Peas and Pods

Wrapsies – Featured Stallholder

Wrapsies.ie is an Irish based online store specialising in a unique and quirky range of quality Irish made towelling wraps that are cleverly designed in such a way as to take the fuss and hassle out of changing at the beach or the pool.

Wrapsies are also fun and practical to use at home and are a great way to get the kids either into or out of the bath.

The unique design of Wrapsies with handy and roomy armholes work in such a way as to enable the wearer to dress and undress discreetly and quickly without the fear of the towel gaping open or falling down at the wrong moment – yes we’ve all been there!

All Wrapsies styles are made of best quality cotton towelling, with a really cute and cuddly vibrant children’s range as well as the beautiful luxuriously soft Organic Bamboo range.

Visit www.wrapsies.ie for more details, and as a friend of Peas + Pods you can now claim a 25% discount on purchases using the code ‘peaspods‘ at checkout.

Peas + Pods Update

There will be no Peas + Pods Market in July or August of this year.

We are putting all our efforts into planning and preparing our Autumn Winter market series.

These will be held in the Coop on the following dates

Sunday 11th September

Sunday 9th October

Sunday 13th November

Sunday 4th December

We will running a series of articles on our stallholders here over the coming weeks, so check back in to get a flavour of who is coming to Peas + Pods in the Autumn  + Winter.

There will also be updates on our plans for Greystones for the Autumn + Winter.

In the meantime, feel free to get in touch… hello@peasandpods.ie

Happy Summer, see you all soon!

Sunday 26th June – Greystones LTC!

This Sunday 26th of June brings us back to sunny Greystones – well today was anyway!! Fingers and Toes crossed for Sunday being the same!

This month we have several regular Peas + Pods stallholders – Touch Wood, Piquant Baby, Mukky Monkey and That’s my Name – who attended Greystones last month. Some more that are coming with us from our Dublin 8 venue – Belle Amie Beads, Daisy Star Designs and Our Little BowTique (whose products featured in the write up in Wednesdays Bray People).  And some local Co. Wicklow businesses too, like Wrapsies, Glow, and Cártaí Rúbaí

We can’t list everyone, so you will have to just come to the Tennis Club on Sunday to see them all for yourselves! Check out the Stallholders page for images and links.

Food and cakes are being brought to you by Blossom Bakes and Delgany’s own Delbeaneys. There will be a Crepe Man outside too!

The GLTC will be running a BBQ on the lawn as part of their Open Day from 1.30 until 4pm, and lots of tennis activities on the courts.

Toddler Activity Classes will be run throughout the day by Sarah of Baby Sensory, Baby Development Classes. should be a lot of fun for the little ones!

See you all there!!

Peas + Pods Summer Markets

Well, the title is Peas + Pods Summer Markets – but last Sundays June market in the Dublin Food Coop was anything but Summery!!

A total washout – it did not stop raining the whole day long!

To those who stayed at home on the couch with their slippers on – can’t say we blame you! But to those who braved the rain to come and join us – we salute you!!

As always – the stallholders did an amazing job. Huge effort goes into their displays every month and they always do us proud! Thanks guys!

Pinatas Pinatas donation of a Shark Pinata for a busting was a huge hit – not only with the kids, the adults held back on getting in there for a bash, but they did cheer the children on with great gusto!!

It was so much fun for everyone involved – we are thinking of making it a regular event!! Thanks so much Ruth for your kind donation – we can’t believe how long it lasted considering the bashing it took. It is a really well made, top quality Pinata!

Maria Moulton really enjoyed her visit promoting her book – Mammy Diaries – as she dashed out the door to catch her train back to Cork, she said “If Peas + Pods was in Cork I’d be here all the time – you’d never get rid of me!!” We wouldn’t want to Maria, you are welcome back any time!

We have a busy line-up of markets over the next 6 weeks.
If there is a baby on the way, a christening or birthday coming up or you just plain fancy something different – Peas + Pods is the place to go. You will find something to suit every occasion.
Choose from one – or all – of our upcoming Summer Markets to stock up on the most wonderful and unique presents.

