The Story Behind our Collections: Paumes

Sometimes there are things that I stumble accross and suddenly become addicted to. The books by édition PAUMES are just one of those things. The collection of PAUMES books allow us to spy into the interiors of creative people's homes across the world.  They provide satisfaction to anyone with an interior obsession, those seeking inspiration for their own home, or for those who are just downright curious!

When we began the journey of Sisters Guild the main reason was to bring together collections that would inspire others. Believing above all that imagination is contagious we set out to bring all those treasures we had found as parents that taught us and shaped motherhood into its creative adventure. We couldn't concieve of bringing together pieces for the home and decor without bringing the collection of édition PAUMES too. They are bibles within our bookshleves when we need to feel inspired, and they are ideas and inspiration when we get the urge to change our home environment.

Children's Rooms London by PAUMES

PAUMES is the reason for the giant blackboard we made for the children, the line of string to peg paper cut-out clothes in Sophia's bedroom, and the other seeds of ideas for our living space. PAUMES reminds us that its good to let the home live and breathe for each character that dwells there.

Whilst they inspire me and feed new ideas into our home they also satisfy a desire to see other peoples homes. The pictures not only give an idea of others decor but also an insight into their lives. The rooms are not tidied and polished but rather very real and 'lived in,' they are alive. It is easy to imagine the character of their owners and the sounds and feel of each room. The images conjur up the individuality of their residents, their passions and their dreams. The childrens rooms collection remind me not to let my own character spill into my childrens rooms but rather let their own ideas and visions come alive. To let them own their own space and to let it become an expression of who they are.

They remind me too of how proud I was as a child of my own room.

Children's Rooms Paris by PAUMES

Edition PAUMES is a small and dynamic family run Japanese publishers. They are a truly friendly team and their enthusiasm is contagious and their passion for the projects they do is clear in the books they present. By working with artists and designers in Europe and exploring their home environments they have produced a set of interior inspiration books. The PAUMES books are written in Japanese and whilst it could encourage me to learn another language I have never felt the need to be able to translate the words. It is not what is said in the words but rather what is spoken in the pictures that is so appealing.  Their editorial projects include Childrens Rooms, City Apartments, London Vintage, Paris Brocante, Bureaux a la maison and Family Living.

Children's Rooms Copenhagen by PAUMES

The collection of books ventures further than the rooms of those creative people and gives us a peek into the world and lives of others. The parent's love-chiselled gift for their tiny ones is such a book - a whole book dedicated to the wonders others have created for their children. Gifts that are chiselled from love and born from the inspiration, awe and adoration of their children.

We both found, as do so many parents, that the arrrival of our first baby suddenly injected a time of creativity and inspiration. I remember when S was born I suddenly felt like I wanted to write a book. Perhaps it was the hormones, perhaps an overwhelming and instant love but I wish I had pounced on the feeling rather than just letting it carry me in the clouds for as long as it did!  The parent's love-chiselled gift for their tiny ones book is an outpouring of this inspiration, the thoughts and love brought about  by having a child. The hours it must have taken! There are lanterns, beds, first rattles, soft  silk bunnies and so many beautiful creations all made with love.

The parents love-chisselled gift for their tiny ones by PAUMES

The books should come with a warning... they are highly addictive! With each one you want to devour and let your eyes be filled with photographs of such brilliant, colourful, and imaginative spaces. Though my own home is far from the cries of glossy magazines I like to believe it would sit well photographed amongst the PAUMES books, and that's why these books are even more appealing - the photographed interiors are real
homes, full of individuality - perhaps if they ever did a maison de 'cottage industries' or maison de bloggers they might like to peek inside our doors!

Finland Family Style by PAUMES

It is with absolute pleasure that we bring the PAUMES books to you in the Sisters Guild boutique.  We just marvel at how Tokyo has connected us in a new way to Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm and London.  It's quite a journey and we look forward to further places and spaces to explore in the beautiful pages of édition PAUMES

Enjoy discovering them here - and keep an eye out for more titles coming soon!

View the Paumes books in the boutique here

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This is part of our series of blog posts about the Story Behind our Collections - why we've chosen the designers that are in the boutique and how those designers came to be.

