Wednesday Woo: Sporty summer selection

Get set for a sporty summer...

We are currently in the south of France and enjoying a rather slow-paced holiday, recharging before all the summer activities commence.  In honour of the Tour de France and other sporting spectacles (will not mention the football here!) we have gathered some stylish clothes and pieces to inspire some outdoor fun and games.

The Bobo Choses SS12 collection has a 'Bici' theme racing through it.  Now ON SALE, you can discover pieces such as the Green Salopettes with Bici WAS £32.50 NOW £24.88 Baby Bodysuit with Polka Dots & Bici WAS £32.50 NOW £24.88, Baggy Green Bici Trousers WAS £37.50, NOW £28.13, and the Yellow Bici Shorts WAS £24 NOW £18

And some accessories to accompany such playful outfits....
The Draw Bag by Sally Nencini will carry pens and pencils around for family trips, £24.  A colouring book to keep little hands busy, the new Sporty edition by Rosie Flo £5.99.  Plus a Wicker Basket (WAS £40.50 NOW £32.50) to collect treasures and something carry those tasty morsels for lunch, the Cooler Bag by Rice DK, £15.50

Happy sporting times!

SUMMER SALE NOW ON - OOOH GO TAKE A LOOK

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This is part of our Wednesday Woo collection. We also have other stories and features including our 'Monday Makery', 'I Spy' and 'The art of living'.
If you'd like to receive our weekly newsletter to receive offers and news and find out the about our new collections sign up below.


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Summer Sale - 25% Bobo Choses

Bobo Choses has now hit the Sale!

25% OFF

View Summer Sale

View Bobo Choses

There are lots more hidden treats to discover in our Archive so be sure to take a look

View Archive

Summer Sale - 30% ilovegorgeous

Sisters Guild Summer Sale

30% OFF ilovegorgeous

view ilovegorgeous SS12 SALE

View entire Summer Sale

View ARCHIVE

Also in the sale: Dandy Star, Hucklebones, Little duckling, Maileg, Rice DK, Belle & Boo and Bobo Choses

Summer Sale News - 25% OFF Little Duckling

The sun is shining and our Summer Sale has begun

You'll discover Dandy Star and Hucklebones have already been added to our SUMMER SALE

Take a look too at the ARCHIVE, where you'll find even more delightful discounts 

Sisters Guild Summer Sale Update

Our summer sale has begun!

Hucklebones has now joined our Summer Sale 

25% OFF the entire collection

With only a few sizes of the sell out spot scalloped dress available (pictured above) you'll have to be quick -  pieces are already going fast!

View Hucklebones Sale

View Entire Sale

Sale Time - Well isn't that Dandy!

*  SALE  *

up to 35% OFF all our 

Dandy Star T's

WAS £26 NOW £17

WAS £25 NOW £18.75

Go Grab some Bright Summer bargains

VIEW DANDY STAR
DISCOVER MORE IN ARCHIVE

Monday Makery - A Box is Never A Box

Our Monday Makeries bring you recipes to bake, crafts to make, and gifts to create. They'll keep both little and big hands busy on rainy day afternoons and are a great way to be together, stay still and enjoy being imaginative, creating the circumstances in which imagination and resourcefulness can show themselves.

Being creative nurtures and stimulates children, helping them to be resourceful and encouraging curiosity. Encouraging exploration and praising a childs creative efforts are wonderful ways to let your children free from the constraints of right and wrong in standardized education. 

I believe we should cultivate creativity, to encourage children to think outside the box. We are after all raising a generation of children who will become the thinkers, the makers, the writers, the scientists of our future, we should encourage them to think innovatively. 

There is no right and wrong when it comes to being creative, its about exploring and children love to explore! Perhaps I should also start showing you the pictures of what else is happening during our Makeries.... whilst Sessi & I are busy putting the last touches to a mobile and Oona has decided to paint around her feet on the floor, leaving tiny footprints all the way through the house, or when she'll cover herself in flour to pretend she's a ghost! 

