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Snatch
is the word game, pure and simple.
It takes 30 seconds to learn and you'll play it for the rest of your life.
You can order snatch directly from Portobello Games
How to Play Snatch...
For 2 or more players
The History of Snatch...
To make words and take them from fellow players is an idea which has been around since Victorian times in various forms. As a family, we have played it for many years and I decided to develop the game into the SNATCH of today.
Working out the letter distribution |
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Olive's Garden
Olive's Garden
is simple to use and creates endless instant results.
The idea is to make flowers out of component parts (petals, stems, leaves, stamens and the calyx) and turn them into a garden.
It's a garden that - a) involves no mess at all, b) you can do again and again, c) you don't need to help with - and a suitable box which the garden could be swept into without having to be dismantled. Hence the suitcase.
And frankly, what a suitcase!
This year we have improved the flower beds and added lovely picket fences!
You can order snatch directly from Portobello Games
Making Olive's Garden
The flowers are made out of component parts petals, stems, leaves, stamens and the calyx.
Most of the petals lead a secret life: you can make them look closed (like a tulip) if you press the middle and turn them inside out.
Experiment with any combination or try combining one or two colours on a stem... A cluster of two-tone flowers can make a big impact.
You can plant in the (green) lawn as well as the (brown) soil beds. Arrange the beds and lawn however you like - or make a garden to fit snugly in your case.
A History of Olive's Garden
Inspired by Sarah Raven who is a gardener/writer/seed producer and all round green fingered person, Olive's Garden is the result of something she thrust into my hands last year.
I looked at some scrawny old bits of plastic and thought, Be Polite but Oh Dear. But then I had another look and actually loved the idea of making flowers out of component parts (petals, stems, leaves, stamens and the calyx)... this naturally progressed to making a garden.
And the idea of making one which....
a) involves no mess at all
b) you can do again and again
c) you don't need to help with
....began to take shape. As I am very irritated by the way most childrens toys are time consuming to put away - which means nobody does - which means bits get lost - we had to have a suitable box which the garden could be swept into without having to be dismantled. Hence the suitcase. And frankly, what a suitcase!
Together with Catherine Gibbs who steers Portobello Games, Betty Soldi, a very talented designer and Howard Webster who helps us through the tricky, sometimes nightmarish, issues of production, we came up with Olive's Garden.
It is named after my daughter Olive and I am now working on a new range which will be named after William... Olive is 8 and loves it - but so does Anna, who is 4. Somehow the simplicity of it, the instant results and the endless variations have come together and we are all delighted with the result. I hope you like it - we are now working on new products for the garden which will be available by mail order.
In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy the garden for years to come
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Unhappy Families
a twisted take on an old favourite.
Meet 10
modern, mixed up (extended) families who highlight some aspects of 21st
century family life. From divorcees to weekend guests, IT experts to
homeopathic paediatricians – they all play a part in Unhappy Families.
Together
with Catherine Gibbs who steers Portobello Games, Betty Soldi, a very
talented designer and Howard Webster who helps us through the tricky,
sometimes nightmarish, issues of production, we came up with Olive's
Garden.
The History of Unhappy Families...
My
sister in law came to stay and said that they had been playing Happy
Families the night before and wasn’t it strange how things had changed
… and so the idea was born. I came across Sian Pattenden who has just
written a book (out next year) The Awful Tale of Agatha Bilke and
thought her illustrations were fantastic. Then I spent happy hours
inventing the 40 characters who make up the cast. I should say here
that all members are fictional and any likeness to anybody living or
dead is entirely unintentional.
So out went Mr Bone the butcher,
and in came Seth Blameless, the therapist. Out went Mr Bun the Baker
and in came Janice Wright, the divorce lawyer. Out went Miss or Master
anyone. In came the triplets and the designer poultry.
We have had a great time making it. I hope you have a great time playing it.
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by Indrum