September 2010 – Karla's Cottage

The Hat Whisperer takes on Texas

By Karla Nathan / September 29, 2010

Roundtop was even better than I had expected, the trip was just the best. Of course, with Jodie hauling us around, it had to be good. That girl knows everyone. And everyone just loves her. I can sure see why.

It was a fun group to be a part of. Beth and I had been wanting to meet Lisa for the longest time, and just knew that she'd be wonderful, and an instant buddy. And yep, she was!

This is Jodie, the Cajun Queen Bee, Lisa, Beth and I. Beth is doing everyone a favor and holding my eyes open because we all get tired of taking photo after photo with my eyes shut.

For some reason, I tend to ruin a LOT of pictures by closing my eyes as the shutter snaps-Beth, Anne, and Jodie both have photos posted of me with my eyes closed!!

We saw some great displays and over the top booths, and we didn't even get to stay for the Marburger show, which is legendary for its originality and showmanship.

One booth that I just fell in love with was Seed Box.

Their style seems so effortless.

Oh, and Miss Sweet T….. so much good stuff to dig through!

Anne of Fiona and Twig joined us for the afternoon, with her charmer of a husband.

Her darling Mr Twig, not only snapped photos of us all together, he watched our shopping carts as we puttered around. Plus entertained us with his sparkling conversation. That guy is a keeper.

Are you wondering why I chose to wear such an unflattering dress ?

(It would be pretty on someone young, tall, and thin, but on me- it looks like a cross between something that Bette Davis wore in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and an old dress an escapee from a polygamist colony would wear)

I wore it because its made of a gauzy material that was so comfy and cool that I was able to survive the unbearable Texas heat.

The dress is 20 years old and I know I am too old to pull it off, and usually it is only worn during fairy dress up parties with Sugarwings.

But, it is so comfortable, I couldn't help myself.

Beth and I were warned we'd have sticker shock in Texas, just like we were before we went to California. But what I've learned in travelling and shopping around is that prices are unpredictable. They vary so much in booth to booth or mall to mall that it doesn't matter what state you are in, you can find sky high prices and bargains too.

Its all in the digging.

And in asking politely for the best price. These flowers and multi flowered corsages were all marked $5-8 each, which were some of the cheapest ones I'd seen in Texas. When I asked for a "volume price" she sold me the whole bunch for….oh, I'm embarrassed to say…. its such a good deal!

Okay, you drug it out of me.

FIFTY DOLLARS!!!!!!

That is a bargain in any state. I had been happy to find a couple floral hats under ten bucks to start with, but this? The mother lode!

Do I look as gleeful as I feel??????

(and yes, I see that my eyes are closed)

If you can guess how many flowers were in the basket, I'll give you one of the corsages.

Leave your guess on THIS post. I'll announce the winner on Friday, the person closest to the correct amount will win.

You can also win one of my Romantic Gothic Ghost creations by leaving a comment on any post, I'll draw that name on Friday too.

And don't forget that I have a sale in the Boutique. If you use the coupon code " Roundtop " you will get a 20% discount on all of your purchases. The sale ends Thursday.

Here is a clarification: I will count EACH FLOWER. Corsages will be multiple flowers, not count as one.

edit- contest OVER

Parden my excessive use of Yee Haws, but I’m in TEXAS!!!!

Uncategorized

By Karla Nathan / September 27, 2010

While in Texas at Round Top, I'm going to visit the legendary Sweet Tee of Garden Antiques Vintage and mingle at her extraordinary blog party! Yee Haw! I think I'm more excited about meeting everyone than I am by the lure of the flea market.

There is a contest at the party for the best presentation of your appetizer. I hadn't planned on doing anything, since we planned the trip at the last minute and I had no time for getting any of my regular stuff done let alone make up a contest entry.

