Wednesday, 25 July 2012

Now we are 3 !!

 Today Milly and Dottie will be cracking open a bottle of their finest Elderflower Fizz, dishing out lashings of vanilla ice cream and strawberries and maybe the odd custard cream or two.. to celebrate their 3 rd Birthday. 
We would love you to join us in our celebrations .. so please put on your prettiest floral frocks and straw bonnets for the occasion.

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Say "Hello" to Summer



Picnics In The Park


Time to find the red watering can



Make dandelion chains and tell the time with the seed heads


Feed the birds in your matching summer frock and hat




 Pick some homegrown vegetables for supper




The sun shining enough to tell the time



Enjoy the return of the Swallows

Summer has arrived! 
(posters from a variety in The Dovecote

Thursday, 12 July 2012

1940s Rainy Day Treats



 Bakelite Beehives




Gloves From Dusters



Treacle Toffee Carrots & Camiknickers


101 Things for Girls to Do on a rainy day or two...

Thursday, 28 June 2012

Like Cats & Dogs


Meet Rags, Tatters, Bill and Mittens.



Two Fox Terriers, an Airedale and a tabby kitten, all on our Library shelves now!

Friday, 15 June 2012

Rainy Day Sunshine




Well, with the weather gauge permanently stuck on "Wind & Rain" at the moment we could be forgiven for indulging in a spot of weekend whimsy.  After a week of soggy bunting, broken brollies and windswept gardens, you could forgive Dicky for being a trifle cross about not being able to go out and play.  
To cheer ourselves up in the Emporium we have been adding a few bits and bobs to the shelves, Gladys and Eric have taken up residence in the Nursery.  These two beautiful vintage teddies are just the right sort of distraction on a rainy day. 
New items have been added to the Boudoir and tins to the Boxroom, prints and embroidery to the Attic and in the Library a wonderful 1950s book of hobbies if your ideas are running low as well as a delightful 1940s children's book, "Our Friends in The Country."  There is also a delightful 1920s Alphabet of Winter Soirts which is both charming and humorous and very much of its time.
If you fancy making and mending, our Sewing Room is full to the brim with 1940s sewing projects and tips.  Thrifty gift ideas from kettle holders to pin cushions, rattles to calendars, tablecloths to dress jackets, pinafores to drawstring bags, all of which are typically 1940s in style and design and very economical to make too.
In The Scullery there is a wonderful 1950s pegbag, cheerful china and a wobble of jelly moulds to brighten your day.

With best wishes for a sunny, dry and enjoyable weekend
Milly and Dottie


Saturday, 2 June 2012

Thursday, 31 May 2012

Mend & Make Do To Save Buying New

We have added oodles of 1940s sewing ephemera to the Sewing Room Shelves.  Post War and Wartime rations and scarcity of materials, brought out the resourcefulness and necessity was certainly the mother of invention.
With Make Do & Mend tips for turning trousers into skirts, patching worn items, sewing hankies into cushions, scraps for bags, how to crochet jewellery and many many thrifty gift ideas, the projects and advice seem as useful today as they were then.
Whilst many of the projects , eg embroidering covers for ration books, are thankfully no longer relevant, they are still fascinating and collectiable, offering a rare insight into the Make Do & Mend ethos of the time.
There's still no denying that there is nothing more satisfying than delving into your bag of scraps and transforming that nothing into something.








(We also have lots more magazines in the Stockroom which have not yet been added, please contact us if there is a particular edition you are seeking.)