{Fun Finds} It's looking a lot like... December.

So, today was that super hyped shopping day - Black Friday. While I know it's good for the economy, it's just not my thing to brave the crowds or big box stores for that matter. Instead of dealing with the long lines & craziness, I locked myself in the studio & worked on orders. It was nice actually- I was sort of oblivious to the hubbub going on outside. I did need to get my fix of looking at cool things though, so tonight I decided to make another treasury to celebrate small businesses. It's funny how these collections sort of put themselves together. I was particularly struck with texture, pattern, & color in this one- it's my December dream list of characters & props. Oh, & the number "36" isn't particularly significant. Sayer is just really into numbers lately & is counting all of the time & posting numbers all around the house. So that painting was for him. Hope everyone has a nice weekend! 

View treasury live here 

Photo via husavik

{SALE} Happy Thanksgiving Part II...

While it doesn't take Thanksgiving Day for me to ponder how grateful I am, it is another opportunity to express it. I'm always very overwhelmed with emotion when I think about how lucky I am to be doing what I love to do... every day. I'm lucky to have a small support group of people that deserve a lot of thanks, but I also owe some big thanks to you. It's because of your interest in what I make that allows me the opportunity to live the creative life that is so important to me. So to you I say, THANK YOU! From today (24th) to the end of Cyber Monday (28th) use the discount code "KLTTHX" at checkout (at the KLT Etsy Shop) to received 30% off your entire order. Hope you all have a wonderful day - both US residents & my international friends! Ok, now I'm off to the kitchen... 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Over the river & through the flats, to grandmother's (& grandfather's) house we go- La Conner to be exact. 

Turkeys used to roam the streets of La Conner freely- which was so cool to see. However, they were asked to move & are hanging out somewhere else today. So, I guess we won't see them this year. 

We are all going to take it easy today. Maybe we'll watch a movie, listen to music ... or a enjoy a game of Twister (Sayer's new favorite game) before our food coma hits. 

Then it's back over the river for us. It will be a simple & easy day. But there will be thankful reflection for sure. The list is long. Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends (& happy day to my International buddies) ! What are you up to today?

vintage toys via here

{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

{Four Fun Finds} Favorite Vintage Inspiration...

Some of you may be aware of my vintage book & toy love. I've been collecting vintage treasures for a little while now under the guise of gifting them to Sayer. However, it has become very apparent that I may need to start sharing my collection a bit. Particularly when I start finding doubles of my favorite things (that applies to mostly books). So, my new outlet for my findings will be the hutch etsy shop & these four finds were just added! I really do enjoy the idea of sharing things that delight me so much, with others & these particular finds are among my very favorites.

1. Pink Pig- 1955 Fisher Price 

2. The Red Balloon - Albert Lamorisse - 1956 (a favorite in our house along with the movie)

3. Dick Bruna Picture Cubes (with 6 illustrations) -1980

4. The Happy Lion - Louise Fatio & Roger Duvoisin -1956

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

{Fabric Friday} Ruth Adler Schnee...

I was flipping through my husbands RISD alumni magazine last night & stumbled on another  treasured textile designer that I was thrilled to learn about. Her name is Ruth Adler Schnee & there was solo show of her work last summer in conjunction with the 2011 Venice Biennale called, A Passion for Color - which was complimented by a documentary film of her life & career.  She attended Rhode Island School of Design in 1942 & was considered a leading textile designer with pioneering designs as an artist. She was also a mother of three. I was  very interested to learn about her circle of friends & fellow collaborators (because I really dig that sort of thing- & they are some of my favorites) : Ray & Charles Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller, & Minoru Yamasaki. She grew up in Germany & her mentor/ childhood friend was Paul Klee (one of my favorite Expressionist painters who was influenced by music). I'm not really sure how I didn't know about Ruth given she hung out with a lot of my artist/design idols, but I'm really glad I do now. If you are interested in learning more about Ruth, the RISD article below has a lot of links that could keep you busy for a long time. Happy Fabric Friday!  Hope you have a great weekend full of a lot of cool discoveries.

sources :: 

www.risd.edu/About/News/Design_Pioneer_in_Venice/

www.roniteisenbach.com

{Everyday Inspiration} camera in hand...

Late last week, Sayer asked me if we could go on a picnic at the beach after I picked him up from pre-school. The weather has been typical for fall in the NW- chilly, rainy, & a little dreary. However, this particular day it was sunny with a nice crispness in the air . The beach he was referring to is one that I used to go to when I was in high school - just to chill out & quiet my mind. It was one of the first places I drove to when I got my drivers license- so he didn't need to twist my arm for me to take him out there. 

By the time we had packed our little picnic & got out to the beach, the sun was rapidly going down. The lighting & color was gorgeous- not to mention we had the whole beach to ourselves. If you haven't noticed yet, I really love taking photos of Sayer - particularly at the beach. So, I was in heaven just snapping away while Sayer explored & threw rocks into the water. He even brought one of our vintage cameras from our collection that he likes to play with. It was just what we both needed. This place still has the power to calm me down & I'm glad that Sayer enjoys it as much as I do. On the way home, we chased the full moon taking back roads off the beaten path. I kept pulling over, trying to get a good photo. But I think the chase was better than the actual photos. It's pretty amazing how my kiddo knows just how to make my day. Is there a special place that you like to go to chill out & unwind?