But during my Bella party on Saturday,some of us were making crowns from 20 gauge black wire. I foofed mine up with white millinery flowers, velvet leaves, and this cookie press piece that had a Lonestar on it. (well, it looks like a Lonestar to me!) Then, when I looked for something to make a flag with, I saw the words "the Texas Company" staring up at me from an old magazine page laying on my desk! How perfect.

That clinched it, this was going to go to Teresa as a hostess gift.

I even had some rusty old, toy garden tools to add to it. I wired them to broken chunk of wooden trim and added her blog title on a little banner to the front of it all.

It still didn't dawn on me that it was more than a hostess gift until we were talking about the crown another bella had made and saying hers would be a nice cloche.

Then- Yee Haw! I realized mine could be a cloche too. So, I set it on a pretty, vintage plate and now I'm not going to the party empty handed. (well, I would have brought some wine, at least, but now I can bring a plate of treats in style)

I have no illusions of winning. I've seen Lisa's creation- and it deserves a big Yee Haw! And I hear that everything is bigger in Texas, and that the displays will be over the top. Can't wait to see them all!

Meeting other bloggers is such a treat. I always feel like I already know them when we get together, there is so much to talk about.

I wish I could meet the lady that made these goodies. But I don't think a trip overseas is going to pop up like the Texas venture did.

Before my trip South, I received these lovelies in the mail from Dorthe. I fell in love with her driftwood fairy and had to buy it from her Etsy shop. I was pleased and surprised to see just how reasonable the postage was for it! She also made a giftie to send along, this sweet blue pillow. And all wrapped in the most pretty way. Don't you just love her?

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I will be away from my desk and unable to answer comments or mail packages until Wed. But please do leave a comment if you'd like to be entered in the September giveaway of one of my completed projects for Romantic Gothic Ghosts.

PS- I know I'll be spending too much in Texas, so I'm having a sale in the Boutique to replenish my funds. Type in this code:

Roundtop

and you'll get 20% off of every purchase!

Practical Magic in all of us

Books, fairies, family, Film, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 25, 2010

Do you ever read Alice Hoffman? Its been too long since I've picked up one of her books. They always have a thread of magic woven through them,. Some of her stories are pure magic, some just have hints of it. But the most mystical of them all is Practical Magic.

That book was an all nighter for me. And when the movie came out, I didn't see how it could possibly measure up, but man. I'd watch that movie over and over just to get another glimpse of the house. But the whole thing is worth watching again and again even without the eye candy.

So, when I heard that Justina and Anna were having a Practical Magic party, I had to join in!

(right now, I'm out of town, and pre-posted this- but I will be party hopping and checking out all the garden spells and pointy hats when I get home)

I've always loved the witchy side of life. The hint of magic in all of us. Having Sugarwings around and seeing the world through her eyes has brought out the magic and fun in my life even more.

I've also discovered as I get older that playing dress up is just as much fun as it was when I was little like Sugarwings.(This picture is not doctored! I'm standing in front of a "light birdie" that the sun coming through a prism on the window has made)

At my Sissy's 60th birthday party, we all dressed up as fairies and witches and one of the highlights of the night was to dance around the house to "Put the Lime in the Coconut" like the sisters did in Practical Magic.

Maybe what I love about the book and movie so much is the sisters. Mine are my best friends, and I miss them every day. There is power in the love of sisters.

Magic is all around you, just waiting for you to find it.

Life is too short to not be hunting the magic that is waiting for you.

No matter how silly you might look while doing it.

You don't need a crystal ball to find the kind of magic I'm talking about.

All you need to do is pay attention, open your eyes to the beauty around you.

Be light hearted. Let yourself fly.

Show love, give love, be loved. That is the greatest magic.

Being creative is a way to find the magic inside yourself too. Lose yourself in making something.

Create something to decorate your own home, as a gift, or just for the pure sparkling joy of making it.

