Welcome to the Hazelnut Dormouse Family's home

 Dear Readers!

Hope you´re doing well!

It’s been a long time since my last post about a decorated home for one of my Sylvanian families. I actually decorated the Hazelnuts' house and took the photos years ago, back in 2018, but I still needed to go through them and select the ones to put together for this entry

As you’ll see, their home isn't an official Sylvanian house, but a Forest Families one. Its scale and rustic style suit the Sylvanians perfectly, and the Hazelnuts are very happy living there.

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The Hazelnuts live in a cozy log cabin surrounded by a peaceful meadow.

When you open the thick wooden door, you´re greeted by the living room and the fresh scent of the forest.

On the table, there is a small basket that smells of cedarwood.Mona is the one who loves foraging in the woods for cedar, moss, and pine cones... to bring the scent of nature to her home.

Next to the front door, a wooden sign displays the family rules. It's a constant reminder for the Hazelnuts, who do their best to live in harmony and kindness.

At night, the comfy couch turns into a bed for Mona and Sidney.

It’s a bit ironic since Sidney is a professional bed maker! 

You’d think they’d have a proper bed, but they find the couch comfortable enough.Besides, they’re always so tired at the end of the day that they fall asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow.

The cupboard in the living room has a hidden secret:

 a wooden board that slides out to become a handy little desk.

This is where Otto does his homework, but he finds it hard to focus. Being right beside the kitchen makes him hungry. He’s always distracted by the delicious smell of the dinner his mum is cooking.

His sister Odette also does her homework in the living room. Her father and Ned, the youngest of the family, share time together while they all wait for dinner to be ready.

When dinner is ready, they all sit around the table to enjoy the hearty meal Mona has prepared. She’s a very good cook, and they all thank her for making such delicious meals.

If you are wondering why little Ned is playing instead of eating with the rest of the family, I’ll tell you that he already had his dinner. When Sidney finished work in his workshop, he fed him.

 

After dinner, they usually play a boardgame together until it´s time to go to bed.

As you can see, the living room is the heart of the Hazelnuts' home. Now, let’s take a look at the kitchen, where Mona prepares all those delicious meals. 

The kitchen is quite small, but Mona has everything at her fingertips. She loves cooking and is happy preparing meals in this cozy space.

Her apple pie is everyone´s favourite.

Would you like a slice?

By the way, did you notice her shopping basket?

It´s actually made from a real hazelnut shell, truly living up to the family name.

At the back of the house, there is also a small but functional  bathrooom.

Mona loves the morning light in the bathroom as she freshens up.

The soap dish is a seashell that Odette’s friend, Shelly Neptune, gave her.

Otto loves a warm shower after a long day of school and play. He often stays in there just a little too long, lost in his own thoughts.

The truth is, Otto is a bit absent-minded and often forgets his towel. When the water stops, you often hear a faint "Hello! Is anybody there?" coming from the bathroom.

He’s lucky little Ned was there to the rescue. "Please, can you tell Mum to bring me a towel?" 

Mona keeps reminding him to bring a towel with him, but she brought it to him anyway.

Otto thanked his mum once again for bringing him a towel. "Oh, Mum, you're the best!" Mona replied with a smile: "And you're such a forgetful flatterer, but I love you anyway!"

Also at the back of the house, right next to the bathroom, we find the laundry room. Washing machines have evolved a lot in Sylvania, but the Hazelnuts still use a vintage one that works perfectly, just like the day they bought it

Next, let's head upstairs to see the children's bedroom.

Otto loves playing football and has a little cabinet in his room to keep his ball safe.

Odette has her own mirrored cabinet. It’s her favorite place to hang her clothes and keep all her bits and bobs organized,from her perfume to her little treasures.

Ned is a charming little boy and Odette loves him to bits.

Ned can happily entertain himself for hours just playing with his toys.

But he much prefers playing with someone, especially with Odette and her dollhouse.

