Soft toys and backpacks and dressing up lions, feathers and sparkles and tutu's to try on, luxurious playhouses, a tower and a king..... these are a few of my favourite things.
The boutique is rich with Christmas gifts,stocking fillers and decorations. We've put together a few of our favourite pieces as well as some of the most popular and best loved.
If you're looking for a gift why not let us help. You can email us at info@sistersguild.com, simply title the email 'gift guide' and we'll do our best to steer you in the right direction.
Last week we showed you some beautiful advent calendars and since then we have had lots of requests from all of you for ideas for what to put inside, and if you are like us you won't want to fill them with things easily forgotten or easily lost. You'll want something that lasts: a tradition to begin, to revisit each year or a day spent together that will never be forgotten.
Though I love the countdown to Christmas I don't feel it needs to have you searching for a further 24 gifts! Sometimes the best thing inside is a special something to do. So, here's a list of ideas we've put together to help you fill your advent with special treats and surprises, new traditions and inexpensive gift ideas.
1 A notebook to record the childrens very own countdown to Christmas. Write it as a diary of all the getting ready for the big day. Include pictures and used tickets for a fun memento as well as a good keeping busy book.
2 A good book from a charity shop. Look out for book sales at libraries too.
3 Tickets for fun things to do: a day at their favourite museum, a Christmas fairground or festive craft day.
4 Edible treats especially for weekend days. Sometimes a chocolate really is just the thing.
5 A ball of string leading to a basket..... go out for a walk and fill the basket with pine cones, fallen berries and any natural treasures you can then use to make a centre piece for the Christmas table. We love pine cones sprinkled with glitter, with mini pom poms or felt balls glued on.
6 Christmas decorations to hang on the tree. This is a great tradition to start where each year each child is given a new decoration to hang.
7Cookie cutters or pretty cupcake cases with a recipe to bake together for that day. Or perhaps an invitation to make mince pies. I have such fond memories of making mince pies with my mama.
10 Print out a colouring page or a dot to dot. Mr Printable always has great to do projects here
11 Paper chains are a great activity and kids love their instant cheerfulness
12 Temporary tattoos, though perhaps save these until later in the advent when there is no school !
13 A treat certificate easily drawn on paper offering a hot chocolate or cake from their favourite place
14 A CD of Christmas songs.
15 A 'you're in charge' certificate! Or perhaps a better phrased 'you choose what we do today' voucher (for those who are brave enough to give it).
16 A ticket for a late night drive, bus ride, or walk around the city to look at the festive lights. We do this every year and it really is so magical. The girls always fall asleep on the way home and I imagine their heads full of happiness and wonder as we carry them upstairs to bed.
17 A pack of Christmas cards to write and send to friends. Or, better still a few craft materials for them to make their own.
18 A trip to go Ice -Skating written as an invitation.
19 Theatre or cinema tickets (look out for weekend early morning specials for the cinema for £1)
20 Home made playdough ....add glitter to red coloured playdough for a nice surprise
21 Small inexpensive gifts, like notepads, a pack of cards, marbles, bells, rubber stamps, pens and pencils, bouncy balls and bookmarks make great gifts for very little.
22 Go see carolers hold a hot chocolate in hand and feel the atmosphere warm you up. Make it a tradition each year, meet with friends, drink hot chocolate with marshmallows and sing under the stars.
23 Make paper snowflakes and decorate the windows
24 Hyacinth bulbs make a wonderful gift that will last. Plant them in Hyacinth vases and watch them grow and blossom over the coming weeks.
25 Multiple day items, ok perhaps this is a little like cheating but it's a good way of dividing a extra special something like a puzzle divided over a series of days, or lego, or a matrioksa doll.
26 The first clue in a treasure hunt which can lead to a gift, perhaps on Christmas eve. The build up to the big day can be so overwhelming giving one special gift from under the tree is a lovely tradition especially if they have to hunt for it.
27 A lantern made from an empty tin can with holes cut out or a jam jar painted with a candle inside to celebrate solstice.
28 A trip to see Father Christmas. You could write it as a personal invitation or a voucher. If you're children are a little too shy to see the big man himself (one of mine is) perhaps spend some time to send him a letter instead.