These crowns, that I made are all from images and some techniques we provided in Romantic Gothic Ghosts. (although the crowns themselves were not taught in the classes)

I've enjoyed doing the class so much. To me, Halloween isn't about the scary stuff, its the mysterious that I find intriguing. Practical Magic probably should have been on our list of Gothic Romances in the review Beth did in our tutorial. That luscious house, the gorgeous gardens, the teaser of the unknown, all evoke the feeling we wanted to purvey, and what the class is about!

Yet another reason why this blog party drew me in. I've been knee deep in Gothic witchiness for the last few weeks!Its not too late to join us if you'd like to create some moody Halloween decor for your home too.

And please remember, that for my September giveaway, I'll be drawing a name to win one of the projects that I made for the class. All comments count.

Thanks again to Justina and Anna for coming up with a great theme and for hosting the party.

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I
will be away from my desk and unable to answer comments or mail
packages until Wed. But please do leave a comment if you'd like to be
entered in the September giveaway of one of my completed projects for Romantic Gothic Ghosts.

PS- I know I'll be spending too much in Texas, so I'm having a sale in the Boutique to replenish my funds. Type in this code:

Roundtop

and you'll get 20% off of every purchase!

On the Road again

Uncategorized

By Karla Nathan / September 23, 2010

I'm going to Round Top!!! Yee Haw, Y'all!!

This is the best kind of trip. Beth emailed me out of the blue a few days ago and said, wanna go? And so off we go. We are meeting up with blog friends, Jodie, Lisa, Suzanne and Charlene. And best of all, we get to attend Sweet Tee's Big Blog Party Hoe Down.

So, of course, instead of doing all the dozens of things I should be doing before I go out of town, I sat down and made myself a necklace to wear to the party.

And I made a book. I know I shouldn't have, I had other things to do. But after making all the swap pages (previous post) and having such a good time with them, I was dying to make more.

The interior of the book is made quite a bit like the swap pages, with the crazy quilt wallpaper patterns. I tried out this Sealah No Sew tape instead of glue on some pages and it is wonderful stuff.

I also used it on these cuffs, and was amazed at how much easier they were to put together without icky, gluey fingers all stuck together and making a mess.

You can get some from my pal, Kay Ellen. Her mom is the inventor!!

Most of my day was spent puttering around not doing what I needed to do. I got into the salon for a hair makeover. Which means about 2-1/2 hours of sitting and reading a magazine and thinking about all the stuff I should be doing if I wasn't too vain for the Texans to see my dark roots.

Like it matters. From what I hear, I'll be sweating like a pig and keeping the sun off with a hat the whole time. At least I'll have a pretty necklace on, and no dark roots hiding under the hat!

Do you ever take a photo of yourself in a mirror? I sure felt goofy doing it and look kinda goofy too. But, my husband is out of town and Sugarwings was going to be the only person to see my new hair do while it still looks salon fresh! My hair rarely looks cared for! I needed to document it.

I did make time to wrap up the packages that needed to be sent out before I left for the Lonestar State. And I figured out how to do discount coupons in the Boutique!!

If you type in the word "Roundtop" (one word, capitalized) you will receive 20% off all purchases in the shop until Sept. 30th. I kind of need to pay for the spur of the moment trip somehow….

Although, honestly, every corner of my studio looks something like this. What makes me think I need to buy anything at a flea market any way???? I told Lisa that I am coming as a tourist not a shopper, but she doesn't believe me and is gearing up to wrassle me over the best deals. She has also thrown down the gauntlet and challenges me to find a millinery confection for under $10.

I think she doubts my hat whispering skills! But I'm not going for hats. I'm going for the atmosphere and to hang with blog buds. I'm still feeling shaky from watching Hoarders.

My teeny Agnes Rosebud still has not grown into that big name. She is so tiny that she walks right through the pickets of our fence, so I can't leave her alone. I'm taking her to Beth's house for the weekend to play with Button. Beth's husband is one of her favorite people in the whole world, so she'll be thrilled.

In Kansas, the sparkling rhinestones are ripe for the picking. I wonder how plentiful they will be in Texas?

