Winter Story Chapter 2: Preparations

It was a cold day in late December, and the children of the village had been given an additional week off school due to heavy snow. Most of the children were happy to play in the snow and sledge and ski down the hill.
However, Juniper Moss had other ideas. One day of playing in the snow was enough for her, and she was already hard at work planning and producing the school's Christmas Issue of the school magazine. She had hosted a last-minute board meeting at her house with the other producers of the school magazine. Being the Editor, naturally Juniper liked to be in charge of everything and everyone.

'Firstly, I would like to ensure everybody is present,' Began Juniper. 'Buck Moss, Bryon Underwood, Tilly Dappledawn, Renee Sparkle and Hector Hunter-Smyth...Excellent, we're all here,'
'The headmaster has given us the very important job of producing the Christmas Issue of the school magazine in just a week,' Juniper explained, as everybody nodded excitedly.
'It will obviously be very hard work because we have so little time,' Bryon Underwood, Juniper's 'second-in-command' vice-editor said. 'However I think if we all pull it off then the issue will be ready to hand out at the Carol Service on Christmas Eve,' Hector let out a whistle.
'It'll be tight, but I think we can do it!' Agreed Renee Sparkle, as Tilly nodded.
'All in agreement of proceeding?' Juniper asked, as everyone raised their hand. She took her role extremely seriously. 'Brilliant, let's continue!'
'Juniper had asked me to do a two-page feature about us playing in the snow yesterday,' Everybody murmured their approval, as Buck began coughing. 'But it's really up to you what you do,' Buck said, wiping his nose on his sleeve.
'I'll get some gossip!' Gushed Renee, who always knew all of the latest 'news'. 'I'll get some of the villager's opinions on whether they think we should of been allowed a week off school!'
'That's a great idea Renee, it's a controversial subject I'm sure people would love to read about,' Juniper encouraged.
'Hector, perhaps you could do a review on the school play?' Suggested Tilly, quietly as usual.
'Yes! That'd be awesome!' Hector grinned.
'It's after the Carol Service on Christmas Eve, so it will encourage more people to come and see the play!' Bryon smiled.
'Mmn, what else could we do?' Juniper wondered aloud.
'Would some freshly-baked scones and jam help you all think?' Rowena Moss laughed as she put a plate of scones and a jar of jam on the table.
'Yes, definitely, Mother!' Juniper giggled.
'Thank you Mrs Moss!' Hector said, his mouth already full of scone.

'Tilly, what would you like to do?' Juniper asked, gently.
'I could write a Christmas Story, about Father Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, if you'd like?' Tilly whispered, shyly.
'That would be lovely, Tilly, the children would love it!' Byron smiled. 'Why don't you draw some illustrations too, you're a good artist,' Tilly just nodded timidly and began jotting down notes in her notebook.

'That just leaves you and me Bryon,' Juniper said, nibbling her pencil.

'You can write the introduction, some latest news, the contents, wish everyone a Merry Christmas,' Byron suggested, and Juniper nodded. 'I can put everything together and get it printed - Oh I could do a colouring competition!'
'Brilliant idea, Bryon!' Renee said, and everybody agreed.
'Think of some prizes, something good,' Hector said.
'I'm home!' Came a voice from the front door. Everybody turned to see Cameron Moss carrying a huge Christmas Tree through the door.

'And I think that marks the end of this meeting!' Juniper smiled as everybody laughed. 'I'll be calling to check on your progress!' She warned, jokingly.

'Goodbye everyone!' Juniper called, as she shut the front door. She had noticed Buck had been unusually quiet - he was normally a top-contributer in meetings.
'Hello Juniper, how did the meeting go?' Cameron Moss asked his ambitious daughter.
'Really good, thank you Father!' Juniper beamed. 'I love the Christmas tree!'
'Well I was rather hoping you and Buck would help us decorate it!' Cameron smiled.

'Of course we will!' Buck said, stumbling into the living room.
'Are you alright, Buck, you don't look too well?' Juniper said, worriedly.
'I'll be fine! Just got a bit of a-cough cough cough!' He began coughing hysterically again.
'You're clearly not very well dear, go and lie down on the sofa, I'll bring you a blanket,' Rowena smiled, gently.

