{Vintage Reads} The Seiden Bunny Mystery…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 24, 2011 in Art Seiden, Bea Rabin Seiden, bunnies, children's books, Easter, vintage books | 6 Comments

On this Easter Eve, I thought it would be appropriate to share a little mystery about bunnies. It’s no secret that I’m a vintage book nut. I’m always on the hunt for a new treasure to add to my collection. But when I find a book illustrated by Art Seiden, my heart pitter pats a little bit extra. My collection has even doubled since my last Art Seiden post – I’ve had good thrifting karma lately. Well, I made a discovery a while back that has me puzzled. Did Art Seiden have a wife who illustrated books too?

I’m what you might call a research or information junkie. I love to research about illustrators, authors, artists, designers, musicians- you name it. If I find a person’s work inspiring, I’m always curious to find out more about the process & influences in that person’s work. I’m particularly fascinated in couples that are both artists. When I stumbled on a book illustrated by a Bea Rabin Seiden- it really got my wheels turning. Her illustrations were done for Wonder Books around the same time that Art Seiden did illustrations for Wonder Books. They both worked with author, Alf Evers too. I thought there was a definite style similarity as well. Unfortunately, there really isn’t any information. This book seems to be the only one on record that she has illustrated. I even checked in with my two vintage expert friends, Alix (modern kiddo) & Heather (3ring circus) to see if they could help me shed some light on this puzzle. Either way, I love Bea’s bunnies. Here are some of the illustrations from the book, The Hungry Baby Bunny.

The illustrations for, Sonny the Lucky Bunny, are pretty great too. My favorite is probably the lion dancing with the bunny. I’m always drawn to Art Seiden’s lions. Here are a few of Art’s illustrations. (His is the very first illustration of the post too.)

Yes, this is the sort of thing that occupies my mind. I know, it really doesn’t matter whether they are related or not. I just found it an interesting coincidence & fun to think about the two of them in their house together, happily drawing bunnies. Happy Easter everyone!

{Vintage Reads} The Seiden Bunny Mystery…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 24, 2011 in Art Seiden, Bea Rabin Seiden, bunnies, children's books, Easter, vintage books | No Comments

On this Easter Eve, I thought it would be appropriate to share a little mystery about bunnies. It’s no secret that I’m a vintage book nut. I’m always on the hunt for a new treasure to add to my collection. But when I find a book illustrated by Art Seiden, my heart pitter pats a little bit extra. My collection has even doubled since my last Art Seiden post – I’ve had good thrifting karma lately. Well, I made a discovery a while back that has me puzzled. Did Art Seiden have a wife who illustrated books too?

I’m what you might call a research or information junkie. I love to research about illustrators, authors, artists, designers, musicians- you name it. If I find a person’s work inspiring, I’m always curious to find out more about the process & influences in that person’s work. I’m particularly fascinated in couples that are both artists. When I stumbled on a book illustrated by a Bea Rabin Seiden- it really got my wheels turning. Her illustrations were done for Wonder Books around the same time that Art Seiden did illustrations for Wonder Books. They both worked with author, Alf Evers too. I thought there was a definite style similarity as well. Unfortunately, there really isn’t any information. This book seems to be the only one on record that she has illustrated. I even checked in with my two vintage expert friends, Alix (modern kiddo) & Heather (3ring circus) to see if they could help me shed some light on this puzzle. Either way, I love Bea’s bunnies. Here are some of the illustrations from the book, The Hungry Baby Bunny.

The illustrations for, Sonny the Lucky Bunny, are pretty great too. My favorite is probably the lion dancing with the bunny. I’m always drawn to Art Seiden’s lions. Here are a few of Art’s illustrations. (His is the very first illustration of the post too.)

Yes, this is the sort of thing that occupies my mind. I know, it really doesn’t matter whether they are related or not. I just found it an interesting coincidence & fun to think about the two of them in their house together, happily drawing bunnies. Happy Easter everyone!

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds ~ primary colors…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 17, 2011 in four finds Vintage Inspiration, vintage books, vintage finds, vintage toys | 25 Comments

I’ve been finding all sorts for fun things for Sayer at the thrift stores lately- all in primary colors. We are big Wallace & Gromit fans at our house & Wallace uses an abacus often- to do his bills of course. Sayer has been particularly interested in what it was so I have been keeping an eye out for a cool old abacus for him. After all, I could use help with the bills around here. I found this great old Playskool one the other day & it has been getting a great deal of attention in his room. Apparently Wallace uses a pencil to move the beads- so that is how Sayer does it too.

