"Keeping them spinning."

~ Keeping them spinning ~

"Maintaining the old gigs at Hutch"

There are a few whirligigs (five I think) that have been on our front fence at Hutch for over 20 years.  Even though they were very well crafted they are still subjected to the elements all year round and in our climate that means a great deal of rain and wind.  They are mostly made of  light metals that even though they are partially painted will rust.  Screws will loosen and parts will fall off.   Fortunately these are easy fixes. As I watch them spin in the wind I notice if one is not keeping up I bring it in to the shop and examine it more closely.  This one pictured here is an old timer I call the "Everything Gig" and was moving slowly, so I brought it inside for a check up.  It was missing a couple of small windcatchers that I easily replaced with new ones but the problem was not as simple as that.  It was internal. I took the hub apart, cleaned the bearings and repacked it with a generous amount of grease but it still wasn't moving smoothly.  There comes a point when the metal that the ball bearings are in contact with gets rough and pitted and at that point there isn't much you can do.  It will still move, but will need a stronger wind.  The older I get the more I can relate.  One old whirligig to another.

Spin on!

Lovin Spoon Pulls

~ Lovin Spoon Pulls ~

What can you do with all that old flatware that collects in your kitchen drawers?  Make door pulls that's what.  I'm certain this isn't an original idea and I'm not sure where I saw it for the first time but it sure is clever and fun.  It can really turn the spoon into a more decorative item and add something special to a cool cabinet door or hutch.

These "Betty Lou" spoons are very fun.  There was no question they had to be on the hutch in our little girl's room at the shop.  

This was the very first spoon handle that I made.  It was probably about a year ago when I refurbished this glass display cabinet.

These are two of the four spoon pulls on the doors of the "Hutch" hutch in our library/study room.

Large spoon pulls
$28.

to order call 360-466-2303

Medium spoon pulls
$24.

to order call 360-466-2303

New klTees at Hutch!

~ New klTees at Hutch! ~

We have the very latest and greatest selection of kltworks organic cotton Tees at Hutch right now.  So many colors and styles and sizes that you are sure to find the perfect cozy creature to wear.  Above is a selection of the unisex tees in many different colors.  The newest image in print right now and perfect for Hutch is the rabbit and my current personal favorite.

The new grey owl cardigan would be so cozy and stylish for the fall or even right now if you live here in western Washington.  Seriously, it's late July and I'm still in thermal underwear.  Come on summer!  Well we can use our imaginations and pretend we have fur or feathery coats like the birds and animals on Kristin's super soft tees.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the Kristin's design process I have to fill you in.  She sews each image freehand using a sewing machine.  One continuous unbroken line of thread that grows into an owl, or a squirrel, or a rabbit.  It's an amazing technique that captures the line quality of a blind contour drawing or the feel of an Alexander Calder "circus" sketch.  Pictured above are examples of the women's tees.

As you can see, one of our hutches is alive with fun critters hooting and hopping just to be worn by you.  Adult men's and unisex styles are priced at $26.  Adult women's styles are $28.  Child sizes are $24. and infant sizes are $20.  Stop by, give me a call 360-466-2303 or order here.

You can always find me rockin a glue gun and a klT at Hutch Wednesday thru Sunday 11am-4:30pm.

Hanging Jars

~ Hanging Jars & Spoon Hangers ~

A fun DIY project this summer at Hutch was to put our glass source jars to good reuse and hang them from old spoons that were formed into hooks and screwed into the interior wall of our front porch.  They really stand out as you enter our shop.  I've been asked on many occasion about the species of flower.  They are an annual called Callie Orange or (Calibrachoa).  The color really looks great against the grey green of our exterior house color.  

These jars can be used inside or outside.  If outside, a covered area like our porch is ideal, because rain will accumulate in the jars (no drainage) and your plants will drown and rot.  I like to store my paint brushes in them inside the studio.  I can see them being cool candle holders as well.  The possibilities are endless.

We sell the whole set up (jar + spoon hanger) for $15. in our shop.  I think it is one of those ideas that customers see and think that they will go home and do themselves, but I think you have to think about the time, effort, and tools required to make these.  $15. is a sweet deal.

