Summer might seem like forever away right now, but it will soon be here, so it is worth thinking about how your garden will grow when it finally arrives. Now, if you are anything like the team here at www.littlecherry.co.uk, you will love nothing more than being outside in the summer; taking in the sights, smells and sounds of nature.
There’s no doubt that gardening is an excellent way to enjoy the outdoors in summer, but many people forget to be green when they are busy being green-fingered. So to help you keep environmentally friendly whilst you’re tending to your gorgeous gardens this summer, here are some reminders of how to be green in the garden:
Is there any time of year more romantic than winter? With cold nights to cosy up for, sprinklings of snow and a general sense of merriment, it is the perfect season for an equally romantic occasion. Winter weddings are popular in the UK, with frosted backdrops and warmly decorated venues offering the perfect atmosphere for a happy ending.
Of course, winter is usually considered synonymous with Christmas which can lead to many brides and grooms feeling as though they have to use the traditional red, green and gold colour combination. You shouldn’t feel restricted though, if you are planning a winter wedding. You can use all sorts of colours, from frosty blues to decadent purples and sparkling silvers or golds.
At Little Cherry we love to eat! There are no two ways about it; eating is a big – and enjoyable – part of life. Whether it is grabbing breakfast as you dash out of the door or doing a Sunday Roast spread that fills bellies and breaks smiles.
As important as food is on a day-to-day basis though, there are few things more enjoyable than dining in good company. It could be a family get together with a slap up four-course meal, or it could be pizza and wine with your nearest and dearest friends; it doesn’t matter because you will be in for a good time either way.
Here at Little Cherry, we happen to think there is something to celebrate whatever the season. It doesn’t matter if it is clear skies and 30 degrees outside, or if we are snowed in and our toes are turning blue; the best way to make the most of every single season is to celebrate it.
What can you celebrate when it’s wet, cold and windy though? Well, aside from being home to some of the biggest holidays – Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas – the autumn and winter months are the ideal time to enjoy heart-warming foods and seasonally inspired treats.
Here at Little Cherry we love occasions of all shapes and sizes. Weddings, children’s parties or really anything that puts smiles on faces and brightens up the day.
Each season brings with it its own set of occasions and autumn is no different. As the nights draw in and the temperature drops, life moves inside and people start planning cosy dinner parties and sparkling soirees. Events like Halloween and Bonfire Night get people in the festive mood ready for big winter events like Christmas and New Year. Autumn isn’t just a stepping stone season though; it is full of fun times, vibrant colours and plenty of opportunities to embrace special occasions with a seasonal flair.
Let’s face it, we all want to have fun at Christmas. But have you ever stopped to think just how much unnecessary waste there is at this time of year and how, with a few simple steps, we could all make a big difference and teach our children an important Christmas message at the same time.
The Christmas shopping bonanza is fuelled by an economic system that demands constant growth. It ignores the fact that we are consuming our planet to extinction!
But as we’ve found here at Little Cherry, there are some stylish, simple and effective ways to ring the changes this year…
Autumn is a beautiful time of year, with gold’s and greens creating a stunning natural backdrop and people cracking out the chunky knits and hot chocolate kits. It is full of fresh, crisp days and comfortably cosy nights, but with the colder autumnal weather comes a change in lifestyle. Instead of being out and about like you were all summer long, enjoying picnics by the beach and back garden barbecues, you have to hunker down with hot soup at home. Now, some may mourn over the loss of summer freedom, but there’s something incredibly cosy and romantic about hibernating come autumn.
There is nothing quite as inviting, or as elegant, as a room lit by flickering candles; candles that offer a soft and flattering light. Their appeal and versatility make them a universally favoured lighting source for all kinds of events. Whether it’s a birthday, an engagement party, a wedding or a baby shower, candles can bring an air of sophistication and stylish ambience to any celebration.
Autumn is well and truly here, with the leaves and weather turning and the nights drawing in. October will no doubt fly by and before we know it we will be setting up for and celebrating Halloween.
For little ones and the young at heart, this will be welcoming news. However, for those of you trying to find inspiration for this year’s Halloween party, it will be yet another seasonal challenge. How do you decorate your home for a spooktacular but planet-friendly party? Can it be done on a budget? And will it really look the part?
Whether you want to enjoy an afternoon with friends or a romantic al fresco meal with your loved one, a picnic is a great choice.
Not only do picnics cater for everyone - no matter how big your party - they can also be enjoyed anywhere at any time. On top of being a fun and easy way to spend time together and share good food, picnics are an eco-friendly activity that you can do whatever the weather. You can have a picnic in the boot of your car in the middle of a surprise shower just as easily as you can have one stretched out on a sandy beach in the height of summer. Picnics really are the go-to gathering.