To see a bit more of what Sisters Guild is all about take a look at the A-Z of Sisters Guild here.

Monday Makery - Bean Bag Toss

I love this game quite simply because it’s simple. Children of all ages love to play it and because there are so many different ways to play and different ways to use the beanbags it can give hours of fun for little children.

Children can play traditional aiming games; trying to accurately throw the beanbags into a hole in a box as we've made here. Playing a game of trying to knock down a group of bears and soldiers, using them as pillows and beds for favourite cuddlies, stacking them into towers and use them in counting games. Another great thing about this is that they are so easily taken with you in the park or in the garden. Perhaps the best thing of all is that they are very easy to make.

You'll need:

• fabric
• scissors
• needle and thread or a sewing machine if you have one
• dried beans, lentils or munga beans
• kitchen scales

Here's how:

1. Cut your fabric into 6 inch squares.
2. Take two of the squares and face together right side to right side.
3. Sew the two sides together leaving a little over an inch gap so that you can fill the bags later.
4. Turn the bag inside out. You can use the point of a pencil or a chopstick to push out the corners. 
5. Fill the bean bag with your dried beans. I used 10oz but you can use less or more if you feel you need to. I didn't have a funnel to fill the bags so I used a rolled up piece of paper as a makeshift funnel and it did the job just fine.
6. Once the bag is full you're ready to sew together the last little inch gap. All done!

I made six in total so there were 3 bags for each player.

We also made some animals from cardboard boxes as part of a game; aiming at the animals and trying to get our beanbags to land inside.

My last box was commandeered for a post box and so the girls set about painting it bright red and marking out the slot for the letters. I cut a hole in the back, marking out three sides to make a flap so that the 'post' could be collected.

We made another game using the post-box and a list of words that Sessi is currently learning to read. I cut out the various words and attached a paper clip to each one. Then using a fishing rod with a magnet attached we played our own version of go fish. We fished for a word and tried to read it if we could read the word we kept it in our pile and if we couldn't the word was put back into the mix and the player had to shout 'go fish!'. The player with the most cards wins.

Oona will post just about everything in the post-box and I know when it’s emptied I'll find some interesting things in there!

I also upcylced some milk cartons and turned them into skittles. I poured a little of our left over dried beans and lentils into each carton after giving them a good rinse and letting them dry. I then painted them with the left over paint from our animal boxes and assigned each one a number.
The girls used the bean bags to try and bowl them down. We had a hard time teaching Oona the rules who insisted she stand right next to them and threw from there but it was great fun.

The girls have been inventing other games too; seeing how many bean bags they can throw into a hula hoop and scoring points for how many landed inside, balancing the bags on their heads and seeing how many they can carry before they fall down. Oona has her own little games that she has pilfered the bean bags for and has made beds for her mice and little dolls, she likes to line them up and count them, though the 4 is always missing, apparently on holiday according to Sessi! Oona will make towers with them too and I’m quite amazed how adaptable to so many games these bean bags have become!....Oh and yes they do occasionally end up in our post box too.

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We have more Monday Makery craft & recipe ideas here.

For behind the scenes photos of Sisters Guild we have the gallery of the A-Z of Sisters Guild here.

An A-Z of Sisters Guild - M

maternal /mə tʉr′nəl/ adj 1 of, relating to, derived from, or charcteristic of a mother. 2 related through one's mother: my maternal grandfather.

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This is part of our 'An A-Z of Sisters Guild published every Friday. See also A is for adventure, B is for bedtime, C is for colour, D is for discovery, E is for exuberance, F is for Feminine, G is for glorious, H is for home , I is for imaginative , J is for Joie de Vivre, K is for kin   and L is for Love


We also publish other series in our blog including our Monday Makery, Tuesday brings 'The  Story Behind Our Collections' inviting you to take a closer look at the designers we house and why we chose them for the Sisters Guild boutique.  Wednesday we show you our favourite seasonal pieces and Thursdays is dedicated to the 'Art of Living' in which we share ideas and inspiration from places to visit, things to see and articles about things that enrich our lives.

little conversations

It's bedtime and as we climb into our beds Oona (2) decides she'd rather stand on her head.

