{Music Monday} Color...

I've been extra drawn to color lately- playing with my colored pencils on my worktable in between sewing (see instagram above). When I browsed Alix's colorful Friday link Hootenanny, I replayed this video a few times. I thought it would be a nice way to start the week. Happy Music Monday! 

{Fun} Color....

Color, color, color!  What a fun video to explain color to kiddos....love this!  via Kid Crave

Color + Stickers = Colorful 2012

Today is the first Monday of 2012 & it's a day off for a lot of people- but I'm trying to get into a rhythm of production today. When I was cruising the web this morning (procrastinating but also in search of some inspiration) this work by Lionel Esteve caught my attention. It was posted on facebook & I immediately looked the artist up. It's bright, cheerful, & it helped me ignore the rainy weather outside.  The artist used self adhesive dots. 

Then this afternoon, I saw a post on the Colossal Art & Design blog that you really should check out.  At the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane this December,  there was an  installation by the artist Yayoi Kusama that was such a cool experiment.  Read, "This is What Happens When You Give Thousands of Stickers to Thousands of Kids" here. You may have already seen this because it spread like wildfire on blogs & facebook today. But I couldn't help but post it as well. These two artists are very different, but I find it interesting that I saw both of their work today. Regardless, it sure cheered me up. Looks like the new year is full of color & dot stickers! 

If you are looking for a little music this Monday, here is one of my favorite Music Monday posts from last year that I think fits this post perfectly. 

{Music Monday} Color...

Hudson - Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.  

It's going to be a busy week with (hopefully) a lot of color. This stop motion, colored pencil video fits my mood today. Happy Music Monday! Now I'm off to the studio... 

via ::  Design Mom

{Everyday Inspiration} Color = Happy

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} family night out...

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?

{Real Life} Big Boy Room Part II

The transition from Sayer's nursery to his big boy room is ongoing in our house. We've been tackling projects one at a time. But, I think we are finished for a little while. He finally has the space & appropriate storage solutions conducive for tons of play. The great thing, is that we didn't really need to change things up much. We also made or found (in other rooms of our house & thrift shops) most of what we needed. I love watching my little whirlwind play so I decided to take some photos of him enjoying his space, while giving you a tour.

This bookshelf house is one of my favorite things in his room. It was originally my old doll house that my dad made me. He also has the old doll bed that my dad made me too. Chris renovated it before Sayer was born to make it into a changing table/bookshelf. Now it's still a storage space, but also serves as an extension fire house, emergency station, & deluxe garage. Click here for the before & after post. 

I love the fact that Sayer still has his klt:mobiles in his room & that he still enjoys them. His bed is the conversion of his crib which I have to say is so great! The book corner is another favorite part of his room. He can look at his books from his bed too- which I think is nice. Chris made the book ledges & the shelf/toy storage is from ikea. The Eames chair isn't always in his room- it really floats from room to room. This week it's in the living room.

The vintage toys & vintage Marimekko quilt sort of took the palette of his room from, orange, green, & turquoise, to more of a rainbow of colors. It's a happy room that I enjoy hanging out in. It also gets beautiful light through the windows. In my opinion, it's the best room in the house for sure. I'm curious to see how this room evolves over the years. In the meantime, I'm content  just watching Sayer enjoy his space. What's your favorite colors for a toddler's room? 

{Everyday Inspiration} A day of red & fuchsia...

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? 

{Everyday Inspiration} A day of yellow & green...

The sun peeked out from behind a cloud for a few minutes today. So, Sayer & I grabbed our boots & cameras, then headed out the door for a little adventure. We don't have to go very far to be surrounded by fields of yellow daffodils & lots of mud puddles (soon there will be tons of blooming tulips). Sayer told me that he wanted to take photos of the flowers... so that we did!

We jumped, we splashed, & we took photos. We even had a little "Sound of Music" moment. It's safe to say that we'll both sleep well tonight. The fresh air & gorgeous color did us some good. Hope you had a nice day too! 

{Four Finds} color is everywhere...

andrea cavagnaro / suprbo / modern kiddo

The Rainbow House, London from Ab Rogers Design on Vimeo.  

