Dream Acres Diary

SCONES AND COMPANY

2008-07-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

It has been a really good day here on the hill top at Dream Acres. The weather has been bright and rather windy (making all the lanky tall herbs sway around quite alarmingly - we have already lost a huge angelica plant to a windy day) a great day for drying l guess.

I haven't been doing washing and hanging things out to dry, no, l have been baking and entertaining friends (Jane of Snapdragon and her daughters). On the menu today were my lemon and thyme scones with homemade berry jam and clotted cream (ok, ok l know, lets not even think of those calories, this was a TREAT). Here is my recipe;

LEMON & THYME SCONES

225g self raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

40g butter

25g caster sugar

1 egg

150ml milk

zest of l lemon

tablespoon fresh thyme with flowers

Mix all dry ingredients (including lemon and thyme) in a bowl and rub in the butter till crumbs. Mix milk and egg and add in gradually as you mix. Beat into a sticky dough.

Roll to 2cm deep and cut into circles.

Place on baking tray and cook in moderate oven for 10 minutes, hey presto, lovely scones.

It was great to sit together and chat (we didn't have time on Sunday at the packaging demo) and l have to agree with Jane on the 'Selling to wholesale' debate. When you break down the costs it really means that we have to either charge our clients seriously high prices so that we can afford to sell wholesale at more than 50% less, or we keep the costs down for our clients and don't sell wholesale at all. If we do sell wholesale at reasonable retail prices then we end up with nothing for all our time and effort. While it sometimes feels like it would be nice to have big wholesale orders coming in, you just can't afford to work with the numbers. Having said that, l must also admit that l really enjoy keeping things in small editions and changing the look and feel of my products on a regular basis and not be stuck running off hundreds of one item.

After a good chat and far too many calories we both headed back off to work, Jane to her fabulous retro caravan in Stirlingshire and me to dear old H.Q.

More next time

Karon x

Sunday Shopping

2008-07-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

This has been a lovely day, not just that the weather has been gorgeous, but it has been a good out-and-about day too.

This morning l met up with Jane of Snapdragon at Country Baskets to enjoy the talk and demo by Jane Means on gift wrapping. What an inspiration, while l had already been toying with a gift wrapping service for boxing my little goodies on the web site, this really made me think about putting the icing on the cake so to speak. There were some really clever and creative uses of papers and ribbons, and all done with a simplicity and lack of fuss which was really refreshing. I have stocked up on more tissue and raffia and will get practicing right away.

Back home this afternoon to a bit of light weeding and tea in the garden.

Will return soon and hopefully have my little camera in action and some new pix to show you.

Karon x

SILVER LININGS AND FABRIC FLOWERS

2008-07-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a funny old week, we have had highs and lows in every department l think. I've had to have a wisdom tooth taken out and still have a face like a hamster on one side. Had great plans to take Idgy and friends to Louden Castle fun park yesterday but had to cancel due to dreadful weather. The rain has flattened all the pretty poppies in the garden and stress levels in general reached sky rocket proportions.

On a good note however l finally managed to get the Secret Garden (Dream Acres newsletter page on my site) link sorted out and sent out to all the new members of the group. My friend Jane of Snapdragons Garden (terrific blog and web site) put some lovely comments about Dream Acres on her blog and l got some super new subscribers to the group. Another good thing that happened this week was that instead of the Louden Castle trip, a friend took Idgy out on her daughters little pony, and at long last Idgy found herself really enjoying riding instead of being afraid. So l guess the old adage of clouds and silver lining is true.

On the work front l have been working on Christmas products and zapping off photos to magazines and such. Not long till Christmas now, how terrifying. It seems rediculous to be sewing festive robins and mixing spices at this time of year, however with the wet weather today it seemed like winter anyway at times.

