A little piece of England for you

I've been away for a few weeks back home in the UK and spent some lovely time in The New Forest, known for it's thatched cottages and wild ponies, my kind of place!  I took plenty of photos to be able to share with you all.  One of my favourite visits was Furzey Gardens, recent Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal Winners .  Lots more photos to share soon after my very exciting Launch Party next Thursday, that you can read about at the bottom of this post!

 Loved this cat, next to his Chelsea Pensioner Scarecrow!

 Little Fairy Doors were all over the gardens to see for those that believed!

I have been working very hard on a brand new range of Duckling and Lily inspired illustrations!  I would love to invite each and every one of you to my Little Duckling Launch Party I'm hosting in my Garden and right here on my Blog next Thursday August 2nd, all day long.  There will be lots of new friends to meet amongst the flowers, products to delight in and plenty of Cake for all!  I'm so excited to see you all back here, do invite your friends and family to join in the fun, the more the merrier!

A little birdie told me...

that there was a very exciting Jubilee celebration coming up so I thought you would like to have a little peak at a new embroidery pattern I am working on at the moment, can't wait to share it with you all.  Very much inspired by my garden and little feathered friends that treat it as their royal palace!

Lots of thrilling projects going on behind the scenes so I'd better carry on!  See you back soon with lots to share.  Catherine x

Which door shall we choose?

Take a wonder down this Lane

Until you reach the end

A Strangers Club will call,

But carry on around the bend

And there will be a treat for us all!

Your patience has been rewarded

our furry friends have been waiting!

This charming old cobbled Street is Elm Hill in Norwich, England and this is The Bear Shop! I could just imagine Harry Potter disappearing through The Strangers Club door.  More photos from my trip back home in England coming soon!  Catherine x

Just imagine....

... living in a place like this!  On my recent trip back to the UK we visited this beautiful property, Ightham Mote, a 14th Century Moted Manor House nestled amongst the hills of Sevenoaks, Kent.  You can imagine the stories this building could tell, in 1953 it's future was secured by an American saviour, Charles Henry Robinson, who had been smitten by this dream house since seeing a picture of it as a young man.  Much of the inside was closed off for the winter season but the living quarters downstairs were open and they gave a wonderful nostalgic feel as to how he lived, couldn't you just imagine reading a book by the fire with the christmas tree all decorated and old tunes on the radio?!  It certainly whisked me away to times gone by.  I'll let the pictures talk for themselves so I hope you'll enjoy this festive post now that December has joined us!

Thanks for visiting

Catherine

x

Getting in the Christmas Spirit with Country Living

Last weekend we went back home to the UK starting with a day out in London to visit the Country Living Christmas Fair and a day of Remembrance being Nov 11th. I had always wanted to visit this Fair and I knew that some of you too would have loved to be there so I took a few photos to share with you. I didn't know where to look there were so many beautiful and creative items, from hand made pottery, embroidery, cards & decorations to name just a few.

We also visited a beautiful National Trust property in Kent on our last day, so more photos on their way!

Now I'm back I've got a list as long as a giraffe to get through, firstly today I'm going to be launching a new range of pin back Buttons (Badges) & Magnets so do come back soon to take a peek.

For now, just sit back and let me whisk you away into a magical world of Christmas delights!

Hugs,

Catherine x

Childlike delight

As a child do you remember playing Pooh Sticks over river bridges, watching to see who's stick came out the other side first?  Well I certainly remember this and so it was with great childlike delight that we found the original Pooh Sticks bridge that Christopher Robin actually played at and most likely inspired this in Winnie The Pooh.  It was quite a challenge to find, but eventually our persistence was rewarded, it is looking rather tired but I guess I'd be rather tired if I was that old!

From Sussex we drove on through the ever beautiful scenery of Dorset, spending the day at the National Trust Property, Stourhead with its iconic temples and bridges nestled in amongst the tapestry of trees.

My new website is almost ready to reveal to you all after a long time in the making.  I've also started on a new embroidery pattern, so watch this space for lots of news!  Take Care, Catherine x

Watch out for the Heffalumps!

I know I'm a big kid but I have always loved the Winnie The Pooh stories and so there we were back in England and half an hour away from the famous 100 Acre Wood & Pooh Corner shop! So what is a girl to do, well my lovely fiance agreed and off we set on an adventure in the footsteps of A.A. Milne!  Nestled in East Sussex and I mean so well nestled we couldn't find it, we drove around and around in circles until we felt quite dizzy and needed a cup of tea and honey! First we found the little shop, rather disappointing with not much stock, but a very cute building, just the right size for me to get into at 5foot4! It used to be a sweet shop where Christopher Robin, A.A. Milne's son, was taken every week by his Nanny on their donkey!

It was their adventures into the surrounding woods that captured the imagination of A.A. Milne and E.H Shepard. Can't you just imagine Pooh & friends walking through these landscapes as part of the 100 Acre Wood?

(copyright Winnie The Pooh)

(copyright Winnie The Pooh)

Talking of Bears, there are 2 Bears that are having fun joining in the Christmas in July Sale.  Romeo & Callum would love to go on their own expodition to find a new family, so if you'd like to bring one of them into your life they have got a very special adoption discount, but only for a little while.  They'd love you to visit them over HERE.

On our next expodition together we'll be hunting for the original Pooh Sticks Bridge, would you like to come along, don't forget your sticks, oh and a little something, maybe some honey?!  Catherine x