Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on May 08, 2011 in Mother's Day, photography, Uncategorized, vintage photos | 15 Comments

I really love photography. My fondness for b&w photos goes way back & when I find cool vintage b&w photos, I get even more excited. Today I was digging through boxes in our basement, on a mission. I have some of my mom’s old photos- I had taken a stash of them when my parents moved. My plan was to frame & scan them eventually but haven’t looked at them in years. Today however, I was looking for pictures of my grandma & my mom for a “generations of moms” post.

But while I was sifting though the old album I found (which incidentally stopped before her younger brother & sister were born), I was immediately taken by some of the photos. Of course I’m nostalgic because I’m related to these people. But I’m also really struck by the photography. Compositionally & artistically, I find them interesting & beautiful. I love the stories that they tell. Originally I was just looking for “mother” photos, but the photos with my grandpa & uncle are some of my favorites & I felt compelled to share.

This post is a Mother’s Day surprise for my mom (because I know she reads this blog everyday) but I also think the photos are fun to look at even if you aren’t related to me. It’s a peek into history & the joys of everyday life- which all stem from motherhood.

Hope all of you mommas out there have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

{Fabric Friday} Marimekko for Spring…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on May 06, 2011 in Fabric Friday, marimekko, marimekko plush, slugs, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Bears hibernate during the winter, but I collect Marimekko fabric. I stash it away like a squirrel stashes nuts. I’ve kept my eye open for vintage & hard to find Marimekko remnants for my plush for months now. My stack is growing & my ideas are flowing.

These three cheerful amigos joined the other colorful slugs yesterday (in honor of Cinco de Mayo). They really mimic the gorgeous color of the many tulip fields that I’m surrounded by in our valley.

While I certainly have lots of plans for klt:goodies using my Marimekko fabric, for some reason, I love making slugs with these happy textiles. The idea of a kiddo toting around these vibrant & cheerful friends make me smile. I have to say, Sayer has already adopted one from this new stack. Can you guess which one? I knew right away which one he would be drawn to. He already has two slugs, but they could use a little break & a new friend. Happy Fabric Friday! Do you have a favorite fabric from the stash?

As a side note:

klt:works loves moms! To celebrate you lovely mommas out there, everyone gets 25% off the entire KLT etsy shop this weekend with the code “KLTMOM” (offer ends Monday Morning at 8am PST)! Happy Mother’s Day!

{Everyday Inspiration} Color = Happy

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on May 05, 2011 in beads, color, handmade, Kristina Klarin, Uncategorized | No Comments

Color makes me happy & coupled with texture & I’m a smiling gal. When I discovered Kristina Klarin’s necklaces, I knew I needed to have one around my neck someday. I had a really strong reaction to her color combinations, the textures, & shapes. However, I’m not the only one. Her necklaces sell out fast, I’ve learned. So, I’ve been checking in every so often to see if a color combination grabs me. A few weeks ago, I found the ONE & I snatched it up immediately. It came to my doorstep last week & I’ve worn it a lot since. It makes me happy to wear it. Sayer calls it my abacus.

It really makes a mediocre day a little cheerier. So, there you have it – my little happiness secret that I felt the need to share. – Fun, colorful, tactile beads around your neck can give a spring in your step…. really. It can kick the doldrums right to the curb. If you love color, you should check out Kristina Klarin’s blog too. It’s just gorgeous! Hope you are having a great week. If you aren’t… go find some color fast!

{Everyday Inspiration} May First…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on May 01, 2011 in birthday, Chris Theiss, hutch studio, Uncategorized, vintage photos | 4 Comments

It’s a beautiful day here in the Northwest- the sun is shining & everything is bright! What a perfect day to celebrate May Day & the birthday of someone special…

Chris hasn’t changed a bit? He has the same style & expressions evident in these awesome pictures. Boy do I wish he still had those clothes to pass down to Sayer! I just love these photos of him! I think the damage from the tape I water marks make them even cooler really. They actually look like they could’ve come from a contemporary kid’s fashion mag. Vintage photos at their best! I’m sure they will inspire something in the studio someday- I think the palette already has…

Happy Birthday Chris!! Thanks for being my Everyday Inspiration! Ok, off to do a few festive errands before the little celebration tonight.

