Warming Up in Badger's Kitchen by Chris Dunn

Click on photo to enlarge. via

I love the way Badger has decorated his country kitchen. He looks like the perfect host too.

Collecting Twigs for the Fire: Beatrix Potter + Peter Rabbit

Beatrix Potter ‘Collecting Winter Fuel’ December illustration for Peter Rabbit’s Almanac for 1929. This illustration could also be used for the March 2019 weather almanac for New Jersey USA.

Lennart Helje Art w/ Elf, Cat, Bird

Lennart Helje is a painter and illustrator who born in 1940 in Lima, Sweden. He paints gnomes wearing red hats and animals in snowy landscapes. He has also illustrated books, stamps, and postal Christmas seals, with Nordic, nature, and plant motifs. The photo above was found on Google Images. Isn't his artwork delightful? I also found an article about him on a blog with a slideshow of some of his wonderful paintings. Read more here. You're welcome. xo

Lovely Royal Crests by Jessica Roux

Royal Crest with Pomegranate

Tudor Rose

Royal Crest with Tudor Rose

Jessica Roux is an illustrator new to me and I love her work. I chose these three black and white illustrations of Royal Crests because they are so beautiful. 

FATAL THRONE: INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS - Click to read more.
Black and white interior illustrations for the Young Adult book "Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All"published by Schwartz & Wade. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the wives of Henry VIII by different authors. Each one of the chapter header illustrations show the heraldic badge of the wives.

I consumed no added sugar yesterday. Yay. xo

The Poisoned Apple 1938 Snow White

What you see: The Poisoned Apple, a study by Wanda Gág [pronounced ‘Gahg’] for an illustration in a 1938 edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Wold at Swann Auction Galleries in NYC for $5,000. I would love to see the other illustrations in this book. Her work is spellbinding!
UPDATE: I found a digital copy of this very book online HERE.

Beatrix Potter Rabbits Gathering Wood

Here is yet another Beatrix Potter image I haven't seen before. After gathering twigs for the fire, the rabbits are preparing to put the big log on the sled to drag it home in the snow. I wish I could see more artwork about this story. via Click photo to enlarge.

Kep the Dog by Beatrix Potter 1909

This study of ‘Kep’, one of Beatrix Potter’s sheepdogs, dates from a visit to Near Sawrey in March 1909, when Potter made a number of studies of the Lakeland landscape in snow. Potter gave this drawing to Stephanie Hyde Parker, the daughter of her cousin Ethel, who stuck it in an album: remnants of the album can be seen in the floral motif adhered to the lower left of the design, and in a drawing by Amy Hyde Parker attached to the back of the study.

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators. She wrote the majority of the twenty-three Original Peter Rabbit Books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale.

Beatrix Potter purchased Hill Top in Near Sawrey, her first Lake District farm, in 1905. After this date she visited Hill Top regularly for holidays, eventually settling permanently in nearby Castle Cottage following her marriage in 1913.

In the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Click on photo to enlarge.

Winter Garden by Lucy Goldsmith

I love this charming "Winter Garden" illustration by Lucy Grossmith, a Suffolk UK based artist and illustrator. The outdoor activity comes alive when the lights go on inside our cottages. 

December by Walter Crane

The Procession of the Months, collection in the Houghton Library at Harvard. Illustration by Walter Crane. Verse by his daughter Beatrice Crane. See their November calendar page here. See his woodcut engraving called The Angels here. More information on Walter Crane's life and career here.

Appley Dappley: Beatrix Potter 18890

Appley Dapply - Beatrix Potter 1890 via

APPLEY DAPPLY, a little brown mouse,

Goes to the cupboard in somebody's house.

IN somebody's cupboard

⁠There's everything nice,

⁠Cake, cheese, jam, biscuits,

⁠—All charming for mice!

Click HERE to read all of APPLEY DAPPLY'S NURSERY RHYMES, all with Beatrix Potter illustrations.

Nursery Tales by Katharine Pyle 1918

Frontispiece: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

I love this sweet illustration by Katharine Pyle

1918 Book Cover

Title Page

This entire 1918 book has been uploaded as an ebook that you can read on a computer or mobile device. The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mother's Nursery Tales, by Katharine Pyle. Click HERE to get started reading this delightful book. I adore the illustrations. You're welcome. xo

Inga Moore Illustration for Wind in the Willows

Toad and his friends can now relax and enjoy a meal together.

A group of weasels had invaded toad's house and were having a party.

For many more Inga Moore illustrations of the 1908 classic story, Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame -- click here (each illustration can be enlarged by clicking on it). You have enough time to order this large story book as holiday gifts for your favorite children. You could keep a copy at your house so you can enjoy it too. xo

Halloween Love Story, Illustrated

I love this charming story and the illustrations are wonderful.

Original artwork by Bree Paulsen. View them full-size here.

