A year (plus) restoring a mid-century modern chair.

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First, let me state that we're not particularly into the mid century century modern style. I know there are many devotees to that style and feverishly collect pieces from that era. John and I just purchase stuff we like. Nothing matches and I indulge my love for a lot of color. I've also been known to paint unusual murals on the wall.

In December 2014 we were introduced to our local Buy Nothing Group. A friend told me about the great stuff they were getting through the group. I immediately loved the idea. It reminded me a bit of the military family support groups that I grew up around - trading, giving to someone who can use it. My children are big and I have so many little kid things that I needed to pass on. Or just random household items that were useful still, just not to me.  The very first thing I put my name in for in the group, I got. They were a set of chairs that needed some TLC. 

Nacho cheese chairs.

Nacho cheese yellow, unholstered and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to restore them but I was going to try. I had purchased a chair that I really liked from a thrift store and these weren't exactly the same but in similar style. I was hopefully that beautiful walnut wood was underneath that thick nacho cheese yellow paint. 

The inspiration chair!

I wasn't able to immediately jump into restoring these chairs. It wouldn't be until the summer of 2015 until I tried stripping the paint off of them.  I did use a paint stripper. The safest one I could find. It worked pretty well considering just how insanely thick the paint and primer was on those poor chairs. 

I was completely ecstatic when I saw the wood that was beneath of that! This was a "me" project but I did recruit my eldest son to help with getting all of the paint off both of the chairs. It was a lot of work.

Removing the old varnish.

I took a long break from working on these. We got busy with work and family stuff. You know how it goes. Once I picked it back up, it was a lot of sanding. Near the end of the completing one of the chairs John came in to help me out. 

PRETTY!!!!

We got it!

Since the inception of 6 by 6, I've gained a whole new appreciate for wood in general. It's natural grain, color and overall beauty. I really wanted to choose a stain that really showed off how awesome the walnut is. So I went with a natural dark walnut and gave it a good rub down of oil to seal it all up and protect it. Oooh la la! 

I posted this on our Instagram late at night because I was so excited to finish one!

I've only finished one. The other still needs to have the final sanding to smooth out the wood to be ready for stain. I chose a dark brown and black pinstripe print upholstery fabric for the cushion. The cushion type is a staple to the bottom rather than sewing a full piece.   

Complete! Now it's not only my desk chair but a photoshoot prop. 

It was a lot of work but I really love how it turned out. 

Lasers and love - Thea

This, that and things.

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I haven’t posted much, mostly because I don’t have much to post about. I *know* as a business owner I need to post a bit more, but I have a hard time posting about disingenuous stuff/fluff. If you're going to read our blog, I hope to make it worth your while. 

Admittedly, I’ve been a bit slow going in other aspects, with exception of our orders. My eldest son moved away for college. He and my eldest daughter live in the same town now. That’s comforting, but the house is a little bit emptier. It works out for saving arguments for bathroom time in the morning, but being used to a large noisy group, our clan just got a little more quieter. We're adjusting to it slowly but surely. It has been awhile since we had this experience. 

I’ve personally been busy working on new designs (still) and revising our 2016 look book (still). John has been doing the stuff he normally does; tells me how a design won’t work and proceeds to find a way to make it work. He’s wonderful like that. He’s also been refining our trade show display for the Seattle Gift Show later this month, which is also a big project for us both. He makes it functional and I make it pretty. (We try at least.) It is a fun challenge though.

A small ornament version of our Forever Heart.

Well, as you can see in the photo above behind the new small ornament version of our Forever Heart, I have a brand new sketch book waiting for me to fill up! With David Bowie music filling the air around us, its hard not to be inspired to create.

One last thing, USPS rates will go up over the weekend and we will be adjusting shipping rates accordingly. Consider grabbing some stuff now while shipping is a bit cheaper.

