Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere to share the ups and downs of starting a craft business, with plenty of tips, mishaps and the odd glass of wine!

Sunday 31 March 2013

Easter Egg Hunt & Meeting The Gruffalo!

Happy Easter!!!


Easter Bunny Bags made last year - which amazingly survived the choc-madness!

Easter Egg Hunt

So last year you may remember (for those with good memories!) that I organised an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids, which of course they loved and in the way that only children can, they've been asking for another one all year, so I duly prepared another one for today, which again, went down incredibly well :-)


 As you'll see the Easter Bunny Bags were used & filled up again this year!











So once we'd scoffed quite a lot of the chocolate & got dressed we spent the rest of the day doing exactly the same thing as last year... off to the brilliant Dean Heritage Centre where they'd just transformed the Gruffalo Trail to depict the Gruffalo's Child story.

These are brilliantly devised scenes depicting the story using chainsaw cut statues! Here are the highlights:

Patrick having a lie-down on The Gruffalo's bed

First scene - "The Gruffalo said that no Gruffalo should ever go into the deep dark wood...."

Ahhh look, The Gruffalo's Child!

All the amazing statues were carved by chainsaw!

"The Big Bad Mouse! So he does exist!"

Excitement at actually meeting The Gruffalo!
There was SO much excitement at meeting THE REAL GRUFFALO as Seren shouted at him! It was lovely :-) The kids had a great time and so did we! Just as well as we're going back in a couple of week when we have friends with kids down to stay.

Hope you've all had a wonderful day and now I'm off to enjoy a cuppa and some chocolate whilst browsing through the other Handmade Monday blog posts!


32 comments:

  1. The Easter Bunny bags look so cute. I'm always amazed at how something as big and powerful as a chainsaw can make such detailed pieces.

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    1. Thanks Stephen :-) I know - you'd think they'd keep lopping ears off or something! Have a good week, Simmi x

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  2. Your egg hunt photos are really sweet. I do a treasure hunt every year for my very old children (10 and 13). I did ask this year when I can stop, and my daughter said perhaps I can when she leaves home, but I then will have to make one up for her children. Sigh.

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    1. Ha, I can see that being the answer with my two as well - that's the problem with doing something well I suppose... scuppered by one's own success ;-) Simmi x

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  3. Looks like the little uns had a great time, the Gruffalo is a great character.
    I have been to a few 'chainsaw' events, the guys who do it are brilliant.

    Jan x

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    1. They sure did Jan :-) I had never seen anything like it till last year when they unveiled the Gruffalos - amazing! Simmi x

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  4. Wow - this looks amazing. We love the Gruffalo and often go out looking for him but, unlike you, have not been lucky enough to find him :)

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    1. A friend told me today that Julia Donaldson is doing a talk at they Hay on Wye festival this year and The Gruffalo might be putting in an appearance! The Dean Heritage Centre is well worth a visit if you're ever in the area though :-) Simmi x

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  5. Aww looks like you had a lovely family day :) Easter egg hunts are the best, i love thinking up clues :)

    How fun to do something a bit different for Easter! Those statues really are beautifully made x

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    1. Thanks Natalie, it was a lovely day and I thought someone else's handiwork would pass muster for Handmade Monday this week ;-) Simmi x

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  6. What a nice day. I used to do egg hunts for my children in our garden. I hate chainsaws though - seem far too dangerous to me!!

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    1. I love the egg hunts - I do hope they don't grow out of it any time soon! I quite agree about the chainsaws - have forbidden my husband from getting one! Although I am very impressed with the results these guys can create :-) Simmi x

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  7. This looks amazing!! I too have met the Gruffalo and have to say he is a very nice monster. Have a happy Easter, Jo x

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    1. Hey Jo, my kids were a little worried before hand... Seren asked if he ate little boys & girls with a rather worried look, but she wasn't remotely bothered when he came out :-) Simmi x

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  8. What a lovely post. I'm always so in awe of chainsaw artists - it's hard enough to chop a branch in a straight line!!

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    1. Thanks Wendy :-) Yep, me too - I would probably manage to cut through the bench as opposed to the wood! Simmi x

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  9. What amazingly 'lifelike' Gruffalo statues, very talented. Looks like a perfect place to visit for little people (and big!)

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    1. It really is - no matter how many times we go, all of us spend ages looking at each diorama! Simmi x

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  10. It's lovely to have traditions when you're little, they give you lovely memories when you're older. The Gruffalo trail looks fun too

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    1. Hey Louise, yeah, it really is magical when you do something that they love - it's exactly the sort of thing my husband and I used to talk about before they were born! Simmi x

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  11. What a lovely way to spend Easter. We were remembering all our early morning egg-hiding missions from when our kids were small. Now we get to lie in but maybe one day grandchildren will appear and we can do egg hunts in the garden again (not just yet though)!

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    1. I have to confess, we've not braved doing one in the garden this year - although we did go to a National Trust place today where all the clues were outside (in the snow!) I hope the grandchildren don't arrive before you're ready!! Simmi x

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  12. Love the Gruffalo theme! I'm a big fan on this story :)
    the Easter eggs hunting look good - no wonder your kiddies asked for it this year
    Hope you've had a good Easter :)x

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    1. Thanks Martha, The Gruffalo stories are fab aren't they! We've had a lovely weekend thanks - hope you have too. Simmi xx

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  13. Looks like a great day out and a lovely family weekend. I miss having small children around to have fun with

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    1. Ahhh thank you - it was a lovely day out. I have to stop and remind myself to appreciate them while they're little sometimes. Having access to all the digital photos really helps with that though. Hope you have a lovely week, Simmi x

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  14. We live near to an agricultural college and at their open day each year they have chainsaw demonstrations and the results are fantastic. I love the Gruffalo - very cute. The Easter egg hunting looks really great fun. Hope you have a good week.

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    1. Thanks Jill, I'm terrified of chainsaws, but amazed by the results of these talented artists! Hope you have a lovely week too. Simmi x

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  15. The little bags are lovely and what a fabulous day out x I love the chainsaw sculptures too, its amazing what you can achieve with such a large piece of kit!

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    1. Thanks Bev :-) I know what you mean... such unwieldy looking things! Simmi x

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  16. Glad to see the Easter egg hunt was a great success. The bunny bags are lovely. I have to confess that I don't know a great deal about the Gruffalo. Love the little one made by the chainsaw.

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    1. Thanks Gertie :-) The story of the Gruffalo is becoming a real cult thing - lucky for the grown-ups it's not boring to read over and over!! Simmi x

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I really appreciate all comments made on the blog (it reminds me that I'm not talking to myself!) so just wanted to say thanks for adding your thoughts. Simmi x

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