Well, I've frittered most of my day away, between vanity, playing with Sealah Tape, and running around the park pretending to cast magic spells on Sugarwings. I need to go and pack. Please forgive me if I don't return comments while away, but also please leave one, I love to hear from you!

And each comment enters the drawing for a gift from the Romantic Gothic Ghost class.

Oh, before I forget! Have you seen this yet??? A party in honor of Practical Magic! How could I miss this one? Please join me, I'll be writing my post in advance for Saturday's link party.

Swappity Swap and two totes

swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 21, 2010

Today, I did my take on one of Beth's Romantic Gothic Ghost designs. I kind of combined her instructions for the wall hanging and the trick or tote bag and used them on a canvas bag that I already had. Plus I cheated a bit, I used glue, didn't sew. And even more cheating? She left one of her ribbon roses over here after making the how-to video. I scooped it up and glued it down!

I also made a few more cuffs. I have some special people in mind for them. But the white velvet was looking a little too bright, so I dipped each in my leftover coffee and they look much better. I happened to have the coffee out, to follow Beth's directions for tea dying the bag. But I used coffee instead.

That is whats nice about the class, there are great images to use, and lots of ideas for you to take on as your own and run with. Or you can do the detailed step by step process too. Either works!

Its not too late to sign up and make some gorgeous, ORANGE -FREE fall decor for your own home.

And don't forget, you can win one of my completed projects from the class by leaving any comment any time this month.

Usually, I don't join in on many swaps. Especially at Silver Bella. The first year that I went, I was clueless and didn't know that how magnificent the swaps were. Then, the next two years, I was vending and BUSY getting ready.

This year I am not vending. Carol isn't either. We are calling ourselves the Slacker Bellas. No vending, no Glitter Lounge, we are just kicking back and enjoying the experience!

So I had to join in on some swaps since I finally had time. I'm doing Michelle's journal plus a private swap with a few close friends.

I was so lucky to find a 1941 autograph book from a school kid in Nebraska. How perfect for the pages of the swap!

(I'd say little Marie is an art major, see her flower? And did she really write Gorget me not?)

We needed 15 pages, which didn't seem that tough. Till I realized it was all 4 sides. Hmm, that is really SIXTY pages.

But once I got going, they were pretty simple to do.

I covered a piece of card stock with a crazy quilt patchwork of wallpaper, and trimmed each out with old millinery, lace, ribbon, and an old envelope.

These were then folded in half, so that is two pages right there.

The outsides were simply covered in sheet music or ledger paper, then I added a page from the 1940s autograph book over that, as a flap to lift up and write on the back or glue a photo underneath.

No two were exactly alike even though they were all made the same way.

60 sides went much quicker than I'd have thought and I loved making them. If I'd had more time, I'd still be sitting there making page after page, there was something soothing about having a groove going. To be making the same idea over and over, but each a bit different.

Having a similar plan for each one was enough to allow me to day dream as I worked, but they still needed enough attention to detail that I wasn't bored with them and had fun sifting through my piles of leftovers and scraps to create the layered pages.

And while I'm talking swaps… I need to remind all of the Dorothys to head on down that yellow brick road to the nearest PO and get their tags in the mail to me back here in Kansas by Sept 30.

The packages are coming in, and I have not opened them all yet. I've peeked here and there and have found some wonderful things- can you believe this Tinman????????? It is the coolest thing ever! Its by Amy Cooper and she also made this cute as can be, ruby slipper tote for me!

I might be able to slip my own little Toto, Agnes Rosebud into it.

Thanks, Amy!

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PS- I'll be in Texas for a few days, yep, Roundtop!

I've always wanted to go.I know I'll be spending too much, so I'm having a sale in the Boutique to replenish my funds. Type in this code at checkout:

Roundtop

and you'll get 20% off of every purchase!

