June 18th, 2010

matchbox love

A while ago my friend Hilma gave me this matchbox booklet as a gift. I love the idea of a little book in a box and I’m inspired to make some of my own;))

These are made here in the Netherlands by MATCHBOOX and are usually a collaboration between writers and illustrators. Each one is put together by hand. The one above is without text and it was bought in a museum so maybe it’s from a different series. I can’t find it on the site. I ordered the one below from their web shop. It was written by Arthur Japin and illustrated by Nanne Meulendijks.

There is quite a large collection. Isn’t this a great way to exhibit them?

My most cherished matchboxes are these, my friend Maaike made them for my daughters in 1990, when Nina was born. They aren’t actually mine but I’m keeping them for the girls…

And this one, made by Nina when she was about 5 years old. A mother’s day gift for me! If I remember correctly, it’s a crab in there!

These are quite nice too! I got the one on the left from the flea market. The middel one was a gift from Lu. I can’t remember where the 3rd one came from. It must belong to one of my daughters.

My own matchbox design is this one: LITTLE BOX OF LOVE – filled with all kinds of hearts – available here.

And these ones: LITTLE BOX OF TREASURES  and LITLE BOX OF POSITIVITY- each one filled with different goodies – will be available soon…

· art, collections, design, inspiration 7 comments