After the Fall - Duck Egg Book Club

After The Fall - Charity Norman

In the quiet of a New Zealand winter's night, a rescue helicopter is sent to airlift a five-year-old boy with severe internal injuries. He's fallen from the upstairs veranda of an isolated farmhouse, and his condition is critical. At first, Finn's fall looks like a horrible accident; after all, he's prone to sleepwalking. Only his frantic mother, Martha McNamara, knows how it happened. And she isn't telling. Not yet. Maybe not ever. 

 This is the blurb on the back of ‘After the Fall’ and it drew me in like a bee to nectar…I LOVE stories like this.  I love the intrigue, the covers up, the secrets and most of all I love trying to guess what actually happened before the author chooses to reveal it.

The story is told from Martha’s point of view and tells of the decision to uproot her family from England and make the drastic move to New Zealand in order to save themselves for impending disaster.  Her five year old twins think it’s a big adventure, her husband, Kit, finally begins to realise his dream as a painter but Sasha, Martha’s 16 year old daughter from a previous relationship, thinks it’s the worst decision in the world.  Of course, what teenager wouldn’t dislike being taken away from friends, a boyfriend, an established life?  So I will admit to thinking Sasha was nothing but a big drama queen.  Especially with the added story line of who Sasha’s real father is, I felt that her character milked it for all it was worth and had it not been such a shock when it was revealed who he was, I think I would have lost patience with that particular theme.  However, Charity Norman has written her character well, and she is an integral part of the story.

The book starts at the scene of the accident, 5 year old Finn falling from the balcony and being airlifted to hospital.  Martha coming under immediate suspicion and being faced with inquiries from New Zealand social services.  Kit mysteriously not around.

We are then taken back to before the accident with the occasional chapter in the present day explaining how things currently stand with Finn’s condition.

The thing I really enjoyed about this book was its total unpredictability.  I thought I had a handle on the story and where it was leading, and was feeling slightly disappointed that it was turning out to be quite tame, when there was a sudden dark twist, and then another, and then another.  None of my theories on what actually happened were even close in the end.  I had to really fight the urge to flick to the back page and find out the ending!!

 

I also enjoyed the detail Charity Norman included in the book, I liked that she revealed small colloquialisms, for example, a Smoko Hut being a place for a tea break and her descriptions of the environment made me long to see it for myself!  Martha is a superb lead character, you really feel for her and can see how she is always trying to make the right decisions for her family, seemingly with disastrous consequences.

I can always tell the depth I have engaged with a story by how much I cry at the end (no, really) and I wept buckets when all was revealed.  I wanted so much for all to come right in the end for this family.

A really enjoyable read.  I have seen Charity Norman being compared to Jodi Picoult and I would agree.  If you like her novels then you should certainly give this one a try.  Thumbs up from me!

Review by the wonderful Duck Egg Book Club Editor, Jessica McGlynn.

To join the Duck Egg Book Club CLICK HERE

Feel free to leave comments on the blog and Facebook Wall.

TEAM DUCK EGG

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The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry - Book Review

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

This was a suggestion made by one of our regular book club members and I was pleased as it’s not the sort of book my eye would naturally be drawn to.

The Secret Scripture: Set in the 1950’s we meet Dr Grene, a psychiatrist working at Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital.  The Hospital is to be shut down and Dr Grene has to reassess all the current patients to find out whether they are suitable to be ‘released’ back into the local community.  One particular patient, Roseanne, is nearing her 100^th birthday and has been at the Hospital since she was a young woman.  Dr Grene is faced with the task of delving into her history to try and reveal the secrets of why she was first committed.

At the same time, Roseanne is writing a secret history of her life, living in rural 1930’s Ireland and the series of tragedies that led to her incarceration.  It is a beautifully written story exploring how we can all fall victim to the circumstances around us.  Roseanne is almost earmarked for disaster as soon as she is born; the daughter of a protestant Father in a warring country and a mentally unstable mother.  At some points in the story I was literally simmering with anger at how unfair her situation was, how powerless Roseanne was to change the way she was treated by people in authority around her.  I honestly cannot imagine living in such a way and I had to repeatedly remind myself that it was a work of fiction and not a real story!  Although I imagine, it isn't so far from some of the things that took place in that time.

We also follow a little bit of Dr Grene’s story, and how he faces his own tragic situations and seeks solace in Roseanne’s company, even though for a great many years she has been shunned and ignored by those working in the asylum around her.

