all around good guy re-fitting shelving for us. We are hoping to be in for Bank Holiday weekend. We really really really want to be in to show all of the fantastic goodies on offer. This is all pending boring paperwork completion! Even though we do not have the doors officially open to you, there is so much going on behind the scenes. Thank you thank you thank you to all the wonderful friends and family out there (you know who you are!) who have offered up helping hands to help look after children and hold paint brushes and just generally offer up great advice and hugs. We love you! Today we are heading over to headquarters with buckets of paint to begin the colour transformation. Hopefully son number 1 won't end up covered in paint!
12 July 2010
Greetings! The shop plan is coming on and the summer holiday for the little rugrats is fast approaching. With the shop opening our little family certainly does not have enough time for taking a big hoiday. We are planning on 2 nights of camping in Norfolk. Our tent has been pitched in the garden for the past week and son no. 2 has fallen in love with it. We pitched it as a birthday treat for son no. 1 when he had his first sleepover complete with moonlit night creature hunt and midnight feast. Great fun.
We are sorting out shelving, tables, paint colours and of course amazing products. Our product line is going to explode with goodies over the next couple of months. We really look forward to bringing you scrummy treats for all children up to 11 years of age.
Sneak preview du jour:
   
17 June 2010
Blog blog blog. Oh dear. We forgot to blog again. I assure you it's for a good reason. Can you keep a secret? We're opening our first fabulous bricks and mortar shop! We will be on Dedham High Street and the Osborn & William hive is busier than ever preparing the shop for opening. We will announce our opening date as soon as it is confirmed but look for doors to open August-September. We will be on our lovely village High Street here in Dedham- one of the loveliest villages in East Anglia. We are very very excited! A reminder to all that you can also keep up to date on our frequently updated Facebook page. Join us!
6 April 2010
Signs of spring everywhere at last! We have been so busy these past couple of weeks with the holidays and the fair that I am only just now posting a pic of our stall at the Country Living Spring Fair in London. What a week! Osborn & William seemed to be more or less constantly busy and we found ourselves lurking at the edges of the stall to have a bite of sandwich and a slurp of tea every now and again to keep ourselves going! There was a fabulous Taylors of Harrogate tea room on our floor that beckoned us frequently to eat marmalade cake! Yummy... The feedback from all of you who visited us was overwhelmingly positive. One lovely expectant mummy and her friends dubbed us the 'cooiest stall at the fair'. We are so flattered! The bestsellers were overwhelmingly the gorgeous organic baby rompers and accessories as well as music boxes and our peek-a-boo doudous. You all loved those. Thanks for stopping by and seeing us all of you!
24 February 2010
When oh when will the great thaw occur? This has been one of the chilliest winters I can remember. We go into the garden to sort things out for spring and then retreat very quickly as the snow/sleet/rain covers our East Anglian garden. Sigh. Even though spring hasn't graced our garden properly, we're still planning for it. We will be at the Country Living Spring Fair in Islington from 24-28 March and as ever look forward to the opportunity to show Osborn & William goodies live as well as meet some of our amazing customers. Will you be popping by? I sure hope so.
2 February 2010
Yikes! Has it really been so long since I've blogged? We have passed the BIG winter holiday with not a peep from us to update this page. Sorry about that. This was our busiest Christmas ever and I am pleased to say we survived! However, it didn't leave much time for blogging. So, fast approaching are some lovely holidays that are a joy to think about. Valentine's Day is around the corner and we have some very sweet little love hearts (as my youngest son calls them) that play a lullaby to baby. Perfect baby Valentine's Day pressie.
Stay warm- I'll be back with some Mother's Day ideas and an update on our stall at the Country Living Spring Fair soon!
5 November 2009
Remember Remember! Happy Bonfire Night everyone! I think it's going to be sausages and sparklers all around at our place. The cold winds are definitely coming and I think it's goodbye Indian Autumn and hello winter nights.
I wanted to do a quick post to say hats off to my family for being absolute stars yesterday. Son no. 2 had his first proper lunch at Big School and handled himself like a proper big boy. He still looks so diddy in his school uniform and I must get a grip and stop choking up every time I think of him flying the coop. Even though he's ready and I thought I was too!
 
Second hat off to Husband No. 1. Yesterday we marked his official graduation from a 7 year odyssey to receive a BSC in Science from Birkbeck College. It had nothing to do with his career but everything to do with his pursuit to better his brain. He graduated with no less than a First Class degree. Nothing less would do for a First Class husband. Well done darling!
Oh, and, Son No. 1- well done for being a fantastic big brother and looking after your little brother in big school.
Ok, boast blog over.
