When a book becomes an activity........

Family traditions are so important don't you think?
Special occasions that bring a smile to your face!
There are so many opportunities for us to have these in our lives and  they are the ones we have that are to be treasured.

One of these for our family is reading from the books written by Russell Hoban.
Last week I was reading Bread and Jam for Frances to the little children. It was Arwen's choice for the day and when I finished reading it we decided to have a Frances Lunch.

Now we have had "Albert Lunch's" before from another favourite book Best Friends for Frances complete with a red wagon packed with luncheon goodies. We have had this happen so many times and the children have such fond memories of it.

So this day we made a new memory by creating a Frances Lunch. Then main thing in this lunch was the setting up of the  meal like in the book..

First we made paper doilies of which I had a few and as is Winter here I thought we could make some snowflake doilies too. However I really could not get the hang of it, I was so embarrassed. Here was this so simple paper craft and I could not do it. So in the end we went with a couple of my snowflake placemats and the bought doilies.
The next important item to have was the  flowers in the vase, followed by the egg in an egg cup.
As we did not have thermos we simply had milk in a glass.
For the food as we were having a lunch type of meal anyway - Frances has carrot and celery and we just used some leftovers and salad.

The interesting thing with these type of activities is the fact that while it was aimed for our little kids it was not long before we had more takers for our Frances Lunch.

Again I am so thankful to be able to 'enjoy the journey together' with our children, which is one of the most special aspects of living and learning at home.

Blessings to you and your homes,

New Beach Inspired Stockings

Every summer I am fortunate to spend time at the beach with my family where one of my favorite activities is looking for shells.  I love to stroll on the sand searching for treasures and inevitably end up coming home with bags of shells – mostly white of course.

The shells find their way into various jars and bowls around my house and have provided great inspiration for a few craft projects as well.  Remember last year when I used a group of oyster shells to make a decorative ball? (Complete instructions can be found HERE.)

This year my bags of shells inspired me to create a line of nautical inspired Christmas stockings!

Each design is made from burlap and features a different shell.

They look great as a grouping of all the same design as well as a mix of all three styles. To learn more about these new designs and to see additional stockings please visit my Etsy Shop.

Eden's Birthday in Collage ♥

It seems to be quite a while since I was able to keep up with our birthday posts and once again poor Eden had her birthday last week has had to wait.

It really was a beautiful day and honestly Eden is such a patient and unassuming young lady. She is often not wanting to make too much trouble and is keen to help with many things.

Eden's birthday was quite simple and so very 'Eden like' !
As she wanted a Kindle for her present it really did not leave me much to organise for her. However I can never just do one present and so I found some little extras to add to her birthday bag that I knew would make  her happy.

The main addition to Eden's birthday was in my wanting to add a new tradition to the birthday table. Thus the Arrival of our Birthday Fairy was in evidence for the very first time.

Eden spent most  most of her day playing with her Kindle quite contentedly and I admit  I was happy to have her join the ranks of Kindle users in our home!

Food for the day~
Breakfast: Buckwheat pancakes with peaces, jam and cream
Lunch: Tuna Salad
Dinner: Shepard's Pie, corn on the cob, snow peas, pumpkin,
Cake: Hmmmm, this was my first disaster in so very, very long. I was trying to make her a giant cupcake from the cake pan we have BUT the cake stuck to the sides and would not come out.
Seriously I find the gluten free cakes hard to mound!


Anyway we used the cake and make three giant mounds that look something like cupcakes.
How thankful I am that she was happy with this compromise. A blessing like our Eden is one I am thankful for everyday.


Well,  that was our very peaceful and charming day with one of the most beautiful girls I know. A beauty that comes form the inside and spills out into all she does.

Next birthday to come up is that of my dear  husband!

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

Loving Blue

I have always loved blue and white, for years I have collected antique ginger jars, fabrics, tablecloths and books all that share my passion for blue and white. My mix match plates are used daily, nothing is too precious to use as most of the pieces have been collected over time from antique stores, flea markets and my travels. The room above is a place I love to escape in, previously dark brown timber panels and moulding, dark floors to match the room screamed much needed natural light, so I decided this very room with its ornate ceilings had to be brought back to life, so over many long weekends of sanding and painting walls and floors (I have a whole new respect for painters) our room was complete. Next was the Dining room, we found a very old table for a bargain price and lovingly had it restored back to its former glory, our table that we thought seated ten had hidden sleeves, making our table now fit 16 people! I went completely out of my comfort zone and wall papered the entire room in a divine chinoiserie paper, the white ornate ceilings and glossy white floors added the perfect contrast. I mixed up the seating by custom making a frilled long bench ottoman and painting my Chippendale chairs a light blue.