A bit of a diversion for me this summer has been doing the Refab Flowers and their related line. Have added hair bands and even a necklace. The Refab Flowers are handmade simple flowers made with vintage fabrics and old buttons, all on green wire stems for you to put in a vase or tie to a door or whatever. I first made them as a prop for the Country Living fair in Glasgow last Spring. Then this year l took them to the London fair and they sold like hot cakes. So much so that Liberty of London are now buying them from me. While l was at the fair l pinned one of the flowers to my apron as a brooch. This was much admired and l made myself a necklace when l got home. It has been such a hit with friends that l now do them to sell on the web site. I'm thrilled that they have been proving so popular. Though l would share a few photos of the Refab Flower range here.

Gardens both secret and reality

2008-07-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

At long last l can report that l have finally managed to get the 'Secret Garden' (a special page for news group members) up on to the web site. This has really shown be up to be a total wash-out in the technology department. I think l have managed to do just about everything wrong and make it all much more difficult than it would have been had l a clue what l was doing in the first place.
The Secret Garden has special offers, monthly competitions and prizes and hints and tips on herbs in home and garden. This is just the first issue, but l am determined to build it up each month and really make it something worth reading. If you'd like to join the news group and visit the Secret Garden, then just drop me an email and l will put you on the list.

In the real garden everything is looking very lush and vibrant and l love the casual look of it all. I'm not a knot garden type of herb grower, l am much more of a haphazzard country garden, mix it up and enjoy the abundance kind of grower. Things never look neat and tidy here, but it does have a very lived in and well loved appeal.

I couldn't resist sharing this photo of a foxglove that has toppled into the bird bath with the heavy rain we have had. That little bird almost looks as if he is taking off in flight, not bad for a rusty old piece of metal - suddenly brought to life by natures abundance of flowers.

The joys of June

2008-06-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

Hi there,

Back from a week in the Scottish highlands at a gorgeous little place called Arisaig on the west coast. With bright blue and turquoise sea, sparkling white sand and hot sunshine you would be forgiven for thinking you were in some far flung paradice, but no, only 3 hours from home. Fabulous! Now l would have been uploading tempting photos for you, but alas my phone/camera is a tad too modern for this old heap of a computer and it won't accept it. I am in the middle of trying to change my systems etc over to a newer computer and as soon as l do l promise to get a photo up showing just how amazingly gorgeous good old Scotland can be.

On the garden front, my deep bedding with bark chippings (our own trees that came down in the gales back in January - at least they are proving useful) before l left has been a Godsend on the weeds front. Got home to find minimal weeds had invaded the herb beds and therefore only minimal time had to be spent digging the damn things out. What joy!

Don't think l have shown you any of the new goodies l have been working on of late. Here is the 'Laundry' bag to throw in your drier and give you naturally scented (lavender and lemon balm) clothes. Hanmdmade using vintage mangle cloths and of course filled with our own dried herbs. Sells with refresher oil. The bag should last about 10 loads before you have to add more oil to the herbs inside.

Please forgive delays on uploading to web site etc, l thought l would have got my upgraded system all sorted out weeks ago, but not been able to get the local 'whizz kid' to come and help. Hanging in there......

Enjoying the sunshine

2008-05-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Oh this sunshine is so wonderful and quite addictive when you live on the west coast of Scotland and sunshine is something of a rarity. The herbs are popping up beautifully all over the garden and suddenly everything looks so much more promising. Have attached a photo of some mint, isn't this colour just gorgeous, it just screams sunshine to me!!

Hopefully there will be some big changes coming to the web site very soon. I have finally bitten the bullet and upgraded my web system so that l can do a trade section, special pricing for registered clients, offers etc, all much more organised (l hope) and interesting. It costs rather a lot but l am hoping it will be worth the expense in the long run.Now just have to wait for the Whiz Kid to come and put this system in for me. Oh to be more technically minded, still can't have everything l guess!