Lasers and love -Thea 

2016 The Year of Love and Humor

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Happy New Year dear friends! We took some time off at the end of 2015 spending it with family and friends. The holidays were kind to us and I hope they were to you as well. We even got to see a bit of snow. 

Old lady Toki enjoying a bit of snow 1/3/16

As we're easing on into 2016, we'll be updating our shop with new products and a few updates on some current favorites. 2016 is looking to be a big year for us. We hope to attend/vend at a few choice craft shows locally and nationally. We'll be introducing a big handful of new product lines, while continuing to offer custom services. We're coining 2016 The Year of Love and Humor - mostly because we are getting married this year. Also, as I mentioned previously, love and humor never goes out of style. We enjoy things with staying power and hope that our products have what it takes to earn that title. We're also completely ridiculous people and enjoy making ourselves laugh at what we do.

We're hoping you'll stick around and follow us along in our journey this year.

Lasers and love -Thea  

 

Thank you 2015!

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We've been taking a few days for family time. Out of town visits and moving our eldest boy out as he begins his college adventure. Hopefully you all have been able to squeeze some good times out of the last few weeks of the year.

2015 has been an incredible first full year in business! (We've only been in business for 16 months!) We've learned a lot over the past 12 months. Discovered what products of ours are loved and which ones need some work. We have three big craft shows and one trade show under our belts. We're hoping that there will be many more in 2016. Lastly, we've discovered endless possibilities with our custom manufacturing services. An aspect of our business that wasn't much of a consideration in our original business plan. It has turned out to be our favorite thing to do! Constant fresh ideas coming from an array of companies and individuals.

John, our kids and I, all want to say a big thank you to everyone who generally supported us this past year. We truly win in the friends, family and business friends/customers department. Thank you so much! 

We already have many exciting things up our sleeves for 2016! It's definitely going to be a great and big year for us. I hope you'll keep following us along with our adventure.

Lasers, love and gratitude - John & Thea 

Working through the weekend!

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Happy weekend friends! We ended up without power Tuesday through early morning Thursday. We live in a some what rural area with lots of trees that can topple over. There was a big one that came down on our main road and knocked out a few lines. We're used to that sort of thing  here and anticipate it. We have an amazing wood burning stove that kicks out so much heat that we were walking around in t-shirts. 

Baberham & Toki = fireplace fans. 

Here are two of our brood napping in front of the fire. They came home peeled off some wet socks (left the towels and wet socks on the floor as you can see) and passed out. 

Here are two of our brood napping in front of the fire. They came home peeled off some wet socks (left the towels and wet socks on the floor as you can see) and passed out. 

We've been playing catch up since. We only had one delayed order to a fellow local maker (Hapertas & Co.) who was also sitting in her home without power. 

I created this design a while back without a project in mind. Hapertas & Co. contacted me wanting a fresh option for stylish lapel pins for her line. A perfect marriage happened! We altered my original design to suit her product's needs. American sourced maple and walnut woods that she pairs with the most wonderful fabrics. Please check out HapertasCo.com for more information.

I know this is an unusual day for me to post. I try to keep our posts to Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. But you know how the rollercoaster of life goes. You just jump on where you can. I hope everyone stays warm out there! 

Lasers and love - Thea 

Where in the world is Whidbey Island?

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When I tell people I'm from an island in the Puget Sound, they instantly assume I'm from Vashon, Bainbridge or one of the San Juans. That always seemed odd to me, because everyone seems to overlook the largest island in the state of Washington - Whidbey Island. It's the fourth largest and longest island in the contiguous United States. 

I'll openly admit that I've had a long love/hate relationship with the island. My fellow Islanders understand that statement. There are two ways on and off that big rock. (Unless you are lucky enough to own your own boat.) The big tourist attraction that is the Deception Pass Bridge, was my main way off since I grew up 3 miles away from it. There's no place like it. Mother nature is commanding with the deadly currents below the industrial bridge's impressive span where you can view Mount Baker to the east and the Straight of Juan De Fuca to the west. To northenders, the south end was largely for secret fishing spots, the county fair, art galleries, loganberries at the Greenbank Farm and a ferry ride to the mainland. 

