December 2009 – Page 2 – Karla's Cottage

New neighbors and starchy snowflakes

Books, celebrations, collections, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), holiday decor, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / December 17, 2009

What a nice surprise yesterday when I started getting emails congratulating me on my article in Somerset Life! I've been so busy with Sugarwings while her Daddy and my husband were out of town, that I hadn't even got the mail in yet. So when I heard that this was out, I had to trot down to the end of the drive and take a peek in the mailbox. Yep, it was here! Now, I just need some time to curl up by the fire and read through it….

Looks like its a interesting issue, and I've glimpsed through and saw lots of friends in it too, so can't wait to have a good look!

What's keeping me so busy? Well, things like this. While Sugarwings is a school today, I dug out this book that was my sons' favorite when they were little. I'm going to surprise her after school with this sleepy bear in her dolly bed and a few Christmas bears in her doll house.

Years ago, we'd buy a new bear to add to the collection every year. But since my boys have grown up, I kind of stopped getting the bears out. My Christmas palette has changed to pastels, gold, and silver. But with the fairy grand baby 3 now and loving all things Christmas, I think she'll be very excited to see all these furry guys in red and green waiting in her doll house after school today.

My own house has more of a snowy color theme this year. I'm glad the cheery and bright bears are finding a home in Sugarwing's room. I've missed them, and will be happy to see them out and about this year celebrating the season with us.

While the guys have been gone and its just been girl's week around here, (actually, its only on the 3rd day, but it kind of feels like a week. Three year olds need a whole family to help with them, not just one, poor, old, Grammy by herself!!) we've gone to see Princess and the Frog (GREAT!!) and made 6 batches of fudge, plus some glittered snow flakes.

This was an easy project for the two of us. We dipped these hand crocheted circles (made by my Great Aunt Caroline) into starch. Sugarwings dumped most of a bottle We sprinkled glitter into the bowl of starch before dipping the snow flakes in it, and then flattened them out onto a cookie sheet. Now that they have dried over night, I tied ribbons to them to hang some on the tree. The glitter looks better in person, than it does in the photos.

While she has been in school, I've tried to add to the shop, but really haven't got much done. I've got two sets of these place setting markers. You can write the names on with dry erase markers, or with crayons like I did here. I can also see them used in craft projects. Pretty, huh?

I've also made some attempts to do my own Christmas shopping, but all I seem to buy are clothes for you know who. My current obsession is that Gap commercial with all the little girls chanting "I love my comfy sweater, how cute are these boots?" and I just keep finding colorful, comfy, cute clothes for Sugarwings instead of shopping for the stuff I should be buying!

That Gap commercial just sticks in my head…

Hey, don't forget that Amy Barickman has given me this book PLUS a $25 gift certificate to download images at Vintage Workshop as a prize for my December giveaway. I'm also including a two sweet hankies to use when you make a project from the Hankie Style book.

Candy for breakfast

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings, wallpaper

By Karla Nathan / December 15, 2009

Over the weekend, we took Sugarwings to have breakfast with Santa. Our normally exuberant pixie was a bit subdued and couldn't take her eyes off the old guy while she was participating in the craft projects offered for all the kids. We thought that maybe, she was trying so hard to be good that she almost forgot to have fun.

She was distracted and quiet till she got her turn going to sit on his lap.

Her request from him? A candy cane. Come to find out, the stares all morning had been for the candy that the kids were getting from Santa, not Santa himself. All she could think about was getting her hands on a big hunk of sweetness, knowing that candy before breakfast was a big deal and she didn't really trust that she was going to get any until it was gripped tightly in her fist!

As soon as her candy cane was safely in her tiny little hands, she was all smiles, hugs, and happiness. Back to her normal, over the top with excitement, self.

I know just how she feels, I'm usually pretty obsessed with holiday fudge!

Also, when I've stepped into a flea market that looks especially great, I need to concentrate on getting to my favorite things before I can relax and have fun.

I always have to do a quick double check for millinery or wallpaper if it looks possible that I'll find some!

Which is why I am so happy to see that so many of you love old wallpaper as much as I do. Man, that last batch in the Boutique went FAST! Today, I made up 3 packs of what I already had cut, each is different, not multiples like I listed the other day, but the same papers.