The only downfall to bringing home really old toys (other than finding space for everything) is the need to create the missing parts to the toys which I suppose is more of a challenge than a downfall. I’ve been spending time making coins for this Playskool pay phone that I just brought home him. I still don’t have the weight of the coins quite right, but I think I’m getting close.

I had my eye on this rubber doll for a long time. Every time I visited my favorite thrift shop, I would check to see if it was still there. I finally broke down and bought it recently & Sayer keeps it in his “office”. She also serves as a helper in front of his fire house & takes many fire engine rides.

This little Bonnie Book is really sweet. The worn down circle on the side moves the images in the illustrated TV. It’ s all about a day on the train. Sayer thought this book was pretty cool too.

So these are definitely four fun finds that are new additions to Sayer’s space. I love that he knows what an abacus & a pay phone is. Although his pay phone is used for an emergency room next to his fire house most often. Hope you are having a great weekend!

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds ~ primary colors…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 17, 2011 in four finds Vintage Inspiration, vintage books, vintage finds, vintage toys | No Comments

I’ve been finding all sorts for fun things for Sayer at the thrift stores lately- all in primary colors. We are big Wallace & Gromit fans at our house & Wallace uses an abacus often- to do his bills of course. Sayer has been particularly interested in what it was so I have been keeping an eye out for a cool old abacus for him. After all, I could use help with the bills around here. I found this great old Playskool one the other day & it has been getting a great deal of attention in his room. Apparently Wallace uses a pencil to move the beads- so that is how Sayer does it too.

The only downfall to bringing home really old toys (other than finding space for everything) is the need to create the missing parts to the toys which I suppose is more of a challenge than a downfall. I’ve been spending time making coins for this Playskool pay phone that I just brought home him. I still don’t have the weight of the coins quite right, but I think I’m getting close.

I had my eye on this rubber doll for a long time. Every time I visited my favorite thrift shop, I would check to see if it was still there. I finally broke down and bought it recently & Sayer keeps it in his “office”. She also serves as a helper in front of his fire house & takes many fire engine rides.

This little Bonnie Book is really sweet. The worn down circle on the side moves the images in the illustrated TV. It’ s all about a day on the train. Sayer thought this book was pretty cool too.

So these are definitely four fun finds that are new additions to Sayer’s space. I love that he knows what an abacus & a pay phone is. Although his pay phone is used for an emergency room next to his fire house most often. Hope you are having a great weekend!

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 03, 2011 in four finds, vintage books, vintage illustrations, vintage inspiration, vintage toys | 21 Comments

I’ve been playing this game of karma lately when it comes to finding cool vintage goodies. It seems as if by dropping off a few boxes of my own junk at the local thrifts, I increase my luck with what I find at my favorite antique shop. I was over the moon with this latest batch of vintage goodness. Funny, but I think I shop & find things by palette. These four finds were purchased in the same few days (3 in the same trip).

My fondness for the monkey toy goes way back. When I saw him on the shelf, I think I jumped a little bit. I remember buying one just like that at a garage sale when I was kid. I thought he may freak Sayer out, but it’s like the monkey from “Toy Story” so he thought it was funny. The cover of the book immediately drew me in- I’m a sucker for owls, kitties, & illustrations of that vintage. I love the palette & imagery. Of course when I see any kind of vintage train or fire truck, I snatch it up of Sayer and this little vintage Fisher Price toy thrilled him. The tin, red doll case was a total score & now houses Sayer’s toys in my studio. All of these finds have actually found homes in my studio where I’m sure they will serve as inspiration in one form or another. Do you have a group of colors that you find you are drawn to often & are inspired by?

Hope are enjoying your weekend!

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on April 03, 2011 in four finds, vintage books, vintage illustrations, vintage inspiration, vintage toys | No Comments

I’ve been playing this game of karma lately when it comes to finding cool vintage goodies. It seems as if by dropping off a few boxes of my own junk at the local thrifts, I increase my luck with what I find at my favorite antique shop. I was over the moon with this latest batch of vintage goodness. Funny, but I think I shop & find things by palette. These four finds were purchased in the same few days (3 in the same trip).

