Come Join Belle & Boo!

This Sunday 7th October at St Mary's Garden Hall in Wimbledon, London you can join in with some fun with Belle & Boo!

There'll be beautiful craft activities and lashings of vintage charm at the Wimbledon bookfest with different events to suit all ages.

take a look at the Wimbledon Bookfest website here where you can find more information and book tickets

suitable for 4-6 yr olds

Ticket price £7.50

Take a look at the Belle & Boo collection here 

We've got our tickets, we'll see you there!

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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 'Wednesday 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? Our A-Z is 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.

sistersguild.com

A Week At My Table

Being back into a routine of early morning rising, rushing out the door madness of school runs, and beginning each day with a feeling of chaos, I want to avoid the marmite-toast-in-hand-whilst-scooting hurried breakfast and instead start the day as it should; sitting down to enjoy the tastes of breakfast and perhaps a little conversation to begin the day instead of the calling form one room to another 'have you got your shoes on yet?'
The holiday mornings were begun with delicious breakfasts and such a lovely feel that each day began with idyllic sweetness and they became my favourite part of the day .... and I am not a morning person. Its all too easy to grab the Shreddies and leave the kids to it but in doing so i'm not teaching very good habits. Breakfast is the most important part of the day and so should be enjoyed as such not just in the food that nourishes but also in being family together.
So, here's a week at my table. A week where I break free from the morning chaos with a little forward thinking and minimal preparation. A week in which I experiment with a new beginning, a new start to the day which has no disjointed garbled fervor. A week where we cater to eachother's tummies and individualism and leave home for the day feeling nourished. Though there are still a few 'Hurry up we're late!'s it's when we're already on the scooters flying to school tummies full with only the distractions of the pavement treasures of feathers and leaves and thick elastic bands to slow us down. 

So, here's 6 easy recipes that are great for starting the day or as after school snacks.

TIP: mix the dry ingredients the night before then throw in the rest and mix. 

The dessert pan I use is similar to this one here, each muffin comes out in a beautiful bowl shape and its a great tin to use for puddings like chocolate cake which can have ice cream served inside! I don't tend to fall for kitchen gadgets but this I love and we use it a lot, especially for birthday parties. Of course this recipe doesn't require the tin as you can bake muffins in a normal muffin tin however the bowls do make them seem just that extra bit special.

TIP: weigh all the ingredients the night before and then just mix them all together in the morning.

I am not trying to create the perfect balanced breakfast but more a perfect balanced morning. Neither am I attempting to be a domestic goddess. But whilst I don't have many recipes set to memory, my memory is just about full with useless information like every home telephone number I've had since childhood, the lyrics to every song I've ever listened to, I could give you word by word the entire film of Bugsy Malone and Gigi and of course these simple recipes are in my memory. Somehow they stayed there.

Happy making. nom. nom.

Now if only I could remember my times table, where I left my hair clip or something that would make me sound fascinatingly interesting in converstaion like the fact that Cinderella is a Aarne Thompson persecuted heroine type 510A and is a character repeated in folktale and is known as Rashin Coatie in Scotland, Zezolla in Italy and Yeh-hsien in China, or that Orca's when travelling in groups breathe in unison, or perhaps that Humans are born with 300 bones in their body, but when we reach adulthood we only have 206 bones, that this happens because many our bones fuse together to make a single bone Or even that the dot that appears above the letter 'i' is called a tittle. Though none of these facts would help a hectic morning!

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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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Lavender Love - Top Tips for Using Lavender

I can still remember picking long stems of lavender from my grandmothers garden, using it to make scented lavender bags or potions in bottles and buckets. The scent of it now sends me back to those carefree days in the fresh outdoors when we'd come home with pockets full of lavender buds, knees covered in mud and grass stains and we'd fall asleep with bunches of stems in jam jars next to our beds.

I still love its graceful colour, its gentle herby floral scent and use lavender all the time. Though I'm no longer ripping up plants from my grandmothers garden I do dream of growing masses of it one day, in a garden I don't yet have but one day..... well I can dream.

