potato printing

Every day the the trees come more and more out. It's so good to be outside again.

Frida Viola and I made the invitations for her birthday party this weekend with potato printed bowties and little cats. We must do more potato prints soon - Frida Viola loved the stamping part, and it is a really easy way to decorate something (and fun to recall my own childhood's creative projects!)  

Wiksten

Marguerite dress from Wiksten. I am dreaming of warm summer days.

pink + sunglasses + new bike = 4 years

Frida Viola is 4 years today! Well, yesterday actually, but she came home fra the camp yesterday in the afternoon - very tired and very happy, and we chose to celebrate her today instead. She had a new bike and a pair of sunglasses - all in pink. And she decided to wear an outfit all in pink and I let her do so (last year her favourite colour was still blue but this year we have surrendered unconditionally to the Pink regime!) We went for a bike ride to the ice cream parlor with her new bike, and she actually drove 2 kilometers each way without problems or discussions.

Finding the right bike has been such a time consuming project. It's so hard to find a nice and good bike for the little ones - and also one that is not totally covered in glitter and way-too-sweet garnish. We ended up with a model from Electra that we were so lucky to find (no too) used. I liked the form of the bike (the colour was not up for discussion), but I did remove the Hawaii stickers and put on another saddle. Frida Viola was thrilled, and she had such a good day.

new desk, new surroundings...

Look how very, very lucky I am. At the moment I am working in these so inspiring surroundings, and the ladies behind all these fantastic works and creations give me the best company, inspiration and good advice. I am writing some texts about the Danish design collective Meyer-Lavigne, and I am so lucky that Kristine and Sabine have an extra desk in their studio, so that I can actually be amidst their universe. I am sensing, looking and touching and getting more and more familiar with all their friendly creatures that live here.

The photos show a sneak peak into their studio - sketches, inspiration, finished works and not least some of their kids' fantastic creations.

[Sorry - it seems as if you cannot link to Meyer-Lavigne's website at the moment but if you go directly to meyerlavigne.dk it should work!]

my home today

Frida Viola is on a camp with her kindergarten. For 3 nights she will be away! It feels strange and empty without her here - and extremely quiet. I forgot how it is with only one child. She was so proud and happy when they left with the bus. I hope she will have an adventurous time, making her very own experiences.

1. "How big is Molly...?" Favourite play at the moment.
2. Daffodil from the backyard - and Happy Days vases from Meyer-Lavigne.
3. New basket with a nice pattern.
4. Huge new book from the thrift store on violets - so many different varieties! Show you more from the book later.
5. Tonight's dinner - raw cauliflower salad with goat cheese, apple slices, roasted almonds and lime zest. Always so good.
6. And A brought me these beautiful kalas.

backyard

From the backyard today. Such a fine day.

Charlie Harper's Ladybird

One of Charlie Harper's nice illustrations has been converted into a huge puzzle. It's fun when things come in different sizes than normally (and we don't have to be afraid that Molly swallows the pieces!)

Charley Harper's Ladybug Giant Floor Puzzle

Hannah Waldron

Hannah Waldron makes beautiful works, often with graphical patterns and structures in bright colours.
I love her maze furoshiki textile.

Via tas-ka.

Petting Zoo by Christoph Niemann

We all love Petting Zoo for the iPad with fantastic illustrations by Christoph Niemann. It's an interactive picture book where you have to touch, swipe and tap the animals to see how they react. The animals have really nice and not at all annoying sounds. The book make all of us laugh. Buy it here and read the story behind it here.

Especially Molly loves Moobaa - a really nice app for (very) small kids with cute illustrations by Pia Olsen. You simply have to tap the animals and each of them react with their respective sound. Watch the video to see how it works.

reasons my son is crying is really fun - especially on days filled with conflicts with the kids [Frida Viola].

*-* spring *-*

Spring is here - we felt it today! Frida Viola picked me flowers and she litteraly jumped out of her snowsuit.

We have been so busy lately. Everything is changing here. Molly has started with another little girl at the same age in a private day care with a young woman. I think she likes it and it is so good for her to be together with other kids at her age. A has started a new job, and our renovation project seems to be never ending. I am going to start up in new projects too - tell you more later.

Troels Jorn's book

Molly had this wonderful book for her 1-year birthday that many of you are probably already familiar with: "Troels Jorns bog om den sultne løve, den glade elefant, den lille mus og Jens Pismyre" [~"Troels Jorn's book about the hungry lion, the happy elephant, the little mouse and Jens Piss Ant"] written and drawn by his father, the Danish Cobra artist Asger Jorn. The book is originally from the late 1940s but it was refound in the 60s by the artist and his son at the attic. It wasn't published until after the artist had passed away in 1973 and has now come in a new edition.

The book has already become a favourite here, and we have read it over and over again. The story is really fun reading with lots of nonsense words and repetitions, and the handwritten (and very expressionistic) text works as illustration in itself with BIG letters for shouting and trembling letters for scarry feelings etc. The illustrations are of course very Cobra inspired with the group's ideas about the spontaneous abstract painting held in mind as well as their fascination of the childish universe and children's fantasy.

The book reminds me about Egon Mathiesen's fantastic children's books, written in the same period - here and here.