Month: March 2020

Easter Activities: At Home with The Kids

Posted on by Monsoon
 

Easter is approaching, so we’ve put together some Easter-themed ideas to keep the kids occupied while at home. From Easter recipes to activities they can do in the garden, they’ll love these suggestions! 

 

Bake Easter Cookie Bites 

Get the children baking with these deliciously addictive egg-free cookie dough bites by @MyKitchenDrawer. Stuffed with chocolate chips, mini eggs and sprinkles – it’s the perfect Easter treat! Check out the recipe below… 

Prep Time:  10  minutes 

Cook Time: 1  hour 

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings:  16  bites 

Ingredients 

 100g  soft brown sugar 

100g  butter  softened 

150g  plain flour 

200g  condensed milk 

1 tbsp  vanilla extract 

100g  milk chocolate chips 

100g  sprinkles (I use Cake Angels Blush sprinkles) 

100g  mini eggs  crushed 

 

Instructions

  1. Line a 20x30cm rectangular baking tin with baking paper then set aside. 
  2. Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl until evenly blended. Add the flour, condensed milk and vanilla then mix until you have a thick, but quite wet dough.  
  3. Crush the mini eggs a little so you have a mixture of large and small bits, leave a handful to one side then add these to the mixture with the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Fold them all through the dough. 
  4. Spread the dough out evenly in the baking tin, pressing it down firmly into one layer. Sprinkle the remaining handful of crushed mini eggs and some more sprinkles over the top then chill it in the fridge for one hour.  
  5. Remove the tin from the fridge and lift the chilled cookie dough out of the tin with the baking paper.  
  6. Peel the paper away, then cut the cookie dough into 16 equal squares.  
  7. Serve immediately.  

 

Discover more Easter recipes >

 

 

Make Easter Crafts

Make some Easter cards for loved ones! All you need is some coloured card and paint to make them. Or if you have any materials around the house, get creative with some Easter felt bunny decorations.

 

 

Easter Colouring Sheets

Get the children to colour in our exclusive Easter colouring sheets, perfect for putting up around the house or in the window – ready to spread some Easter cheer. 

Monsoon Children Easter Colouring In

 

 

Fun Outdoor Activities

These fun activities for children require minimal resources and you’ll get a little bit of fresh air too. You can do these in the garden or on your walk for the day:

Go on a nature hunt and collect natural items in a bag or a basket. This can be a maths activity if you count them together or order the objects by size.

Make a nature collage by using the items you have collected and stick them to a piece of paper to create a picture or pattern.

Make stick men or a natural weaving loom.

Do an observational drawing of a flower or plant. 

Go on a big hunt and search for bugs.

 

 

Make Your Own Easter Playdough

In one of our previous blog posts, we shared how to make pastel rainbow playdough – read more about how to make it and get creative! 

Fun Activities: At Home with The Kids

 

 

Easter Dress Up

 

Get ready for Easter at home with outfits to match the occasion. Pair cute yellow jackets and dresses with bunny and chick motifs, for ensembles they’ll want to wear all bank holiday weekend.

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Ashoka: Designer Q&A

Posted on by Monsoon

 

We are so proud of our Ashoka collection, a range of handcrafted pieces featuring beautiful prints from our archive and made with sustainable fabrics – it is one of a kind. To tell you more about how this collection was created with spoke to Caroline, our Head of Design, to find out more about it! 

 

How did you develop the idea for Ashoka? What was the inspiration behind the collection? 

We wanted to develop a range which celebrated craft and the incredible artisans that we have worked with for so many years, while using modern styles and colours. 
 
 

This collection includes heritage prints, sustainable fabrics and artisanal techniques, three things really key to Monsoon, how important is it to continue to combine these within future collections? 

Really important! I think these messages resonate well with the brand, and we will continue to reference these three pillars every season whether it’s through beach or casual or occasion. 

 

 

When designing a collection what are the main things you consider to make sure you create something as beautiful as Ashoka? 

Colour, pattern and texture – while also always trying to find ways to make a garment contemporary but timeless. 
 

Can you tell us a little more about how the prints are designed by your team and created by the artisans for this collection? 