With a recent bout of colds and restless nights with my daughters I've once again called upon lavender essential oil to come to the rescue. It is my rescue remedy for restless nights, for stings and bites; luxurious facials and even my laundry.

So, I thought I'd share some tips on using lavender that I've picked up and adopted since my days of picking it from Grandmas garden:

1. Slumber. Use a few drops of lavender essential oil in a vapouriser at bedtime to sooth and calm babies and children. If you don't have a vapouriser put a few drops in a bowl of warm water and place on a radiator. 
2. Pillow. Put two drops of lavender essential oil on both sides of your or your child's pillow. It will help relax and calm a busy mind as you all fall asleep. 
3. Bathtime. So many baby bath bubbles and shampoos have added lavender to their ingredients because its known for its soothing calming properties. I add 6-8 drops of lavender in the bath and it fills the room with a delicious smell and not only will its antiseptic properties help with any of my daughters cuts and scrapes it also helps them wind down at the end of the day. 
4. First aid. Mix a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to some vegetable oil and use it where needed. Don't use it on broken skin though.
5. Coughs and colds. Mix two drops in a base oil or olive oil and massage onto the soles of your or children's feet. It will help battle the cold as well as relaxing an aching body. 
6. Massage. Sometimes if me or my children are achy I'll mix several drops of lavender with two tablespoons of sweet almond oil and gently massage aching limbs. I used to do this ritually when they were babies to calm and sooth them at the end of the day and to help them fall asleep. 
7. Laundry. I'm laundry obsessed and of all domestic chores this is heaven. I never use fabric softeners but I do occasionally add a couple of drops of lavender oil into the washing detergent. The laundry smells fresher and it helps to keep moths away too.
8. Moths monsters. Dab 1-2 drops of lavender onto a cotton ball and place into wardrobes and linen cupboards to help keep the pesty jumper eating beasts away, they hate the smell! Replace with new ones every few months.
9. Bug Off! Mosquito's and bugs don't like the lavender so rather than using over the counter creams and lotions on the skin add a few drops of lavender into a water spray and spritz over bare legs and arms.  
10. Sun burn. Take some lavender essential oil with you on your next holiday and use it as a cooling aftersun lotion by adding it to a tepid bath or using in a water spray to calm after sun exposure.
11. Headaches. Add a drop of lavender oil to a tablespoon of a base oil, almond oil or as natural an oil as you have and sweep across the forehead. It's a better option than immediately reaching for the paracetamol and more often than not will be all that's needed to send the headache away.
12. Face it. This is heaven at the end of the day once the kids are asleep and you need a little love and rejevenation.... Add a few drops of lavender oil to a bowl of hot water, place a towel over your head and let the steam from the bowl warm and cleanse you skin. It's especially good if you have a runny nose or a heady cold.

Lavender, with its healing, cleansing, calming, and antisceptic properties has so many uses its worthwhile keeping a little bottle of it (out of reach of the children) in your bathroom, If you have space to grow your own lavender there are further benefits you could have from adding some with honey into hot water for tea, to adding some to salads or cupcake recipes as well as making your own lavender sugar, or even perhaps making your own lavender crown just as my sister did here.

Grab a bottle of Lavender essential oil from our favourite shop Tisserand. here.  

This is not a sponsored blog we just love the stuff!

pics top pictures via national geographic, bottom pic via big sis!

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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 'Wednesday Woo'. . If you want to see our latest loves take a look here.

Want to take a look behind the scenes of Sisters Guild? Our A-Z is 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.

sistersguild.com

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.

sistersguild.com

The Art of Living - Dressing Up Then and Now

There has been a lot of focus of 'now and then' in the press in lieu of the upcoming Jubilee here in the UK and I've been taking a look back at the clothes children have worn over the past 60 years. The shapes, the colour and the classics of a generation now grown up. There has been a great and welcome shift in the design of children's clothes and now we see clothing designed for children, created with the child's perspective of life they're fun, free flowing and imaginative.  