There's a lot to be said about following the rhythm of children, from letting them roam free in the great outdoors to letting their imagination run free with a few inexpensive craft materials and pieces from the recycling box. 

But hey, its just fun. Ways to keep children busy before the 'I'm bored' can leave their lips. 

If having children has taught me anything it is that imagination is contagious and my own children have nurtured me as much as I have them.  

I learnt very quickly that a box is never just a box. Its's a rocket, a car, a robot, a pirate ship, a train, but NEVER just a box.

The Makeries came about as accidental as most of the Makeries themselves.

The children and I make things every weekend together, mostly their suggestions, their ideas, their curiousness and then one day I said to my sister 'why don't I photograph them and put them on the blog with a how to.'

'Great idea' said sis... and there it began. The photo's aren't always good - for that i apologise - but that has shown me something new I'd like to explore and something I'm now learning to better myself at.

Sisters Guild is so much more than a boutique, Its a place to come to for new ideas, a place to spark the imagination, a place where you are invited to join us on a journey to discover fresh ideas and design in the world of childhood and home, family and lifestyle.

So, when you're looking for a project big or small, if you're looking for something to do on a rainy day, come by, have a look, make a mess and have fun!

Imagination is contagious!

Take A Look: 

Summer Fun With Sisters Guild

Monday Makery 

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This is part of our weekly Monday Makery where we bring you a recipe to bake or a craft to create. Visit our Monday Makery when you're in need of inspiration for something to do on a rainy day or to use as interception of the words 'I'm bored', or just because being creative with your children is something you all love to do. Our other popular blogposts include 'The story behind our collections', 'Tell us its Tuesday' , An A-Z of Sisters Guild, The Art of Living posts bring you all the things we are passionate about and the things we discover in our lives as mamas, and our 'Once upon a week' gives you a glimpse into life behind the scenes at Sisters Guild. 

www.sistersguild.co.uk

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Once Upon A Week - Dear Daddy

A selection of clothing and big boy toys from Sisters Guild

It's father's day on Sunday and as a team member of the family who needs to be celebrated we've been making gifts and cards and getting excited about having a day all about daddy.
We grew up without a father and as a mother of 2 girls who adore their daddy and their daddy dotes on them I love to watch them together, both grateful and happy to see their love for eachother. Sophia when asked in an interview for pirouette blog if she knew anyone famous once said ' do you mean daddy?' For the girls daddy is a hero, the man who fixes things, who makes them pancakes every weekend morning, who gives the best airplanes, who's knees are best for climbing on and who's absence through work is a mystery, though Oona thinks he paints at work just as she does at kindergarten!

our 'giving tree' : a gift for daddy - see below for the how to

On Sunday we will make daddy the pancakes, we will give him some big boy toys and cater to the 8 year old boy that still sits inside of him, the girls will proudly hand over their handmade cards and he will open them with watery eyes and wonder when did they grow up, how did they grow up so fast. He'll take them to the park and they'll get to do all the things that I don't like them to do..... go headfirst down the slide, climb trees higher than I would allow, and I will stay at home giving them time to be together just the three of them with a smile on my face knowing they are together having proper daddy fun.
I know we are fortunate to have a father to celebrate, and I will be sending a card to my mother with a pretend moustache and a thank you for playing that role in our lives. Because whoever plays the father role, be it an uncle, a mother or a family friend they should be celebrated and thanked no matter how much or how little they do, because doing things out of love with nothing expected in return is worthy of 'Thank you', especially if they are good at giving airplanes!

top picture - a selection of clothing and big boy toys from SistersGuild

bottom picture - our 'giving tree' a picture we made to frame for daddy. It's easy to do and a great inexpensive gift - draw the trunk and branches of a tree ready for the children to paint on top and then give the children ink or paint to make leaves using their fingers to print each one. 

