{Vintage Inspiration} Art Seiden…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on November 04, 2010 in Art Seiden, children's books, vintage books, vintage illustrations, vintage inspiration | No Comments

Sayer and I just finished up story time and he chose all of my Art Seiden books to read today. He really is fond of them so I thought it would be a good time to share my little vintage collection with you. I’ve been collecting anything with Art Seiden illustrations for a while now and my favorites are from the ’60’s Romper Room – Wonder Book – series. Sayer loves the train books in particular. But here is a tiny peek into each one…

The Romper Room Safety Book – Story by Nancy Claster- Pictures by Art Seiden- Wonder Books 1965

Puppies, pictures by Art Seiden 1980

Golden Clock Book by Ben Ross Berenberg – pictures by Art Seiden 1970

The Little Engine That Laughed by Alf Evers – Illustrated by Art Seiden 1950

The Train to Timbuctoo by Margret Wise Brown – pictures by Art Seiden- Little Golden Book 1951

The Romper Room Do Dee Book of Manners by Nancy Claster – pictures by Art Seiden – Wonder Books 1977

Yep, we read them all today. This Manners book is really funny- it cracks Sayer up too. There is even a “mother check off chart” to see if your child is a “Do Bee”. I won’t tell you the results of our check list. But I will tell you that Sayer likes the “Don’t Bee” boy’s outfit better, hmmm. I will bring these out again to share more another time. This is just a taste. I really enjoy looking at how Art Seiden’s illustrations have evolved over the years, along with how much they have influenced current illustrators today. Hope you liked our Art Seiden story time…

{Happy Halloween} Don’t Be Scared…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 31, 2010 in Andrew Bird, costumes, halloween, spooky, Uncategorized, video, vintage inspiration | 6 Comments

Have a spooky & sweet Halloween!

{Pictures}

1- Abandoned house in Lake Chelan, WA- I took it when on our Summer vacation this year.

2- My pre-school class – I’m the clown in glasses.

3- Clown on step ladder is me…

4- My brother as a clown- me as Raggedy Ann

My mom made our costumes….

{Happy Halloween} Don’t Be Scared…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 31, 2010 in Andrew Bird, costumes, halloween, spooky, video, vintage inspiration | No Comments

Have a spooky & sweet Halloween!

{Pictures}

1- Abandoned house in Lake Chelan, WA- I took it when on our Summer vacation this year.

2- My pre-school class – I’m the clown in glasses.

3- Clown on step ladder is me…

4- My brother as a clown- me as Raggedy Ann

My mom made our costumes….

{Inspiration} costumes…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 24, 2010 in costumes, halloween, vintage inspiration, vintage patterns | 7 Comments

The clock is ticking- there is only one more week to get costumes figured out & made. I feel a little pressure to makes something wonderfully creative for Sayer, yet I haven’t started anything. Over the years, Chris has made some really elaborate costumes for himself. I guess you could say that Halloween is one of his favorite holidays. While I completely love dreaming & making up costumes, ever since I started klt:works, I’ve been too busy sewing things for orders. But now that Sayer is in the mix… it is just that much more interesting & important to figure it all out.

Sayer’s went as “Plankton” from Sponge Bob for his first Halloween. Chris dreamed it up, and I made it. It was pretty simple and comfortable for him to wear and he seemed to like it. The first time he saw himself in the mirror with the hat, he was really scared though…

Last year Chris made these really cool robot costumes for the two of them to wear. We hadn’t really anticipated (because S is our only child & we are new to this parent thing) that he may not want to wear a box. The full costume was finally worn once we went to grandma & grandpa’s house, but it was sort of a dramatic evening. Sayer is in a little parade with his grandma during the day and traditionally has worn a hodge pod of past halloween costumes that my mom had made us as a kid. This year he is all set to be a fireman for that little parade. He LOVES his fireman hat, coat, and boots – he wears them even when it isn’t Halloween. So we are guaranteed that he will wear it and be comfortable and warm. However, he did suggest a few interesting ideas for costumes that I am debating whether I should try to make. There is such a strong tradition of making costumes between Chris & I, that I feel the need to whip something up. I do work well under pressure… so I guess time will tell what gets created and what doesn’t. I even got out all of my vintage patterns that were used when I was a kid, just to inspire me. What are you going to be for Halloween? Do you have a favorite costume from when you were a kiddo?

*If you find you are in need of some costume inspiration too, pop on over to Modern Kiddo for an awesome Halloween parade here.