29. A sprig of mistletoe to hang, ready to surprise mummy or daddy with a kiss!
30. A Christmas joke - that will trigger lots of new made-up ones or old favourites: Who hides in a bakery at Christmas? A Mince Spy! 31. An empty bag - to fill with things to give away as a donation to a local charity or children's hospital ward. Let your child feel that they can directly help another child at Christmas.
32. Christmas Stamps. I always get excited about the Christmas stamps issued each year and I fondly remember my trips to the Post Office to receive the First Day Covers. The Christmas designs this year are by the wonderful illustrator Axel Scheffler of Gruffalo fame!
33. A copy of The Night Before Christmas
to read and re-read each year on Christmas Eve. It's magical every time.
We're recycling some candles and making some Christmas gifts at the same time. We've got lots of short candles which have lost their pride of place for being almost used. We also discovered some wilted candles - when our candelabra was placed on the windowsill above the radiator the heat made the candles in it wilt so they can no longer be used either!
So with a few easy to get supplies we've been busy making some gifts for the festive season and are so happy with the way they turned out.
Here's what you'll need:
old candles / paraffin wax and beeswax
a double boiler, or one saucepan on top of the other
wick - these are easily available at craft stores
teacup or similar container....
scissors for cutting the wick when finished.
Here's how:
If using an old candle you will first need to grate it into easy to melt pieces.
Placing the wax into a small pan, place it above another pan half full of water and gently melt the wax over a low heat.
Once the wax has melted pour into your chosen teacup.
Drop your wick into the teacup and hold the wick in place by resting it against two pencils or tack the top to a pencil using bluetack and rest the pencil on the cup.
The candle will set quite quickly and will harden from the outside in. Sometimes this may mean the candle 'dips' a little in the middle which can then be topped up with a little more wax. Out of our seven candles we made only 1 did this and we left it as it was ..... not trying for perfection.
Once the candle has set hard you can snip off the top of the wick leaving a good 1cm length to light.
We think these will make wonderful gifts for Christmas and its a great way to recycle old candles too. You can even add a few drops of essential oils to the wax to create scented candles of your choice. I'm hoping we'll have a couple left after wrapping them for gifts that we can then have. Else we'll be off to the charity shop again to look for more teacups!
Happy Making
xx
If you don't get a chance to make any and you'd like to buy some for gifts this Christmas - you must pop over to Tea 'n' Cake for some scented Tea Cup Candles as well as Bird Feeders and Cake Stands. They really are beautiful.
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.
In the past few weeks there's been audible squeals, 'wows' and 'hallelujahs' as Little Titans is delivered to online boutiques and independent shops, and on to customers up and down the country. Little Titans is a revolution in boys tights - comfy, stylish and practical too! We are so excited to be one of the first stockists.
Carly the wonderwoman behind this new brand, must be starting to realise just how much us mamas, along with the new generation of boys, are so utterly grateful for her new design. Little Titans was an idea that started when her son was born and just like his big sister, those boys legs 'must have tights too.' Of course, why not! Carly should expect plenty of fan mail - if my 8 month old Ruben could talk I'm sure he'd say 'My tights rock' or something along those lines!
It's not just about the thighs and wriggling bottom looking cute, it's about being practical too. Tights mean no escaping socks. Tights allow for movement too - so toddlers can pull their moves whether crawling, cruising, or just kicking about!
The stripes are fresh and innocent, with contrast colour knee pads, cosy terry feet and non-slip soles. There's a full terry pair too - for extra winter cosiness. AND the Superhero style is irresistible:
Grab your pair here, and embrace the boys-in-tights thing.
As a mum of boys I'm certainly celebrating.
Oh, and did I mention, they come in a cool gift box too. It just gets better & better - ticking that gift list....
If you have daughters that dream of other worlds, worlds that sparkle with all that glitters, worlds in which they take centre stage. Then let them take their dreams in hand with beautiful dresses and accessories that transport them to days of being woodland fairies in 'Dew Drop' dresses, graceful princesses in 'Crown Princess' dresses, with a collection of intricately and delicately made pieces there'll be something there for every girl of every age with dreams of their own.