 Since beginning Sisters Guild I've become so much more aware of the trends and styles of children's clothing and as a mother with a passion for great design I've begun to understand what is important about childrens clothing. Searching for the very best unique designers and offering them to you here in the boutique, we constantly seek the classics of this new blossoming generation, predicting the shapes and colours that children and parents alike will both love, pieces hard to find on the highstreet, quirky, colourful, playful, pieces that mark the style, the era of a generation in bloom. 

We don't like to think of our clothing range as 'fashion' we try to look at it as 'dressing up' its not about being on trend when you're a child but rather being you. It's about dressing up to who you are, be it lollipop shorts, bright festival dresses, soft rompers for doing just that.. romping around the big outdoors with no care in the world, they can be the girliest of girly dresses perfect for parties or picnics with bears and fit for a queen, pieces that make you feel unique, special, beautiful and free, if a child wants to fly you can make them fabric wings, if they want to climb cover their knees, if they want to dance give them a skirt that twirls as much as they could imagine. Our dressing rooms are about dressing to who you are and who you can be.

We've looked back at trends of the past; the clothes our mothers wore as children, the clothes we wore as we were growing up and now we're enjoying the now. A freer generation, a brighter and more colourful time and as we ready ourselves for deciding upon our SS13 range we look forward to discovering even more of the quirky and classic for the new generation in the hope that some of those pieces will become part play, part memories of your children's childhood and perhaps handed down to the next. Because here at Sisters Guild we believe in longevity, we believe that tomorrow is forever and childhood should last a lifetime.

We revisited a childhood love of paper dressing up dolls and created our very own from the SS12 collection here in our dressing rooms because though things change there's comfort in continuity.

So here's to our blossoming generation.

I wonder who they'll be today and all the tomorrows after

sistersguild.com

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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.

sistersguild.com

The Art of Living - Pirates, Princess Playgrounds & a Puppet Barge

Pirates! In an adventure with scientists

Aha me maties! I have ye a great story to tell. Taken from the first book in the Pirates! series by Gideon Defoe this animation brought to us by the same genius that gave us Chicken Run and Walllace & Gromit is a plank-walking funny adventure on the high seas. With his rag-tag crew at his side the Captain (Hugh Grant) has but one dream; to win the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. He must beat his rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) Peg Leg Hastings (Lenny Henry ) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) in his quest which see's our hapless heroes travel from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy cobbled streets of Victoria London. 

Hugh Grant plays perfectly to the under-qualified and yet unaware bumbling Pirate Captain with his self deprecating voice of self-doubt, the script is brilliantly funny and the detail astounding. A production apparently five years in the making is a great cinematic adventure for the family.

Will the pirate hating Queen Victoria and her swashbuckling skills be able to stop the Captain, will the young love-lorn Charles Darwin with his man-panzee be able put aside his feelings and his own personal agenda?

Check your local cinema for timings and 

look out for special early morning family ticket offers with Odeon cinema - children's tickets are £1 and the parents are free! 

The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse

The 55 seat theatre that is the Puppet Theatre Barge is one of London's most charming and atmospheric venues albeit a little known secret.

Located in little Venice it is a beautiful place to take a day out.

Now performing one of the best loved classics from Aesops Fables with tale of The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse.

This weekend is the perfect time to visit too with the 2012 Canalway cavalcade (see below) there's even more to see.

Book Tickets 

Finding Neverland at the Princess Diana Memorial playground

If you're looking for a more adventurous playground than the run of the mill swings, slides and roundabouts  then adventure along to Princess Diana's playground in Kensington Gardens.

With a pirate ship to set sail across the stormy seas and a Tepee settlement you might even stumble across Captain Hook and Peter Pan!

The Neverland on the pages may be second star to the right and straight on til morning but this one is just off Bayswater Road and you take the no 49 bus!