'Now, if you don't mind, Rowena dear, could you choose where you would like the tree?' He said, with a pained expression. 'It's rather heavy, you see,'
'I'll put the tinsel on!' Juniper grinned, grabbing the tinsel.
'Hang on, let me put the lights on first!' Cameron said, laughing.
'I'll help!' Buck offered.
'I don't think so, son. You look far too ill!' Cameron said, sounding slightly concerned.
'You just lie back and rest, dear,' Rowena smiled.
*An hour or so later*

'I love it!' Beamed Juniper.
'When can we put the presents under the tree?' Buck asked, dreamily.
'Buck!' Rowena laughed.
'One more week 'til Christmas!' Cameron reminded the children. Buck began coughing again.
'Right, that's enough, Buck, you're going to bed!' Rowena said, taking him by the hand.
'No Mother!' Buck couldn't think of anything more boring that being stuck in bed all day when he could be outside playing in the snow.
'I told you to dress warmly and you didn't, and now you're ill!' Rowena exclaimed, slightly crossly as she tucked him into his bed.
'But it's so boring-' Buck protested.
'I don't care. You're ill, and to get better you need warmth and rest!' Rowena said, firmly, as she hugged him.

To be continued...
If you like it please tell me in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you :)

Winter Story Chapter 1: A Snow Day

It was a very chilly December night, and the Moss Reindeer family were all tucked up in bed.

Juniper awoke when she saw a few rays of light peeking around her curtains. As she looked closer, she could see snow on her windowsill and the garden was covered in a thick white blanket of snow.

After making her bed as fast as she could, she raced into her brother's room to tell him.
'Buck! Wake up! It's snowed!' She beamed as she nudged his shoulder.

'Wha-' He sleepily looked out of his window. 'Yes! It snowed, it snowed, it snowed!' Buck sang as he jumped on his bed

They both ran to the big window in their parents' bedroom to determine how thick it was.
'Definitely enough for skiing and sledging-' Buck said, matter-of-factly.
'Oh look, the pond's frozen over - I can skate!' Juniper squealed.
They leapt down the stairs as fast as their legs could carry them.

'Mother, mother, you'll never guess what!' The two children chorussed.
'It's snowed?' Rowena guessed, laughing. She was already up preparing breakfast for the family. 'Don't worry, the school telephoned. School's cancelled, they're giving you a weeks' extra holiday,' The children grinned excitedly, although Juniper was upset that she wouldn't be able to get the Christmas Issue of the School Magazine finished.

'We've got to go out and play, come on, Juniper!' Buck grabbed Juniper's hand and headed towards the front door. Both the girls laughed.
'You're still your pyjamas, Buck!' Juniper laughed, as Buck's face fell.
'But we need to go and call for the Hunter-Smyths and all our other friends,' He said, crossly.
'Give them a chance to wake up, Buck dear! Have some breakfast and get dressed first,' Rowena said, firmly.

They tried to eat their breakfast as fast as they could without their mother noticing.
'Now go and get dressed, don't forget to wrap up warm!' Rowena warned.
'Goodbye mother' Said Juniper, who was sensibly wearing her warmest dress and her new Winter cloak.
'Yeah, bye' Said Moss, who stood in a pair of summer dungarees and a pair of snow boots.
'Don't be silly, Buck, you can't go out in the snow without wearing proper clothing!' Rowena exclaimed.

'I'll be fine, Mother! None of the other boys will wear coats!' And with that he grabbed his sister's hand and headed out of the house and down the road to their neighbours' house, leaving Rowena sighing as she closed the front door.

They knocked on the door of the Hunter-Smyths house, Highfields Farm. As Buck had expected, they were up and ready to go.

'We'll meet you at the hill in ten minutes, Isabella thinks it will be quicker if we just telephone all of the other children,' Hector explained.
'Good idea!' Juniper nodded.
'Great! See you there!' Buck smiled.
Much to Buck's surprise, they were the first to arrived at the hill. 'The Hill' was the best hill in the village for sledging and skiing, and it was the nearest.

Buck ran to the top of the hill with his skis in hand.
'Excellent coating of snow! Juniper, be careful you don't fall, the snow is very slippery!' He called down to her.
Buck then skied down the hill at top speed.
'Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' He grinned, as he stopped next to Juniper, who was laughing.