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This is part of our 'once upon a week' collection. We also have other stories and features including our 'Monday Makery', 'I Spy' , 'The Art of Living', and our weekly 'Wednesday Woo'.
If you'd like to receive our weekly newsletter to receive offers and news and find out the about our new collections sign up below.

The Art of Living - Birthday Traditions

our previous hand made birthday invitation for Sophia's 4th birthday

This week marked our (not so little) little brothers birthday and it got me thinking about birthday traditions. The things we used to do as a family to celebrate when we were young whilst all under one roof, and the things we do now we are mothers with our own children, beginning our own traditions and carrying others forward.

With a 6th birthday coming up - 17 more sleeps - we are an excited household anticipating the big day.

paperchain countdwon via findingthecalminthechaos

Birthday's are, like every family, a big thing in our household. As parents we look back at our children's years gone by, remember the birth and those first few days and celebrate all the accomplishments since they arrived. A time when the whole family get together to be together and help celebrate a special occasion.

With my own soon-to-six-years-old daughter a lot of her focus is on the party, the gifts she would like, which also to my horror has begun in her writing her very own wish list! But also the idea that she is older, that she is growing up and is about to move onto another stage in her life as though the passing of a birthday means they will miraculously gain new skills, new powers, and new later bedtimes!

However, birthdays shouldn't be all about the gifts. Yes of course we should give the birthday child a gift something special to mark the occasion and yes there has to be cake and balloons and decorations, and singing and games. There are lots of ways you can make the birthday child feel special;  starting new traditions to celebrate the day in a unique way. Separating it from all the other days of the year and marking it with love, appreciation, laughter and memories for the future. Make it a day that will always be remembered. So, behind the scenes, whilst she is at school and in the evening whilst she sleeps, i'm beginning to ready the traditions, all the special things that we do and make each year.

So, here's some ideas, some we do, some are ideas from friends that I'm now going to adopt, and by no means is the list exhaustive..... just a few ideas to move the focus on to what is important; celebrating your child on their birth day.

• Celebrate the last day of being the age they are. They will never be 5 again!

• Ask your child  if there is anything they'd like to do before they turn that one year older. How would they like to spend their final day being 4? Sometimes children are in such a rush to grow up and making the most of being the age they are right now is so much fun. I love doing this with my girls and sometimes its these days that turns out to be even more fun than the birthday party.

• Tip toe into the child's room at night and decorate their bedroom whilst they sleep. They'll awake to find a room decorated as though by magic just for them. You can cover the floor with balloons, put flowers by their bed, hang bunting or a birthday banner, put presents at the foot of their bed, lay a breakfast picnic ready for the morning, its a beautiful way to start the day!

image via purplehomes

• Light a lantern. Light a floating lantern and set it free into the night sky, you can write messages the on the side - perhaps messages from party guest and family. 

• Wishes for the year - there may be things your child might hope to do in the year that comes, places they'd like to go, things they'd like to see. Perhaps learn to swim, visit someone, have a sleepover, finally get those pedals off the bike or stop biting their nails. Whatever their wishes might be you can write them together and hang them.  As the year passes you can help them to achieve their wishes.

hanging wishes from branches - pic C of rew elliot style

• Messages from relatives - ask friends and family to write birthday messages and wishes and post them. Children love to get things in the post. Hang them, make bunting from them that you can add to each year, frame them, stick them all over the fridge and let them fill the house with joy.

image via purplehomes

• Measure your child and mark their new height on a family height chart - we use the door frame of our kitchen but I can remember the back of the big farmhouse kitchen door of my grandmothers kitchen having every member of the family and looking up to all those older than me from Uncle Rupert to my cousin Tamerose and imagining being that tall one day !

growth chart via byrdiegrapihics on Etsy

• Write them a letter or use one side of their birthday card to tell them about their year. Save them all for when they’re older.

tutorial for lining envelopes found here picture C of seekatesew

• Take a picture of them against something, in something, with something that you can repeat each year showing how much they grow and change each year. A friend takes a picture of her son with his daddy’s T-shirt on and keeps the same t-shirt for each year as he grows. It's never too late to start and both you and your child will treasure those memories for ever.