Here at Little Cherry we are big fans of events and parties, but in particular weddings. We understand that weddings are one of life’s biggest parties and that is why it’s so important to get every little detail just right.
For many, so much of the wedding planning is spent on the finer details and things like the outfits, the catering, the cake and the decorations that the little things build up to become the big things. This can be an even bigger challenge for brides and grooms looking to throw an eco-friendly wedding where all of these things need to be thoroughly researched and sourced from green suppliers. That’s why we pride ourselves on being a one stop shop for eco-friendly wedding planning.
When you are planning your wedding, an awful lot of time and effort will go into deciding on your decoration. The colours, the patterns and the textures will become a mammoth decision for you to make and you will find yourself surprised at just how big an impact these choices will have on your big day.
You may find yourself amazed by the broad spectrum of colours your favourite flower actually comes in and even more amazed at the miniscule but oh-so-important difference between shades like “Buttermilk-Yellow” and “Yellow-Buttermilk” (they may well look the same to the untrained eye, but to a bride and her wedding guests, the difference between the two is colossal).
Planning a wedding is a big deal. There are a million and one things to consider, from the big decisions to the smallest of details. Some people choose to hand this planning hassle over to a seasoned professional and others roll their sleeves up and get stuck in themselves.
When you are planning an eco-friendly wedding, the decisions get a little easier because you know what you are looking for. However, knowing which bits to focus your green efforts on can be a bit of a grey area when you’re already wrapped up in pre-marital madness.
That is why Little Cherry has compiled this quick list of five tips for an easy, chic and fabulously green wedding.
The school holidays – or even the weekend – can seem like a very long time when you have little ones to keep entertained. Quiet nights watching family movies and day trips to the beach work well enough, but they aren’t an everyday occurrence. So how do you keep little hands and minds busy? If you face the challenge of a rainy day or you need to come up with quieter activities then the easiest option is toys. If you don’t fancy buying lots of cheap, flimsy plastic toys then invest in some traditional and eco-friendly wooden toys like those found in our children’s party bag fillers range. Alternatively, have your child make their own toys by recycling and up-cycling items around the house such as yoghurt pots, kitchen roll tubes and old boxes. Of course, there are other, more hands-on ways to keep your little ones occupied.
Well, so far 2014 has been a busy and exciting year for Little Cherry, and as the summer is drawing to a close we are bracing ourselves for an equally eventful autumn and winter. Of course, the closer the festive season gets, the more parties we end up supplying and come autumn there are always plenty of events and exhibitions to keep us busy.
September 2014 is no exception, with the Lunch! Show in London (23rd-24th September) kicking off another season in style.
The Lunch! Show is all about the contemporary food-to-go industry, and the Business Design Centre is set to be packed with the best of everything organic, artisan and ethically sourced; what’s even better is that Little Cherry will be front and centre at this prestigious event!
All of the products in our palm leaf plate collection look fantastic, either as tableware or used for more decorative purposes. That said, we have picked out top three choices for creative centrepieces. Read on to see which palm leaf plates and bowls Little Cherry loves most.
Here at Little Cherry we believe life shouldn’t be more complicated than absolutely necessary. That rule goes for parties too.
When you’re throwing a party, opting for our fabulous palm leaf plates is a great decision, but part of the reason for choosing our green, disposable tableware is to keep things simple, right? So why get three different kinds of plates when one will fit all sorts of purposes? You can do a lot without having to over-complicate things.
Sugar cane plates and bowls are a new, greener take on traditional disposable tableware. As well as being disposable, sugar cane tableware is also biodegradable and from the moment it is manufactured to the moment you dispose of it, it is completely eco-friendly. Made from the tree fibre leftover when sugar cane is processed, our stunning sugar cane tableware is a truly wonderful addition to any party spread.
Wheat fibre tableware is made of the crop fibre leftover from pulped straw. Completely natural, wheat fibre tableware is environmentally friendly, disposable and biodegradable. What’s more is that wheat fibre is also a strong and sturdy alternative to Styrofoam and paper tableware, not to mention more attractive. In terms of versatility and suitability for events, wheat fibre sits comfortably with any colour palette because of its lovely, neutral caramel tone whilst its composition makes ideal for even slightly greasy buffet foods.
Well ladies and gentlemen, the summer holidays are edging ever closer and that means busy days for children and parents alike. You’ve no doubt handled the long six week break like a pro in the past, stocking a limitless supply of colouring books and water balloons (hopefully biodegradable ones?!), along with enough biscuit-baking materials to sink a battleship. What about this summer though?
Have you given much thought to what you will do with the children when it’s hot and bright and they’re in need of some summer holiday entertainment? No doubt you’ve started stockpiling the supplies and of course, the fail safe favourites like those mentioned above are always a good choice, but perhaps you could try something new this summer. Something along the lines of a big event everyone can countdown to and spend days or even weeks preparing for (whether that means drawing treasure maps and invitations or making some crafty decorations).
