{Tagging Game #8} I have been tagged...

I woke up this morning to find that I had been tagged! Thanks to Helen, one of my favorite textile designers, for adding me to her tag list. This will be fun! Sort of funny timing really, because I just received my lovely order of fabrics from her and was planning on writing about them for my Fabric Friday post, so stay tuned for more about her beautiful work tomorrow. I just loved the photo that Helen posted on her blog of her son Stanley, under a blur of handmade butterflies (on her birthday). 

My computer is a mess of photo folders- I don't do the best job burning and removing them from the desktop. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this to be my 8th picture in my 8th folder. It is a collage that I made of Sayer (last fall) that makes me smile. I made him a slug lovey plush that has become his best friend, sort of his "go to" pal. He calls it his "Conk" (which used to be Gunk) and it goes EVERYWHERE with him. It has been washed over 100 times at least. I took all of these photos right before his nighttime story and this was the series of events that took place with Conk's antennae. I can't even describe, in words, how good it feels that Sayer loves something that I made him. He is sort of my tester for klt:works and this little slug plushie has been one of my favorite things to make. Ironically, I made a Gunk with Helen's fabric too. 

It was really fun to look at old photos. Helen said it best when she mentioned that she was struck by how quickly her little boy was growing.  I had that same feeling. 

So, here are the rules:

The Tag game goes as follows:
Go to the 8th folder in which you store your photos
Select the 8th photo
Post it to your blog and tell the story behind it.
After following the above instructions, you are ‘supposed’ to tag 8 other bloggers.

Here is my list of bloggers that I want to invite to play. However, don't feel any pressure from me. I know you are all busy! Just join in if the spirit moves you. 

Strawberry Lemonade

A Chow Life

Blooming in Japan

Minouchet

Adventures of Skinny Mini Kiki

Holley&Gill

Layers and Layers

Wear the Cape

the unsolicited musings of elSage

Have Fun!

{Everyday Inspiration} Nostalgic Palettes

Anyone that knows me well, can tell you that I am a HUGE Muppet Show Fan. Actually, I can broaden that a bit by saying that I adore all puppets. My dream job has always been to work for the Muppet Show. Sayer had a large bin of puppets and the whole vintage collection of the Muppet Show on dvd before he was even born. So, it is no surprise to say that there are elements of my favorite Jim Henson characters in the klt:works plush that I make today. Kermit, Fozzie, & Big Bird are top characters on my list & also serve as my biggest color inspiration. 

I became ultra aware of this when Sayer and I started watching Sesame Street together in the mornings. I remember loving Big Bird when I was young, but as an adult I was struck by how happy the yellow, hot pinks, oranges, and reds made me feel. We also started really getting into vintage Muppet Show episodes at this time and I started sketching and making notes everytime I watched it. I have always loved the palette of the show. The velvet curtains have been an image that has popped up in my art for years. But when I saw Fozzie's polka dot bow, I realized that I really wanted to make a few plush that incorporated all of these things that I loved as a kid. So, I made the "Joy Birdie" plush with the idea of Big Bird's colors and Fozzie's bow. This plush makes me just as happy as Big Bird does, so I think it worked.

Oh, and then there is Kermit. He is my ALL time favorite. When I went to NYC for graduate school, I didn't know anyone, hadn't lived in a city before and was a little overwhelmed by the experience right off the bat. The first time my mom came to visit me, we went to FAO Schwarz and she bought me a Kermit puppet to keep me company (I believe she brought me some pepper spray that trip too). Sayer now has this puppet and brings it out every time we watch the Muppet Show together.  I love Kermit's colors as well. The colors inside of his mouth against that great, green body is wonderful and I guess a little comforting to me. Here is my "Dottie Slug" that I made with Kermit and a little bit of Fozzie's bow again, as inspiration. 

I could go on and on with examples of how these childhood characters inspire me daily, but these two are my favorites and the most deliberate. I just read this awesome post over at Modern Kiddo this week about the Muppets and so it was on the top of my brain. I thought it would be a nice time to share this with you. If you are a Jim Henson fan, drop on over to Modern Kiddo - they are fans too, along with design & vintage lovin' mommas!

What sort of childhood memories inspire you in your daily creating? 

{Studio Glimpse} A random thought...

Every now and then I get an itch to give myself a quick, creative challenge. Being that this is my virtual sketchbook, I thought I would share my latest artistic hurdle. I have tried twice now to draw my studio interior in thread- (by free-motion sewing) which has proven to be quite a challenge indeed. I just needed a break from my klt:projects for a minute and it seemed like an interesting thing to do. What I can't really determine is, whether or not my last few tries have served my purpose, or do I keep trying until I get something I like? I guess for now, I will give myself a little drawing times in between filling orders. Somewhere between the batch of slugs, parliament of owls, & mobile plushies, I may just have a creative breakthrough. Or... I may come up with a completely different idea to try. Just wanted to spice things up in the studio a bit. What do you do when you need a creative break?

{Music Monday} A little bit of sunshine...

"She & Him make music for an eternal springtime, when the temperature is warm enough to go riding with the top (or at least the windows) rolled down and the radio turned up. They occupy an alternate universe where the saddest of songs feel as warm as sun showers; the rain may be coming down, but somewhere nearby, everything looks bright." 

After reading the description of the music of She & Him on their website, it made complete sense to me why it has been dominating my studio ipod lately. I have been loving their new release, "Volume Two" that came out a few weeks ago. While "Volume One" got a lot of air time in it's day, I am enjoying this new album even more. (And as a little side note: She & Him radio on Pandora is awesome too.) The story of how Zooey Deschanel & Matt Ward formed, "She & Him", is pretty cool- unassuming, and just all about the music. Which is a little surprising when the "she" in the duo, is most known for her acting chops- which I suppose, only makes the videos that much more entertaining...

