Something blog

It's nearly tea o'clock and so I thought I would show you a fabulous milk jug and sugar bowl that I have just added to the website. It's designed by Takae Mizutani and I think she is pretty clever, so I am delighted to have her as a new supplier.

The jug and bowl set is £42.50 and comes in a gift box so will make the perfect gift for all those summer weddings that will start to pop up in the next month or so. Takae has also designed this ingenious Snail plant pot which comes in Small or Large.

Takae's aim is to create products that bring a little smile to people's faces and I think she's done just that.

Apart from her products, the other thing I love about her is that her full company name is Takae Mizutani and Sons - and the sons are her gorgeous black cats, Mooks and Guinness.

If that doesn't bring a smile to your face, I don't know what to suggest...

I know it's very boring to talk about the weather, but what is going on? Some parts of the UK have got so much snow, it wouldn't look out of place in Lapland. And, don't start me on the temperature.

Today, I saw that some of the incredible Cherry Blossom in Japan has come out ten days early, absolutely beautiful - seeing those pictures has proper cheered me up and my spirits have been raised.

So, I've turned my thoughts to the Easter break and I have high hopes for it. Everybody I know seems to be going away - but I am staying at home as I love London during the Easter weekend.

Walking through town, once everybody has fled to more exotic or rural climes, is a joy. You can see that everybody feels a bit perked up with Spring fever or is it the thought of four days off work that makes them giddy with happiness?

When I get home, there will be lots of eating and drinking and catching up with box sets that we have been hoarding for this very weekend. You are up to speed with Breaking Bad aren't you - just checking? If you haven't seen it, you must - one of the best series I have ever seen.

Well, I seem to have the four days planned and sewn up. What else could make your weekend even better, I hear you cry. Apart from our cute White Rabbit necklace that screams Easter gift with no calories, I'm not sure really.

Mmm... unless perhaps you could find me a Giant Hot Cross Bun or an Easter Cocktail?

For those of you that remember the shop, you won't believe it's a year today since we closed its doors. A full 12 months have whizzed by and it kind of doesn't seem possible really. Don't worry, this isn't going to be a 'woe is me' piece, it's just a little nod to my lovely shop.

Having your own shop is great fun but it takes up every waking minute and you do become a bit of a slave to it. Unless you have worked in a shop, you don't really have a clue as to the amount of behind the scenes work that takes place. The 'blood, sweat and tears' take place off-stage and the shop floor is a place of beauty, calm and tranquility with a bit of theatre thrown in - you've only got to watch Mr Selfridge to see what I mean...

You are constantly juggling your diary and staff rotas just to make sure that the shop is manned and one of the consequences is, you miss life stuff.

Now that so many months have passed, I admit that there are some aspects of being a shop girl that I miss - but I have to say, I think I have finally got my life back.

Like any business, running the website also has its challenges, but as you aren't totally on show all the time, it does makes it easier to fit more things in.

To make up the working hours, sometimes I might be at my desk in the early hours or on a few occasions for most of the night, but in return I've been able to catch up with friends and family loads, join a Pilates class, enrol on a six week cookery course taught by the gorgeous Susie Pajares, walk in the park for an hour a day (based on being paranoid that being desk bound was going to turn me into a Sumo type shape) and generally do stuff that normal, non-shop people do. And I LOVE it.

So, if you are planning to do something different with your life or perhaps you have no choice and it's thrust upon you, I wish you the best of luck. I also hope that you will be very happily surprised at how your life turns out.

Like most of the UK, Something HQ is under a thick bed of white fluffy snow and it's still coming down, thick and fast. As the afternoon creeps on and people start to think about making the (long) journey home, I thought it was time for a public service announcement to give you something to look forward to when you finally get indoors.

As you have probably guessed, it's a Hot Toddy recipe and it really does the trick both if you are feeling the cold or if you have a cold.

Now, I know it's only 3.40pm but remember a) it's medicinal and b) it's 5 o'clock somewhere.

Stay warm and safe this weekend X

Thanks to everybody that entered, but there can only be one winner and that is Jill Riddell from Ealing. Congratulations Jill, have a look at the website and let me know when you have chosen your prize. X

Happy New Year! I'm really looking forward to 2013 and I've got high hopes for it as a year. There wasn't anything wrong with 2012, for me it was a year of change and I know that it was for many people, but a change year needs to be followed by a bit of stability and so that's what I am going to hope for, for all of us.

The fact that the sun shone on New Year's Day has got to be a good sign, hasn't it?

I've never been one to make a New Year's resolution, have you? If you have then let me know, because although I've never really been tempted to make my own I am quite fascinated by other people's. Actually, we could turn this into a bit of fun.

Email your 2013 New Year's Resolutions to thegirls@something-shop.com and we will pick a winner at random at 12 noon on Friday 4th. The lucky winner will win an item of their choice from the website, to the value of £50. See you back here at 12 noon on Friday and we will announce the winner.

If you haven't written one yet, it's worth giving it a go now! X

Hope you had a lovely Christmas. I had a great time - my family came for Christmas lunch and my nephew announced his engagement which was a fantastic surprise. I now only have until Spring 2014 to find the perfect outfit - better get my skates on. And so had you because the Something sale started this morning and there are bargains galore! X

It's certainly been an unusual year for Something. Closing the shop in the Spring was a difficult decision and at that time saying goodbye to Lamb's Conduit Street did feel a bit like the end of the world. But then we launched the website in the summer and it brought a whole new way of working with a load of new things to learn. I must admit that there have been a few tears of frustration. However, it's proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

After six months of website sales, we have learned what sells for us online and what doesn't and so with that in mind, there are going to be some changes in 2013. We will start to concentrate much more on homeware including vintage pieces and will scale down in some of our other departments to reflect what people now come to us for.

As so much of what we do now is office based, it was lovely to have the shopping event at home a few weeks ago. It took a lot of furniture moving and husband persuading but it proved to be a success and Karen and I loved having two days of meeting face-to-face customers again. Watch this space because there will definitely be another one in the Summer.

The next big thing on the Something calendar will be the Winter Sale, starting on Friday 28th December. There will be bargains galore with discounts of up to 50% so please put that in your diary. If you have any questions email us at thegirls@something-shop.com and we will come back to you.

Thank you all so much for continuing to support us this year and thanks to all the new faces that have found us online or at the shopping event - stick with us in 2013 because the best is yet to come!

Have a fantastic Christmas and our very best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Toni and the Girls at Something xx

I must let you know that you only have until Monday 17th December to make any last minute Christmas orders. That's the latest date that we can guarantee to process and package everything up in time to get it to you before the big day. Why not go home tonight, pour a nice glass of wine, get your shopping list out and have a look at what we have on offer.

The gorgeous girls at Domestic Sluttery are running a 12 days of Christmas competition for you to win lots of lovely things.

Today they have chosen to feature our website and the lucky winner will win a £50 gift voucher for Something. You've got until midnight tonight to enter, so get your skates on. Winners will be announced tomorrow.

Click here and follow the drill and it could be your lucky day! Good luck X