Daisy in lala Land

This is.......

Show me your bookshelf and I will tell you who you are"

This is a quote by someone I can not remember but I find it to be true.

Looking through someones bookshelves teaches us a lot about that person.I know I have put some of you(including myself) in a rough spot when I asked you to only choose One book!But I was hoping to find everyones deepest feelings on books by reducing the choice to only one.Why is it ,we sort of feel guilty having to choose only one and doing injustice to allll the other books we love???Well I guess that is food for thought again.Thank you all for joining me and I can not wait to see all your books!

Here is my unconditional passionately loved and favorite book:

"de Nachtwandelaar by Marianne Frederiksson.

If I had to translate the title I would say :"he who walks by night"

I have done a post about this book already,but it remains my ultimate favorite book so I will have to tell you about it again.It tells the story of a young boy named Marcus who was born at the same time that Jesus was born.He is raised by a  slave called Seleme.His real mother sells Seleme when Marcus is a little boy and he instantly goes blind.His grandfather wants to help him and askes a very special man to take care of Marcus.His name is Anjalis.A philosopher ,a mystical man.It turns into  a very special friendship between the boy and the man.

When I  finished reading the book I felt bad for two whole days,I couldn't let go of the caracters.I wanted to cry with Marcus,and go on my nightly walks with Anjalis.Oh sigh ...just thinking about it makes me want to start reading it again.

I don't know if it has been translated into english.I know Marianne's book Hanna's daughters has been a huge succes all through the world.I love every single book she has written.Marianne Frederiksson died last year.I deeply regret that,but cherish all of her work even more now.

Thank you for sharing all your books.I will go over to your blogs now and hope to get to know you all a little bit more.Sorry to have made this such a difficult one for some of you but I do hope you had fun too!

hugs Dees

Now something sweet.

After all that scary business now something sweet.Some pictures from my Marcel Marlier collection.

Lauren Child

I am a big fan of Lauren Child.I love how she is able to put into words but most of all drawings what children think and do.I love Charlie and Lola  and just bought the entire first serie and have been watching them over and over for days now.I love the character of Soren Lorenson.He is my hero!He is the imaginary friend of Lola.The whole concept of imaginary friends always fascinates me so!Soren is too cute!  

I also  love Clarice Bean!

I wanted to make something inspired by Lauren Child and started to draw my own figures and added cloth and doll house furniture.I am going to make a shoebox diorama or at least try to make one.I am having fun putting this together .Just drawing pasting,cutting with no other reason but to enjoy the ride. 

The duck,death and the tulip

These are pictures of a children's book I just bought and am in total aw about. In dutch it is called De eend,de dood en de tulp,by Wolf Erlbruch.(I took the liberty of translating it to: the duck,death and the tulip.)It is originally a German book I think.Ente,Tod und Tulpe.

Death looks so incredibly sweet I think.  

Flashbackfriday: De Pozzebokken

In case you are wondering if I have now completely lost my mind,pozzebokken is a word very common to our family but probably not for you.Let me explain.This is a Pozzebok

One of my favorite children's books is:De Pozzebokken by Bauke Jagt. original drawings by Peter Vos.The man who wrote this book lived in leeuwarden Friesland,all the way in the north of Holland were I grew up.He was a remarkable person and we cherished his book all through our childhood my sisters and I. My eldest sister Patty found me a copy again after I had lost ours in a move from Friesland to were I live now.Bless her!I passed it on to my daughters too of course and pozzebokken are still very much a part of our home and happy memories.

The story is about these kind creatures that children sometimes draw by accident and that come to life at night.And get into all kinds of adventures of course.

I used to draw them for my daughters like this (or better yet, have them draw one of course!)

And then swap the drawing at night for this one

And in the morning said to them the pozzebok had escaped while they were sleeping and went to his friends.They still remember it like it was yesterday.They loved it and still do.And so do I .

I just finished this little stitchery pillow for myself to enjoy and to remind me to never ever grow up and enjoy Pozzebokken every day!

I would love to let this children's come to life again.It has been out of print for years and I would love to see it published again for all the children to enjoy!But how do I do that??Hello Mr Publisher out there could you please leave a comment and help this world believe in Pozzebokken again?

Nijntje/Miffy

Are you ready for some serious cuteness???

I found these new Miffy toys to play with.They are sooooo adorable.They are true works of art for me.I of course am a great Miffy (we call her Nijntje)fan and I am so happy she is a dutch design and known all over the world.Her father is Dick bruna and here is a LINK to the official website.

Yesterday we had a wonderful time picking up Babette and her friend Suus from the airport and hearing all her stories and adventures about London.I can not tell you how much we all have missed her this week,and I am not letting her go ANYWHERE for the next days,I will just sit here and look and listen to my beautiful globetrotter.

So back to Miffy,I had bought this wonderful Nina caracter dolly and decided at 23.30 after everybody had gone to bed that it was time to give her a new dress.At midnight she was ready for a picture in her new clothes but unfortunately the lighting didn't allow it.

So here some pictures of Nina (Miffy's friend)

  Before and after pictures.

Here are some more pictures of other Miffy caracters and toys you can buy.I am going to collect them all,starting my search for Miffy herself but she is sold out in the stores all the time.

