I’m very excited because I’ve been given a day at the Meanwhile Space just off Brick Lane in London’s Whitechapel. There will be a free Mimimyne eco bag for the first 20 people to visit the Mimimyne stall and we will also offer you the chance to sign up for our newsletter and have a chance to win a fantastic prize at the end of the day! We’ll also be handing out information about the Stepney Timebank, which enables organisations and individuals to get to know their neighbours and people in their community by exchanging skills. The Secret Seed Society will also have a stall selling their beautiful vegetable growing kits – perfect for Spring – including children’s story books, growing instructions and more. They will also have some giveaways on the day, so don’t miss this. Come and visit us on Monday 11th April between 10am and 6pm!

The address is

3-5 Whitechapel Road

London

E1 1DU

I was an official Finalist at the Make Your Mark in the Markets competition with Enterprise UK: sadly I didn’t win this Award, but it was an enjoyable event with some speakers from the various organisations for market traders and I had the opportunity to meet some of the other finalists. I took the kids along (school holidays!) and they insisted on appearing in the Finalists photo!

Finalists for Make Your Mark in the Markets Awards

Enterprise UK

I’m very happy to have been given a pitch at Spitalfields Market, twice voted Best London Market, which is in my opinion the coolest and most stylish market in London. It has fantastic stalls, great shops and beautiful architecture: what could be better? Also, speaking as someone who’s done a lot of outdoor events, I will be very happy to be under cover and knowing that my lovely products won’t be blown away by breezes or rained on!

Dates for Mimimyne at Spitalfields Market this May confirmed so far:

Friday 14th May
Sunday 16th May
Monday May 17th
Tuesday May 18th
Sunday May 23rd
Monday May 24th
Tuesday May 25th
Friday May 28th
Sunday May 30th

If you’re planning a visit to Spitalfields over the next couple of weeks, look out for me! Hope to see you there.

The Women on their Way Awards, for which I was nominated as one of the Best Online Businesses, was a great day out and very inspiring. I didn’t win the award, but had a very enjoyable day catching up with some of the fantastic people that I’ve chatted with on Twitter and met at other events. We listened to a talk from Caroline Marsh (from the Secret Millionaire series). From a difficult start in Africa after her family fell on hard times, she went on to work as an air hostess, move to the UK and then build up a million pound property portfolio. She is very active in her local area doing charity work as well, helping young people get a start in business. One thing I enjoyed about the Awards was how varied they were, taking in so many different areas of business and charitable work. Here is a photo of all the nominees and award winners together, from the day!

Women on their Way Awards 2010 Nominees and Finalists

Wednesday 9th December 12 noon to 2pm
Venue: Ping Pong Dim Sum (Private Room) 3 Appold Street London EC2A 2AF tel: 020 7422 0780 Nearest Town: London

Reserve your free ticket to the Mumpreneurs Meetup on Eventbrite here

After the great success of our first Mumpreneurs Meetup as part of Business Mum Week, Mimimyne is running another informal networking lunch for mumpreneurs/ businessmums and all women running or interested in running their own businesses.This event is aimed at encouraging women who might not otherwise have considered attending a networking event to consider starting their own businesses, however men are also welcome.

Speakers (to be confirmed) will include Sadie Knight from Glassraven to talk about ecommerce and web design and Natalie Lue of Self Employed Mum to talk about how to make a living as a blogger. These are informal ten minute talks and there will be opportunities to network as well.

BTTradespace will also give a short presentation about how to create your free Tradespace and maximise your online presence.

The event, in the gorgeous private dining room at Ping Pong Dim Sum (www.pingpongdimsum.com), is free to attend and includes a delicious Dim Sum buffet sponsored by BTTradespace! Spaces are limited but babies are welcome (there will be hot drinks served, so we ask all attendees to watch their children carefully) and there is space to leave prams.

Join us in this private room for dim sum!

