In late spring we were working on our annual orders for Easter, a lot (and when I say a lot, I mean some huge boxes full) of our eggs. We set up all the bright colours and just when we finished, we heard a tiny cracking sound. We were not sure where it came from and started looking under the table, on the floor and on the window sill. Until we heard a little chirping sound straight out of those boxes filled with eggs we have been working on. And we saw cracked eggs! Some are still very egg-like, but most of them are just eggshells! Those little chicks and ducklings were climbing all over our workshop. So instead of sending colourful eggs out into this world, we are looking for loving homes for tiny feathered friends. Do you want to adopt some?
Under the ocean, deep down in the water you will find coral reefs. They are called “rainforests of the oceans” as they are the home of uncountable kinds of animals. Did you know, they are the biggest structures on our planet that were made by a living being. Maybe the next time you go to the beach, you want to bring these little pieces? We are very sure they will love to hear the sound of the waves. Have a look around you and you will find lots and lots of their friends. Seaweeds and shells, little crabs and sandy worms, maybe you even spot some fish? Collect those treasures from the ocean and make your own coral reef. Maybe you can even ask your Nins if they’d like to dress up as a mermaid or a fish or navigate the ocean on a boat?
These two are lucky charms living on the golden ball up in the sky. Sometimes they ride down the warm rays of the sun, as fast as the light and tickle your nose until you wake up in the morning. And you know what? This means it will be a very special day. We call them the golden days. These are days when everything feels easy, when your heart is full, when you find a clover that got four leaves and your mom makes you a warm cocoa in the morning and your legs just want to dance. These days when you run after your shadow and your shadow is laughing back at you, enjoying to play chasey as much as you do. On those light days, you have to blink with your eyes because the sun shines so bright, warming your skin. But don’t worry, even today may not be a golden day. Those two are watching you from above. They are busy sweeping the golden ball, sweeping and mopping. Because bright sun rays mean they can ride over to you in the morning even faster.
Did you know king winter, who sometimes looks a bit grumpy with his long grey beard is actually a dad? He has a son called spring. And oh how he loves his son. Spring loves to explore the world, travel around and visit far away places. And king winter, his dad loves him so much, it’s hard for him to say goodbye sometimes. That’s why he sends him letters and kisses and from time to time comes to visit him even if it’s already april. He just wants to see if his son is doing great. To hug him one more time before he travels home. And this is the reason, why sometimes, when we think that winter is gone after months and months of cold and snow and when the flowers start to bloom and the bees start to buzz there all of a sudden is a day of frost again. The snowflakes are dancing or the hail is drumming. It means king winter was longing for his son (and his folk, the pixies could play in his castle all day long, dancing on the tables and nibble his powdered sugar he loves to put on all the Xmas cookies).
Do you have a tent? Can your parent’s help you to put it up? No? No worries, you can make your own with some blankets and fabrics and a few chairs! This little vintage clown wants to play with you. He loves to juggle with the little cones. Maybe you want to try it too? You can of course use apples instead or balls or whatever you find in your room. And maybe you know some jokes? Or you ask the little clown to tell you some! And you could paint some tickets and dress up and invite your stuffed animals and dolls and siblings or friends. Make a performance together, juggle like you never did before. Tell all the jokes you know. And you know what? You cannot go wrong with anything. Because failing is what makes clowns the best clowns. Fall down, forget your texts, drop your cones and wear your shirt with the tag inside out. The more things turn out differently than expected, the more you all will laugh together. Have fun. Fail. Enjoy it. Failing is nothing bad, it’s actually a thing to laugh about.
Lay yourself down with this little rocket. Look up to the sky or through the window. Imagine where you could fly! What would you see? First all will look familiar, you will see people you know and trees and cars and houses, but then you will fly higher. What do the trees look like from above? Will you see the birds sitting in their nests? What do the houses like from above? Will you be able to look into the chimneys? Wave the pigeons and starlings goodbye. You might meet a starch or a falk when passing by the first clouds. People may look like tiny Nins, getting tinier and tinier the higher you fly. And then the whole earth will just look like a marble. Where do you want to go? Do you want to visit the moon? Jump into its craters? Or fly to another planet? Can you spot the milky way? A red dwarf? A comet? What does it feel like to be in outer space? Is it colder up there? Or very hot because you are near the sun? Tell us about your adventures when you come back. We are so curious to hear.
