May 2007 – Page 2 – Karla's Cottage

Rosies and Posies for Baby and the MayBucket winner

By Karla Nathan / May 15, 2007

Last night, I went over to visit my brother-in-law’s family and brought my paint brushes along. His oldest daughter is having a baby next month, their first grandbaby!! I offered to do a mural for the nursery, but the parents might be moving, so we decided to paint some furniture instead.

Brooke (our expecting niece) scored this 4 piece set at the Goodwill for $90!!

Her mom got it primed and base coated for me, before I arrived.

She painted one piece a creamy, soft yellow and the others white.

A diamond design and the trim on the white chest of drawers is in the cream color to pull the pieces together.

I also used the yellow in some roses and butterflies.

We wanted the two pieces to go together, but not match.

The rest of the furniture is white. I think that it should stay that way,but we’ll see. The new mama might decide to have me add some more flowers to the rest of the pieces too.

At first, Brooke was trying to be very practical and have me paint these pieces neutral so that if their next child is a boy (this one is a girl, you might have guessed) this stuff could be used by either gender. But I told her that her children, boys or girls will always have their Aunt Karla to paint something special just for them, and she should enjoy having something girly and fun for this baby. I hope little Madison Catherine (to be named after the family’s home town of Madison, Nebraska) will enjoy her pretty pink roses!

And now for THE MAY BUCKET GIVE AWAY!!!!!!!!!! Time to go and draw a name from the pretty flowered hat. For my birthday, I drew a bonus name and that prize was sent to Karla at http://sugarbeardesigns.blogspot.com/. Now, I Will draw the name for the 2nd prize (to be named, I might need to make something today)

http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/

Michelle Ward is the 2nd prize winner!

And now for first place, the May Bucket full of delight-

MizSmoochieLips!! http://mizsmoochielips.blogspot.com/index.html

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments and for taking the time to enter. I have had such a good time with the contest, that I promise- there will be more! Don’t forget, you can still enter the Cottage Charm giveaway too. Not just on my blog, but on numerous sites, click on the link for more info.

I hand painted am offering this charm for the Cottage Charm giveaway. (Sometimes I just crack myself up with my cleverness)

Feeling Sentimental and LAST CHANCE FOR THE MAY BUCKET

flowers, give away, jewelry, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 14, 2007

Still basking in the glory of my marvelous Mother’s Day, my thoughts are on family things.

I never knew my great grandmother, but found out that when she was 18, she went away to art school. Not something a lot of young girls did in 1906.

She did a handful of pieces while there, then came home to be a farm wife. No more time for art when there are chickens to feed and a family and garden to tend. Thinking about it makes me realize how lucky I am to have so much time to make things pretty.

I was given these two pictures done by my great grandmother, Nellie during her short time away at art school I think that if I had known her, we would have had a lot in common.

Sentimental days are good for scrap booking. I’d made a book of my husband’s family earlier, but didn’t care for the way I’d done the cover. So, I added a faded and torn old piece of red velvet from an ancient album and glued a vintage oval framed family photo onto it.

Rich (my husband) is the dapper young man in the bow tie.

At the top of the oval frame, I added a brooch that belonged to my sweetie’s grandma. I used to wear it, but the clasp is broken, so I thought this would be safer.

Since I had my glues out, and was thinking family type thoughts, I made a couple more Sugarwings pages in my journal/scrapbook. I was never a scrap booker until she came along. Now, I try to add a few pages a week, as I take photos of her.

When she grows up and looks at my book, do you think she’ll roll her eyes at me, and say, "Oh, Grandmama, wings- again??!"

I also did a photo shoot today at my house with my pal, photographer, Diane Guthrie, who did the Romantic Homes layout with me last year. We got half done and will finish tomorrow. I’m afraid that I can’t tell you any more about it for now, but here is a teeny peek from my camera- not hers.

We did 3 photos in 2 hours, that is not a bad rate. Maybe 3 or 4 more tomorrow and we should be set.