I might get more cut soon, but still have gifts to wrap, (and buy!) presents to make, and all that other holiday fun to enjoy. So, this might be it for a bit.

The Grumpy Fairy books are restocked in the Boutique, so there are plenty of those and time to order one before Christmas if you are still doing your holiday shopping too. Thanks again for for coming to my shop for the holidays! I'm still sending a vintage greeting card with each purchase as a thank you.

Now, I'm off to get my little fairy grand baby so we can see the new Princess and the Frog movie together. We've been waiting very impatiently for that to come out!

Just heavenly

celebrations, family, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art, wallpaper

By Karla Nathan / December 14, 2009

My email is fixed!! Weird thing, it was the clock on my computer some how set incorrectly that was messing up my messages. Apparently, some computers thought I was some robot from the future trying to contact them and wouldn't allow my messages to go through. I finally just picked up the phone and called AT&T, and the nice guy there fixed it in a flash.

What a relief. I was having a heck of a time contacting anyone. Some of you had asked me to let you know when I listed more Heavenly Wallpaper. Hopefully, those emails made it through.

I've only listed a very few packets, but HOPE to gather up some more this week.

Before heading out the door to do some Christmas shopping (I'm getting a very late start this year!) I took some photos of wallpaper to list tomorrow when I have more time. This certainly is a hectic time of year, just too much fun going on. Last night, we went to a birthday party and Sugarwings got to play with her cousin, Pixie Pie. This blurry photo pretty much represents the whole evening, those girls were in constant motion, and no photos of them turned out!

Here they are jumping on the bed in Pixie Pie's cute room at her grandparent's home.

She has the best vintage pictures on the wall of her pastel room. Feel free to download and print them for your own projects, they are adorable!

See what I mean? How sweet!

This is my favorite. I'm going to go to the Art Center today and sign Sugarwings up for Ballet class. So, I'll print this one to make the tag for her present that will go under the tree, her very first ballet slippers!!! I'm so excited. Little girls are such fun to have around!!

At the Holiday Brocante

antiques/junking, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / December 13, 2009

Thank you all for your kind words about Bookie. I'm sorry for all of your losses too, these furry little guys are always a big part of our lives and our hearts. No matter how smelly and old they get, they are always our babies, aren't they?

My email problem is getting worse. I'd say close to half of all emails I send are returned as undeliverable due to a "fatal error." (Bobbi, Robin, Chloe, Diane, and dozens of others got bounced back to me, addresses that I know are good and I have used numerous times!)

Which is not a good thing when you have an online business… But I can READ all the emails and comments that I get, I've just given up on trying to answer until I get this problem fixed. There were so many moving comments about our love for our pets, and I appreciated each and every one.

Last week at this time, I was unloading the truck from Miss Frenchie's Holiday Brocante, and piling the tubs up in my studio. They are still not unpacked yet, and I realized I also still hadn't posted the photos of my booth.

Please excuse the slight blur, the lighting was not the best, and even though I splurged and got the dream come true camera- its still only as good as its owner! Actually, that's not completely true, I use it mostly in point and shoot mode and it makes adjustments all by itself for my lack of skill. But these photos would have been better if I'd figured out how to use the ISO settings.

The peacock feather fans were popular, and so were the foofed putz houses, and the pearls in this photo. Funny, I had the same things at Silver Bella and they didn't get a second look, here they about sold out. I had tons of those little cottages and all sold but a few that were kind of tucked away. I have three in my Boutique right now, along with a couple of fans that are left too.

My table arrangement for this show was sooooo much better than what I did for Silver Bella. In Omaha, I ended up with only 9 feet of space, instead of the expected 10 feet, and when you try to fit a U-shaped display into only 9 feet, you create a closed in little spot. If I'd been smart, I would have just given up my third table instead of making it all squeeze in.

For Miss Frenchie's, I was very pleased with the spaciousness of using an elongated L-shape for my 3 tables. I don't do a lot of shows, but try to learn a little from each one, and from this season, I discovered that while it is good to have a LOT of stuff to sell, it is not good to squeeze it in to too small of an area. You would think that would just be something I'd already have figured out at my age and all the shows I've done, huh?

