Once upon a place....

..... and there I discovered a family of vegetables hung like snowdrops from a flower, watered with rainbows caught in a red watering can. Creatures great, creatures tall, creatures brave and creatures small played in the garden under a tall tree with adventures on every branch.  We took tea parties among the toadstools with new found friends, sipping from pastel petal cups and saucers. Birds came from near and far and sang songs and called to the wild and sparkling horses and elephants in tutus danced among the blossoms of the tree.

We found houses built with coloured stars, windows and doors opened with a little wooden key. Fluffy dwellings lined the paths, I think I saw little fluffy people inside. We rode horses that leapt high above the trees circling words to the moon and back again. We dined with dinosaurs in bright bow ties. We found dragons that taught us never to be afraid and we sailed among the stars that hung from the sky like garlands..... once upon a place.

Come take a look at our Once Upon a Place and see a world of imaginings. For todays advent we're giving 25 % Off everything in this place of wonder, where dreams come to life. 

Plant little seeds of imagination and water every day

xx

use code WONDERLAND at the checkout for your 25% discount

Offer ends Monday 15th December midnight (GMT)

The Story Behind our Collections: Made in Me

Carla & I started Sisters Guild with adventure in mind.  Our passion for the world of child, home and mama, sometimes takes us on a journey to unexpected and exciting places.  Not long after we launched the boutique in the autumn last year, we came across the Land of Me and it instantly spoke to our creative hearts and curious minds.

The Land of Me is an educational digital story book where you decide what happens with the characters on their adventures across different lands. It is DVD-rom that once loaded onto your computer opens up a red antique-looking book with gold lettering which reveals a new world to discover.  It is utterly engaging - with the beautiful music and illustrations you instantly know a magical journey is about to begin.  It's a joy to see your child's face light up as they step inside the Land of Me.  It all starts in Bramble Wood with the 3 young friends Eric, Buddy Boo and Willow....

There are 6 chapters to choose from on your adventures:  the Hot Springs with Yama-San to discover Shape, Size and Colour; the Cliff Tops of the Mountains where Mr Rigby helps you explore The World Outside; and one of our favourites, the River Bank with Bernard the Crocodile, where you can choose a song and the style - Twinkle, Oompa or Doo-Wop!  Your journey is shown on the Land of Me map. A map is something that always causes much excitement and my own boy was thrilled to have the map printed off - yes, there's a whole section of printable material that is part of the Land of Me DVD too! Masks, finger puppets, structures, vehicles, dioramas, hats and more!  It's just a matter of clicking on the scissors symbol.

So, where did the Land of Me spring from?  Back in 2008 James Huggins joined forces with some of the world's leading educationalists and a team of creative people who together were able to use their knowledge, insight and creative talents to come up with a unique game, a new digital way of playing, storytelling and interacting.  The company they founded was Made in Me, a company that seeks to inspire young children to learn by exloring their creativity and imagination. James Huggins has 2 children of his own so part of his own journey is how fatherhood and all it's joy and discovery helped inspire the Land of Me.

Aimed at 2-6 year olds the Land of Me is designed to support early childhood development and creativity and is now being used effectively at home and in preschool and primary school settings. The Land of Me blog shares with us the schools and places the Land of Me has sucessfully been able to support childrens creativity and imagination.

Made in Me believe it's all about play:  Playing together is fundamentally important for early childhood development. The secret is to gently encourage children to communicate what they're thinking and feeling, and to help them develop and express their ideas.

What I appreciate about the Land of Me when playing with my son (aged 3 1/2 yrs) is that he is able to lead the way.  The story is a process of decision making, of making changes and seeing the results of those changes. The way a child interacts with the game is very intuitive. As a child is naturally curious, they will wonder 'what happens if I press the spacebar now' - each page is full of surprises.  There's lots to giggle about too - some lines have become part of our family chatter, such as Willow in her sweet little voice saying 'Has nobody noticed I'm an ice-cube,' as seen here in The Outside World when you select 'The arctic on a stormy night:'

The level of detail in the Land of Me is quite astounding. The team at Made in Me are clearly very creative and passionate and have been able to make a very inspiring experience with well chosen voices, very real sound effects and movement and so many different posibilities to interact. With the example above you can hear the wind howling and this sound along with the moonlight and the posture of the characters creates a very real atmosphere that draws you in. Your child can then say 'Let's make it hot' and you can click the sentence, select hot and the scene changes.  At a deeper level you can also substitute the words for others such as 'scorching' and it will recognise that adjective and change the scene, as the example below shows.  It's an excellent tool with which to explore language with your child.

