October 2007 – Karla's Cottage

What Is Lurking out in the Pet Cemetery behind my cottage????

family, Food and Drink, I've been tagged, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 31, 2007

Ghouls just wanna have fun!

Welcome to the Halloween Blog Party!! It is sponsored by a group here and they have their scary tunes going, I have them playing in the back ground while I write to get me in the mood.

My niece, Shelli, made this ghostly cake. Enjoy a piece while you mingle at the party!

And Sissy has been crafting again! Look at this creation, I just want to move right into this cottage.

There is even a crystal ball waiting for me on the table. Have I ever mentioned my fortune telling hobby? I call myself Madame Karkina and wrap the nearest table cloth around my shoulders like a shawl and pretend to read palms. (It is usually after a couple of glasses of wine.)

That is a picture of Sissy as a witch next to the black cat.

And speaking of familiars- oops, I mean pets-

did I ever mention this?

Yep, I have a pet cemetery on my 10 acres, right along I70. It used to be a bit of a land mark around here, but as it rusts and the trees grow up around it, you don’t notice it along the highway any more.

Yesterday was such a pretty fall day that Sugarwings and I got dressed up and went back to the punkin patch for another visit.

I went as a princess and she was a pink butterfly. (I am wearing big sunglasses to hide from the paparazzi and trying to teach her the princess wave- also known as the beauty queen wave: ELBOW ELBOW WRIST WRIST WRIST).

Her grandfather didn’t wear a costume. As usual, he just dressed as a handsome husband.

Aren’t they so cute together? This might be my favorite photo of the two of them.

Tonight for trick or treat, she will be dressed as Dorothy and Twinkle will be Toto. I have a feeling I will be posting photos…. Sweet2btreat2bread

I was tagged by Michelle to name 3 blogs I like to read. That is HARD to do, I am a blog-aholic and love to peruse the boundless bounty of blogs.

So, I’ll just list who I looked at this morning, these are some good ones:

Bethany has hand made felt goodie bags for Halloween

Heather always has some of the prettiest photos around, and she is showing some Silver Bella themed kits she will be selling

the queen always has great photos too, and right now there is a wonderful vintage Halloween masked ball print to see.

And of course, I always check out my buddy, Beth to see what wry and witty things she has to say or what fab finds she got at the last estate sale. Right now, she has an infestation of creatures creeping around her place and hiding in all the nooks and crannies.

One last Halloween Witch, looking really really scary before I remind you this is the last day of the

October Drawing. I will wait till the 2nd to announce the winner so you can leave comments on THIS POST till then. (COMMENTS FROM ALL MONTH COUNT TOO)

The prize is a Cottage College Kit with vintage wallpaper OR a hand made item from one of my kits.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Of course, you know what that means tomorrow is?? The biggest candy bargain day of the year! I will fill my shopping cart with 75% off chocolate and start the count down to Christmas weight gain early.

Feeling the JOY

Etsy Goodies, holiday decor, how to's, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 30, 2007

I had a good studio day yesterday after unpacking from my trip to the Ozarks. Well, I am half unpacked. And the laundry isn’t quite done yet. And the bags of non-refrigerated foodstuffs are still sitting around in the kitchen.

Maybe I am not quite half way unpacked. But I had a great day in the studio avoiding it all!

I made a few banners for Christmas from vintage wallpaper, millinery flowers, sheet music, tulle, and purchased letters.

Here is a close up of this colorful one.

But this is the one I will keep in my living room to use this season. (it says MERRY)

It is made with all gold and white wallpapers and I added some chandelier drops to the tulle the banner is strung on.

This is similar to the first one, same wallpapers, but instead of the bright colors, I accented it with pages from an old book and vintage buttons with pearls and rhinestones.

This is actually a cleaned up corner of the studio. I might be in trouble- I have a local TV show shooting here in 13 days. 4 of those days, I’ll be at SILVER BELLA!! and a few others,(like today) I’ll have Sugarwings.

