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Showing posts from July, 2012

We're Back On eBay!

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We have finally made the decision to get selling on eBay again. About 10 years ago our business started by selling on eBay and gradually as we added more products to our range we moved to our first shop. Eventually eBay became more and more competitive with lots of sellers popping up, selling a few things at virtually cost and then disappearing again. As products became less popular on eBay as other people were selling them cheaper we gradually stopped selling through them and closed our eBay shop. With the recession hitting people hard, only the strongest businesses have been able to survive. Although times have been tough we have continued to grow and have been able to take advantage of some amazing offers and opportunities We have been concentrating on our own website and shops but now we are ready to start selling on eBay again. I am please to announce that our eBay shop is back open and I have started filling it with toys. We now have over 1000 different products so it is

Looe Carnival's Summer Week of Fun

This coming weekend sees the start of Looe Carnival week and is the highlight of the Looe Lions' event calandar. There will be a week of events to cater for all ages and interests and everyone is hoping this glorious weather to continue. The list of events are as follows: Sunday 29th July Coast and Country - 14th Vintage and Classic Transport Display Incorporating All day - Car Boot Sale - West Wayland - Gates open for Car Booters from 8.00am Parade of Vehicles with side-shows, rides, demonstrations, bar, refreshments and entertainment. Admission only £2.00 per Car. Monday 30th July Carnival Royalty Choosing. Assemble for judging at 6.30pm in West Looe Square. (outside the Fire Station ) Followed by Looe’s Traditional Floral Dance - led by St. Pinnock and Liskeard Silver Band. Starts from West Looe Square at 7.30pm Tuesday 31st July Annual Carnival Fun Run - Adult and Juniors: Plus - u/13 Mini Fun Run. Entry fee - £3.00 Adult; £1.50 u/18. Medals for all finishers plus class trophie

Summer Holidays in Totnes

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The school summer holidays have finally began and luckily the sun is shining so there's plenty for parents to do to keep their children occupied this week, such as picnics and trips to the beach.  I've had a couple people in this morning buying things to take to the beach such as Foam Footballs and of course, Bucket and Spade Sets. There are plenty of things going on in and around Totnes this week.  Learn to surf with Discovery Surf School at Bigbury on sea - a 2 hour surfing lesson for £19. There's a Kids Creative Workshop at Berry Head's Artillery Store.  Make mini sculptures and objects inspired by Berry Head's nature.  11am - 3pm £1 per child suggested donation. It's Stoke Gabriel Carnival Week from Saturday 28th July with a Stokes got Talent Kids Show. Stoke Gabriel Village Hall 7.00pm. Admission £3.00 adults £1.00 children.

Toyday Brings Back Memories From My Childhood

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I'm Irene again! I have already been here two weeks and I'm very satisfied working in Toyday shop. I wanted write about the memories that some of the toys in the shop make me feel with regards to my childhood in Catalonia; for example the mythical doll house that every girls had or wanted to have in your home in any period of her childhood. It makes me feel like near things that I miss but also it makes me  feel at home, with a little bit of nostalgia. I saw a police-car similar to one that my brother had when he was a child too and it's really exiting remembering things that are a part of your life. This shop specialises in traditional toys that in any other shop you can't find...

How to Play Jack Straws

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This is a challenging game that can be played by a number of players. The game dates back many years and is originally believed to of been played using short lengths of straws. These lengths of straw would be gathered together and then allowed to fall into a pile whereupon each player would attempt to pick up a piece without moving any other straw. This modern version of the game now has small plastic items such as saws, ladders, and various implements replacing the pieces of straw but the game still remains the same. The ' Straws ' are held a couple of inches above a flat surface and dropped. Using the hook provided a player attempts to remove one item at a time from the pile without disturbing any other piece. Each piece he collects he puts to one side. If that player moves any other piece then the one he is trying to hook then his turns comes to an end. The following player then picks up the pile that is left, drops them again onto the surface and begins his

Will the London Olympics affect my delivery?

