Bye-Bye beach, hello school!

Carlie Caramel loved helping her parents in their Arts and Craft Store. September was always a bustling month, with the start of the school year. 

Carlie enjoyed stocking the shelves with colourful supplies,

helping customers 

and seeing the excitement on the face of children picking out their new school materials.

But today was Sunday, and tomorrow she would be starting school herlsef.Carlie longed for one more day of freedom before the routine of classes began.

Her parents were busy finishing a painting in their art studio.

They understood she needed for a break and agreed to let her spend the morning at the beach.

Carlie decided to ride her bike instead of taking the bus. She loved the feeling of the wind on her face and the lovely landscape. She wore the new summer dress her mother bought her at the village clothes shop, feeling a sense of joy and freedom.

Upon reaching the beach ,Carlie parked her bike and went for a walk along the shore.It was lovely to feel the cool breeze and the warm rays of sunshine.

After a while, she found a perfect spot to sit down.She pulled out the book she had been reading over the summer. She had only a few pages left to finish it and the ending was getting very exciting.

She also enjoyed a cool orange juice she bought at Peter and Peace´s beach bar.

As she sipped her juice and lost herself into the last pages of her book, Carlie felt completely at peace.

The worries of the upcoming school year melted away.

When she finished reading her book and drinking her juice, Carlie decided to treat herself to something special.

She walked over to the seaside ice-cream shop. The shop owner, Amelia,greeted her with a warm smile.

"Hello, Carlie! Ready for school tomorrow?she asked as she approched the counter.

"Yes, but I wanted to enjoy one last day at the beach" Carlie replied with a grin.

She ordered her favourite three scoop cone: vanilla, mint and strawberry.

As Amelia scooped the ice-cream, she winked at her and added and extra scoop of blackberry on top.

"A little treat before the school starts" she said ,handing her the towering cone.

Carlie´s eyes widened with delight. "Thank you so much".

Carlie knew there would be fewer days at the beach once school started, but this moment made her feel like summer would last for a bit longer.

As she finished her ice-cream, it was time to head back home. She hopped on her bike feeling happy and relaxed after her nice morning at the beach.

When she arrived home, her parents greeted her with smiles. They were pleased to see her so happy.

Feeling inspired, Carlie started preparing for her first day of school.

She carefully laid out her clothes,

packed her school bag 

and organized all the supplies she would need.

As she looked at her neatly arranged items, Carlie felt a sense of excitement for the new school year.She knew it would bring new challenges and adventures but she was ready to face them with a positive attitude.

Carlie went to sleep that night with a smile on her face and had a wonderful dream about the new school year ahead.

The next morning Carlie woke up feeling cheerful and excited about going back to school.

"Good luck on your first day back to school, Carlie!

Hope you have an amazing year!"

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This short story came to me by chance when I was making a dress out of a piece of ruffle ribbon.

Being a summer dress, my intention was to take a photo with a beach background to show it to you. 

As I was making the dress on the last Saturday afternoon of August, I was thinking about going back to work on the 1st of September. 

I am a teacher so I also have to go to back to school.

That's where the rest of the story came from.

I needed an introduction to the story but I didn't have much time to set up the arts and crafts shop again so I chose some of the pictures from the story about the Carramel's art shop that I posted long ago.

By the way, this is the picture of the ribbons I used to make the dress.

I set up a bedroom for some of the scenes so I took some extra pictures of Carlie in her room.

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Hope you enjoyed today´s story!

If you´re a student and you´re reading this post I wish you all the best for this year at school or university. If you have children at school I wish them all the best too!

Good luck!

The Farthing Dog Family goes on holidays

Dear Readers,

Hope you´re having a good summer or winter, if you´re in the Southern Hemisphere.

Today´s story is my entry for the August´s challenge in the Sylvanian Forum.

Challenge #8: Dog Days


The Dog Days are the hottest, most humid days of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The term refers to the time of year (mid to late summer) that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises.

The Dog Days prompt gives us multiple areas to consider and explore! For this month’s challenge, celebrate the canine residents of Sylvania, share the wonders of stargazing or show us life during the hottest part of summer. Please feel welcome to use any aspect of this theme or incorporate multiple concepts into your project.

As always, Terra, the forum administrator, gave us a lot of potential ideas that are  great for inspiration. I have incorporated some of her ideas into this story and have made some crafts too.

Hope you enjoy it!

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The Farthings , all dressed in matching summer outfits are ready for their much anticipated holiday.

This year, the parents,Penny and Harley, had planned a special surprise for their three children, Vespa, Wren and little Rally. They had rented a spacious car and a caravan ,perfect for their week-long adventure.

As they stepped inside the caravan, the kids´eyes lit up with excitement."Wow! is this for us?" Wren exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Yes, it is!" Penny replied with a grin. "We´ve stocked it with everything we need for our holiday".

The kids, bursting with excitement, explored every nook and cranny.

The main living area was cozy and inviting.

It had a comfortable sofa that could easily convert into and extra large bed for mum and dad and also for little Rally.

There was also a storage area and large windows that let in plenty of natural light, making the space feel bright and airy.