But, yet, I let my unpacked weekend getaway things pile up in the house and trash my studio while I string letters on tulle.

Well, actually, here are some not even strung yet.

Aren’t these pearl letters cool? They are at Michaels for $1 each. I bought enough to spell out a few words,

‘Merry’

‘Joy’

‘Snow’

‘Noel’

I fell hard for this wallpaper, wish I had more of it!! It was one page of a 1930s wallpaper sample book.

I could have used a whole roll! The sample book comes with an order form where you can get the paper for 39 cents a roll. But, since the book is more than 70 years old, I doubt if there is much of it available. If wishes were horses, I’d need a really big barn.

Are you seeing a pattern here? JOY is a favorite word of mine. It sums up the holiday season so well. It is short, concise and just says it all.

Plus, I’d say this sign would be pretty in a little girl’s room year round. Or in my kitchen. I love that word and don’t limit it only to Christmas.

I also framed some vintage doll clothes. I’d bought a cute wooden box at an antique shop for $8. Then, I found as a bonus- a bunch of these old clothes.

I sold quite a few of them on Etsy (pictured here), but saved my favorites, knowing I wanted to do something with them eventually.

This little pink dress is hand beaded and has a matching necklace to go with it.

I painted a small frame white, distressed it, then glued down a piece of vintage wallpaper.

The dress is attached with double sided tape.

I glued a bundle of millinery flowers tied up in a faded ribbon to the wallpaper, and then glued the beads to the wallpaper too.

The dress is removable if I ever want to. But then, I wonder, why would I? Maybe I should just glue it down too?

I glued another old, pink ribbon to the back to hang the piece from. It was a very easy project.

This little dress was even easier.

I cut an oval of the old wallpaper to fit this antique pewter frame (hard to believe I didn’t paint over it, huh?), then used double sided tape to lay out this aqua dress, and put it into the frame.

These old doll clothes are art in themselves, but I still needed me some foof.

So I gathered a scrap of vintage lace into a bow, and glued it to the top of the frame and added some old jewelry to it with another dot of glue.

All of these projects will be for sale on Etsy, or contact me here if you are interested. I might not list them, since I have a sale coming up at my house. But if you want one, I’d be happy to sell it from the blog. Heck, I am always happy (and JOYful) to sell anything!!

You can still enter my October drawing by leaving a comment on this post. I’ll annouce the winner on the 1st.

An Ozark weekend at Great Cedar Lodge

Travel

By Karla Nathan / October 28, 2007

We just got home from a beautiful weekend, fun friends, delicious food, and perfect weather in the Ozarks.

It was a great time of year to go, there hasn’t been a frost so all the flowers are still colorful, but the leaves were turning too.

Our cabin was cute as a button.

And the attention to detail there is really outstanding. Everywhere you look, there is something special to see.

I do think that the stuffed heads in our cabin could have used a tiara or some sort of glam. But the resort keeps pretty tight to their theme, it is all rustic and outdoorsy.

See our visitor? A little bird came in for the evening and perched on this deer. We called him Wally.

See what I mean about detail? Check out this decor-

The iron work on this headboard-

Soap dispensers shaped like lanterns-

The stripes painted on the roads are fish shaped instead of plain stripes-

Custom made iron trash and recycling cans by the lake-

Old photographs blown up and framed as artwork hanging in the cabin-

(but I think the grinning little girl and her sis could use fairy wings)

Plus original artwork on the walls too-

Most of the work had a wilderness theme, but I fell for this colorful cottage painting.

We also spent a few hours in Eureka Springs.

Where I bought a sparkly tiara.

And a pair of PINK camouflage pants!

But it is good to be back home in KS with my little dogs. Twinks insists on sitting in my lap here at the computer. I’d better go play with her and tell her I missed her.