We've been rummaging through our craft cupboard for inspiration this weekend and came across a huge tub of buttons. We decided to use them for some Christmas cards and ended up doing something on a much larger scale by making a big picture coloured in with the buttons. We wanted the picture to be festive but not so festive that it would look out of place hanging up long past Christmas. So, we drew a reindeer but we made his antlers heart shaped.
We used a cork noticeboard I picked up at a charity shop for £1, some card and glue and of course lots of buttons. It was such fun to see the picture take shape as we went along and though its not perfect as we didn't have a large enough sheet of card to fill the frame (we had to use 2 pieces so there is a slight visible break) we love it.
I'm going to get some bigger sheets of card so we can make another one, for a more polished finish I'll find a box frame too. We've certainly got enough buttons for a few more and I think they'd make wonderful and unique gifts.
Here's what you'll need:
a cork board or box frame
glue - we used a glue gun to secure the buttons
card
pencil
Here's how:
If using a cork-board as a frame give the edge a quick paint with white poster paint.
Then cut the card to fit the size of the frame you are using
Draw an outline of your chosen image, remember to keep it simple. It's silhouette should be clear enough that it is easy to see what the image is.
Once you're happy with the outline of your image stick it to the cork-board, you can tuck the edges under the outer edge for a neat finish.
Now using your glue and buttons stick each one in place, making sure you stay within the sketched outline. You can keep the colours to a theme or use as many varied colours as you like.
To make the card, simply fold a piece of card vertically in half. Draw a silhouette of a something Christmasy onto a seperate piece of coloured card, cut and stick on. Then embellish with buttons or sequins, pom poms or beads. Why not draw a Christmas tree silhouette and decorate with ric rac, sequins and poms poms, or a robin with a red velvet tummy. Simple unique cards can be so simple, and children will be so proud to give something they imagined and created.
Happy Making
xx
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.
Today you can expect to see sunshine in the sky with a chance of rainbows in the South as the wind blows them across the sea for everyone to enjoy
Children have such a unique and quirky, playful and often charming point of view of the world which we love to immerse in. The designs of Corby Tindersticks take us on this very poetic and playful journey into an interactive world of fun with their wonderfully crafted felt toys and illustrations.
Carly Gledhill is the new UK designer and founder of Corby Tindersticks (what a great name) who driven by her own need for a creative outlet is bringing to the world these fun, wholesome and and oh so stylish creative designs.
We love their 'far from the highstreet' vibe, their vibrant colours and unparalleled creations.
Carly's passion for the fun and colour is one we hold dear and we prize her ethos of looking after the environment and sourcing ethically too.
The long wait for the arrival of the hand sewn collection is over as we now welcome Corby Tindertsicks into Sisters Guild.
Take a look at Hip Hop Harold, Minty Macaronie, and the appliqued orange felt 'line up' . Designed for children and grown ups too, there are so many pieces to fall in love with, to play with, to cherish and enjoy and we are so happy to be part of it and share with you too.
I know the Christmas festivities are six weeks away but we're so excited and have so many things planned to make, bake and create we've started early to make sure we get them all done. These vibrant garlands add so much wonderful colour to the home and are simple to make with only a few ingredients. Though we made these garlands as gifts for family and friends as well as to hang up in our own home for Christmas we're already quite taken with them hanging up where they are. So there they'll stay. I know they'll still be hanging long after Christmas too.
Here's what you'll need:
felting wool - we used carded lambswool
a bowl of hot soapy water
a towel - folded on the table ready to catch all the excess water
embroidery thread
wool needle
Here's how:
Take a small wad of wool and then wrap around and around it with further strands of wool until you have a ball shape twice the size of how you want it to be.
Dip the ball into the hot soapy water.
Gently roll the ball between your hands, go gently you won't need to crush or squeeze the water out just keep rolling. At first it will fell like a soggy mess but after a minute or two it will soon firm up and take shape. When the water starts to cool, warm it up again. It's the hot water that does the trick.
Leave to dry. We dried ours overnight and they were ready the next day.
Now to create your garland: Thread a large needle with embroidery thread and tie a loop knot at the end so it can be ready to hang.