Sunday June 26th we are in Greystones Lawn Tennis Club again from 11am until 5pm.
Coinciding with the Tennis Clubs’ Open Day, we are expecting a great day of events, food, activities and of course the main ingredient – lots of beautiful stalls to choose from.

Sunday July 10th we are back in Dublin Food Coop. Megan’s Toddler Mini Jam will be there, another Pinata Busting too and the usual culinary delights, wonderful stalls and some yet-to-be-announced creative events! Watch this space!!

Sunday July 24th Its back to Greystones again. Another day of a lovely outdoor-indoor balance with this wonderful venue.
The last Peas + Pods market of the Summer, there will be great deals on all of the Summer stock! Bargains galore in sun hats and flowery prints – roll on the Autumn shades and rain gear – although we could have done with some of that last Sunday!!

So, you know where to find us this summer!
If you check out the Stallholders page, you’ll know whats on offer at each market too.

Come along and spend some time in a welcoming, family friendly environment, with great food, great entertainment and unique products that you won’t find anywhere else!

Dublin Food Coop – 12th June

This Sunday’s market, 12th June, is set to have some of the usual goings on - Toddler Mini Jam,  Sling meet, Stork Exchange Clothes Swap, and of course loads of great stalls, cakes and coffee.

We do however have some new and exciting things happening too!

Author Maria Moulton, will be attending to promote and sell copies of her fantastic book Mammy Diaries !!
A collection of thoughts, stories and experiences of over 200 women on being pregnant, giving birth and the early days of motherhood in Ireland. This unique book was complied from over three years of interviews with mothers!  

“Mammy Diaries” differs  from a lot of other parenting books in that despite being aimed at a mainstream market, there is a strong focus on practices like Home Birth, co sleeping, long term breastfeeding which often gets glossed over or ignored altogether in other parenting books.

“Mammy Diaries” does not dictate to women how they should be raising their children but instead it is more about community, about the women involved sharing their own stories and experiences, in the hopes that it might make other mothers feel like they’re actually doing a pretty great job as it is and that their instincts are right more often then they give them credit for, even if they don’t necessarily conform to the “norm.”

Maria’s book is self-published – which means that all the promotion, publicity and the legwork of getting the book out there into the shops is being done by Maria and her family and friends!

We are delighted to be hosting Maria at Peas + Pods this Sunday, and hope that you can all help spread the word of the Mammy Diaries too!

Check into our Facebook page - we are running a competition to win a free copy of Mammy Diaries – just message us with the answer to this question – How many children have been reared by the women whose stories feature in Mammy Diaries?
All names will be put in a draw and the winner selected on Saturday afternoon.
Please include a mobile number so we can contact the winner - and make sure you come along on Sunday to meet Maria herself too!

The next fun and excitement lined up for you and yours is a Pinata Busting Event in the Peas + Pods Playroom!

Ruth from Pinatas Pinatas has very kindly put forward a Pinata to be bashed until it busts!! Ruth reckons it should take a good 20 minutes bashing before it collapses and releases its delightful treats from inside!
We are not so sure it will last so long… So, to avoid any disappointment – make sure you are there on Sunday afternoon – the Pinata Bashing starts off at 3pm!!

Hope you all enjoyed the lovely sunshine and made the most of the long weekend.

See you in Newmarket Square on Sunday!!

Peas + Pods Greystones!!

A huge thanks to all who came along to the inaugral Peas + Pods Market in Greystones. It was a lovely sunny day and the stallholders did us proud – as always – with their fantastic displays.

The venue was great – and we are delighted to announce we will be running another Peas + Pods market in the Greystones Lawn Tennis Club.
To be held on Sunday 26th June - Mark your calenders now!!

Do remember to check back in here over the coming weeks, for updates on all the treats we will have on offer on the day!

There were plenty of the regular stallholders from the Co-op who came with us for the first Greystones market, but a fair number of local businesses also took some stalls.
We would really love to see even more locals getting involved, so do please get in touch with us to book a spot for our next Greystones outing – entertainment, clothes, toys, crafts – if you think you might be a fit for the market – please do apply for a stall!!

Mummy’s Tummys‘ baby massage demo went down so well with all who attended… The room was full with parents, babies and quite a few pregnant bumps as well!