Here at Little Cherry we have a real passion for all things eco-friendly, but we are always particularly inspired by those things that are chic and versatile in addition to being green. We pride ourselves on our wide range of quality, well-designed and well-made planet friendly party supplies. Being green is such an important aspect of modern life and we enjoy showing people that they can still have fun when making eco-friendly choices, but that doesn’t mean Little Cherry is only here for party supplies.
Ahh children’s parties…they are the defining moments of happy childhoods and the partying and playtime of these fun-filled days is something everyone looks back at fondly. There’s so much to love about children’s parties, from the presents and party bags to the balloons and decorations, not to mention the all-important cake!
Well ladies and gentlemen, it is finally Wedding Season and here at Little Cherry we are looking forward to seeing all the wonderful ways people make their big white weddings green this year!
We’re pleased to report that in the last year the UK has seen a rise in the number of happy couples making a conscious effort to be green on their big day, for example many more people are choosing to use cotton wedding bunting and biodegradable balloons in place of the usual plastic decorations. This good news has been made even better by the increased interest people have had in using our fabulous palm leaf tableware as an alternative to expensive rented place settings and mass-produced plastic buffet plates. Lots of people have actually been making the most of our superb sample packs which give couples a chance to see how well the palm leaf products work with their theme (and trust us, they work with just about any theme!).
With all this planet-friendly party planning going on in the wedding world, we thought it would be nice to look at some of the other ways you can add a unique personal touch to your wedding. On that note, we thought we would share some of our favourite out of the box bouquet ideas for those of you looking to put a twist on the wonderful wedding tradition of bridal bouquets and pretty posies.
In the spirit of wedding season – which seems to come earlier and earlier every year – we have decided to share some sweet ideas and traditions in our blog, to give you inspiration and help you make your big day extra special. Now whilst this particular post is centred on weddings, the ideas in it would actually work incredibly well at all sorts of parties and events, from big birthdays and anniversaries to family reunions and children’s parties (of course, if you choose to use any of these ideas at a children’s party, make sure you use robust rather than delicate materials!).
The feature idea of this post is the Wedding Wishing Tree. This is a Dutch wedding tradition that has become increasingly popular in the UK over recent years, partly because of its decorative abilities and partly because it is a sweet and delicate update on the traditional guest book.
If there is one thing people are always on the lookout for these days, it’s the multipurpose item. One object that can do a multitude of jobs is seen as both a useful tool and a good investment. Just think how much hassle it would be to have a different item or piece of equipment for every single job. For example, imagine needing separate computers for emails, internet browsing and typing – that would be a waste of time, money and effort. This is why most people prefer to use multipurpose items that can adapt as and when.
Summer is edging ever closer and as the season of bare skin and bathing suits, it’s around the time when people start panicking about those last few pounds and needing to be in shape for the next season. As far as exercise and activity is concerned, the mild days and lighter nights of spring are a welcoming relief from the dark winter conditions. You can get out and about on a lunchtime walk (every little helps) or start a running regime; some of you may even join a gym and make a real commitment to shaping up for summer. However, as the experts tell us time and time again, exercise is only half the battle. You also need to have a sensible eating plan in place, healthy lifestyle habits and the right frame of mind.
Summer is coming! In fact it’s so close we can almost taste it. Ok, so maybe it isn’t quite that close but it is pretty close and that means we need to air out our picnic blankets, dust off our flip flops and get ready for long days at the seaside!
Yes. Spring has finally sprung and Easter is rapidly approaching. This year Easter is a little later than normal which means you have a little longer to prepare for it, so why not make the most of the extra time and plan an Easter party? Even if you don’t fancy having a full on chocolate-fuelled, egg-bedecked party there are still plenty of fun and crafty things you can get ready for everyone to enjoy once Easter gets here. Read on to see some of our suggestions for the perfect Easter weekend!
Here at Little Cherry we are passionate about what we do and the two driving forces behind what we do are: helping the planet and helping its people. We love the idea that something as simple as providing fair wages and benefits to the workers who produce our palm leaf plates can have such a significant impact on their lives and those of their families. We also love how we can play a part in our customers’ lives and special moments. Whether it’s billions of biodegradable balloons or a single set of bamboo tableware, if it makes a difference to your day and helps you live green with a smile on your face then it’s what we are here for.
The Beatles famously sang, “I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love”, but with the average cost of a wedding nowadays sitting at a staggering £18,000, money may not buy you love, but it’ll buy you a decent wedding.
There are some necessities which any wedding, large or small, simply cannot do without and the majority of wedding budgets get swallowed up by venue hire, catering and of course, the bridal gown...oh and the brides maid dresses, the groom’s suit, invitations, table decorations…need we go on?