Did you ever think about the importance of buttons? Actually they may be one of the really important things in this world but not many know. Imagine you go to school and there was no button on your jeans. Just some steps and you will lose them. And imagine there are no buttons on your winter coat! Just one breeze of the frosty wind and you will shiver! No matter if it‘s the tiny little buttons on your doll‘s dress, the red one on your favourite blouse or the snap on your purse. You can never have enough buttons. You can thread them, roll them, stack them, trade them, collect them or throw them. They are at any rate an object that needs a lot more attention. So here you go. These are the first pieces for your own button collection. We are more than sure that you will find a dozen uses for them straight away.
The next time you hold a kiwi in your hands you better look twice. Does it have eyes and tiny legs? Is it smiling at you? Those kiwi siblings love to play hide and seek between fruits and it’s easy to mistake them with a real kiwi. They actually love the kiwi juice so much, they might drill some tiny holes in your kiwi to put a straw inside and sip the fresh juice. You may see the traces on the peel. But they don’t just adore kiwis, they adore everything green. They love spinach, cucumber, kale, brussel sprouts and gooseberries. And when they don’t nibble on something green, they love to lay in the grass upside down, squeezing their little noses between grass stalks and the leaves of dandelions and pigweed. And if you ever got a question about any kind of leaf or fruit or vegetable: just ask them. They know all the names and how to take care for them.
Do you know these days where you cannot decide what to wear? Some call it “bad hair days”. Days where you simply don’t know who you want to be for the day. Elegant or playful, practical or dressed-up. Invisible or shining bright. Sometimes with our Nins it’s exactly the same. They want to stay natural but monochrome. They wait to be spotted but striped. They want to shine bright but with wooden structure. And you know what? Like you, they can have it all. The good thing is: you don’t need to choose. All this is part of you and you can be all at once. Wear a red hat and a pink tulle dress with mismatching socks. Put on your gumboots and your bathing shorts and combine them with butterfly wings. Wear your helmet with tights. Wear your favourite woolen cardigan with sandals. You can have it all. It’s your life. Live it to the fullest. Be you. Be who you want to be. You are perfect.
The gravity of the moon regulates the tides in the oceans on our planet. The gravitational attraction between orbs determines the motions of the stars, the planets and the galaxies. Our whole solar system and all life on our planet is influenced by gravitation. These little ones know a lot about it and they even are adamant that we, the humans act the same way too. We circle around our beloved ones, depending on our season of life the circles may be smaller or bigger. Sometimes there is a crash and we break up, sometimes gravitation brings us back together, sometimes we are catapulted into another orbit. We cannot live without each other even if we try. Sometimes we meet someone with magnetic attraction who turns our gravitation upside down. But we are always connected. Connected with each other, with our planet, with the universe.
What kind of weather is today? Did you watch out the window? Is it sunny or rainy? Is it warm or cold? Are there clouds in the sky? What colours do they have? And what shape? Do they look like sheep or like mountains? Are they moving fast or slow? Is there a rainbow? Does the wind shake the trees and make the flowers dance? Is there thunder and lightning? Snow or hail? Do you need rainboots and an umbrella? Or sunglasses and a big straw head to protect from the heat? Find a spot for these tiny things and observe the weather every morning when you jump out of the bed. They will love to join in and help you to decide on proper clothing or to discuss activities matching the weather. Sunbathing or dancing in the rain, making paper boats to float in puddles or flying kites. Together you will find out. Because actually there is nothing like “bad weather”, weather is always fun. You only need the right clothing and be prepared to play all day. Enjoy the seasons in all their beauty!
Sometimes when the day was long and filled with adventures you will be so very tired that you cannot sleep. I am sure you know this feeling. Your head is dizzy but cannot stop thinking. Your legs hurt from running but they don’t find the right position to lay down. The pillow is uncomfortable and the blanket is too warm. And no matter how often you roll over to the other side, you just cannot sleep. This is when you need these tiny lavender friends. They are experts for sleep. And even they look tiny, they studied everything sleep related for YEARS. They can make pillows cozy and blankets snuggly and heads calm. Hold them close to your ears and they will whisper a goodnight story, roll them over your arms and legs and they will bring relaxation to your tired muscles. Hold them tight in your hands and they will give you comfort. Even when the night is too dark or a sounds appears that you cannot allocate, they will be there and look after you and find out what scares you. They will sing you the sweetest lullaby.
Have you ever climbed a high tower? A really really high one? When you look down on the fields and meadows, especially in summer, you will see that they look like a beautiful drawn pattern. Poppy fields in red, purple phacelia, green grass and yellow rape. From far above they look like triangles, squares and rectangles. Sunflowers and bluebottles, lavender, corn and wheat. Nature is painting in its brightest colours. Join in! Paint your own landscapes, your favourite flower fields. And do you know what’s the best? You can even make paint out of some of those flowers. Try stamping them on your paper, use a hammer or put them in a mortar with a bit of water and use it as water paint. There are no limits.
