Snow is coming...are you prepared?

It's been really chilly these past few days and the north of the UK are already experiencing snow. The white washed images on our news channels are a horror to some and a joy to others.

I'm in the latter group, as a winter baby I love this season but I'm also prepared for it. Like most things in nature, snow and the ice that comes with it deserves respect. With the wintery past few years here in the UK there is no excuse in everyone to invest in some basic snow survival pieces. Here's my top tips to help you cope with the snowy weather!






Snow boots
Essential! Warm, waterproof foot wear with a decent grip. I am agog at people who go out in snow in trainers?! It's amazing that they manage to stray off their doorstep. Trainers are not waterproof - so the feet are wet nearly instantly and wet feet on cold ice in snow are cold feet. I see people out in wellies, while seemingly sensible these still have the down fall of not having the correct grip... you're quite likely to fall over in wellies. Wellies are MUCH better than trainers though. I ask everyone to pop to their local garden centre and buy a pair of snow boots. Really they will change your mind about snow forever! If you don't have a local garden centre then at least ensure your welly treds are deep and not worn!

Snow shovel

It is your duty as a homeowner to clear the pavement in front of your home, and if you have an elderly neighbour you should clear their paths as well. There are people (toddlers, Mummies with babies, pregnant ladies... to name a few) that need the solid ice free surface of a cleared path. Clearing a path is miserable if you don't have a snow shovel. Try not to shovel it straight onto a road... shovelled snow into a garden or a green makes great snowballs or the start of a snowman!


Hat, scarf, gloves

Lovely hats available
at www.unikgifts.co.uk

Keep warm this winter, knit your own set of hat, scarf and gloves if you have to but you should always have some of these clothing accessories to hand. Being cold makes people miserable, so wrap up warm. If you don't have a hat for your little one, pop over to the Nyoki part of u-ni-k we have lots of lovely ones!

And most important of all if you are a parent:

DangerBaby enjoying
last years snow!

SLEDGE
Snow is fun! Find a hill that doesn't end in a wall, road or other obstacle. Walk up with with your little one and help them onto the sledge! Get on yours and whhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Race to the bottom trying to avoid bumping into everything especially those walking back up the hill!

Little babies love being pulled about in their sleigh, last year DangerBaby had this sleigh as a present from her Oompa. She toured all the local houses like a snow princess and some of her older friends took turns to run the sleigh around!




Hot drinks

Hmmmm hot chocolate

You've been outside burning all those calories, warm up with a hot chocolate topped with cream or made with that lovely Irish cream boozy drink!! Hmmmmmm




SO COME ON SNOW!!





(Please enjoy the snow responsibly, only drive if you have to & if you are going to drive clear the roof of your car of snow (when you brake it all falls forward blocking your view). Save yourself the bother, stay in and build a snowman or snow lady)

I'm now doodling to order... how did that happen?

I'm still doodling... quietly and consistently sketching away!

OK so the book is coming along and both Freddy & Dancer have featured... so those illustrations are in, but I've hit a snag. No no not writers block pre-Christmas requests for doodles! I mistakenly posted some of my doodle pictures on my personal Facebook page and now the ladies want me to draw something a little more girly. To be precise their daughters want me to draw something a little more girly.

So here I am, nursing a sick baby, pencil and notepad in hand sweeping those lines across a page hoping that somewhere in the swirls a ballet dancer will appear. You see I can't draw humans, no really I can't. I've spent my entire childhood doodling bunnies, horses, sea shores, shells, dragons, more horses and any number of animals. Figures? Nope, it's literally back to the drawing board for me.

I've started with stick men and then added blobs and then sketched around the blobs to form an outline. For some reason my arms or legs (never both) look a little stumpy... and my noses look huge and that knee there looks a bit like a horses... I don't think I'll ever be happy with the end result.

However, I've given it a go and here's my first ballet dancer effort. It's taken me nearly 10 days to doodle, refine, doodle, throw away and start again, doodle... sketch... ink!

Let's hope Mia likes it and Ava doesn't want one but different...

I'll do 3 different ballet poses, 3 different Pegasus poses and then on to the seaside theme someone else has just asked for... I'm leaving Fairies and Princesses and wotnots to Anna. She's the one with the Art degree for heavens sake!!

So please check out our Facebook page for our abc (art 4 babies & children), I can draw to order and if you're quick it can be gift wrapped and posted to you in time for Christmas!

Inked Pegasus about to take off...

Inked Freddy the Rabbit. Mounted ready to frame 

Inked Dancer the foal. Mounted ready to frame

A water colour Freddy. Mounted ready to frame and for sale! 

 A watercolour of Dancer. Mounted ready to frame and for sale!

Daddy DayCare is Welsh. I've always loved dragons. Also for sale 

 A degree in geology... so Triceratops, Brachiosaur & Stegosaur babies painted and inked are mounted and ready to buy.