     

You can find them in this online shop Dick Bruna shop

Childrensbooks

Here in Holland we have a special week for childrensbooks.It is called Kinderboekenweek and it is such a thrill every time!!It is from 3/13 October and has lots and lots of festivities and fun.It also has a theme each year.This year it is SubRosa which in Latin means underneath the rose.And stands for anything secret and mysterious.Every year a well known dutch writer of childrensbooks writes a special book with that years theme in it.When you purchase a childrensbook during this week,you get that book for free.There are also alot of awards for the writers and illustrators to be won.

I have been collecting childrensbooks ever since I can remember and look forward to this week the entire year!So I will show you a few of my new additions but it only started yesterday so there are still more to come!

This is from Meisjes om te zoenen/Maranke Rinck and Martijn van der Linden

Beautiful illustrations!!!!

Dat is heel wat voor een kat/Judith Viorst and Fleur van der weel

It is a special book for children that are coping with the lost of a deer one.In this case a cat.

 

  A lot of Lauren Child!!!(I bought a few of these last weekend so they don't really count now do they??)

These are the special books you get with your purchase this week.The one with the unicorn is for the little ones and only costs 2,50 the other one is called Kaloeha Dzong by a dutch writer called Lydia Rood and that is the one you get for free.

Sigh.......I want to be a writer/illustrator of childrensbooks when I grow up!

Wiesje wollepop

I was cleaning up a closet and found my lovely friend Wiesje Wollepop again.I sometimes put away stuffed animals and dolls so my home doesn't turn into a little museum,and I had no idea where she was.I knew I gave her a good safe spot in the house but a little too safe because I forgot where I put her!!Shame on me because she is such a sweetie!

Here in Holland we have a company called Nutricia, a dairy company and they produced really lovely childrensbooklets you could collect in the 1970ties.I almost have the whole set and one of the booklets is the story of Wiesje Wollepop.It tells the story of a doll that runs away from the toyshoppe to go back to toyland and a little girl finds her and gives her a new home.It is so lovely I thought I'd share it with all of you!

Swap goodies, book bargain and hoodie

Today a wonderful package arrived all the way from Equador Thank you so much Risa!!!We had planned this swap for a long time and finally came around to send eachother the package.Unfortunately mine hasn't reached New York yet.Hope you get it soon pallie!!

It had so many wonderful things in it!!And every little gift was put in a cute little bag.It was a real adventure to open each one.There were some nice tea's in there and the two hoodies in the boat were drawn by a famous cartoonist from Argentinia.There was a cute turtle handmade in the package and some beautiful fabric.And a little dolly on a pencil and a cute notebook and a tiny bouqet of roses covered in what I think is wax.Oh just too much to be happy with!!Thanks again Risa!

So after that thrill I found another I have to share with you.I ran into a bargain I couldn't believe my eyes! This book has been on my wish list for ages by Caroline Zoob.(great website too!)I had no  idea they already translated it into dutch and now it was on sale for 5 euro's!!(for the dutchies they sell them at VenD!)

It is a gem!Look!!!!

And I knitted another hoodie for my Blythes that I am soooo happy with!I am planning on making these for real babies aswell because I think they will just look so cute in a pixie hat!!!(And it gives me an excuse to make more hoodies ofcourse, as you probably know already the knitting is  like meditation to me)

Wishing you a fun week!!

xoxo

Daydreaming

Ever since I can remember I just love to daydream.Especially in times when I am really busy (and lately I have been quite busy) I tend to escape to my parallel universe that I beam myself into.I think it all started real early with my favorite childrens story called:Het luie meisje or in english: the lazy girl.  The story is about a girl and her adorable little kitten Misha.The girl is so lazy and dirty that one day the whole household decides to leave her.Including the house itself and everything in it!!I used to have my mother tell me that story over and over about even her slippers that made a go to leave the dirty girl. And ofcourse her little cat that decides to leave her but has a change of heart and stays and helps her to clean up her act and washes her and shows her how beatiful she really is and at that moment the girl starts to clean  up the cottage and washes and scrubs and everything looks shiny and new and they live happily everafter. 

  

I lost this precious book when we moved from our home in Friesland (North of Holland )to where we live now and that is close to Amsterdam.I was 12 and heartbroken.When I had my children my dear dad (I lost him 3 years ago)  placed an add in a magazine to find my beloved childrensbook.He drove all the way for 150km!to get it for me.Someone realy kind and generous had responded to the add.And I will never forget my dad standing there in my hallway with tears in his eyes and gave me back my beloved book.That is one of my most precious memories and I am sitting here teary eyed again just thinking about my dear dad and how I miss him!

Back to the daydreaming ,I always picture myself in a cottage.Don't get me wrong I live in a very nice house and a wonderful neighbourhood but once in awhile I live in this:                                  

or this 

I just love to watch Miss Potter  and dream of being her. She buys her dream cottage and when she moves into it and stands there enjoying it SIGH......I am her for just a moment and find myself cleaning and painting and decorate it in my mind with lovely english furniture and Laura Asley wallpapers.Well a girl has to dream but not too long.I have a million things to do.Thank you for joining me on this daydreaming tour.I am now ready again to face the real world and everything in it!