There are so many creative examples of brilliant color out there in cyberland. Color in all of it's forms & textures inspires me, so I thought I would share four of my recent color finds with you. 

{1} I've been quite drawn to Andrea Cavagnaro's work using felt stacks. I think I like the form & texture as much as the color. 

{2 & 3} I'm a total book nut- which is why the the book color wheel & rainbow Dr. Seuss books caught my attention immediately. 

{4} The Rainbow House-  Oh those stairs, those floors & that slide!  Wouldn't you just love to visit that space for awhile?  I know I would.... 


Hope you are having a colorful weekend!

{video via minor details} 

{Fun} the big four- zero...

Today was a good day. I turned 40 & it wasn't that bad. Actually... I liked it. I feel like I sort of earned it really. It feels good to know who I am & to have learned a thing or two along those bumpy roads to here.   

One of the things that my birthdays continuously remind me of (other than the reality of gravity), is that  I have some truly wonderful people in my life. - Remarkable people who make me feel so lucky & brighten my every day. I find that I'm surrounded by friends who always go out of their way to make me feel special & I'm genuinely touched. On a day like today, I want to give something back- something simple & sweet for those that I care about.... 

Mini Cheese Cakes

24 Vanilla Wafers                                             

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

2/3 Cup Sugar                                                   

3 large eggs                                                      

3 - 8oz. Philly Cream Cheese (Original)

Large can Cherry Pie Filling

1/2 tsp. Almond Extract

* Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Place one vanilla wafer in each.

* Beat sugar, eggs & cream cheese for 5 minutes until smooth.  Add vanilla.

* Divide into muffin cups & bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Will crack and brown slightly.

* Cool and chill overnight.

* Mix almond extract into Cherry Pie Filling to cover "tiny" taste.  

Put 3-5 cherries on each serving. Can be eaten with fingers or spoon.  

Makes 24-28 cheese cakes.

I'm telling you - this is goooooood cheesecake. I've requested this cheesecake for my birthdays since the days of braces, rollerskating, & slumber parties. Tonight, was no exception. We introduced Sayer to the wonders of these little gems & tomorrow (as tradition dictates) they will be my breakfast. This secret weakness of mine lies in your hands now... enjoy!  Thank you for your friendship- it means the world to me (& it's not just the wine & cheesecake talkin')...

{fun} colorful contraption...

© Joseph L. Griffiths  {Via Suprbo}

I'd take this Joseph L Griffiths contraption over going to the gym any day. I may have just discovered the answer to the annual conundrum of the exercise to studio time ratio...

{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} colors of the fair...

A few weeks ago, I posted my favorite b&w picture that Chris took of Sayer and I at the local fair. I love how timeless the b&w made our outing look- and how dramatic the shadows became. But being that I am a big fan of color, I wanted to document how the night looked through my klt:color googles. I went through the photos that we took that evening and found little snippets of color, texture, and shape inspiration.

The fair also has tons of cool signage & typography to look at which I am continuously drawn to. I think it is pretty fascinating (and somewhat scary too) how these rides and little buildings travel and can pop up in almost any setting to create some instant magic. Too bad I couldn't capture the smells in this post.

Sayer's favorite ride was the Jalopy cars which seemed to go around & around & around, endlessly. We each had our turn with him on that ride, but when he rode with Chris, he got to drive the very first car. I thought this picture that I took of them (after the 20th time around) was really funny. 

Sayer and I enjoyed the carousel together- that was "our" ride. This one went a little faster then the one we rode in Seattle earlier in the month. He wanted to be independent but didn't really want me to move too far away because it was a tiny bit "scary". One of the things that I like about this picture is the quiet and thoughtful quality to it. I like the fact that the trees were in the background rather then a parking lot. There is a continuous thread of green in these last two photos that I love as well. Sayer and I tend to gravitate towards green. He picked out that horse - and it was the one I had my eye on too. So there you have it- some summer fair inspiration in a nutshell. Now I am going to tuck those snippets in my sketchbook for a rainy day...