The park is closed for maintenance - gotta keep it ship shape - from 14th to 18th of May

Plan your visit

image by Luke Hayes

Christian Louboutin - A Retrospective 

If you you're looking to take an educational and inspiring trip to the Design Museum this weekend you're in for treat. You can swoon your way to the Christian Louboutin's lust hungry red soled retrospective exhibition. When it comes to sparkly, feathered, sequinned, fantasy and fairytale footwear from studded pumps to glossy stilettos the french footwear designer Christian Louboutin brings the theatricality and beauty of it all.

With work inspired by his love and fascintaion with cabaret and showgirls there is certainly a air of this in the Hologram room, which you may wan to skip past if you're with children!

The exhibition takes a look at his 20 years of design and inspiration and you'll be 'taken on a magical journey of style, glamour, power feminity and elegance' exploring the sources of inspiration and the origin of his iconic red sole.

So, whilst the husband takes the children to the design and make workshop you can wonder around and fall in love with one of the most if not the most lusted after shoes of our time. Though this exhibition comes with a personal caution: perhaps not to wear your vertiginously high heels, skip past the hologram room if with your children, and be careful this may have you wanting your very own collection of Louboutin's.

1st May - 9th July

More information and Booking

Free Event

If its been on your mind to take the kids to Little Venice to see the beautiful floating house canal boats then this is the perfect time to do it. There'll be bands, boat trips, stalls, children's games and refreshments 'for all the landlubbers to enjoy' as this historic event see's the boats stopping off on their way to Queens Jubilee Pageant on the Thames in June.

This is a true English affair with more 130 boats moored along this stretch of the canal and when the sun goes down the atmosphere becomes even more magical with the illuminated boats decked out to the nines for the after-dark pageant. 

Canalway cavalcade 2012

5th -7th  May

 Discover more information

The Snail and the Whale

Tall Stories presents the latest in their collaborations with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler in the production of the wonderful childrens story The Snail and the Whale.

For everyone aged 4 yrs and upwards

Sunday 6th May

Showing at Jacksons Lane

See more information

If on your weekend you like nothing more than getting your craft on visit our 

Monday Makery 

for a little inspiration.

Or get inspired with the paints and challenge the children to make their own Olympic posters:

Take a coffee cup and some black, blue, yellow, red and green paint and, of course, a large sheet of paper. 

Use the rim of the coffee cup to paint 5 different coloured circles then use your imagination as best you can to base your design upon the Olympic ring shapes.

Maybe the circles can become flowers, eyes of aliens, planets, watches, famous places of interest or landmarks. You can hold an award ceremony with prizes going to the most original piece.
For more great Olympic crafts Visit:
 redtedart.com

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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'.

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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The Art of Living - Swamp juice, Tigers for Tea, Tiddler and much more!

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Proving that theatre is at its best when its for the whole family the Lyric Theatre see's the return of the fantastic musical version of The Tiger Who Came to tea. We saw the production in its previous visit to the theatre and can tell you that Judith Kerr's childrens' classic is a wonderful performance full of songs to sing and moves to bop to in this clever stage adaptation.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea - suitable for children over the age of 3 is at the Lyric Theatre from 4th July 2012 to 2nd September 2012.

Book Tickets

Swamp Juice

With a warning that some scenes may scare the under 7's the shadow puppet performance of Swamp Juice tells a turbulent tale of life in a swamp.

Highly acclaimed Canadian performer Jeff Achtem shines a new light on shadow puppetry using what seems like a pile of old rubbish to create characters such as singing mice, squabbling snails and wibbly wobbly creatures as he takes the audience on a journey in a canoe down a river!

With a sensational surprising 3D finale you'll be coming home tearing open the recycling bin grabbing cardboard boxes and pieces of string to create your very own homespun story. 

so come meet a man in a swamp like no other!

Swamp Juice is showing at the Soho Theatre from 26th April through to 5th May

Book Tickets

PlayTime In The Zone

I know there is a certain amount of loathing for kids softplay places but there are lots of places that will regain your enthusiasm for them.The kids play at the National Army Museum is one of our favourite haunts on a rainy day - and there's been quite a few them recently!

