Well it has been quite a while as you know since we last wrote a blog entry. There have been quite a few changes since then too.

Firstly my cousin Jacqueline has gone on to ventures new after working really hard to help set the business up. She was has taken a position at Jaeger a company she has worked for before. She is now able to have days off, a rare event when running your own business! This enabled her to spend more time with her animals and in her beloved Wales.

I ran the shop on my own for a year but then by an amazing series of events my very good friend Jacqueline (yes another one) has now joined me.

Also in November we opened Shabby Chocolat, a rococo style chocolate boutique above our main shop. A visit is a must for serious chocolate indulgence!

We are still busy as ever, especially with our restored furniture. We now have a fabulous team of restorers working with us to produce some really lovely pieces.

You can view all our furniture on Pinterest along with our handmade crafts and cushions! We have also launched our home styling service. We can transform anything from a single chair to a whole room!

I will be blogging regularly again now, with all the events and news and day to day happenings!

Denise xx

ITS A BIT OF A DOGGY DILEMMA!

Hi All,

Hope you have all enjoyed your pumpkin bashing and fireworks! I love this time of year, getting on the woollens scarves and mittens, hands round a nice hot mug of soup, especially the soup from Copra Cafe in Hebden its delicious and they deliver!

We have just had the Hebden Bridge bonfire and firework display. I'm sure it gets busier every year its amazing how many people come from all around to join in the fun.

The shop is hectic as you would expect at this time of year. We are getting ready for Christmas and have just been discussing how to dress the window. Last years was a great success and we had a lovely lady in yesterday who said she had just popped in to say she couldn't wait to see this years display! We do have some lovely customers.

This makes me think of one of our favourite customers of all time Poppy. She comes in with her owner Wendy most days and loves to have a wander round the shop whilst we chat with Wendy.

She is adorable as you can see. We have a little bowl of water on the sill outside of the shop with a note attached saying "free doggy refreshment". Poppy loves to have a little drink before she comes in, but today she was disappointed as were we to discover that our doggy bowl has gone!

Its probably due to some youthful frivolity no doubt but it did leave us in a bit of a predicament to find another bowl quickly for Poppy's drink.

We managed to sort something out though so all was well in the end. Poppy decided she would like to share a few photos with you so you can all ooh and aah after her as we do, so I hope you enjoy them!

Will be posting again soon with some pictures of the Christmas window.

Love to all

Denise

RELOVED AND REHOMED!

Hi Everyone,

We have had some exciting times recently at Country Cousins. The individual pieces of furniture we source have been selling in a matter of days!

Last weekend we had three 1950 pieces painted in a gorgeous pale duck egg blue. Laura Ashley would have been proud! All three pieces went within two days.

What to do we thought, as between running the shop and producing our own handmade goodies, it would be hard to find enough furniture ourselves to keep up with the demand.

Then as so often happens when we are looking for a solution up popped not one but two! We were contacted by two different furniture restorers who had heard about us.

Now we have some wonderful vintage and reloved pieces that are selling like hotcakes!

We managed to get these photos before they went! If you would like to see more photos you can join our facebook group Country Cousins Lifestyle where we post pictures and snippets of Hebden Bridge life daily.

Lots of Love Denise and Jackie xx

ON THE WAY TO GRANDMAS HOUSE!

Hi All,

We have totally fallen in love with this gorgeous Little Red Riding Hood doll who arrived this week!

She really evoked some childhood memories for me. I wanted to be a mermaid, failing miserably not being able to swim, or to be Little Red Riding Hood. This I nearly achieved in a school rendition but was severly miscast (in my opinion) as the Grandma!

We loved to visit our Grandma as young girls, she always hade wonderful stories to tell and scrumptious cake to share.

We have also been busy making lots of new goodies for the shop, our handmade items are being snapped up by all you lovely ladies! We are constantly extending our handmade range as a result.

We hope you like our new additions pictured. These are our Snuggle Blankets from the Lily Hillidge linen range. They are so soft and cuddly and are backed with beautiful floral fabrics, they come in two different sizes. If you love Shabby Chic or Essentially English styles you will adore these!

Jackie is off to her beloved Brecon Beacons again for a few days whilst I am busy preparing our new newsletter which you can sign up for by emailing us at countrycousinslifestyle@live.co.uk and keep up to date with news, especially of our Country Club which we will be launching soon, where members will receive invites to special events and details of previews and promotions. Very exciting!

Well I had better get on with it!

Lots of Love

Denise xx

CHICK CHICK CHICK CHICK CHICKEN!

There has been quite a bit of excitement in the air this week. Jackie has had a new addition to the family, well five actually.
As some of you may know a few months ago whilst out walking her dog Jackie was persuaded to take in an abandoned cockeral which had been left at a local stables. His crow maybe a bit rusty but Colin sure likes to strut his stuff! He has caused quite an interest in the hen house. Jacke went to collect eggs one morning and found five gorgeous little chicks all snuggled together.

Everyone has been fussing round them, they really are so fluffy and gorgeous. Although Mr Whiskers is not to impressed (the ferret not the husband!) As for Noodles the dog, well he can't understand what all the fuss is about.

We have had another amazing week in the shop having sold three of Charlotte's chairs already!
We have also got some lovely new little bird purses and bags in stock that are really sweet.
I am busy on the sewing machine making some more pretty floral tablecloths and aprons.

Our handmade items are selling out really fast, so much so that we are having a get together with some of our crafters to design more lovely ranges its all very exciting!

HEBDEN HAMPERS

Oh my word! Can't believe how fast time has flown since we last blogged! Sincere apologies.

We have been very busy though with some really exciting new ventures within the shop. We have now launched Hebden Hampers in a joint venture with Copa House Cafe. Amber is providing the picnic food, including her scrumdidilyumptious cakes and we are putting the yummy picnic into one of our lovely baskets together with beautiful vintage china, cutlery,doillies, pretty linen napkins, a picnic mat and throw. What a wonderful treat for boaty days, proposal days or simply lazing in the sun days!

We have also introduced Alice's Attic a range of mismatched vintage china for hire, which has been in such high demand that we have started to sell pieces as well.

The website should hopefully be up and running soon. How exciting! We will also be providing a newsletter subscription to keep you posted on events and offers.

We had a new star join the team of crafters this week, Charlotte, she upholsters furniture in the most gorgeous floral fabrics. One of her chairs had only been in a day before it sold!

Hope you are all enjoying this glorious weather we are having at the moment. Which reminds me better bring the washing in, just in case!

Lots of love
Denise xx

Hi everyone, hope you all had a great Easter. The shop was nice and busy with lots of new customers. We closed on Good Friday and I took my daughter Sally to Nottingham as she is a member of the Danny Wallace Join Me group and many of them meet up for a social and of course a few drinks along with raising money for charity.
Last week saw me having a couple of days in my beautiful Welsh valley and the sun was shining and the lambs were out in the fields and all ws right with the world. I feel like I am a piece of elastic and keep getting pulled back there. When you see the photos you will know why.
Looking forward to our one year anniversary next Saturday 1st May and cannot believe how quickly it has flown. It has been a wonderful year and I would like to thank everyone for their support. If you are in the area please call in and say hello. We will be serving Cava and cake so thats a good as excuse as any to pop in.
We have also got some wonderful limited edition prints in stock and for one day only they will be available at a very special price.
Take Care
Jackie Hatton