Animal Illustrations by Chris Dunn

Everyone knows by now that I am fascinated by the interiors of animals. This Wise Old Owl by Chris Dunn is a fine example of the kind of detail that pleases me the most. I love how he has decorated his hollow tree and filled it with antiquarian books and scientific instruments. via

I dug a little deeper and found the artist's website and related immediately with this image of Mole's House Getting a Bit of TLC. It is from Wind in the Willows illustrated by Chris Dunn. Is fall cleaning on everyone's mind?

Washing Dishes: Jessie Willcox Smith

Thank God for dirty dishes;

they have a tale to tell.

While other folks go hungry,

we're eating pretty well.

With home and health and happiness,

we shouldn't want to fuss;

For by this stack of evidence,

God's very good to us.

~ Anonymous

I found this image and poem while searching on Pinterest. I love the beautiful blue and white Canton that this little girl is washing. Just look at the wear on the bottom. Maybe it wasn't valuable back in 1925 but now it's prized. I have quite a few pieces in my corner cupboard.

JWS is one of my favorite illustrators from the first quarter of the 20th century and this image is new to me. This little girl doesn't even have a step stool but has to balance precariously on a little ladder in old blue paint. I've been doing a lot of this lately but on a larger ladder, both outside and inside, dealing with my windows.

I have been a little distracted lately, since Sunday afternoon. I opened my car door for an errand and the car alarm started going off and I could not start my car. It completely shut down because it thought I was trying to steal it. I am still trying to figure out what to do. I stopped using my clicker about 10 years ago and never replaced it when the battery died. I have been using my key ever since. I am depending on friends for rides and will decide today what I should do. Will keep you posted. xo

RBG MOVIE -- TONIGHT ON CNN 9PM

If you cannot see the YouTube video above click here.
I missed this movie when it played for a very short time near me. Several people who saw it said it was wonderful and I am excited about seeing it tonight on CNN at 9PM. Check your tv guide for times in your area.

Kalman visits with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"I think, move over Jane Austen as my imaginary best friend forever. Make room for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who would have gone to my high school for music, if her parents had let her. Whose favorite artist is Matisse. (I rest my case.) Who went on to study law because she wanted to combat the forces of injustice (McCarthyism) and graduated tied for first in her class at Columbia Law School, but could not get hired as a lawyer."

Maira Kalman loves Ruth. She wrote an article in the NYTimes called "And the Pursuit of Happiness" - The three illustrations above are from MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT.

H A P P Y   L A B O R   D A Y !

UPDATE: This movie is being repeated on Sunday 9/9/18 on CNN. Check your guide for times in your area. In my area (New York Metropolitan) it is being rebroadcast twice. At 8PM and 10PM. This information comes from Vickie H and it's on in her area at 9PM.

Yay. So many of you missed it and will have another opportunity to see it. Free is good. You will love. Thanks again Vickie ! ! !

Seaside Vacation: Jill Barklem

via

I don't know this book but I love this seaside vacation scene. The children can play while the parents gather seagrass and make baskets. 

Sea Story: Primrose and Wilfred Sail to Sandy Bay (Brambly Hedge) The tale of Primrose and Wilfred's meeting with their seashore cousins.

Winnie The Pooh Map Illustration

Winnie the Pooh Map Illustration Sets a Major New Auction Record

This original illustration sold for $570,000 and is the most expensive book illustration ever sold. Drawn in 1926 by illustrator E.H. Shepard, the map depicts the homes of beloved characters from the story, such as Christopher Robin, Pooh Bear, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, and Kanga and Roo, in addition to other local spots.

An illustration of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh walking through the Hundred Acre Wood, which sold at Sotheby's London. The illustration was offered alongside four other original Winnie the Pooh drawings, also created by Shepard, all of which have been out of the public eye for nearly 50 years. Combined, the five illustrations were sold for a total of $1.2 million, though they were estimated to only fetch between $412,000 and $584,000. 

Read the entire article here. Photos from Sotheby's

Jessie Willcox Smith 1930s Covers

A very sweet Good Housekeeping Magazine cover dated June 1930 by Jessie Willcox Smith, one of my all-time favorite illustrators.

Here we have Picking Strawberries dated June 1931

Both covers found on Google images.

A Sewing Project at My Cottage

This was my introduction to sewing as a child. I sewed doll clothes by hand. I love this illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith found on Google Images.

I really shouldn't show this photo yet because the pillow cases aren't right. I just threw them on while the proper ones were being laundered. This spread is my current completed sewing project. I purchased this large piece of old unbleached linen at an estate sale and hoped it would become my lightweight summer bedspread. It was already sewn in three panels. I brought it home and laundered it but the center panel was too wide and the two side panels were too long. So up to the attic I went to get reacquainted with my sewing machine. It was a pretty easy project and I'm pleased with the results. It was just a matter of measuring and a lot of ironing. I put French seams where the side panels were attached so there are no raw edges and I top stitched them too. The deep hem on the side panels is so much nicer than the shirt tail hem that was there before. I cannot sleep on or under anything but natural fabrics that breathe. If there is one drop of polyester or another synthetic, I can tell and it smothers me. This must make me a close cousin of The Princess and The Pea.

Now I'm thinking about making some new curtains for my attic windows that I can close in the summer to block the morning sun. Will keep you posted. xo