Did I mention I'm fond of dragons? I have a fishing dragon, a Mummy & baby all inked, mounted and ready to go to a new home 

Line drawings £10 plus postage
Paintings £15 plus postage

Email sarah@unikgifts.co.uk for full images  & details. More pictures available on our Facebook page

Family treasures?

Anna recently helped her Mum move house, which meant that she found a host of family treasures in the attic. Like most people, Anna has lived in one family home for her childhood and her family have probably lived in the area for a generation or two. So her family have been able to treasure and store items for each generation and the next to enjoy! What a wonderful treasure hunting day it must have been discovering things in the family loft.

My childhood couldn't have been more different. We moved every 18 months or so, packing up our treasures in paper and placing them into boxes hoping that they would survive the journey to the next house. Many didn't, moving men in those days being of the 'throw it in the back of the truck' kind. This 'gypsy' lifestyle meant that we couldn't afford to carry around precious momentos that our parents had enjoyed as children. Since HM Forces didn't usually provide an attic or basement with their accommodation, we had very small storage and really had to be selective with our 'treasures'.

Now that I'm settled in a permanent family home [no more moving for me!], I'm keen to start a collection of family treasures – things that both Kathryn and I love and treasure. When she's grown out of them I'll put them up in our attic and save them for her children. I'm looking forward to the day when I send my Daughter upstairs to find treasures that we loved and that her children can play with!

It's this thought I use when selecting items to suggest to Anna that we sell through u-ni-k gifts. Some gifts for children should be investments in this generation and the next... a supersoft blanket to wrap baby in, a wooden car for them to brrrrm [or for future generation to laugh at the fact vehicles used to roll along the ground!], a memory quilt made from great granny's baby clothes with her name and birth date in, granny's name and birth date in, Mummy's name and birth date in..squares to add each generations name and date of birth. A true Mother to Daughter gift that will last generations!

The very talented Susan of Fat Hen and Flo famed put a lot of love and work into the Davies Family quilt and Kathryn has already sneaked a play in it before it was whisked off to be wrapped up for Christmas** . Here's a few photos of our family quilt:

 The quilt laid out on a king sized bed!

 The aplique details!

 Hand quilted with flowers, birds and hearts!

 A surprise detail...

 detailing around the side!

 Name square

 peekaboo! Bunny rabbits are big in our house

Memory quilts and lots of other lovely Fat Hen and Flo creations– coming soon to u-ni-k gifts.
Contact us for more information!

**yes Kathryn found and was delighted with the bunny when she sneaked a play in her quilt!

What kind of shopper are you?

OK so 'black Friday' has been and gone... not sure why the start of the Christmas shop rush is called 'Black Friday' but hey ho! I understand that Christmas shopping might not be for everyone, so here's a little bit of light hearted fun at the expense of us shoppers:


What kind of shopper are you?


Organised (Shopperbi listus)
Usually seen checking labels while clutching a piece of paper in hand. These shoppers have a list, probably printed out from a spreadsheet, and they know exactly what they want.
Gift type => Practical, sensible well thought out gifts


Impulse (Itsperfecti buyits)
These shoppers are a bit like learner drivers, prone to stopping suddenly. Shopping and indeed just browsing is a pleasure for these shoppers.
Gift type => It's a lucky dip. Some gifts will be lovely, some just way out there

Choosey (Difficulti decidus)
You've seen these shoppers, they have one of each items in hand. To the untrained eye these two items look identical but to a choosey shopper there are slight variations that need to be examined before the purchase selection is made.
Gift type => Gift vouchers, they just couldn't choose


Researcher (Readeri reviewus)
Men are usually this type of shopper, unable to read the instructions for the purchase because they've spent 10 weeks reading reviews, forums and stats on their purchase before actually buying the item.
Gift type => Electrical gifts, something with a blue light probably. Or something from Apple!


Bargin hunter (Shopperbi offerus)
Traditionally found bartering in boot fairs, these shoppers can now be found in the 'Clearance' section of large shops or shops dedicated to items for less.
Gift type => Gives many gifts, it's quantity not quality with these guys.


Reluctant (Ratheri notshopus)
Not really a shopper but this type can be found paired up with one of the other types thus making them shoppers by proxy. These will be spotted with a glazed look or stood deeply engrossed in their smartphone (especially if their partner is of the 'research' type).
Gift type => Unknown. They give up and leave it to their partner!


Now most people swap between types; I'm a 'Choosey' when food shopping, 'Reluctant' when clothes or shoe shopping but 'Organised' when Christmas shopping!

Whatever kind of shopper you are, remember to buy your gifts in plenty of time for wrapping for Christmas! Or buy at www.unikgifts.co.uk where we gift wrap it for you... order now to receive your gift before Christmas.

Sarah xxx

Christmas traditions...we BBQ on boxing day!

Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who came along to the Christmas Markets to support us. It was lovely meeting you all, we look forward to seeing you all very soon at the next fayre!