Todays main job is making 100 refab flowers for a trade order. Now this is part of my job l love. I can sit on the deck in the sunshine making those flowers all day, just perfect. Now lets hope the weather stays nice.......

love

Karon

2008-05-08T00:48:00.000-07:00

The weather is just so fabulous this week, it is making everything so much easier (apart from the weeding, those damn buttercups - ugh!!!) and the garden a joy, instead of a trudge though mud.
I have been working on the web site and got everything organised apart from the 'Secret Garden' subscribers page. Well l have the page all there and uploaded, it is just getting to it that is the problem, oh to be technically minded at times like these!
Can't beleive the pine coning season is already upon us. I have been out filling baskets with fallen cones this week and drying them out in the aga, all ready for pot pourri for Christmas. Should be a good haul of cones if l keep going at this rate, the only hassle is where to store all the sacks of cones when they are dried and ready for use, they do take up rather a lot of space. Between the pine cones and the Christmas designs, l feel a bit out of touch with reality in this lovely weather when l am 'All about Chriistmas' just now.
The sun is shining so l am off outside to sew alfresco!

BACK AT LAST

2008-05-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being offline for such a long time. The old excuse of 'Things have been busy at home' really is true in my case. 2008 has brought me some real time stealers, my husband and l have split up and have been having the house divided and builders working here until just last week. Everything has been very much 'up in the air' this year and time really has got away from me.

Enough of all that, l am back and trying to get the business back to full strength with some super new designs and things. Have been working on the web site to make it more interesting and will hopefully be able to open up the 'Secret Garden' on the site within the next 2 weeks (always hoping the young web wizard can come and visit and work his magic for me - try as l might l am just not getting the hang of this technology business when it comes to computer links and such!), this will be a hidden page for subscribers (those who want to see the offers etc or who are clients already) which will have hints, tips, competitions, prizes and special offers.

Something else of importance is http://www.sowsewscottish.co.uk/ this is a web page put together by my friend Jane Lindsey and l to promote our two plant and sewing related businesses in Scotland. Jane is based in Stirlingshire and her web site address is http://www.snapdragongarden.co.uk/. Since we both grow and sell our own goodies we thought we should come together and let people see what we Scottish ladies can do in the world of sowing and sewing.

Dream Acres news since the Country Living Fair in London has been that we got an order from the famous Liberty of London store. The Refab Flowers that l made for the fair have certainly been a hit and l am now doing a gorgeous necklace, pin brooch and hair bobbles in the same refab flower designs. Hoping to get the necklaces etc photographed and on the site later this week. The flowers themselves are already up there for all to see.

Well l had better finish off here and get back to the land of kids bedtimes and normality. Again sorry for not 'keeping in touch' promise to be better at this blog business...............

Karon

SLEEPING ON TV

2008-01-17T00:41:00.000-08:00

A huge thanks goes out to Janey Lee Grace for showing off our 'Sleep Sacks' on The Wright Stuff on Channel 5 TV on Monday. It is always so exciting to see something l have made on television, and the response has been fantastic. Here is a photo of the sleep sacks just so they can have their day in the sun again!

Wet and windy again here on the top of the hill. At least it is nothing like as bad as last week, so fingers crossed it doesn't go that way again. I stay holed up in HQ with my trusty old Singer, piles of fabric and bags and bags of all my mixed up herbs. I am trying to be seriously organised for my preparations for the London fair. Have listed everything to be made and broken it all down to whether things cut, sewn, filled, finished and labeled. It all looked a bit daunting at first when l saw it written out on paper, but l am slowly managing to tick some of those boxes and that feels rather satisfying and a step nearer my goal.

Dream Acres is definately having a good month on the pr front. We have been featured in COAST, HOUSE & HOMES IDEAS and COUNTRY LIVING, and the tv too of course! All those goodies featured are selling fast, it is certainly keeping me busy and keeping the village post office happy too.

On that note l shall get back to the sewing machine.....

LONDON CALLING

2008-01-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Well after all the storms last week (we went from the gale force winds knocking hell out of the greenhouse, trees and roof of HQ to torrential rain and the farden and fields under 6 inches of water) it looks like the weather has calmed down just a tad, enough to let us get out and try to repair damage. The most important thing to fix was the roof on HQ and we managed to get that fixed just before the torrential rain.

