{Fabric Friday} A little basil with my fabric...

One thing that is nice about all of the rain lately, is that our raised garden is going gangbusters! There is a sea of gorgeous green that takes over our backyard now and it was my fabric friday inspiration today.  When looking through my fabrics, I could see that living in this valley has quite possibly influenced my color choices over time. I think green is the dominant color.

Today's afternoon break consisted of stocking up on more herbs to add to our our flourishing garden. It was all about basil in my little cardboard box. I collected all sorts of varieties- because in my opinion, you can never have too much basil. I only wish that these pictures were scratch-n-sniff because it smells amazing right now!  So here is my little "basil" klt:fabric stash. You will find some: various moda, Amy Bulter, Heather Baily, Kai, Alexander Henry, Helen Rawlinson, Ink & Spindle, Umbrella, Marimekko, and Valori Wells.

Ok, the smell of basil along with a rumbling tummy may have affected this last picture. I think I am truly inspired now. Ah, the perfect Fabric Friday combination. Happy Fabric Friday! Have a nice weekend everyone!

{Everyday Inspiration} Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout...

This happens every week. I let my studio garbage can overflow. I am not sure why I do this-  but now it is sort of challenge to see how much I can balance on the top before it completely topples over. I guess it is sort of a symbol of my previous week. My garbage can tells a story and is a tribute to my hard work and the critters that have been created, right? Or is it that I just don't want to be bothered with taking it out (most likely the latter).  But every garbage night eve, I mutter the same thing out loud, "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout". 

For those of us that grew up in the '70's & '80's, I most likely don't even need to explain that reference. Shel Silverstein books were extremely popular. I will bet that I could randomly pick out 10 FB friends and they would be able to recite their favorite Shel Silverstein poems with vigor. One of my all time favorite books as a kid was, "The Giving Tree". I have saved all my S.S. books and I  hope  that Sayer enjoys them as much as I did. 

               {image + description via here }

Speaking of Shel Silverstein, I was pretty excited to learn that there was a musical tribute that was released a few weeks ago called,  "Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute To Shel Silverstein". I hadn't realized that Shel Silverstein was a Grammy Winning songwriter who had written songs for musicians such as Johnny Cash. The musicians paying tribute on this cd look interesting-  my favorite of course is the song, The Twistable Turnable Man Returns, by Andrew Bird.   So for you Shel fans and kids of the '70's, this may be worth a listen. 

Well, it's garbage day and this Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout not only needs to take the garbage out, but needs to take her son out on on a garbage truck siting around the neighborhood. You see, garbage day is a very important day in the week of a 2 1/2 year old boy. If we are lucky, we will not only see garbage trucks, but we will see yard waste bins, recycle bins, and get an occasional wave and honk from some  garbage truck drivers. Oh happy day...

{Everyday Inspiration} Yo-Yos & Fedoras...

Some objects catch my attention immediately. Whether it is their color, shape, texture, or just the memories that the evoke, I need to document them somehow and store them away in my image bank. Recently, I saw these wonderful yo-yos at the Pajama Squid. I was immediately drawn in by the color and the fact that I really wanted to feel them. They reminded me of sweet tarts (the candy) and I bought one in almost every color. They ended up being father's day gifts (my dad has the blue one), but they are also just really nice to have around as objects. I have been especially drawn to fedoras again lately too. I got Sayer and Chris similar fedoras for father's day. I remember using them as a staple image in drawings & paintings back in my college days and I find that they still creep into my artwork every now and then.

I enjoy image collecting and acknowledging objects that catch my eye. I pull them out when I need some inspiration or just when I want to create a fun narrative with them. I'm not exactly sure how yo-yos and fedoras are going to inspire a klt:works creation, but I have been thinking about it for days. What are some favorite objects that you have been drawn to lately? 

{Random Dice Roll} & the winners are?

You all had the best memories of the fathers in your lives! I thoroughly enjoyed reading them- and I really appreciate that you shared them with me. There is no way that I could choose a winner so I went to random.org for a little help. I used the "dice roll" section and picked the winners from adding the 2 dice together to get the winning numbers. I gave everyone numbers from the times that they entered- either via blog or the klt:works FB page. The first roll added up to 2 and the second added up to 4.  Which means... Daria and Eric are the winners!   Thanks again for everyone that participated... 

{Music Monday} Dad's choice...

Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day! We are actually celebrating today by having my parents over for a BBQ (Monday & Tuesday is the new weekend at our house). So, it seemed fitting to dedicate this Music Monday to my dad (last weeks selection was for Chris). I think my brother and I knew the lyrics to many Willie Nelson songs at a very early age. We may not have understood them, but we strummed our tennis rackets and sang them at the top of our lungs. Certain songs still conjure up memories of being on the boat with my family, listening to the same tapes over and over again, while playing cribbage. The photo below is a picture of my dad on the 4th of July, wearing his Willie braids that we gave him that previous Father's Day (yes, they really do sell them and we couldn't resist). He was in a little neighborhood bike (bicycle-not motorcycle) parade - it was even funnier seeing him wear them under his bike helmet.  {top photo via here}  

As an adult, I rediscovered Willie Nelson's music and now appreciate him  as  the extremely talented guitar player & lyricist that he is. It was when I learned that one of Willie's musical influences was one of my favs, Django Reinhardt, that I gave his music another listen.  My all time favorite Willie recording is the Red Headed Stranger and I just learned that the United States Library of Congress has added it to the National Recording Registry! Willie is so darn prolific too- I love how he collaborates with so many musicians and keeps his music fresh and current. Narrowing down the videos was tricky for me. But here we go.... there's a little something for everyone.

For me, these three videos show very different sides of Willie. The first one made me laugh really hard. If you lasted through the end credits, you saw that Willie made the video all on his own (and his Mac). The video with Norah is a song that I know the words to from back in the day. Norah Jones cds can be found in my mom and dad's cd players at all times (right after Willie) + Chris thinks she is pretty easy on the eyes - so I had to add it. The last video is just sweet. I love the Rainbow Connection and I think Willie gives Kermit a run for his money. Well that about wraps up my dad's choice music post. Oh, and don't forget to enter the Father's Day Owl tee giveaway. Happy Music Monday! 

{Happy Father's Day} A gift for the guys...

While being a mom is amazing, it is equally cool to see Chris as  a dad. I think it is a role that suits him perfectly and enhances all of the qualities that I admire most about him. He and Sayer are peas in a pod and I look forward to watching what adventures they will embark on next. To watch the way Chris looks at Sayer says it all. I love our little threesome!

When it comes to fathers... I really lucked out! Of course I knew this growing up, but it has become increasingly evident as I find my way as a parent. I have always felt like my dad had my back and that is something that is as rare as it is comforting. It has been nice living near my parents over the years and getting to know them as people too. I have learned a lot from my dad and I truly admire and appreciate all that he has done for me. The fact that Sayer gets to spend time with his grandparents and experience a little of what I did growing up, couldn't make me happier. 

So, in honor of my two favorite dads ( & all of the awesome dads out there), I am giving away two men's (wise) owl tees {one green & one fuchsia}. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me about a nice dad memory (feel free to tell me your favorite tee color too). I will use random.org to choose 2 winners on Tuesday the 22nd and will announce it in a blog post. Cheers to dad.  Happy Father's Day!