The Bunny Room

~ The Bunny Room ~

A magical playland for little bunnies and kitties is what we created in the front room at Hutch.  It is the first thing you see as you enter our shop and I have to say that it lets you know what kind of experience lies ahead. A fun, childlike, and whimsical adventure.

Sometimes the bunnies are working on craft projects, sewing, cutting out paper carrots, and sometimes they are having cookies and carrot tea.  

The little bunny chairs are made of cardboard, but are sturdy enough to support bunny weight.

This cardboard dollhouse is something that I made a while ago and has been in different places in and out of the shop.  It along with a couple of vintage dollhouses add to the feeling of "play" in the room.  

Pictured below is the grand chandelier mobile which was the center and focal point of the room floating above the bunny table. 

Every time it rains, it rains, carrots from heaven.

The Whirligigs of Summer- Part 4

~ The Whirligigs of Summer ~

Part IV

The two whirligigs shown here are good examples of a color pallet.  Yellow, black and red is a striking choice.  Outdoors they will begin to rust and the colors will fade and soften.  But for now they will spin in the wind showing off their boldness. Brenda, the creator of the whirligig at the top is a super talented Steampunk artist and we used to carry her extraordinary jewelry in our shop. Her friend that created the gum ball machine topped gig below was also an artist and art teacher.  It was great getting the chance to hang out with these cool women and making 2 very cool whirligigs.

Boat Project Continued

~ Paper Boat ~

If you have been following the progress of the boat project at hutch, we last left off waiting for a sail for the little old wooden boat I repainted.  Well when the sail arrived, attached to the boat and placed in the room it was enormous.  Almost reaching the ceiling and blocking a great deal of light into the room it just wasn't going to work in the space.  A second plan of a wooden rocker crib shaped like a boat didn't work either.  What do I turn to in an emergency......CARDBOARD!  I began to pull out any big old boxes I could find, fired up the trusty glue gun and began to cut.

I have to say I never built a boat before.  As a child I was more of a car guy, but being from Rhode Island "The Ocean State" where there are more boats than cars, and helping my grandfather every 4 years refinish the boat that never left his yard gave me an advantage visualizing this task.  Here is the bottom with ribs attached.

 Next I began to cut strips and attaching them to the sides.  This is when the boat really started to take shape.

Adding small details at the bow and stern was a little bit of a nod to movie director Tim Burton who always has had a thing for the spiral.  Also the boat would be zigging and zagging without a sturdy rudder.

Slapping a fresh coat of paint on the cardboard brought the vessel to life.  Trimming in aqua and red and of course drenching it in a bath of coffee completed the basic boat.  What's left you ask?  I think I'll add some words to the aqua trim, float it over a paper sea, and make tattered sails to catch the hutch winds.

The Painted Boat

~ The Painted Boat ~

Well it's been smooth sailing so far with the boat project.  The application of new color has been completed with great care as not to make the vessel to look new.  Actually my goal was to make it look older than it did before.  It really looks good against the aqua room seen behind in this picture.

This is the area that will be occupied by a fantastic sail.  I can't wait for it!

To support the boat I had to make a couple of simple wooden stands for the stern and bow. 

The ships wheel is repaired and spinning again, ready for it's next voyage.

The Boat Project

~ The Boat Project ~

"From junk to junk"

One of the latest projects at hutch studio is a large wooden boat for the center room. Pictured above is a collage of the rough idea.  The biggest difference is ours will be much more fun in appearance.

As luck would have it we just so happened to have this old wooden boat buried in our shed.  We pulled it out and popped it on a table at the back of the studio.  Some of the color will work but a few cosmetic changes are in order.

The old chipping white paint on the hull is great but we need a bit of red.  The periwinkle blue trim was changed out for an aqua blue.

The ships wheel needed some repairs.  I'm happy to say it turns again.  

The deck and cabin roof were painted a wood tone.  It will be a bit warmer than the periwinkle and green of before.

So watch for the next stage of the boat project...  It's definitely a fun one.

Dollhouses

~ Dollhouses ~

Vintage dollhouses have appeared all around the shop lately.  They are very old and full of character (broken boards and chipped paint).  They certainly amp up the rustic quality of our studio space but they also add to the idea of "play" and childhood that we really try to capture in all the things we make and display.  This red beauty is the centerpiece in our middle room and the facade is hinged to expose the interior rooms.

In the same room, directly under the table, sits this single story house with attached garage.  I believe it used to have fencing in the yard.  I have a strong personal connection to the "dollhouse".  As a child I remember that my sister had a simple wooden dollhouse and for some reason I thought the roof was too plane. I took it upon myself to hand cut little shingles and apply them to the roof.  It's no surprise I ended up the way I am. Coincidentally in my artwork I address the idea of "house" and "home" and often work in a miniature scale.  These are things that just happen sometimes without much if any intention, but are none the less very interesting to discover. 

A couple of years ago I was visiting a blog called the The Junior Society where I would often find new and interesting things that got me jazzed. Then I saw it. A story about a young artist from Saskatchewan by the name of Heather Benning who transformed an old abandoned farmhouse on the plains of Manitoba into a life size dollhouse. She removed the exterior walls on the backside of the house and restored and staged the rooms just as she imagined they may have appeared in the 1950's and 60's when the house was being lived in. Some things just get to me and this was one of those things.  For Heather the impetus for this amazing project was a childhood memory of playing house in an old structure similar to the one she used in her artwork.  I'm always thankful for artists like Heather that manage to blow my mind with their ideas and ambition.

The last dollhouse in the studio is the first one you see when you enter.  A crusty white patina on the exterior sets off the rich red roof.  The facade completely removes exposing many small rooms.  I forgot to mention that this house and the first one are wired for low voltage lighting.  How cool is that?  I think I need to make a video called "put a light in it".

Did you have a dollhouse when you were little?  What was it like?

Picture of Heather Benning's Dollhouse via Ohdeedoh