More Christmas Gnomes, Elves and Ornaments

I have sold about half of my Christmas elves, ornaments etc. on Etsy. Yay :) So, today I have stocked up and put more wonderful, Danish vintage Christmas decor on my little Etsy shop.

This is some of what's new:

Danish Christmas Heart Ornaments made of Papier Marche

Danish Felt Christmas Hearts on a String

Danish Yarn Christmas Elves on Wooden Sticks

Art Seiden - Illustrator of Books for Children

I really like these drawings by Art Seiden. These are from a book about what a great thing water is. In Danish it is called "Vand er vådt, vand er godt" (Water is Wet, Water is Good).

David McKee - Wonderful Stories and Colorful Illustrations

David McKee is perhaps best known for Elmer the Elephant. And cute as Elmer is my daughter and I have read another of McKee's works over and over again. It is called "The Sad Story of Veronica Who Played the Violin". It is nothing like Elmer, and it is targeted at a different age group so don't expect Elmer v 2.0. This is something completely different - and not very cute ;)

Steffie Lerch - Illustrator of Books for Children

Steffie Lerch was - I believe - a German illustrator of books. I haven't been able to find any information about her other than bibliographies. If anyone knows anything about her, please let me know and I will update my post accordingly :)

I know that she illustrated two much loved books. "Heidi" and "The Surprise Doll" ("Søndagsdukken" in Danish).

These images are from the latter.

Just Four More Christmas Gnomes - Nisser :)

Okay, so I just got to show these Christmas gnomes that I found yesterday. They were very photogenic and so here they are. They can also be bought at my Etsy shop. Though I don't mind keeping them for myself this Christmas. As you can see the twins have already moved in ;)

SOLD

A Little Discussion on Nisse vs Gnome and Elves

In Denmark we call gnomes for "Nisser" - or "Nisse" if there is only one. I like the Danish word more than the English word because "Gnome" sounds more like an ugly old man who does mean things to people. Traditionally that is of course what a gnome was, but the word really doesn't fit with the cute, slightly mischievous nisser we have today.

I know you can also use the word "Elf" but I think that really just points to elves that work at Santa's workshop. Otherwise I think of elves as flying forest creatures. However, since I don't know how many people outside Scandinavia know what a "nisse" is, I guess I have to live with the word "gnome" and "elves" - But like "hygge" maybe we could lobby the English speaking world to adopt "nisse" ;)

These are some more of my favorite Christmas nisser that I am selling at my Etsy shop. They are so full of charm and character they seem almost alive.

(this sweet Christmas elf has been sold)

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Christmas Gnomes, Elves and Angels

So, I have been trawling antique shops, thrift shops and my basement for - primarily Danish - vintage Christmas gnomes, elves and angels to put up for sale on my Etsy shop. It's amazing how many cute and wonderful old Christmas figures are available still - and at affordable prices.

The first three images show an angel and gnomes that are from the 1990s, so not that old. But I like them so much that I just had to show them. The plastic angels and two little elves/gnomes are from the 1960s.

Funnily enough I bought all these little Christmas "people" with re-selling in mind, but the more I look at them the more I don't mind them staying for good right where they are :)

Finally, I had great fun posing them in my garden :)

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Christina Ringsberg - Swedish Illustrator and Artist

Christina Ringsberg is a Swedish artist (born in 1938). She has illustrated several books for children, including this one "Nat i sommerhuset" (Night in the Summer Cottage) that was published in 1973.

I thought the illustration is just right for Halloween October :)

Sharon Kane - The Author and Illustrator of Little Mommy

This was one of me and my little sister's absolute favorite books when we were little girls. We loved the story and the wonderful pictures in it. The book was originally published in 1967 and was re-issued in 2008. If you have a little girl in the family I am sure she will adore this book. You can read about the author and illustrator Sharon Kane at her website.

Pierre Probst - French Illustrator of Children's Books

Pierre Probst was a French illustrator who lived from 1913-2007. I did not know his drawings when I was a child. I guess, because the books they were in were out of print by the time I was born. Anyhow, I have now found several books with his illustrations at second-hand bookstores, and I really like his drawings. They are fun and cute at the same time.

These two illustrations are from the book "Scamp on Holiday". Interestingly enough the Danish publisher has Pierre Probst down as both the illustrator and the author, but really it was written by the famous writer Enid Blyton. I only discovered this when I found an English cover for the book on Google. Also the Danish book was translated from French - and has 1953 as the year of Copyright - while the English version is copyrighted 1954. Odd.

Adele Werber and Doris Laslo - Illustrators

My daughter loves the book "Kattekillingerne, som gemte sig for deres mor" (The Kittens That Hid From Their Mother) that I bought second-hand when she was 4 years old. I have no information on the illustrators - of whom there were two - Adele Werber and Doris Laslo. Nor have I any real information on the author Louise P. Woodcock except a few listings on books she wrote. This book was written in 1957.

These are some of the sweet pictures in it.

Count the Baby Animals - Such Nice Illustrations

Marguerite Walters wrote this book in 1956 and it was illustrated by another woman - Virginia Plummer. Unfortunately - as is so often the case with writers and illustrators of children's literature - there is hardly any info about them on the Internet.

"Count the Baby Animals" was translated into Danish as "Tæl til ti" (Count to Ten). I loved it then and I love it now. Virginia Plummer had quite a unique style that really make the pictures stand out - both in choice of color in some and the extreme sweetness in others.

I had to scan the cover to show just how much love this book has been given over the years. Like an old cuddly teddy bear.

This last picture is one of my absolute favorites. It's has so much sweetness in it. 

(I adjusted the color to give it the colors it probably had when the book was newly printed in 1973.)

Baby Scraps from the 1960s

I scanned these scraps before I noticed how worn they were. Usually I don't bother with very worn scraps unless they are really old, but these are quite cute - and they are 45+ years old. I don't know whether they are from the same sheet, but it looks like the same artist drew them.

Ann-Madeleine Gelotte - Swedish Writer and Illustrator

This book "Her kommer vinden" (Here Comes the Wind) was read so much by me, my sister - and now my daughter - that it's beginning to look like it has been in the washer a couple of times. It was written and illustrated by the Swedish illustrator and writer Ann-Madeleine Gelotte in 1973 and translated into Danish the same year.

The story is about the wind who is bored and one day steals a hat from a little girl. At first the little girl is really sad, because she had taken her mother's hat without asking, and now the wind has taken it. But then she decides to get it back and eventually finds it in a tree where the wind has put all of her trophies. The wind loves the hat so much that the little girl lets the wind have it, and in return she gets all the trophies. Her mother doesn't mind about the old hat, and she and her daughter have lots of fun playing dress up with all the things the girl got from the wind.

1950s Illustrations by Sunny B. Cook

This book I bought at a thrift store some years back. I like the classic 1950s style that the drawings have.

I don't know anything about the illustrator other than her name  - Sunny B. Cook (at first I thought it was a man's name, but Mr. Sung kindly told me otherwise - see comments;). In Danish the book is called "Der var engang en lille dreng" ("There Was Once a Little Boy" written by Blossom Budney). It was originally published in 1956.