S: (Sessi, 4, in a concerned motherly tone): Oona you can't sleep standing on your head beacuse you're dreams will be upside down.

O: No, Sessi!

S: Well, if it rains in your dream you'll get wet knickers Oona.

The Art of Living: A Summery Sessun Dream!

I recently discovered a french label that made my heart skip a beat. That label is Sessun.  I love the hues, the fabrics and the vintage-feel. The clothes are sublime, the accessories are a dream....and there's some liberty prints too!

by sessun

I would have to add a hop hop hop jewellery piece to the outfit I've found below.  Now I need a picnic, a sunny festival or a trip to Paris! 

Inspired by a trip to South America, designer Emma Francois started Sessun in 1995. Since then she has involved artists, graphic designers and musicians in Sessun and there's 2 music albums and a current 'exposition' in Paris called Chic, Chic, Chic c'est Picnic!

by Sessun artist Anna Emilia Laitinen

 

Inspired, I am.

Here's the Sessun site, with a summery soundtrack. The Sessun blog is enchanting too.

Among the stockists are Liberty and Urban Outfitters.

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This is part of the Art of Living series of posts that bring you all the things we are passionate about and the things we discover in our lives as mamas.

In our Wednesday Woo blog post series we present a selection of things from the Sisters Guild Boutique.

We also have a Monday Makery with ideas for things to make yourself.

And for a glimpse behind the scenes of Sisters Guild we have the A-Z of Sisters Guild here

Wednesday Woo: String up and hang out!

Add some joy to your walls with the frames and memo boards from Rice DK:

Rice DK Fabric Frames: There's different colours and patterns to choose from and each has a place to slot a favourite photo.  The rectangular frames hang by a pretty flower ribbon and the cherry frames have a little metal loop.  They are made of cotton fabric and the cherry frames are made even more beautiful with embroidered petals and leaves.
Rectangular hanging fabric frames WERE £8.50 NOW £6.00
Cherry hanging fabric and crochet frames WERE £13.50 NOW £9.00

The acrylic memo boards are a new design from Rice DK.  They have taken the style of an antique frame and made it into something bright and modern - with three colours to choose from. It's one of our favourites decor pieces this season.  Rice DK have also created a very sweet magnetic memo board covered in gingham fabric complete with 3 handy hooks. A perfect mix of traditional and contemporary - Rice DK know just how to get it right!
Acrylic memo boards - Blue, Green, Pink £27.00 each
Magnetic boards - Red, Green, Blue Gingham £16.50 each

The Butterfly magnets and fanric covered pins are the most charming way to display your pics and notes on the acrylic memo boards and gimgham magnetic boards. Rice DK never forget the extra detail!
Butterfly magnets £8.80 for a set of 3
Fabric covered and embroidered pins £8.80 for a box of 10

Rice DK have used the same style as the acrylic memo boards to create some colourful photo frames.
These look great in a kids bedroom but also add colour to a mantelpiece, a sideboard, a hallway, a bookshelf...in fact any space that could do with some extra zing!
Acrylic photo frames - blue, green, pink £8.80

Some inspiration to get those photos printed, sorted and framed....

ps.) There's a rather lovely discount code for Sisters Guild via Bambino Goodies here!

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This is part of our Wednesday Woo blog post series where we present a selection of our favourite things from the Sisters Guild Boutique.

We also have a Monday Makery with ideas for things to make yourself.

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 for a glimpse behind the scenes of Sisters Guild we have the A-Z of Sisters Guild here

The Story Behind Our Collections - Mini McGhee

When we started our search for pieces for our baby trousseau we began a search for perhaps the most important of all pieces; the baby blanket. We had an idea that the blanket must have a design that would quench our thirst for a design conscious piece that upheld the heritage feel of a blanket that would be kept, treasured and handed down from one baby to the next just as granny would have intended. It became our 'holy grail', a romance in our minds that we could find a 'made in Scotland' blanket that would preserve the sentiment of heirloom quality ,  lovingly handmade with luxurious delicate wool. We had given up the search not able to find such a piece until one day the blankets found us.