Caroline’s real life model opted for cuddles rather than massages! Luckily her life-like doll stepped in to offer a helping foot to be rubbed!!

The winner of the Mummy’s Tummy competition was Sarah Lynch, Congratulations Sarah! Thanks to everyone who entered, and sorry you weren’t drawn out of the hat this time around.

Baby Wearing Ireland ran a great sling meet in the downstairs hall.

We were lucky enough to have the full collection of the sling library there… all the way up from Cork!

Thanks so much to Tania and Linda for making themselves available, and for all the fantastic information they passed on to the visitors. Hope the journey back to Cork was a smooth one Tania!

Just as we were starting to get packed up – the big drama of the day unfolded!
A long-eared bat had somehow gotten displaced from his usual home. The poor guy was trying to climb the pebble-dash on the wall outside.
The kids were fascinated – along with a fair number of adults! He was not being touched, but the attention was probably a bit too much for him. A box from Miss Molly’s Bakehouse was given a few air-holes, and Bat was popped in and safely stowed away.
Many many phone calls later, Tony, a representative from the National Parks and Wildlife Service , who blessedly lived in the Greytones area, came along to take him away.

Tony pronounced Bat well and healthy and said he was quite a good size for a long-eared bat.
There was a big sigh of relief – from us anyway! – that Bat was now with someone who knew what on earth to do with him!!

Greystones Update – Sunday 29th May

We are so thrilled with the reaction Peas + Pods is getting from Greystones! The stall applications keep on coming!

We are also delighted to have a competition to announce!
Exclusively for Peas + Pods Greystones, and in association with Mummy’s Tummy, one lucky person will win a 4 week course of Baby Massage Classes, or a 4 week session of Mum & Baby Yoga – the choice is theirs! !
More details on the competition and How To Enter below.

Some of the recently confirmed stallholders for this Sundays Market are Baby Slings & More, selling slings and baby wearing accessories, and Artistic Intent, fantastically colourful and characterful paintings!

Peas + Pods are delighted to be hosting a demonstration of Baby Massage by Mummy’s Tummy. A local company, founded by Greystones resident Caroline Browne, Mummy’s Tummy offers a range of pre-and post-natal care including yoga, reflexology and baby massage.

Caroline’s free demonstration will start at 12pm in the upstairs room at Peas + Pods on Sunday. Concentrating on baby’s legs and feet, this 30 minute session will explain the benefits of massage for both babies and parents and teach some lovely rhymes and songs too.

Any baby massage classes booked on the day of the market will receive a 10% discount. Caroline will also offer her own blend of baby massage oil for sale.

The benefits of Baby Massage are so widely understood, that most health insurance companies offer a substantial reimbursement towards the cost of a course of massage classes.

COMPETITION DETAILS!!

So – what to do and how to enter! Well, to mention the prize again, Mummy’s Tummy, located in Greystones, is offering a 4-week course of either Baby Massage Classes, or Mum & Baby Yoga – the winner chooses which they would like!

Ok, please answer the following questions, and send them to us at hello@peasandpods.ie with the subject line Mummy’sTummy Competition. The answers can be found on here on our website and on www.mummystummy.com

Name three benefits of Baby Massage for the baby.

List three stallholders attending Peas + Pods first Family Market in Greystones on 29th May.

Easy as that!!
The competition will be open to entrants up until midnight on Friday 27th May.
Make sure to include your mobile phone number so we can contact the winner before the market on Sunday.

We have also just confirmed a stall for a local company called Glow.  From St Davids Secondary School in Greystones, Glow are a Transition Year Mini-Company, and Wicklow Student Enterprise Champions.
Designing hi-vis equipment for children and teenagers, Glow aim to make it more appealing to kids and young people to wear safety reflective gear when out and about in poor visibility.

Printed with patterns they have designed themselves, or you can even make your armband personalised with your own designs!
You will have to pop in to the market on Sunday to see their full range of patterns and colours!