A big plus about our Miss Frenchie's venue, is that we have solid wood walls that we can hang things on. I used my winter white velvet curtains from my living room (and from Target before that- I adore the Shabby Chic department at Target!!!). Then cut down some mini trees from the woods behind our house and dusted them with white spray paint, and screwed them to the wall above the curtains and draped them in white lights.

It was simple and easy, but got a lot of compliments. Which is always a wonderful thing!

These pieces were meant to hang above my booth, but I used them to decorate this corner by the stairs instead. It saved me from a few more nail holes in my living room curtains, too!

Even though I was chilled for most of the event, it was a wonderful sale and such fun. And I doubt that the customers were cold, only parts of the building were chilly and shoppers were moving around. My problem was that I was sitting still in a drafty area. But the cold was worth braving, the weekend was sure worth it. I get so much out of these shows beyond just sales. I love meeting so many like minded people who enjoy the same little pretties that I do.

What do I not enjoy about shows? Unpacking. Ugh. I've put it off for a week, its probably about time to face the piles. But before I do that, I have an even more enjoyable task to tackle. My email problem! Double Ugh.

Bookie

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, paintings, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / December 11, 2009

Poor Bookie. He just had his 14th birthday and isn't doing so well. See how he lists to the side? That is permanent. I wonder if he's had a stroke? We've bought him a space heater and the guy rarely leaves his pillow by the warm air now. He is only sitting on the couch to please me, and desperately wants to get back to his pillow.

Its so sad to see our pets age. To me, he'll always be a baby, but actually, he's a little old man. And smells pretty bad too. Sometimes I have to poke him two or three times to see if he is still alive, and I am dreading the day when the pokes don't get him to move. On the other hand, I will be relieved to think of him falling asleep on his favorite pillow by the space heater and drifting off to comfort. I can tell he is just not been himself for yeas, but lately, it seems much worse.

I've gotten used to Bookie hiding away, apart from the family and have let him go his own way. But opening up the boxes of hand painted ornaments from years past and seeing his happy little face, in a younger, happier time made me realize just how much he had changed.

You know, this isn't the post I started to write, it was going to be photos of my holidayed up living room. But I think I'll save that one for another day, and go hold my little stinky guy for a bit and tell him I'll always love him while I still can.

A warm pink glow to ward off the freezing weather

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, holiday decor, Sugarwings, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / December 9, 2009

Just a note to let you know that my email is being a bit screwy. Its not a Typepad issue, Typepad has been very sweet and cooperative lately. I don't know what the deal is, just that I respond to emails (not just on comments, regular emails too) and they are not getting through.

Its frustrating to answer emails, then get a message from the Postmaster or the Mailer-Daemen saying they are undeliverable. Sorry if you were one of the dozens of people I couldn't respond to! There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, some (quite a few, actually!) messages just are hitting a dead end.

We've had our first snow and it was a doozy. More cold than deep, but enough to keep me indoors by the roaring fire. Trouble is, my husband is out of town and the stack of wood is getting low. I'm feeling like a wimp, but just DO NOT want to go out there in the single digit weather and fill a wheelbarrow with wood.

On the other hand, a fire in the wood stove sure feels better than just turning up the thermostat. (and is much cheaper too!) I'd better man-up and go load the wheel barrow.

We've been staying indoors decorating and redecorating the tree. I think that Sugarwings will make her pink tree an ongoing project for the season.

Each ornament has been on every single branch of her tree at least once so far. Sometimes all the decorations seem to be on the same branch at the same time.

I filled a basket will all of the unbreakable ones and let her do as she pleased with them. Of course, she had a little bit of help from Twinkle.

Although, after a couple of hours of hard work, even Twinkle was getting tired. And Sugarwings was just getting started.

I don't think this will get old for my fairy grand baby, she's in pink heaven with that glowing tree.

(and I am loving those heavenly curtains!)

As for me, I think I'm done with my share of hall decking. Its a mini explosion of holiday glam this year for me, and I'm kind of liking it kind of laid back.

Well, laid back for ME, that is!

These peacock feather fans go a long way in adding some flair when I tied one to a lamp shade and another to a plain white feather wreath.

Years ago, I used to raise peafowl and these feathers were gathered from Percy. He dropped them all every summer and it was a treasure hunt for me to crawl around the barn and walk out in the woods every day searching for feathers. Some days, I 'd find one or two, other days maybe a couple dozen.