Visiting a studio to select pieces from one of our clothing designers there they were; a beautiful pile of the softest sumptuous delicate wool, in warm tones and contemporary colours. When hearing more about the designer and the creative process I knew they were perfect. Immediately wanting to wrap up my own children in them and cuddle them tight. I knew we had to contact their creator and ask that we could share them through Sisters Guild.

Nicola McGhee is the mother of the Mini McGhee collection with a biography that reads like a fairytale . Beginning when she graduated from Glasgow school of Art in 1995 having achieved the schools most prestigious award the Newbury Medal she was then awarded with a place at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design where she pursued a Masters in Fashion Knit. Nicola took her first job in London working for a design consultancy with occasional trips to New York, Paris and Florence. It wasn't long before New York fashion houses were requesting her to join them. Nicola moved to New York in 2000 and worked for 'Express' (a sisters company to Victoria Secret) moving on to work as a senior designer for Kenneth Cole before being offered the role of Senior Sweater Designer for GAP. But Nicola had always felt her heart was in Scotland and after the arrival of her daughter, Nicola returned home with her architect husband in 2007.

With an eye for colour an inherent flair for design and a knowledge of the industry it seems only natural that Nicola was destined to create. Nicola had noticed a missing piece in the market when searching herself for a baby blanket to give as a gift to a friend. A seed was sown and unable to find work locally with mills and manufacturers closing Nicola set off on her own venture creating her own job. Dusting down her knitting and sewing machines Nicola's passion for textiles was reawakened and Mini McGhee was launched in winter 2009.

McGhee brings us an exquisite collection of finely knitted luxurious pieces for the nursery and home that we can trust to keep our babies warm. The soft hand woven wool is perfect against delicate skin and their colours are gentle and calm, creating a sleepy aura for mother and child.

The wool is locally sourced in Scotland where each blanket is handmade, employing local people as much as possible. The natural handmade process behind each piece adheres itself to the innocence of new life, making it more instinctive; born to cradle our delicate newborns with its unique charm and feel.

To truly appreciate the collection it is important to understand the underlying values that the high quality craftsmanship is built upon.  Nicola reignites an industry lost by the more recent trend for mass produced products and turns her attention to the use of vintage fabrics, traditional knitting, crotchet and embroidery techniques. 'Made in Scotland' is very important to Nicola awakening traditions and revitalising skills of those around her. Not accepting the decline of local industries Nicola sources the energy and skills locally with each piece created either by hand or by local craftsmen. The feeling of keeping  it all  'home-grown' and made in Scotland is as Nicola says "a key factor in the business and I will never walk away from that."

The high quality craftsmanship of the collection echoes a time when the giving and receiving of a baby blanket was a tradition handed down from one generation to the next. Inspired by these traditional family values the resulting spirit of the collection not only breathes a unique and pure tone but also blesses it with a genuine feeling of timelessness and sincerity.

Mini McGhee is kindly supported by the Scottish Arts Council and Scotland UnLtd.

We would like to add our own support and respect too and above this, gratitude for bringing authentic hand crafted, sustainable pieces to the market all the time supporting local business. Whilst our hat goes of to you Nicola McGhee we'll keep warm underneath your beautiful blankets.

The Mini McGhee collection takes a simple traditional piece, crafts it with beautiful contempory colour and creates a classic heirloom piece for this new blossoming generation. You can find our selection of Mini McGhee in our Baby Trousseau and look out for our Autumn collection where you'll find Mini McGhee beyond the nursery and unfolding around the home.

To find out more about Nicola McGhee and her story behind the collection take a look at our interview here.

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This is part of our series of blog posts about the Story Behind our Collections - why we've chosen the designers that are in the boutique and how those designers came to be.

To see a bit more of what Sisters Guild is all about take a look at the A-Z of Sisters Guild here.

Monday Makery: Milk Carton Dice

This is a quick and simple project for those of you who get their milk in cartons and for those who wonder about how you could recycle those cartons into something to play with!

The main part of this makery should be done by a grown-up as it involves some tricky cutting.  I did all the cutting bits first and had everything at the ready for Gabe and I to do the sellotaping, colouring and gluing together.