Following the wrong path and enjoying the surprises along the way

fairies, family, paintings, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / October 26, 2007

I’ve had one of those weeks, where no matter how earnest and sincere my plan to stick to a schedule is, those plans just disappear into something totally unplanned.

Today was supposedly a work day. It turned into a ride to Kansas City to buy a used truck for my son. That turned into a trek with the entire family to find a Cracker Barrel, which should have been simple, but somehow wasn’t. The search was worth it, have you tried the carrot cake there? But the hour and a half trip to get the truck so I could get back to work was now 3 1/2 hours at this point.

And what did I drive by on the way home? A sign for a pumpkin patch. I HAD to stop and take Sugarwings.

Pumpkins as far as the eye can see, and in Kansas, you can see pretty far into the horizon!

She picked out a ghost and a tiny pumpkin that was just her size.

Notice I have my work clothes on? I certainly had good intentions of running a quick errand and getting right back to work.

Then, at home, I was packing up my watercolors to take to the Ozarks for the weekend. Instead of getting them ready, and then working on my hand painted signs that I need to finish up, I hit another sidetrack.

And ended up with this painting of Sugarwings. I’m going to use it for our Christmas cards this year and maybe work it into a blog banner for the holidays.

So, even though this day was far from what I had planned, it was a great day- Carrot cake, family time, a first visit to the pumpkin farm, then a surprise painting. Much more fun, (although less productive) than sticking to a schedule and working all day.

I’m lucky to be able to let the day lead me where it wants to. Not a bad life, huh?

Now I am off to the Ozarks for 3 days. See you later!

Hanging around

antiques/junking, family, hand painted signs, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 25, 2007

I did manage to get a few signs painted yesterday. A friend was having a garage sale and of course I had to drop by to see what she had… and this cabinet door was only 50 cents! What great old crackly paint, it made a perfect surface (after a light sanding) to paint on!

The design is pretty simple, not a lot of detail goes into my signs and wall hangings.

Which is how I am able to get so many done in one day. Actually, these 6 were all after dinner last night. From about 8 till midnight or so.

Twinkle seems to think all cameras are aimed only at her, nothing else. I have raised her to be a ham, she loves to pose!

See what I mean?

These stockings were half off of 75% at Tuesday Morning! That made them about $1 each. I’d like to embellish them and foof them up, but don’t sew. It can only be glued on items, or maybe some paint?

The round white frame isn’t finished yet. It was gold with a print I didn’t care for in it, cheap at a garage sale, or somewhere, I buy so much crap, sometimes I don’t even remember getting it.

I painted over the print and the frame and am going to make an acrylic painting of roses in it.

The red signs are parts of a broken magazine rack I pulled out of a dumpster.

This is the mirror I got from the same dumpster earlier this year. I thought I’d paint it, but I really like it as it is. I hung it in my living room this morning and think it goes well with the faux finish in there.

While I had the hammer and nails out, I found a place to hang this BEAUTIFUL piece that Beth gave to me.

I used pink tulle topped off with a millinery flower to hang it by the guest bath sink, then filled it with soaps. I buy a big bagful of those Bed Bath and Bodyworks glycerin soaps (vanilla!) in January when they go on sale for a dollar each. It is usually a years supply, for little gifts and filling baskets and jars, and for using them too, since they smell so good!

Yesterday afternoon, I made this custom order for Heather who is going through a sad time right now.

Usually, I hang the signs from wire that doesn’t show, but knowing Heather and her romantic sense of style, I thought I’d add a millinery flower and some tulle to hang it from. I also spent some extra time on the roses, they aren’t the typical quickie ones I did on the other signs.

Since she has had a loss in the family, I made a little gift to put in the package too, I know she likes vintage wallpaper as much as I do, so used that. I also found an image with a little girl and some doves, which I thought went along with the phrase she had asked for on the sign. I put an "H" for her name in rhinestones on the tag made from old paper and hung it on an aqua organdy ribbon to personalize it further.