Rally was delighted to find a basket with some of his toys and his favourite book of bedtime stories.

Vespa and Wren were thrilled to discovered they had got their own sleeping area with  two folding bunk beds ,comfy sleeping bags and a new book for each of them!

The kitchen was well-equipped and stocked with all the necessary utensils.

"A campfire cookbook!" Wren was particularly excited about the idea of helping Mum and Dad cook new recipes. Vespa suggested making some lemonade.

Rally opened one of the drawers and discovered a small treasure. It was full of sweets and treats!

The kitchen even had a folding ironing board that could also be used as a side table. "This is like a tiny home on wheels!" Wren exclaimed.

The bathroom was nearly bigger than the one they had at home!It had a shower, a sink and a toilet that folded back into the wall.

"How funny!," Rally exclaimed with a loud laugh. 

They also found a hidden hatch in the floor.The children were curious to see what was inside.

They were over the moon when they found all the surprise gifts that their parents had hidden for them.

"This is amazing" Vespa shouted, already imagining the fun they would have on their holiday trip.

The whole family was very pleased and happy  with all the facilities the caravan offered. It was the perfect base for their holiday , combining the comforts of home with the excitement of outdoor living.

Now, it was time to load the car and set off towards their first destination: the beach.

They spent the morning building sandcastles, collecting shells and splashing in the water.

Mum was delighted to be able to relax under the umbrella , enjoying the sun, the sound of the waves and her children´s laughter and playful shouts.

Harley had fun surfing the biggest waves.

Wren even tried her hand at surfing , with Dad´s help.

Ralley also wanted to surf and his siblings put him on the board but close to the shore.

After a fun -filled morning,the Harleys stepped off the sandy beach.

"Where to next?" asked Dad,squinting against the sunlight.

Mum consulted the map. "How about a picnic by the river? Somewhere peaceful with picnic tables and a barbecue area".

The kids nodded in agreement. They piled into the car and drove through winding roads until they found the perfect picnic spot.

Penny took cold water and fresh fruit from the cool box and Harley took food from the picnic basket.

They enjoyed  sandwiches, homemade cookies,fresh fruit and cold drinks. The weather was hot and it was important to stay well hydrated.

"Who would like some watermelon for dessert?" Harley asked once they had finished their meal.

With the heat of the day, the whole family was in the mood for a slice of cool watermelon.

Afer lunch Penny had a shower to freshen up and wash off the salt water from the sea.

 Harley set up a hammock between two trees. 

There was nothing like swaying gently in the shade, feeling the cold breeze while drinking ice-cold lemonade.

But soon there was a queue to try out the hammock." Now it´s my turn, Dad!"

After taking turns to relax on the hammock ,the kids were  excited to explore the river. As it was neither deep nor fast-flowing, Mum and Dad let Vespa and Wren took the canoe .They put their life jackets and paddled down the gentle stream.

Little Rally was a bit dissapointed. He also wanted to sail the river with his siblings but his parents thought he was too young.

"I have a great idea", Harley told Rally.

"What about following Vespa and Wren on our boat?. Let´s see who can paddle the fastest" Rally began to jump up and down with joy and the three of them got into their small boat.

When they arrived at a shallow area they got out of the canoe and the boat.

Wren and Vespa cooled down in the water and skipped stones from the bridge.

Rally marveled at the fish swimming beneath him.

Penny picked some wildflowers to put in the caravan.

and  Harley  saw with the binoculars a lush and green forest nearby.

He ventured into the forest entrance but quickly turned back because it was getting late.

Penny was telling a story to her children when Harley returned from the forest. He smiled, full of pride, at the sight of his family.

"Who wants to explore a forest and go hiking tomorrow?" He asked. Everyone loved the idea.

They paddled back to their campsite in the late afternoon, tired. happy and excited about tomorrow´s adventure.

Harley fired up the barbacue, Penny chopped vegetables 

and the children  set the table.

The smell of grilled vegetables and veggie burgers filled the air. They sat around the picnic table , enjoying their meal and sharing stories from the day.

After dinner they  played a few rounds of their favourite games 

and sang songs with Wren playing her ukelele.

Before heading to bed,they laid on their backs and watched the stars. The clear night sky was filled with twinkled stars. The cool night air was a welcome relief from the day´s heat. They spotted Sirius, the dog star and even catched a glimpse of shooting stars.

The kids made wishes and Mum and Dad smiled at each other knowing this was a day they would cherish forever.

This day was just one of many in their holiday,filled with outdoor activities,fun and the simple pleasure of being together. 

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For this challenge I made some simple crafts such as the cooler box that I made from foam,

the watermelon slices were also made out of foam 

and the picnict table. For the picnic table I followed this tutorial. It´s a very easy and quick craft to make.

It is almost a year since I bought the green car with the second-hand caravan. Summer was the best time of the year to feature it and this month's forum challenge was a good opportunity for the Fathing dog family to enjoy it on their holidays.

They had a great time. Hope you also enjoyed seeing how they spent their holidays.

See you soon!

Hugs!