Baby Wearing Ireland will be running a sling meet between 11.30 and 1pm. Educating and informing parents on the benefits of wearing your baby, Baby Wearing Ireland is a non-profit organisation.
A sling meet is an opportunity for families to try out different slings, have their questions on baby-wearing answered and meet other baby-wearing families.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Peas + Pods Family Market comes to Greystones

We are delighted to announce that Peas + Pods is expanding and taking on a second venue. Peas + Pods will run its first family market in Greystones, on Sunday 29th May 2011 from 11am till 5pm.

Still at the Dublin Food Co-op on the second Sunday of the month – our summer markets will be there on 12th June and 10th July too!

To be held in the fantastic clubhouse of Greystones Lawn Tennis Club, this will be the first of what we hope will become a regular event in Greystones.

GLTC is located just off the Mill Road only 15 minutes walk from the town centre. There is plenty of parking for those coming from further afield.

It is a fantastic venue, with two spacious halls, one at entrance level and one on the first floor. Also on the first floor is a bright and airy cafe/lounge, with 180 degree views overlooking the lawn tennis courts.

This cafe accesses an outdoor terrace… the perfect spot to sit in the sun with a pot of tea and a cake from one of the stalls!

Already confirmed to have stalls in Greystones on the 29th May are The Dutch Bike Shop – with their unique Dutch Mothers Bike, Cargo bike seats (see the Babboe Big, pictured below), more traditional bicycle seats, and loads of cycling accessories.

The delectable knitted booties of Benny Boo’s, which come beautifully wrapped in a presentation box as a perfect present for a newborn. A real keepsake!

Camilleon Kids who had the most gorgeous Havianas at Peas + Pods May 8th market in Dublin Food Co-op, as well as some original cast iron school desks – inkwells and all!!

If you are interested in getting involved in our new venture, drop us an e-mail at hello@peasandpods.ie

To all our regulars at Dublin Food Co-op, why not take a trip to the seaside for a day – the Dart runs all the way to Greystones! – and pop in to say hi to us there!

Looking forward to a great day!!

May Market Lowdown!

May’s Peas + Pods market was one of the prettiest yet! With lots of brand new stalls, there were so many more new things to browse. Settling into the new date of the Second Sunday of the month, Mark your calender today for our next two summer markets – 12th June + 10th July.

It is really satisfying to see how the market is becoming well used by a bunch of regulars.

One mum left her sleeping toddler with her husband in the car and ran in to pick up something specific she needed. She had checked the Our Stallholders list on the website, and knew that what she wanted would be there! Another family came for lunch and were there meeting different groups of friends for the whole afternoon!

This is exactly the vision we had when Peas + Pods launched last October, and it is a credit to the stallholders and the quality of their stock that we get return visitors coming back month after month. A thread on Rollercoaster mentioned that a group of mum’s from Cork may organise a bus up all the way from Cork to attend June’s market!! We will endeavour to suitably impress them!

Keep spreading the word – there may be a few families out there who don’t know what they are missing out on!

Helen from Dress My Party did another wonderful job of decorating the entrance arch with all her beautiful bunting, lights and lanterns.

Looks pretty special doesn’t it? She created a beautiful entrance from the corridor into the main hall. Thanks Helen!

May’s Market saw the trial run of the Peas + Pods Playroom. A dedicated space for children’s events – and some grown-up ones too! – the Mini-Jam, The Stork Exchange clothes swap and Crafty Little Things Bee + Butterfly workshops were located in here on Sunday.

This space will continue to be fine-tuned over the coming markets as we discover which events work best. It is a great opportunity for any start-up childrens entertainers to showcase their skills. If you would like to talk to us about reserving a corner in the Peas + Pods Playroom drop us a mail to hello@peasandpods.ie

The Stork Exhange Clothes swap ran in the Peas + Pods Playroom at 12.30. It went down really well, and plenty of Mum’s came armed with outgrown clothes to pass on.  By 1pm it was all done, and everyone was happy with what they found, and what they were able to pass on.

This Clothes Swap is such a fantastic concept, and fits in so well with the ethos of the market, that Peas + Pods are delighted to announce that The Stork Exchange will run a free clothes swap as a regular event at our future monthly markets

So sort out the kids wardrobes and drawers, clear out the old and make room for the new – all for a grand total of Zero Euro!!  Recession Busting or what!!