'That was great, Buck!' They turned around. 'Oh look, everybody's arriving,' Juniper smiled.
They waited until everyone had arrived before Buck began his little 'speech'.
The Hunter-Smyths, the Underwoods, the Dappledawns, the Brambles and the Buckleys family had all turned up. Much to Buck's dismay, all the boys were wearing some sort of warm clothing.
'Thank you for all coming so quickly! Now, the snow is very slippery, especially on the hill, so I would like everybody to pair up in boy/girl partners please' Buck was in charge every year on Snow Days. Coming the North Pole, the Moss Reindeer knew more about it than anybody else.
Everybody bustled in pairs.

'Make sure you hold hands while walking up the hill, or standing on the hill. The snow is perfect for skiing or sledging, and as I'm sure many of you have noticed the pond is frozen, so you're welcome to skate but make sure you check the thickness of the ice first. Those who wish to ski please try to stick to the left side of the hill, and those sledging please stick to the right - we don't want any accidents that involve both!' Buck smiled as all the children laughed. The adults didn't come out until a bit later in the day, so they watched the children play from their windows.
'Watch out for the babies, don't let them sledge from the very top of the hill. I don't think there is anything else I need to mention, but it looks like the snow will stay for at least a few days so I'm sure we'll be back every day! Have fun and stay safe!' Everybody clapped Buck politely, who took a bow. Juniper stood next to him, they were partners today.

The Buckleys were having so much fun they appeared to have forgotten Buck's warning...

Tilly Dappledawn was quite happy just to walk through the snow with her baby siblings Dillon & Cotton who were all wrapped up warm!

Isabella & Hector Hunter-Smyth were taking it in turns to catch their baby brother Gerard who enjoying slipping down the hill on his bottom!:)

Bess Underwood was being taught how to ski - without poles! She was being very brave, and managed to do it several times without falling over! Buck, on the other hand, was absolutely freezing cold!

The Bramble hedgehog sibling were quite happy spectating whilst they huddled together.

The Underwood babies were busy being silly as they made snow-angels and played.

Bryon & Juniper were discussing the school magazine and whether they thought it was really a good idea to close the school a week early:
'I just don't think it will be beneficial to our education - five days of school is a lot of learning hours,' Exclaimed Juniper.
'Now Juniper, I agree with you to a point, however I think that having fun is important too,' Bryon laughed.

Everyone was having a lovely day, although it was very cold the sun was shining and the snow glittered.
'You have to admit, this is better than school!' Bryon Underwood smiled.
'Yes, yes it is,' Juniper laughed.

At that moment, they heard a cry from behind them!

The Buckleys had forgotten about Buck's warning to stop the babies sledging from the top of the hill, and Oscar Buckley had taken a tumble!

Naturally, Buck ran to the scene.
'Did he sledge from the top?' He asked.
'Yes, he did,' Oscar explained.
'We're sorry, Buck & Oscar, we forgot about your warning,' Maria said, cuddling her brother.
Luckily, Rowena Moss had seen the whole scene from her kitchen window as she was making hot chocolate, and had rushed to the hill as quickly as possible.

Rowena picked little Oscar up and comforted him.
'Don't worry children, accidents happen. I'll take him home and ring up your mother to collect him,' Rowena smiled before carrying Oscar back to their house.

Rowena soon had Oscar warming up by the fire playing with Juniper's teddy bear. By the time his mother came to collect him he was beaming - Rowena was very good with children.

The Buckleys lived the other side of the hill, however Agatha came quite quickly once Rowena had telephoned her.
'Thank you so much, Rowena!' Agatha smiled. 'How badly did he fall?'
'Oh it wasn't too bad, I think he was just a bit shaken up!' Rowena said.
'Well, thanks again - he looks very happy! We must meet up for a coffee this week' Agatha suggested.
'That would be lovely! Enjoy having the children off for an extra week!' Rowena laughed as Agatha sighed - she had five children and they were a 'bit of a hand-full'!