Now, I've taken bundles of the plumes and wrapped them with vintage ribbons, added a millinery flower and a jewel. Plus a touch of glitter.

There are a couple left from Miss Frenchie's and I have them listed in the Boutique, as well as the celluloid box I've posed the fan next to.

Don't forget that you can win this book by Amy Barickman (isn't she a peach to offer it?) Along with the book, you'll get a couple of hankies from me to use in the projects and a gift certificate from Amy to use for downloads from Vintage Workshop.

My December giveaway is open to everyone. No tricks where you have to post about it on your blog, or add yourself as a follower. All comments, all posts in the month count. I just like to say thanks for taking the time to come by to visit!

I just wish you were here in person and could help me heft that wheelbarrow of wood.

Also, if you'd like to see more holiday decor, go visit
Thoughts from Over the Rainbow

for a hall decking party!

Jumping with JOY about the new curtains!

celebrations, magazine pictures or articles, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / December 7, 2009

I love these curtains!

Right now, they are just draped over the tension rod, but I think they deserve better than that. I've got some better ideas for hanging them, later when I get time.

Today was spent decking the halls, I still haven't unpacked from Miss Frenchie's sale. There are more photos from that event to show but I just had to post about my dream curtains first!

When Carol and I did an article for Romantic Country, she brought similar curtains for us to use to style the photos. I fell head over heels in love with them, and since then have been looking for some of my own.

Here is one of Carol's curtains, that we draped over a garden chair. This is the back of the chair, tied up with flowers and a vintage bag.

At the time, I didn't know that these panels were called "French netting" but I knew I wanted some.

I'm thrilled to get a set for my kitchen, plus one extra panel that went into the bedroom.

Right now, I am surrounded by boxes of Christmas pretties and am trying to get my home all decorated for the holidays before some buddies come over tomorrow for a holiday/birthday brunch. I'd have been ready, but had a little side track this afternoon, Sugarwings dropped by and wanted to help with the decorating project. She's cute, but her home decor skills need work.

So, I've gotten a bit behind. Oh well, it will get done. Whats up is up, what isn't will get shoved back into the closet to set up later.

I almost missed book club tonight to stay home and finish my hall decking after Sugarwings left with her Daddy. But then, I realized how silly that was! My home is about my happiness, and shouldn't be about slaving away to make it perfect! The friends coming over tomorrow will enjoy their breakfast just fine with only one Christmas tree decorated. I have a feeling that they won't even know the difference.

So, I went to book club, had a fun evening, laughing with friends and sipping wine and now will make up some fruit salad and an egg casserole for the morning. Then, I'll see what decorating I can finish up, and like I said, the rest of the opened boxes of decorations gets slid right back into the closet. If I don't have a chance to get any more done, then so what? I had a beautiful time with Sugarwings, and such fun at book club.

Those are the memories I'll keep, not the ones about how great my tablescape looked this year.

Hey, I'm not saying that pretty doesn't matter. It matters a LOT to me. And its worth the extra time to make things nice. But- not worth stressing out about or missing out on other fun times. So, I'll pretty up and do it with joy. When it becomes work instead of fun, that is when I know I need to step back and take a break.

Two of my favorite words at the holiday are Joy and Merry. Words to live by!

I made this banner from vintage album mats, bits of lace hand chrocheted by my Great Aunt Caroline, and French alphabet cards (although, what does it matter if they are French, if they are only a letter, not a word?? Who knows??)

The rhinestone baubles I added reminded me of the letters on each card. What do you think? In the close ups, can you see the shapes of the letters in the jeweled pieces?

OK, I'm off to make fruit salad for brunch.

Cold toes, warm heart

antiques/junking, celebrations, holiday decor, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / December 6, 2009

What an event! Miss Frenchie's was once again, a beautiful place to be! The barn was magically transformed into a winter wonderland of treasures.

Sadly, our friend, Elizabeth wasn't able to set up for the sale, but she did drive in from St. Louis to visit and shop. Her over the top, brilliant displays were missed, but we were glad to see her. Willow's Nest stepped in to fill the barn annex where Elizabeth was before, and I have to tell you, they were amazing. My chair was situated so that I had a view of their wares and GORGEOUS set up the whole weekend, and it was all I could do to stay in my own booth. I felt drawn back to their space to wander around and drool on things.

