With a surprise baby number 3 on the way I jumped at the chance to write an baby gift guide for Lilly and Sid. After being invited to be an ambassador during my pregnancy with number 2 I have had my eyes opened to great british design and how that fits into styling the kids.

With number 3 on the way my focus has turned to the little things that you really do need when having a baby. Yes theres a pram (iI’m a Stokke and Greentom fan so far this time) and a cot (bright and cheery from Cosatto and the Snuzpod for early co-sleeping days) but what about the pretties – what do you really need? Well here are a few things I love!

You will always need a decent change bag. Pink Linings Yummy Mummy range seems to be very popular however third baby in I’d go for something a bit more practical and a bit more contemporary too. You’ll need something that can be carreid, go and a buggy and is comfy for babywearing. Not much to ask then!

Clothes – well of course Lilly and Sid are amazing for these and we got sent some lovely tartan pieces for bump and the other kids. I love that they are going to all match over Christmas. Is this sad? NO!!!

Cloth nappies are a must for any style conscious mum. You can match or clash. It’s all about those bold colours or prints and of course they are much better on the bum then plastic disposibles (which do have their place but come on you can’t match them up can you?)

As baby gets older it is really important that they have decent footwear. The wrong style can mould their little feet and you ned something with grow room and space with those precious tootsies. Livie and Luca are very hands on with this even answering your size queries on their twitter account. The company really care about your child as well as being stylish. A perfect match for you Lilly and Sid threads!

My last must have is a really good sling or carrier. In the early days a wrap is perfect for carrying baby and keeping close. It’s been a great hands free purchase and I would definately get this one from Babi Pur this time!

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Jessica  is a mum of three and owner of Dolls Face by Jessica Lee cloth dolls and softies. The beautiful pieces are handmade in England , making each one unique and very special. We are big fans of Jessicas work and are thrilled to work with her on our amazing giveaway ! Check out our interview with Jessica below, and details on how you could win a one of a kind doll and co-ordinating Lilly + Sid dress.

www.lillyandsid.com/comp

When did you create your first doll?

I created my first doll about 6 years ago, my second daughter had just been born and I was searching for a special gift to give to my eldest Ruby for becoming a big sister.

I desperately wanted a handmade doll that she could keep. After trawling the net with no luck I decided to have a go at making one; and my first dolly creation was born!

What inspired you to start your own business?

I always knew I wanted to do something creative, and knew from an early age that I wanted to work for myself, doing something I loved.

I was always taught that I could do anything I wanted to, as long I worked hard enough for it and coming from a family of self employed entrepreneurs it didn’t feel too scary.

My children are a huge inspiration to me without them Doll Face would never exist. They inspire me to create and to work hard for them.

Life is short and we all seem to spend so much time working I feel very lucky to be doing something I enjoy that fits around my family life.

what were your favourite toys as a child?

This ones easy my very favourite toy was ‘little Ted’ my well loved Canterbury teddy bear, brought by my dad when I was born. He was very precious to me, I told him everything, and still have him today!

Another favourite was fashion plates, I had hours of fun drawing and designing with those.

What does your typical working day look like?

Well at the moment pretty hectic! Work life is very much fit around the children.

Lots of sewing, emails and more sewing really.

My youngest Jude has just started preschool two days a week, which means I have this time to dedicate solely to work, which will mean more structure.

You have three children Ruby, Eliza-Grace , and Jude how do you balance work /home life?

I think this is one of the trickiest things about having your own business and a family.

Getting that balance is hard, some weeks I think I do better than others. It’s very difficult to switch off from work as it all falls on you.

My husband doesn’t work weekends so this is very much family time. It’s lovely to spend quality time together, family is most important.

Where do you find inspiration for your dolls?

All over the place really, the smallest thing can trigger an idea. From a piece of clothing, nature, a book, or a film.

My children are great, my eldest Ruby in particular loves to come up with ideas for me.

That’s the really fun bit, getting creative playing with fabrics and trying new things out.

Alongside growing your business, what do you do to relax?

Relax! Not sure that exists in our house…he he!