Lotte Time Lapse: Birth to 12 years in 2 min. 45. from Frans Hofmeester on Vimeo.

• Create a ‘(name), (age) loves’ card with a picture of the birthday child…. 

• Make a countdown with a numbered paperchain - making the chain shorter and shorter as the days pass and you count down the sleeps! 

-  Birthday paperchain tutorial  -
 cut strips of coloured paper, write a number on each to count the days, glue the ends of the first strip together to make a loop, then feed  the next number through the loop and stick the ends together.  Keep going until complete.
Hang with string or ribbon.

• Make a birthday crown.

• Let them make the decisions for the day

• Set the table for afternoon tea and cake

• Throw a party, keeping in mind what your children like, don't invite too many people if your child is easily overwhelmed. Let them set a theme if they'd like one, get them to help you make the invitations and hand them out.

• Collect a few envelopes, stick their fronts to a door using sticky tape and fill with little surprises or messages.

• Take inspiration from Damien Hirst's spot painting and create your own piece of priceless art:  use a piece of card and create your own spots with fingerprints using paint and ink you can add to it each year and then pass it on to them - perhpas for their 21st. 

• Bake the cake yourself - or at the very least decorate it yourself. I am useless when it comes to cooking but I know that my own children appreciate my efforts but also baking the birthday cake is a mothers rite of passage!

rainbow cake from our Monday Makery - here

You may have lots of traditions of your own and perhaps some you'd like to share with others here. We'd love to hear them.
However you celebrate your child's birthday - the greatest gift you can give them is the memories, make it to be a special day with laughter, friends and family, and, of course, plenty of cake! 

here's to all the happy birthdays!

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This is part of 'The Art of Living' collection. We also have other stories and features including our 'Monday Makery', 'I Spy' and our weekly 'Wedesday Woo'. Check out our Summer Fun too with 100 ideas for fun games and play this summer. If you want to see our latest loves take a look here.
Want to take a look behind the scenes of Sisters Guild? Take a look at our A-Z here where we share a sentimental journey through family life.

If you'd like to receive our weekly newsletter to receive offers and news and find out the about our new collections sign up below.

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Wednesday Woo - An Innocent Spring

Waterlily Dress

Hucklebones has fast become the label on every design conscious parents wishlist. With an inherent love of fine design Hucklebones is an heirloom collection destined to become a style signature of this new blossoming generation. 

The Spring / Summer 12' collection brings flutter sleeves and cashmere drop waist dresses, soft denim and  cotton jeresy. A season of waterlillies, wisteria, paperchain rabbit prints and flower jacquard it's a landscape of pretty florals, periwinkle and inky blues. 

With its fine and delicate tailoring rarely seen in children's clothing and its fresh pallete of spring colours maintaining the innocence of childhood Hucklebones brings together a collection to celebrate a season of purity honouring both the innocence of childhood and Spring in style.

SS12 Collection 

'Every garment is meticulously considered, with close attention to tailoring and the finer details to ensure each item has its own charming style. Hucklebones collections are developed to offer a new colour palette, fabrics and details that reflect both the upcoming trends and silhouettes as well as maintaining a classic timelessness, key to all Hucklebones design. The Hucklebones handwriting is clean, feminine and sophisticated. A refined take on children's day wear to be kept and cherished.'

Bow Collar Jersey Blouse, & Gathered Wisteria Shorts 

for little girls aged 6 months to 8 years from everyday wear to perfect party dresses

View Hucklebones SS12 Collection

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This is part of our Wednesday Woo collection. We also have other stories and features including our 'Monday Makery', 'I Spy' and 'The art of living'.
If you'd like to receive our weekly newsletter to receive offers and news and find out the about our new collections sign up below.


www.sistersguild.co.uk

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Around The World With You - Peggy Juche

Source: flickr.com via anna on Pinterest

Second in the new series 'Around The World With You' we take you to Peggy's favourite place. A favourite place above all others. 

