Keep it in the family… the mad things families say to one another!

“If we lived there we’d be home by now” …this is a phrase my family would often say to each other whilst pointing at a random house when we were on a long journey home. And it’s one of those daft sayings that you think probably only your family say! (It isn't is it? Is it? Am I revealing too much in this post I wonder... well, I've started now...)

Like, as another example from my own family, “How’s your belly off for spots?” when you want to enquire after a person’s well-being. Or, “Why've you got a face like a violin?” is, or course, a way of checking on a loved one’s mental health at that particular moment. Shorts aren’t called ‘shorts’ in the PhotoFairytales household - they’re called ‘ventilated sun trousers’, because that's simply more fun than just saying 'shorts'.

A typical example of a pair of ventilated sun trousers...

And, of course, there's the classic, "Do you want to buy a battleship?" 

which basically means... erm... well...

You can even get your own canvas print with all the great classic family sayings on it...

My grandpa would look earnestly at you and say, “There is a green hill far away without a city wall, you know!” as if you ever doubted it and he’d found the proof. My mum is Queen of Mad Conversations, with such ice breakers as, “I had one of those but the wheel fell off.” Had what? What did you have? Wheel fell off what?! But that’s the joy you see, when you’re ‘in the know’ you instantly know that your reply should be along the lines of, “But I have the purple one, because they have castors rather than wheels which is better.” Then the reply to that would be, of course, “Yes, but I didn’t like the hairy finish on the purple ones so went for the spotty one instead.” This conversation can go on for hours. Perfect for long car journeys when you’re passing houses you don’t live in but if you did you’d be home by now...

Mad, utterly, utterly mad. Fun though… especially when you have those conversations in public so that people can overhear. I’m sure that over the years we’ve left many, many people with puzzled expressions wondering what on earth we were talking about (tip: queues are a good place for conversations like this)! But that’s the joy: the completely silly stuff that families say to one another that makes no sense to anyone outside!

So, is it just my family that has a history of all these silly phrases? 

What daft things does your family say to one another? Please leave a comment (and let me know that my family aren’t completely and utterly weird!).

Sarah :)

A great keepsake created from your child's artwork!

When it comes to drawing, creating and painting, Amy is very, very, very prolific! I am treated daily to fabulous creations. Only this weekend she transformed a toilet roll and an empty tissue box into an airplane and hangar. The outer wrapper from the peperami she was munching while cutting and sticking, became the escape shute for the passengers when the plane crashed. (That's "when", not "if"..!)

But she also loves to curl up on the sofa with a tray and her ENORMOUS pencil case (yes, the 7 year old inside me is insanely jealous!), and draw a wonderful picture. Like most mums my fridge is plastered with all this artwork. And it is virtually impossible to throw any of it away of course. So in the seven short years of her life I have managed to fill two memory boxes and a huge folder with her drawings! I adore everything she does, of course, but every now and then she will create something really amazing. Usually a picture with a story - and half the joy is listening to her explaining what is going on in the image.

So - this set me a thinking..... wouldn't it be great to do something with these special pictures? Those hand or foot prints, those pictures of the family at the beach, the self portraits, or the drawing of the house she wants to live in when she's grown up? Having just introduced a range of box canvases, it suddenly struck me how fantastic to be able to create a canvas from a child's masterpiece! It could be a straightforward print of the original picture, or it could have a little message added like the one shown here (if the design allows!).

So if you have a precious painting or drawing why not get it created into a fabulous and totally unique piece of permanent wall art? The printing quality is superb, so it will capture every detail and pencil or paintbrush stroke. You can get it printed as an 8" square slimline canvas for only £12 or a deeper framed 10" square canvas for £25 - and that includes UK delivery.

What a fabulous keepsake or present - parents, grandparents, aunties & uncles would surely love to receive one? Just take a look at http://photofairytales.co.uk/canvasforher.aspx - a great idea for a Father's Day present too perhaps?!

Best wishes, Sarah