There really isn’t much you can do for someone when they lose a family member. I just wanted to show her that I cared and was thinking of her.

Well, on a happier note-

My niece, Shelli (Sissy’s daughter, who is closer to my age and more like a sister than a niece) sent this photo of pumpkins her family carved.

She says they toasted the seeds after and ate them. I’ve never tried that, my boys and I always had pumpkin "gut" fights with the innards. We’d throw the slimy stuff at each other and it would always end up with the two of them smearing it in each other’s faces. See why I love little Sugarwings so much? I deserve a sweet little girl after raising those two boys!

More Halloween goodness from family- Sissy made these witches with pictures of her friends.

Don’t forget every comment enters the drawing. The giveaway will be November 1st!

A winner! Plus some lightening up turns into a giant snowball

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / October 24, 2007

Thanks for all your kind comments the last few days! It was good to hear from people I didn’t know were out there, and also from friends I hear from regularly.

I wish I was at Sissy’s house and I could use her cool hand made witch’s hat to draw the name from for the prize!

Actually, I just wish I was at Sissy’s house anyway, because I miss her.

Its a fun place to visit, she has such cool stuff at her fairy tale cottage, like these old witchy boots.

And a real cauldron to make up some Halloween potions.

I always borrow the witchy hat when I visit her. I wonder what that says about my personality, that I am so comfortable looking like a witch?

Well, no pretty Halloween Witch hat to draw a name from, but I was able to randomly select a name without it, even though it wasn’t as much fun that way.

The winner is:

DENISE DUNLAVEY

I have your address from past purchases, Denise, so I will mail out your Foof of Life book and rose painted bookmark.

Thanks again to everyone for entering!

All of those comments were also entered into my October giveaway and you can keep entering until the end of the month.

Besides taking care of Sugarwings and walking to the park with her in her little pink convertible, my week has been full of boring details.

Like touching up paint around the house. uck. But it had to be done before the Holiday Home Tour.

And it does make a difference.

I touched up all the dings on the walls throughout the house, plus this grate in my dining room floor.

While I was at it, I trashed the dining room rug, since Twinkle thinks it made a better toilet and chew toy than a floor covering.

Taking out the black flowered rug made the rest of the things in the room off kilter a bit, so I repainted the bench, slightly.

Here it is a year ago (It was white before this, pink before that, and maple when I got it from my mom’s estate 5 years ago)

This is the room last spring. (before the rug was Twinklized)

This is the lighter version of the bench.

I’d like to get a new rug, in a sisal maybe? But Twinks worries me with her bad puppy habits for now. I’d be better off with the scrubbable, bleachable tile until she learns.

My great grandmother made this table cloth!

We didn’t realize it, this one and some others were in the linen closet at my mom’s home, and when she died, we were getting things ready for an auction and also dividing up between family members.

One job I had was to go through all the video tapes. While I was looking at a tape of my Great Aunt Caroline’s visit to my mom’s, someone else was going through linens, and we both noticed that on the tape, Caroline was giving mom these linens and telling stories about them. We wouldn’t have known that it was made by my great grandmother if we hadn’t looked through all the videos.

Lightening up the dining room yesterday also meant redoing the center piece. I have had some fallish colors out for the last couple of weeks, and was ready for a change. This is still autumn themed, but has a lighter quality to it.

My rooms change a lot. Here is the dining room about 3 years ago in a photo taken for Paint Magic magazine (taken by Bill Mathews, styled by Gloria Gale).

I took the stained glass lamp from the dining room and moved it upstairs to the library.

That room still needs a spiffing up, it is rather blah. But I will worry about that when I get out my holiday decor.

I also had to repaint a bed this week. Didn’t want to.

But Ry’s back has been bothering him and it dawned on me that there was a really good mattress in the guest room that we should switch out with him for his older one.

But then, of course, the new mattress didn’t fit the old frame, yet another snowball effect like taking the rug out of the dining room. You change one little thing and all of a sudden, you have a chain reaction of things that need changing.

