Wood

It’s national Tree week. 

During National Tree Week 2011, The Tree Council is urging everyone who cares for their environment to take that step and put one tree – or more – in the ground.  Not simply because it is a carbon sequestration and storage tool and a regulator of the urban microclimate that takes up air pollution, nor because it ameliorates adverse effects of weather, reducing wind speeds on blustery days, giving shade on hot days, cooling the air, reducing heating and air conditioning costs and saving energy, which in turn cuts down air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels – though it is, and does, all of these things.  No, the benefits of a tree extend far beyond. To read more about National Tree week click here

Both Sarah's and my own Dad were trained/training carpenters, so we have both been bought up with wood. My own Dad used to run his hands over wooden products appreciating the grain and fluidity of the wonderful material. I am sure Sarah's Dad did the same. So it was no surprise when Sarah announced to her Dad that we were looking for a wooden toy maker and he knew of a wonderful man who could help us.  

In celebration of the wonderful being’s that are tree’s, and following on from my blog of yesterday about Ida's memory box that is made from sustainable wood, I would like to tell you a little about one of our makers Markus Kampe of Sternegasse. 

He is the genius behind the wooden toys and breakfast boards that we have as part of our collection of treasures. He works with trees that have fallen in the Teutoburg forest in Germany where his workshop is situated and works with the natural beauty of the wood to create wonderful toys. He is a real life Father Christmas. Read Sarah's blog about her recent trip to his wonderful studio. Here are a few of the lovely words that we received when our latest delivery of wooden objects arrived from him.

“Wood enriches life. Wood has soul and character. Wood lives – in diverse colors, with natural odors, and individual structures. 

Wood provides subtle opportunities to create objects. This is where our philosophy originates. The Sternengasse team develops, manufactures and distributes wood products focusing on the preservation of the wood’s original character. In this way Sternengasse ensures that every product gains a distinctive individuality.

With experience and tradition, our love for wood, and a richness of ideas, we offer imaginative wood products, for a more natural, exciting and enjoyable, as well as easier and better life – true to our motto:

Sternengasse - Wooden-Toys-Craft for a more natural quality of life. “

So lets celebrate tree's this week and all do our bit and plant a tree, care for a tree and appreciate wooden products. And if that wasn't enough, Celebrate tree's again on 3rd and 4th of December on National Tree Dressing Day.

Mr Crocodile

Tiger Frog

Elephant

The box of treasures

Wowee!!

I’ve finally done it!

I’ve managed to find the time to make Ida’s memory box beautiful and personal for her to keep forever and ever.

By searching, cutting, gluing, painting, scribbling and writing I have made Ida a very personal box indeed.

The thought behined it is, 

Inside I have started to collect things that she will hopefully love and cherish. Her first pair of shoes, her first bracelet, the first romper suit i put her in, the Fingerprint jewellery charm that has her 6 month old finger print on, the celebratory cork to celebrate her birth, her  I-d tag from the hospital etc etc.

To these things I hope she adds more happy memories, treasures and oddities that she holds dear.

The outside of the box I planned to be very much only a beginning. By using decoupage, she can add more images or things and people she loves. At present there are out of proportion plants and undergrowth to give it a feeling of searching though the tall grasses at the end of our garden looking for fairies.

If she looks carefully she’ll see her great grandparents and grandparents hiding under the bluebells and toadstools being nosey.

The box itself is made from sustainable alder.

Ida, I hope this box is a start for your collections of all things meaningful and wonderful. 

I hope you like it. With age I hope it will hold lots of secrets, treasured things and good memories.

Love

Mum x

*Once I've made Samson his own little memory box I will be able to make "to order" memory boxes for other Mummies to give to thier little ones too!

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

Dear Father Christmas

Dear Father Christmas

My u-ni-k gifts Christmas List

Pedal toy car

Trio nest of cashmere hats

Hand smocked baby bed linen

Make your own paper animals

Party dress

Merino wool new born set

Limited Edition letterpress print

All in one organic cotton sleep suit

A floral hand stitched blanket

Up cycled silver spoon

Silver bangle
Framed vintage playing cards

Organic cotton hat and bootie set

Hand Painted porcelain breakfast set

Traditional printed organic cotton baby blanket

Pedal Plane with propellers and engine noise!