Well, maybe one more teeny peek.

You know a photo shoot sounds glamorous, but in real life it is a mess. I had cords and lights and equipment all over, plus I had all the ordinary, everyday, useful things piled up out of the way of the camera, so that only pretty things were in the shots. I did run across town to Walmart before Diane arrived so I could get 2 white toothbrushes in case they showed, I wanted them to match the bathroom! Sounds silly, but those little details matter.

My bathroom is still all topsyturvey and will be until we are done.

Don’t forget about the MAY BUCKET!!

Today is the last day to enter!! I will be shipping it off to its new home tomorrow.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your kind comments and entries. I had over 500 entries, what a surprise for me!!!!!!!!! I counted each and every comment you made as an entry and will continue to do that for the COTTAGE CHARM GIVEAWAY.

You can enter the Cottage Charm Giveaway as many times as you would like. I love getting comments and will bribe you anyway necessary to get you to write to me!!

I am making the $1.99 a dozen roses I bought a week ago last till the very last petal curls up and turns brown. I keep trimming the stems and making them a bit shorter each day. But I might like them this way better than any of the other arrangements so far.

Birthday Parties, Shabby Chic Friends, and Fairy Mermaids

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / May 13, 2007

I threw myself a big 49th birthday bash last night and of course, made a crown to wear to it, so everyone whould know who’s party it was!

I used a six pack of pointy party hats from the $1 Store to make the crowns, I simply cut the tops off in a zigzag pattern like crown points and glued glitter and lightweight sparklies to the hats. It was easier to make them than to take a photo of my own head.

And, see- a new hair color too!

Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ brought me a COSTCO CARROT CAKE. If you haven’t had one–go buy one NOW! Oh my gosh, they are the best. Thanks, Beth!

I kept the party simple and fixed easy things. Simple snacks and foods look better when served on pretty platters, so people didn’t realize how little effort I made. And I always say that food looks more impressive when you get it up high! I always use cake stands, compotes, and other tall serving pieces for a buffet. Layers and levels make an interesting table.

I went with a garden theme, brought in the glass topped breezeway table (and de-spidered it)to set up on the food table and topped it with McCoy flower pots with candles in them and the roses I had bought earlier in the week for $1.99 a dozen. The roses might have drooped a bit here and there, but weren’t bad.

The dogs were penned up for the evening, and Twinkle seemed to be OK with it, she cozied up in her cut glass dog dish. (50 cents at a garage sale) The water dish next to her is one that I painted iris on at one of those do-it-yourself ceramic shops. I love to go to those, but here’s a tip if you go- take your own paint brushes!! A good brush makes all the difference in a painting and the ones they have there to use aren’t any good at all!!

This is my friend, Angie. She is so pretty, I wish she was part of my decor every day. Isn’t her coloring very Shabby Chic??

I shared the limelight with my good buddy, Judy. I felt less guilty about throwing a party for myself since I got to share it with a friend.

Throwing myself a bash was just the start of the weekend.

On Sunday, the family cooked steaks on the grill and then we went out on the boat.

This was Sugarwings’ first time on the water and we decided that she was part mermaid too, not all fairy. She was born to be a lake kid!

Today was the first Mother’s Day for Sugarwing’s mom and my first as a Grandmama. I can only wish for a lifetime of Mother’s Days with them that are even half as nice as today, and I’ll be a lucky, lucky old lady if I get them!!!

Remembering Mom and Missing Dad too

vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 12, 2007

Sunday is the 1st anniversary of my dad’s death. When he fell ill, my sisters were with him in Indiana, taking him to the doctor. I was here in Kansas, waiting to hear what the tests said.

I needed a project to keep me from falling apart. So, I mosaiced the steps into my kitchen from the breezeway. Doing mosaics keeps the hands busy and the mind calm but still gives you time to think and reminisce.