So, I repainted Ryan’s oak bed to go into the guest room. It looked a bit manly, but I don’t think that is a problem anymore.

While I was out in the driveway painting the bed, I decided to spray paint this little sewing stand (Goodwill -$5!) pink.

And that just about sums up how my days go. One thing leads to another and never seem to do what I planned.

Today, I am not babysitting,the house is put back together, and I have a casserole ready to go for dinner. I am going to get those signs painted that I mentioned last week!

ps- lots of nice people have tagged me for some fun things, I’ll get to those soon too

TWO HUNDRED posts!

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, family, give away, I do tend to run on, don't I?, Sugarwings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 22, 2007

Today is my 200th post! Wow, who knew when I started doing this I would LOVE blogging so much and have such a great time with it?

Before I started writing a blog, I didn’t even really read them. I didn’t know the wealth of friendship, entertainment, and creativity out there.

If I had, I would have come up with a more creative name, or at least I’d like to think that! I would have at least used "Karkie" instead of "Karla", that is what my family calls me. My business name was "Comfort and Joy" that might have been better. Oh well, too hard to change at this point!!

Maybe I’ll list 200 reasons why I love writing my blog?! I am known for long and rambling posts….

Well, here are a few at least-

I’ve met the most generous and fun people. Like the blogger friend who sent little Sugarwings this dress as a gift, but doesn’t want me to tell anyone who she is.

I always say that bloggers are the most generous souls I’ve ever met.

I’ve gotten to know some other artists, whose works I’d never have seen, like my friend, Bethany who drew this for her 200th post and let me "borrow" it because I just thought it was the cutest sketch ever.

I get to have fun with my Sis, by she and I participating in challenges and swaps together.

Beachy is having a challenge now to use an old photo and show what you have done. This is Sissy’s result!! Wow!!

Here is mine, from the same vintage photo. Not as fanciful as Sis’s, but what could be, hers is so wonderfully fun!

I combined the challenge with making a card for Carole who is a kind hearted blogging friend who is having a rough time with her back surgery.

Mary Lou is gathering up cards to send to Carole. See, didn’t I say that bloggers were giving people?

I’ve shown this photo before, it is of my Sissy. Can you see why her challenge photo turned into a flock of fairies? She IS a fairy. Sugarwings takes after her Great Aunt Sissy.

I love that my blog keeps me in touch with my family and friends. I live far away from most of them and this just makes me feel a bit more connected. Maybe they can feel like they are more of a part of my life when they see Sugarwings and the rest of us and read about what we are up to.

And of course, I have been able to sell my work from the blog, and connect it to my Etsy Shop, which I’d never even heard of before seeing it pop up on so many other blogs.

Now, Phyllis will be having a virtual craft show, yet another fun way to meet more bloggers and do some mingling and shopping.

I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to show some of my artwork too. What artist doesn’t need a venue to be seen in?

And I have been encourage and inspired to try different things and branch out by other bloggers and the things I see them do.

My buddy, Beth and I like to make projects together and gossip about what we’ve read and who is doing what. We feel like these blogs we read are written by neighbors and friends. Each one is like getting a post card full of news from a pal.

(by the way- there is a FLEA MARKET on Beth’s site right now, time for more shopping!)

Also, I get to share my experiences and talk about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing.

Like the party I went to on Saturday. An artist friend,Louis Copt, has "CoptOberFest" every fall at his home.

Louis and Phyllis have the coolest, artiest home ever and I just feel like I HAVE to have a place to show photos of it! How many people do you know that build a kitchen around a wood fired pizza oven?

This is in Louis’ studio, with his Kansas landscapes on the walls behind Jen and Diane (more art friends).

Louis doesn’t just paint Kansas, he travels the world and does scenes from all over, he has taken groups on painting tours of France and Italy through the local art center. Someday, I hope to join one, but it will take a while to save up for it!