The big news is that Dream Acres will be attending the Country Living Fair in London on 12-16th March at the Design Centre in Islington. It is a really exciting prospect but nerve wracking at the same time. As you can imagine l am now knee deep in sewing trying to get stock ready to take, and full of worry that l am doing the right thing, taking the right stuff etc. I am a worrier at the best of times, give me something like this and l go into overdrive. So much for there being no real rush to get my new products out there, now l am snipping like mad to get my new patterns cut and and piling up the 'to be sewn' stuff so that l can work on things in blocks of time. This is when a few friendly elves would come in very handy.

I promise l will take some photos and post them here later in the week. Back to the scissors and sewing machine..............

SHATTERED DREAMS

2008-01-09T00:59:00.000-08:00

Well so much for my nice start to January, here is the devastation that awaited me this morning. Greenhouse completely smashed and 7 trees gone. At least the house and HQ are still intact and all people and animals are fine, but the greenhouse is a major blow.

It is only 9am and already l have had three friends phone to see if l need help, so sweet of them. I should not feel down, there are folks in far worse states, but boy oh boy l didn't need this for Dream Acres this year. I know the greenhouse is replacable, my little herbs not so easily, but those lovely old wind break trees, they will be sorely missed by plants and sheep alike.

Ayrshire is awash with wind. Just had the village school on the phone to say they will have to close as their power has gone. While l know Idgy will be thrilled with the unexpected day off l can only keep fingers crossed that we keep our power here or she won't half as happy with the extra time. Wonder if she can be talked into helping me clear the mess in the garden? I guess school would be preferable to that one.

Oh well, there is nothing for it but to head back outside and start clearing up.....

LET IT SNOW!!

2008-01-05T01:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we awoke to a real winter wonderland outside, with at leat 6 inches of perfect snow everywhere. Okay so the herbs (rosemary and sagestill in leaf) weren't looking too happy in their crowns of lace, but for a hopeless romantic like me it was gorgeous. Now why didn't we have this 2 weeks ago for Christmas!!

Having dug my way over to HQ l then spent some happy hours finishing the new year clear out, and l am proud to say l now have a floor in there and can see almost all of it. At last l can start work again and will soon be able to show you photos of work in progress rather than more and more snow scenes and pictures of me.

If you have been hit by the dreaded snuffles this winter, try this to clear your head;

Mix one tablespoon of crushed cinnamon with one tablespoon of dried spearmint and put in a saucepan withwater. Now let it simmer on the hob and your head will clear and snuffles abate (at least for a while). It will also make the house smell wonderful, so that's another bonus.

Enjoy the snow photos, it looks nothing like that this morning, just wet and muddy and blowing a gale.

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T02:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. From being very lazy and eating way too much over the holidays l have hit the new year with determination to fight the flab and get at least some way towards being fit. Usually this feeling lasts only into lunch time on January 1st before l (like most of the nation) give up and head for the biscuits. But no, its day 3 and l am still hanging in there with herbal teas instead of coffee and fruit everywhere. Actually herbal teas really are great for getting a start on a diet (or healthy eating plan to be more p.c.) they give you something with a bit of flavour and no nasty calories, add to that the fact that they actually do good things for your body, and you really are on to a winner.

So here are a feew ideas to try yourselves;

Use about one spoonful of dried herbs per cup plus 'one for the pot'. Pour boiling water over leaves and leave for 5 - 10 minutes to brew. Sweeten with honey if you prefer this taste.

If you are feeling sluggish try a peppermint infusion to wake you up and feel refreshed. Add a touch of cinnamon for a bit of a change.

A mixture of sage and lemon balm can help with coughs and sore throats.

Can't get to sleep, my all time favourite tisane (herbal tea) has to be lavender, lemon balm and chamomile, you will sleep like a log.