    * Milk carton
    * Scissors (and paper knife if available)
    * Ruler
    * Pens
    * Paper/Card
    * Glue

1. Take you milk carton and measure the width of the base. Use that measurement to mark the height from the bottom of the carton.  Make a mark at each corner
2.  Make a secondary mark at each corner at twice the height (2 x the width of base)
3.  Use a ruler to draw a line all the way around, following the marks on each corner. Do this at both heights.
4.  Cut by following the first line all the way around- you will now have a cube with an open top
5.  Cut by following the second line all the way around to make your 2nd piece
6.  With this second piece - cut down the corner seam to open it up into a long rectangle.  This is the piece you will use to wrap around the base cube and cover the open top.  It all makes sense if you follow the pics!

This is the bit where you can get a little willing helper involved. ...

7. Wrap the long piece around the cube and sellotape at all exposed sides.
8.  It is now a cube ready to decorate. Use the first measurement of the width to cut 6 square pieces of paper or card.
9.  One each piece write the numbers 1 -6.  You can also add 1-6 dots or stars or any other shape you fancy! You can take your time over this and have a good colouring session.
10.  When they are ready glue them on to each side. I had to check whether there was an order to where the numbers are on a die. I had never considered it before. The answer is yes. On a normal 6-sided die, opposite faces add up to 7 (6 + 1, 2 + 5, 3 + 4).  Let the glue dry and it's ready to play with!

I found this was a great way to get Gabe into numbers.  We actually used the die for a jumping and hopping game and I'm trying to come up with lots of other physical things you can do with numbers too - the kind of games you need when you have a boy!

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We have more Monday Makery craft & recipe ideas here.

For behind the scenes photos of Sisters Guild we have the gallery of the A-Z of Sisters Guild here.

An A-Z of Sisters Guild - L

love /luv/ noun 1 a strong feeling of attachment, tenderness, and protectiveness for another person. 2 attraction or devotion based on sexual desire. 3 warm interest and enjoyment in something. 4a the object of interest and enjoyment. b a person who is loved; a darling. c an assurance of love; will send my love. 5 (love) a god or personification of love. 6 a score of zero in tennis, squash etc. 7 Brit, informal used as a friendly or affectionate for of address.
love /luv/ verb trans 1 to feel passionate devotion or tenderness for (somebody). 2 to feel a great liking, attachment, or enthusiasm for (somebody or something)

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This is part of our 'An A-Z of Sisters Guild published every Friday. See also A is for adventure, B is for bedtime, C is for colour, D is for discovery, E is for exuberance, F is for Feminine, G is for glorious, H is for home , I is for imaginative , J is for Joie de Vivre and K is for kin.

We also publish other series in our blog including our Monday Makery, Tuesday brings 'The  Story Behind Our Collections' inviting you to take a closer look at the designers we house and why we chose them for the Sisters Guild boutique.  Wednesday we show you our favourite seasonal pieces and Thursdays is dedicated to the 'Art of Living' in which we share ideas and inspiration from places to visit, things to see and articles about things that enrich our lives.

The Art of Living: A place we are fond of

There's a park that Gabe & I have visited since the first week he was born. We were there in the early phase of 'sleep circuits' when the lovely trees and flowers kept me serene, then later there were the easy days of lounging on picnic blankets before he could walk...and then into the playground area where we now go most days! The park is St Anns Well in Hove and I am so very fond of the place.

At the opening of Brighton Festival the park became the Jardin Flambeau!  We took Gabe along and he marvelled at the fire everywhere, repeating the words 'wow' and 'beautiful'!

This Saturday 21st May there will be the St Ann’s Well Gardens Spring Festival and it looks like the biggest ever with a great line up of entertainment:

Full details of the festival are here on the childfriendlybrighton.com website

The festival is family orientated and it is FREE. Donations are welcome which will help raise money for the upkeep of the lovely gardens - I spotted lots of new planting today!

There's a Cake Making Competition (all ages can enter), and a Treasure Trail with some great prizes, sponsored by Sweetheart Knits and Supernatural Kids Clothing who will have a stall there with all their gorgeous things!

Check the St Ann’s Well Gardens Facebook Group for more info.  St Ann’s Well Gardens also has a website and you can become a friend.