So if you are in La Conner today, pop in to hutch studio & wish him a Happy Birthday. He’s busy working & making interesting things out of cardboard. Better yet, leave him a note on the hutch studio facebook page … that would knock his very cool socks off! Happy May Day everyone!

{Real Life} Tea for Two…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 27, 2011 in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

Not too long ago, I received a beautiful catalog in the mail. You know, the kind that kicks around on the table for awhile because you are never quite finished going through it? The pages were getting more & more dog-eared as time went by until finally, I made an order. The great thing is, not only did I order some cool things for Sayer, but I ordered for me too! Because honestly, sometimes we need to wear something other than our favorite klt:works tees around here & Mother’s Day is just right around the corner, right?

If you haven’t guessed yet, our special, Mother’s Day inspired order was from the gorgeous, San Francisco based, Tea Collection. While you may be familiar with their wonderful children’s clothing line, did you know that they have a women’s line too? Sayer & I were so thrilled by our mother & son Tea parcel that we decided to try out our new clothing right away (& of course, I brought my camera along). We romped in the alleys downtown…played at the beach, & goofed around in the studio a bit.

It’s safe to say, that the Tea Collection fits into our Northwest way of life really well. Sayer’s painter roll up pants are great & so practical! He’s pretty much lived in them since they arrived at our doorstep. His little surfer hoodie & shirt became instant favorites as well. I have to say, I’m really happy I bought myself the tunic too. It’s so nice when I can find a creative company that compliments klt:works so beautifully. For you moms to little girls out there, go check out their girl collection– it’s so adorable! So, here are three big cheers to a favorite west coast company! In addition to having stellar products, their customer service was top notch too.

Stop on by :: www.teacollection.com

{Real Life} Tea for Two…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 27, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments

Not too long ago, I received a beautiful catalog in the mail. You know, the kind that kicks around on the table for awhile because you are never quite finished going through it? The pages were getting more & more dog-eared as time went by until finally, I made an order. The great thing is, not only did I order some cool things for Sayer, but I ordered for me too! Because honestly, sometimes we need to wear something other than our favorite klt:works tees around here & Mother’s Day is just right around the corner, right?

If you haven’t guessed yet, our special, Mother’s Day inspired order was from the gorgeous, San Francisco based, Tea Collection. While you may be familiar with their wonderful children’s clothing line, did you know that they have a women’s line too? Sayer & I were so thrilled by our mother & son Tea parcel that we decided to try out our new clothing right away (& of course, I brought my camera along). We romped in the alleys downtown…played at the beach, & goofed around in the studio a bit.

It’s safe to say, that the Tea Collection fits into our Northwest way of life really well. Sayer’s painter roll up pants are great & so practical! He’s pretty much lived in them since they arrived at our doorstep. His little surfer hoodie & shirt became instant favorites as well. I have to say, I’m really happy I bought myself the tunic too. It’s so nice when I can find a creative company that compliments klt:works so beautifully. For you moms to little girls out there, go check out their girl collection– it’s so adorable! So, here are three big cheers to a favorite west coast company! In addition to having stellar products, their customer service was top notch too.

Stop on by :: www.teacollection.com

{Music Monday} Draw…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 25, 2011 in drawing, music for kiddo, music monday, snack time, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Three main ingredients for a fun rainy day inside with kiddo:

1. chalk board wall (with plenty of chalk included)

2. Ed Emberly drawing books

3. Barenaked Ladies, Snack Time cd

Mix all together & DRAW! Happy Music Monday! What’s your favorite rainy day activity?