Thread on one ball at a time leaving a 1 inch space in-between each ball.
Finish by tying another loop knot at the end.
Now your garland is ready to embellish your home. Hang your garland above a child's bed, along the mantlepiece, or put your garland into a pretty jar and tie a ribbon around it for a pretty gift. We know once you've made them you'll won't be able to save it for the Christmas tree! We're using it as an excuse to make more using cookie cutters for shapes for stars ad hearts...... nothing too Christmasy because we'll never want to take them down.
There's so much more you can make with your felt balls; thread them onto pieces of elastic thread for beautiful friendship bracelets or longer versions for necklaces, sew them together to form a disc to create colourful coasters and trivets, stitch one or two to a hairband elastic for a colourful transformation, make small strands to cover a plain wreath ready to hang for the festivities, or if you can make enough why not try making a felt ball rug!
Happy Making!
x
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.
With a wonderful selection of advent calenders from a Maileg Pixy disguised as Father Christmas to a garland of tie-bags, stockings and envelopes and even a delicious chocolate advent thanks to a collaboration between Maileg and the choclatiers Lindt, there's new traditions to begin and great ideas for little gifts as we count down the days, slowly, one by one in the expectant waiting and preparations for the festive fun and celebration of Christmas.
Fill your advent with little treats and surprises; wrap up Christmas decorations to hang on the tree, invitations for festive games, sleigh-bell rides and snowball fights, print out colouring pages and dot to dots to fold into envelopes for a surprise to keep children busy, add sweet messages or gingerbread biscuits and small chocolates. The fun of counting down the days is all part of the festive fervour that is Christmas.
Our blog trip Around the World with YOU has come to an end.
We've been taken to many different places in both hemispheres. It is really interesting to see how the places you have chosen are places of space, of expanse and openness. It's obvious we are naturally drawn to the the wide outdoors, whether it's the green of a grassy park or common, an open space in a busy city, the blue expanse of the sea and sky, the rolling hills or craggy mountains. The only indoor space was The Wolesley and even that space is tall and wide and airy. Maybe it's in these airy places that our mind rests, our thoughts settle and thus the place remains in our memory more strongly.
Today we have numbered all the entries and used random.org to pick a number. And now we can announce the winner picked at random is.......Nissa Redmond
Congratulations!
Thank you to all of you who sent in your favourite place and for being part of the Sisters Guild journey.
Beyond this little blog series the journey continues, so do send in your stories, photos, links and ideas anytime: carla @ sistersguild .com
Ok, so we know where our Christmas tree will go, we've got the decorations down from the attic, all 5 boxes of it! We've started on our shopping lists and with the girls now counting down the sleeps til' Christmas - 49 by the way - the countdown has officially begun!
Every year we try to make all our gifts a little more personal, creating something for everyone and making our very own festive pieces. It's so much fun to get creative making decorations, treats and homemade gifts. It seems to make this time of year even more festive and symbolises the getting ready. The children certainly prefer spending afternoons baking and painting to traipsing around busy shops and in this way many of our makeries have become accidental traditions in that Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without them in our house.
So, here we go. The first of the fun and creative Christmas Makeries with Rolling Pin Printing.
Here's what you'll need:
a roll of paper - this one here is hard to beat for price. If there's ever anyone I know heading there we always get them to grab some rolls for us!
scissors
card / lace / foam shapes / mouse mat / rubber bands ..... whatever you have to hand
pencil
rolling pin
sticky tape
paint / ink
glue - 'quick mount' is great for this.
Here's how:
Take a piece of paper wrap it around the rolling pin and tape it securely with sticky tape.
Now, create your printing shapes.... if using card, cut out simple shapes (cookie cutters make great stencils for little hands) and adhere them to the covered rolling pin. For lace; cut strips of lace that match the circumference of your rolling pin and adhere in a neat line. Thick felt or foam shapes are great especially if you can find some already cut to the pattern you'd like, if you can't find foam shapes try cutting up an old mouse mat into the shapes you like and stick those on. Pipe cleaners turned into simple shapes work brilliantly, bubble wrap is great for some fun spots and even the simple elastic band can be used over the rolling pin to create stripes along the paper. Its fun to try lots of different materials and see what works best. If you have very young children why not use some toy cars or tractors 'driven' across the paint and onto the paper..... remember it doesn't have to be about the polished finish but rather the fun, the memories made, the messy hands, and the sense of pride of having it done it themselves!