Safe to say, I will be working to sounds of She & Him in my studio for quite awhile. This second album shows that the duo is here to stay. So roll down your windows, turn up the music, and (hopefully) enjoy some sun showers. Happy Music Monday! Do you have a favorite new release that you are listening to lately?

{Fabric Friday} klt:fabric stash peek...

The mailman made me really happy this week. There were many fun fabric deliveries to the klt:studio. I often buy little bits of fabrics here and there without a clue as to what I am going to do with them. These little nuggets of inspiration hang out in stacks in my studio until the perfect project calls out to them. I sometimes just sit and play with the fabrics and dream up what they are going to become. I would say half of my new fabric this week has a set purpose. I have new linen/cotton fabrics, japanese imports, more of the Hope Valley collection, a little Marimekko, and some new organic fleece. I am literally buried in ideas, orders, and new supplies these days.

Today it is absolutely beautiful here in the Northwest. I thought I would leave my stuffy, attic studio and get a little change of scenery and some fresh air. It was a nice opportunity to see my new stash of inspiration in a little different light. So I hold up a bouquet of organic fleece, slug antennae as a happy weekend toast.  Cheers to changing up the scenery every now and then and taking a break. Happy Fabric Friday! 

{Creative Process} How the new klt:mobile was made...

There is a new mobile design at klt:works and I am just thrilled about it. This idea has been kicking around in my brain for quite a while now- so it is very gratifying to finally have a finished product under my belt. This is just one of the many ideas in the works right now. My mind tends to move at a much faster pace than my fingers. Most of my studio time is spent filling orders, but every now and then, I sneak in new stuff to keep me excited. My hope is to offer a list of thread drawing characters to choose from - so a person could  choose their own story in a klt:mobile. I loved the idea of using my thread drawing for the floating images for a number of reasons. But having a mobile that is both high contrast (b&w) and modern in color & shape, is a big one (babies are said to see in b&w until they are 3 months). Maybe it is the art professor in me, but I thought that the creative process of how this mobile came to be might be an interesting thing to share.  So here we go....

Thread Drawing from elSage on Vimeo.

It all starts with drawings in thread. I know that I showed this video before, but it was in my first post and I really think it was just my mom who read it. Besides, it is the best way for me to describe how I draw in thread. This was a demo that I did for hutch studio. Most of the time,  a drawing would take a little longer (and I wouldn't have an audience either), but you get the idea. So this is how I created the squirrel, bird, owl, & nest for the klt:works tees, pillows, & now mobile. 

Once I have the images drawn, I take them to a local screen printer (that is 5 minutes away from my studio) and have them screen print my designs for me. It is Chris (not my husband, Chris) that is printing above- he is the one that has worked on a lot of  klt:works projects in 2010. I have been going to the same place for the last 4 years and consider the three of them, part of the klt:works team.

Then comes another fun part of the process, I get to pick out the fabrics for the back of the critters. You might remember me mentioning my love of Ink & Spindle fabrics in one of my Fabric Friday posts. I knew the minute I saw their fabrics, that I wanted to use them for my woodlands mobile (which I fondly think of as the Northwest mobile). I found this video on the Ink & Spindle blog and loved it. 

The last step is something that I really can't leave out. Chris makes all of the wood mobile structures in his little teeny shop area in the garage. He is literally wedged between piles of stuff & the car, when he works on his various house & klt:projects. He then heads upstairs to the klt:studio and methodically strings all of the critters on the mobiles - weighing them carefully with his gram scale from the ceramic studio. He puts the finishing touches on every single mobile that is made. I must pay tribute to those working hands above. Because without them, the mobiles would never be completed.

And that is how the new klt:mobile was made. Hope you enjoyed your creative process tour!  All in a day, right? 

{Music Monday} Rufus & his mom....

Rufus Wainwright has been a favorite musician in our house since 1999. Chris was the one who introduced me to his music. And funny enough, Chris found out about Rufus due to their physical similarities - which are sometimes quite uncanny. Rufus came from an extremely musical family- he is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III & Kate McGarrigle, and brother of Martha Wainwright. His talents range from opera, theater, dance, and film along with rock. Needless to say, whatever Rufus does, it is unforgettable.

Rufus Wainwright Prima Donna - Trailer from George Scott on Vimeo.

It seemed appropriate to feature Rufus for this Music Monday post, being on the heels of Mother's Day. He and his mom Kate, were very close and often performed together.  Kate passed away in January of this year due to a form of cancer that she had been fighting for years. So I thought I would share one of their really sweet duets with you as a way of paying tribute. I love the way she looks at him throughout this performance.

All Days are Nights: Songs for Lulu, is Rufus' latest album (it came out a few weeks ago). Here is nice little interview from that release, where he discusses his relationship with the piano. I also want to share one of his first music videos from his album, Poses (to give you some idea of his range). His sister Martha, used to tour with him and is in this video as well. 

Rufus Wainwright | All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu | Interview - The Piano from gary nadeau on Vimeo.

I seriously don't think that I could really do Rufus & his music justice in just one Music Monday post, but hopefully, it gives you an idea of what an incredibly creative musician his is. I was lucky enough to see Rufus in concert (when I was pregnant with Sayer actually) and I highly recommend seeing him live. He is just amazing and puts on quite a show! Happy Music Monday!