My dad was a gardener his entire life, from working the farm as a kid to planting veggies and working his garden plot right up till the day he went to the hospital.

At his funeral, I brought a tomato plant instead of flowers.

My steps are a tribute to him, I tried to give them an organic, growing feel of newly sprouting garden vines. He died 2 weeks from the day he went in for testing and was diagnosed with cancer. I think of him when I walk across these steps.

I’ve mentioned this before, but when I talk about Daddy, I have to bring it up again- when I was born, he filled out my birth certificate while my mom was still under anesthesia. His name is Hubert, so he named me Huberta Josephine. My mother changed it as soon as she woke up! Who knows, I might have liked being a Berta, not such a bad name. I wonder if I would have had a different life if I had grown up as Huberta?

Sunday is also Mother’s Day, so I got out the scrap book that I made with old family photos.

My parent’s song was "Always", so I have added that word to this page of the two of them together.

Mom loved butterflies.

Here we are together. (my family calls me Karkie Jo, or Aunt Karkie to all the little ones).

My wedding- with Mom on the end in pink and her mother in the gorgeous silk Sari. And see my handsome husband, so young and skinny? Now he is a weightlifter and you should see his arms! I just hate him, its not fair, he gets better and better looking, I just get older. And fatter.

Here is a photo of "us girls" as we’d say back in Indiana: Bobbie Sue, Sissy, Karkie Jo and Marty Jo. Don’t our names sound like we come from Petticoat Junction??

My mom’s favorite flower was the iris. I think partially, because I used to do so many iris watercolors (like this one of mine). She was sweet that way, she loved her daughters and would adopt their favorite things as her own favorites.

Its sad to be an orphan on Mother’s Day. But I have my boys, and my little Sugar Wings, and her sweet mama, who is a daughter to me. Hopefully some day, they will all have happy memories of me, like I do of my mom.

This is a pencil drawing I did of my dad’s mom. I know that my dad missed her the rest of his life after she died in the early 70’s.

You never get too old to miss your mommy.

I will always miss mine.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all the love.

A peek into the Garden Shed

flowers

By Karla Nathan / May 11, 2007

The iris are blooming!!! Not as pretty as last year, a bit skimpy actually. I think it was the horrid freezing weather in April after the March heat wave. I wonder if all my yard will be affected this badly?

But, a few iris are better than no iris at all and I am glad to see them.

These are in front of my garden shed.

I feel that a garden shed should always have vines growing over it, but I mistakenly planted vines that disappear over the winter. So I painted some around the doorway, with a nest tucked into the vines.

When we tore down the old garage, I saved a door from it to use as an awning over the garden shed’s doorway. I’ve attached it with L brackets,then continued the painted vines up onto the awning too.

A peek inside the shed, with a hand painted vintage door that I hung on the back of the building, where the original door was missing. A little worse for wear over the years (its not water tight) but doesn’t natural aging add charm?

You can tell in this close up of the door, it wasn’t quite the right size, I had to cut the bottom off of it with POWER TOOLS (YAY-fun) after I painted it. The curtains are stapled into place. With chicken wire instead of glass in some of the windows, there was too much wind blowing through and the curtains were always falling down when I tried hanging them on rods. Staples solved that. These curtains were in a big boxful at an auction for $2. I found the door in my brother-in-law’s barn during a visit to Nebraska. My husband wasn’t too happy about hauling it all the way back, but it was worth the effort and the argument.

A little birdie lives in the shed up on a beam.

When I reclaimed this old building, I emptied it out, power washed it, then rented a spray gun and painted EVERYTHING with a coat of paint. To keep it cheap, I went to a surplus store, bought 8 gallons of pastel and white paint for $5 a gallon, dumped them all together and used the color as it turned out. I let the paint shoot everywhere, no taping off or worrying about the floor. Then, I added the little hand painted touches and hung up old bits of broken trim for interest. The curved piece over the door is some gingerbread from a dumpster at a construction site. Not the first time I found myself upside down, hanging over the side of a dumpster to dig something out. Thats better than actually climbing inside, though…..

