The First Day Of Spring

Happy first day of Spring......From now on days are slightly longer, the nights a little shorter and hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer! 

The Year of the Garden

It was inevitable that this year would be the year of the garden here at Homes & Dreams. When we bought our house 7 years ago the 1/2 acre plot that it stood in had been neglected for many, many years.

As the house was completed  at the end of last Summer our attention is now occupied by the garden. Over the past few years we have managed to eradicate most the of the brambles that had taken possession over the majority of the garden but other than keeping it relatively tidy the garden has not yet been utilised.

So this week has seen the start of our plans. 50 metres of mixed native hedgerow has been planted which will form the boundary between our new orchard (in which we are planning to grow a selection of Yorkshire heritage varieties) and the adjacent fields.

Sophie Conran Garden Trowel £14.95

So it follows that we would expand our gardening range over on the Homes & Dreams website. I'm really thrilled with our new line of gardening hand tools which are designed by Sophie Conran. The tools which include trowels, forks, dibbers and weeders are a joy to use - not only are they stylish but they are also manufactured by the UK's longest standing garden tool manufacturer and if that isn't enough they are beautifully presented in their own presentation box making them a perfect gardening gift!

Signs of Spring



Image via Pinterest

The arrival of March is always welcome here, as for me March heralds the start of things to come and the first signs of Spring make their appearance. Already the snowdrops and crocuses have begun to flower and it won't belong before they are closely followed by other signs of life in the garden.

If you have a garden that attracts birds then you may find that as this month's lighter mornings creep in you may have a tuneful start to the day with the dawn chorus.

The earliest to start the melody are the song thrushes, blackbirds and robins, these sing out to attract a mate and warn off other males. They are soon followed by the wrens, chaffinches and tits and after two or three hours when the sun is fully risen the birds get down to the business of feeding. 



Bird & Insect boxes from £14.95

  With this in mind we have just introduced a beautiful range of bird boxes and feeders. Designed by Sophie Conran they not only look good in the garden but are practical too with removable nest boxes and trays to make them easy to clean.

So if like me you love to awake to the sound of the dawn chorus then why not encourage a larger choir into your garden this Spring.

The Start of Things to Come....

Have you noticed anything different about the website and blog lately?

Yep, we have a new logo! Actually there's a lot more going on behind the scenes here at the moment (and I can't wait to share it with you) but for now the new logo marks the start of new phase here at Homes & Dreams.

Over the last few weeks I have been taking part in a fantastic, thought provoking course run by Fiona Humberstone at Flourish Studios. The course, entitiled 'Branding Masterclass' will I'm sure mark the start of many exciting changes and already light bulbs are pinging and great ideas stacking up.......so, as they say - be sure to watch this space!

Count Your Chickens!

Yesterday I was having a conversation about keeping chickens as it's something I've been longing to do for some time now. We grow our own and have a small orchard and so hen keeping just seemed like a natural progression. I was lost in the thought of freshly laid eggs for breakfast and baking and having the girls to keep me company while gardening......

Photo: Little Emma English Home

However, just as I was locking up for the night a movement in the moonlight caught my eye - and there they were, a shadowy pair of foxes trotting silently along the field side of my garden.

A timely reminder of the reality of keeping chickens don't you think?

Antiques ARE Green

As a source of vintage homewares Homes & Dreams are proud to support the aims of the 'Antiques Are Green' campaign.

The sole purpose of the campaign when it began in 2009 was to raise awareness of antiques being environmentally friendly. Antiques are items that have been recycled for many generations which means any carbon footprint in making them has long gone and they are recycled by handing them down to family members and friends or by selling them on through a dealer or by auction. By passing them on in this way, we are helping to conserve natural resources.

Antiques are Green.org was launched “to promote the green credentials of antiques”. This not-for-profit campaign aims is to get antiques recognised for their genuine green credentials “sustainable, re-usable and re-saleable”.

The importance of protecting the environment cannot be understated. The environment is not ours to destroy, but something which we have been given to protect for future generations. The “green movement” has focused on achieving this goal by reducing fossil fuel emissions and preventing deforestation. These endeavours have made huge inroads, but as a world we need to consume less and reuse more - “antiques are a perfect way to take the green movement into our homes”.

As more consumers become sensitive to green issues it is hoped that this will help boost trade and help consumers realise they are making a genuinely green purchase. Antiques are a great buy, good value for money and a very enjoyable, sustainable purchase. This web site brings together a wide selection of items offered from all types of businesses, which will continue to be added to. Future development of the site is also planned. In September 2010 the antiques trade commissioned a carbon footprint analysis of an antique chest of drawers against its modern equivalent - the results speak for themselves-the new item had a carbon footprint 16 times higher than the antique' - taken from the Antiques are Green website.

The aims of the Antiques are Green campaign are:

To promote antiques as an alternative form of recycling and conserving natural resources.

o encourage existing consumers and attract a new audience who may not have considered buying antiques before.

To encourage businesses and organisations to consider environmental issues when making decisions related to their business activities.

To offer help and advice to businesses and consumers on reducing their carbon footprint, dependency on fossil fuel and becoming greener.

To promote environmental projects such as tree planting, conservation and protection.

To make a tangible difference and be part of an environmental conscience which permeates all areas of day-to-day life.

We are proud to support the national ‘Antiques are Green’ campaign to encourage consumers to consider antiques, vintage and reclaimed items when it comes to furnishing their homes. For further information on the Antiques are Green campaign visit http://www.antiquesaregreen.org/

All Spick & Span

Dolly Pegs £1.65 from Homes & Dreams

Spring cleaning has come early at Homes & Dreams! Last week we decided to reorganise our category pages on the website to make it easier for our customers to find what they are looking for as over the next few months we will be increasing our ranges to offer a larger variety of products.

So now when a customer clicks on one of the main categories on the 'Home' page rather than having to scroll through all the products in that category they will now be able to choose which section they wish to view. We hope that this will make it easier for our customers to find just what they are looking for.

Not only has the website had a tidy but our store room has too - well, all those new goodies will have to go somewhere!

If you are having an early spring clean why not check out out new 'Utility & Boot Room' section. We'll be adding lots of new products over the next month ready for some serious spring cleaning!