Ecojot – baby colllection

I couldn't resist… some more Ecojot loveliness from their baby collection. I know quite a few mom's to be that will absolutely want one of these. Probably not for sale in SA yet but hey that's what the internet is for. Oh, and you must go look at the growth charts here… super cute.

Carolyn Gavin and ecojot

Carolyn Gavin is one of my favourite illustrators. She's the principal designer for ecojot - those gorgeous notebooks that you can buy at Exclusive Books. I've always felt drawn to her illustrations a bit more than most and have seen on her recently redesigned blog that although she now lives in Toronto she grew up in SA. So that explains quite a bit. Here are some illustrations that she recently did in collaboration with her daughter which she hopes might be the start of a book (me too!)…

Another happy day in Africa

I'm a long-time fan of Flowermill cards and stationary. I have their Birthday Calender on my wish list (anything that will help me be more organised) and couldn't agree more… for all the things we like to moan about down here it's so true that every new day is just another happy day in Africa! Happy weekend to you all!

Bruno Munari's ABC

So while I'm on the subject and search (for all things alphabetical and retro it seems) I also found this book by Bruno Munari. I'm definitely going to order one for my boys. There is very little imagery of this book available on the net but when I do get it I'll be sure to scan in some more for you to see!

A is for Acorn

I've been looking around for some Alphabet books and posters and found these retro illustrations in a book called A Child’s Alphabet by Grace Gabler. B is for brilliant!

The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman

This was my most favourite book when I was a child. My mom has kept all our old books and my two boys and I still enjoy reading them. In The Best Nest, poor Mr Bird gets an earful because Mrs Bird doesn't like her old nest. So they go off looking for a new one. Much adventure and some drama later they end up back at the old nest, which Mrs Bird decides is the best nest. Here are some scans from the 1969 original.

Happy Valentine's Day

Cheesy I know, but as my 4-year old son would say 'oh whatever', here's wishing you all a happy St Valentine's Day! To celebrate: some romantic, dreamy illustrations by Ingrid Hall. I recently spotted her illustration blocks (they sell for about R150) at my new local, around the corner coffee shop – Bean in Love. More of that to come soon… until then, lots of love!