I certainly hope that for our next Miss Frenchie's event, we get both Elizabeth and Willow's Nest! Wouldn't that be something magnificent???

Why, oh why, did I not buy one of Linda's sweet vintage coin purses with a millinery rose tucked in, so I could hang it on my own tree?? She only had a few of them and they were really reasonable ($10). I'd be kicking myself if my feet weren't still so cold. I'm afraid a toe would snap off if I tried to kick anything.

Once my feet get cold, they just don't warm up, no matter what I do. I slipped my gloves onto them, and borrowed a rug from the entry way to keep off the cold cement, but did not dip them into my hot coffee like I really wanted to.

Debbie, of Curious Sofa, was serving delicious soup that warmed me up from the inside out, that helped. And we were so busy, that most of the time I forgot how cold my toes were.

Carol, of Raised in Cotton, was my near neighbor and her spot was a joy to the eyes too. Plus, she is always ready for a laugh or a story. Its always fun to be near Carol.

Near us was Angela, of Angel Court, who brought sparkly beauties that matched her outgoing, and sparkling personality.

Linda, of Willow's Nest, is an astounding individual with a sense of style like no one else. Even when dressed like a Snow Queen, she has a warm personality that draws you near. And a wealth of information about antique shows!

I really enjoyed being her neighbor for the day and seeing her creations. She was a Silver Bella vendor too, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her then, so was really glad to be set up near her for this show.

Another new friend from this show, was Joyce. I've bought things from her at my favorite antique mall in the world, Rusty Chandelier, but had never met her before.

And yes, she sold me the curtains!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've already hung them up, it was the first thing I did when I got home last night. I still had my coat on, and was climbing up on a chair to play with the fabulous, old, French netting before I even said hello to Twinkle. I'll have photos of my new kitchen look soon.

Beth was my next door neighbor on the other side, but the way our booths were set up, we really didn't get much of a chance to hang out. We'll have to schedule a craft day for some catch up time.

Her booth was a hit, she not only makes cool stuff, she searches out and finds the coolest, old things imaginable by attending every single auction and estate sale that she can find in the greater Kansas City area. Then she marks it up about 2 or 3 cents over what she paid for it and people swarm in to buy it!

(she's a brilliant accountant, so I'm sure she is making a profit somehow, but man, her prices are so good, it doesn't seem like she could be!)

Here is another view I had from my spot. Barbara Farmer's rich colored, sequin fruit was a splash of vibrancy that kept drawing my eye all day.

And what on Earth is wrong with me, that I didn't snap up one of Lesa Daily's birds???????

She makes the most magical creations. As soon as my feet warm up, I'll need to give myself a kick for missing those too.

Here is a bit of French by Design's goodies brought back from their European sprees. I don't think I can show you my booth today, after all these exquisite treasures.

Mine are all from rural Kansas garage sales, not world class antiques….

Have I mentioned how LUCKY I am to be a part of such a great show? Its not just the event itself (which is quite wonderful, beautiful, and lucrative!!), its the atmosphere of being around such talented and giving women that make the weekend so special for me.

No matter how cold my toes are.

DecemBrrrrrrrrhhh! Scenes from a set up

antiques/junking, Miss Frenchie's, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / December 4, 2009

I wanted to let you know that for some reason, quite a few of my emails are coming back as undeliverable. If you didn't receive a reply from me, hey, it isn't MY fault! But, still, sorry that they are not reaching you.

This sweet little snow ball, is Pearl, Debbie's dog. She seems snug and cozy as can be on this pillow while her 'mom' sets up her display for Miss Frenchie's sale this weekend, but she is probably feeling as frosty as her snow white coat looks! We had NO HEAT while setting up the barn today for the sale. The furnace was out, and will be fixed by tomorrow when the guests come, but man, was it cold setting up today!

You can practically see Greg shaking with the cold! We all were. Greg does these beautiful calendars, I'm sure you've seen. Its great to have such wonderful artists as part of the show. I just hope his poor fingers didn't get frost bite today and ruin his career.

As cold as it was, the cockles of my heart were warmed by the site of these lace panels!

