One of the most exciting things about February 14th is making and exchanging paper valentines. A Valentine Mobile makes a creative and unique substitution for a card, and also serves as a re-usable decoration for February 14th. 

In the wonderful book Tasha Tudor's Old-Fashioned Gifts, Tasha Tudor and Linda Allen include instructions for making Valentine Mobiles and today we are going to show you how to make our own, somewhat simplified, version!

On a cool autumn day you might find the Tudor family gathered outside around a large cauldron, the sweet honeyed smell of beeswax in the air. Winslow Tudor leads the candle dipping, having learned the art from his grandmother, Tasha Tudor. Winslow's daughters, Ellie, 7, and Katie, 3 are quite as involved in the process as the adults.  It warms the heart to see the Tudor family gathered together, carrying on the tradition of making candles that will bring light to the family during afternoon tea, on holidays and during the dark nights of winter.   

The Sparrow Post is one of the most beloved and enduring traditions in the Tudor family. Every year, especially near Christmas and Valentines Day, Tasha Tudor, her children, and (later) her grandchildren would spend hours crafting miniature letters or valentines, envelopes, and post-boxes. Once constructed, the family would hang their little post-boxes on their bedroom doors and every morning they would wake eagerly to check to see if any mail had arrived in the night. Sometimes they would use the Sparrow Post to write to each other and sometimes the letters were addressed to or from their famous dolls such as Thaddeus Crane and Melissa Shakespeare who were considered part of the family. 

As the nights grow longer and the last leaves fall from the trees a stillness sets in. In the summer we are drawn out into the world, whether to far off lands or to the pond at the end of the road, but something in us shifts as we settle into autumn and winter. The hearth calls to us and its warmth draws us near, draws us together. Is there anything cozier than huddling close to a fire with loved ones, sipping tea and sharing stories on a cold November night?

Autumn Greetings from Vermont! Our green mountains are slowly but steadily bursting into firey hues of orange, ochre, and red. The nights are getting frostier and the smell of woodsmoke from woodstoves and fireplaces lingers in the air. Though the cooler weather and shorter days heralds in a season of slowing down, things at Tasha Tudor and Family remain as lively as ever! 

Many of you will have noticed the release of two very exciting new projects on our online store, our 2017 Wall Art Calendar and The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook.  To celebrate the release of The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook we are happy to annouce several book signing events in the coming months with author, and Tasha's grandson, Winslow Tudor! 

Tasha was in the habit of forcing bulbs to grace her home throughout the winter months.  Bulbs of choice were, tulips, hyacinths, amaryllis, and paper whites (tender fragrant narcissi).  My son, Benjamin,  who is an avid gardener, recently remarked that one of his favorite childhood memories was coming downstairs each morning to the enveloping fragrance of a large bowl of paper whites in bloom. 

We hope that you are fortunate enough to find your way to the precious and colorful backwoods of Vermont in late September or early October. Maybe you can imagine the beauty from looking at Tasha's illustrations.  Maybe you can even feel the sweet warmth of the autumn hues and golden sunlight from her watercolors with borders of fall flowers. We wonder what we can do to give back to the earth for the joy it bestows upon us.  

"Explore miniature worlds that capture life's details...and capture the imagination." 

Mark your calendars! For a limited time this autumn and winter our good friends at the Concord Museum in historic Concord, Massachusetts will be exhibiting a rare collection of dollhouses and their miniature contents, including Tasha Tudor's Melissa Shakespeare! 

This past Sunday, August 28th, marked Tasha’s 101st birthday! At Corgi Cottage the day was sunny, hot and humid, just the kind of weather Tasha liked most. Were she still with us she likely would have spent her birthday tending to her garden, lush and overgrown in that extravagant late summer way, perhaps stopping in the afternoon for tea on the porch (sipped hot even on a day as balmy as this!) and home baked cake with her family.