Colander Light

 ~ Colander Light ~

Sometimes you can have an idea, create it, and later on see a similar idea made by someone else.  I've learned over the years that it is always better to then take your idea further.  It's a way of creatively pushing yourself.  Recently I picked up a magazine and discovered an article on lights made using kitchen colanders.  I had made a couple for the shop a year or so ago that seemed very similar.  HTe very next day I took down the one I had in our kitchen and began turning up the creative dial.  I added fork fringe which I had been thinking about doing but this article sealed the deal.  I also suspended it with a cool old twisted metal plant hanger from a bent spoon bracket on the ceiling.  The change was much needed.  Before it was hardly noticed and now it can't be ignored.

One of the things I like about the forks is that the light takes on almost organic jellyfish quality.  If jellyfish were made out of kitchen wares that is.  I also staggered the fork lengths to create a wavelike edge at the bottom.

In terms of function things were much improved as well.  Before it was so high up on our tall ceiling that it offered little light to a dark space.  Now it is centered right above the table and illuminates the center piece beautifully.  This light is priced at $300. Give me a call to order 360-466-2303.

"Poppy"

~ Introducing Poppy ~

My dear friend Poppy is a sweet little man.

He drives around town in a rusty tin can.

His shoes are bright red.

Wears a thimble upon his head.

Being stylish is always his plan.

His town is not big.

And "big" just isn't his gig.

He avoids crowds whenever he can

Play at Hutch.

~ Play at Hutch ~

There has definitely been a lot of changes at Hutch lately and one of the very best is the emphasis that we are putting on idea of "Play".  The magical quality that a child's eye and imagination possess has always been at the core of what we have tried to express with what me make and how we present those things.  I think that this shows better now that it ever has before and especially in the rooms of Hutch.  Below is a shadow that is cast on the window sill in our play porch from the childlike drawings of bunnies on our window glass.  I realize it is a small thing that might easily go unnoticed but I always find magic in these little moments of discovery. 

Krys, who is like Hutch's professional picker has been very busy combing our area thrift and vintage shops and finding some great treasures. The porch is full of vintage games that fill the older customers with nostalgic memories of "play" and still  effect children with the playtime feeling.  So much so that on one occasion a little girl was playing quietly while her mother browsed the entire shop for a good long time and when they had both finally left I discovered that every little bunny in every room had been magically moved into one of the dollhouses on the porch and they were having a fun old time. Very cute.

One of the very fun things we have done lately is put a hopscotch game on the floor in our side porch.  By using tape it isn't a permanent addition to the floor and hopefully will easily remove in the future when we think of some other fun thing.

And it's not just for decoration either.  It gets used frequently by young and old.  Sometimes I think the older ones, look at the floor and hop along in their minds remembering their own childhood experience.

To end this post I want to share something I discovered one day written on our little child's easel located on the play porch.  It made me smile.  The little girl that wrote it returned a week later to happily discover it was still there and hadn't been erased.

There will definitely be more playful posts to come.

Let's make a bunny video

New Hutch Studio Video

Paper Boat Finale!

~ Paper Boat Finale ~

Once upon a time I made a boat out of recycled cardboard and scrap fabric.  Here is how the project concluded......

To tell a little story I painted words on both sides of the boat - "Once upon a bay a boy sailed away on a toy.  As the boat sailed away the boy would sing and play."

I then continued the story telling by cutting out words within the paper waves that popped up from the table.

After it was finished all that was left is to decide what to display on this display.  We made a bunch of very soft and sweet sailor bunnies that sit inside the boat as well as sail along side in their very own paper boats made from nautical charts.

I almost forgot to mention the "sail".  I coffee dyed some very sheer cotton fabric and stitched it to narrow strips of cardboard leaving the edges very rough.  After tearing a few holes I patched them with pieces of scrap fabric and stamped anchors and boat wheels on them.  To attach the sail I used the wires that suspend the boat over the table.  I'm not sure if these pictures do the reality justice so if you want to experience this elaborate tabletop display in person you will just have to pay us a visit at Hutch soon.