John's first trip to Whidbey Island 2013 - The north side of the Deception Pass Bridge on Fidalgo Island.

A desktop cellphone shelf we designed a while back, based on the architecture of the Deception Pass Bridge. 

I was born in the late 1970's when there were still forests in "downtown" Oak Harbor. Which in later years when I was in high school the parking lots that were once forests became a meeting/hangout spot. A grocery store parking lot. Yes, friends that is an insight to part of the hate relationship I have with the island. There wasn't a whole lot going on. I grew up in a very rural area about 7 miles north of "town".  I spent a lot of my time on my bike prior to getting my license. Well, if you knew me then, I did drive a little bit before I had my license. :D In retrospect now, I feel lucky for growing up that way even though I longed for mainlander city life. I know a lot about plants, trees and animals that are native to the island. I was forced to be creative not only for entertainment but also during times the power was out due to 60+ mile hour winds. There are many things like that I share a bond with my childhood friends that no one understands or can relate to. It's kind of special and many of us joke about writing a book to recount our islander childhood. We all seems to share a love and appreciation for that rock now. 

Since the inception of our business I've been asked and have created many Whidbey themed items. We all seem to want to have a piece of "home" with us in our lives.  While I have a huge list of half-done projects, I've decided to share one item that we made that I love. A Whidbey Island mini chalkboard for my fellow island people. 

Admittedly, this post took me sometime to write up. "Home" especially with such character is hard to condense down into a few paragraphs. 

Lasers and love - "Dorothya from The Rock"

Follow us on YouTube

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We're asked a lot of questions about our name, process, how does laser cutting work, what can we cut, what's our favorite beers, do we really have 6 kids, the list goes on. So we thought it would be great to create an outlet to answer those questions. Rather than cutting and pasting responses we thought it would be good to actually see us answer them. 

Follow our YouTube channel to see all of our videos.

Lasers and love - John and Thea

Wild Winds

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It's been a weird year for weather here in the PNW. Yesterday was no exception.

Branches on our path to the post office yesterday. Our power was out until 3:00am.

With out power, we tooled around the garden, made clam chowder (we have a gas stove) and played board games well into the night. Anyone ever play Scotland Yard? It's a fun one that my kids (yes, the teenagers) have been enjoying. 

Our garden harvest. We have MEGA zucchinis! 

Do you have a favorite game or activity to do when the power is out? I know not many people grew up with that inconvenience, but I grew up on an island here in Washington and there were a few times of the year that you'd expect to be without power for a bit due to poor weather. 

If you endured the weather here locally, we hope that you didn't have any critical hits to your homes, cars or yourself. 

Lasers and love - Thea

Time Has Been Flying By

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Well, I've dozed off on blogging again. We've been blessed with busy and fun filled days as of late. Let's back up back to Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. 

6 by 6 Arts takes on Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco Summer 2015

IT. WAS. AWESOME. 

6 by 6 Arts takes on Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco Summer 2015

Thanks so much to all who came out and visited us! We had such a great time and hope to return to San Francisco for future shows. 

After we made it home we immediately fulfilled some standing wholesale orders. One of which is with a super cute little shop in North Bend, WA called Selah Gifts. Just a block away from Twede's Cafe. Also known as the "Double R Diner".

We also squeezed in a few family days since the kids are still on summer break and we managed to coordinate schedules with John's family and our six kids for a little family trip. 

Today we are preparing for a trade show this weekend as well as working on some custom items that I can't wait to share! More soon!

Lasers and love, Thea

Signs of Home

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Last week was my 20 year high school reunion (fun fact: I'm older than John). While I was unable to attend the actual reunion but we did need to do some errands on the island. Even though I've been a mainlander for some time now, I still get a longing to see the sights and hear the sounds of home. 