This was my first Sebastian Barry novel but I enjoyed his flow of writing and his poetic descriptions of the setting.  I have always thought Ireland to be a  beautiful country and through Barry’s words, he really takes the reader on the journey with Roseanne and Dr Grene.

The only thing that lets this story down is the denouement.  I won’t reveal the hidden twist here as that would spoil it for anyone who wishes to try it for themselves but it was just so sudden.  We follow the entire story at an enjoyable pace and then the ending just seems to arrive as though Barry ran out of steam and wanted to tie the loose ends up.  I found it difficult to correlate the way the story ended with the rest of what I had read, it was all very convenient!  That said, it was still well written and I finished the book with a lump in my throat, disappointed that it had ended at all.

Another book I am really pleased to have read, and one I would recommend.

Review by the wonderful Duck Egg Book Club Editor, Jessica McGlynn.

To join the Duck Egg Book Club CLICK HERE

Feel free to leave comments on the blog and Facebook Wall.

TEAM DUCK EGG

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Seaside Fabric Pinboard

Seaside Fabric Pinboard

Celebrate summer by bringing the seaside indoors with this pretty old picture frame transformed into a handy fabric pinboard. It’s perfect for displaying postcards, jewellery, or just important reminders! Ellie Harrington shares some of her Upcycling tips.

FRAMED FABRIC PINBOARD HOW TO...

MATERIALS

• An old picture frame


• Paint (sample pots would work well for this project)


• Adhesive cork roll


• Material for covering the board


• (you will need the size of the back of the frame and an extra 15mm of fabric for the border)


• Grosgrain ribbon


• Upholstery tacks/buttons for decoration (optional)

EQUIPMENT

• Paintbrush


• Sandpaper


• Staple gun


• Masking tape


• Hammer (optional)


• Spray adhesive (optional)

? STEP ONE for creating your seaside fabric pinboard. Choose an interesting frame with detail that will enhance your paint effect. The size of your frame depends on how big you want your fabric pinboard to be and on the repeat of your fabric pattern. Remove and carefully discard the glass, if there is any. If the frame is gilded or has a shiny ?nish, chalk paints are a great alternative to sanding and can be painted straight on without priming. However, if you want to use emulsion or eggshell, key your surface by lightly sanding it, to help the paint to hold. To create a seaside appearance I painted an undercoat of white and a top layer of a seaside grey. We think this helps create beautiful vintage interiors!



? STEP TWO Sand the paint back in places to give a distressed feel. In some places remove the top layer to just the white undercoat and in other places right back to the wood to create the appearance of driftwood.



? STEP THREE Remove the back from your frame and cut your cork roll to size. The
roll is adhered either by removing the sticky backing paper or by applying a spray
adhesive, if you have plain cork roll. This will give pins or tacks something to ?x to. If you have a deep frame you could add a layer of foam in between, or another layer of cork. Just make sure you leave room for the fabric to ?t inside the frame.



? STEP FOUR Iron your fabric and cut to size. You will need 15mm for the margins. Fold
it over and stretch it as you staple the crab fabric print down (we have obviously used our Norfolk Crab Fabric Print here!) so there are no rucks or creases. You
can use double-sided sticky tape instead of staples. Tuck in the corners for a neat ?nish.

? STEP FIVE To complete the pin board you can use luxurious grosgrain ribbon in
diamonds across the board. Use masking tape to hold the ribbon until you are satis?ed
and then staple gun in place, pulling it tight as you secure the ribbon. Trim to the
length of the trim of the fabric. The ribbon diamonds will hold pictures and mementos
or, if you would rather, you can use pins to attach these. You could also hold the ribbon
in place with ornamental upholstery tacks or use mother of pearl buttons for a beach feel.
There you have it! A beautiful coast-inspired pin board that will perfectly frame your
favourite seaside treasures!



Taa daaa!! For more tips and hints join me at  Facebook: www.facebook.com/duckeggdesigns & Twitter:  @duck_egg !

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Winston Churchill Poster - Never Never Give Up

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Winston Churchill Poster

Our latest addition to our poster range comes thanks to an inspiring quote from Winston Churchill.

In 1941 Winston Churchill gave one of his inspiring speeches to about the having the resolve and determination to never give up even when facing extreme times. This expression is very close to us all at Duck Egg and the phrase is one of "Mr Duck Egg's" favourite quotes..... "Never Never Give Up". Our poster print is in tribute to the great man himself and very true saying that has helped us all by over the years. Hopefully it will bring some colour to any modern or vintage interior.