With arctic and forest themed climbing frames, the childrens area explores aspects of army life from camping to clothing. With a dedicated soft play space for babies and arts and crafts, dressing up costumes, books and interactive panels the area is big enough for children to get lost in their play but not big enough that it sends softplay fears down your back!

And... 'at the heart of the new kids zone are six key principles of early years foundation stages, ensuring that children are learning whilst having fun.' So perhaps they'll come home with their minds stimulated too!

A perfect pit stop for children after some shopping on Kings Road and a chance for you to sit down with a warm cup of hot chocolate whilst the children burn off some excess energy - sounds like heaven!

Take a look at the play time slots here

Tiddler and other terrific tales 

Udderbelly is back! The E4 Udderbelly Festival London held at the southbank centre with its huge overturned purple cow is now running performances of 'Tiddler and other terrific tales'! Weaving together a magical collection of some of the most loved titles by Julia Donaldson with music, songs and puppets its guaranteed to be a a spectacular treat for the over 3's and their families.

Book Tickets 

Getting wet and staying dry

If all this rain is making you wish you were a mermaid pop along to the London Aquarium where you'll see some of the most beautiful strange and wonderful creatures, from seahorses to sharks and some clownfish inbetween there are 500 species from every part of the world. Though I've not yet seen a mermaid be sure to be near the sharks at 2.30pm to see the feeding!

View website

100 ideas for play inside and out! 

If you're looking for some indoor home made fun take a look at 'Summer Fun with Sisters Guild' written with the British summer in mind there's plenty of ideas for wet and rainy days.

Summer Fun with Sisters Guild

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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'.

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.

sistersguild.com

The Art of Living - Sleeping Beauty, Splurge Guns and Magic Carpets

My First Sleeping Beauty

Enter the magical world of enchanted forests and castles, fairies and the beautiful princess Aurora in My First Sleeping Beauty. The ballet dancer turned award winning choreographer Mathew Hart has created a ballet to be experienced for young children. Featuring graduating dancers from the English National Ballet School this is a great first ballet for children aged 3 years and upwards and their families. 

Whilst the story stays true to the original Sleeping Beauty and still uses the magic of Tchaikovsky's music you may also recognise Disney's Once Upon A Dream. Mathew Hart takes a classic, keeps it a classic but makes it accessible to all. Perhaps one day when seeing the full version of Sleeping Beauty performed by the English National Ballet children may recognise some of the choreography from their First Sleeping Beauty.

If the idea of a long ballet has previously put you off taking children have no fear with My first Sleeping Beauty. The audience is invited to come along dressed up, to boo the baddies and sing along too.  

The National Tour of 

My First Sleeping Beauty 

runs from 

3rd April - 3rd June 

and begins here in London at the Peacock Theatre.

See the Tour Dates and Places & Book Tickets Here

Cinema meets Theatre in the live Cinema performance of 

Bugsy Malone

Relive the magic of the big screen in this live cinema homage to the fantastic late 1920's styled film presented by Future Cinema at the Troxy. With a weekend matinee of the performance to include dancing, singing, flapper dresses and gangsters galore and a whole lot of custard pies and splurge guns this looks set to be a great family experience not to be missed.

This one of our favourite films when were kids, singing all the songs, swooning over Busgy and learning all the dance moves from the girls at Fat Sams.  I would have loved this as a child and I'm going to love it even more with my own children. 

Find out More and Book Tickets Here

Free activities for children of all ages at the

National Gallery

We are so spoiled here in London with the incredible amount of museums and galleries that are on offer and our children are lucky enough to experience them too, Free. With free entry and great free activities on offer, museums are no longer the dust filled bore of school trips but rather fun explorations into other worlds, countires, time and colour, design and art.

The National Gallery has interactive story sessions with the 

magic carpet storytelling for the under fives and 

art workshops for 5-11 year olds.

Visit their website for more information 

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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'.
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