{Everyday Inspiration} Saturday Painters...

It was too cold to play outside, not to mention, the snow wasn't that  great snowball/snowman snow- it sort of just fell apart. Sayer & I ventured out today, but decided that we rather have hot cocoa & paint inside. I love the stage Sayer is in right now- although I've enjoyed all of them so far. He is just so cool & really fun to play with. I broke out my watercolors & painting materials (but was grateful I had Sayer use his own paints). We turned on the music & painted for quite awhile. Being that I've taught college level painting classes over the last 16 years, it was really refreshing to paint with him. His willingness to experiment, play & just enjoy painting- without a care in the world as to what the finished product looked like, is what I always tried to encourage in my students. It's much trickier as an adult to be that way. Sayer was definitely an inspiration to watch & be around. I'm going to love sharing my studio with him over the years I can just tell. When his painting was done, he picked up a pair of Chris' old glasses sitting on the bookshelf & started goofin' around.... 

I really think that the pictures speak better than my words as to what I saw. Let's just say, that I had a really good Saturday & the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Hope you're having a nice weekend too.

{Fabric Friday} KLT:fabric bundles & giveaway...

Those of you that have been following my Fabric Fridays for the last year, won't be surprised to learn that my fabric stash is taking over my studio right now. Boy do I love fabric & I have piles dating back to the late 1990's. The lightbulb finally went off after numerous inquires from customers about buying my fabric to match their klt:mobiles & plush. Part of my new year resolution was to simply & pare down. So, in the spirit of making more space in my studio, I'm now creating & selling fabric bundles from my  klt:fabric stash in my Etsy Shop.

As I was frantically going through my fabric, cutting & bundling, I came up with a fun idea (I think)- a Fabric Friday Giveaway! I thought I would put together some fabric remnants in this KLT owl tote as my giveaway prize. I figured that those of you that are crafty & creative would need an extra tote. So, I will gradually add fabric to this tote over the next week - and announce a winner next Fabric Friday. Sound fun? 

To enter:

Leave a comment under this post about what you would do with your new tote of fabric.

An extra entry will be given to those that follow this blog- & another extra entry if you follow klt:works on FB & Twitter. 

Happy Fabric Friday! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

{shop update} dewey loves orla kiely...

Are you a fan of  Orla Kiely designs? I am & was happy when I stumbled on this shop called Thirtyfive Flowers. Not only does Louise make beautiful cushions & coin purses from vintage & new fabrics (just got this & this in the mail today & LOVE them), but she has a fondness for Orla Kiely & occasionally sells some of her fabric in little packs. I recently purchased a few bundles from her with a plan to make some plush. However, I haven't had a chance to get make them yet. While working on an order of Dewey Birds yesterday, I was able to squeeze in the time to make this Dewey that I had dreamed up the minute I received my Orla Kiely fabric. See, having our house buried in snow isn't that bad... I got more time to sew. Hope you are having a great day! 

{Fun} What?

Wasn't I just saying that it felt like spring was around the corner? Now, I know snow isn't  a big deal to most of you out there. But we seldom get snow here in the Northwest. So to look out the window this morning and see snow outside is a bit odd, being that it's just about March. Below is my view from our kitchen window.

Sayer actually went to his grandma & grandpa's house today & I'm sure they are going to have a lot of snowy fun. I was able to snap a few shots before he left to document this crazy snowfall. Meanwhile, Chris is working from home today & I'm going to lock myself in the studio. We are trying out my new mocha pot & drinking our coffee Daria style now (thanks D). We are on our fourth cup and things are really starting to hum. Hope you all are having a great day? What's the view from your window?

{Real Life} big boy room

We've been gradually transitioning Sayer's room from a nursery to a little boys rooms for a little while now. One of the issues that has come up in the last few months is that he has become scared of the dark & nighttime- causing him to not want to fall asleep. While we have tried all sorts of things, changing his room around has been a part of the problem solving. Sayer told us that he was afraid of his curtains- they were a large abstract shapes and he saw monsters in them. Honestly, I liked them because of being able to see things in them so it never dawned on me that it would freak him out (that was  pre-mom thinking). So now, all of his curtains are turned inside out & we have different fabric swatches draped on all of the windows to see what will work. 

Funny thing though, on Saturday, I got an order of vintage fabric from the Netherlands in the mail. One of the pieces was an old funky curtain- ready to hang (which was a surprise- a nice one). Sayer always likes to see the fabric I get in the mail & when I said it was a curtain, he told me to hang it in his room right away. It's pretty amazing, but it fits the window dimensions perfectly. He announced that he loves it & that it's not scary in his room anymore. However, we have 2 more windows in his room that need new curtains. 

I had actually taken Sayer with me to the fabric store recently & told him to let me know if he saw something he liked for curtains. He yelled out excitedly, "I LOVE  BUTTERFLIES & FIRETRUCKS!" when he saw this fabric... 

Which is not really the aesthetic I was after for his room. But he loved it - so I got him a fat quarter & we have it draped on one of other windows. I think I've diverted his attention from it being a curtain by suggesting that I would make him a butterfly slug with the fabric.  

Meanwhile, I have to say, since the funky curtain has been in his room, the going to bed issue has been a lot better. Coincidence? Maybe, but for now my klt:plushies will have to wait- we are keeping the funky floral fabric on his window until our luck runs out (& we find new fabric for all 3 of the windows). I do love the floral in there though- particularly with the vintage Marimekko comforter. The big boy room transition is a lot of fun- we still have some projects up our sleeve. But so far it's been really rewarding watching Sayer play & enjoy his space. What do you remember about your kiddo's nursery morphing into a big boy/girl room? 

{Music Monday} Agnes Obel...

I made a new musical discovery last week when visiting the lovely blog, Sincerely Pierre. Tiffany had posted the gorgeous Agnes Obel video, Riverside & from that, I went on a search for more. Agnes Obel is a Danish singer/songwriter who released her first album, Philharmonics, in October 2010 in Europe & December 2010 in the US. I've been listening to it all weekend (it's available on itunes). What do you think? Happy Music Monday! 

{Photo by Mali Lazell via here}

{shop update} willie & wanda...

There were glimmers that spring was right around the corner this weekend. It was sunshiny but  still really chilly.  Wanda & Willie worm like to come out in the spring when the tulip fields in our valley start to bloom, but they decided to emerge from the studio this weekend (a little early)  full of cheerful, Marimekko splendor. Making them today seemed like a nice way to encourage more of this weather & to start the week out on a happy note. These are the sort of critters I make when I've had a nice weekend. Hope you did as well!