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{Everyday Inspiration} vintage children’s books…

I seem to be cruising through nostalgia row lately. If I am not on looking online for vintage Fisher Price toys, then I am on the search for cool vintage fabrics. I’m completely in touch with the things that I enjoyed as a child and finding that I am pulling heavily from my childhood memories for color & imagery inspirations. I have been collecting children’s books for years- Sayer has a lot that he hasn’t even seen yet. But lately, I have been drawn to vintage children’s books that I may not have picked up before I knew Sayer. 

These are all fairly new to our library (except the Little Engine That Could which was mine or my brother’s) and definitely chosen with Sayer’s interests in mind. Sayer has been really interested in the Statue of Liberty. He wants his hair to look like the spikes and he would like to visit her nose. I found the Statue of Liberty book locally a few weeks ago and it has been a favorite at story time (but oh, so boring). I have learned all sorts of things about the statue but admittedly spice it up  a bit when I am reading it. The book Les Trains & Les Avions books came from monsieur minouchet and for now we are just looking at the pictures (until we learn French). This last one, Floating and Sinking, was just found at Frecklewonder.

The colors are beautiful- blues and greens with little shots of ochre yellow and red. I absolutely LOVE the illustrations in the Floating and Sinking book. This is definitely a palette that not only is seen a lot in my fabric stacks, but apparently my books stacks as well. Book stores are my most frequented and favorite places for collecting inspirational data, without a question. Where do you look  to find interesting color combinations?

{Everyday Inspiration} vintage children’s books…

I seem to be cruising through nostalgia row lately. If I am not on looking online for vintage Fisher Price toys, then I am on the search for cool vintage fabrics. I’m completely in touch with the things that I enjoyed as a child and finding that I am pulling heavily from my childhood memories for color & imagery inspirations. I have been collecting children’s books for years- Sayer has a lot that he hasn’t even seen yet. But lately, I have been drawn to vintage children’s books that I may not have picked up before I knew Sayer. 

These are all fairly new to our library (except the Little Engine That Could which was mine or my brother’s) and definitely chosen with Sayer’s interests in mind. Sayer has been really interested in the Statue of Liberty. He wants his hair to look like the spikes and he would like to visit her nose. I found the Statue of Liberty book locally a few weeks ago and it has been a favorite at story time (but oh, so boring). I have learned all sorts of things about the statue but admittedly spice it up  a bit when I am reading it. The book Les Trains & Les Avions books came from monsieur minouchet and for now we are just looking at the pictures (until we learn French). This last one, Floating and Sinking, was just found at Frecklewonder.

The colors are beautiful- blues and greens with little shots of ochre yellow and red. I absolutely LOVE the illustrations in the Floating and Sinking book. This is definitely a palette that not only is seen a lot in my fabric stacks, but apparently my books stacks as well. Book stores are my most frequented and favorite places for collecting inspirational data, without a question. Where do you look  to find interesting color combinations?

{Everyday Inspiration} vintage children’s books…

I seem to be cruising through nostalgia row lately. If I am not on looking online for vintage Fisher Price toys, then I am on the search for cool vintage fabrics. I’m completely in touch with the things that I enjoyed as a child and finding that I am pulling heavily from my childhood memories for color & imagery inspirations. I have been collecting children’s books for years- Sayer has a lot that he hasn’t even seen yet. But lately, I have been drawn to vintage children’s books that I may not have picked up before I knew Sayer. 

These are all fairly new to our library (except the Little Engine That Could which was mine or my brother’s) and definitely chosen with Sayer’s interests in mind. Sayer has been really interested in the Statue of Liberty. He wants his hair to look like the spikes and he would like to visit her nose. I found the Statue of Liberty book locally a few weeks ago and it has been a favorite at story time (but oh, so boring). I have learned all sorts of things about the statue but admittedly spice it up  a bit when I am reading it. The book Les Trains & Les Avions books came from monsieur minouchet and for now we are just looking at the pictures (until we learn French). This last one, Floating and Sinking, was just found at Frecklewonder.

The colors are beautiful- blues and greens with little shots of ochre yellow and red. I absolutely LOVE the illustrations in the Floating and Sinking book. This is definitely a palette that not only is seen a lot in my fabric stacks, but apparently my books stacks as well. Book stores are my most frequented and favorite places for collecting inspirational data, without a question. Where do you look  to find interesting color combinations?

{Good Read} Stunning illustrations


I love books- everything about them. One of my favorite things to do is browse book stores. The book design is what really attracts me to this activity. I have my favorite book designers & illustrators and think of them as having rock star status. Admittedly, I have purchased books solely on their covers. On those rare occasions that the books content is as good as the cover, well then we have a real keeper. 