Bella Playdate in the Cottage

celebrations, collections, Food and Drink, Silver Bella, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 19, 2010

Yesterday was just the BEST. I had a roomful of Bellas here to get to know each other before the big event in November. It was a small group, but the attendees are so spread out across the country, that its not easy to get a lot together at once. Julie drove down from Chicago, and Lori came up from Arkansas, which really meant a lot to me, for them to make that much effort. Jamie, Carol, and Nora are all kinda local, they are from the Kansas City area.

The best part of the day? Being able to talk about Silver Bella all day long and not having anyone roll their eyes at me. All of these people are as excited to go as I am, and none of them are sick of hearing about it like everyone else around me is.

The cuffs I made were used as napkin holders, then were the party favors that I gave out as a thank you for them all coming to see me.

Lunch was a pitch in, and my husband grilled salmon for us, which was really sweet of him and kept it so simple for me. I wanted to relax and have fun with everyone and not spend all my time in the kitchen. It worked out great that way. I set the table and marinated the salmon the night before, so I didn't have much to do but enjoy my guests while they were here.

Carol came early with her super dooper camera and took photos of the table to send into Somerset. They had a call for dinner party ideas, and since I was serving artists, I decorated the table all in things from my studio- old lace, pearls, rhinestones, sheet music, and millinery flowers.

With Carol doing the photos, the editor will have to love it. Carol makes anything look good!

Plus, she is a hoot. This is a person that can really make you laugh.

There were laughs to be had all day. And since Silver Bella's theme this year is hats, we all played in my stash of millinery after working on projects and chatting.

Lori and I came up with the BEST plan for my own head for the event. It involves me foofing up one of her cast offs from the day. Which is perfect for me, I love to recycle things other people don't want, especially art by the talented, Lori Oles! I'll be thrilled to wear her "trash" on my head that night!

Its soooooo nice to have the studio all cleaned up and cleared out. I feel like I am getting over the nightmares I had after watching Hoarders. Now that the room isn't so cluttered, I'm recovering from the horror of that show.

I doubt if I'll ever watch it again, though!

At each person's place at the studio, I laid out some little treats and supplies for them. I found this great die cut of a little girl in a top hat, and copied it onto some of my favorite old wall paper. It went so well with the Silver Bella hat theme that I had to share it.

Now that the guests are gone, I need to fold up the extra tables and put them away before I fill them up with clutter. I've noticed that the more space I have the more I use. And having one or two tables filled with my crap is plenty. All extra tables need to be stored away until company comes again!!

But its so tempting to leave them up…. Think of how much I could spread out.

Here is one table that I wish was always in my studio! Sugarwing's Daddy, Mr Zen, came over the night before the party with his massage therapy table and gave me a treatment. No more back pain! That guy is really talented.

Sugarwings was here for the day while her parents worked, and she kept popping in to visit,and see what we were making, and visit the cookies in the treat cabinet. I promised her some craft time as soon as everyone left, and for a four year old, that is hard to wait for. Throughout the day, she came in to see if it was her turn yet.

So, at the end of the day, I took off my apron and let her wear it – not for crafting, this one is nicer than any dress I own! And it fit her for a dress, so she wanted to play Bride in it.

I won this gorgeous hunk of fabric as a door prize at Kim's event this summer.

Doesn't she look pretty in it?

She stayed for a sleepover and we did get some crafting time in. After removing the elegant apron, she got to be elbow deep into glitter and glue.

Yep, a great day, from beginning to end.

Cuff bracelets with velvets and lace

flowers

By Karla Nathan / September 18, 2010

Have you ever made cuff bracelets? They are my new favorite pastime right now! I whipped up a dozen of them the other day and immediately ordered another dozen blanks to make more.

The basis is an aluminum cuff (found on Ebay) that I covered in velvet, inside and out. After that part was done, I got down to the fun stuff, and embellished each a little different.

I've got some special plans coming up this week, and these bracelets are just what I needed for the event.

Hopefully, my guests will agree with me, and like them too.