{Inspiration} costumes…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 24, 2010 in costumes, halloween, Uncategorized, vintage inspiration | No Comments

The clock is ticking- there is only one more week to get costumes figured out & made. I feel a little pressure to makes something wonderfully creative for Sayer, yet I haven’t started anything. Over the years, Chris has made some really elaborate costumes for himself. I guess you could say that Halloween is one of his favorite holidays. While I completely love dreaming & making up costumes, ever since I started klt:works, I’ve been too busy sewing things for orders. But now that Sayer is in the mix… it is just that much more interesting & important to figure it all out.

Sayer’s went as “Plankton” from Sponge Bob for his first Halloween. Chris dreamed it up, and I made it. It was pretty simple and comfortable for him to wear and he seemed to like it. The first time he saw himself in the mirror with the hat, he was really scared though…

Last year Chris made these really cool robot costumes for the two of them to wear. We hadn’t really anticipated (because S is our only child & we are new to this parent thing) that he may not want to wear a box. The full costume was finally worn once we went to grandma & grandpa’s house, but it was sort of a dramatic evening. Sayer is in a little parade with his grandma during the day and traditionally has worn a hodge pod of past halloween costumes that my mom had made us as a kid. This year he is all set to be a fireman for that little parade. He LOVES his fireman hat, coat, and boots – he wears them even when it isn’t Halloween. So we are guaranteed that he will wear it and be comfortable and warm. However, he did suggest a few interesting ideas for costumes that I am debating whether I should try to make. There is such a strong tradition of making costumes between Chris & I, that I feel the need to whip something up. I do work well under pressure… so I guess time will tell what gets created and what doesn’t. I even got out all of my vintage patterns that were used when I was a kid, just to inspire me. What are you going to be for Halloween? Do you have a favorite costume from when you were a kiddo?

*If you find you are in need of some costume inspiration too, pop on over to Modern Kiddo for an awesome Halloween parade here.

{Inspiration} costumes…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 24, 2010 in costumes, halloween, vintage inspiration, vintage patterns | No Comments

The clock is ticking- there is only one more week to get costumes figured out & made. I feel a little pressure to makes something wonderfully creative for Sayer, yet I haven’t started anything. Over the years, Chris has made some really elaborate costumes for himself. I guess you could say that Halloween is one of his favorite holidays. While I completely love dreaming & making up costumes, ever since I started klt:works, I’ve been too busy sewing things for orders. But now that Sayer is in the mix… it is just that much more interesting & important to figure it all out.

Sayer’s went as “Plankton” from Sponge Bob for his first Halloween. Chris dreamed it up, and I made it. It was pretty simple and comfortable for him to wear and he seemed to like it. The first time he saw himself in the mirror with the hat, he was really scared though…

Last year Chris made these really cool robot costumes for the two of them to wear. We hadn’t really anticipated (because S is our only child & we are new to this parent thing) that he may not want to wear a box. The full costume was finally worn once we went to grandma & grandpa’s house, but it was sort of a dramatic evening. Sayer is in a little parade with his grandma during the day and traditionally has worn a hodge pod of past halloween costumes that my mom had made us as a kid. This year he is all set to be a fireman for that little parade. He LOVES his fireman hat, coat, and boots – he wears them even when it isn’t Halloween. So we are guaranteed that he will wear it and be comfortable and warm. However, he did suggest a few interesting ideas for costumes that I am debating whether I should try to make. There is such a strong tradition of making costumes between Chris & I, that I feel the need to whip something up. I do work well under pressure… so I guess time will tell what gets created and what doesn’t. I even got out all of my vintage patterns that were used when I was a kid, just to inspire me. What are you going to be for Halloween? Do you have a favorite costume from when you were a kiddo?

*If you find you are in need of some costume inspiration too, pop on over to Modern Kiddo for an awesome Halloween parade here.

{Vintage Inspiration} Winky-Blinky…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 12, 2010 in Fisher Price, Uncategorized, vintage inspiration, vintage toys | No Comments

Oh, I have been just itchin’ to show you this vintage Fisher Price find. I found Winky-Blinky Fire Truck 200 about a week ago in an Etsy Shop called lovinglola and I really couldn’t get it out of my mind. This fire truck was manufactured in the US in 1954 and it’s so unbelievable cool. I knew Sayer would go nuts for it as well because he loves firetrucks. So, I went ahead and purchased it. It wasn’t my $6 bargain that I usually find, but it’s charm & history made it worth it. We just received it and Sayer has been playing with it ever since I opened up the box (which included a sweet, handwritten note).

Sayer is really into details and loves all of the illustrations on the side of the truck & I love the old Fisher Price logo & face. Now, you may have noticed that Winky (who Sayer has named, Bobby) is being parked on a circle. It’s the firetruck’s turntable that all of Sayer’s firetrucks use. He made that one at his grandma’s house and it has traveled here. The minute “Bobby” was ready to play, the turntable came out.