My fondness for the monkey toy goes way back. When I saw him on the shelf, I think I jumped a little bit. I remember buying one just like that at a garage sale when I was kid. I thought he may freak Sayer out, but it’s like the monkey from “Toy Story” so he thought it was funny. The cover of the book immediately drew me in- I’m a sucker for owls, kitties, & illustrations of that vintage. I love the palette & imagery. Of course when I see any kind of vintage train or fire truck, I snatch it up of Sayer and this little vintage Fisher Price toy thrilled him. The tin, red doll case was a total score & now houses Sayer’s toys in my studio. All of these finds have actually found homes in my studio where I’m sure they will serve as inspiration in one form or another. Do you have a group of colors that you find you are drawn to often & are inspired by?

Hope are enjoying your weekend!

{Everyday Inspiration} books & fun…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on March 27, 2011 in books, Everyday Inspiration, LaLa Shoes, Uncategorized, vintage books | 7 Comments

This was an unusual week. Chris & I had a mini vacation- about 24 hours in another country & visiting with new friends. It’s pretty amazing – but with a small kiddo, and many jobs – we just never seem to get away. We met up with Daria (LaLa Shoes) & her husband in Vancouver, BC. Although Daria & I communicated regularly for the last year, we never had the opportunity to meet in person until now (they live in Croatia & were visiting Vancouver). Sayer had a sleep over at his grandparents, we were unplugged from the computer, and footloose & fancy free. A really sweet couple from Vancouver had visited Hutch Studio right before we left & passed on some great little shops to Chris -which in turn sort of created our agenda for the day. One cool shop lead to another & the ongoing theme was books, typography, & vintage finds. Which we all four love. I found this amazing book, The Big Book of Fun, ( that was printed in the early ’30’s) at a place called Stepback -along with some other small treasures. This place was awesome-vintage & handmade goodness. I went sort of crazy with their collection of Wonderbooks. It was sort of like my mother ship had landed in there. {photos below -except the open book- via here}

Another interesting place that we visited was, The Regional Assembly of Text. This was another special shop that showcased the owner’s love of typography & books. I think we all drooled a little bit in there. {photos below, via here}

We were looking for the recent issue of UPPERCASE Magazine & the very sweet ladies at The Regional Assembly of Text pointed us in the direction of this next place called Collage Collage. It housed lots of wonderful books, magazines, & art supplies. When we showed up, there was a children’s art class happening right in the middle of the shop. I think I had a permanent grin on my face while I walked around looking at the books. It made me miss Sayer even more- he would love to take a class at a place like that. I wish it was in our neighborhood. One of the things I noticed was that they had lots of supplies for making comic books there (ie storyboard tablets for kids). {photo below, via here}

Which brings me to another thing- we visited some Comic Book shops too. Daria’s husband, Tonci, illustrated a few new graphic novels that are out in stores now (Who is Jake Ellis series) so we visited a some places that were right up his alley. Of course I found some things there too- a Moomin book & a Yo Gabba Gabba comic book to bring home to Sayer.

Those of you that follow this blog know that I love to take photos. Well, along with “unplugging” from the computer, I took a break from the camera too. I brought it with me because I really did want to document our trip & take tons of photos of Daria & her husband. But, I guess I just really wanted to be in the moment. I find that when I get behind the camera, I sort of go into my bubble. Because of this, the photos of the shops are from their websites & I only have 3 photos of Daria & I. They are quick & blurry. However, if our day was a comic book… we may have looked a little like this.

It was such a nice getaway- & particularly fun to be with people that had similar interests. I have some cool treasures to fill up this beautiful handmade bag that Daria gave me. But most of them I can hold in my memory. All in all, this book sums up our trip- The Big Book of Fun. Hope you are having a great weekend!

