{Hutch Demos} A thread drawing for you...

On November 5th, Chris & I both did demos at hutch studio. We spent the day working together in the same space- Chris worked on various whirligigs & I drew with thread by using free-motion on the sewing machine. My parents actually live on the other side of the fence from hutch studio & Sayer was hanging out with them while we were at the studio, but he did come over to watch a bit & was our first visitor. I know he really enjoys watching us work & being in that creative space. Maybe someday all three of us can do demos together. 

It was such a pretty, sunny day & I thoroughly enjoyed working next to Chris & chatting with the occasion visitor. There were two teenagers that hung out watching me for the longest time & I got a real kick out them. My brain usually works fast - plus I had consumed my share of coffee that afternoon & even I couldn't keep up with their constant banter. 

My friend Chantale edited some footage we had of the afternoon & gave me this video for an early Christmas gift (I know, she is the sweetest!). You can sort of get a feel of the space & the way that I create my drawings that I use for my klt:works tees & plushies. I hope you enjoy it! 

  

One of the things that Chris & I try to instill in Sayer is the importance of making things by hand & how special a drawing or piece of art is. He has been drawing like crazy lately & we are encouraging him to give everyone a special drawing for Christmas. With that in mind, I thought I would "walk the walk" & do a special giveaway that comes from my hands & my heart. I'm actually not really sure how it will be received, but I thought I would give it a whirl. It's not meant for any other reason than to say "thank you" for sharing your time & comments with me. So... during this demo at hutch, I did quite a few little owl drawings - they are fairly quick & on small pieces of canvas. I would love to give them away to people who would enjoy them. If you would like one, just leave me a comment (& a way to reach you). If necessary, I will draw names & announce it here on Friday. Thanks again for reading this blog & for reaching out. I truly value the connections & people I meet here!  Hope you are having a great week! Happy Holidays! 

{Vintage Fun} Toys at Hutch...

It's no surprise that Sayer loves visiting his dad at hutch studio. The space is full of all sorts of creations, projects, & games that Chris dreams up but it also has lots of vintage toys around to marvel at & play with. I wonder how he will remember his visits to hutch when he is older. 

Along with the DIY kits, lights, whirligigs, tees, & books, there are so many cool vintage toys in the hutch shop right now! It's definitely a fun place to find a unique & special holiday gift this season.

Until December 24th, enjoy free US shipping on all of your hutch etsy shop purchases. Use code {HUTCHFREESHIP} in the note to seller during checkout. What was your favorite toy growing up? 

{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!

{Fun Event} whirligigs & thread...

Two years ago, Hutch Studio opened it's doors to the public. It was the Annual Arts Alive weekend in La Conner & Hutch Studio celebrated the opening with art demonstrations all day- I happened to have been one of them. Saturday, Hutch Studio is celebrating it's 2 year anniversary much in the same way. It's Arts Alive weekend again & Chris will be doing a whirligig demo from 12-2pm & I will do a demo in how I draw with thread, from 2-4pm

Thread Drawing from elSage on Vimeo.

If you are in the area, pop on by, we would love to see you! Chris has been working on some new pieces for a show that will be going on this weekend as well. Stop by Maple Hall in La Conner to view his new work (details here). The piece below is made with cardboard & is a peek into the world of Hutch Studio. 

If you aren't able to come visit us in person, you can enjoy free shipping all weekend at the Hutch Studio etsy shop! Just use "hutchfreeship" during checkout. Hope everyone has a creative weekend! 

{Fabric Friday} Sweet Nostalgia...

As you may know, I've been stashing away fabrics for quite awhile. Sometimes, I don't know why I'm drawn to a pattern but I feel a strong attachment to it & get a little bit to save for the right occasion. I decided to put together a few bundles of fabrics for hutch studio the other day that consisted mostly of vintage reprints but that are all really hard to find now. I think I started stashing most of these when I was thinking about being a mom someday.

These fabrics are sweet, nostalgic, & perfect for baby quilt or any other fun project for your child. There are 2 bundles available here. Happy Fabric Friday!  Do you have any fun & creative projects planned for the long weekend?

{Real Life} hutch at home...

Last week, Chris made our family our first whirligig & put it up in our backyard. To me, this was somewhat symbolic of the news that we had received the weekend prior. I had mentioned in the last post that I was a bit distracted lately. Well that can all be sort of tracked back to whirligigs. Why you ask? Let me explain- I'll give you the short version.

Two weekends ago, we learned that hutch studio (the studio & shop that my husband designs for & runs - home of the whirligigs) can no longer keep it's doors open on a daily basis. Chris is going to still be working for the same company, but just in a different capacity now. While it's really sad news because of how special hutch studio & it's loyal customers are- Chris & I are going to do the best we can to maintain hutch studio's online presence including a shop, continuing whirligig workshops, special events, & being open by appointment - with hopes of eventually working out a way to be open a few days a week until Fall.

So, in the last week, we have been adjusting to our new schedule, brainstorming, & creating a new etsy shop for hutch. It has been a bit overwhelming at times, but I'm excited about the new possibilities. The hutch studio shop will continue to have the "Make- It Yourself Kits" that Chris designed & that have become hutch best sellers, along with special vintage finds (including books & toys), fabric bundles, one of a kind art, & a scatter of klt:works items as well. 

One day at a time is my motto lately. I know I have written about hutch studio a lot in the past,  but there might be a few more blog posts about it in the future given my new involvement. Stay tuned... it's bound to be an intersting ride. Our whirligig is spinning in our backyard as a symbol of  the new hutch studio headquarters. 