Back to the iris- yellow ones are blooming in front of my propane tank.

About 16 years ago, I painted the tank with iris on it, then planted bulbs in front of it. Well, the paint is chipping and fading at this point, but I still enjoy it.

This weather has been so wet lately (devastating floods in Topeka, and too much rain here) so I haven’t gotten my new bed finished. I did work in it a bit yesterday, but I think the ground is too wet to do much.

So I worked inside, decorating some jars for my bathroom cabinets.

Don’t forget, you still have time to enter the MAY BUCKET GIVE AWAY-but time is running out!!!! And don’t forget the Charm I am giving away for the Cottage Charm Giveaway. Here is the link:

http://owcl.blogspot.com/2007/04/sign-up-for-cottage-charm-give-away-day.html

You can enter all my giveaways simply by leaving me a comment, any comment at all, Unless of course it is a mean one. But I doubt if you’ll do that.

I already miss my rose a day and it just ended yesterday. Doesn’t every day need a rose??

Here is a bouquet of them, on top of a powder box I have listed on Ebay.

These roses are made of tiny sea shells. You can bid on it by clicking on the Ebay link to the right.

Also, thanks BIG TIME to Carlene- http://carlenefederer.blogspot.com/ ; Karin- http://www.creativechaos.typepad.com/ ; Natasha- http://natashaburns.blogspot.com/ ; Jody- http://gumbo-lily.blogspot.com/2007/05/prairie-rose-for-you.html for all buying pendants and charms from me.

All of the jewelry is for sale, if there are any pieces you’d like a close up of, just email me and I’ll send photos. Thanks!!

Day 10 In a Rose a Day plus some Cheap Tricks

how to's

By Karla Nathan / May 10, 2007

How about a roomful of roses for Day 10 in my ROSE A DAY FOR 10 DAYS IN MAY? These tiny little hand painted roses are in the entry way to my kitchen. The walls are painted a very soft blushy pink with the brighter pink roses scattered around. To age it a bit, I used a glaze over the top of it all in an umber color, making sure to leave it heavier in the corners. The ceiling is a pistachio green as an accent.

I just hate white ceilings. And of course, my studio ceiling is white, and its a huge room that can’t bear the thought of tackling. But when we built the addition, it seemed to be the easiest thing to do at the time. I rented a spray gun and shot white everywhere. I’ve since repainted the walls, but man, that ceiling! Doubt if I’ll get to it.

I’ll miss the Rose a Day that I did in honor of CARING BLOGGER’S ROSE DAY today. It was started by:http://brittarnhildshouseinthewoods.typepad.com/brittarnhilds_house_in_th/, so thanks to her for the lovely idea. I will always have roses for you to see, even tho my ‘rose a day’ is over.

These roses are from the pile of things I have broken as a clumsy antique dealer. I added them and these birdies that were on a broken cookie jar, to this mosaic table top.

Which brings me to "Cheap Tricks" Michelle Ward’s http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/2007/05/crusade_no_8_ch.html latest crusade. Her challenge was to show how you have used a cheap item somehow in your art. (check her out in the FABULOUS issue of Somerset Life)

So here are a few of my cheapest tricks, this photo is inside my breezeway:

1-More shutters like on the front of my studio. They are by fold doors that I found at a garage sale for $4, took apart, painted, then screwed to the wall on each side of the door.

2- The $2 garage sale chandelier didn’t work, so I cut the wires out, primed and painted it, and epoxied cheap, cheap, chipped up teacups to the arms. It can be used with candles or flowers. (I made it for Romantic Country magazine, Jan. 06, there are step by step instructions for it there, or ask me if you want them)

3- The mirror is an abandoned window that I cleaned and painted. Then, I sprayed the back with looking glass paint.