{Everyday Inspiration} family night out…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 21, 2011 in color, Everyday Inspiration, Skagit Valley, tulip fields, tulips, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Ok, so I’ve been posting a lot of pictures of the tulips & daffodils lately, I know. But, we are surrounded by all of these colors & I really can’t resist. Right now the Tulip Festival is going on so there is tons of traffic in our little town & the fields are swarming with tourists. However, every year, the Tulip Town fields hold what they call “locals night’ where the locals are invited to roam their fields, take tractor/trolley rides, & enjoy the sites for free. It’s always crowded & a fun evening. We started a tradition with my parent 2 years ago & last night we headed on out to Tulip Town adventure like years prior.

While the tulips are beautiful, I sometimes find the people attending this event more interesting & colorful. When taking a tractor ride though the fields, these lovely ladies were in my view. I was taken with their individuality, smiles, & friendships that they were enjoying.

There were also lots of other things to explore. The kites & flags were flying & spinning like crazy in the wind (it was chilly) & on the outskirts of the tulips was this tent. It was intriguing & we let our imagination go a bit. Was it a mini circus in there? I don’t know, but we hung around it for quite awhile. No clowns left from tent that we saw.

All in all it was a nice evening out. We saw some familiar faces, got to play in more puddles, & enjoyed our local surrounds. How is your week going?

{Good Read} Tomi Ungerer…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 15, 2011 in children's books, good read, ideal shop, illustration, Tomi Ungerer, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

{Tomi Ungerer}

I had a chance to pop into one of my favorite shops called IDEAL a few weekends ago. (Last October, I had a trunk show at IDEAL & posted about it here if you would like a peek into the shop.) I was actually meeting up with one of the two owners, Lisa to hang out & chat about design, books & motherhood that day. But, I fit in a browse through the shop before we left & ended up purchasing two books, Moon Man & The Three Robbers. Lisa is a lover of children’s books too & recommended them, plus I was immediately drawn to the illustrations. When I got home, I realized that I had another book illustrated by Tomi Ungerer called, Snail, where are you?, that I got for Sayer a long time ago. Lisa had also reminded me about another one of his books, Crictor, that I remembered really liking as a kid. So it appears that I’ve enjoyed his work for a some time now.

{The Three Robbers}

{Moon Man}

{Snail, where are you?}

{Crictor}

A few days after I bought those cool Tomi Ungerer books at IDEAL, I stumbled on this post when I was cruising through my favorite blogs. Not only did I become even more enchanted with this artist & writer, but I discovered that I had just bought a book that he had illustrated (but didn’t write) in the $1 bin at the thrift store a week prior called, Seeds and More Seeds. The illustrations are more like Crictor & I also liked the style of typography.

I always enjoy learning about artists & writers and finding little interviews like this one. I can officially say that I’m a Tomi Ungerer fan. Are you?

*Click here to see who the winner of the 5 Creative Bundle Competition is. Due to the interest in this competition, I posted on Wednesday rather than waiting for Fabric Friday.

Hope you have a great weekend! Do you have anything fun planned?

{Everyday Inspiration} A day of red & fuchsia…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 12, 2011 in color, Everyday Inspiration, klt:tees, red and fuchsia, tulip fields, tulips, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Color is everywhere in the valley now. The tulips just started blooming & after our yellow & green adventure last week, we decided to go immerse ourselves a different color yesterday. The sun finally came out & we found a muddy field of red to romp around in…

This field was bigger than the daffodil field we visited on Thursday. This one had a flower stand & Sayer wanted to get Chris some flowers since he didn’t get to join us. He picked them out & bought them himself- he was very pleased with his purchase. I’ve learned over the years to really take advantage of tulip time in our area. It’s nice to be able to explore the fields on days & at times that tourists aren’t around. We usually have the fields to ourselves. The fields will be buzzy with activity next weekend I’m sure. So, here is my red & fuchsia inspiration for the week. What colors are you drawn to lately?

Happy Mother’s Day!

{Fabric Friday} Marimekko for Spring…

{Everyday Inspiration} Color = Happy

{Everyday Inspiration} May First…

{Real Life} Tea for Two…

{Real Life} Tea for Two…

{Music Monday} Draw…

{Everyday Inspiration} family night out…

{Good Read} Tomi Ungerer…

{Everyday Inspiration} A day of red & fuchsia…

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