{Music Monday} Sunshine?

On top of the fact that it's been raining pretty much non-stop the last week or so, we've been also dealing with some crazy plumbing issues in the last few days. We have an old house that seemed to have had tree roots take over the main drain pipe. So, we've been without plumbing since Saturday night - which has been.... interesting to say the least. But the sun is peeking through the clouds, the plumber that I've been hanging out since yesterday just left, & I can now take a shower. This just fits.... Happy Music Monday! 

{Vintage Inspiration} four finds ~ primary colors...

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! 

{Good Read} Tomi Ungerer...

{Tomi Ungerer}

I had a chance to pop into one of my favorite shops called IDEAL a few weekends ago. (Last October, I had a trunk show at IDEAL & posted about it here if you would like a peek into the shop.) I was actually meeting up with one of the two owners, Lisa to hang out & chat about design, books & motherhood that day. But, I fit in a browse through the shop before we left & ended up purchasing two books, Moon Man & The Three Robbers. Lisa is a lover of children's books too & recommended them, plus I was immediately drawn to the illustrations. When I got home, I realized that I had another book illustrated by Tomi Ungerer called, Snail, where are you?, that I got for Sayer a long time ago. Lisa had also reminded me about another one of his books, Crictor, that I remembered really liking as a kid. So it appears that I've enjoyed his work for a some time now.

{The Three Robbers}

{Moon Man}

{Snail, where are you?}

{Crictor}

A few days after I bought those cool Tomi Ungerer books at IDEAL, I stumbled on this post  when I was cruising through my favorite blogs. Not only did I  become even more enchanted with this artist & writer, but I discovered that I had just bought a book that he had illustrated (but didn't write) in the $1 bin at the thrift store a week prior called, Seeds and More Seeds. The illustrations are more like Crictor & I also liked the style of  typography.

I always enjoy learning about artists & writers and finding little interviews like this one. I can officially say that I'm a Tomi Ungerer fan. Are you? 

*Click here to see who the winner of the 5 Creative Bundle Competition is. Due to the interest in this competition, I posted on Wednesday rather than waiting for Fabric Friday. 


Hope you have a great weekend! Do you have anything fun planned?

{Creative Bundle Competition} & the winner is...

This competition wasn't as simple as guessing the right number of jellybeans- this was a creative nail biter! It was head to head between Heather, Dawn & Kari for days- then at the last minute, the top entries were separated by just one vote each. The interest, participation, & creations by all were just fantastic! Thanks for making this so fun everyone! So without further adieu...

the winner is Kari & her lovely pillows & plush bear!  Congratulations Kari!!

A very close second place goes to Dawn & her sweet bunny & very close third place goes to Heather & her wonderful doll clothes!  It was truly a joy to see what you ladies created! Let's give a big round of *applause* to all 5 entries! You really inspire so many people. Thanks again to all of you that voted as well. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your week!

*First picture is an illustration by Art Seiden from the Little Golden Book, "Never Pat a Bear: A Book About Signs". 

{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? 

{Music Monday} he's still got it...

Chris surprised me with a the new REM cd last week & we've been listening to it ever since. I have to say, Michael Stipe continues to be one of my artistic heros. As a fan since the '80's, I can always count on REM songs to conjure up great imagery. The lyrics, the vision, the detail, & in this case, the wardrobe gives me plenty of creative fuel. I do feel like an alligator going up the escalator most of the time too...  Happy Music Monday!  

{Everyday Inspiration} shutterbug...

I've probably taken over 500 photos in the last 12 hours. Really...I don't think that's an exaggeration at all. I shoot (& think) much faster than I can edit & make-  always. There is also the dilemma of figuring out what project to work on first. I had the opportunity to take photos of a clay demonstration that Chris did at hutch studio today which was a lot of fun. I watched a lump of clay on the wheel, being transformed into a bunny right before my eyes. Before that however, I shot tons of photos of Sayer playing in his big boy room (that we have been working on a bit). Both places & faces I find visually interesting so I'm always going through the photos I shoot of them over & over again- picking out little details that I like. So, we'll see which ones I'll get to first. But before ALL of that- I need to finish 2 mobiles. Hmm, there isn't enough time in the day for everything I want to tackle.  What projects did you work on this weekend?