Original Victoria Plum drawing

Finger Print jewellery

Hand carved wooden toys

Silver Hallmarked keepsake nappy pin

Hand knitted squashy animals
Hand carved breakfast board
Personalised Memory box

Love

Me x

Click Here for pictures

A little bit of vintage

My Mum is selling the family home for something smaller so she’ll be more comfortable. So we have had many a weekend towelling through the loft, garage, cupboards and cubbyholes, editing, dumping, recycling and renovating the contents of the past 30+ years. 

While emptying the loft last weekend, we found lots and lots of treasures that were BIG parts of our childhood. I bought many home to look after till Mum settles into her new abode. When she gets set up properly they’ll all be bought back to the 2^nd bedroom or as it will be newly re-named- the "Grandchildren’s" room. Actually, Ida's room!! First Grand child and all that!

I’ve taken a few pictures of the beautiful toys that originated with my sisters and I. I am so happy to know that my children are enjoying and will continue to enjoy the toys, games and books that I hold special memories of using.

Next year we are hoping to bring a new section to u-ni-k, of nostalgic and vintage treasures. We have a wonderful lady called Katey who is a magpie and collector of all things old and wonderful that will be helping us to find treasures to make us all swoon.

So remember to buy gifts that will last this Christmas. 
Gifts that will continue to create smiles and laughter even after the little ones that they were intended for have grown up and out grown them.

Colour Establishment

We have reached the stage in project new home where we are making good and decorating the naughties bedroom. We are not even close to choosing colours for the walls as we are still at taking the layers upon layers of paint off the 1930’s fireplace and taking down the badly put up picture rail stage. But being a women, and a picky woman at that, the colour we choose is an important decision. I refuse to do what Mr Kircher would do if I let him, which is pick up any tin of paint in the shop, probably the nearest to the cash desk and not really worry or care about the shade, mood or feeling of the room it will be situated in. Luckily he is colour blind so I am in charge of colour!

RED- Annafie dress

I am big on colour. I have always been drawn to colour. My favourite colour is RED.

Whether it’s because my favourite dress as a child was my RED boat dress or whether my love for red happened much later in my life, I don’t know.

What I do know is that colour has a big impact on our children. Otherwise why would all the toys in my house be so brightly coloured?

ORANGE- Porcelain Breakfast set

Children are drawn to colour and respond to it. Round about the age of 18 months a child will be able to recognize different colours as they do shapes, size and texture. They probably won’t be able to name a colour till they are 36 months old, but they will be able to point to the correctly coloured shape if you ask him/her to “point to the RED square”.

YELLOW -Mibo paper friends

Eighty percent of information the brain receives, is information accepted visually. Colour stimulates the visual sense and encourages the retention of information. While studying for my GCSE’s I used cue cards in various colours to help me remember facts, figures and findings while studying. Parents are also encouraged to use cue cards in various colours to help children learn through play.

Colours also create different moods. Hues of BLUE, GREEN and VIOLET induce relaxation. Whereas RED, YELLOW and ORANGE stimulate and increase brain activity. 

GREEN - Syot Pedal Car

BLUE - Organic cotton blanket

So with all the above in my mind, I am looking to the things the naughty has warmed to in her little life so far as to clues of her colour preferences. This could be a little problem…apart from the very loved Mr Elephant who is a pale GREY, all the things in her life so far are pretty much rainbow coloured.

When Sarah and I trowel through the products we carefully choose for our children and u-ni-k, we try where possible to always remember how important colour is. Every colour.

So we won’t have a typically BLUE section for boys or a predictable PINK section for girls. We’ll have an array of wonderful rainbow colours to help our little ones learn and grow with the simple things around them.

VIOLET- Organic cotton hat

INDIGO- Recycled Sari Kantha stitched blanket

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?

Come visit us at Farnham Christmas Market!

Tomorrow we're at Farnham Christmas Market at the Museum of Rural Life.

Do come along and support us!