We look at what techniques we want to use, like batik or woodblock, then research what colours we think will work as a collection and find inspiration for this technique. For instance, batik has a very specific look, so we wanted to make it feminine with this beautiful pattern and patching the panels to create intracity. With the Blake red woodblock dress, we loved the flash of pink that created unexpected colour harmonies – it didn’t feel too traditional and we were excited with how it came out!   

 

What is your standout piece from this collection and why?  

The Blake woodblock dress encapsulates everything for me right now. Optimism, sustainability, versatility, all with natural comfort and a style that you will revisit for years to come. 

 

Shop Ashoka >

 

In the Making

Read more about the artisans that made this collection in our previous blog posts:

Ashoka | Handcrafted with Love

ARTISAN Collection: Rima Batik Dress

 

 

 

 

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Monsoon Recommends

Posted on by Monsoon

Looking for ways to pass the time at home? We spoke to our team and put together our favourite podcasts, movies and books to help! Find out what we are listening to, watching and reading for some inspiration…

On Our Plates

Walking the Dog

Table Manners with Jessie Ware

Serial

Happy Place with Fearne Cotton

Desert Island Disks

Work Like a Woman

No Such Thing as a Fish

How to Fail

Beyond Today

Getting Curious

 

Bridesmaids

The Shawshank Redemption

A Star is Born

Meet the Parents

Avengers – End Game

Toy Story 1, 2, 3 & 4

Matilda

E.T

Clueless

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Horrible Bosses

 

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Testaments by Margaret Attwood

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Motherhood by Shelia Heti

This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

A Totally Awkward Love Story by Lucy Ivison and Tom Ellen

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

 

 

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At Home with Monsoon

Posted on by Monsoon

 

Working from home? You’re not alone. We’ve put together some home-working inspiration, to show you how we’re making the most of our time out of the office. To do this, we spoke to our design team and found out how they are adjusting to their new workspace. From morning yoga to motivational team chats, get ready to see how Monsoon do working from home!

 

Cherry

“My new morning ritual starts with some yoga, followed by a cup of tea before I settle into the day surrounded by plants. What keeps me inspired during working from home is my music, friends and staying close to nature, particularly walking around the little park behind our flat. Spring is just around the corner and it is wonderful to see the plants starting to bloom during this time.”

 

Olwen

“Working from home has been making me feel quite productive, as I have no commute and have set up a quiet little corner of my house to work in. I’m doing all my sketching at my desk and all my emailing from my sofa. So far, I’ve been drinking loads of coffee and snacking A LOT. I live next to a park so I’m getting outside every afternoon and loving my new daily walk routine.”

 

Laura

“Welcome to my Design Cave! A jar of almonds, a water bottle, plenty of greenery and a stand is all I need! Of course, the fireplace also helps…

During my day working from home, I manage to squeeze in some workout time in the morning and when the weather allows, some lovely homemade lunches in the garden.

You find yourself with so much more time to spend doing what you love and finishing up extra work when you don’t have to face 3 hours of commuting every day!”

 

Sophie

“It is really helping to maintain a routine that incorporates exercise and fresh air into my day. Coffee breaks in the garden are really helping me to keep a clear head and stay focused. Staying connected to the team, friends and family is also really important!”

 

Amelia

“Start the day with time for yourself.

I’m needing a routine to help me keep motivated and focused. Hot lemon starts the day followed by some morning yoga and an early walk in the park with the doggies, their energy, the greenery and spring blossom clears my head and gives me a chance to think about the day ahead. 

Once home, a team chat with a cuppa kicks off the day – fully supported by my little assistant!”

 

Alice

“Taking time away from my computer and doing something creative is really helping. Getting outside to exercise before work and at lunchtime really breaks up the day and feels almost like a fresh routine!”

 

Plus, Some Stylish Home Comforts…

Explore our range of comfy separates, linen pieces and throw on dresses to inspire your working from home wardrobe. Here are some of our favourites!

 

Shop New In >

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Fun Activities: At Home with The Kids

Posted on by Monsoon

We know finding things to fill their days at home can be tough, so we’ve put together some fun activities to help keep them busy! From colouring sheets to dress-up sets, it’s time to get creative with Monsoon Children. Plus, there’s more to come next week, so keep an eye out for our update. 

 

 

Monsoon Children Colouring Sheets  

Entertain the kids with our colouring in sheets! Created by our graphic design team from home, they include rainbows, unicorns and farm animals – perfect for staying creative and adding to your window. 

