olliandlimeblog.com

olli and lime…2011

As per tradition, here’s a review of our 2011 customer posts. After a quiet start, 8-week-old Joshua arrived here in February, courtesy of UK parents Stephanie and Matthew.

Then, in March, we met Cavell and her George nursery. This beautiful baby girl was born just before Christmas 2010, to parents Sarah and Sean Woroniak, from Winnipeg, Canada.

And in April, Ryland showed-up, proudly modeling his turquoise, Egg range nursery, and sporting a unique “comedy facial expression”, as mum Di, from Nottingham, UK calls it.

Next, in June we featured a beautifully coordinated George-themed nursery, creatively composed for baby Ryleigh, born just a few days later, to her Louisiana mom, Lindy.

Then one of numerous posts arriving via O&L’s Canadian friend, Nikki, who shared an Instagram snap of her son Epic, looking super-cool against a George design backdrop.

This July post came courtesy of mom-to-be Stacey, from St Louis, who nominated worthy stand-in Tallulah, the photogenic family dog, who expertly modeled our Billie collection.

Our second July post featured a submission from another Canadian friend, JoLyn, who shared pics of son Marek, wearing a George hooded blanket, and looking happy about it.

The last July post (a busy month!) was shared on Australian blog metromum by Alyce, and featured her beautiful baby, Isabelle, sleeping peacefully on our George crib bedding.

Calgary mom, Morgan, shared this cool pic of 21-month-old son Hunter during August, on our Facebook page. Our popular George 123 wall art appears in the top-left of the shot.

The next August post featured Lukas (and sidekick, ‘Goober the Bear’) in a coordinated George design nursery, courtesy of mom Deanna, from San Jose, CA, who kindly shared.

In September’s only post, Deanna made a second appearance here, thanks to her major role in creating a very impressive Olli & Lime-themed baby shower for her sister Jenna.

I found the next nursery on the HGTV site, submitted by mom Wendy. She chose “white and aqua with an accent of orange” (where our Billie design came in) and did a great job.

Next, we shared photos of our new hooded blankets, taken by Nikki, from EpicDanger Photography. This one shows Warren, looking super-cute in our updated Billie design…

And this is Nikki’s own son Epic (again) wearing our George hooded blanket…

And lastly, Lola, who looks super-sweet, modeling our new Logan design…

The star of this serene-looking November post was Raeya, shown sleeping against a dreamy George design backdrop. Thanks to mom Nav, from BC, Canada for sharing this.

Then we met the real resident of the Billie nursery we posted earlier; beautiful baby boy Grant, pictured here with mom Stacey, who says that people love his orange nursery.

That brings us up to date, with the post we’ve just featured, of twins Jake and Cassidy’s nursery, complete with matching Billie cribs. As mentioned, a follow-up is on the way.

And that’s it. Thanks to all who submitted photos during 2011. Have a very happy New Year celebration and we look forward to seeing more O&L-inspired nurseries in 2012

billie double

Mom Janet shared these two Billie-clad cribs on Facebook so I got in touch. Her pretty tough pregnancy ended very happily with the birth of twins, Jake and Cassidy, in August.

Janet says “I like bold colors and settled on orange…I googled orange crib bedding and eventually came upon your website…and fell in love. I knew I had to have Billie.” Yay!

“We have some wonderful accessories that I can’t wait to put up. A friend made mobiles for each crib that are cool and modern and match the Billie collection really well.”

Sounds great. We hope to share some more shots on here in a follow-up post next year. Thanks to Janet for sharing. If you’d like us to feature your own O&L shots, email me

property brothers

I’ve mentioned that we’re addicted to HGTV before. So, imagine our delight when we recently tuned in to HGTV’s Property Brothers and witnessed an Olli & Lime cameo.

If you haven’t seen the show, brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott help couples buy ‘fixers’ and make them into dream homes. Aptly, this episode featured the home of our dreams.

We popped up when the pair shopped at Toronto store, Moms to be and More, scoping for cribs. For the record, the homeowners celebrated the birth of twin girls during filming.