25 October 2009
Country Living! Country Living! We are getting so excited about coming to the big smoke with all of our lovely goodies. We really want to have a good show and have a star line-up wth all of our gorgeous products. Can't wait to show off everything we have been working so hard on putting together. I popped along to the Dedham Mother & Toddler Group last Tuesday and had such great feedback our Christmas lineup. Our stocking fillers seemed really on the money & we had great feedback on our old fashioned toy hampers  At the CL Fair we will be offering all of our stocking fillers wrapped up in colourful tissue and tied with happy red gingham ribbon ready to be popped straight into children's stockings. Also on offer will be free delivery on all gift boxes booked at the show. So come ready to order!
8 October 2009
I've just had a really lovely lunch at The Mercury Theatre in Colchester. There was a talk with the renowned interiors designer William Yeoward and lovely nibbly lunch. I went to it guiltily because of the mound of work I have but it was well worth it. William was full of fantastic tips and he is just a really fascinating individual. The whole thing was arranged by Francie Readman Interiors who have just launched their new website today. Most importantly, the main aim was to raise money for a fantastic and very worthy charity called Homestart who help struggling families get back on their feet. Well done everyone!
30 September
You may have noticed in the last few days that the website has gone a little topsy turvy. Sorry! We've added some new categories to make room for new products like our children's gifts. There are some fabulous new things popping up on the website daily, so do keep coming back and having a peek. In the meantime, apologies about the scrambled categories. I think we're getting there.
25 September 2009
Life here in Osborn & William land is hectic and crazy right now. I am experiencing the mania of working mothers everywhere trying to juggle homework, email, phone calls & 'What's for Tea Mummy?' Ahhh... my favourite question. We are working furiously here to get our Christmas goodies and all of our beautiful new stock onto the site. We are launching a new line of gifts for the older baby up to 5 years old as well as a whole new range of gift boxes. The Osborn & William keepsake box has proven so popular that is is now going through it's second print run (Hooray!). The boxes are still just as gorgeous but with a slightly more intense pink and a bluer blue. Daily we are receiving deliveries of wonderful new products from Trousselier, Rosie Flo, Organics for Kids...and so the list goes on. We will have a new feedback section on the site soon (Thank you for all of your wonderful complements!) We aren't slowing down and our preparations for The Country Living Fair are at full tilt as well. So, what's for tea boys? Fish fingers anyone?
7 September 2009
It's back to school today! Hooray! The weather turned decidedly cosy this past week and I began conjuring up images of open fires and hot chocolate. And with that change, I began to crave the routine of school. The boys were starting to get a little antsy around the house with lots of 'I'm bored...' and 'I don't have anything to do'...Son number one was only too pleased to put his uniform back on. Let's see if he still feels the same way next week! Meanwhile it's back to pre-school for the littlest man.
Speaking of cosy, we are going to be getting in some gorgeous little booties for baby. They are all natural sheepskin, made in Wales and are just the thing to keep little toes warm for the coming cold weather. I wish they came in my size. Check back in a couple of weeks when they will be in.
They are called Cwtch's - Welsh for love....
19 August 2009
We had the most wonderful holiday in France. I can not recommend the French treehouse experience enough. It was very magical and peaceful sleeping up a tree and the boys thought it was all one great big adventure. They did not watch television for a week (I swear it's true!) but spent their time playing butterflies and caterpillars in the surrounding fields. Their little bedroom had built-in bunks and a tree branch growing through it with in-tact leaves. Just marvellous.
Disneyland Paris on the other hand need to try a bit harder. We had a super time in the three days we spent there going on rides and marvelling at the architecture and imagination. However, the food choices are, on the whole, fairly revolting. How is it possible that in one of the most advanced countries gastronomically is it mainly only possible to find burgers and chips at exhorbitent prices? I was so relieved to have a proper meal upon our exit. The rooms in our hotel were also quite tatty and most places in general needed a freshen up and a lesson in efficient customer service from their American counterparts. These things of course were only noticed by the adults- the kids were oblivious and their smiles almost made it worth it.
We are very busy preparing the new fall & winter stock and planning our stall at the Christmas Country Living Fair in London. Seems ridiculous to think of Christmas on a beautiful summer day like today- but that's the way the retail cookie crumbles! More coming soon....
22 July 2009
Summertime...
And we're going on our hols. We've chosen France this year because the boys are learning french and it's right on our doorstep. We've been scaredy cats about driving on the wrong side of the road with a wrong side steering wheel but have decided to take the plunge! (Hopefully not into the English Channel!) We have kitted ourselves out with the driving pack from Halfords and off we'll go for two weeks on Friday morning with GB stickers intact. On the way we'll stop off at Dover Castle- site of R's boyhood adventures on the way to the continent after which we'll head towards a region known as Le Perche. We'll be staying in a treehouse-! (The 2-bedroomed fully plumbed variety) I think the parents are more excited than the children in this instance. All the boys can think about is where we'll be headed after that...a certain park with a famous mouse and lots of rides. Will the parental units survive it? Stay tuned for the next installment!