Monsoon Children Colouring In  

 

 

Make Your Own Playdough 

We got together with our good friend @OakTreeHome, to share with you her beautiful pastel rainbow playdough – fun for the whole family you can create it in 4 easy steps: 

 

  • Step 1: Make a batch of playdough (click here for the best ever no-cook playdough) and split into 3 

 

  • Step 2: Colour one pink, one pale blue and one lemon – these are your pastel primary colours 

  • Step 3: Next mix a blob of pink and a blob of blue = lilac, then mix a blob of lemon and blue = mint green, and finally a blob of lemon and pink = peach. These are our secondary colours 

 

  • Step 4: Tah dah, you’ll have your pastel rainbow playdough (add glitter if you like!) 

 

 

Play Dress Up 

Dressing up is always fun! Discover new sparkly tutus, floral fairy wings and colourful unicorn horns that’ll keep their imaginations alive. Click here to shop. 

 

Shop Children Collection >

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Monsoon Stores

Posted on by Monsoon

We understand these are incredibly troubling and uncertain times for all of us, so we wanted to reach out to you, our community, and reassure you that we are taking all necessary steps to continue to make sure our staff and customers are looked after.

The health, safety and wellbeing of our teams and customers during this time is our priority, so it is with a heavy heart that we’ve made the decision to temporarily close all of our UK and ROI stores from Saturday March 21st, in an effort to protect our communities.

Our distribution centres are still open, and we have employed enhanced measures to help people stay safe while on shift. From ensuring staff are two metres away from each other while working and reducing the headcount for each shift, to allowing an hour to clean between shifts and providing extra soap and hand sanitiser. Our couriers have also introduced no contact deliveries for all our customers. 

While we will miss seeing you in our stores, you can continue to explore and shop our website or call us to order on 0203 738 8836. Due to the enhanced hygiene and social distancing measures we’ve put in place, we are experiencing some delays. For standard delivery please allow up to 7 days, and for the fastest delivery possible (1-3 days) please choose next day delivery and order before 8pm.

Don’t forget that Monsoon Reward members receive two free next day delivery vouchers per year – sign in or join now to redeem. Please do join us on our social channels for some daily light relief of inspiration and positive conversation, where we will continue to share our stories with you in the hope that we can help lift your spirits during these challenging times.

We really thank you for your ongoing support as we navigate the coming weeks; we are thinking of you all, and hope that your families and friends are well and staying safe. 
 

Please do reach out to us if you have any questions or just need to talk, at customerservices@monsoon.co.uk

 

With love, Team Monsoon

 

 

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Monsoon & The Lady Garden Foundation

Posted on by Monsoon

 

 

We’ve proudly teamed up with The Lady Garden Foundation to bring you a capsule collection that aims to raise awareness for their amazing cause. The Lady Garden Foundation is a women’s health charity that raises awareness and funding for research into the five types of gynaecological cancers and have been since 2014. As part of this collaboration, we have donated £9,000 to the charity to help them continue their vital research.   

Discover collection > 

 

Be Loud, Be Bold  

The Lady Garden Foundation pride themselves on being loud and being bold. Challenging taboos and standing together with daughters, sisters and mothers, they want to do away with the ‘private’ in ‘private parts’. Dedicated to encouraging women to open up and talk about their bodies. The Lady Garden Foundation strives for female empowerment and ultimately, helps save lives. You can read more about them and their amazing work on their website.  

Read more >

 

 

 

Celebrate Women 

 

We wanted to mirror The Lady Garden Foundation’s passion and energy with our collection. Including a tote bag, makeup bag and notebook, all these pieces are designed in-house with a fun, female-inspired print and made with organic cotton (so it is sustainable too!). Celebrate female empowerment with us and The Lady Garden Foundation!  

Shop collection > 

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ARTISAN Collection: Rima Batik Dress

Posted on by Monsoon

 

As part of the launch of our beautiful Ashoka collection, we wanted to tell you a little more about the craftspeople who made it! Artisanal techniques including batik, woodblock and hand-screen printing were used to create the floral and polka dot prints throughout this range, and here we want to talk about the artisan Rakaa-Ud-Din who used batik techniques to create our Rima Batik Dress.

 

 

Our Rima dress is the perfect addition to your daytime edit, soft and lightweight with a contrasting all-over print it is the perfect pick for the spring season. Plus, this design is made with LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fabric so it’s sustainable too!   