Had a wonderful time at the Mumpreneurs Networking Event to celebrate Business Mum Week 2009! We had about 30 guests including four babies and toddlers, already keen networkers! Guests included Natalie Lue of Bambinogoodies,
Vicky Linnett of Flamecat (www.flamecat.com), Olivia King-Boateng of the Excelsya Women’s Business Book Club (www.excelsya.co.uk), Wanda Hu (http://www.sweetpotato-archimedia.com), Oleander William (www.creativelifestyle.org.uk), Sarah Dawnay
(http://www.kid-shops.com), Iveta Tancheva (www.mumslikeyou.com), Fiona Monks
(www.bttradespace.com), Suzanne Dibble (www.lawyers4mumpreneurs.com), Alexandra Tham and Caroline Wall from www.green-eyed-monster.co.uk, Birgit Medele (www.clearofclutter.com) and Christine Pitzer (www.mandamania.com), Jo Molloy of Pea Productions. Such was my excitement on the day that I managed to lose my list of all the delegates, so please contact me if I’ve inadvertently left you out! Antonia Chitty gave a great talk about how she set up her own PR business and became a successful author (her books include the latest The Mumpreneur Guide): I found it particularly interesting that she plans her activities each day very carefully to stop her wasting time staring at the PC in the morning and trying to work out what to do first (so easy to do!). Alison Rothwell of the SEO Training Club had some great tips for time-saving tweeting if you are using Twitter in business. Some good tips: use Hootsuite to schedule tweets and Tweetdeck to read them, so you don’t have to wade through everything. Alison also confided in me she runs four businesses at the moment – how amazing is that! Lana from the East London Small Business Centre gave a short talk on how to access funding in the area. We all had some delicious dim sum and jasmine tea and enjoyed hugely having the chance to connect with other business women in a friendly and relaxed way. Next time I hope to have experts talking about blogging, law for small businesses and ecommerce, so watch this space!

Green Canary Day

Now in its eighth year, Green Canary Day 2009 will take place over 2 days on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd October 2009 in Canary Wharf. There will be activities, stalls, giveaways and demonstrations from environmental companies, charities, energy companies and others to help you learn more about environmental issues and how to be greener at home and at work.

Saturday will be a day for all the family with extra activities for children and adults alike. We can’t wait – look forward to seeing you there!

Totally Tots Baby and Child Fair

The Totally Tots Baby and Child Fair will bring together small businesses and national brands showcasing a huge variety of innovative products and different activities for you, parents who want to know more! They have secured sponsorship from Capture Images and Bright Horizons and will be supporting the Oxfordshire Playbus.

There will be so much to do on the day…

* Have your portrait taken with the Capture Images team.
*Jump aboard the Playbus for lots of fun (FREE)!
*FREE Goody bags for the first 500 visitors.
*Meet exhibitors, business & charity stands
*FREE demonstration sessions.
*WIN in the Playbus charity prize draw.
*Facepainting, hair braiding, pottery painting.
*Meet Bertie Bear of Perfect Party Solutions.
*Leave your dad in the Daddies Creche sponsored by Scally Rally.
*Quiet room for changing and feeding.
*Refreshments available all day.
*Special show offers and discounts from exhibitors

It’s going to be a great day and we very much hope that you can join us there!

See you there

Business Mum Week 2009

Mimimyne has set up a Mumpreneurs Networking Event in East London as part of Business Mum Week 2009!

Wednesday 7th October 12 noon to 2pm
Venue: Ping Pong Dim Sum (Private Room) 3 Appold Street London EC2A 2AF tel: 020 7422 0780 Nearest Town: London

Informal networking lunch for mumpreneurs/ businessmums and women running or interested in running their own businesses, come along and meet Antonia Chitty, author of The Mumpreneur Guide, who will be giving her top tips for mumpreneurs.

Antonia Chitty will have a prize draw for her book, The Mumpreneur’s Guide, retail cost £18, and some other prizes, so bring your business cards to enter the draw!

Alison Rothwell, of the SEO Training Club, is also going to attend and give her tips on Twitter for business.

Lana Hersak-Mullins, Business Counsellor for the East London Small Business Centre will give a short talk on what is currently on offer to entrepreneurs in East London, and will be happy to answer any questions women might have about starting up a small business.

The event, in the gorgeous private dining room at Ping Pong Dim Sum (www.pingpongdimsum.com), is free to attend although you will have to pay for your own lunch, however the menu is very reasonably priced and delicious! Free copies of eco-directory The Book of Green and the Business Mums Journal will be available to take home.

Join us in this private room for dim sum!

More info about Business Mum Week 2009 events here

Mimimyne will have a stall at the Ruxley Manor Family Fun Day, in Sidcup, Kent on the 18th July 2009: we’re donating 10% of our stall takings to Demelza Children’s Hospice which is the charity the event is supporting.