The Land of Me also provides an insight into your child's mood and feelings. Gabriel will always choose the funny option in the stories and the 'medium' for the size and speed options in different chapters.  Buddy Boo, the gentle bear, is always his first choice of character, whereas others I'm sure may be drawn to the more energetic and outgoing Eric the Raccoon.

One of the things that Gabriel likes, which reveals his humorous mind, is to let the characters wait and linger on the screen before selecting an answer, after which they will yawn and fall asleep, and Buddy Boo even dribbles!  Those extra little touches to the design and structure of the Land of Me tell us that the creators behind the game are equally humorous and imaginative, and have a true insight into the mind of a child.

The Land of Me blog shares with us a series of articles by Professor John Siraj-Blatchford, Research & Development Director at Made in Me.  The first in the series is The research behind The Land of Me – 1. Creativity and the importance of pretending

The article emphasises that To be creative is to associate or combine different things that have not been combined before for a particular end. It is often about recognising that there are choices, and then being playful enough to try them out.
The Land of Me gives a child freedom to be creative and make choices.  It provides the 'props' for the child to use and explore.  Made in Me have also taken the game a stage further by enabling the adult to engage the child deeper - with prompts to guide the discussion about the feelings, the outcomes and facts about what they are doing.  By developing the software to this level, Made in Me have been able to make the experience one of sharing:  Research has shown that in the home, and in pre-schools, children’s playful interactions with adults significantly support their development. The kind of interaction that has been identified as most effective in this respect is referred to as ‘sustained shared thinking’ where the adult engages with the child’s interests and understandings and the adult and children communicate meaningfully together to develop a shared outcome, idea, skill or understanding.

Gabe continuing his play of the Land of Me with the printable charcaters

The Land of Me has been an amazing game for us to discover with our own children.  To be able to have something digital and printable that is engaging and educational is really refreshing.  For us it has been the very first game we have shared with our children on the computer, the Land of Me is their first step into the digital world. It is so well developed, so educational and so magical too - the Land of Me and all the characters have become part of the family.  There's talk of a cuddly Buddy Boo being made, and I know that my son would love to make him a companion on his childhood adventures.  Playing, pretending, sharing and learning...and having a giggle together too. That's what it's all about!

There's more on the Land of Me blog about Parents as Partners with Learning

Discover the Land of Me here and be completely charmed by the characters and inspired by the play and learning it will provide you and your children.

For those of you who already have the Land of Me do pop along to their blog to find out more and get some tips from The Handbook too.

And, lastly, please do share with us your thoughts and discoveries as you play with the Land of Me.

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This is part of our series of blogs where we share the story behind our collections; because the collections and their creators mean so much to us here at Sisters Guild we want to pass the story on.

We bring a new blog each day; other series of blogs include our 'Monday Makery' with ideas and 'how to's'  to make and bake with all the family, Wednesday we woo you with our favourite pieces from the boutique and its new arrivals, Thursday is all about the art of living; discovering places and sharing new treasures and Friday we bring you the 'A-Z of Sisters Guild' a collection of pictures that convey the life behind the boutique

You can Follow us on Twitter here ,like us on Facebook here and visit our rather marvellous boutique here

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The Story Behind Our Collections - Miller Goodman

If you already know the Sisters Guild boutique, you'll know how much care and attention goes into bringing our collections together. Our dressing room is filled with wonderful clothes, our decor brings colour, inspiration, sumptuous fabrics and beautiful pieces to adorn your home. The collections brought together in our imagine and play section holds a carefully selected range of pieces that enhance play, encourage creativity and inspire children to imagine. One of our strongest beliefs is that imagination is contagious. There are wonderful and creative ways for children to play that spark the imagination and these amazing blocks are just one of them.

The brilliant Brighton based designers Zoe Miller and Dave Goodman have designed these two sets of imaginative building blocks, building blocks like no other. 

The first of the designs are the ShapeMaker set of 25 colourful, geometric design, hand printed, beautifully crafted, environmentally friendly hardwood blocks.

The blocks are made of rubber wood - a replenishable wood which feels so beautifully smooth in your hands.

The blocks can be excitingly arranged to create a menagerie of thousands of surprising creatures and endless of imaginative, engaging images that guarantee to delight children and adults of all ages. The blocks perfectly illustrate millergoodman’s commitment to combine function with the highest design principles, producing beautiful, sensitive New Classics in the children’s market.