 

Meet the ARTISAN   

Rakaa-Ud-Din is from a family of artisans who have performed the artisanal technique of batik, a traditional heritage craft of Rajasthan, for the last two generations. His father passed on this skill to him when he was 16 years old and he has kept the tradition alive for the next generation.  

Raka-Ud-Din has four children, his two daughters are married and have kids of their own. One of his sons, runs his own small tie-dye unit, a lovely handcraft which he learnt from one of his uncles. His younger son wanted to work in a similar sector but is keen on learning technological interventions in design and is pursuing that. Rakaa-Ud-Din is happy that his sons are contributing to the same sector in their own unique ways, but also wants to pass on his own craft and tries to do this with his colleagues, teaching them as much as he can.   

 

Discover the ARTISAN collection > 

 

 

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Sustainable Fashion with Katherine Ormerod

Posted on by Monsoon

As part of our journey towards an eco-friendly world, we got together with one of our favourite sustainable bloggers Katherine Ormerod, to get her thoughts on sustainable fashion. Featuring everything from tips on how to shop more sustainably to her favourite pieces from the Monsoon S.E.W collection, this is the place to start (or continue) your eco-conscious journey.

 

 

Can you tell us a little about what sustainable fashion means to you and why it is so important when it comes to how you shop?

Sustainable fashion is firstly about your mindset and attitude to shopping and re-evaluating the need/want relationship. I used to buy a lot of things I thought I needed – I’ve since realised that it was more that I was caught up with wanting things for the wrong reasons. I now buy things either because I need them for a specific use in my wardrobe or because they’re entirely new and offer a different way of dressing. It’s important to me to be more sustainable because it’s a tangible thing we can all do to help the planet.


What do you look for from brands when shopping sustainably?

The full gamut really. Recycled fabrics, new material innovations, buyback schemes. A general focus on investment rather than trend-led purchases. It’s also about transparent supply chains, ethical treatment of the people making the clothing and a fair, living wage. Obviously, this can’t all happen overnight, but it’s a commitment to these changes and motivation to do things better – with a clear plan of how they’re going to do that – which is what I look for most.


 

What is your favourite piece from the Monsoon S.E.W collection and why?

I love this printed dress because of the cut – and the beautiful sleeves. It’s something which could be worn on multiple occasions and lots of different ways. Knee-high boots, sandals, sneakers…

 

For people who want to start shopping more sustainably but don’t know where to start, what would be your top three tips?

My first tip would be to try everything on you own. Donate what doesn’t fit or feel you. Recycle anything which is overly worn or damaged. Then start wearing what’s left. Only when you know what you have can you work out what you need.

Work out why you buy clothes – is it as a pick me up? Is it out of boredom? Buying anything should be either due to a necessity or an overwhelming have-to-own desire – and that’s something which realistically shouldn’t be happening every week.

Shop vintage and shop second-hand when you can. If you have to buy new, really look at the fabrication. The best thing you can do is to only buy pieces in a single fabric – just wool or just polyester – it makes it easier to recycle. Remember how thirsty cotton is, organic or not and don’t immediately discount synthetics because they can be easier to recycle too.

 

Outside of fashion what would you say is your favourite eco-friendly/zero waste product?

I’ve got a great keep cup from Byto which I love for my many many coffee runs.

 

Shop Sustainable >

 

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Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Posted on by Monsoon

This Mother’s Day show your mum some love with a gift from Monsoon. With so much to choose from we thought we’d put together a handy gift guide to help you decide. From jewellery and accessories to occasion styles and everyday dresses, our gift guide is just what you need to make her day special.

 

Lovely Little Moments

Blossoming bouquets, sparkling accessories and sweet scents are all made for Mother’s Day. Keep her smiling with Monsoon Flowers by Haute paired with a little something extra from our gift collection.

 

Made with Love

 

Spoil her with a dress from Monsoon. Whether you pick our handcrafted Ashoka collection or sustainable pieces from our occasion range, these are the presents she’ll treasure for years to come.

 

The Finer Things

Unwrapping jewellery on Mother’s Day will make her day. From stone detailing to simple drop designs, we’ll have something she’ll love in our collection.

 

 Shop Gifts > 

 

Plus, you can treat your mum with our exclusive competition… 

 

 

 

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