That evening the children told the day's events to their father, who had been at work all day.
'We may as well get the Christmas Tree tomorrow and finish decorating the house seeing as you're both around to help!' Cameron Moss chuckled.
'Great idea!' The children chorused.
'By the way, Juniper, the headmaster mentioned on the telephone that he would like you to organise the Christmas Issue of the school magazine as a homework project over the holiday, if that's possible?' Rowena added. Juniper was absolutely beaming. She was the editor, and like Buck, loved to boss (instruct) her team of writers.
'Brilliant! I'll ring him tomorrow and tell him I'll be happy to!' Juniper smiled. 'We'll have to have a meeting..' She muttered. 'Mother can we use the house as our office?' Juniper asked. Everyone laughed.
'I suppose so, but you can't use the living room because we'll be putting the tree up!' Rowena agreed. 'Do you want me to make some scones for the bossy - sorry - board meeting?'
'Yes please!' Said both Juniper and Buck. Buck was on the newspaper, he was in charge of the sports stories.
'But what will I write about Juniper? There is no sport to report because it has snowed!' Buck asked, sounding disappointed.
'Buck, you do realise I'm expecting a two-page feature on today's Winter sports?' Juniper laughed, as Buck grinned.

To be continued...

A New Camera!

I finally got a new camera today, so I'm back with good quality photos (finally!)
I forgot to mention in my last post that I went to the Sylvanian Shop in London on Friday! It wasn't my first time, I've been about six times before however it feels just as special each time:)
I purchased the Moss Reindeer family - so cute! Here they are:

Cameron Moss came with a yellow bow, but I felt a red would be far more 'Christmassy':)

And here is some better, updated photos from my last post:

What do you think of the new camera's photos? The lighting is terrible because it's not natural..I left it too late in the evening - I forgot it got dark so quick!

Thanks for all your views & comments, really do appreciate it<3

Etsy Shop & more

I have decided I love sewing things for my Sylvanians so much that I have decided to open an Etsy shop!
I am going to be selling clothes & accessories for them, and more things will be added over the next few weeks:)
Here is the link:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SylvanianFamilies
Please do take a look: I'm not doing it for profit, the price only covers the cost of fabrics, materials & labour:)

Anyway, here is what I've been up to recently:)

You may notice everything's a bit snowy, I'm sort of halfway through setting up my Christmas Display! When I'm finished (and when I finally get a new camera!), I will photograph it all and make a story for you guys:) These photos were actually taken on my laptop's webcam, hence the appalling quality - sorry!

Talking of Winter Displays, I have recently been working on some Winter Clothing Designs!
Me & my sister designed this cute Winter Cape, available from my Etsy shop to buy, however I promise I will put a tutorial on soon!

Juniper Moss modelling her new Winter Cape for me;)

Hats & Coats are also a must in Winter!

My good old favourite character Tilly Dappledawn models her Winter look:)

I have to admit, the collar on this coat really needs some work!

Rowena Moss & Beatrix Underwood stop in street to have a chat:)

Thank you to my Nanny for knitting some hats & scarves for my Sylvanians!:) I am actually the worse knitter known to mankind lol;)

Promise I'll be back soon with some better quality images & tutorials!:)

P.S. Do you guys like the snowing mouse? I thought it was very appropriate for Christmas;)

Please leave a comment, I love to hear from my readers:D

Oakwood Manor

I had to put Oakwood Manor on eBay (Link here) this evening:( I purchased it just a few months ago and I already love it. However, due to space & money issues, it was the last thing I brought - so it will be the first to be sold. As I removed all the furniture and packed it all away, I will admit that I got a little emotional. the worst part was when I had to peel off all of the wallpaper - all those hours of work wasted:(
But of course, before I packed it up, I took some final photos of it all furnished:) (For some reason my camera has decided to fix itself, although it now actually takes photos they are not the quality they were - sorry!)

This is the Bramble Hedgehog family, and they live in Oakwood Manor House:)

Peaches & Bilberry were all snuggled up in bed on a cold November night.

Mortimer & Eleanor Bramble's bedroom is lovely and cosy:)

Eleanor uses her dressing table and mirror every day to comb her spikes and make sure her nose looks extra pointy:)

Although Mortimer is a busy working man, he likes to make sure he has all his business and leisure activities perfectly organized at his bureau.

Eleanor loves nothing better than to bake a cake or treat for her family:)

Whilst Mortimer likes to sit down to an evening of good quality television - of course the telephone and paper and a pen must be handy in case he needs to make or receive any business calls.

Abigail Bramble thinks there's nothing better than sitting reading a good book in her bedroom.

Maxwell just likes to help out - even cleaning the bathroom, which you can see is shining!

Finally, the dining room, where Mortimer often holds business dinner parties, but also with friends too!

This is the Bramble Hedgehog family, and as of today, they are homeless;) (along with the other 60 of my figures)
I hope my Oakwood Manor House will go to a good home, if you're interested please take a look at the listing here:)