4- Last is the $5 iron table that I painted and mosaiced with broken stuff I have piled up in a cabinet because I can’t bear to throw it out, I know it can be something.

5- (I know, I said #4 was last) I forgot this pillow. It is made from a cut up vintage hankie that I gave to my mom to sew to the pillow for me, since I am so bad with the sewing machine.

My mom was great about those kind of projects, she’d make anything for me. Her talents were with a needle and thread, that woman made perfect stitches in her quilts.

This is a scrapbook page I made with two watercolors I’d done of her photocopied and glued down onto strips of paper that I thought gave it a fabric look, reminiscent of her quilting.

The larger painting has a background of a log cabin quilt she made for me.

The smaller painting is of her back in the 80s with her giant video camera that she took everywhere. This time, to the beautiful Flint Hills of Kansas.

Marty Jo (mom) collected humming birds and butterflies (not real ones) so I added a humming bird charm to the page. She’d like that.

She also loved Irises, such a beautiful,old fashioned flower. When she passed away, I went to the casket factory and hand painted her casket with sprays of purple iris.

(maybe that should have gone into my list of weird things??)

Cottage Charm Giveaway

give away

By Karla Nathan / May 9, 2007

Hey, wasn’t I just here a few minutes ago? Yep, two postings in a row, I forgot to mention a couple things last post. First, I am participating in http://owcl.blogspot.com/2007/04/sign-up-for-cottage-charm-give-away-day.html this wonderful cottage blog give away and will have more details later. But here is my giftie to add to the prizes- it is a CHARM FOR THE COTTAGE CHARM GIVEAWAY:

It is a mini painting in a tiny frame with vintage crystal and a garnet bead to wear as a pendant on a ribbon or chain. Or tie it to a lamp, hang it on a Christmas tree, it would be pretty in many places.

To enter, leave a comment on any post I’ve made.

You can still enter the May Bucket Giveaway too, until the 15th. With each comment, I’ll enter you in BOTH!

Also, people were asking about the addition my studio is in. So here are pictures of the outside. Now, why am I showing a gloomy, rainy day picture of my house with nothing blooming in the beds yet and a dirty car parked in front? Probably the same reason I showed all those photos of my studio in a mess with no real focal point in the pictures. Just felt like goofing off instead of working and didn’t take the time to "style" any of the pictures. I promise better, blooming, pretty pictures some other day.

We live in a farm house that is about to celebrate its 100th birthday. But it was tiny, we have remodeled and added on so many times. Originally, the house was one room! It had 3 when we bought it.

My studio is in the newest, big monstrosity of an addition, and is connected to the main house by the breezeway. Above my studio is an office/pool room/workout room for my husband. Next to that, with its own entrance is an apartment for my son, Ryan. He tried living on his own, but has some handicaps and we decided to build this to give him a home where he can be near us, but still have his privacy.

Here are Sparkle and Twinkle on the breezeway porch in a chair I found in the trash and painted pink.

And poor Bookie never gets in any of the photos because he is shy. Today he is really upset and shaking and I think he might be having back problems. He is hiding in the bathroom,so I brought him a pillow to lay on in there.

One more thing, if you can stand me running on and on- I mentioned before that I am totally addicted to the SEVEN WEIRD THINGS that a lot of bloggers are telling about themselves. I was tagged by Natasha http://natashaburns.blogspot.com/ and answered it, forgetting completely that I was also tagged by Sonia! http://ccraftscollectibles.blogspot.com/ Does that mean that I get to list more?? I do enjoy weirdness.

#1- I am hooked on reading these 7 Weird Things lists just like I am hooked on American Idol, Survivor, and some TV program every single night of the week. I admit it, I live to Tivo

#2- I save up dirt. If I know that I have to clean for someone coming over, or my husband coming home from a business trip, I will ignore a glob of mess and wait to clean it right up before whatever event or visit comes. I don’t want to have to clean up then turn around and do it again. So I save it up and do it once.