A fantastic FREE day out for the entire family!

Be entertained by the magician, laugh with the clown and enjoy the lively atmosphere created by the Phoenix Dixie Land Jazz Band!

For sheer family fun get ready for the challenge of the 65 foot long inflatable assault run – can you complete it?!

The event will also feature some local groups and crafts people, including the Ruxley Beekeepers, who will be bringing their observational hive, a Kentish Wood turner who will be demonstrating the ancient craft of “bodging” and Roundwood Orchard Pig Company – a rare breed pig farmer offering great quality pork. Too many others to list here so please join us on the day!

Ruxley Manor is also a garden centre and will be offering 50% off selected pots, plants and compost!

NO NEED TO BOOK

Mimimyne will be sharing a stand with Paintbox (the Stepney-based community playgroup for under 5′s) on Saturday 13th June from 12 noon till 5pm in Shandy Park, Stepney as part of the Deal With It Day 2009 (download PDF flyer here). This drugs awareness day and community event will feature a tea dance for older residents, a bouncy castle, mendhi, a graffiti project and a football tournament. Paintbox will have a ‘fish for a duck’ event with prizes for every child and Mimimyne will be selling organic clothes and toys for children.

Mimimyne will have a stall at the Alleyns Head, Park Hall Road, West Dulwich, London, SE21 8BW this Saturday the 23rd May between 9am and 12pm. The Alleyns Head Pub is running a small fair for local people with all proceeds going towards a breast cancer research charity. I’m looking forward to visiting this pub, which gets rave reviews from locals.

Last year I was asked to be a guest speaker at the launch of a Leicestershire-based charity, Giving World Online, who put businesses in the UK in touch with charities who can take their unwanted business surplus stock or equipment and redistribute it to those in need. The charity has been a fantastic success and the founders Rama and Sujata have just been given the Leicestershire Woman in the Community Award at the Leicestershire Women of Achievement Awards 2009 – well done Rama and Sujata! It was great to meet everyone and I was thrilled to be able to speak there and talk about how businesses can be more ethical in the products they well and how recycling can keep business waste out of landfill. It’s the first time I’ve spoken in front of so many people so I was a bit wobbly at first, but hopefully this video will interest you if you want to know about green business, or recycling!

Hi,

I want you to take a look at: Kids.modern Roundup where Mimimyne gets a nice mention from Natalie, the editor at the excellent Bambino Goodies website!

Love Mimimyne

Last Sunday Mimimyne exhibited at Kids.Modern, where we met lots of kids and their parents and generally had a lovely time. The Paperpod Den, painted in a Magritte style with a blue sky, apple and bowler hat by my friend Amanda, a scenic painter, was a huge hit as was the Paperpod Aeroplane in the style of Juan Miro. Lots of children tried out the Splat Chair and spent a lot of time in our Den or drawing at the Little Genius tables belonging to Arash and Kelly‘s stand next door (blackboard paint seems to be a theme at the show, we had our Chalkboards and Arash and Kelly had a whole blackboard stand where children could write and draw). The Teenytini range was also very popular on my stand.  I had time to nip upstairs to visit Suzi of Twisted Twee, who had brought all her funky kids and babies’ T-shirts, and I also admired the Billy Rocker cardboard rocking horse, the fantastic Shapemaker by Miller Goodman and the Iain Childs toy boxes from some of the other stands. There were great designers, a puppet show and a barbecue, it really was a perfect event for kids and families.

Press Release for immediate distribution

02/03/09

Was your New Year’s Resolution to organise your children’s playroom or nursery better?

Come on down to the Kids.Modern exhibition on Sunday 15th February where you can view a fantastic new product designed by Spinifex, the SPLAT Child’s Chair. The chair has just been launched exclusively on Mimimyne , the designer eco shop for families. It’s a fully biodegradable chair made from reclaimed cardboard that doubles as a storage unit for art materials, games and small toys. It can also be customised by parents or children. Compartments in the back hold art materials while paper is stored under the seat. It is made from laminated cardboard sheets threaded on postal tubes. The chair is recommended for children from aged 3-6 years old.