The other Brighton event which starts tomorrow is The Assembly Room Art & Design Market at the Unitarian Church - with art prints, fashion, crafts and homeware. It's the place to go to discover some amazing pieces by talented artists and makers such as Eliza Fricker, Emily the Pemily, Kate Jenkins and Alexa de Castilho

So much to celebrate!

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This is part of the Art of Living series of posts that bring you all the things we are passionate about and the things we discover in our lives as mamas.

In our Wednesday Woo blog post series we present a selection of things from the Sisters Guild Boutique.

We also have a Monday Makery with ideas for things to make yourself.

And for a glimpse behind the scenes of Sisters Guild we have the A-Z of Sisters Guild here

Wednesday Woo: Beautiful Fabrics

One of the things my sister and I are passionate about is fabric, and the Sisters Guild Boutique is full of different fabrics that make us swoon.

Felt, alpaca, irish linen, fine cotton, silk, muslin and velvet

Felt Cheese House with Mice by En Gry & Sif, £29.50. The Danish Sisters of En Gry & Sif source their felted wool from Nepal to make tactile, long-lasting and fairtrade designs.
Nulle by Lucky Boy Sunday £69.50.  Made from the softest baby alpaca wool from Bolivia, Lucky Boy Sunday pieces are ready for some serious snuggling.
Fabic Doll - Manon - by Leila Lou, £18.50. This vintage-inspired doll has a hand-stitched design on 100% Irish linen. A lovely hand-made gift for a baby or child.
Aden+Anais Swaddles in Prince Charming design, £22. Big swaddling sheets in the softest cotton muslin.
Dahlia Print Dress by Hucklebones £91.20. This delicate dress in the stunning Dahlia print is made of 100% silk - only the finest for your girls!
Turquoise/Gold Midas Popsicle Dress by ilovegorgeous, £59. With hot turquoise embroidered detail this fine cotton and gold lurex dress has such an ethereal feel.
Wall decals from the Forest Critters-Girly set by Love Mae £55. These wall stickers are made of a special fabric that can be scrunched and re-used again and again.
Petti Skirt in Silver Cloud by Angels Face, £44 Made with over 40 yards of fabric - for a lot of twirling around at parties or just around the house with a big smile on your face - these skirts fit grown-ups too!
Velvet Floor Cushion - Blue with Pink Flower by Rice DK, £69.50.  This velvet floor cushion is utterly fabulous and very strokeable!

Enjoy exploring all the fabrics that Sisters Guild has to offer

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This is part of our Wednesday Woo blog post series where we present a selection of our favourite things from the Sisters Guild Boutique.

We also have a Monday Makery with ideas for things to make yourself.

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 for a glimpse behind the scenes of Sisters Guild we have the A-Z of Sisters Guild here

The Story Behind our Collections: Aden+Anais

Back in January 2010 my sister and I were quite innocent to trade shows as we were in the early stages of planning the Sisters Guild Boutique.  We arrived at Bubble London full of wide-eyed wonder, all nervous and excited!

One of the first people we spoke to was a beautifully pregnant Raegan Moya-Jones, the co-founder of Aden+Anais.  We touched the muslins all hanging beautifully in a line, we felt broody remembering the swaddling phase and instantly knew that the swaddles, blankets and other designs of Aden+Anais had to be part of what the Sisters Guild Boutique offered.

Raegan is so passionate about the muslin fabric and the benefits of swaddling.  We spoke about babies and sleep and sisters of course - chatting about how lovely it would be to have 3 girls (which she now has!) - all the while feeling the soft muslin fabric and swooning over the pretty designs.

Raegans' story starts in Australia where she witnessed how the practice of swaddling babies in muslin sheets helped both sleep and bonding for baby and mama. It was in the USA when Raegan became a mother herself that she tried to find large swaddles - alas, finding them too small, too thick or unappealing she decided to design her own!  Thus, Aden+Anais was born. 

Raegan created a swaddle large enough to be truly useful to mothers 'not just for swaddling but as a stroller cover, nursing shield, tummy time blanket, or a burping cloth.'  Raegan believes in the legacy of muslin - the world's oldest and most cherished cotton fabric - and she sourced the softest muslin she could find to create designs that are modern and stylish yet gentle and charming too.  They have certainly charmed the world.


