Monday Makery: Flower Planting & Pressing

This is one of our first garden 'makeries.' It's nothing new, just simple things to do with kids at this time of year.  As autumn creeps in (though with this heatwave it doesn't feel like it!) the flowers are nearly over and it's time to think ahead for what flowers will appear next year.  A carpet of crocuses, a bank of tulips or some early snowdrops?

It's a really good time of year to learn about seasons, change and growing.  We spent the autumn equinox weekend at Granny's house and were able to witness the changes and rituals in the garden at this time of year.

Flowers can be gathered for drying and pressing.  You could tie and hang flower bunches or garlands in a suitable dry place or if you have a flower press it's a lovely hobby to introduce flower pressing.  I found my old flower press at Granny's and Gabe was quite fascinated.  You don't really need me to tell you how to press flowers, but I took a few pics of Gabe in action:

Without a flower press it's fine to use a thick, heavy book.  I remember putting flowers between the leaves of many books and discovering them later - with stains on the pages - ooops!  Best to put some sugar paper layers either side of the flowers to absorb the flower 'juice.'

Another good gardening event at this time of year is bulb planting - inside and out.  We dug some tulip bulbs straight into the lawn. It's a case of placing them about 3 times their own depth and about 2 bulb widths apart.  The other thing to remember is to wash hands immediately as bulbs can be a skin irritant- child-sized gardening gloves are the ideal thing to use.

Gabe was really excited that we were 'hiding' the bulbs which would pop up in the spring and surprise us.

Growing bulbs inside the house allows children to witness the growth - to see the roots reaching down and the bulb sprouting green shoots and eventually a flower.  Hyacinth bulbs are my favourite as I love their heady scent and deep colour.  You can use the special bulb vases for the purpose. The water should reach just below the base of the bulb.  Then they should be kept in a cool dark place until growth is about 4 inches tall.  We shall check them each time we visit Granny.

There's still plenty of time to get pressing and planting. It does feel like quite a purposeful project and very satisfying. Not sure when the bulb planting 'deadline' is but it still feels like the first frost is a very long way off!

Enjoy some gardening time - and do let us know any more tips and ideas as we're clearly at beginners stage with our garden!

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This is part of our Monday Makery series, where each week we bring craft and recipe ideas and inspiration.

Each week we bring new ideas to our blog through different blog series; Tuesday has previously brought the 'story behind our collections' and now brings 'tell us its tuesday' a fun interview with our favourite creators, designers, bloggers and imaginative extraordinaire's. Wednesday we woo you with new treats in the collection of our boutique. Thursday will leave you inspired through the 'art of living' and Friday we finish with 'once upon a week' where you can see what's happening in the lives of the sisters of Sisters Guild.
For more behind the scenes photos of Sisters Guild we have the gallery of the A-Z of Sisters Guild here.

If you would like to share some ideas as a guest blogger on the Monday Makery we would be very excited to hear from you. Use the contact form on our main website here.
www.sistersguild.co.uk

The Art of Living

This is the first in a series of blog posts about the 'Art of Living.' 
Each post will be a visual feast, a celebration of all things inspiring, beautiful, exciting, quirky and fun.  All the things that we are passionate about. Here we will embrace people, places, travel, music, photography, film, nature, books and more!

Spring Brings...Flowers and Afternoon Tea

This is the time of year when things blossom.  Life feels a bit more gentle.  People and encounters seem more open and easy.  Our bodies shed the winter layers and we feel more inclined to be outdoors and active.  It's about new things, new beginnings, new life....

The picking and giving of flowers

For those lucky enough to have their own patch of garden and can actually cultivate their own flowers, they can directly feel the joy of being able to gather up beautiful stems to fill vases at home.  Others, like myself,  have to call on a florist for our own bunches of flowers...or hope that we are presented with a bunch now and then!  There's one very special florist called Kate Langdale round the corner from us.  She does the most beautiful bouquets...and I'm usually lucky enough to receive a posy for Mother's Day.

I've also just discovered Scilly Flowers - flowers by post from the Isles of Scilly.  They do Scented Narcissi, which are truly bright and beautiful. Last orders for Mothers's Day TODAY - by 12 noon!

Crocus is also a great place for flower deliveries as they do generous bouquets but also plants as gifts if you're keen to give something more lasting.  I can't resist poring over their gardening collection...and dream up what will be in the flower beds of my future garden.

Floral prints

We both have a passion for floral print and pattern and this shows in the boutique in the spring / summer 2011 clothing collections:

There's also some lovely floral prints in the spring decor collections:

A perfect place to see spring flowers

Spring Bulbs & Blossoms at Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens is a magical spot in West London and the Crocus Carpet is a bright jewel-like sight to behold.  The crocuses are over now but there's cherry blossoms just bursting through and the bluebells that will be putting on a show soon too. I'm going to try and time another visit to see the the blue carpets that are my favourite spring show!

Time for Tea

I don't need an excuse to indulge in a Cream Tea.  We've sampled quite a few in London and Brighton and various spots in Sussex....in fact, wherever we go we manage to sniff out a scone and all the must-have accompaniments, including clotted cream (Cornish preferably).  This Mothering Sunday we shall seek out some Tea Rooms in the Sussex Downs.  I've heard Steyning Tea Rooms are lovely - I shall report back to you what we discover.  For those in London, there's plenty of Afternoon Tea options, ranging from little tea shops to grand hotels.

 

High Tea of Highgate is a sweet little Tea Shop in Highgate Village serving up Afternoon Tea in the traditional style. Cream Tea (with the Tea quite rightly being Loose Leaf Tea) all served up in pretty vintage crockery - delightful!

Bake-a-Boo is another spot in North London. With a wide range of cakes and treats and the all important scones.  They do gluten-free too.  There's a special Afternoon Tea for Mother's Day with the traditional tiered cake stand full of dainty yumminess!

For something a bit more regal and the opportunity to take in some Art at the Marylebone Gallery, The Wallace Restaurant has a lovely setting for Afternoon Tea in a courtyard.

And lastly, for an Alice in Wonderland inspired dining experience the Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea at Suka at the Sanderson looks amazing. 

Enjoy the spring and all it brings!
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