These little ones live hidden in a secret garden, behind a stone wall that is overgrown with wild roses and clematis. It takes a while to find the entrance, but when you do, just walk straight on until you find a little pond. There are frogs and little fish swimming in it, water lilies bloom in every colour and ducks and herons are raising their babies among the reeds. And when you sit down and observe the pond when the sun goes down, you will witness a metamorphosis. It only happens during the warm summer evenings, especially when the full moon is close, that these dragonflies slip out of their dragon fly costumes and show their fragile sparkling fairy selves.
These little ones travelled through outer space one day when they saw our planet in all its beauty. They came here and fell in love with it. And they decided to stay once they realised that this beauty may not stay forever. That there are things like pollution and global warming and that the coral reefs and the rainforest need to be protected. They called their mom and dad (believe me or not, their dad got 5 heads and 46 eyes in total! One of the eyes is under his left foot so he can see if there might be a jupiter bug sitting in his way so he does not step on it) and told them they had a mission. And here they are, protecting the earth. Maybe you can help them? You could collect trash together on your next walk, switch out the light once you leave the room, draw a protest sign so the adults learn how to take care of our planet. You could plant some flowers for the bees and visit a flea market with your parent’s to look for preloved clothes in your favourite colours…
Let me tell you a secret: These little creatures were meant to look completely different. We had already decided on patterns and colours and then, when we wanted to start painting they just said no. Not a small „no“ but a very big „NO“! They had other plans. So as „no“ means „no“, we accepted. We left them in the workshop over night and when we came back in the morning this is what we saw. And I must admit, we could not have done a better job. Sometimes it’s more important to listen to each other and to let go than to stick to the original plan. This is how art happens. Give it a try yourself. I am sure you will be surprised.
Lie down in the grass and watch the sky. Do you feel the warm sun painting pictures on your face? Do you smell the summer? Do you feel the soft breeze that brushes lightly through the branches of the apple trees? Do you hear the bees buzzing in the flowers? Lift your hand and look at the pattern the sun and the leaves of the tree paint on your skin. And then get up and run. Dance through the meadow, climb the apple tree, smell the scent of its flowers, and celebrate life. This moment is like a butterfly, try to catch it, fly with it. Just a little time and the blossoms will turn into apples and the soft breeze into a storm.
Sometimes it’s raining for days and days, and the sky is grey and filled with heavy clouds. And no-one wants to go outside. But believe me, you should give it a try! Take your favorite people with you and wrap up in a cape and with waterproof boots. There are adventures waiting outside, these three little creatures can tell you a lot about it. Puddles to be jumped into, tiny streams appearing out of nowhere, mud that makes the funniest sounds, sticks that want to be stuck in the water, stones that want to be thrown, worms and snails and frogs and so much more. Head outside! I am sure you will share the love for autumn strolls with these little ones.
Have you seen the world waking up? Nature is dressing up, brushing away the last remains of winter, shining bright and fresh. What about doing the same? Bring the spring inside your home, pick some flowers (but leave enough for the insects), sort out your toys, clean your windows, craft some flowers and rainbows and bees, put on new bed sheets, wear this dress that feels like new because it was stored away all winter, try some (no need for new so take out)food you never tried before, talk to some kids you never talked to, start a new hobby or learn a new skill. Join in this dance of happiness and joy.
These little ones are a reminder of the warm sun. All spring and summer long they are busy buzzing around, from flower to flower, from blossom to blossom. Collecting and harvesting, working and rushing. They find the sweetest pollen and turn it into honey. It is the gold of summer they make. A golden treasure in the colour of the sun. When we eat it it tastes as sweet as the flowers and it makes us feel the warmth of the summer again. It is full of the energy they invested when making it. An elixir of life. The sun made into a snack. Let’s take good care for those bees and give back what they give to us.
These little ones have a secret to share with you. When it’s summer and VERY hot and you just need a little thing to cool down, try to make some watermelon ice. It is so simple and so refreshing. Just remove the green parts and slice the melon in the shape you want (I am sure your parents will help you with this part). Then add a stick to hold (you can make them yourself or use some ready mades from the store) and put it in the freezer. These little creatures are sure you will love watermelon as much as they do! And if you don’t have watermelon, you can of course try it with a lot of other fruits, too! Banana dipped in chocolate for example…
Do you know this feeling when you take a walk in the forest after the rain, and the sun peeks through the leaves? They are still heavy and wet, raindrops keep falling down from time to time and the sunlight is reflected in those drops? Do you know this silence? This is the moment where you can catch a glimpse of these little creatures. It’s their favorite kind of weather. They love showering in the falling drops, sliding on the wet leaves and lying in the moss with closed eyes while the rays of sunshine tickle their little faces. But shhh! If they hear one sound, they will be gone faster than you can breathe.