The SPLAT Child’s Chair and other Mimimyne products will be shown at the Kids.Modern exhibition , an exciting and innovative show bringing together the slickest furniture, fashion and collectables for children under one roof. Kids.Modern is about fun, thought-provoking design adults appreciate and kids remember for life. Appreciating that children not only deserve modern design but also understand it, Kids.Modern sources the UK, as well as Europe and Scandinavia to bring together the coolest products from 50 clever designers and producers. Kids will love playing with some of the incredible pieces for sale and enjoy some of the creative make and do stands. Outside, expect a kid-friendly bbq, free puppet show and free parking.

KIDS.MODERN
West Dulwich BR
Sunday 15th February 2009
Dulwich College, SE21 7LD
10am–4pm
Entrance £6
Children £2
Early entry for trade 9am

SPLAT CHAIR COLOURS: Brown with natural, white, red, blue, green, yellow or pink seat colour.

SPLAT CHAIR DIMENSIONS: 500 X 500 X 300 mm

SPLAT CHAIR PRICE: £69 plus delivery (£15)

For more information and details contact Tabitha Potts

Email tabitha@mimimyne.com
Skype tabithapotts
Phone 0208 133 0961

Unfortunately Mimimyne won’t be able to go to this as I’m going to be very busy getting ready for Kids.Modern, but the Bristol Twestival looks like it’s going to be a fantastic affair for users of Twitter and social networks generally; the whole bash is in aid of charity:water and some great raffle prizes are on offer including (ahem) two bags made exclusively for Mimimyne by Carry-a-bag. We’re thrilled to be supporting this charitable event! If you’re in the Bristol area you should definitely go – it’s on the 12th of February.

Happy Christmas to all our Mimimyne customers, friends and fans!

This is a gentle reminder that the last posting date for second class Royal Mail delivery is on the 18th of December, so if you would like to get any last-minute gifts from Mimimyne this will be your final chance! Best sellers at the East London Design Show and the Eco Design Christmas Fair have been the Mum’s Bag and My Bag (for children) designed by Carry-a-bag (the Saturday Telegraph profiled designer Sally Walton and her husband Stewart in their “Eco-heroes” column recently). Online, Paperpod’s Aeroplane and Toddlers Chairs, Twisted Twee’s “Dad and Son” T-shirts especially the “Pint and Halfpint” T shirt Combo and all of Creative Charlie’s craft kits have been very popular.

For Londoners, Mimimyne is doing our last Sunday stall at Spitalfields UpMarket (we are in the Colour Rooms by the Backyard, which is just off Brick Lane and opposite the Vibe Bar) this Sunday the 21st December, and will have some special seasonal prices!

Jocasta Innes made some home-made pomanders for Mimimyne to sell at the Eco Design Christmas Fair last weekend, which were a hit with shoppers! They are an Old English traditional gift, used for room scenting and natural moth repellents. If you’re stuck for last minute gifts, try making one of these using the following instructions! You will need a small orange, some cloves, a knitting needle or toothpick (to make holes), ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice (optional, if you want to scent the fruit), masking tape and a length of pretty ribbon if you wish to hang it up. Take the orange and decorate with cloves, making a hole with the pin and studding the cloves in close together (but not so the holes touch) in a regular pattern. Ideally, they should cover the surface of the fruit to help preserve it indefinitely. If you want to hang it up, use the masking tape to mark off four strips of orange undecorated in a ‘cross’ pattern from top to bottom of the orange (take this off when you have finished studding in the cloves). This is for your ribbon, so imagine you are wrapping a round parcel and you will see what I mean! Dry in an oven at a low temperature, for an hour. If the surface is covered densely with cloves, you can then roll your pomander in cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice once a day for a week, to add to the lovely Christmassy smell. The orange will shrink to a smaller size, so do not fasten the ribbon on until you have baked it.

With thanks to all our customers at Mimimyne! Don’t forget, you can also join our Facebook Fan Page for news and updates! Have a lovely Christmas and New Year,

Love, Mimi and Myne

A great time was had by all at the East London Design Show. The Mimimyne stand was made up to look like a garden, with an astroturf floor, apples hanging from the ceiling and blue sky walls. The mannequins dressed in clothes by Teenytini looked charming and the cardboard aeroplane by Paperpod, Splat Chair by Spinifex and furnishings by Naomi Dean attracted a lot of attention. Best sellers were the Mums Bag and My Bag by Carry-a-bag!