A Den Kind Of Day

A little while ago I had an email from Laura Ashley, asking if I’d like to take part in a campaign called ’15 Uses For a Throw’. Now, I love anything to do with soft things and my sofa. I almost went into cushion rehab for a while (8 cushions are too many, I realise that now) and I usually have 2 or three blankets cosily slung around the lounge.

So of course I said YES PLEASE!, but then promptly forgot about it. Until the throw arrived with perfect timing, when I had the flu and wanted nothing more than to spend time on the sofa with my best friends, the cushions, the blankets and a week’s worth of The Real Housewives of NYC.

I tell you, for those few days that blanket was a lifesaver. My old favourite, the multicoloured knitted IKEA beauty, it looks good but it doesn’t really do the job of keeping you warm as it’s so holey. Elfie also loves the new blanket for a lazy Sunday afternoon snooze (see top); since I’ve stopped her afternoon nap she sometimes succumbs to the lovely sofa nap. Don’t we all?

Anyway, back to the campaign. Laura Ashley sent throws to me and 14 other other bloggers and asked up to come up with some interesting ways to use them. Now, I usually use throws in one of a few ways: impromptu naps on the sofa, warming myself up in front of a film when no-one else is available for heating purposes and as an extra bit of warmth over my duvet on my bed.

Neither of these uses are particularly interesting though, are they?

I was stumped ideas-wise until one Sunday morning the family trooped downstairs, far too early as usual, and it came to me. We were going to use the blanket to make a den!

Call my children deprived of fun if you will, but I don’t think they’ve ever made a den before. It’s never been something I’ve thought of doing with them (are dens Dad things?) but on that morning, when they got up way too early, eating chocolate fingers for breakfast under a Laura Ashley blanket canopy seemed like the best thing to do.

I tell you, I won maximum mum points for this one. The novelty of getting all the (much-loved by me) sofa cushions onto the floor, pulling the dining table chairs out and draping a blanket over them was huge. And then the treat of the biscuits for breakfast! I had two very happy children.

Me, I was not so happy to have Dairy Milk smeared on to my favourite Urban Outfitters cushion cover but watching my kids have fun in their den more than made up for it (that’s what I’m supposed to say, right?).

We’ll definitely be getting the den back out this winter. There are so many possibilities for it: a hideaway to read books in, a place for tea parties, somewhere to have pretend naps. Obvious body warming properties aside, we love our new blanket. Thanks Laura Ashley!