We hope this saying inspires you as much as it inspires us with our day to day missions. We are working card versions of all our posters and prints and hope to bring them out in the near future due to demand.

All Duck Egg Designs NEW range of posters and prints are available in any colour you want (we will colour match any colour). We believe these give any wall a unique, vibrant burst of colour, style and a bespoke finish.

A3 (Medium) Posters: £14

Below is a sample of colours we love but email us with your colour if you want a bespoke poster.



Please contact info@duckeggdesigns.com to discuss what colour you would like and size.

To order the poster click Winston Churchill Poster and looking forward to catching up soon.

Team Duck Egg

For more details visit www.duckeggdesigns.com or email info@duckeggdesigns.com


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THE MUMDRUM MUMPRENEURS INTERVIEW

The Duck Egg Team was very fortunate this month to feature in a great website magazine called the MUMDRUM. Below is a copy of the article:

The Mumdrum Mumpreneurs: Ellie Harrington, Founder of Duck Egg

This month we caught up with Ellie Harrington, founder of the beautiful interior design company Duck Egg to discuss motherhood, her business and working with Kirstie Allsopp. If you haven’t come across Duck Egg already we’re sure you will be inspired by their beautiful fabrics, prints and vintage furniture.

Ellie Harrington, Founder of Duck Egg

Q. What inspired you to set-up Duck Egg?

Ellie: It was my family that really inspired me to start Duck Egg. After teaching Art for four years I realised I was keen to go back to practical art and with the arrival of our son I also wanted to work from home. It was our move to the country from London that provided us with the space for my business idea and the challenge of renovating our own cottage. I was unable to find a fabric that suited a male-dominated household, yet fulfilled my wish for pretty vintage fabrics. So I decided to create my own fabric prints. We also moved with little furniture so I started to shabby chic individual pieces and friends who came to the house started to commission me; Duck Egg was hatched!

Q. How do you juggle being a mum and building up your business?

Ellie: We had some very late nights in the early days and even now my working day often doesn't start until my little one is in bed. I learnt that the ironing can wait another day!  I have also learnt to prioritise and could not live without our enormous blackboard with all our planning scribbled across it. I think being a Mum and running a business from home means you have to be super organised, I learnt the hard way that the paperwork does not stay in the piles sorted on the kitchen table and after a few days of seeing invoices swiftly being posted through the floorboards I have come up with an organised filing system, very much out of reach!

Q. What’s been the highlight of setting-up your business?

Ellie: I have loved every minute of setting up a business and it has been a steep learning curve. We have met some fantastic people on the journey of Duck Egg. Social media has introduced us to some very talented artisans and the business has evolved through many of these exciting connections. We were also thrilled to take part in Kirstie Allsopp’s series ‘Kirstie’s Vintage Home’. Filming was so exciting and we loved every minute working with her and her production team. It was a dream come true to see our fabrics on screen!

 

Q. Do you have any top tips for other working mums?

Ellie: I think my top tip is to not be too hard on yourself, sometimes the housework can wait. And I have also learnt to delegate.

Q. What would your perfect family day include?

Ellie: Our perfect family day out would be a trip to the seaside. I always find inspiration at the seaside and it is wonderful to see our little boy running about and exploring. He recently found two starfish and was so thrilled, giving me a few more ideas for our prints! The seaside heavily influences my work, as it has such happy connotations of hazy, summer days.

Q. What’s next for Duck Egg?

Ellie: I am really excited about starting the next stage of Duck Egg. We will be expanding our furniture range and taking our ever popular toy boxes forward. We have new print designs to launch soon and we will be working on some interesting large scale projects, providing soft furnishings and sourcing vintage and antique items. We hope to expand further to make Duck Egg a one stop shop for all aspects of interiors.

About Ellie

Ellie trained for four years in History of Art, earning her BA at the prestigious Courtauld Institute before her Masters from the London Consortium in ‘Humanities and Cultural Studies’. Ellie’s love for print and art was further founded as she worked in galleries. After a return to studying practical art Ellie began teaching art. Four years later and a little rascal in tow she decided to turn her ideas for her own interior into a business, ‘Duck Egg’. Firmly leaning on her ever-patient and long-suffering husband Duck Egg created a brand that aspires to add a fresh, vintage touc

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Winston Churchill Poster - Never Never Give Up

Winston Churchill Poster

Our latest addition to our poster range comes thanks to an inspiring quote from Winston Churchill.