#3- I am easily distracted and waste a lot of time, but when I work, I can zoom through and get more done in a day than some people do in a week, art wise.

#4- I used to make a ton of money doing murals, one day I made $1,800. But I am terribly afraid of heights and got tired of climbing around on scaffolding. Also I got tired of painting what other people wanted, I like painting what I feel like, then seeing if someone wants it or not. I tend to paint a LOT of free murals and faux finishes for family and friends, but take on very few paid jobs. And only if they are low- never scaffolding jobs!

#5- I don’t sort silverware. I dump the whole basket from the dishwasher into the drawer at once. Saves me a lot of time for goofing off or for painting or for singing to dorkies.

#6- I had a laundry room built right into my closet so I can pull things out of the dryer and put them into baskets on shelves so I don’t need to carry anything out of the room to put it away. I don’t fold anything that isn’t absolutely necessary either, it gets tossed into its own basket. Once again, think of all the time I save to goof off, paint, or sing to dorkies.

#7- I like to listen to rap music and can shock people with some of the lyrics I sing, when I don’t realize I am singing out loud in public. I am as big of a Michael Buble~ fan as I am a Ludacris fan. I have an odd taste in music, but mostly would rather listen to NPR while I work.

Okay, I am off to search out more stories of the weird on other blogs, unless I need to take Bookie to the vet, poor little Dorkie. Check out http://owcl.blogspot.com/2007/04/sign-up-for-cottage-charm-give-away-day.html this blog for some great giveaways and come back to see how to enter mine.

Rose # 9 and the Boss’s Feast

Uncategorized

By Karla Nathan / May 9, 2007

As I was flipping through blogs and reading the 7 Weird Things so many bloggers have listed (I am as hooked on those as I am on American Idol), I came across a beautiful blog in a language I couldn’t read. I left a comment anyway (I love to comment, if you have a blog, you might have noticed me, I always leave one, even if I have nothing really to say. I am a bit like that in conversations too).

Eva Agnes wrote back in English and was so nice and her phrasing is so cute. She featured some of my work on her lovely pages, thanks, Eva! http://evascountry.blogspot.com/ somehow, my pictures looked better on her site. I think it is her clean, Scandinavian style, I seem to clutter and gaudy things up on my blog by squeezing too much in.

Last night was the Feast for the Boss that I have been cleaning my house for. Well, for that and for the Birthday Bash on Saturday, I am throwing myself a party then. I love to have two parties in one week, that way all the prep for the first one carries over to the 2nd! One cleaning takes care of it all. If I waited a week for a 2nd party, my filth would all come sneaking back again.

Looks more like a ladies tea luncheon than dinner with the boss, doesn’t it?? I do like to set the table up pretty and will use any excuse. I’d never met him, hope he wasn’t overwhelmed by the rosey-girly-ness of the table. (the dark stuff on the tiny plate is balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dipping the bread, in the photo it just looks yucky, but it was really tasty and went great with the lasagna and raviolis).

I love these dishes, and the fact that they are all different colors so I can set a mismatched table. I found the set at a thrift store for $5 a plate, and they still had $25 price tags from the department store they were originally from on the backs.

Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ gave me the cut glass wine glasses. She gives me piles of stuff she doesn’t like, but knows I love. Did I tell you she was a generous friend? You should go over to her house to do crafts, she has the best paper supply EVER and shares it. I think she is selling some at her Etsy shop too, if you want to see her stuff, there is a link from her site.

The aqua compote that the bread is in was one of my flea market bargains from my rainy day at Sparks. I got it for $2.

At Sparks I found this birdie vase too. I filled it with roses. I hit the rose bonanza again at the grocery store, $1.99 a dozen!! I bought 3 dozen and hope they will live through Saturday night too. I have a few in each room, its so good to have fresh flowers around. especially bargain blooms.

The party went well, even though our basement flooded and I was down there in 12" of water messing with the sump pump an hour before dinner.