One of my oldest & dearest friends shares this love of design and books with me. She sent Sayer one of the coolest books I had ever seen, for Halloween this last year. It proudly sits on the very top book ledge in Sayer’s room and keeps an eye on him. He actually used to call it mommy – because of the glasses (I hope). Jeremy Holmes was the creator & illustrator of the unique masterpiece, There Was an Old Lady, and partnered with Chronicle Books. Recently, I read a great interview with Jeremy in the new UPPERCASE magazine about how the book came to be.

Isn’t it interesting that we live in a time where a small video is made to advertise a book? This video is so cool. It definitely gives you the feeling of the book. Jeremy Holmes did an outstanding job on this project. But looking at his portfolio, he is very familiar with doing good work. 

{Good Read} Stunning illustrations


I love books- everything about them. One of my favorite things to do is browse book stores. The book design is what really attracts me to this activity. I have my favorite book designers & illustrators and think of them as having rock star status. Admittedly, I have purchased books solely on their covers. On those rare occasions that the books content is as good as the cover, well then we have a real keeper. 


One of my oldest & dearest friends shares this love of design and books with me. She sent Sayer one of the coolest books I had ever seen, for Halloween this last year. It proudly sits on the very top book ledge in Sayer’s room and keeps an eye on him. He actually used to call it mommy – because of the glasses (I hope). Jeremy Holmes was the creator & illustrator of the unique masterpiece, There Was an Old Lady, and partnered with Chronicle Books. Recently, I read a great interview with Jeremy in the new UPPERCASE magazine about how the book came to be.

Isn’t it interesting that we live in a time where a small video is made to advertise a book? This video is so cool. It definitely gives you the feeling of the book. Jeremy Holmes did an outstanding job on this project. But looking at his portfolio, he is very familiar with doing good work. 

{Good Read} Stunning illustrations


I love books- everything about them. One of my favorite things to do is browse book stores. The book design is what really attracts me to this activity. I have my favorite book designers & illustrators and think of them as having rock star status. Admittedly, I have purchased books solely on their covers. On those rare occasions that the books content is as good as the cover, well then we have a real keeper. 


One of my oldest & dearest friends shares this love of design and books with me. She sent Sayer one of the coolest books I had ever seen, for Halloween this last year. It proudly sits on the very top book ledge in Sayer’s room and keeps an eye on him. He actually used to call it mommy – because of the glasses (I hope). Jeremy Holmes was the creator & illustrator of the unique masterpiece, There Was an Old Lady, and partnered with Chronicle Books. Recently, I read a great interview with Jeremy in the new UPPERCASE magazine about how the book came to be.

Isn’t it interesting that we live in a time where a small video is made to advertise a book? This video is so cool. It definitely gives you the feeling of the book. Jeremy Holmes did an outstanding job on this project. But looking at his portfolio, he is very familiar with doing good work. 

{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} 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} 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} Story time …

I am like a sponge when it comes to soaking up the thousands of details that a day throws my way. Hanging out with a toddler can pretty much guarantee that some pretty noteworthy things will been seen, pointed out, and documented in my mental sketchbook. One of my favorite times for seeking inspiration, is story time with Sayer. Whether it is concocting our own stories or reading one of his many books, some tidbit of information is always stashed away for future creations. I have always loved children’s books and have collected them for years. They are displayed all around the house because I like to have them accessible and in my sight. The book ledge in my studio, dedicated to my current finds, and the book wall in Sayer’s room are some of my favorite spots to gaze. 

My fellow, book lover friend, Catherine (monsieur minouchet), gave me, Spot It! Find the Hidden Creatures, by Delphine Chedru last Christmas. This is a truly gorgeous book! It has become a favorite of Sayer’s as well. His favorite part of the book is, “The fox in the night…”. He really seems to respond to the palette (he is also really aware of color these days). I even got him the pajamas that he is wearing in the picture above, because of the book- they are his “night fox” pajamas. We spend so much time studying each page in this book, that some of the color combinations inevitably found their way into my studio. I wanted to share with you how this book has influenced my color choices when making some recent klt:plush.

{pictured: Bluebird with Helen Rawlinson screen printed fabric, Night time Dewey Bird, Marimekko Slugs}

{pictured: ABC Dewey Bird with Helen Rawlinson screen printed fabric}

There is no doubt in my mind that I will continue to be inspired by this book, and many others, when making things for klt:works. Is there a favorite book that you look to for inspiration?