Check Out Elsa Littleton ’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elsa Littleton.

Hi Elsa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Well, depending on how you want to tell it, it can be long or short. I started out wanting to be an Art Therapist but became an art teacher. I taught middle school in Harrisonville, MO, and HS art in Platte County. I loved the job! My favorite parts of teaching were the kids and watching their confidence grow through the arts. I was also a Fulbright Japanese Scholarship recipient and was able to travel to Japan and learn firsthand how their education system works. Did I say I loved my job and the kids I worked with? I decided to quit once I got pregnant to raise my three boys. That was very important.

I was always the crafty mom. I provided the art and crafts to the classroom parties, boy and Girl Scouts, the church, you name it, and I either provided the supplies or the instruction. But I did miss the teaching part a lot! However, working with the arts continued. So if we skip ahead to October 2017, I lost my mom. It was quite the blow on a lot of levels. She was my first art teacher. I remember her teaching me how to embroider when I was about 4. We painted and crafted, and she let me take ceramic and oil painting classes in grade school. Losing her was difficult for all of us. She did leave my brother and me our childhood home. And this is where the studio story starts.

My brother and I got along quite well. However, we disagreed on what exactly to do with the property. He wanted to cherry-pick items out of the house and sell it as is, stuff and all. I wanted to clean it out, fix it up and sell it. I remember him taking a deep breath and saying, “I love you, but I don’t have the time or energy to clean and fix this up. It’s all yours.” This was a different start for the studio! I cried, fretted, and tried to convince him to change his mind, but he stayed very firm, and the only thing he added to his original statement was, “divide my half into thirds and give it to the boys.” So the house was now mine to do with what I wanted. So I did what any good daughter would do. I locked the house up and let it sit there until I was ready to clean it and sell it sometime in the spring. By now, it’s December and Christmas, with losing a loved one is always hard. I focused on giving my boys a good Christmas, even with the sadness of losing their grandmother ever-present. But I didn’t get a chance to make plans for spring. Christmas Eve rolls around, and I decide we should go check on “Grannie Annie’s” house before we go out for our traditional Christmas Eve activities.

The moment I opened the door, I knew something was wrong! The house was cold yet filled with a warm mist from the kitchen. Yep! You may have guessed. I forgot to shut off the water. The kitchen hot water line had burst, and it had been spraying a fine mist of hot water for days. (How many days? We will never know, but it was long enough to create ice in the hallway, sag the kitchen floor with the weight of the water, flood the basement, warp the countertops, and “melt” the 1950s plaster walls and vintage cabinets off the walls. It was a huge mess!

I called my dad and husband to help me figure out how to shut off the water. As I stood in the wet kitchen surrounded by a complete disaster and three crying boys, my dad calmly said, “welp, you might as well turn this place into that art studio you’ve been going on about for years now. This place is going to be down to the studs now.” And that’s when the dream was born. It took a year to fix up the place. I had a soft opening with close friends almost to the day of my mother’s death. It was a blast!! Word got out, and I found myself teaching classes before I had curtains on the windows. Friends were donating furniture, supplies, and unique decor. To make the place “eclectic. ”

Chalk Couture was one of the first things that walked unexpectedly through the front door. It was a brand-new company that sold silkscreen transfers. I fell in love with it on the spot! So I added printmaking and home decor to the painting and “Pinterest style” craft classes. Now five years later, the studio looks nothing like when I started! I also sell my finished artwork at various vendor events in the KC area.

I’m very proud to be a decorator for the Vaile Mansion’s Christmas tour, and 2023 will be my third year. The Vaile Mansion is located in Independence, Mo, and has tours open to the public year-round, with several special events throughout the year, like the Christmas tour. I’m an art merit badge instructor for the Boy Scouts and help with a merit badge college in Smithville. I also train the staff at the handicraft lodge how to run and maintain the three ceramic kilns at the H Roe Bartle Scout Reservation. Along with classes and girls’ night out parties, I volunteer my time with several groups.

The Haunted campground is a fundraiser for “Larson’s Cause,” a not-for-profit organization that raises funds for local children needing medical help. One of my sons developed the pilot event for that fundraiser as his Eagle Scout project, which has been going on for eight years. Each year I, along with Farm Wife’s Table, host a spot at Smithville’s Hunted campground.

For local caregivers of veterans, a simple girls’ night out at the studio has turned into a partnership with the organization Caregiver On the Homefront. This year I’ve had the pleasure of hosting art classes virtually and in person. I am giving caregivers two times a month to escape, relax, and connect with others through the arts. In the future, I plan to add ceramic classes (hand building) to the studio, along with outdoor tie-die classes. Ok, there it is in a nutshell. Feel free to reach out and ask me any questions!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is this such a thing as a smooth road? When I started making this crazy dream happen, I was still healing from the loss of my mother. That made me very vulnerable and not willing to take chances. I’m still growing and learning. I need to take a business class or two, but that seems less fun than creating and being with other creative people, so I think that will happen later.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve been creative since I was a little girl. My mother was my first teacher, and she allowed a lot of artistic creativity to be explored. This allowed me to be a “Jack of all trades,” in a way. Teaching art and seeing a student or a guest in my studio learn and grow in the arts brings me joy and makes me so proud. I enjoy weaving, paper making, watercolor, ceramics, and printmaking. I’ve never met a medium I didn’t like except knitting. Knitting frustrates me and makes me cuss like a sailor, and that’s never a good look for an instructor. Currently, I’ve been working with Chalk Couture. Many of my clients like it, and it creates beautiful finished pieces of art and home decor. It’s a basic silkscreen process that I’ve enjoyed pushing to the limits and creating mixed media ways. What sets me apart from others is that I can see the beauty and potential in another person’s artwork during the creative process. Many times some simple guidance and encouragement are all a person needs to find and create that beauty that was there inside them all along.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
No, not that I can think of. But if you see anything, please let me know.

Pricing:

• My classes are either booked privately, where we work out together prices, the project, and the head count.
• Open classes are posted on my Facebook page, and the prices vary based on materials.
• I can travel to teach larger groups. Groups who would like to book classes would need to do so privately so projects, pricing, and venue could be discussed beforehand.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.chalkcouture.com/elsastudio
• Instagram: Elsashomeandstudio
• Facebook: Elsa’s Eclectic Home and Studio