I have started the dreaded clear out of HQ (funny how a few weeks of 'l'll deal with that later' can lead to complete mayhem and total mess) and am now digging thru my fabrics to work them into the new designs. Can't wait to get these new ideas into action. Actually l had better get them into action rather fast as fairs are coming up and l am now somewhat low on stock anyway. Country Living won't be doing their fair in Glasgow this Spring, which is a real shame, however we have a Christmas fair to look forward to in November instead.

By the way the photo with the chicken was taken by my daughter Idgy this morning, and she dared me to put it on the blog. So there you are no pride left, have to get on that diet!!

WINTER WONDERLAND

2007-12-22T01:46:00.000-08:00

Brrrrr, it has been seriously cold up here at Dream Acres this week, with temperatures hitting minus 6 degrees it has been so beautiful to look at but a tad chilly to be out in.

Here is a photo of Dream Acres HQ where l do all my work. Have to admit l have been avoiding going in there (even tho l do have a cozy stove in there) as it is so much warmer in the house. The sheep are enjoying lots of extra rations to keep them warm, they look like piles of snow on the move and you can't even see them when the frozen mist comes down. The chickens have moved into the stable and are refusing to come out.

The web site officially closed on Monday for the Christmas break, so now is my time for clearing up all the mess l have made in the run up to Christmas doing fairs and the like. HQ is full of fabric scraps, spilled herbs, packing materials, threads, glue and ribbons. I have been very lax and just thrown things on the floor and into the loft to 'sort out later', well unfortuanately 'later' is now with us and l am determined to regain some sort of order in there for the New Year.

On that note l really should brave the weather and go over and sort things out, think l will have another cup of tea first...............

Karon

TWEEDY SAVES THE DAY!

2007-12-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Good old Tweedy Pie saved the day this morning. Every year our Christmas tree has caused no problems, we buy one from the local farmer, put on the same sets of trusty lights, load it with decorations and thats it till 12th night. Well not so this year, bought the tree no problem and carried it home to display proudly in the sittingroom. We spent a jolly afternoon festooning it with lights and decorations and stood back to admire our handiwork, wonderful.

Not so wonderful this morning when we woke to discover Christmas tree carnage in the sittingroom. Lights, shattered baubles and bits of porcelain all over the place, complete disaster. Several pets were looking rather guilty but nobody would own up to the crime! Most of my precious old baubles were ruined and l must admit to being more than a little upset. There was nothing for it but to start all over again and salvage what we could of the decorations. There wasn't enough to do justice to the tree, but guess who flew to the rescue - good old Tweedy Pie and his mates. Luckily l had some extra in stock so l have now covered the tree with my friendly little robins (unbreakable of course) and the Tweedy Puddings and hearts too. We may not have a lot of twinkling glass on the tree this year, but the whole flock of Tweedies certainly make it smell delightful!

Today was the last orders day for us here at Dream Acres. It is not really worth trying to rush to fill orders now in the hope that the post office will manage to get them there in time for the big day, l really hate the thought of disapointing people, so l would rather close today and know that what has gone out has a decent chance of getting there. We are now taking a well earned rest while we sort out Christmas at home and get the festive season into full swing with a bit of mince pie making and prezzie wrapping.

2007-12-11T00:54:00.000-08:00

My first blog posting, more of a nervous skitter over the keyboard really. Anyway welcome to my Dream Acres Diary where l'll be updating with the standard goings-on here at Dream Acres in the heart of Ayrshire, where it is freezing cold this morning.
I guess December is a silly time to start this as l really never have time before Christmas for anything. It just seems to be a case of filling orders, filling the car with stock for fairs and filling the family with food, there is never time to breathe far less try to start an online blog. I will do my best and will hopefully improve as l go along.
Today is a day of sewing (once l have defrosted HQ - the little log cabin where l work ) and finishing off extra stock for the fair at Killearn on Saturday. This is my last Christmas fair of the year and the last orders on the web site will be on Monday. After that we elves at Dream Acres will be taking a rest and revving up for Christmas here in the country.