I’m afraid the tour is coming to an end. It’s time to sleep. Mona went to kiss her kids goodnight before going downstairs to get into bed. Sydney must be asleep already. He sleeps like a log. Funnily enough, in Spanish, we have a similar idiom: "dormir como un lirón" (sleeping like a dormouse), which fits this family perfectly!

Good night! Sleep tight!

We’ll let the Hazelnuts sleep, but before finishing this entry, I’ll show you a full view of the front of the house. Some other day, we’ll visit Sydney’s workshop.

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I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Hazelnuts' home! I have a soft spot for this family, which is why I’ve given them a permanent, decorated home. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have many houses on display due to the lack of space in my flat, but when I decorated this one, I decided to leave it out since I plan to feature this family in future stories. The first time they appeared was a few years ago at Christmas, and there will definitely be more to come!

See you soon!

April showers at Berry Grove School

 Dear Readers,

Hope you’re all doing well!

Today’s story is my contribution to Challenge #4, "April Showers,"

for the Creative Challenges on the blog "Sylvanian Creations"

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Today at Berry Grove School, Mr. Buckley’s language class was about proverbs.

When the lesson finished, he announced a special project: "You must recreate a saying for our "Class Book of Proverbs." You can draw it, act it out, or set up a scene for a photo. Be creative and use your imagination!"

Mr.Buckley divided the class into groups of four. Freya Chocolate,Rumpus Macavity, David Chiffon and Della Dingle were in the same group, but they couldn't agree on anything.

"I’ve got it!" Freya said. "Let’s do "It’s raining cats and dogs"!" Rumpus and David rolled their eyes. "Very funny. No way! Besides, that’s an idiom. Weren’t you paying attention to the lesson?"

What about "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Gordon suggested. "That's too well known," Freya and Rumpus replied.

Then, Freya turned to Rumpus with a grin. "How about "Cats in gloves catch no mice"? We can make you wear giant oven mitts!"

"Can you just stop it!" Rumpus snapped. "You're being so annoying!"

Just then, Mr. Buckley walked over. "Alright, everyone, let's stop the arguing," he said with a kind smile. "Since we are in  spring, why don't you choose something related to nature?"

Della, who had been quiet most of the time, looked at the rain tapping on the window. Her father was a gardener, and she remembered something he often says.

"I’ve got it! "April showers bring May flowers"! We can turn an umbrella upside down and use it as a flower pot!" 

"Yes! And a pair of wellies too!" Freya added. "I saw that in my granny's garden magazine."

Mr. Buckley overheard the conversation and smiled."That’s a wonderful choice. It’s related to nature and it also has a deeper meaning: the "showers" can represent difficult times, and the "flowers" are the good things that follow."

Happy with the feedback, the children got to work and decided what each would bring and make. 

The next day, the children went to the art room to work on their project. 

David brought the wellies,

Della gathered some fresh stems from her mother´s flower shop,

and Rumpus wrote out the saying while David and Della made paper flowers.

Freya overslept and arrived a bit later. She brought her sister’s flower-shaped umbrella, along with a box of chocolates for Rumpus and David to make up for teasing them the day before.

When they finished, they set up the scene. The umbrella was overflowing with colour, and the rain boots were full of bright stems.

Mr. Buckley, proud of their teamwork, congratulated them on their project

and took a picture for the Class book of proverbs.

Just as they finished, the bell rang for recess. Outside, the April clouds were dark and a heavy rain was falling. Most students stayed inside, but the four friends didn't mind and ran out to play under the April showers, happy with the worked they had done together.

I hope you enjoyed the story!

Berry Grove School was one of the buildings I most wanted to add to my collection when I first started. However, I haven't taken many pictures of the children in class yet. Actually, I think this is the first time I’ve taken photos of the students on the ground floor, and to be honest, it was quite challenging. It’s rather dark down there, and I found it difficult to get a good angle to show all the students sitting in their chairs.

That’s why I decided to move to the top floor for the part where the students set up the project, as the light is much better there.

I still don’t know what my next post will be about, but even though I don’t have much time, I feel motivated with my Sylvanians again. I hope to be back with a new story soon.

See you then!