The more recent collection takes the blocks into 3D with even more possibilities for imagination to explore...

PlayShapes is a unique modular set of 74 wooden geometric shapes which you can arrange or stack to make hundreds of 3D creations, such as animals, people, faces, vehicles, buildings and much more. The shapes also make fantastic drawing templates.

Young children will enjoy balancing the head and body shapes to make all sorts of funny creatures. Older children may prefer recreating the inventive 3D structures from the enclosed illustrations, giving them inspiration and confidence to build their own creations. The shapes are also an intriguing and imaginative plaything for adults - we've certainly had hours of fun with them at dinner parties.

Beautifully crafted from environmentally - friendly, durable rubberwood, the shapes feel soft in your hand and the flashes of colour add a modern accent. The set of shapes come in a printed, unbleached cotton drawstring bag along with a set of instructive illustrations.

Miller and Goodman clearly have an understanding of shape and colour which is not ony evident in their shapemakers but also in their books: A is for Artist, Colour, Shape

Produced in collaboration with Ella Doran and Tate UK each book explores its subject with wonderful pictures illustrations and bright colourful imagery. These books have been on our shelves at home read and reread, explored and brought to my girls an understanding of shape, colour and form.

Now my girls can explore shape, colour and form with the playshapes. And we've had to grab an extra set of the playshapes now too beacuse as soon as they're tipped out everyone in the room wants to play. The coffee table is shoved to the end of the room and the floor becomes a busy area of imaginative creations.

One of the things I love about the playshapes is that each time we play everyone creates and discovers something new, a new creature, person, scene, tower, village it is literally endless. There is even a flickr site dedicated to all the creations people have made.

Completely addictive, utterly brilliant, intriguing and imaginative the miller goodman blocks are a must for children and adults of all ages - they really are set to be an enduring design classic.

We're not alone in thinking these are genious. Miller Goodman won the gold award at the 2009 Practical Pre-School awards. Miller and Goodman say:

"We are very proud to have received a gold award for ShapeMaker with a score from the judges of 94% at the 2009 Practical Pre-School awards. This is our first industry toy award."

We believe imagination is contagious and these miller goodman shapes and blocks are a perfect example of how far your imagination can take you!

Take a look at the Flickr groups for Shapemaker and Playshapes
Discover Miller Goodman here and get creative too

If you'd like a further visual treat take a look at Zoe Miller and Dave Goodman's site Silence - their consultancy which helps creatives explore their ideas through still and moving image reference. Amazing.

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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.

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The Story Behind Our Collections - Maileg

We are huge fans of toys that are pieces for play that encourage a childs imagination. We believe that creativity is about coming up with something new. Seeing something through the minds eye rather than the eyes in which we see our physical world.

Maileg is the imagination and the creativity that was born from the eyes of an originative mind. A collection of pieces designed to decorate the home and a wonderful collection designed for children. The Danish design house of contemporary interior lifestyle concepts was established in 1999 and is the imaginative, tactile and visual universe of Dorthe Mailil.

Dorthe Mailil is a graphic designer from The Danish Design School where she graduated in 1996. With studies at the E´cole D´art de Marseille in France and previous stays with creative work in Paris Mailil has a unique talent for creating delightful pieces with an unusual richness and quality.

Winner of the Formland Design Award several times it comes as little surprise that the world that grew up around the bunnies and elves has become an adored collection all around the world.

The authenticity that underlines Dorthe Mailil´s touch has also made her well known as a graphic designer for both books and magazines. Dorthe Mailil´s design has among others been presented at Louvre, Paris – Caixa Forum, Barcelona and Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Danish design house Maileg brings us a world of rabbits and bunnies with beautifully crafted accessories, mice that sleep in miniature matchboxes on soft striped pillows and woolen blankets. You'll find a charming princess with her bed piled high with mattresses and the infamous pea beneath them, skittles, rattles, and contemporary seasonal decorations for Easter and Christmas as well as storage drums for your favourite things and of course treats.

I have been a fan of maileg ever since my girls were born. My love started with the Belle Amis rattles and has grown along with my girls since. The pieces are crafted beautifully and the fabric and textiles used have such a pleasing feel to touch and play with.