Once the glue has dried and your pattern in securely in place take a flat baking tray or turn one upside down to use the flat side for your ink or paint.
Put a splodge of paint onto your tray and even it our using a paintbrush. Roll the rolling pin over the paint back and forth until the shapes are evenly covered with colour, and then lining up against the bottom of a large sheet of paper roll on your print.
Hang large sheets of decorated paper up to dry and once dry roll them up into ready to use rolls of wrapping paper. You can even make matching tags for labeling gifts too.
The girls have loved doing this so much they are busy designing paper to match either the gift inside or the person to whom the gifts are for. I love their enthusiasm and its completely contagious... that i'm now cutting up felt into snowflakes ready for the next batch!
Its a wrap everyone ...... (sorry just couldn't resist!)
Happy Making xx
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.
What a momentous week for Sisters Guild. It's 2 years since we launched online, as sisters tiptoeing into the unknown. And now we embark on the courageous adventure of a real-life shop. The kids have been full of excitement, especially as they held the ribbon, met the Mayor and had their picture take by reporters - they felt very proud and important. Friends and family have shown so much support and we are so very grateful for the wonder-force that is our new Shop Manager Dawne. It's been a fantastic first week, and we truly feel part of Catherine Hill - a cobbled street of independents in the vibrant Somerset town of Frome.
So, now we are 2, how shall we celebrate? Carla & I would like to say we are spending it at Babington House, just a few miles from our new shop, but we are awaiting a free moment, and a free pass! So, for now we are quite happy with being able to be at home with woolly socks, soup and smiles and a Sunday stomp around outdoors with the kids.
As for how we celebrate our 2nd Birthday with our customers: we are treating you to 25% off everything this weekend.
It was the team at Bambino Goodies that helped us establish the Sisters Guild name online 2 years ago, and it is fitting that they join us in celebration. Head over their way now...
Tessa says: My favourite place is Hamilton Island in Queensland. The Island is small
and friendly you can only travel around it by golf buggy so you
immediately slow down as you arrive at the island as those little things
can only go so fast..
The Island has pure luxury in the form of Qualia Resort or you can rent
and apartment and just go basic. There are lots of hilly roads so nearly
every place has a view to soak up and the far side of the island has
tracks to hidden beaches and the peak where you can see the rest of the
Whitsunday Islands. We have visited at least 5 or 6 times in the past 12 years of living in Australia and it gets better every time. The pace of life is slower, the weather is glorious and the waters surrounding it are just that typical picture of paradise.
Thank you Tessa, how I wish I could be transferred there now. Such a serene place. I hope you get a trip there soon.
***************
One of our regular customers Emma shares a favourite place and a family moment 'by the seaside, beside the sea.'
Emma says: Best friends (and joint lovers of Sisters Guild) sharing a holiday
together at the good old British seaside town of Southwold. On the pier
with ours husbands and gorgeous children at half term. The perfect photo
to remind me of all my favourite things!!!!
Ahh Emma, thank you. Friends and a shared day can make a place so memorable. It's always good to have that moment captured on camera for posterity.
We have loved hearing about all these favourite places and sharing them here on our blog with you. We've been back and forth across the 2 hemispheres: from the woods of Wimbledon Common, London, to a park in Sydney; a view of Loch Sheil in Scotland, to a ride in Picton, NZ; from the 'Devils Chair' in Shropshire to the retreat of Oia in Santorini. We've felt our hearts heal at
'Heavens Gate' in our home county of Wiltshire, we took a seat at the
Wolesley, sat on a bench in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris and we
heard of a kiss on the cliffs of Beer in Devon.
Each published place will now be numbered and entered into the draw - we will use a random number generator to pick the one to receive the £60 Sisters Guild voucher. We shall announce the winner next week, on Tuesday 6th November.
Thank you and Good Luck.
Wishing you all happy travels near or far and many moments cherished.
to read and re-read each year on Christmas Eve. It's magical every time.
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