My Creative Blog:
Children

Two days before Christmas, there's plenty to do and blogging becomes second. But still, I found these adorable photos of Zara's new children's collection. So cute I had to blog about it.

Baby shoes from Sugar Plumb Tree. Handmade of course.

Picture from: Charice

I can't figure out those parents buying expensive clothes for children who's growing out of them faster than the wind. H&M, for example has the cutest outfits and they are cheap as heck, so it's no problem getting new ones when they grow out of them. Have a look!

Such pretty shoes from Gracious May. Check them out!

Or only one bedroom available? Here's one solution for you, from Period Living Magazine.

'My fantasy is endless.'

'Today I want to hug someone I like, for a long time.'

'The most magic star in the sky is me.'

These canvases can be bought at ' Kreativ Insikt '.

Summery white with beautiful lace details. I can't help picturing a child running around in our garden in this cute dress.

I had lots of these books when I was little, I loved the characters, especially Mr. Tickle.

The books celebrate 40 years this year and are just as popular today as back when.

Charles Roger Hargreaves was born today, 76 years ago (9 May 1935 ' 11 September 1988). He was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers. The books' simple and silly stories, with bright-coloured, boldly drawn illustrations, have been part of popular culture for over 25 years, with sales over 85 million worldwide in 20 languages.

Hargreaves grew up in Cleckheaton. He spent a year working in his father's laundry and dry-cleaning business before starting out in advertising. But his original ambition was to be a cartoonist; and, in 1971, while he was working as the creative director at a London firm, he wrote the first Mr. Men book, Mr. Tickle . He initially had difficulty finding a publisher; but, once he did, the books became an instant success, selling over one million copies within three years. In 1975 it spawned a BBC animated television series called Mr. Men Show, Mr Tickle being voiced by Arthur Lowe.

By 1976, Hargreaves had quit his day job. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books began to appear. It, too, was made into a television series in 1983, which was narrated by John Alderton, who, with Pauline Collins, voiced the Men and Misses, respectively. Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories, including the Timbuctoo series of twenty-five books, John Mouse, and the Roundy and Squary books, he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men books and 33 Little Miss books.

With his wife, Christine, Hargreaves had four children: Adam, Giles, and twins Sophie and Amelia. The first of the Mr. Men characters is reported to have been created when Adam asked his father what a tickle looked like: Hargreaves drew a figure with a round orange body and long, rubbery arms, which became Mr. Tickle.

After Hargreaves died of a sudden stroke in 1988, Adam continued writing and drawing the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters in new stories. However, in April 2004, Christine sold the rights to the Mr. Men characters to the UK entertainment group Chorion, for '28 million.

Here are an overview of the books.

A beanbag with the traditional Norwegian Marius pattern. So cool!

The pattern was designed in 1953, by Unn S'iland and named after the Norwegian Alpine skier Marius Eriksen. Today it is the most sold and knitted pattern in the world.

Source: Pur Norsk

And here are some other photos of 'Marius'. The original is black, white and red and is often confused with the red, white and blue. The latter was designed the year before.

What fun it's been this week at our house, making Valentine's Day boxes with my daughters. Finding just the right shoe box and then gathering the pretty papers, ribbons and glitter (and paper doilies of course!) to help them create their masterpieces. I'll admit it, I think my excitement matched theirs when the note was brought home from school with instructions for this project! Children are such a phenomenal inspiration....