Having spent two whole days in Christmas mode, Anna and I are definitely now feeling very Christmassy. I know we still have a while to go, but I'm thinking of sending Daddy DayCare up to the attic for those boxes of decorations... we now have a playpen especially for the tree (to keep the little angel from pulling it down on herself)... and the local Christmas Tree farm has it's 'Opening on Dec 1' sign up. OOOOOHhhhh I can't wait, we'll be there on the 1st all wrapped up warm finding our perfect tree!

When we had builders there was only one place for the tree

Putting up the tree on the 1st Dec is the start of our Christmas traditions. From that point onwards we have a mixture of our families traditions from all around the globe. Here's our traditions:

1 Dec - Tree is put up... the youngest person always puts the star on the top.

5 Dec - St Nicholas Day... children put their shoes outside of the door on the evening of the 4th) to see if they're on the good or naughty list (if they've been good the shoe is filled with sweeties by the morning of the 5th)

24 Dec - Evening, everyone is allowed to open one family present.

25 Dec - Christmas Day - presents, small breakfast, goose for lunch, family games or a walk in the snow!

26 Dec - Friends invited round for our BBQ. Yep in all weathers, some years we have to dig the BBQ out from under the snow! The adults drinks gluhwein or mulled wine to keep warm... and the younger ones all play snow croquet or football or rugby! After 35mins in the cold, everyone is hungry for their hot dogs or burgers cooked on the BBQ.

Anyone seen the BBQ?

From Boxing Day onwards Christmas is slowly wound down as we look forward to the New Year and soon after my birthday!

So those are our traditions... what are yours?

Some of the lovely things we've packed up for the show tomorrow

Here's a selection of some of the lovely things we'll be taking to the Weybridge Handcarfted Christmas Market tomorrow:

Liberty Tana Rose Annafie dress sized 18m

Letterpress Boo by Mandy Sutcliff

Original Victoria Plum illustrations by Colin Petty

Ceramics by Helen Beard

Insectissimo!

Breakfast boards by Markus Kampe

Bella Bunny & her friends by Sarah Davies

Red hat and bootie set by Nyoki

Beautiful organic blankets by Old Rectory

Our Mibo Festive Friends!

Are you my Grandmother?!

Yesterday a friend of mine left what he thought was a cheeky comment on my facebook status. Not a lot of my friends know that I started to knit when I was pregnant, in fact many of them would fall over with the thought of me sitting comfortably by a fire with a ball of wall, two needles and a knitted creation.  I'm not exactly 'grandmother material'.

Which makes you think, what is 'grandmother' material? I know some fabulous Grandmothers or Nonnas or Nana's or Nanny's, and they all have one thing in common: an abundance of enthusiasm for children. Fantastic grandmothers want to improve the life of a child in any way they can.

Granny Annie & her two grandchildren

Fantastic grandmothers can play children's games all day. It doesn't matter if the child is a baby and only wants to watch a friendly face move and make soft noises at them - a grandmother will do this all day! Or if the child wants to 'help' fold the washing, a grandmother will willingly play tents, flags, kites... with the sat up baby until it falls over with giggles. Grandmothers can be found in play parks pushing little ones on swings, running behind trees for peek-a-boo games, or sitting little ones on their knees making the booboo go away, wiping the tears and placing them back on their feet.

Look my Granny showed me
how to do this...

Fantastic grandmothers let children do things their mother would not. Shhhhh don't tell Mummy, I hear. Hmmm oh dear, what are they doing now.... Ho hum. Granny is teaching baby how to turn on the water tap of the water butt. Gee thanks Granny. Granny and baby are pressing all the buttons on the CD player... d'oh! Thanks Granny. Eeek Granny is letting baby eat that juicy peach in her Sunday clothes...Oh too late. Thanks Granny. Baby is happy to toddle to granny rather than Mummy and ask for 'up' so that they can go on new adventures!

Fantastic grandmothers listen to children. It doesn't matter if the conversation is over the magical Skype or on the phone or in person. A grandmother will listen to what the child is trying to say and will wait for the appropriate time to provide a response. It's a special conversation between child and grandmother - they have their own language. I often here 'oooh really we had one of them but the wheels fell off' as a response to a particular ramble, DangerBaby thinks this is really funny and will do her 'granny laugh', which makes Granny laugh... and they both laugh together in their own joke!

Fantastic grandmothers overreact. I don't mean an overreaction to parenting techniques or situations, nope fantastic grandmothers overreact to the slightest incentive from the child. EVERY loved child I know has a 'granny cough', a pathetic noise that makes their grandmother throw her hands to her face and say something like 'Oh dear, that is a bad cough! Quick Granny cuddle it better'. Or a Granny laugh where the little one mimics the laugh of the elder, hoping that the laugh will be shared.

I could go on, there's lots of things fantastic grandmother's do. I know, I'm lucky enough to know lots of awesome grandmothers.

I recently read 'Great Mothers get promoted to Grandmother'. Well I hope to become grandmother material, with or without the knitting needles!