Before we take a look at the place I'd like to first introduce to this wonderful woman, mother, businesswoman and inspirator. Explorer, observer of global loveliness and discoverer of exquisite pieces and places, Peggy goes by the name of @pauletpaula on twitter and blogs over at pauletpaula as well as pauletpaulaphoto.com. Her photos's are simply beautiful, her blogs - yes she has more than one, are inspiring a 'journey of all things cool'. Peggy say's she could 're-decorate, design and 'build' a new kids room every day' and after following her blog for some time now I'm not surprised, with all the delicious and creative things she finds! That's not all....no.....there's more: Peggy has a shop here , an online magazine 'Novalee' here, - designed for the avant-garde parent who want 'a fresh and new perspective on the childrens market'. Novalee magazine is a 'distinctive art, fashion, and photography magazine with a clear focus on featuring cutting edge innovators  in the kids + youth industry'. But in case that's not  enough inspiration, and this is a woman who's creative cup runneth over,  Peggy has also been a rather busy bee creating and orgainsing The Hive; a Eurpoean blog conference where ' Writers from big and small blogs get together ... to learn, network, share, support and most of all get inspired!'.

Peggy is originally from Berlin, moved to Hamburg, started her career in Paris - where she met her husband - moved to London and now lives in Amsterdam! So where in the world, what place of all the places she has been, of all the cities she has known, where, what place would Peggy describe as her favourite place?

Second in the new series 'Around The World With You' we take you to Peggy's favourite place. A favourite place above all others. 

Source: vintagerosegarden.tumblr.com via Lorenza on Pinterest

Jardin du Luxembourg - Paris - France

This was really difficult. Me the one who loves to travel and to move around the world. Deciding on one beloved place. So I thought: "Where would I go if I had to decide on one last place?" 

The answer was actually really easy: Paris

Now Paris is not the smallest city in the world so where exactly in Paris?

Jardin du Luxembourg

And here I tell you why: The first time I left home for good was when I went to Paris. I had never been in Paris before and only found out afterwards that I was very lucky indeed as I stayed just around the corner from Jardin du Luxembourg. Exactly, not the baddest part of Paris at all.

Paris is where I discovered a new language (I did not understand a word when I arrived), where I started my love affair with delicious food, a never ending one by the way and where my wings of wanderlust grew.

Paris is the city where I met my husband (oh yes, that long time ago) and definitely the city I know best. 

I love Paris.

During this first year I was an Au Pair in a very sweet French family.  Every day, after school pick up, I went to Jardin du Luxembourg with the little boy I had to look after. Every day!

And today, whenever we go back, we spend at least one day here. There is a big and great playground for the kids, poneys, lovely cafes and of course the thing with the boats. You can "hire" a little wooden boat for your kids which they can drag around on the water. It is a must!

So yes, this is my place in this big world and I am here at least once a year, usually during summer and writing this makes me feel really sentimental. Good we will go to Paris in July!

Source: flickr.com via kkbelle on Pinterest

Peggy has also blogged about Jardin du Luxembourg here: read more

Where's your favourite place? Perhaps it's granny's garden, your local park, a holiday destination, a museum, or cafe. Perhaps it's a building in your city, a shop window, a shady spot under a tree. Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's says:

"Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in  a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name."

Whatever, wherever your favourite place is we want to share it. 

Here's how to get involved:

• Send us a picture of your favourite place  - or we can source one for you as we have above.
• Tell us where it is. If you'd like to tell us why even better. 
• Email it to : info@sistersguild.com

We will share each one, each week, here on our blog and we will create an interactive global map of all the places we receive, building a community of people and places and making our global neighbourhood that little bit closer.

