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Interview // Twig Hutchinson We catch up with British design expert and mother of three, Twig Hutchinson on her cult online journal and how to celebrate Easter in style.  Elegant, understated and artfully undone, Twig Hutchinson’s style is the type you want to instantly emulate. Scroll through her lifestyle site Minford Journal and you enter a world of beautiful, eclectic finds. Whether it is a musing on the latest interiors trend or vintage-inspired sleepwear for children, every post reflects her inimitable aesthetic. Warning: you will want to buy everything featured.  Obsessed with fashion and design since she was a child growing up in rural England, Twig started her career doing work experience with an interior stylist. “From then I was hooked. I set about getting work experience at every magazine I could and carried on assisting lots of different stylists. Then I just got lucky. An editor contacted me about a test shoot I’d recently styled and it all sprang from there.” Now a renowned art director and prop and interior stylist, she spends her time sourcing items and overseeing the styling of shoots and events. “I love that I get to work and collaborate with so many talented, creative people.” “I really enjoy the crossover between interiors and fashion in my work - it means I get to indulge both my great passions!” Vintage items have become one of the hallmarks of her work. “I love the textures and things not looking too perfect. I’m equally as passionate about old French antiques as I am about 50’s and 60’s pieces and I love to mix them together, pairing distressed antique pieces with more modern shapes.”  At the same time as working on shoots and events, Twig also runs the Minford Journal, an online blog where she covers interiors, fashion and chic finds for children. Distilling her exquisite taste into conversational, shoppable posts, it is highly addictive reading. Home is in South London, where she is a mother to three (very well-dressed) children. (Aurelie 12, Benjamin 9 and Clementine, 5) Her advice when it comes to childrenswear? “I buy a few designer pieces for them but nearly always in the sale. I then mix in lots of high street pieces but try to spy out the ones that look more expensive than they are. Often that’s when the colour is muted or there’s a great subtle print. Hopefully that’s what I help to show people on Minford. My advice is: enjoy the time where you can dress them predominantly in what you love. In lightning speed the athleisure phase kicks in and then your opinion counts for nothing. Sob.” “I find the perspective of children a great leveler.” She says her children have taught her to appreciate the simple things in life. “It’s so easy to get bogged down in worrying or your adult concerns but I find the children’s perspectives a great leveler. Their excitement at nature. Their world of make believe and fantasy. Sometimes I really do think there is nothing more perfect than a walk in the sunshine with a little squishy hand held in yours.” With Easter soon approaching, we spoke to Twig about how to celebrate in style with children and her tops picks from Meri Meri. How will you be spending Easter? Easter is a really important time of year for me and my family. We go to church on Easter morning and then come home and have a big lunch, always with lots of family or friends depending on who is around. We crack open the champagne and cook a traditional roast lamb and have loads of puddings and then go into the garden for an Easter egg hunt. It really is one of my favourite times of year. How do you create a stylish children’s Easter party?  Incorporate some more grown up elements. A great example of this is using fresh flowers. Try to think of something a bit more unexpected than say daffodils and go for a selection of delicate seasonal flowers such as cowslips, hellebores or muscari in little vases dotted down the table. Also remember to mix in non-themed party ware. Meri Meri have such a great selection in their beautiful basics range. Mix that with the Easter pieces and it stops everything looking too matchy. The fun bit, let’s face it, comes from the chocolate! Ideas for easy activities with children? I think more so than any other time of the year, Easter is perfect for a good craft session at the kitchen table. If you’re hosting, it’s so easy to miss this bit. I’m really going to try and set aside some time this year where we can all sit down and just enjoy making some things together. Any creative activities are so good for you. We also will do lots of baking together. This year I’d like to nail the vegetable dyed egg thing. My eldest daughter has got really into calligraphy, so she has been tasked with writing all the place names for the table this year. How do you create a unique Easter gift? This year, rather than buying the standard big character eggs from the supermarket, I’m going to buy each of my children a vintage-style papier-mâché egg and fill them with tissue paper and mini foil wrapped eggs and tie it up with a big silk ribbon. Then we can use it again next year. Your three favourite Meri Meri pieces for Easter? The Bunny Hair Slides - I always like to keep a stash of Meri Meri hair clips in my present drawer for children’s parties. Last year I put them in Clementine’s party bags for her friends.  The Bunny Straw Bag - This was both the girls’ favourite piece from the little shoot we did. You just can’t beat a great basket. Blue Gingham Cups - I love that these are subtle and would be just as good for adults as children.   Blog: www.minford.co.uk Instagram: www.instagram.com/minford_journal   Photography by:  Caroline Irby www.carolineirby.comwww.instagram.com/carolineirby

Discover the art of iron-on patches with Meri Meri's stylish guide! Elevate your kids' outfits with inspiration and creative ideas.