As a bonus, Jonathan proclaims “this, I like” as the camera focuses on our George crib bedding. Not sure if it was a direct reference or all in the editing. Welcome, nonetheless.

You can view the full episode on the Property Brothers site. Our fleeting appearance comes with just over 12 minutes remaining. A big thank you to HGTV for featuring us

holiday message

With the holiday weekend upon us, I’d like to offer seasonal best wishes from all at Olli & Lime! We do hope you have a very enjoyable and relaxing time with family and friends.

By the way, we’re staying open right through the holidays. All olliandlime.com orders will be processed same day, with items shipped out next available carrier collection date

dc surprise

We just got back from Washington, DC. Predictably, the famous sights wowed us, but it was a lesser-known architectural gem that really caught my eye; Washington Metro.

Upon descending an impossibly long escalator, the first thing that strikes you (thankfully not literally) is the huge mass of concrete used in the design. The scale is impressive.

Construction of this underground network began in ’69, with the first line completed in ’76. The architect behind this bold, Brutalist design was Chicago modernist, Harry Weese.

Though mostly built in the 70s, to me the Metro has a 60s sci-fi, futuristic feel. It also feels like it could be a Bond villain’s secret hideout. Whatever the design intent, I like it. A lot.

I also like the simplicity of the logo. And I’m amazed that the deliciously retro, tan leather seats were so comfortable…but perhaps that’s perspective, as I’m used to Boston’s T.

I can’t speak for the entire system, as we mainly traveled the Red and Blue lines, but the numerous stations we saw all featured the same symmetrical, intricate, concrete design.

They also share the same mesmerizing hexagonal flooring, flanked by studded tiles, then concrete, inset with red lights; these illuminate passing trains with a warm upward glow.

Seems I’m not the only Washington Metro fan; it made number 106 (of 150) on the 2007 American Institute of Architects (AIA) list of America’s Favorite Architecture

project nursery giveaway

Just a quick post to tell you about a giveaway that’s going on right now. Our good friends at Project Nursery are giving away a $100 gift certificate, to spend in the Olli & Lime shop!

To be in with a chance of winning, just hop on over to Project Nursery and follow the instructions to enter. Giveaway ends Friday Dec 23. Good luck and happy holidays!

epic outtakes

A while ago, I posted product shots for our newly-designed hooded blankets, featuring three O&L modeling debuts, expertly captured by Nikki at EpicDanger Photography.

Nikki just shared further pics, that didn’t quite make the cut. As before, they feature Warren, Epic (Nikki’s son) and Lola, plus a bonus cameo from her daughter, Danger.

Check out the rest of the outtakes on the Epic Danger Photography blog. Thanks so much to Nikki for sharing these pics…and for making the process look so much fun!

tangerine tango

Pantone just announced its color of the year for 2012. The hot shade for next year – and the perfect antidote to a cold winter’s morning – the deliciously titled ‘Tangerine Tango’…

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says that Tangerine Tango “marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Pantone’s release says “orange has grown in popularity and acceptance among designers and consumers alike”. No argument from us; we’ve been flying the orange flag for ages.

Not least with our Billie design, incidentally one of our best sellers since we formed three years ago. We’ve made a few design tweaks and are launching an update early next year.

Hopefully Pantone’s endorsement signals a bright future for the use of this much under-valued color in home design. We’d like to think so. Long may the orange love continue

cribsie return

I can’t believe this has come round so quickly…but it has. In the 2011 Cribsie Awards, we were honored to be finalists, in the ‘Statement Crib Bedding Worth the Splurge’ category.

Now the ‘Cribsies’ are back, asking for nominations. So, we need help from any O&L fans. Hopefully that’s you! Please nominate us and any other faves by clicking here. Thanks

olli and lime and nikki

Long-time O&L friend Nikki McArthur has been mentioned here many times, mostly thanks to her cool pics, featuring her kids, Epic & Danger and other people’s, with our stuff.

The latest mention comes courtesy of a recent Instagram snap featuring our Charlie tea towels. Thanks Nikki! They’re on sale now at 50% off – just $12.50 for a set of two