I took a class from Louis, and this is one of the paintings I did in it.

Which brings me to another reason I love blogging- tea parties!! Wasn’t Karis tea party fun? And I was so thrilled that I had so many ‘guests’ at my Romantic Country publication celebration, showing what they LOVED about their own homes.

I look forward to the "What do you Love about your Holiday Home" party. It will be on Wednesday Dec. 12th. PLEASE NOTE, THAT THIS IS A CHANGE- TOO MANY PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THEIR HOMES READY BY THE 5TH AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED!

I hope to meet many more new friends at that party. I hope you can all attend and tell your friends to come too.

I always am inspired by the generosity of bloggers, and want to thank Angelina’s cards for featuring me in her hightlighted artist segment.

And have I mentioned swaps and giveaways yet?? How fun are those? I just won these pretties from Dena, and will have tea party with my fairy grand baby with them soon.

I also love having giveaways myself. For my 200th post, all comments on #199 and today’s 200th will be entered to win this book and hand made book mark.

I will announce the winner on Wed. so everyone has time to enter.

Plus all comments through out the month are entered into my monthly drawing.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to look at my pictures and read my ramblings and to the people who have taken the time to leave me over 3,500 comments! I try to answer each and everyone, but sometimes, for some weird reason, Typepad kicks the responses back to me, and the emails don’t go through. If you didn’t hear an answer from me, it wasn’t because I didn’t try.

Thanks again!

Guests come by the Cottage and one is a real live doll

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, family, Food and Drink, give away, hand painted signs, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 20, 2007

We have house guests at the cottage this weekend. An old college friend of my husband’s and his 3 teenagers with their dog, Bennet.

So far, Bennet and Twinks have wrestled non stop since he got here. It sounds like an entire herd of dogs running around upstairs. That is, when Twinkle’s feet get a chance to touch the ground. Our beautiful guest,Maddy is quite the dog lover and has been carrying Twinks everywhere she goes.

Maddy looks a bit like this paper doll doesn’t she?

I did this picture yesterday and have it listed on Etsy today.

Something a little different than what I usually do. I discovered that framed collage pieces require a a different mindset than the tags.

I made a couple more hanging pieces while I was at it. This one has a unique frame, it is a metal dish that I found junking this summer. Those portraits are tinted with pastels and then set down into the 2 cups of the tray. The piece itself is like a nut dish, or something like that. I can see it used for mints and nuts at a wedding a long time ago.

I am pretending that the old photos are of two sisters, one kind of plain and serious and the other blond and flirty and cute. Sounds a bit like the beginning to a Jane Austen novel, doesn’t it? I’m sure that the plain and serious sister married well and for love. And had nuts and mints at her wedding.

This is another metal tray from an estate sale, maybe it was meant as a boudoir tray? I think it might need a word or a phrase added to it. I am not good with that part of collage, but I will think about it, and look through some old books. Down near the doll there is a spot that could use a little something.

How sick are you of me showing button jars? I LOVE making those. I listed this one yesterday, all the others have sold and I only have 5 empty jars left to embellish, a couple of them will be commissions.

I’ll have to start checking out other jars to use, because they are so fun to make and it is rewarding when they fly out of the Etsy shop!

Although, I really need to get ready for my Holiday Sale. I should be getting serious and getting some painting done. I have to hand paint a few dozen ornaments and make some more of these signs.

As well as a million other things I need to have ready. I try to make a list of what needs to be done when, but I simply can’t follow it. I am not wired that way. I get side tracked by shiny objects and go off track and do something totally different.

Or I get sidetracked by my fairy grand baby. She has spent a lot of time with me this week. Last night she helped me make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from this recipe. I don’t usually use recipes, I wing it. But I saw this on Monica’s blog.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 Cups flour
1 cup quick or old fashion oats, uncooked
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter /margarine, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin
1 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels

preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Cream butter; gradually add sugars beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in morsels; drop by rounded spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes, until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Remove from sheets and cool on rack.