Here's how to keep up with the hutch studio progress if you are interested:

facebook

blog

etsy shop (cool things are being added everyday)

Thanks to all of you that have been so amazingly supportive & kind over the last few weeks (well always really). Your support is very appreciated! 

In a nutshell, this is what has been occupying my brain - along the side of trying to figure out the mysteries of toddlerhood & new products for klt:works...

How has your week been?

{Everyday Inspiration} Whirligigs...

Chris just left for work this morning- he's on his way to hutch studio. Would you like to see a snippet of how he spends his day? (Sayer would like me to point out that you can see the library that he goes to with his grandma, in the background of the video still shot.)

Aside from making & occasionally wearing things out of cardboard, Chris also makes whirligigs. They are displayed out in the front of studio & spin in move in the breeze. They are made from cool found & thrifted objects & set hutch studio apart from the other shops on the street. Chris holds whirligig workshops in the studio as well - which are always a lot of fun. So there you have it-  a little peek into my other half's day. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!  

{Everyday Inspiration} Busy day at hutch studio...

A few weekends ago, I had a chance to spend a little time at hutch studio. Chris was giving a demo in clay & hung around a bit to shoot some photos of the event. 

Here are a few glimpses of how he displays some klt:works items. It's always a treat to be able to see my work in that space.

Chris set out to do something that he had never done before...to throw a bunny on a wheel. Sounds cool doesn't it? It was really quite an interesting thing to view. It's the type of thing that only someone with his experience, could pull off with a crowd of people watching. Not to mention, the shop was actually open. So in between working on the rabbit, he was helping customers! 

The atmosphere at hutch studio is really wonderful. It's calm & creative with a sense of wonder in the air of what cool discovery might be around the corner. Chris has created playlists by subjects that are always playing - songs about  water, hands, boats, birds... etc which just adds to the "hutch" experience. 

So this is the final product! He (or she) was just unloaded from the kiln yesterday. Chris literally pulled a bunny out of his sleeve that day. Amazing! What I love the most about it, is  the process & that he had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. I admire that...it is my favorite way to work.  Chris has demos & workshops set up all of the time at hutch & if you are in the area, I highly recommend attending- they are quite inspirational. Stop by the hutch studio blog or FB page to keep an eye on what fun new project is being worked on. 

Hope everyone is having a great week! It's finally sunny & spring like here. Boy does that make a difference!

{Everyday Inspiration} May First...

It's a beautiful day here in the Northwest- the sun is shining & everything is bright! What a perfect day to celebrate May Day & the birthday of someone special...

Chris hasn't changed a bit? He has the same style & expressions evident in these awesome pictures. Boy do I wish he still had those clothes to pass down to Sayer! I just love these photos of him!  I think the damage from the tape I water marks make them even cooler really. They actually look like they could've come from a contemporary kid's fashion mag. Vintage photos at their best! I'm sure they will inspire something in the studio someday- I think the palette already has... 

Happy Birthday Chris!! Thanks for being my Everyday Inspiration! Ok, off to do a few festive errands before the little celebration tonight. 

So if you are in La Conner today, pop in to hutch studio & wish him a Happy Birthday. He's busy working & making interesting things out of cardboard. Better yet, leave him a note on the hutch studio facebook page ... that would knock his very cool socks off! Happy May Day everyone! 

{Music Monday} littlest birds...

On the heels of Mardi Gras & all that has happened in the world since, the  Be Good Tanyas seemed to fit my mood perfectly today- particularly this song. Happy Music Monday!  {image via hutch studio}

{Everyday Inspiration} dreaming of vintage...

{picture via hutch studio}

Chris has created beautiful interior spaces at hutch studio & visiting him there is always inspiring. Each room is filled lots of vintage finds and recycled, handmade creations. This room at hutch is called the "sweet room" and I'm always taking note of the way the shadows are cast, how the light fills the room, the textures, & the color palette. I made an Etsy treasury last night that reflects how I feel when I'm in that room & the colors that I see. These are items & images that may appear in my dreamworld....

You can view this Etsy Treasury live here.  Hope you are having a nice week!

{Four Finds} #8 Rethink & Reuse...

For the first {four finds} of  2011,  I wanted to focus a bit on something that  has been on my mind- rethinking & reusing. January is always a time for me to rethink & regroup. Simplifying everything seems like what I am trying to do both in our home, with my business, & in my designs. I've been drawn to a lot of innovative objects lately that fall into the "rethink & reuse" category.

Top to Bottom:

Little Houses Light by Chris Theiss for Hutch Studio- When Chris sent me this picture, I was blown away. I love how it was made from reused materials - not to mention the incredible shadows that it creates! {image via here} 

"Sandbank Sofa" by Christiane Hogner - I recently read an article in Dwell Magazine about Hogner. She is a Brussels based furniture designer who makes things out of castoffs she finds on the streets of Belgium. This sofa was originally made for a project - where she used sandbags. I really like all of her work. {image via here}

"My Camera is out of paper!" by Ching Ching Cheng- This camera made from books knocked my socks off. {image via here}

"Dada Dolls" by Hannah Hoch- Featured in an exhibition catalog called "Toys of the Avant-Garde" which is on view at the Museo Picasso Malaga & written about here.  I'm a huge Hannah Hoch fan & was excited to see her dolls included among all of the other very cool toys. (Note: One of my favorite exhibition books is cut with the kitchen knife: the weimar photomontages of hannah hoch by maud lavin). {image via here}  source 

Do you have a favorite? Have you made something recently from something that you had around the house or found somewhere? Hope you are having a nice Sunday!