Friday 24 December 2010

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Happy Christmas to Me

When I was supposed to be Christmas shopping for other people’s presents I just may have, by accident, bought a couple of things for me!

I had to buy this wonderful Orla Kiely box from John Lewis although I don’t really know what I’m going to do with it.

Orla Kiely Box

And this Fossil bag just begged me to buy it, well it is Christmas after all.

Fossil Bag

Monday 20 December 2010

A Little Box For … Party Favour

I have added these little boxes to my website www.daisyleyboxes.co.uk. The boxes and chocolate wrapper can be any colour and can be personalised to act as seating place names or to say "Thank You" or "Celebrating the wedding of" or "21st Birthday of" in fact anything you like.

Little Box for Contents Little Box for

Friday 17 December 2010

Oh no you're not ... Oh yes we are

We are off to the panto tonight and The Essex Young Farmers "Puss in Boots" production will, no doubt, be full of corny jokes, loads of appalling (and brilliant) acting and plenty of giggles and groans (from the cast and audience). We can't wait, my boys wouldn't dream of going to any other panto, and we are all very excited.

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Starting to feel Christmassy ….

Now that every time I walk through the front door I look at my Christmas wreath ...

Christmas Wreath
and as I spent all morning yesterday wrapping presents …

Presents

and all the teacher presents are done ...

Cookies in a Jar (2)

I got this recipe from www.taste.com.au/recipes/22549/abbys+cookies+in+a+jar which is really, really good. We thought we should try them out and they are simply yummy!

Cookies in a Jar (1)

Monday 13 December 2010

Christmas Tree Farm


On Friday I went to visit Slamseys Farm where they have very kindly added my Christmas in a Box to their selective range of Christmas goods.

They have an enormous range of trees so have a look at their website http://www.greatslamseys.co.uk/christmas-trees.php to find out more and have a look at their blog http://greatslamseys.blogspot.com/

Friday 10 December 2010

Advent Calendars

We have two different advent calendars this year. Our usual chocolate one strung up in the kitchen with TWO chocolates this year … yes I do learn from my mistakes and remember the trauma and arguments last year!

Advent Chocolates

We also have this fantastic Lego one, sent from lovely Auntie in Australia, which the boys are really enjoying.

Advent Lego

Monday 6 December 2010

Daisyley Boxes and Daisyley Brook

Why Daisyley Boxes ... ? We live near to Golands Bridge that goes over the Daisyley Brook and I've always loved the name. I wish our road was called Daisyley Road but sadly its not, we don't really have a road name, so this is a way of me making use of the name Daisyley. I don't know why it is called Golands Bridge or Daisyley Brook but I really should try and find out - there is talk of a village history group so perhaps I should go along to that.


Friday 3 December 2010

Christmas Fayre

Today is our Christmas Fayre at school. I will be on the gift basket stall whilst the boys will be on their own stalls selling gift bags and candle holders (at least I THINK that is what they have made). Should be a fun afternoon.

Monday 29 November 2010

Party Favours

I have added some Party Favours to http://www.daisyleyboxes.co.uk/ which have been designed with weddings in mind and particularly for a children's table.



The idea is that the fortune teller is placed upside down on the table and filled with sweets and then once the sweets are gone the fortune teller can be played with.



The initials could be any initials or even a name which can be left on the table and then coloured in by the guests. These can then be kept as an "artisitic" reminder of the party.

Thursday 25 November 2010

Football Boys

Both of my boys played in football matches for their school yesterday. It was youngest son's first school football match and he took it very seriously and tried very hard. It reminded me of one of my favourite poems, Walking Away by C Day-Lewis, and although they are a long way off eighteen I sometimes feel like this already.

It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day –
A sunny day with leaves just turning,
The touch-lines new-ruled – since I watched you play
Your first game of football, then, like a satellite
Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away
Behind a scatter of boys. I can see
You walking away from me towards the school
With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free
Into a wilderness, the gait of one
Who finds no path where the path should be.
That hesitant figure, eddying away
Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem,
Has something I never quite grasp to convey
About nature’s give-and-take – the small, the scorching
Ordeals which fire one’s irresolute clay.
I have had worse partings, but none that so
Gnaws at my mind still.  Perhaps it is roughly
Saying what God alone could perfectly show –
How selfhood begins with a walking away,
And love is proved in the letting go.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Kusadama Flowers

I love origami and my boxes all have some sort of paper flower in them. The one I love the most is a Kusadama flower which originates from ancient Japanese culture, where they were used for incense and potpourri. The word itself is a combination of two Japanese words kusuri, Medicine, and tama, Ball. They are fiddly to make but, I think, worth it.


Friday 19 November 2010

Christmas in a Box

Christmas in a Box ... red, jingle bells, sweets, snow, balloons? I couldn't fit in the Christmas tree and turkey but what else have I missed out - what would you put in?

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Where in the world ....


Youngest son comes home from school.

Me: Did you have a good day at school?
Him: Yes we're doing about all the different countries that speak Spanish.
Me: How interesting - which countries have you learnt about?
Him: You know the one with box in it.
Me: Box in it .... ummmm ... no I can't think of a country with box in it.

More thinking, then I try to think how a nine year old mind thinks.

Me: Do you mean Cuba?
Him: Yes that's the one.

Monday 15 November 2010

Blue and White

My mum recently organised for a group of her friends and me to try our hand at mosaic. 
I decided to use all the little bits of blue and white china that we have dug up, and kept, from our garden.  I wonder why it is ALWAYS blue and white? For once I knew exactly what I wanted to do and so the old garden table I bought years ago from Woolworths became transformed!  I love it … although I'm not sure if I will do any more mosaic as this was maybe a one day craft wonder for me!

Knowing how long my table took to make I am in awe of this “dress” and would love to have the skill and patience to make a 'scarecrow' like this for the garden.  One day perhaps ….


Thursday 11 November 2010

Daisyley Boxes

Daisyley Boxes includes a range of beautiful, handmade boxes that you can send instead of a card for any occasion. The birthday boxes include a Happy Birthday Banner, chocolate and other handmade items.

The boxes are unique and individually handmade to create something that is really special and distinctive as well as a thoughtful gift.


Please take a look at my website http://www.daisyleyboxes.co.uk/