In 1941 Winston Churchill gave one of his inspiring speeches to about the having the resolve and determination to never give up even when facing extreme times. This expression is very close to us all at Duck Egg and the phrase is one of "Mr Duck Egg's" favourite quotes..... "Never Never Give Up". Our poster print is in tribute to the great man himself and very true saying that has helped us all by over the years. Hopefully it will bring some colour to any modern or vintage interior.

We hope this saying inspires you as much as it inspires us with our day to day missions. We are working card versions of all our posters and prints and hope to bring them out in the near future due to demand.

All Duck Egg Designs NEW range of posters and prints are available in any colour you want (we will colour match any colour). We believe these give any wall a unique, vibrant burst of colour, style and a bespoke finish.

A3 (Medium) Posters: £14

Below is a sample of colours we love but email us with your colour if you want a bespoke poster.



Please contact info@duckeggdesigns.com to discuss what colour you would like and size.

To order the poster click Winston Churchill Poster and looking forward to catching up soon.

Team Duck Egg

For more details visit www.duckeggdesigns.com or email info@duckeggdesigns.com


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How to Upcycle like a Pro

HOW TO UPCYCLE LIKE A PRO

Upcycling a piece of furniture is a really exciting process, but it can seem a little daunting at first. Ellie Harrington talks us through the basics, from how to choose the right pieces to decorative effects and adding the perfect finishing touches. You’ll be ready to go in no time!

MAKE DO AND MEND

Upcycling provides both piece of mind for the environment and an opportunity to explore and express your creativity. I started Duck Egg Designs with my husband partly because I wanted to customise a look for our home. After studying Art for over four years, I was eager to be creative myself and upcycling gives you a chance to experiment with customisation and develop your own taste and style with minimal cost (don’t forget you can generally paint over any mistakes!) I am a great fan of the ‘Make do and Mend’
ethos and transforming pieces can be greatly rewarding. Here I’ve put together some essential advice to think about when upcycling for the firrst time.



FURNITURE FINDS
When upcycling furniture you first need to decide what it is that you’re looking for.
Antiques fairs or car boot sales can be fascinating places to wander around but they are sometimes overwhelming, so if you go with a specific idea you can direct a more structured search. Our most popular items of renovated furniture at Duck Egg are chests of drawers. Customers come to us looking for an item with history, yet a more modern finish. Vintage and antique chests of drawers have practical storage, yet the advantage of interesting carvings, ornate details and elegant handles that distinguish them from some of the mass produced pieces of today.

Look for a piece with individuality, for example turned legs, scrolled backs and detailed woodwork. This does not mean that you have to spend a fortune, just take some time to thoroughly look over the furniture. Don’t be put off by orange stains or dark veneers; this can all be transformed by a coat of paint. Detailing will look really pretty and less overbearing once painted a lighter colour. Take a paint colour chart with you to inspire you!
Minor surface scratches may also reduce the price of furniture – as long as they can be sanded over you could pick up a good bargain. Most crucially with wooden items, you need to check they are sound. This is probably most important with woodworm. Look for out of the ordinary dust in drawers and tell-tale holes. Ask the dealer if they know if the piece has been treated if you do spot these signs. Look for damage that might be difficult to repair and be realistic about your limits with regards to renovation. If you wish to paint pine furniture, look for the darker or stained pieces of wood. Also keep in mind the finishing touches or the re-upholstery that you might be able to do to transform a piece.

PAINTING AND FINISHING
I love using chalk paints and customers often request these for a matt and chalky finish.
They also lend themselves to those new to upcycling. Once you have a smooth surface these are the perfect way to paint over a dark stain or veneer. They require no priming and give excellent coverage. There are also many different ways of experimenting with finishes.

Once the item has a smooth surface, apply two or more coats of paint, wax and buff the piece, then sand to add a distressed look. Sand in the areas that would generally see the most use – on corners or arms of chairs, for example. Once you are confident with applying the paint, be as creative as you can. Chalk paints allow for many different finishes: you can water them down for a streakier look, or add a crackle glaze to give the effect of an aged oil painting. Also try layering different colours which can be exposed when rubbed back. A bright white under a dark green or blue gives a fresh seaside appeal, or red will provide a warm, decadent look. If you want to use emulsion paint you will need to sand your furniture to provide a surface for the paint, prime with fine sand paper, undercoat and then use either an emulsion for a more distressed look or eggshell for a durable finish. Paint effects on top of your upcycled finds will add great charm and personalise them too. Items with carving or detailing lend themselves perfectly to gilding with a dust of gold leaf. For a more cost effective way of gilding, purchase loose leaves of brass rather than gold, which will add a rich....
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