What is your favorite colour? And which ones do your parents like? What is your favorite food? And does your friend like the same? Do you like the same songs? Adore the same toy? Do you both like to ride your bikes? Or prefer to ride on a horse? Who else loves the same books that you love? Who is there for you when you are sad? Who is with you when you are happy? There are lots of differences we all have but also similarities. There are things we like about each other and things we dislike. But the most important is to stick together. Look at these little creatures: they may look the same, but if you look closer they are all different. But still belong together.
These three met when they were still tiny, when they just crawled out of their eggs. And even if they may look different, they feel the same. Sometimes it’s not important where you come from, who put the egg on the leaf. When you feel someone is family, then this someone is your family. And this chosen family is a treasure you should hold very close. And you know what? The longer you share your life with someone, the more similarities grow. Sometimes it’s the same hairdo, sometimes the same words being used, the same dish that becomes both of your favorite. Or it’s the favorite kind of colours, like in the case of these three littles.
Did you ever wonder why your room looks different when you come back home (especially after a vacation)? It might be, that these little creatures took their chance and celebrated a huge party while you were away. They give everything for a little celebration, they love to sing and to act and to dance through the night. So once they realize that the stage is theirs, they decorate and send invitations to everyone they know. And maybe, just maybe they did put a thing or two in the wrong place afterwards. So if you find a sock in the middle of your building blocks or a toy car under your pillow, this is probably proof of the good times they had while you were heading out for adventures.
Did you ever walk through a meadow filled with all the flowers of the summer? If you ever do, close your eyes! Stand still and inhale. Your nose will be filled with the sweetest scents. And then listen. You will hear the flowers and grasses swish in the warm summer breeze, the bees buzzing and the crickets clittering. Feel the warmth on your skin. And when you open the eyes again, let your eyes wander. All the colours and shapes will make your heart jump in excitement. Don’t hold back anymore, join in this colorful dance and run. Dance and jump, be free and embrace the beauty of nature, embrace your own beauty.
These little ones live high up in the sky, somewhere three stars to theleft of the Milky Way. They love snuggling with the clouds, and riding falling stars is their absolute favorite. At night they are on the hunt for nightmares. The little creatures have a nose 7 times better than dog and can smell a nightmare from far distances. And if they find one, they weave a net made of stardust around the nightmare, which makes it soft and cozy and not scary anymore at all. When you wake up in the morning, don’t jump out of the bed, instead wait a little moment and observe your room. Do you see some glitter dancing in your room in the morning light? This may be the traces of their stardust!
I am very sure you know this already, but let me tell you that autumn is the time of the year, when all the creatures of the forest come out and play together. You may have already seen the mushrooms growing and popping everywhere in the forest. But if you look even closer, in silence and without moving, you will see that there is much more. Tiny dwarfs, little elves, fairies and pixies. They all are busy with harvesting and hugging, collecting and laughing, picking and cuddling. They prepare their pantries for winter and fill their hearts with love. And when winter arrives they are both full, the hearts and the pantries and they will live from these stores and memories when it’s frozen outside.
Did you know that every forest hassome sunny groves? There are little creatures tending those rare spots. They brush the grasses, plant tiny flowers and often even arrange a few big stones or fallen trees. They are the living rooms of the forest, the place where everyone loves to meet, to sit down for a while and to chat. Everyone is welcome there, just bring a blanket and a basket filled with treats. And when you sit there it won’t take long until some of the creatures living in the forest will come over to say hello. Some of them have wings, some have a shiny shell, some have fur. There are some with four legs, lots with 6 and a few that just crawl on their belly.
Did you hear the bells of spring ringing? Did you see King Winter wave goodbye to Mother Earth? Everything, everyone is waking up, stretching oneself, dressing up and heading out after the long winter. The world is all of a sudden filled with colours and with songs. Everyone is dancing. Everything is growing. Pure joy. Busy days. Find yourself a project too, make something, paint something, grow something, learn something. The world is yours, there are uncountable adventures awaiting. Colours to be matched, songs to be sung, dances to be danced and friends to be made.
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