With a houseful of teenagers for the weekend, I thought I could use some more snacks so I mixed up a big batch of honey roasted nuts, regular peanuts, cashews, candy corn, broken up Hershey bars, and peanut butter chips.

I like to keep bowls of treats out to spoil the kids when they come to visit, and this is about as easy as it gets.

Speaking of cooking, I need to go tend to my huge pot of black bean chili that is on the stove. I am feeding a lot of people while they watch a KU game this afternoon. Maybe while they are watching football, I can squeeze in painting a few signs.

I will have my 200th post on Monday. Please leave a comment on this one, #199, or the 200th and I will have a drawing for the Foof of Life book and a hand made book mark to go with it. The drawing will be on my 201st.

198 and Counting and Sugarwings serves Tea

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, paintings, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 18, 2007

Will you be irritated with me if I complain about not getting much done again? I work fast, but I seem to have LIFE get in the way of getting artwork done.

Yesterday all I was able to do was this painting of roses, in an embellished frame, and a few more button jars.

I’ve really enjoyed making these jars, and they are selling as fast as I list them! That is a nice (and rare)feeling.

The pink one, filled with all pink buttons is my favorite. I hope to list it today. Yesterday my Internet went down, it was going off and on, unpredictably, and I would get kicked off just as I was in the middle of downloading a photo.

I have spent the better part of the morning talking to a tech person on the phone, but I think I have the computer back up and running. Or at least I hope so. Maybe I should make this a fast post instead of my typical ramblings, so I don’t lose it all?

The other reason I didn’t get work much done? I was doing better things!

Sugarwings and I had our first tea party together. She was excited to put on her party dress over her regular clothes and actually played with the tea cups and spoon as they were meant to be. She is growing up so fast.

She spent a lot of time pretending to feed Twinkle and the teddy bears. But Twinks was more interested in eating the crayons we’d been using instead.

OK, this is classic Karla here– notice the bright orange Goodwill tag still on the shoulder of the pretty dress? Yep, I take special "First Tea Party" photos for the scrapbook and the baby is wearing a Goodwill tag.

My fairy grand baby stayed over night and most of both days, so we got a lot of playing done and not much else.

We both woke up with the same bed-head hairstyle. Somehow,it is cuter on her….

Sugarwings went with me to run errands, I had to drop off some packages. I’d run out of poster board to wrap wallpaper in, and had to use the poster that I had as display for face painting last week.

When there is a baby around, you have to make do with what you have, it isn’t easy to drop everything and run to the store for poster board to wrap a package.

By the way, the going rate around here for a pumpkin or a butterfly on the side of your child’s face is $2.

This is fun- Beachy is having a challenge. She wants us to use this photo any way we want and then show the results. I plan on making a get well card for Carole of Scoundrels and Rogues, who is having a rough time with back surgery. I’ve had quite a few back surgeries myself and know what it is like. I spent a couple of years practically bed ridden and still have some nerve loss in my left leg.

If you want to send Carole a card, I can give you the info on where to send it. Marylou is putting a box together for her. I promise to add the link tomorrow, but am having computer issues today and can’t seem to do it.

Today is post #198, remember on my 200th, I will be giving away this beautiful book and a hand painted book mark to keep track of your place in it.

Also, leaving any comment at all, any time this month enters you in the regular drawing I have. Do you get sick of me explaining that every time? I should make up a button or something to keep displayed so I don’t say it over and over!

EDIT: here is the info for Carole

Hello Gal blogger friends! Our dear sweet friend Carole of Click here: Scoundrels And Rogues is having a very hard time of it. She’s had 2 back surgeries in the last 10 days. When she called me last Saturday she was in so much pain. I felt so bad for her…She’s in for a long slow recovery. She told me it will be 1 to 2 years until she will be able to walk again on her own again.