I’m comfortable with entertaining and don’t get thrown easily. Also, I treat everyone the same, they are all big shots here at the cottage. But, I did go to a bit of extra trouble for the Boss’s Feast. You could tell it was a big evening because I

#1- fixed my hair

#2- wore shoes all night – inside my own house!

#3- served the plates instead of doing the meal buffet style like I usually do

I had the fairy grand baby all day before the party, but since I had made the lasagna and raviolis and set the table the night before, the party itself was pretty much on auto pilot. So, Sugar Wings and I went out to the studio. I gave her bottles of paint to play with and challenged myself to paint some roses in the short time I had before she got bored and needed me. Here is what I did, in under 15 minutes.

Back in Sparks, wonderful Sparks, on that rainy flea market day, I bought a giant set of vintage black tin containers for only $10. I will paint the base color on most of them, but didn’t have time while Sugar Wings was "helping" me for this one. Plus, doesn’t black make a pretty background for pink roses? If anyone wants to buy it, email me, it is only $15. I can sell things pretty reasonable because of my LIGHTENING SPEED.

So, this is my #9 in A ROSE A DAY FOR 10 DAYS IN MAY in honor of Caring Bloggers Rose Day, tomorrow. I will miss the rose a day!!

May Bucket Giveaway Updates

give away

By Karla Nathan / May 8, 2007

I added another prize to the May Bucket! The newest addition is a pair of earrings I made from vintage crystals in a pretty amber-peachy color with old pearl beads on 14kt gf ear wires.

So here is the list of what is in the MAY BUCKET:

1- well, of course- the hand painted bucket itself is the main gift!

2-vintage lace trimmed hankie

3- china shard pendant

4-robins egg blue vintage pearl beads (gotta love that color!)

5- vintage pearl brooch

6-note cards made from my artwork

7-sheet music tied up with a bow and two old keys suitable for tying onto a knob of your favorite antique dresser.

The first bonus prize was won by Karla at http://sugarbeardesigns.blogspot.com/ and hasn’t been mailed yet because I set it down SOMEWHERE in the studio. And the studio is a wreck right now. I’ll find it and get it sent. The drawing is MAY 15TH and there will be a 2nd prize too. I will enter you for each comment you leave here, on any posting. As many times as you’d like.

I also want to thank Karin http://www.creativechaos.typepad.com/ and http://gumbo-lily.blogspot.com/ for purchasing shard pendant charms – (don’t worry those aren’t lost too, they’ll be in the mail soon)

This photo might explain how I lost the pendant- it is a view of the workroom part of my studio with the office I showed yesterday behind the french doors. Yep, there is a lot going on in this work spot.

I use lots of doors to make partitions in the room, it is just a big open space, about 1,000 sq feet. Great studio. I collect armoires to store my supplies in and have got it so organized I just want to squeal with joy. But then, I start on a project, halfway through, I start 2 or 4 more, and next thing you know, not a thing is in those wonderful armoires.

My black and white cabinet with hand painted roses holds my tie dye supplies and some tools.

The 3 big cabinets in this shot are full too as well as the old German trunk on top of the French vanilla colored cabinet. This view is from the front door of the room.

I keep a wicker rocker on the front porch of the studio to relax in when I need a break. I made the black shutters on the window out of boards I saved when we tore down an old garage. It was the first garage built in Douglas County KS and I thought they needed to be saved!

This dining areais the view to the left of the front door when you first walk in.

All the doors I use are great partitions, because they are portable. I can arrange and rearrange to my needs at the moment. Family reunion coming up? the room becomes a dining room with seating for 25. Painting party planned? I can set up card tables everywhere and friends can have a craft day.

I could have gone with indiviual rooms with solid walls when we built it, but I prefer the versatility of being able to change it to how I need to use it.

One more photo in my studio- the entry way to the back door has been painted to look like brick. Very easy, I tear a kitchen sponge the size of a brick, and dip it into a few paint colors at the same time, and it blends as it is sponged on.

