Monday, 28 March 2011

Reading Rocks

These Reading Rocks posts seem to have fallen by the wayside a little. Oh dear! I do, however, have plenty of favourite childhood reads to share and recommend coming up over the next while. I've decided I am going to do them on a monthly basis from now on.

Miffy
Image via Wikipedia

Something which prompted me to start this up again: I saw an interesting article on Dick Bruna, the creator (writer and illustrator) of Miffy in the FT Weekend Magazine - read it here.

I've loved Miffy for a long time, I think probably because she is so cute! She's also very curious and inquisitive, which makes her very appealing for anyone with a child-like sense of wonder. Her Dutch (for Mr. Bruna is from Holland) name is "Nijntje" which comes from the word "konijntje" and means little rabbit.

Miffy at Keukenhof
Miffy at Keukenhof via Miffy UK

Every image of Miffy is lovingly hand illustrated by the man himself, using very particular colours and a clean, neat style. It's no surprise that this bunny has become an enduring icon, celebrating her 50th anniversary a few years ago - I was lucky enough to see the dedicated exhibition when it came to the National Library of Scotland in 2007.

miffy is 50
Miffy is 50 via NLS

The official Miffy website is great too and definitely worth a visit, as it's highly interactive and extremely child-friendly:


You can learn all about her, play games, print off colouring-in pages and even watch short video clips.

Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Spring is here!

flower + bird hairslides
Flower & Bird Hairslides by Penny Masquerade

This week, it has really started to feel like springtime, hurray! The daffodils have properly opened up in my garden and everything. I do love the succession of colour in the garden around this time of year, starting with the snowdrops, then crocus, now the daffodils and soon my beloved tulips will be in bloom. ♥ So, in celebration of this lovely development, I am sharing some cheerful spring-inspired things I found on etsy.

bunting birds with applique
Bunting Birds by HWR Designs


felt flower pattern
Felt Flower Pattern by Little Crickets


baby hare
Baby Hare Soft Sculpture by Dragon House of Yuen