Images: Verandah House Interiors

White Dove Love

Finally here to give a sneak peek at the guest room redo!

White Dove by Benjamin Moore is now on the walls and I'm sticking to an all~white palette except for pops of black and cream.

I'm showing one side of the room for now as I am waiting to complete the bedside table area and the corner opposite the bed.

It's so serene and simple...I'm keeping the walls very spare of things...

I am in love with my new pick~stitch quilt and shams from Pottery Barn!

I'll show you before and after when I do the complete reveal, but for now here's the new guest room preview...

Back soon with the reveal and a new post about the latest Crafternoon soire!

Creative, crafty and lots of fun...

 We get up to a lot of different things at HH HQ and this Summer's workshop list is even more packed than last year!

We have cushion making this Thursday, 26th July and there's still some spaces left! Making a simple cushion is a great way to gain confidence in measuring and cutting fabric accurately and then using a machine, you'll never look back! 11 am - 2 pm and costing £40 per person, space is limited to just four people and you will produce a brilliant, feather-filled plump cushion - choose from some amazing fabrics!

One of my favourite things to do here is the natural dyeing, we had a lot of fun with woad (blue) last year! There are a number of dyeing workshops planned and they are all £40 per person - you will take away a 100g skein of yarn and a large silk scarf. 

Mordants, madder (red/orangy brown) and weld (bright yellow or green) the Purple Feathery Reed heads are a bit late due to the weather...Thursday 2nd August 11 am - 3 pm.

Thursday 30th August 6 - 9 pm there should be purple, feathery reed heads available by then!

Saturday 8th September 1.30 - 5.30 will be Woad!

The T-shirt quilt that I made for my grown-up son was such fun to make and so effective! What a great keepsake and a good use of T-shirts that would have been turned into rags!

Three sessions on Friday 3rd August 10 am - 1 pm, 2 - 5 pm and Saturday 2 - 5 pm - £10 per session and you can come along to one, two or all three!

A hand-sewing session, bring your own shirts!  Ask for details of how to prepare your shirts....

 Rachel is our felty friend and her workshops are amazing! I was lucky enough to have a go last time and it won't be my last visit to the wonderful world of felt, a great craft and so adaptable!

The colours of the wool tops are dazzling!

 Rachel is doing a whole day workshop on Saturday 25th August 11 am - 5 pm and this time it's bags!

£55 per person and that includes all materials, refreshments but you will need to bring a light lunch as we will stop to re-fuel, there will also be cake....limited spaces.

 As you will have read in the previous blog post, Jacqui recently visited the States but before she went away we had arranged for her to man(n) the stall at The Strawberry Fair held every year at Alder Carr - as it's always held on a Saturday I can never attend as I'm in charge of buttons at the shop. Jacqui did come up with the idea of making a few of these lovely strawberry shaped pin cushions (inspired by the rather wonderful @scrapiana - clever twitter friend) for the event though and they were so much fun to make and went down well with the visitors too!

The next Strawberry pin cushion afternoon will be on Saturday 25th August 2 - 5 pm and will cost £20 per person, all materials and refreshments provided and as the pin cushions are filled with a mixture of lavender from Provence and sand we will all be calm, cool and collected as we make as many of these beautiful and very useful little works of art as we can! 

You may recognise the fella in the background of the picture above...

 It is Alphonso! He's a bounder and a cad, breaking hearts all over the shop....he's even started to receive fan emails from smitten ladies who have happened upon him during a visit to HH HQ!

The next two Ragdoll workshops are this Saturday 2 - 5 pm and Thursday 18th August 6 - 9 pm. £10 per session and there are old, French linen sheets, vintage fabrics and notions with which to embellish your damsel, gigolo or even a (as one lady decided to do) very dapper hare!

This is an hand-sewing project and it is possible to complete a doll in one session...

 Mmmmmm! You should smell the 'ready to be collected' soap as it sits on the HH HQ table - made using the cold process method of soap-making and using ingredients that include essential oils, coconut oil and cocoa butter. 

The next two sessions are on Friday 31st August 5 - 9 pm and Saturday 29th September 1.30 - 5.30 pm.

