For a while now I've been lusting after playtents and teepees I'd see online. They are all over Instagram and the cool blogs. But do you now what? They are REALLY hard to find in the UK, especially the foldable play tents. They mostly seem to be sold in Australia and obvsiouly ordering from there comes with quite heafty import charges. For an item that already costs close to £100 that's pretty pricey.
Well, a few days ago I stumbled across a brand on IG that hasn't even launched yet but is already (rightly) creating quite a stir. Myla & Oscar make play tents people. AND THEY ARE IN THE UK!!!!
Just the kind of brand I go wild for. A creative work at home Mum who saw a gap in the market and actually had the balls to do something about it. Respect lady!
This is what Jess (the lady in question) has to say about her venture herself:
"It's been on maternity leave that I truly discovered Instagram. I never knew there was a world out there of amazing women who were hand making items and selling them online. One 'follow' turned into another and before I knew it, I was a full time Instagram shopper for my 3 year old Oscar and baby Myla. It's the biggest shop with the most incredible products for babies and little ones, all being
handmade by immensely talented women.
Online, I soon came across the world of tepees and tents. I fell in love with them immediately-
reminiscing of my own tent building as a child with chairs and my mothers washing airer. But I couldn't find any I liked that didn't come with a huge international shipping cost so I decided to make my own for M & O. It was on the search for fabric for their tent that I realised how many cool designs there were available, and the penny dropped. So with the help of my father, a professional carpenter, and my mother who always had her sewing machine out (wonder web is a swear word to her!) I thought I'd make my own range of Play Tents, made with cool fabrics that my little ones would love. The idea of making and selling items grew super quickly, with the brands USP stemming from a passion for wood. I made a few different items and posted a couple of pictures on Instagram and the reaction I got was overwhelming. Messages of support and praise were coming in and I hadn't even launched yet.
There is a lot of love for small businesses and a lot of like minded women with bags of creative energy. I'm sure I'm one of many whose working day starts at 7pm, when my little scamps are tucked up in bed, but luckily I have a good concealer and a love of coffee :). Working in PR and the creative industry for 10 years, my head is now buzzing with new ideas for my brand and I can't wait to launch
Please do check out my little store, we've just opened and I'm so grateful to everyone who has followed, liked or shared my products so far."
Please do check out my little store, we've just opened and I'm so grateful to everyone who has followed, liked or shared my products so far."
I love that Jess did all of this off her own back. I am so impressed - she has a young baby daughter and a three year old!! That's hard enough as it is!!
I can't wait for the shop to be open and I just know the orders are going to be flooding in. If you have a little person in your life and you need a gift for them, I would seriously check Myla & Oscar out!! Not only do they have tents, they have play cubes and prints. Go check them out!