And for my ROSE A DAY FOR TEN DAYS IN MAY- #8

Hand painted roses on the back of a chair.

I am avoiding housework by taking pictures of the room I just happened to be in

jewelry

By Karla Nathan / May 7, 2007

Remember my beautiful swap gift from the May Day basket giveaway? It just got even better! Karin http://www.creativechaos.typepad.com/ sent me MORE! I got these two tags in the mail and promptly put them up on a shelf in my office. Thanks, Karin!

Which made me think about taking photos of the rest of my office instead of finishing the housecleaning that I have been putting off. It takes me days to clean because I get so sidetracked.

My office is a corner of my art studio and the walls of it are made up of old doors hinged together.

Here is a view of the outside, peeking in through a French door. I try not to block the light by hanging anything solid on the doors, so my sparkly K and an embellished frame are a perfect fit.

French doors (from a garage sale for $15) are the best, they keep the room from feeling too closed in. The gazebo thing is something my son and I made out of porch columns from a junk store for $6 each, some corner brackets and 2x4s.

The painting is a watercolor I did of the front of my studio. Did I mention that I adore my studio and spend all the time that I can out here? After years of using the kitchen table, or a card table in the guest room, or the garage- I am thrilled to have this space to work in.

The floors are cement that I have stained to give them some color. The rug is a vinyl floor cover remnant ($5) that I painted like stones, originally for an article I wrote for Romantic Country? Small Room Decorating? Can’t remember which one it was right now.

Having a computer right in the studio is way too convenient for goofing off and surfing blogs too. The room also has all of our home office needs, so I’ve tried to use attractive hiding places for all the necessities. Old suitcases, vintage paper covered boxes, parts of old dressers, etc.

For furnishings,I mosaiced the top of a narrow white cabinet I found at a garage sale for $2, used a $45 walnut drop leaf table for a desk, and the black hutch is another garage sailing find for $50- lots of space in it.

The shelf on the wall is an old chippy paint planter box I bought from Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ and I like it so much, I don’t put much in it, I hate to cover it up. It has photos of Sugar Wings and of my Dad who passed away last year. (If you notice in the photo, I am in it- with ANOTHER hair color- and no paint on my clothes!!) the sign above the box "comfort & joy" is one that I painted, and it used to be the name of my shop.

The file cabinet is a new oak one that I painted white and distressed. As much as I like to use only vintage and used furniture, sometimes I have to be practical and a filing cabinet the right size was just not turning up for me, so I got a new one and made it look old.

One more thing I love about my office- I found this calender at Sentimental Journey (an antique shop full of bargains) with the month and day torn off to my birthday 5-5-58! Had to buy it, and it has a great pocket for stashing things.

An office isn’t that interesting, all the tech stuff and paperwork around, but I just don’t want to go and clean my house for the Boss’s Dinner Party Feast I have coming up tomorrow night. I was bored and avoiding work and I just happened to be in the office and started to take photos. It doesn’t take much to entertain or sidetrack me.

I do run on, don’t I? Well, I’ll keep going, the more I play around with this the less cleaning I have to face. No, wait, it will still be there, won’t it???

Two of my blogger friends asked about the shard jewelry I didn’t sell because of the art show raining out. so here are photos to shop from for them, if you are interested also, let me know. They are usually $28 each, but that is considering show fees, percentages paid to the fair, etc. So, blogging price to you guys? $20, what a steal!! The bails these hang from are sterling silver and the solder is all lead free.

Okay, here is my ROSE A DAY FOR 10 DAYS IN MAY– rose # 7, in honor of Caring Bloggers Rose Day on May 10th sponsored by: http://brittarnhildshouseinthewoods.typepad.com/brittarnhilds_house_in_th/

Twinkle in a rose patterned hankie sitting in a rose needle work chair. Happy May 7th!!!