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With the Olympic Games rapidly approaching, you may be wondering how this might affect the delivery of your toys during the London Olympics between July 25th - August 12th this year. First and foremost, you will be pleased to know that we will not be adding an "Olympic surcharge" to our deliveries, and we will still offer the same 3 levels of service, economy, standard and Next day as usual. Next day timed services (i.e. before 9am) will take priority during the Olympics, but are not guaranteed. Both Royal Mail and UK Mail are still guaranteeing their Next day services, although Royal Mail have removed the guarantee of delivery before 1pm for special delivery. The change only affects items due for delivery in London, postcode areas E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC, during the period from 23 July until 17 September. Both our carriers have dedicated web pages below, that will tell you everything you need to know about your deliveries during the Olympic Games, Royal Mail

What Ever Happened to Mr Jackson's Paper Theatres?

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We used to sell some beautiful paper theatres designed by Peter Jackson which we can sadly no longer get and I am desperate to find them again. They came in a book and you pressed the pieces out, then slotted them together to form an elaborately decorated theatre. There was also paper jumping jacks. I still have my ex-demo Cinderella Theatre just in case I ever find them again and because it's simply to lovely to get rid of. The designs were probably inspired by Pollock's who still exist today as The Pollock's Toy Museum . Benjamin Pollock was born in 1856 and inherited a Theatrical Print Warehouse from his father in Law. When trade started to slow he diversified into paper theatres as toys. If I cannot find these paper theatres I may be forced into drawing my own!

How to Play Lexicon Riddance

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 Hours of fun with Lexicon Riddance! Lexicon is a fantastic game that has been around since the 1930s. It is a brilliant word game that will give hours of educational fun! There are three different ways of playing of Lexicon but my favourite is Lexicon Riddance , of which the object is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards.  How to play Lexicon Riddance : First of all, shuffle the pack and deal 7 cards to each player. The remaining cards in the pack should be placed face down next to the dealer. The top card of this pile is taken and placed face up to the left of the pile, and then take a second card and place it face up in the centre of the players. With the ultimate aim of building a word, the first player must deal two or more cards to the table, linked to the central card. The next player then must also play two cards, again all with the aim of building a word. If a player manages to form a whole word using any of the cards in their hand or from the tab

Birthday Cards with a Difference

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At some time or another we all have the need to buy a birthday card for a little boy or a little girl. We already have a range of retro style birthday cards with various pictures on the front but we have added a new range of beautifully coloured Birthday ' Jigsaw Cards ' by Rachel Ellen Designs.   These front of each of these cards has been cleverly designed as a Jigsaw so not only is a birthday card, but after opening it can then be broken into pieces and then becomes a jigsaw puzzle. At the moment we have five different versions that we keep. For the girls we have the delightful  Fairy Birthday Card and the Princess Birthday Card and the boys will be sure to enjoy the Pirate Birthday Card or the Football Birthday Card .  We also have an Alphabet Jigsaw Card which has been designed to be suitable for any occasion with letters of the alphabet and a comical picture for each letter. I am sure my grandson and grand daughter would love to receive one of these

Irene's First Day at Toyday

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My name is Irene and I am 16 years old. I'm not very old to start this experience but all of you know that it is important to learn English. I'm from Barcelona and I'm in Totnes since this Saturday 30 of July. I'm with a family that are very cheerful. I'm living with an Italian girl too and she is here for the same reason as me. I can't say too much because I had been here only for three days; but it's my first day that I start to work here. Really I have never worked yet and it's very strange for me; but I suppose that I only need to get used to a routine. Toyday is where I'm working and I'm really satisfied because the couple that work here are very nice. So I recommend this experience in life not only to learn English but also to become more independent. I hope to learn new things to help me grow without my parent's help. These Fans arrived today and they made me feel at home.

Best Toys for a 5 Year Old Girl

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Having recetly asked myself this same question when looking for a present to take to a little girls birthday party I though I should share what I came up with. Sometimes the hardest part can be getting inspired so hopefully my list will help you with that. Iron On Bead Craft - This is something that my sisters and I used to play with for hours. You create patterns and pictures with the beads onto the boards and then iron them to make your design permenant. £8.99 Gymanstic Ribbon - We have sold a gymnastics ribon for many years now and it's just as popular with girls of today as it's always been. They can use it to twirl as they dance about making it swirl around them. £2.99 Swan Lake Jewellery Box - One of our most popular sellers and it's easy to see why. A beautifully decorated jewellery box and it has a dancing ballerina inside. Every little girl needs somewhere to store her treasures. £15.99 Vellutata Hello Kitty Figures (Coming to Toyday Soon) - H