The fabrics used are quite the signiature of Danish design, following a natural theme using cottons that have clear simple patterns typically including white stripes and checks and just as with the bunny collection you'll find that florals are seen too with frosty pastel petals on a white background.

The colours associated with the designs are typical of scandinavian interiors with subtle cool pastels; delicate blossoms of pink and blues that conjure up a milky sky, alongside stronger tones like royal blue, touches of red and bright green.

Natural wood is used frequently in the collection. The furntiure follows the strong designs of the Scandinavian feel for fresh and timeless pieces, where strong lines are often met with gentle curving detail.

The girls insist that the mice are private creatures that live in wardrobes and cupboards where it’s quiet and safe. I cannot count the times I’ve laughed aloud at the places I’ve discovered them hiding along with tea sets and miniature furniture where they’ve set up house.  Our mouse house is tucked in a bookshelf and has been their home for as long as I can remember. We have made a ‘townhouse’ from old shoe boxes for them too, and this is where they come to stay when they’re visiting their cousins.

It is as though they are the mystical creatures that live alongside us. The girls will make up stories too of what they get up to when we are not at home. ‘Coco’ is the sensible one whereas ‘Beau’ is a little mischievous trying to coax the others into some sort of cheeky game. ‘Coco’ and ‘Beau’ have travelled all around the world with us too, taking their suitcases and holiday must haves with them. 

I continue to love the way the girls play when they play with Maileg. Their imagination is free to create little worlds in which their bunnies or mice live in. Whereas their dolls follow a more traditional routine of role-play in which they mimic our everyday lives seeing the world as it is. I have noticed that with other ‘toys’ they are freer to ‘let go’ of this way of play.  ‘Coco’ and ‘Beau’ live in a wonderland where flowers sing, stars are sprinkles of magical powers and the world is a place of new discoveries in which nothing is at it truly is. Their creative play goes beyond thinking and feeling the world as it is and into having their own ideas about it. Interpreting their experience and imagination to give it new meaning. This is not to say that one is more important that the other but rather there is desire for both. A puzzle can only be pieced together in one way; there is an order a logic to it. A picture can use different media and be many things either as a replicated image of something known or a journey into the artists own imagination. Neither is more important than the other and both are part of a childs play. The girls have toys which are played with using their experience of the world as they have learned it and of course those that teach them about the world as it is, then there are toys in which they play with through their ‘minds eyes’. They are inventive, imaginative and turn this into creativity.

This is one of the joys of childhood; the ability to be so utterly spontaneous in thought. To create just to be creative. This is why I love the collections of Maileg. The timeless pieces that have brought a little magic to my own children, a sense of nostalgia to me and hopefully too to be handed down to their children where they can see, as mothers, the other side of play.

Thankfully The Maileg collection holds more than well designed toys for children.

There are beautiful seasonal decorations for Easter and Christmas alongside goodie tins, candle holders and bunting. The designs are instantly recognisable through their colour, design and theme.

Some of our family traditions involve Mailegs designs, the Easter egg tins are rediscovered in the garden every year with different treats inside according to their ages. It’s a tradition I hope to keep going from bunny accessories which is a current favourite and girls’ obsession to hiding a lipstick or a pair of gloves when they are (much) older.

Our pixy advent calendars come out in December to squeals of excitement and their pockets are filled with treats and surprises and ideas for the day. I’m hoping when the children are older they’ll get an advent for us too to fill with ideas, wishes and treats too. The fabric decorations are hung by the children on the lower branches of the Christmas tree and the girls feel like they have been part of the decorating affair that is Christmas. Each year I will add to the collection giving the girls a ‘special’ decoration that is ‘theirs’. Mostly they are chosen depending on the children’s ages and characters at the time. Sometimes just because I know they will adore them.

The Maileg collection grows stronger with each new season. Bringing new collections; a new range of matchbox mice with beautfiul seasonal colours and bunnies in glorious fabric clothing. Easter is just around the corner now and their collection for this special time in spring conjures up imaginings of sunny picnics, fresh spring flowers and wonderful Easter egg hunts. There are plenty of inspiring gifts to suit all ages and wonderful pieces to start your own family traditions.

You can see the best of the Maileg collection here

My favourite pieces from the spring / summer 2011 Maileg collection are the fabric tea set and patisserie cakes.  They are made with beauty and longeivity in mind and just like the whole of the Maileg collection, they are very desirable and collectable.

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This is part of our series of blog posts that reveal the story behind the collections and why we chose them for the Sisters Guild Boutique.