Sylvanian Families Canal Boat and Seabreeze Rabbit Family

I like sailor suit and dress in general, either for my kids or for my dolls.  So you know I couldn't pass up a Sylvanian Families all dressed in sailor outfits!!!  I waited for a potential sale but this family is not the kind of item that would go on sale because it's a special edition released to celebrate  the 25th anniversary of Sylvanian Families in the United Kingdom!  So after months of waiting, I decided to go ahead and splurge on this. 

Please meet the Sylvanian Families Celebration Sea Breeze Rabbit Family :)

I took them out of the box right away because I already had a home for them!  The Sylvanian Families Riverside Canal Boat!!!

I found it for sale in the classified ads.  A sweet lady was selling away her children's toys and all I had to do was go pick it up.  I couldn't believe my luck.  The boat actually cost me less than the Rabbit family!  The boat was in perfect condition and it was near complete.  Only one tiny piece was missing: a pole to hang the flower pot, so it wasn't a big deal.

At first I was going to let my Norwood Mouse Family live in the boat because I still remember fondly the Sea Story from Brambly Hedge.   I adore the art and stories by Jill Berklem!  I blogged about her Brambly Hedge stories last year in this post.

But I changed my decision when I saw the Sea Breeze Rabbit family.  Here they are on top of the Rose of Sylvania II.  

The boat reminds me so much of book about Angelina Ballerina's grand-parent's canal boat in Angelina Star of the Show (please do read that book, it's lovely!).

Everybody in my household love the Sylvanian Families canal boat!  My husband, who isn't a huge fans of my toys, even decided to place the boat on a shelf in the living room.  My dolls take turn occupying the boat.  Each day when I come home, I see somebody has changed position ^_^  Every visitor that come into my house can't help but play with them and the boat.

But now it's the turn of the Sea Breeze Rabbits to occupy the boat!  Here are some pictures of the interior.

Daddy stirs the boat while the family eats in the galley.

Mommy cooks in the galley.

Mopping the deck while mommy puts baby to bed.

There is also a bathroom with a toilet and shower.  All the doors and windows open and there are storage space underneath the seats and in the front and back of the deck.  It's really an awesome home for my new Rabbit family!

Brambly Hedge

I started reading the Brambly Hedge Jill Barklem this year only.  I had never heard of them before and accidentally found them while browsing for children's books.  Oh what a discovery it was for me!  I totally fell in love with her exquisite drawings and charming stories about little field mice living in hollow trees.  It was almost like entering a magical world and not wanting to leave once the story ends.

I bought the The Complete Brambly Hedge book (available at the UK Amazon online store) which contains the 8 Brambly Hedge books collection :

1. Spring Story
2. Summer Story
3. Autumn Story
4. Winter Story
5. Poppy’s Babies
6. Sea Story
7. The High Hills
8. The Secret Staircase

The stories are about a community of field mice living in Brambly Hedge.  The main characters are Primrose, a strong-willed little mouse and her best friend, Wilfred, who is always looking for adventures!  The stories are sweet and funny and all the characters are so lovable! 

What is really amazing about these books are the detailed illustrations.  The books are filled with color pictures, all incredibly beautiful and full of very small details showcasing the life of the mice in their homes or outdoors.  My favorite drawings are the ones from the kitchen.  Tons and tons of objects are shown and they are so well drawn that they resemble miniature toys (or so one could wished!).  Don't judge by my low-resolution photos though because they don't do the real illustrations any justice.  

To complement the book, I purchased the DVD as well : Brambly Hedge - The Classic Collection which is priced very reasonably and is available unfortunately only at UK Amazon for now. Be careful though because the DVD is coded for the UK so it may not play on your DVD player if you live in another country.  It only plays with one of  my old DVD player but no all of them.  This DVD includes the 4 stories listed below:

1. Poppy’s Babies
2. Sea Story
3. The High Hills
4. The Secret Staircase

I can't tell you how lovely it was to see the story come alive in these stop-frame animation episodes.  I wished there was a DVD for the 4 other stories as well. One could purchase used VHS (Remember them? Those big bulky tapes?) but I don't own a VHS player .  However, I was able to find the download of those 4 missing episodes on youtube  :)  

The children love those stories and movies.  They ask to watch them again and again. I really wished they could make a line of toys based on the Brambly Hedge stories and characters.  I surfed online for figurines or dollhouses and came across this extraordinary hand-made Miniature Tree House by Maddie Chambers inspired from Brambly Hedge's Crabby Cottage in Spring story.

The picture below is from her Website and you must must must go there to take a look because you will then see each room in detail and see how she built some of the miniature items from scratch!  I am absolutely floored by her creation: so much beauty, patience, and passion went into this Tree House that one can't helped but be amazed at her creativity and sheer talent!