Crafty Little Things returned to Peas + Pods for May’s market, much to the delight of our regular little visitors. Facilitating the children, rather than directing, the girls provided the material for the creation of Bees and Butterflies… although I also spotted a great Tyrannosaurus Rex in the Cafe that one creative little kid had made! It was close to being eaten by a teething toddler, until the creators’ Dad jumped in to rescue it… There would have been a meltdown if T Rex had lost his tail!!

Megan’s Mini-Jam worked really well in the Playroom. With more space to jump and twirl and swing, the kids really enjoyed themselves. Especially when they were given carte blanche with the music box at the end! A glorious cacophony of bells and drums and rattles!! Megan ran several free music and movement workshops throughout the day – Thanks again Megan!

So, don’t forget to mark those dates – 12th June, 10th July are our next two summer markets.
Check back in here and on Facebook and Twitter for regular posts and updates.

Coming soon will be another Featured Stallholder post, giving a bit of background info on how one stallholder got started up and more detail on their product. If there is someone at Peas + Pods you would like to learn more about, drop us a mail and we will get on to them. Also coming will be more details on What’s On for June.

See you there!

Marvellous May! Peas + Pods on 8th of May

Easter is finally past. It really did it seem to last for ages! Must have been all the sunshine and the long bright evenings.

The holidays were put to good use with plenty of picnics, walks in the woods and of course the search for and consumption of vast quantities of chocolate!

With Peas + Pods May market being the first to run on our new date – the second Sunday of the month - we are doing our best to make sure everyone is informed of the new date, Please pass on the word!

April’s market was very focussed on Mum’s, pampering and nurturing. This time round the focus is returning to the kids. There will be lots of great craft, music and movement activities lined up to engage our young visitors and encourage their creativity!

The Stork Exchange will be running a swap event of good quality childrens clothes (ages 0-3 years) in the morning.

Olivia will have the swap area open from about 11.30. You pay to take part, leave your clothes  and get your tokens – one for each item of clothing. Then head off and browse the stalls for some treats, get a coffee and maybe some more treats! Meanwhile, all the clothes will be hung up and sorted by age/gender.

Be sure to be back to the swap area at 12.30 sharp, cause thats when the fun begins!! The actual swapping part is pretty quick – as you can imagine! Leaf through the clothes rails and bag some bargains!

Exchange your tokens for the new items of your choice. But remember to play nice – even if that Monsoon dress someone else is holding would be perfect for your 2 year old to wear for Granny’s 70th party!

You can see more details and updates on the Stork Exchange Facebook page too.

The Mini Jam will be back with two sessions, one in the morning at 12 and a second session after lunch. They were great fun the last time Megan was with us in March. It’s definitely one to get to with your toddlers!

Another craft event will be held at Louise Swords’ stall. Clay-Doh is a new form of play-doh that dries within 24 hours. It comes in 8 different colours and is scented. It does not stick to clothes or furniture and is water soluble.

As well as running workshops, Louise sells the product directly from her stall. She had a stand at the Fleadh Ceoil in Cavan 2010 and it was a huge success both with children and adults.

Visit her stall to sign up for one of her workshops on market day.

As mentioned above, there were lots of walks in the woods and visits to parks while we had the beautiful hot weather last week. Two very special places were Kilmacurragh Arboretum just off the N11 in Co.Wicklow for the pink and red rhododendrons . The gardens are free to enter, but have no cafe or visitor facilities (except toilets). But the current display of rhododendrons only last for a very short time. The trees are magnificent, and the flowers are so brightly coloured they look unreal – like dyed pink cotton balls stuck onto the branches! For anyone lucky enough to have some days off this week, it is well worth a visit.

The second wonderful visit was to see the bluebells in the Devils Glen, just outside Ashford. Another very short lived season, the bluebells and white flowers of the wild garlic set the scene for a very magical afternoon.

I’m sure you all have something similarly beautiful close to where you live. It would be great to hear about any hidden gems you know that are worth sharing? Send an e-mail, or leave a comment here for everyone to check out.

Enjoy the last few days of the mid-term, for anyone with school-age kids, and Hooray for another short week next week too for those employees among you!

See you on the 8th of May for another cracking day at Peas + Pods.