So, it is official – my Fisher Price toy collecting has reached a new level. When “Bobby” is not in use, he will sit next to my cool old 50’s FP register, on top of my parent’s old hi fi console that sits in our living room. But I have to ask (as my dear friend Catherine asked me), is it really a “toy collection” if the toys are being played with?

{Vintage Inspiration} Winky-Blinky…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 12, 2010 in Fisher Price, vintage inspiration, vintage toys | No Comments

Oh, I have been just itchin’ to show you this vintage Fisher Price find. I found Winky-Blinky Fire Truck 200 about a week ago in an Etsy Shop called lovinglola and I really couldn’t get it out of my mind. This fire truck was manufactured in the US in 1954 and it’s so unbelievable cool. I knew Sayer would go nuts for it as well because he loves firetrucks. So, I went ahead and purchased it. It wasn’t my $6 bargain that I usually find, but it’s charm & history made it worth it. We just received it and Sayer has been playing with it ever since I opened up the box (which included a sweet, handwritten note).

Sayer is really into details and loves all of the illustrations on the side of the truck & I love the old Fisher Price logo & face. Now, you may have noticed that Winky (who Sayer has named, Bobby) is being parked on a circle. It’s the firetruck’s turntable that all of Sayer’s firetrucks use. He made that one at his grandma’s house and it has traveled here. The minute “Bobby” was ready to play, the turntable came out.

So, it is official – my Fisher Price toy collecting has reached a new level. When “Bobby” is not in use, he will sit next to my cool old 50’s FP register, on top of my parent’s old hi fi console that sits in our living room. But I have to ask (as my dear friend Catherine asked me), is it really a “toy collection” if the toys are being played with?

{Vintage Inspiration} Winky-Blinky…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 12, 2010 in Fisher Price, vintage inspiration, vintage toys | 13 Comments

Oh, I have been just itchin’ to show you this vintage Fisher Price find. I found Winky-Blinky Fire Truck 200 about a week ago in an Etsy Shop called lovinglola and I really couldn’t get it out of my mind. This fire truck was manufactured in the US in 1954 and it’s so unbelievable cool. I knew Sayer would go nuts for it as well because he loves firetrucks. So, I went ahead and purchased it. It wasn’t my $6 bargain that I usually find, but it’s charm & history made it worth it. We just received it and Sayer has been playing with it ever since I opened up the box (which included a sweet, handwritten note).

Sayer is really into details and loves all of the illustrations on the side of the truck & I love the old Fisher Price logo & face. Now, you may have noticed that Winky (who Sayer has named, Bobby) is being parked on a circle. It’s the firetruck’s turntable that all of Sayer’s firetrucks use. He made that one at his grandma’s house and it has traveled here. The minute “Bobby” was ready to play, the turntable came out.

So, it is official – my Fisher Price toy collecting has reached a new level. When “Bobby” is not in use, he will sit next to my cool old 50’s FP register, on top of my parent’s old hi fi console that sits in our living room. But I have to ask (as my dear friend Catherine asked me), is it really a “toy collection” if the toys are being played with?

{Good Read} The Snowy Day…

Posted by kristinloffertheiss on October 07, 2010 in children's books, illustration, Uncategorized, vintage inspiration | 9 Comments

When I found out about the event today called, Read for the Record, I definitely wanted to participate with Sayer. The organization hopes to set a new world record for the greatest number of people reading the same book on the same day. The Snowy Day is their choice and it’s one of my all time favorite books. I still have my copy that was given to me in 1976. My hope was for us to go to our local Children’s Museum for one of their 2 readings today. However, Sayer has a bit of a cold & we decided to stay at home, close to the tissue box. We thought we would hold our own reading and wondered if you would like to read along.

This book had such a big impact on me artistically. I remember vividly, being really smitten by the illustrations and becoming quite interested in collage after seeing them. I can also remember trying to copy some of them in grade school. My favorite image as a child, was the bathtub. I loved the the shape, the tiled floor, the bubbles, and the colors. If you click on to this Read for the Record link, you can also watch a reading of the story. Thanks for reading with us. I hope you enjoyed this book!

{Vintage Inspiration} Art Seiden…

{Happy Halloween} Don’t Be Scared…

{Happy Halloween} Don’t Be Scared…

{Inspiration} costumes…

{Inspiration} costumes…

{Inspiration} costumes…

{Vintage Inspiration} Winky-Blinky…

{Vintage Inspiration} Winky-Blinky…

{Vintage Inspiration} Winky-Blinky…

{Good Read} The Snowy Day…

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