Old drive in sign with two remaining marquee letters hanging on. 

The Shrimp Shack - on the roadside of the North Cascades Highway on Fidalgo Island never disappoints. That's a 1/2lb of fresh calamari in that basket. 

North Cascades Highway leads to my hometown.

Lots of inspiration comes from just being in that area. I've been been much of a city girl so the slightly slower pace suits me.  

Since our company's inception, we've created quite a few prototypes with elements of inspiration from my home. One of the most striking things in my hometown is the Deception Pass Bridge. Which is currently getting resurfaced, my condolences to those who need to drive off the island in the evenings. 

The best view of the bridge is from below it in a boat. I won't bother posting a picture of it since there are so many better ones online compared to the ones I have here on my hard drive. 

The bridge's design is angular and impressive. A prototype that we are continuing to develop is a shelf/stand kit using the bridge's structural design as the inspiration. 

Deception Pass Bridge - Laser Cut Shelf Kit Prototype

I've been using one of the small prototype as a candle/jewelry/phone holder.

We're fine tuning the designs but will have some kits in time for the holidays. 

I did stop by my old high school since I was there. (Don't worry I keep up with many life long friends on a regular basis. Some friends I've had since I was 5 years old.) I was a bad kid in high school and like the other bad kids, I smoked across the street from the school. I figured that would be a good place to have my picture taken for reunion's sake. Also, I quit smoking years ago. 

Lasers and love - Thea

Update From 6 by 6 Headquarters

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We've been armpit deep in domestic and custom order life the past two weeks. Our fellow parents know it's the last days of school time of the year. Which are often hectic. This year we had a graduate of the Class of 2015 to add to our event list.

Our entire family right after our oldest son's graduation commencement ceremony.

Our entire family right after our oldest son's graduation commencement ceremony.

We've had many custom requests for cake toppers which we haven't offered any readymade. So many other companies offer standard whimsical - feminine fonts and designs that we've been creating our own unique take on them. Even for our son's graduation cake:

We Gucci -Laser Cut Wood Cake Topper

We Gucci -Laser Cut Wood Cake Topper

We have a handful of exciting news tidbits coming up over the next few days, so stay tuned! 

Lasers and love -Thea

Thank you!!!

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We would like to thank our friends, family and awesome customers for making our first holiday season a busy one! This adventure only began about 6 months ago and we've worked hard on honing in on products that people like and services we can provide with our laser. We already have a huge list of new ideas for products and services that we will bring to fruition in the New Year. 

Thank you to all who have shared our postings and who have made purchases of our products. Thank you for supporting a small business ran by two silly people with a large family.

We hope you all have a great holiday and look forward to bringing more laser cut awesomeness to the world in the New Year!

Lasers & Love - Thea and John

We Hate Everything

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John and I are engaged to be married.  Separately, we've done a lot of living before we met. We've both been married previously, had children and grew as people individually. 

We met in somewhat unusual circumstances that involves a ruben sandwich, a childhood friend and a trip to Whidbey Island.  Through John's persistent chasing our discovery of each other was extremely entertaining. 

Not being naive to what being in a relationship was we discovered we had a lot likes in common. We've watched a lot of the same strange movies, our individual OCD tendencies complimented each other and we genuinely like each other's company. But more importantly, we discovered we "hated" a lot of the same things. Which can be more important to a relationship. Sharing the same views on politics, religion, health issues, daily routines, bad television, music - whatever you can think of. It's important to be on the same page with things that are really important to you. 

John & I know we're different. We know we have a quirky sense humor. We've embraced it and we hate everything together.  Since we have a laser here at our home studio, we created an engagement prop that suits us.  (We'll have them for sale for those couples out there who share our sense of humor later this week.)

Lasers & love - Thea

John Bronleewe & Thea Starr #realengagementphoto

John Bronleewe & Thea Starr #realengagementphoto