Sometimes you want to give a Christmas present with real quality and originality. Sheila Holness makes gorgeous miniature garden equipment, such as shears, rakes, pots and spades, in sterling silver. Each piece is based on a real tool; some have been passed down through the family since the 1930s, some found in a neighbour’s shed, some in the Rural Life Museum at Tilford,Surrey.
A member of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen, Sheila creates her tiny pieces, in one-twelfth scale, as authentically as possible, with the trug even cast from a silver original put together in the traditional manner.
These would be just right for starting someone’s collection, and with around twenty diferent pieces, could well solve your present problems for years to come. Prices range from £7 to £95. Some pieces, such as the barrow and the willow cone, take more time to produce, though, so if you have your eye on a particular piece, then it would be better to get in touch sooner rather than later before Christmas.
Sheila has a gardener’s eye, which explains why these pieces look so authentic. Her garden, renovated from a wilderness in 2002, is in Brent Knoll, Somerset and will be open July 26 2010 under the National Garden Scheme.
...Landscape Juice Network
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