{Fabric Friday} send in the clowns...

It's a dark, dreary, & rainy day in the NW. What 's a girl to do to bring in the cheer around here? Well, the only solution that I came up with was to bring in the clowns & the circus to Fabric Friday. I love all things circus & fair related. I think because of all of the Halloween & costume hubbub lately, my mind has sort of been stuck on the traveling circus. I thought it would be fun to travel the web and find some fabric dedicated to one of my favorite themes. Half of my finds were vintage & the other have were new. Take a little gander won't you?

'50's Fairground Vintage Fabric found here & Vintage Circus Fabric  found here 

Circus Tent Vintage Fabric found here & Shelburne Circus found here 

Japanese Clowns Fabric on cotton/linen found here  & Kokka Japanese Circus Fabric found here 

I think that might have just done the trick. I feel the corners of my mouth curving up.  But now I could sure use some popcorn & lemonade... Happy Fabric Friday!

New Shop in Portland!

There is a new shop in Portland, OR called Branch and Birdie and the opening reception is tonight from 6-9pm! I met Anna, one of the owners, via Etsy & Twitter. She makes beautiful ottomans/poufs. When she told me about her new store that "caters to the modern woman, child, & home", I was excited for her- and when she asked to have some klt:works goodies in the shop, I definitely said yes. While the shop is in the NW, it looks like there will be an online presence soon for those of you that don't live in the area. So, if you are in Portland, stop on by tonight and say hello. It looks like they have chosen some gorgeous things- there's also a kid friendly play area so that you can shop with your kids!   {photos via here}

{Vintage Inspiration} Art Seiden...

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... 

{photos} traveling circus family...

It's no secret that I have a pretty active imagination. This year our Halloween costumes, & visiting Chris at hutch studio in them, gave me an idea that I just needed to indulge in and play around with -black & white photography was the perfect medium.

So, there you  have it - a strange peek into my imagination. I view these photos as a dream like narrative- if we were a family that traveled in a circus or something. I will just leave it at that. I had fun...now off to make klt:plushies. 

Play! Design for kids....

It's here- it's here! My copy of "PLAY! Design for Kids" just arrived  from Hamburg and I'm just over the moon. It's so cool! 

"Play! reveals an inspiring cross-section of current projects and trends. Design for kids- worked out in play or inviting you to play along. 53 designers whose work combines concept and design with a playful sense of joy." Elly Plass & Henning Otto, EIGA Design

I wish I could show you every page! But here is diverse peek... 

Ingela P Arrhenius/ Sweden

Jonathan Calugi/ Italy

Manuela Olten/ Germany

ninetonine/ Spain

Thomas Lupo/ Germany

Maren Bottcher/ Germany 

Farina Kuklinski/ Germany

Kristin Loffer Theiss/ USA

Yippee! Did you notice why I'm so excited? I'm just thrilled to be among this group of 53 designers chosen for "Play!". Not to mention, I have learned about so many interesting designers in the directory at the end of the calendar. For more information about how to purchase this calendar check here & here. I'm now going to go look through this again. I think 2011 is going to be an exciting year..... 

{Marimekko} Need some input...

Oh boy do I love Marimekko textiles! But I need your help. My Marimekko klt:fabric stash has drastically depleted and I am in need of more. I have a klt:plushie project in mind and was on the search for some Marimekko textile deals last night. Being a small biz means my budget is tight - so I can only get 1 or 2  different designs. Here are four that I found deals on. Do you have a favorite that you can see some klt:creations in? I keep changing my mind and needed some input. Thanks in advance! Look forward to hearing your thoughts.... 

{Music Monday} Holy guacamole-we've got chips!

This Music Monday is invite only, and you're on the list baby! Life imitates art- is that how the saying goes? Well, in this case, Halloween costume imitates the musical group, the Aquabats. Sayer loves the "super music friends show" on Yo Gabba Gabba and the Aquabats', Pool Party video is one of his favorites. He loves to grab his ukelele (that Aunt K & Uncle B got him on a trip to Hawaii) and rock it out. Although we needed to add a strap for him so he could swing it around on his back like "Bones" does. A camera case strap & some eye hooks worked well for that. This summer he asked me for an Aquabats costume- or at least the hat, googles, & belt. Being that time isn't easy to find these days... I sort of put off that project for Halloween. You know, a "kill two birds with one stone" sort of thing. However, he sort of fell in love with firemen and firetrucks in the meantime. So he had two Halloween costumes. But I anticipate both will be worn often though. He can't get enough of these guys! Enjoy the pool party...

Holy guacamole- does this kid like to sing and jam out! Hope you all had a great Halloween weekend. Happy Music Monday! 

{Happy Halloween} Don't Be Scared...

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....