Friday, December 14, 2007

My advent calendar


Many of you have asked about my Advent Calendar.

I bought this few years ago. When the celebration is gone I close the little doors and store the calendar in a safe place and again take it out the next year. I love the little drawings inside the doors.

I am sure all my country men have recognized the calendar, at least my generation. This calendar was drawn by a Finnish illustrator and artist Martta Wendelin.

Martta Wendelin was born in 1892 and died in 1986. She illustrated children’s books and magazines covers but she also painted and did graphic art.Her pictures bring back images of my childhood and the world gone by. When my world was simple and life was easy, summers were endless and winters cold and snowy. When the girls played with dolls, boys played with trains and cars, mothers baked and fathers took care of their families. Maybe the world was not quite like that but that is what I want to see when I look at these pictures.
If you want to see more of her work, you can follow this link. When there, click Martta Wendelin -joulukortit and there you can see some of her Christmas drawings.

6 comments:

  1. Oh that's beautiful - I love the little birds.

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  2. Thank you so much for the 'link'. She does capture ordinary people doing ordinary things, but so beautifully. She also loves Spring. The robins on the snowy branch - lovely!

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  3. Pari vuotta sitten oli posteissa myynnissä paljon Martta Wendelin kortteja ja almanakkojakin. Lähetin yhden tädilleni joka asuu Bostonissa, ja hän oli aivan innoissaan. Kuvaat niin hyvin minkälaiset muistot kuvat tu, minullekin tulee juri tuonkaltaiset.

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  4. Anonymous00:43

    I am loving these little "windows". This is a lovely Advent Calender. It is almost like having it here in my own home. Thank you for sharing! Merry Christmas!! PS: I remember Christmas the same way you do!!

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  5. Itselläni nämä Wendelinin kuvat tuovat mieleen teini-iän kesät, kun olin töissä oppaana Tuusulan kirkolla. Wendelin teki joskus aikoinaan oman korttisarjan kirkolla myytäväksi, ja niitä kortteja kävi tosi moni vanhempi rouva kyselemässä. Omaakin silmääni ne miellyttivät, mutta en tullut keränneeksi.

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  6. Anonymous03:23

    I've really been enjoying your advent calendar. I'm almost 42 (without children) and I still get one every year -- it's just part of what makes the season special. Just about everyone had one when I was a kid in Wisconsin, but now most people I talk to about it don't know what I'm talking about. My mom said it was a great way to sort of let off kid steam from the anticipation of Christmas because I got to do a little something every day. (Another way was to get a small gift -- usually a scarf or mittens -- for St. Nicholas on December 6th.)

    -- Allison in Philadelphia

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