10 Mar 2011

My Creative Space - Down on the Farm!

I've always had magical dreams of some day owning a small farm! After reading one too many Enid Blyton books and skipping off on adventures with the children of Willow Farm (obligatory gingham tablecloth tied to a pole...stuffed with food!), I fear my ideal patch of earth could be just a smidgen (o.k. ... a giant dollop!) rose coloured.

I picture black and white cows mooing contentedly on Sound of Music style rolling hills who meander eagerly to the lofty dairy for daily milking. Silver pails filled with frothy white goodness. Milk for brekkie, cream for tonight's pudding and just a little left over to churn into butter.


Row upon row of neatly cultivated vegetable patches snuggled under billowy piles of sugar cane mulch. And an orchard to rival any Ms. Green Gables could conjure up filled with blossoming apple trees, plums and peaches heaving with juice.

Then there would be the flower and herb garden filled with fragrant snap dragons, sweet peas and roses and herbs to make your nostrils twitch.


A few ponds for swans and their wee babies to frolic.


And a wallowy mud patch perfect for pigs to do what pigs do best.


Sounds idyllic doesn't it? And so far removed from reality that I do wonder whether I've been inhaling too many craft glue fumes unawares! To indulge my poppet's own burgeoning desire to live on the land I whipped up a little felt farm mat. It was trés easy peasy lemon squeezy and cost next to nothing. I used a large piece of green felt for the base and then machine stitched on scraps to make the ponds and mud wallows. A few square scraps pinched in the middle and stitched by hand made the flowers and a few teeny pieces and a bit of patience made the vegie garden. Add some wooden trees and fences and some Schleich animals et voila!

(For those unitiated to the world to toy animals. These ones are soooo life like. Let's just say there's no problem distinguishing the Mumma cow from the Daddy one!)

Now gallop off and have a sticky beak at all these creative folk. Giddy up!


10 comments:

  1. here, at my little farm, I am laying down mice bait and swatting of a wasp flying around my head. Just helping with the 'realism' part of it! Oh to be able to walk down the street for a beautiful latte right about now! That grass is looking very green over your side of the fence!

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  2. So charming, Steph. My little girl would love one of these. x

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  3. How adorable. Am inspired and who doesn't love felt?
    Have a great weekend!

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  4. i love it!
    slightly rosecoloured - but i have the same enidblyton filter: tomato sandwiches, trapdoors, and steaming mugs of tea...
    love the mat

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  5. I love this (and may just have to 'borrow' your idea for a little something to put in my girls Easter basket). Having recently moved to the country (and also dealing with mice teehee), I suspect farms of the felt variety are much more managable. :-)

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  6. what a gorgeous playmat - I bet she loves it!!
    have a great weekend Steph
    xxxCate

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  7. We too love the playmat and the trees and the gates:) Wish that my Grandfather lived closer and I would get hi to help me make some - adding these to the list of things to buy for the kids:)
    Hope that you are having a great week - how did market go - sorry I did not get in to see you.
    Love K

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  8. I am definitely stealing your idea - i mean being inspired by this little project!! we have been slowly collecting wooden farm animals and i wondered how to encourage "farm" play - and low and behold, this idea is brilliance!

    We too here dream of farm land living!! chooks, fresh eggs, olive trees (for oil and preserving of course), and grapes (to make wine - of course!) all on our wishlist!!!

    have a blissful week Steph xx

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  9. I love your little farm. What a great idea.

    Do you mean to say that farms and rural life like that does not exist? I guess that's why I'm still stuck in the suburbs!

    So lovely to dream away:)

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  10. gorgeous!!!
    i made our little audrey a *cumbrian english* wooden farm when we arrived here in england as she became farm obsessed....for an little aussie girl living down the road from farms and having the local milk farmer deliver our eggs and milk each morning- this was heaven...a farm of her own!

    bet you play with yours too...i do!!

    melissa xx

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Your words brighten my day! Thank-you so much for joining me on my adventure. x