1 April 2009
Lovely spring time! It is so beautiful outside. I am really enjoying being able to walk out in the garden and watch everything growing. Here is a pic of my little springtime garden (taken at a slightly skewed angle!)
We've all been enjoying the longer days and I love that the boys are happy to go outside and disappear into their own little world in the garden. And since the clocks have moved forward, the boys are getting up at a more sensible time too... Bliss!
24 February
I can honestly say hand over heart that Paris is a fantastic city to take little ones to. The four of us (hubby and 2 small boys) had a very romantic weekend indeed in Paris for Valentines Day. We basically did whatever our 3 and 5 year old wanted to do- with one small exception. They wanted to go all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower but my husband and I were too chicken! They had to settle for stage 2 which was quite high enough thank you very much!
The boys had an absolutely wonderful time and the french could not have been more hospitable to a lady with a pushchair. Doors were opened and it was front of the queue all the way for us. We've never been treated so well. I can highly recommend the Hilton Arc de Triomphe for anyone travelling to gay Paris avec enfants.
3 February
Oh the weather outside is frightful....
My american friends are laughing a little bit at Britain shutting down due to a little snow. Ok. They're laughing a lot! At my son's school they are battle hardened and a little bit of snow was not going to deter the staff and headmistress. So off my son trudged in extra warm hat and gloves. Speaking of warm things, check out our lovely little organic hat just right for keeping soft little heads warm.
In other news, if you would like to catch yourself an Osborn & William bargain, pop by the Nayland Village Hall tomorrow, 4 February where we will be selling some of our baby goodies at very reasonable prices. We're teaming up with other small niche businesses like Peruvian Knitwear to offer the public some great discounts on exceptionally high quality products.
28 January 2009
It has certainly been awhile since I've chatted with you all. The papers are all full of gloom and doom as this new year has dawned. The favourite catch phrase these days seems to be credit crunch... I suppose I am as guilty as the next person to succombing to all of the worries. I do believe we will come through it and should embrace the phrase 'keep calm and carry on'.
The emphasis out there in the world of gift giving for children seems to be on nostalgia these days. To that end, Osborn and William continues to focus on traditional baby gifts to treasure. When we have less to spend, we want to make sure we are spending our money wisely.
23 November 2008
I am pleased to say that we were kept extremely busy on the Osborn & William Stand in Stoke by Nayland! Thank you everybody for your very positive feedback and all of those purchases. It was a great success.
In the meantime, I am one tired Mummy and have come down with the dreaded lurgy. The boys have been fantastic at self-amusing and giving Mummy lots of cuddles. I must say, I have had some lovely hot soaks with my Mummy Bath Grains and candle. Very restorative...
10 November 2008
Well I have not blogged for a couple of weeks mainly due to being rushed off my feet with updating the site and fulfilling orders. It's a very busy time of year! We have a new store layout to allow for all of the new products and product categories we stock. Most notable and most exciting are the new Gourmet Gifts secton and our Made in Britain section. You can also shop easily by recipient or occasion. Have a little browse and see what you think. We also love to hear your feedback. Leave some here if you like... Happy shopping!
Also, if you carry to visit us in person and happen to be in the lovely Dedham Vale, come along on Thursday, 13 November to the Christmas fair in Stoke by Nayland. There are lots of lovely stalls selling and supporting a very worthy cause in aid of St. Elizabeth Hospice. Follow this link for more info http://www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/christmas_gift_fair.php
19 October 2008
We are busy preparing the website to include several new items. We are going to be getting in a whole new shipment from Organics for Kids, Bath House and we will be stocking the gorgeous and organic NooNoo comfort blankets. Check back in a week or so for these. Another exciting new development is the complete overhaul and re-organisation of the website. We will have three new sections including personalised gifts, gifts for daddy and all things Made in Britain. Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out our Doudou Bee as featured on Budget Bambino Goodies. It has been featured as a great credit crunch gift. Very nice indeed all wrapped up for £9.
http://www.budgetbambinogoodies.co.uk/doudou-bee/
12 October 2008
The weekend's weather is absolutely gorgeous and I have just finished updating the site to include some really adorable new giftsets from America. I sold one before I had even finished unpacking the boxes! They are a collection of socks in a box from the people that do our Snuggle Bunny range. They really are beautifully packaged and hard to resist.
My boys are upstairs playing lego and wrapped in a blissfully imaginary world. My cue to get back to work then!
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