{Everyday Inspiration} books & fun…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on March 27, 2011 in books, Everyday Inspiration, LaLa Shoes, vintage books | No Comments

This was an unusual week. Chris & I had a mini vacation- about 24 hours in another country & visiting with new friends. It’s pretty amazing – but with a small kiddo, and many jobs – we just never seem to get away. We met up with Daria (LaLa Shoes) & her husband in Vancouver, BC. Although Daria & I communicated regularly for the last year, we never had the opportunity to meet in person until now (they live in Croatia & were visiting Vancouver). Sayer had a sleep over at his grandparents, we were unplugged from the computer, and footloose & fancy free. A really sweet couple from Vancouver had visited Hutch Studio right before we left & passed on some great little shops to Chris -which in turn sort of created our agenda for the day. One cool shop lead to another & the ongoing theme was books, typography, & vintage finds. Which we all four love. I found this amazing book, The Big Book of Fun, ( that was printed in the early ’30’s) at a place called Stepback -along with some other small treasures. This place was awesome-vintage & handmade goodness. I went sort of crazy with their collection of Wonderbooks. It was sort of like my mother ship had landed in there. {photos below -except the open book- via here}

Another interesting place that we visited was, The Regional Assembly of Text. This was another special shop that showcased the owner’s love of typography & books. I think we all drooled a little bit in there. {photos below, via here}

We were looking for the recent issue of UPPERCASE Magazine & the very sweet ladies at The Regional Assembly of Text pointed us in the direction of this next place called Collage Collage. It housed lots of wonderful books, magazines, & art supplies. When we showed up, there was a children’s art class happening right in the middle of the shop. I think I had a permanent grin on my face while I walked around looking at the books. It made me miss Sayer even more- he would love to take a class at a place like that. I wish it was in our neighborhood. One of the things I noticed was that they had lots of supplies for making comic books there (ie storyboard tablets for kids). {photo below, via here}

Which brings me to another thing- we visited some Comic Book shops too. Daria’s husband, Tonci, illustrated a few new graphic novels that are out in stores now (Who is Jake Ellis series) so we visited a some places that were right up his alley. Of course I found some things there too- a Moomin book & a Yo Gabba Gabba comic book to bring home to Sayer.

Those of you that follow this blog know that I love to take photos. Well, along with “unplugging” from the computer, I took a break from the camera too. I brought it with me because I really did want to document our trip & take tons of photos of Daria & her husband. But, I guess I just really wanted to be in the moment. I find that when I get behind the camera, I sort of go into my bubble. Because of this, the photos of the shops are from their websites & I only have 3 photos of Daria & I. They are quick & blurry. However, if our day was a comic book… we may have looked a little like this.

It was such a nice getaway- & particularly fun to be with people that had similar interests. I have some cool treasures to fill up this beautiful handmade bag that Daria gave me. But most of them I can hold in my memory. All in all, this book sums up our trip- The Big Book of Fun. Hope you are having a great weekend!

{Music Monday} Don’t look back…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on February 07, 2011 in Decorative Art, modern interiors, music monday, Uncategorized, vintage books | No Comments

She & Him – Don’t Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo.

This new video from She & Him fits my mood perfectly today. It inspired me to get out our old, “Decorative Art in Modern Interiors” book and flip through it (the picture above is a photo from the book). We just bought an orange modular couch & have been rearranging all of our authentic ’60’s furniture (inherited when my parents moved from our old house) all weekend. Oddly, I think we are almost recreating the living room from my childhood. So this just seemed like a perfect music selection for today. Happy Music Monday! What music fits your mood this Monday?

{Music Monday} Don’t look back…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on February 07, 2011 in Decorative Art, modern interiors, music monday, Uncategorized, vintage books | 9 Comments

She & Him – Don’t Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo.

This new video from She & Him fits my mood perfectly today. It inspired me to get out our old, “Decorative Art in Modern Interiors” book and flip through it (the picture above is a photo from the book). We just bought an orange modular couch & have been rearranging all of our authentic ’60’s furniture (inherited when my parents moved from our old house) all weekend. Oddly, I think we are almost recreating the living room from my childhood. So this just seemed like a perfect music selection for today. Happy Music Monday! What music fits your mood this Monday?

{Vintage Reads} The Seiden Bunny Mystery…

{Vintage Reads} The Seiden Bunny Mystery…

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds ~ primary colors…

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds ~ primary colors…

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds…

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds…

{Everyday Inspiration} books & fun…

{Everyday Inspiration} books & fun…

{Music Monday} Don’t look back…

{Music Monday} Don’t look back…

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