Marylou from Click here: Marylou’s Thoughts & Other Critical Matter:) has started the project "Cards for Carole" to help cheer Carole up. She would like you to all send Carole a get well card..Please. Click on Marylou’s blog to find out more of what’s going on. Or you can email Marylou at maryloudalcino@sbcglobal.net. I’m trying to get the word out for Marylou. Thanks so very much!! You and Marylou are just the best group of Gals there is out there in blogging land. Lets all show Carole how much we care about her…

Bless your hearts! ~Mary~ IsabellasCloset

Giving away some Foof and some practcial painting tips

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, how-to projects

By Karla Nathan / October 16, 2007

Even though my slipcovers turned out cute, (as long as you didn’t look closely at the seams and corners!!) I still hate to sew.

But vintage sewing stuff is so cool. I love the color of the satin on this sewing box, and it is also a music box!

I listed it on Ebay yesterday after filling it with pretties. I know I will NEVER use it if I keep it around.

I try to tell myself that I can’t keep everything. That also goes along with the rule "you can’t buy everything" when you are at a flea market.

Luckily there is Etsy too. I have sincerely loved this venue. I don’t sell a ton of stuff, but enough to justify making more!

I would say that for me, Etsy is about the equivalent of a small art and craft show once a month. Without leaving my cottage!

I made two more button jars to list on Etsy yesterday, one full of blue buttons, with a blue lid, the other red.

But I didn’t make much yesterday, I felt like the day was a mishmash and nothing really got accomplished. I did clean house, babysit and go to the gym and that was a chunk of daylight right there.

I also re-did this cabinet, chest of drawers thing from a garage sale ($25).

It was grey to start with, I lightly sanded and primed it.

I used Zinzer Bullseye spray bonding primer. The only place I can ever find that product (best primer on the planet!!!) is Home Depot.

I always take the drawers out to paint them. And I do paint INSIDE the drawers of old pieces, so they are nice and clean and fresh. I rarely prime the interior, it doesn’t seem to need priming.

Never paint the outside of a drawer, though, that will make it hard to pull in and out.

And of course, it is good to have company while you are working.

I use a small, flat, wheeled square thing that I got at a garage sale for 50 cents to move my furniture. It is easier than maneuvering a dolly. I have built bigger ones like this with a piece of wood covered in carpet remnants and wheels from the hardware store to handle larger pieces of furniture.

I like being able to move almost any piece by myself without asking for help. So all the little tricks and tools I can get, I’m happy to use.

I debated how much time to put into this piece. I know it would have looked great with trim added to the top and the handles removed,their holes filled in with putty, and then glass knobs added.

But, I don’t sell furniture full time now like I used to, and I have few markets for the piece. I am having a sale in December, but if it doesn’t sell then, I’ll be keeping it.

So, I kept the project simple, and primed and painted over the existing handles. I think they have kind of a rustic charm about them.

I lined the inside of the opening with some of my favorite vintage wallpaper. It hurt me a little bit to cut so much off the roll! I usually am making smaller projects with it.

I know it would look great to line the drawers with wallpaper too, but I was being practical with this one. Fresh paint was good enough. Sometimes good enough is OK.

Hmm, if this piece doesn’t sell, I think it will make a pretty backdrop for photographing items I have to sell.

But these are not for sale- the book "Foof of Life" and a handmade bookmark with a tiny painted rose on it will be your prize for my 200th posting!

Today is #197, so check back and enter by leaving a comment on the day of my 200th.

Every comment you leave on any post enters you into my October giveaway, which will be your choice of a Cottage Collage Kit, or else something I have made from one, if you are not a crafter.

Last night, I went to a talk given by a good friend of mine, Louis Copt. He is an amazing artist and does paintings of Kansas landscapes that are so beautiful, you almost think Kansas would be a cool place to live.

Here is his website, take a look at his Prairie Fire series!!!

http://www.louiscopt.com/