Well we love to eat out, big foodies over here!

Working from home it’s nice to just get out sometimes with no other distractions.

I also love to sketch, if I ever get the time.

What is your favourite piece from the Lilly + Sid collection this season?

The Hip hooray dress in dolly pink is a definite favourite. It’s so much fun whilst being really practical and comfy. It’s a win, win, win!

WIN a unique Doll Face by Jessica Lee handcrafted in Lilly + Sid Woodland Print fabric and co-ordinating Lilly + Sid Minnie Dress in a size of your choice ( from 2-8 yrs) This is a one-of-a-kind collaboration which you wont find anywhere else ! For your chance to WIN, click here here

For more examples of Jessicas work, visit her online shop dollfacebyjessicalee.bigcartel.com

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Just wanted to update you on our latest press coverage.  The Sunday Times ( 28th June issue)  interviewed Emma  Hassan, co founder of Lilly + Sid,  along with two other UK businesses for an article regarding Ethical business processes. Adding to our inclusion in the Guardian top 10 Ethical Kidswear Brands, this press coverage highlights that alongside our mission to create design-led funky childrenswear is our commitment to manufacturing this is an ethical way.  The piece talked about both the benefits of our UK manufacturing and our certification of off-shore factories and their social responsibilities including funding of local schools and creating their own water purification units.

A nice one to share with your customers

Have a great week

Imran and the L+S team

http://www.lillyandsid.com/news/

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20th June 2015 should have been his 36th birthday, instead we are remembering our hero through our fundraising campaign for Lymphoma and Luekeimia Research.

Many of our followers, stockists and retail friends will have met our brother over the years as he was a big part of Lilly + Sid and helped us in many areas of the business. We were very lucky to benefit from his retail vision and experience gained from his years as Head of Buying and Design for many leading retailers.

This Saturday and Sunday we will be raising money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research via our on-line sales. For every purchase made at www.lillyandsid.com we will donate 50% of each sale to the charity. This will be an annual event and we hope the amount raised each year will grow as our business grows too.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, please share with as many people you can to raise awareness of our campaign in memory of our brother, words cannot express how much we miss him. Thank you to everyone who has already donated, including an amazing number signed up to the donors register, and for your ongoing fundraising efforts too. Our hero would be very proud, as we are so very proud of him.

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Emma and the L+S team.

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At Lilly+Sid we’re proud to be brilliantly British, flying the flag for British design and manufacturing across the world. We have four factories in the UK which enable us to support local economies as well as being able to closely follow our garments from start to finish.

We also workwith specialist factories in India, China and Pakistan. These factories are an integral part of Lilly + Sid and very much an extension of our UK based team.

We work with the best factories we can find. Although Lilly+Sid is a relatively young company, we have worked with our overseas factories for over 20 years in previous roles. When we were planning the launch of Lilly+Sid, these factories were on our ‘hit list’ of perfect factories! We were thrilled they agreed to work with us as the initial quantity of garments was tiny, but they gave us the same level of care they gave when we had previously ordered enormous quantities.

Our overseas factories all have different areas of expertise.

Our Indian factory specialises in embroidery and fabric development. They transform our print and appliqué designs from paper form to beautiful tactile textile creations.

In Pakistan we use a leading casualwear manufacturer .They operate a fully vertical operation, meaning that all fabric knitting, washing, embroidery and sewing is done by them for greater quality control. Of great importance to us is their environmental control and social welfare policy. They are extremely proud not only of making quality products, but of playing a vital role in the lives of their workers and also running community projects in local hospitals and schools. Here is the school our factory provides teaching staff and scholorships for students.

Regarding the Environmental control our factory has created their own water treatment plant to ensure a pollution free production process.

Our Chinese factory has expertise in fancy knits and swimwear. They also have a UK team of designers, quality garment techs and merchandisers who we get to visit regularly to develop the garments. Like all new factories we take on board they SA8000 certification to ensure good working conditions, and training for all.

We were very proud to be named in the top 3 Ethical Clothing Brands by The Guardian!

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