Some of the sweetest Limoges boxes are made for the smallest people. This collection begins with the arrival: a pink stork with happy news, twins sharing a nap, bath time bubbles and a round box made to hold a baby's first curl. Then come the nursery years, with teddy bears out rowing and sliding, a jester popping from his jack in the box and Noah's Ark loaded two by two. Finally, the storybook shelf: the Tooth Fairy, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella's coach and the cat with his fiddle from the old nursery rhyme.
Each one is a Limoges box, a small hand-painted porcelain box with a hinged lid, made in and around Limoges, France. Inside there is room for a first tooth, a lock of hair or a tiny note to read again someday.
They make lasting gifts for a baby shower, a christening, a first birthday or a grandchild's milestone, and many become heirlooms that grow up right alongside the child.
Rochard Pink Stork Limoges Box for a New Baby Girl
The stork took the long way over the village, just to make sure everyone saw. Past the bakery, over the school, around the church tower twice. By the time she landed on the right doorstep, half the street had come out to wave. It's a girl, she announced, and somewhere inside a very tired, very happy family began to cry.
Twins on Bed Rochard Limoges Box, Boy and Girl
One wakes up, then the other. One laughs, and the other laughs too, though nobody knows why. The twins have been side by side since before they were born, and they see no reason to change things now. Their parents tiptoe in at night just to watch the two of them breathing in perfect time.
Rochard Baby in Bathtub Porcelain Limoges Box
Bath time is the best time, according to the youngest member of the household. There are bubbles to pop, a rubber duck to rescue and a great deal of water to move from the tub to the floor. By the end, everyone in the room is soaked. Nobody is complaining, and the duck is safe.
Rochard Blue Round Limoges Box for a First Curl
The barber's chair was much too big, the scissors were much too loud, and he did not like any of it one bit. But the curl that fell was perfect, soft and golden as summer. His mother picked it up off the floor and tucked it away, to keep for the day he is tall enough to tease about it.
Teddy Bear in a Rowboat Limoges Box
Every Sunday afternoon, Teddy rows out to the middle of the pond to think big thoughts. The ducks follow him, hoping for crumbs. The dragonflies hover nearby, hoping for conversation. Teddy just leans back, lets the oars rest, and watches the clouds drift by until somebody calls him home for supper.
Teddy Bear on Slide Hand-Painted Limoges Box
Whee! Teddy has climbed the ladder eleven times this morning, and he plans to do it at least eleven more. Each trip down is faster than the last. The other toys gather at the bottom to cheer. Later he will need a very long nap. For now, there is only the slide and the wind in his fur.
Jester Jack in the Box Porcelain Limoges Box
Turn the handle, round and round, and listen to the tinkly little tune. Slower now, slower still. Everyone in the nursery holds their breath. Then, pop! Out springs the jester with a grin and a jingle of bells, and the baby on the rug laughs so hard she falls over sideways.
Noah's Ark Porcelain Limoges Box with Animals
The rain began on a Tuesday, so the story goes, and by Wednesday everyone was aboard: the giraffes ducking their heads, the elephants squeezing in sideways, the rabbits hopping up the plank two by two. It was crowded and a bit noisy, but no one was left out. When the sun came back, there was a rainbow for all of them.
Rochard Tooth Fairy Limoges Box
She works the night shift, flying from pillow to pillow with a tiny lantern and a purse full of shining coins. Her rule is simple: no peeking. Still, one little boy swears he saw a flutter of wings by the curtain last night. In the morning, his tooth was gone and a coin was waiting. Proof enough.
Artoria Cat and the Fiddle Nursery Rhyme Limoges Box
Hey diddle diddle, the cat has his fiddle, and tonight he is playing his very best tune. The cow is warming up for her famous jump, the little dog is already giggling, and the dish and the spoon are making eyes at each other across the table. It is a big night for everyone in the rhyme.
Rochard Little Red Riding Hood Storybook Limoges Box
Little Red Riding Hood has a basket of cake for her grandmother and strict instructions to stay on the path. She means to, she really does. But the wildflowers are so pretty, and the stranger in the woods is so very polite. Turn the page carefully, little one. You know how this story goes.
Cinderella Fairy Tale Coach Hand-Painted Limoges Box
At a quarter to midnight, the coach waits at the palace steps, gleaming in the lantern light. Inside, the ball is still spinning on. The horses stamp their feet, the coachman checks his watch, and somewhere a girl in glass slippers is about to remember the time. Run, Cinderella, run.
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