So, put your place upon the map and shout a big 'Hello'

Imagine all the people all the places we could know

Monday Makery - Story Dice

It's been half term and its been a bit of a wet one too. So, I've been having to come up with various games to play inside once our soggy socks are hung to dry and we're back from jumping in puddles in the rain.  Finding ways of keeping the children busy in ways they can play together and not be outrageously noisy we spent a morning making story dice.
Once I'd remembered how to make a cardboard dice the rest was easy. The girls told each other stories again and again and Oona who is too young to read delighted in a game where she could 'read' the pictures and turn them into a story of her own creation.
Story dice make a great travel game too and, as you won't need much more than card scissors and tape or glue to make them you can make them anywhere, take them anywhere and tell every kind of story your imagination can reach.

Here's what you'll need:

• Card
• Scissors
• ruler
• pencil and pens or paints or stickers or stamps
• double-sided sticky tape or glue

Here's how: 

1. Draw your template for the box. I decided upon 4cm squares 
2. Cut out and score along the inner lines and the tab markings where you will need to fold
3. Draw a picture, a simple image or use ink stamps or stickers to create story cues, one for each square.
4. Fold and stick together using the tabs.
5. Wait a little while for the glue to hold and then get rolling with your story!

We've also created our own Sisters Guild story cubes using some of the characters and pieces here in the boutique for you to print off free. Just scroll down click Print PDF! 

We hope you enjoy creating your own stories and listening to the ones that your children will tell to you. We've left one of the ready to roll dice blank for you to put your own pictures, stickers and drawings on too.

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE PDF FOR BLANK DICE HERE

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE PDF HERE

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE PDF HERE

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE PDF HERE

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE PDF HERE

This is a truly great game for children who haven't yet learnt to read but love to tell stories and equally great for children who are learning to write and spell as they can make up their own tales to record in notebooks, each tale made up from every roll of the dice. The exciting thing about it is that each time the story will be different. 

Make some for train journeys, car journeys and wet afternoons inside. You could even make larger ones leaving one side unstuck so it can be opened and given as gift boxes or alternative party bags with themed or personalised pictures on them.

Roll on with the story!

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This is part of our weekly Monday Makery where we bring you a recipe to bake or a craft to create. Visit our Monday Makery when you're in need of inspiration for something to do on a rainy day or to use as interception of the words 'I'm bored', or just because being creative with your children is something you all love to do. Our other popular blogposts include 'The story behind our collections', 'Tell us its Tuesday' , An A-Z of Sisters Guild, The Art of Living posts bring you all the things we are passionate about and the things we discover in our lives as mamas, and our 'Once upon a week' gives you a glimpse into life behind the scenes at Sisters Guild. 

www.sistersguild.co.uk

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Blue skies & Blossoming Blues

From rain to blue skies and with beautiful ceanothus blossoming we've been wearing our summer dresses with wellies, brightening our homes with spring colours and 

welcoming all the new Spring blooms

Discover some blossoming blues By Design

Sisters Guild . com 

Once Upon a Week - Jubileed indeed!

a moment of mama contentment captured

We have had many days of celebration this past week, including a friends wedding and the Jubilee party in our lovely community garden.  Having a new baby as well as a 4 year old has made the occasions all the more memorable.

We moved at the beginning of the year to a whole new county, a new town, a new street and slowly discovered that we had landed right in the heart of the most generous, creative and friendly community. There shall be cake and crafts a-plenty thanks to my new neighbours also known as Tea 'n' Cake and Fromemaid (who made the fabric Jubilee rosette as pictured)

As a family we are thriving on the lifestyle change that we made.  Gabe has blossomed with all the outdoor space and a gang of buddies, and Ruben has been embraced as the youngest and smiliest member.

As I sat amongst a bunch of inspiring people with music, chatter and food in the evening sun, I felt a moment of pure contentment that I hadn't felt for a long time.  We're going to enjoy it here.

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This is part of our 'once upon a week' collection. We also have other stories and features including our 'Monday Makery', 'I Spy' , 'The Art of Living', and our weekly 'Wednesday Woo'.
If you'd like to receive our weekly newsletter to receive offers and news and find out the about our new collections sign up below.