Does your kiddo love playing dress-up? Maybe they never miss an opportunity to don their crime-busting gear and play their favorite superhero, especially when it’s time for a knockout birthday party. But with birthday power, comes birthday planning responsibility! Here are some ideas to channel your very own superpowers and transform a standard shindig into a party fit for a hero. Caped Crusader Dress Up Corner What better way to test your kid's lightning quick costume changing skills, than with a dedicated dress-up space? Amidst the superhero party decorations and hanging Zap! Garlands, kit out your corner with a mix of superhero capes, outfits and face paints. Not to mention these zany Zap! Masks. Party guests will relish the chance to transform into their favorite masked conqueror... or nemesis. A Superhero Snack Station When your party guests start to tire from their world-saving actions, get them to refuel at a super-themed snack station. Any party food can be transformed into a super-power source. Load up these Zap! Plates with foods fit for a hero . From sandwiches that pack a punch and fizzing soda in these electrifying Zap! Cups, to fruit cups packed with SUPERfoods, it won’t be long before crime-fighting is back on the party agenda. Just don’t forget the cake and green jello (hello kryptonite) for a dollop of energy. They’re going to need it for some epic masked superhero games! Noble Obstacle Course Your party heroes can save the world with the addition of this action-packed obstacle course. And the best part about this superhero birthday party game? You can use just about anything for the obstacles themselves – think cardboard boxes, and pillows! You’ll witness some courageous moves, as they try challenges ranging from ball throwing and leaping over dangerous enemy barriers, before making their way through cardboard box walls with one swift KaPow! Reward your spectacular saviors with a homemade treat, courtesy of this Zap! Cupcake Kit. Victory has never tasted so sweet. Heroes Vs Villains Balloon Pop Bam! Krunch! Pop? That’s right. A great way to showcase some superhero party decorations is by blowing up a bunch of party balloons and getting the kids to draw on faces. Kind ones for the good guys and evil expressions for their arch nemesis’. The mini masked-marvels will delight in popping all of the villainous balloons as fast as they can, and making sure the heroic ones stay inflated. Whoever ends up with the most deflated bad guys win. Not only do these make awesome superhero party decorations, but they ensure some daring competition in the fight against crime. Powerful Party Favors No superhero birthday party would be complete without party favors. Give your valiant kiddos a mighty take home Zap! Party Bag stuffed full of candy and toys. Oh, and don’t forget to include a little bit of that magical birthday cake from earlier. They’ll need it for more crime-fighting capers once they get back home.

Ahoy me hearties, with a little clever preparation you can transform your house, or any venue, into a swashbuckling scene that will take the lucky birthday boy or girl’s breath away! It’s not just about buying essential party supplies such as balloons and garlands, but also getting creative with those extra special touches that make all the difference. Investigate crafts, games, foods and gifts to really rev up the pirate party fun factor! We’ve got 10 fantastic ideas for you. 1. Borrow a small boat or blow-up dinghy if you can for a real ‘WOW’ centerpiece. Little ones will adore clambering in and out, and pretending to sail the seven seas. Or, if that’s not an option, make a large ‘boat’ or several smaller boats from cardboard. This one is just brilliant. If your little one has any ocean-themed toys scatter them around the boat for extra appeal. Do take a look at our gorgeous soft-toys, including Otto and Milo Narwhal. 2. Create a treasure chest out of a wooden box and give guests maps to find the prizes. Here’s a simple one to make. Fill it with gold coins (don’t panic, chocolate ones will do!) and party favors like pirate temporary tattoos.. 3. Place blue paper on the floor to transform it into the beautiful briny sea. You can put paper plates on it and tell guests to hop from one to the other to avoid the ‘sharks’ in the water. Draw sharks on the sheets/paper, or simply let them use their imaginations. In fact, having a sea-themed room is great for fun games, like Pin The Eyepatch On The Pirate or Walk The Plank. Look here for more inspiration. 4. Every pirate needs a good telescope to look for treasure and ships to plunder, so set up a table with everything your guests need to create one. It can be as simple as supplying thin cardboard sheets to roll up and lots of sticky tape to hold them together. Or create ones that really look fabulous and are perfect to take home as a keepsake. Check out this simple step-by-step. 5. A pirate hat is an essential! For guests who haven’t come with one you can very simply rectify this. Either buy some brilliant pirate party hats or get your guests to make some (just don’t leave behind any glitter and paint as your party tidy up time will increase tenfold!). Here’s a brilliant step-by-step that will look amazing. 6. Hang on, don’t forget a pirate patch! No self-respecting pirate should be looking at the world with two eyes! Buy some eyepatches for your guests to put on or print some out beforehand and pop them on the craft table, along with some thin elastic and colored pencils, to help them create their own. This is a good template. 7. Every pirate needs a trusty sword for protection. You don’t want any of your guests to get hurt when spirits run high, so making lightweight paper swords is definitely the way to go. Once again add everything they need on to your craft table. Try this step-by-step idea that only takes five minutes. 8. Set the scene with some pirate themed music for the little sailors to listen, or dance to, whilst playing games or partying. Create a playlist, songs like What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor, Banana Boat Song, the theme from the Pirates of the Caribbean and many more…Or you can play The Ultimate Pirate Kids Party cd. 9. The party table is where you can really let the theme come to life, after all pirating is very hungry work! Transform the table with themed plates, napkins and cups, and lots of yummy cupcakes.  Check out our brilliant range.  You can get really creative with the food you serve, giving it a real ocean and pirate touch. All hands on deck for treasure map pizza! Check this out for some more yummy ideas. Don’t forget to top the pirate cake with some fabulous candles, like our sensational skull & crossbones examples. 10. Last, but not least, send the tired, but happy, little pirates home with a party bag brimming with amazing pirate-themed party favors like temporary tattoos and decorated pins to wear for days to come. Here is a selection of our favourite Pirate Party Products.