Falling into Autumn...

Hooray hooray we're 1 today!!!

How time flies! This time last year we had just put the finishing touches to our website and, with the click of a mouse, our website went live and Little Blue Zebra was launched! It's been a fantastic fun-filled year. We have particularly enjoyed meeting lots of lovely customers at the many fairs we have been to. 

We'd love you to join us in our celebrations so we are offering all UK customers free postage and packaging from today until midnight this Sunday 14th October. If you like to get your Christmas shopping done nice and early it's a perfect opportunity to buy some of our ABC, 123, letter and animal prints as unique and special gifts.

As well as looking back to all we have achieved over the past year, we are looking forward to what the next year brings. We are very excited about some new print designs and product launches in the new year. We will be sure to share some sneak peeks with you very soon. Watch this space...!

Happy Birthday Little Blue Zebra and happy Friday everyone! 

Little Blue Zebra homepage makeover...

We're loving our new and updated homepage showcasing more of our alphabet, number, letter, and baby animal pictures for little ones (as well as a couple of our own little ones!). Hope you like it too...

Friday's fun fact - Have we got newts for you!

At this time of year the leaves outside burst with colour. Beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange signal that autumn is well and truly here. I (Joanna, not Lucy who usually writes our blog) am currently enjoying this fantastically colourful view from my kitchen window - it certainly makes doing the washing up a little more enjoyable! 

The subject of leaves brings me onto this week's fun fact! Did you know that some species of newt, including the red-spotted newt featured in our Letter N Print, wrap each of the 250 eggs they can lay in a season individually in its own underwater leaf? Using their hind legs and feet, the females fully enclose each egg so that they are protected by the leaves.

The Woodland Trust has 25 leafy autumnal activity sheets for children all in one place to download. Turns out there are lots of activities little ones can do with leaves aside from just running through them, kicking and throwing them in the air - something I think us adults secretly still enjoy doing too! 

Happy Friday all! x

Fun in the sun at the Weald of Kent craft show

We recently exhibited again at the Weald of Kent Craft Show in Penshurst and thankfully the weather was a vast improvement from the weather we experienced in May. Gone were the wellies and umbrellas and out came the sun hats! It was a great weekend where we got to meet lots of lovely new customers. John demonstrated how he creates his artwork by working on one of his spreads for his latest book. Unfortunately the sun was a bit too strong, which meant that the paint was drying too quickly so he was only able to do it for a couple of hours! Not that we were complaining though as it was so nice to see some glorious sunshine after the washout that was summer!

Friday's fun fact - Voles venturing out

Rearrange their name and you find 'love'. But did you know that some species of vole will trek huge distances in their quest to find a mate? Despite being only the size of a hamster, water voles in Scotland have been found to travel up to 15km (9 miles), crossing unsuitable habitats and dodging predators along the way. When they reach a suitable patch, they sometimes spend three or four days there looking and waiting for a partner. If they're unlucky in love in that patch they will set off again on their journey. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen who tracked the journeys of these furry little creatures over 13 years were astounded when they discovered the distances they will travel. Their findings could not only prove valuable for the conservation of the charismatic water vole, but other species with similar population structures as well, from small insects to tigers.

Water vole (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19503827)

Happy Friday all! x

Friday's fun fact - Rhino's nose

Did you know rhinoceroses get their name from their horns. The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). Rhino horns are made of keratin, like our fingernails and hair!

Happy Friday all! x

Friday's fun fact - X marks the spot

The most distinctive feature of Pristella maxillaris is its translucent layer of skin that covers its body, hence its more common name X-ray fish. Did you know their skin is thought to be a form of protection as it makes them harder to spot amongst dense vegetation and shimmering water?

The transparency of this little fish reminded me of a photo I saw used to promote blood donation ahead of the Olympics. It is a very striking image which is obviously what they wanted as it certainly catches your attention.

Friday's fun fact - Crazy crocodiles

Did you know that crocodiles swallow stones? Not because they are really crazy, but in order to help them digest their food and to act as a ballast to help them dive deeper.

On a recent trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford our little ones enjoyed getting up close and personal with all the animal exhibits, which included this crocodile skeleton. We would recommend the museum - it's fun for little ones and free!

Happy Friday everyone!

Olympic fever

So the Olympics have come to a close after two weeks of fantastic sporting action. On a recent trip to London for a birthday celebration we were able to soak up the fantastic atmosphere that the games generated. We were a little concerned about how busy it would be, but we needn't have worried. London it seems couldn't have been running more efficiently and everyone was so friendly. Not to say that it isn't normally a friendly city, it just seemed everyone was making that extra bit of effort to ensure everything ran smoothly. 

A little bit of light reading for the train...!

Outside City Hall they had a big screen and lots of activities to get involved in.

John even lent a hand at drawing some Olympic events...

 

Some of the Little Blue Zebra family were lucky enough to get tickets to see some of the action and experience the amazing atmosphere in the stadiums and Olympic park. 

We bought a few souvenirs home to inspire the next generation...