A nighttime lantern, a welcoming sight after a long, cold day...
...But creep a little closer...
...Peek
inside...
...There's
more going on than meets the eye...
Some Brambly
Hedge mice are cosy inside, having worked hard all year so they can snuggle up in
the Winter.
Perhaps it’s
my love of Beatrix Potter’s tales and all things doll’s house which make me
want to create stories involving small creatures in the smallest spaces. Imagine reading a bedtime story
with a child, then, just before sleep settles on them, allowing them to peek
inside the nighttime lantern, before leaving them to dream of a whole new world...
Such is the powerful magic of storytelling.
What a lovely way to decorate your lantern, my Nannie is a sucker for all things Brambly Hedge and would love this. I'm a nut for house-shaped lanterns and ended up with a couple myself in 2012 - they're just the best sort of lantern aren't they!?
ReplyDeleteJem xXx
I often see lanterns around but had never really paid them much attention. After this winter I think I'll be using them much more. x
DeleteThats gorgeous !!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ali x
DeleteWhat a gorgeous lantern. It looks so cosy and reminds me of being a kid. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteGemma xx
I think if we all had one of these and read more bedtime stories we'd all sleep much better and be less stressed :) x
DeleteBrambly Hedge! We had the books when we were younger and I could spend hours pretending I was a character in them and picking out where I'd live and the likes. That lantern is lovely, I got a lantern of the town my parents live in for Christmas, it's beautiful when it's all lit up & makes me feel all cosy & homely.
ReplyDeleteI was aware of Brambly Hedge as a child but they really are a late discovery for me. Now I'm tempted to collect more of the books! x
DeleteOh my! I absolutely love it!!! I wouldn't mind reading a magical story myself, then having a peek inside the lantern before going to bed! And I'm 31, oh dear!
ReplyDeleteJo :-)x
Do it Jo! x
DeleteIt's magical, just the sort of thing my girls would like, just the thing to get the imagination stirring! :) x
ReplyDeleteThanks Ada, I do love a good imagination stirrer! x
Deletewish I could creep inside it looks so warm and toasty!
ReplyDelete: )
I may have tried... x
DeleteI want to live in there! Such a lovely idea to decorate it like that. That is the exact scene I had a jigsaw of as a child and I've never forgotten it as it looked so cosy and inviting. I need to see if all my Brambly Hedge memorabilia is still in my mum and dad's loft... x
ReplyDeleteI hope it is, I'm still trying to buy back all the childhood books my mum gave away! x
DeleteVery sweet! I used to have a low relief wall plaque of the scene with the pie in front of the fire.
ReplyDeleteI really want the dresser in the illustrations, loaded with vintage crockery, jams and preserves, and items found on country walks. Sigh... Brambly Hedge should be in Country Life magazine! x
DeleteJust lovely Anna! xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you Claire :) x
DeleteI LOVE this! You are very creative. Your photographs are so clear. It is such a lovely scene - perfect for cold, snowy days like this.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed being able to embrace the dark for a photography project for a change, instead of forever waiting for the sun to come out! x
DeleteOh I used to love Brambly Hedge! Such a great idea and perfect for cosy evenings on snowy days :)
ReplyDeleteCommenters' enthusiasm for Brambly Hedge is certainly fueling my own! x
DeleteWhat a fabulous idea - looks amazing and magical! such exquisite illustrations - would love to snuggle up in front of that fire ...
ReplyDeleteOh me too. A book and a fire to sit in front of after a long day's playing in the snow :) x
DeletelOVE, lOVE, lOVE this! I want to live inside that lantern! xx
ReplyDeleteLet's build a giant one and we'll all be able to holiday in it! x
DeleteThat. Is. AMAZING. I love Brambly Hedge- my parents are currently clearing out their loft and dropped round all my old children's books the other day. I've spent hours poring over Brambley Hedge and Foxwood Tales (did you ever read that one?) Is there a tutorial for that lantern anywhere online? xx
ReplyDeleteAh lucky you! Would love to dive into a box of childhood favourites again. I didn't have Foxwood Tales... I seemed to remember some being passed onto me about some squirrels... and Farthing Wood gave me nightmares!
DeleteTo make it I found a BH book in a charity shop, scanned my chosen images and resized them to fit the dimensions of my lantern's sides, printed, cut and stuck them in with pva glue(so I can change them in the future but also so they won't flop onto the candle)... and that's it! You could try it with all sorts of shapes of lantern and pictures :) x
I love this! I had some Brambly Hedge strawberry eau de cologne as a kid and it smelled really fantastic but I guess they stopped making it. Now I'm feeling all nostalgic about it!
ReplyDeleteFunny how smells can be linked to powerful memories, isn't it? I used a face cream lately that reminded me so much of the powder paint in my old art classroom at school that I became convinced there was something wrong about it and didn't use it again! x
DeleteThis is utterly gorgeous! I love Bramley Hedge almost as much as Beatrix Potter! Xx
ReplyDeleteThere are many wonderful similarities! x
DeleteThis is truly magical Anna!
ReplyDeleteBrambly Hedge has a very special place in my heart. I have all the books and each one has a little message from my father inside and the date 1980 - I was one. It's one of the few connections I have with my father from that time of my life, as I didn't really get to know him until adulthood - he left when I was 2. I cherished those books all through my childhood and pored over every detail of the images, but strangely never noticed they came from him until very recently!
I should get them down from the shelf and show them to my little one, I'm sure he'd love them as much as I always have.
great
ReplyDeleteThat is gorgeous & appeals to my passion for dolls houses and all things miniature! Lizzie
ReplyDeleteThanks Lizzie, miniature is so much fun! x
DeleteCosy in every sense of the word! Just imagine what stories they are sharing in front of the fire . . . . Helen x
ReplyDeleteIf only I had an 'eat me' biscuit, we could shrink and have a listen. x
Deletegreat
ReplyDeleteMay I come in and sit by the fire, please, Mrs Mouse? :-)
ReplyDeleteWe should build a life-size one! x
DeleteLove this idea... will have to try it myself! And I love your blog, beautiful photography :)
ReplyDelete