The Aden+Anais collection offers things for mama and baby that are so useful and beautiful - cloths for dribbles, blankets for security and snuggling, soft washcloths for bathtime and sleeping bags for when they are passed the swaddling stage - all made in the softest muslin fabric.

The Aden+Anais sleeping bags are amazing.  The cozy winter sleeping bag has 4 layers of muslin which makes it a warm yet still breathable design for colder nights - no kicking-off the blanket and getting chilly in the night!  The summer sleeping bag is a single muslin layer which is so ideal for warm nights, especially on holiday, where your baby or toddler still needs a light layer - and when they wriggle about they don't end up with a loose sheet or blanket.  They really do help with a good nights sleep!

The Aden+Anais swaddles really are big at 120cm x 120cm (47" x 47") which makes them so useful - I see them used a lot as buggy covers and even as a sarong or scarf for mama too!  They are pre-washed which makes them soft to start with and the more you wash them the softer they get.  For swaddling they are so easy as they are large and the fabric has a natural 'give' allows the blanket to be tucked snuggly around a baby without being overly restrictive. Aden+Anais have a swaddling guide here 

It was a natural instinct for me to swaddle my baby especially as he was born in December.  He looked so beautifully cocconed and cosy and we both enjoyed the ritual of swaddling as it signalled feeding, cuddles, comfort and sleep.  Swaddling is an ancient practice and when I see and hear about swaddling it is so reassuring to know that a mother's instinct is still strong.

The Aden+Anais collection encourages the practice of swaddling and that can only be beneficial to mamas and babies around the world.  Raegan has written a book the aden + anais Swaddle Love Book which is a celebration of babies and swaddling.  Raegan also set up the Swaddle Love Foundation who's mission is to provide orphaned babies with the basic of human connections – touch. You can read more about it here.

Aden+Anais is significant to us as it was part of Sisters Guild at the very beginning. Aden+Anais helped the boutique evolve into a place to find things for your baby that have been thoughtfully-designed, collections that have a female story behind them!

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This is part of our series of blog posts about the Story Behind our Collections - why we've chosen the designers that are in the boutique and how those designers came to be.

To see a bit more of what Sisters Guild is all about take a look at the A-Z of Sisters Guild here.

Monday Makery - Banana Bread

There's a highly recommended cookbook that we use regularly at home. It's The River Cottage Family Cookbook and it's full of simple recipes with lovely pictures
Gabe has even started sitting with the book and flicking through asking questions and requesting to do certain recipes, which fills me with joy. It has definitely become THE family cookbook and is very reliable for all the basic recipes and cooking tips.

One of our favourite recipes is the Banana Bread.  We've adapted it a little - swapping the caster sugar for Fruit Sugar and Self-Raising flour for Gluten Free Self-Raising flour so it is less likely to flare up Gabe's Ezcema.

Ingredients:

Dried Apricots 75g
Sultanas 75g
Lemon 1
Unsalted butter 100g (we use olive oil spread and it works fine)
Caster Sugar 125g (can substitute with Fruit Sugar 100g)
Eggs 2 large
Bananas 3 large ripe
Self-raising flour 200g (Gluten Free Flour can be used - Dove's Farm do a good one)

Method:

1. Preheat Oven to 160 degrees C / Gas Mark 3.  Line the loaf tin with baking parchment.
2. Chop up apricot pieces and grate the lemon zest. (we actually skipped the lemon zest bit)
3. Cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until creamy.  Beat in both eggs.  Add the dried fruit and lemon zest (a squeeze of a lemon is just as good - my boy likes the 'geeezing')
4. Mash the bananas well with the fork and add to bowl.  Stir well.
5. Sift the flour into the bowl and fold into the mixture.
6. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin.  Put into the oven for 50 mins - 1 hour.
7. When it's out of the oven leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before you turn it onto a wire rack.
8. Slice, grab & enjoy

It fills the house with such a delicious smell.
We always have to scoff some when it's still warm, though we know that banana bread is actually even more tasty the next day - if it lasts that long!

Thank you River Cottage Family Cookbook

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We have more Monday Makery craft & recipe ideas here.

For behind the scenes photos of Sisters Guild we have the gallery of the A-Z of Sisters Guild here.