Beatrix Potter's stories have always played a quiet yet significant part in my life. I've always loved reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tailor of Gloucester and The Tale of Mrs. Tiggywinkle, loved the life-like watercolour illustrations, and how each story was the perfect length to be read before bedtime.
My mum loves Beatrix Potter too, and although neither of us set out to collect Beatrix Potter items, she's ended up with quite a stash, and I find myself turning to the stories time and again for artistic inspiration, or escapism. They always make me want to leave my busy life behind and go on a country adventure.
These books were given to my mum by her grandparents when she was small.
My mum collects the Beswick Beatrix Potter figurines, though because they're highly sought after they've always been kept by my parents as investment pieces. Their number has swung between three and two hundred, according to demand at the time! Peter here is a limited edition, and is special because of his gold buttons.
My childhood Beatrix Potter treasury.
This is the only figure I own, and I chose her because I love the original illustration from my favourite of the tales, The Tailor of Gloucester.
These buttons have been hanging around my parents' house since the 1970s. I'd like to use them on a special project, but the right one hasn't come along yet!
When I visited a friend's hometown in Wales I thought this edition of Mrs Tiggywinkle would made a quirky addition to my mum's library.
This picture hangs on the wall in my parents' dining room. It always makes me smile.
This cup was a gift to celebrate my birth.
I remember watching the television series at my grandparents' when I was little. After a day of scampering around the welsh beaches and woods they were such a tranquil way to end the day.
As well as admiring her stories, Beatrix Potter was a lady of many talents, and you can read my blog post about why I find her so inspiring here. Her furry namesake now wears her name on her ID tag with pride!
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| Miss Beatrix herself |
Are you a fan of the Beatrix Potter stories?
I've still got that same cup - I think it was given for the same reason (my birth) or at least shortly thereafter. I've also got the matching plate (and I used to have the 3rd part of the set, the bowl, but that broke :( ). Two of The Original Peter Rabbit Books - The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tailor of Gloucester were given to me by my grandparents for my fifth Christmas in 1988.
ReplyDeleteI think the Beatrix Potter stories have been a part of so many families' lives - now my nieces read the same books!
I think it's lovely that children today are still enjoying the books. I learned words like 'perambulator' from The Tale of Two Bad Mice, and a friend often tells the story of how when she was five, her grandparents were stuck on a crossword clue about being made to feel sleepy. My friend apparently looked up from the game she was playing, and simply remarked, 'Soporific!'
DeleteI may have to look out for the rest of the set to go with my cup, even though the glaze on mine has cracked.
I love Beatrix Potter. My favoruites was The Tale of Two Bad Mice and the one about Miss Moppet. I even named my fist cat Mips Moppets as a tribute. :)
ReplyDeleteI think it was probably The Tale of Two Bad Mice that got me into doll's houses, though I never found mine messed up in the morning!
DeleteWhat a lovely collection! I have a plate and a couple of books which I treasure. I wouldn't use the buttons if I were you - they are pretty enough as they are on the card :-)
ReplyDeleteI think the buttons looking so nice on the card are the reason none of us has ever committed to using them for anything! A button tin is a work of art in itself, right?
DeleteAw these remind me of my childhood so much. When I was born I was give a Peter Rabbit egg cup and saucer and I know it's still in the parents cupboards 25 years later! I also had a collection of her books too [again still at home]. We always use to holiday in the Lake District so we often picked up little things when we popped into the shops there. Her work really is timeless!
ReplyDeleteI've been informed by my mum since writing this that I also have an egg cup stashed away in a cupboard, I'd completely forgotten about it!
DeleteI'd like another trip back to the Lake District. I visited Hill Top as part of a Blue Peter Big Day Out when I was about seven and loved all the Beatrix Potter shops and looking around her home, although I was scared of the bloke dressed as a big Peter Rabbit wandering around the garden!
I love Beatrix Potter, always have done since I was little. I to have all the books and a small china collection. We also used to have Beatrix Potter bed sheets, but my sister and I were not very impressed to learn they had been thrown out years ago, what fab cushions they would have made! boo! I am lucky enough to live in Cumbria, with the Lake District literally on door step so these stories have always felt extra special to me. She really is an inspiration and so much that is great and un-spoilt about this part of the country is thanks to her. x
ReplyDeleteEvery now and again one of those Beatrix Potter bedsheets turns up on someone's blog, having being turned into a fabulous skirt or something, and I turn green with envy! You lucky thing living so close to Potter country.
DeleteI love Beatrix Potter! I used to want to be her when I grew up, sadly that didn't happen...
ReplyDeleteLike Jo I also grew up in Cumbria & have always felt extra love for the stories. I can never decide whether my favourite character is Mrs Tiggywinkle or Mr Jeremy Fisher though...
We have a whole load of china and figurines that we were bought as kids but my mum's still looking after it, I can't wait to get my hands on it. I still have all my old books too :D
xo
I love Mrs Tiggywinkle because she has such a cheeky little face!
DeleteI loved The Tale of Samuel Whiskers so much as a child, but looking back it's rather sinister, I still adore it though, who wouldn't love a story about a kitten being made into a pudding?
ReplyDeleteI think it's only when I read the stories now that I realise how sinister they all are - Mr Rabbit got put in a pie by Mr MacGregor, Jemima Puddle Duck nearly came to a sticky end, and Jeremy Fisher being pulled into the water is quite scary. At least Potter didn't shy away from showing how cruel nature - and the food chain - can be!
DeleteI also love Beatrix Potter, but it's hard to find the vintage items in the U.S. I was looking on ebay they other night and came across those lovely figurines! Oy, the bids were getting high! My Zayn had a Peter Rabbit 1st birthday party theme last year, but he really has gotten into the BBC's Beatrix Potter animation on dvd. We've been watching it over and over. Not vintage, but still happy to have it! She's not as sinister as Roald Dahl, who is another favourite author of mine :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a thoughtful posts. It was enough to get me to browse through your earlier posts. I'm really glad. You've created a great spot to visit and I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day.
ReplyDeletebeatrix potter