I want them for my home!! I pre-shopped a bit and was told that I could maybe buy these, or at least would have first shot at them if the dealer decides to sell them. She wasn't sure if she would keep them or let them go. I sure fell for them, and would love to see them hanging in my kitchen…. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Currently, I have curtains from Bed Bath and Beyond, and honestly could do better. I've been searching for years for something that would be elegant, old, and affordable all at the same time. This would fit the bill at $100 for 6 panels. I hope she does decide to let me have them! (BB&Beyond curtains are $40 each, and these are in a whole other league than those, so would be quite the beautiful bargain!!)

Carol, who is normally neutral, is going for a splash of red. I can't wait to see her display when it is done. Everything she does is styled to perfection!

My pal, Gwen, imports all her goods from shopping sprees in France. She's made these ornaments from some ephemera gathered there.

She has great stories of her travels, and my dream is to some day take a guided French Flea market tour with her. Of course, my usual shopping is Kansas garage sales, so this will probably stay just a dream, not a reality.

Willows Nest Farm has more than just the beginnings of a beautiful set up.

Down to the smallest detail, their spot is amazing. I can't wait till I get the feeling back in my poor frozen toes so I can explore there.

My booth? Its not done yet. I was way too cold to finish. I was working away for hours, before I heard the furnace was broken. I was trying to put my best face forward, go with the flow and not get too upset about the cold, but when I heard that the furnace was not lit at all, I gave up! I figure I'll go back and set up tomorrow AFTER it is fixed! No reason to power through and be brave in the cold if the heat will be on tomorrow.

Plus, I am so relived that our shoppers and guests won't have to deal with the cold, I was worried that the barn just wasn't going to be warm. Its a relief to know there was an actual problem, not just draftiness!
And, we have a WARM room for the guests to wait in for the doors to open. No long line in the cold.

Here is a little December gift for you, a calendar I scanned from an old book for you to use in your projects or just to print and keep on your desk to write notes to yourself on.

Until the heat is fixed, I'm cozying up to the wood stove and starting the book I need to have finished for book club on Monday. Got a bit of a late start…

Isn't this a glorious full moon? I don't know what that ring around it is called, but to me, it sure looks like a fairy circle.

recycled cookies???

Uncategorized

By Karla Nathan / December 3, 2009

Jessi is
having her annual cookie party, but I am busy with Miss Frenchie's
Holiday Broncante this weekend and couldn't bake any cookies! So, green
living recycler that I am, I decided to recycle an older post about some
hand painted cookies. Complete with a baby picture of my Sugarwings, with a big smile on her tiny little face.

Thanks for hosting, Jessi! I'm pre-posting this, since I'll be busy setting up the sale while the party is going on, but I look forward to blog hopping and reading about all the cookie party stories when I get back. That is one of the joys of a virtual party, it never ends!

Which reminds me, I've been thinking about hosting another "What do you LOVE about your Holiday Home?" What do you think?

Sugarwings Sugarcookies

You add food coloring to clear Karo Corn syrup to make your "paint".

I used coffee stir sticks to mix the colors.

After baking a batch of sugar cookies, I spread white canned icing on one at a time as I was ready to paint them. If you ice them ahead of time, the icing sets up too hard to paint on.

I dipped a brand new paint brush into the food coloring and started to paint.

For a rose, I used the red food coloring in the clear syrup, and
swirled it around, mixing it with the icing itself, which made some
areas pink. I went back with a dot of red on my brush to add a center
of the rose.

Using the green and yellow colors, I added leaves and vines.

On some cookies, I used colored sugar sprinkles on the edges. (that also needs to be done while the icing is still soft, not set up)

Keep a glass of warm water handy to rinse the brush out often, it will get clogged up with globs of icing.

After rinsing, make sure you dab off all excess water before dipping into the paint again.

You can also paint direcly onto the cookie, without icing, for a different look.

I start with the lightest colors first, and add darker ones as I go.

When you are finished painting, colored sugar lightly sprinkled onto
the cookie is a pretty touch, a little like adding the glitter to a
collage project!

I didn't have a butterfly cookie cutter, so I free handed the shape
with a knife and cut it out of the dough. I suggest using a cookie
cutter instead!!!!

I like to store my painted

cookies under a glass cake dome, but
before I do, I let them air dry for a couple of hours at least so they
don't stick together.