Places are limited to four persons and the cost is £50 per person. You will make four different soaps and take away approximately a kilo of assorted soaps. The soaps will need to cure for four weeks before using.

Perfect for Christmas gift giving....

We had a really great time in May when upstairs at HH HQ was turned from being the upstairs studio and became Vintage Notions! Kitchenalia, vintage knitting and sewing patterns, fabrics and old linens and lace...Lady Galula brought along her gluten-free wares and a fine time was had by all!

We're doing it all again but this time bigger and better! Friday 14th September 2 - 5 pm and Saturday 15th September 2 - 5 pm.

 Ah....vintage loveliness! Candle making in containers such as these pretty teacups and pressed glass sundae dishes is very satisfying and they make great gifts too, if you can bear to give them away!

The next session will be geared towards the festive season and will include the pine cone firelighters that are featured in A Green Guide to Country Crafts. £25 per person on Saturday 22nd September 2 - 5 pm. Spaces are limited to four persons.

We will also be running a container candle workshop on our stall at The Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket on the 11th and 12th August!

 It's the big Steam and Craft Fair and last year (with a lot of help from Peg!) we did a fantastic demonstration of dyeing with woad, this year we thought it would be nice to get everyone involved and make some citronella scented flowerpot candles!

Phew! With 'Crochet for beginners' on Thursday 6th September 6 - 9 pm and 'Knitting for beginners' on Thursday 20th September 6 - 9 pm - £20 per person all materials and refreshments provided, you even take your hooks and needles away with you! See just how much fun you can have with sticks and string....spaces are limited to six persons on each session.

Oh....and there's the Suffolk Dog Day at Helmingham Hall this Sunday - we will be flashing off our buttons there too! If you are going there too do drop past and say 'hi!' it would be great to put a face to a blog.....:)

Time for tea I think....Nic x

Play Spaces In our Home....Part 3 - Mobile Mud Kitchen

One of the favorite games that our younger children especially love to play is with the pots, pans, plastic containers and utensils they have to create a 'mud kitchen'.
I have been thinking about this post a lot and about  how much to say, but frankly what matters most is that our children play this over an over again and obviously to me that it really feeds their imagination and thus they grow form that and so return to this form of play that really is a very  simple activity that can take hours and even days of their time

I have seen many 'mud kitchens' on line and often would drool over the set ups of some of these elaborate spaces. I would think to my self  'if only our children had a place set up with a little cupboard to store all they items and a special designated space like these fabulous mud kitchens" and then I look and see the beauty in the simple  use of stools and other everyday items the children put together.

In fact they do not seem to feel deprived at all, it is simply me thinking and comparing to others and how they provide for their own children.
Each of us is different and while the 'extras' are nice, they are not essential. Which should be obvious to me  really, because our children have not felt the need to ask for more than they have.....and I am truly thankful for that!

So for your viewing pleasure, and mine , because I love to see the results of this creativity here are lots of pictures, with out much wording of various creations and wonderful delicacies the children have produced.
Above I think this one was a milo

Chocolate cake with chocolate chips

A nourishing soup

One of the busy chefs

Arwen taking her turn at the kitchen

This is Myffwyn's master piece. I adore this cake and love the camellia buds, but sh!!, don't tell her Daddy

This one is the latest house they created in a patch of clearing in amongst some trees

The breakfast porridge

The kitchen space

The living area complete with nursery for the babies

Bedroom

The red wagon filled with water behind the 'kitchen' is the well

I think they actually brought some food from the house to eat while 'cooking in the mud kitchen'

Here we have another day with the stools being again used along with the planks we have for see swas and a bit of wood spanning two 'ponies' which are builders saw horses, which are very handy for play equipment.
Seriously when we were building a contract builder made 'ponies for the children complete with a hole for a hobby horse head, which he supplied as well. They had a fabric saddle and reins and a tail.
Our children were delighted and we still use them for many things, mostly play wise over 8 years later.

a wide variety of dishes

I remember this one as soup

Definitely meatballs

and hmm chocolate something.

Again the 'mobile mud kitchen' set up but the picture is when they had finished playing but this time near the swing set.

Of course I have many more 'mud kitchen' photos but I think you have had enough for now....

Another interesting note is that Moran now wants to actually write her 'mud kitchen' recipes down into a book, complete with pictures so she can have a recipe book to work from.
Now I think that is a fantastic idea, don't you?

Blessings to you and your homes,