What’s scarier than ghosts?

celebrations, holiday decor, parties, Silver Bella, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 16, 2010

I need to thank everyone who has signed up to join us in our Romantic Gothic Ghost classes. A few people were calling it an EZine and you know, I do think that is what it evolved into. When Beth and I began, we were just doing some simple projects. But it was so much fun, and the ideas just kept coming and coming and the tutorials grew into more than we had planned!
We threw in some extras, like completed collages that you could print as is. Quick videos with tips, and Beth even gave a book review of some Gothic novels.

After finishing all the blog posts and instructions, I found a few more images I loved and had to go back and add those, plus instructions for this bonus project.If you'd like to join, you still have plenty of time to make some sepia decor for Halloween. (plus the site stays up as long as I have a Typepad account, so you can refer back to the posts next year too!

We've included every image you'll need for our projects, plus lots of extras for you to chose from, or to save and use for other creations.We have had giveaways through out the "real time" class, and I think there is still one coming. I think that if we still are getting newbies joining in, it would only be fair to add a couple more giveaways too. We've been mailing out some tidbits of our favorite supplies like lace and millinery for the winners.

After watching Hoarders for the first time, I'm happy to clear my studio out a bit and share my own stash.I always thought that Criminal Minds was the scariest show on TV. Now, I know its Hoarders.

The studio cleaning is for a party I am hosting on Saturday. I've invited all Bellas who are close enough to attend to come play in my studio and meet up for a craft day and pitch in lunch. So, I've tried to get some yard work done, as well as spiffing up my art space.

Trouble is, I threw out my back and that has slowed my progress. I broke my back in '92, falling from a horse and will always have trouble with it a couple times a year or so. But I don't mind a few days of pain, because years ago, when I had chronic pain and saw no end in sight, I'd have given anything on the planet for a day of no pain at all.

Luckily, I'm pain free most of the time and I will never take that for granted. Now, when I have issues, they are always temporary and the episodes are far between. I don't let the recurrences get me down, because I can compare them to what I suffered in the past and know that nothing is as bad as that was!

Plus, I have a son who is a massage therapist and does energy work. That helps.

I have a feeling that my guests will forgive me if I don't repaint the breezeway like I had hoped to do before company arrived. And they might not even care if I only planted 4 of the 5 hydrangeas that I'd planned to set out.

The tables are cleared, the Bellas have a space to work in and we'll have a fun day. I'm not the type to get crazy about details. I like things pretty, but I like things FUN even more. No stress entertaining is the only way to go. Right now, I'll call it all "good enough" and go rest my back, do some stretches and be ready to have a great time when my Bella Buds arrive!

A FairyTaking flight

fairies, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 13, 2010

We had such a blast last week at the Kansas City Renfest that we went back again for another day! And as I was going through the photos on my camera, I noticed that Sugarwings was so happy there with her own kind (fairies) that her feet barely touched the ground most of the day.

A pack of wandering fairies swooped her up and invited her to join their flock. She was thrilled to go off with them to dance around the Maypole.

So, she flew off with her new friends and we trailed along behind, walking on the ground like humans.

She fluttered over the ground as she danced with joy.

Another day filled with magic.

Like all my days spent with this little sprite.

Not a bad way to celebrate Grand Parent's Day!

Art ADHD

antiques/junking, fairies, flowers, paintings

By Karla Nathan / September 12, 2010

Today, I finished a fairy painting that was more than a bit overdue…. Sorry, Janice! But its finally ready now!!

I was given a stack of pictures of these two sisters, and some info about things they liked. The older girl enjoys pulling her baby sister in a wagon, so I put the littlest fairy in a flower petal cart.

As proper Lawrence, Kansas girls, they both like the Jayhawks. So I added a pet Jayhawk for them.

And the older girl enjoys reading to her sister. How sweet is that? So, I included a bag of fairy tale books.

After I have my paints out, I wonder why I don't do watercolor more often. I think that I should at least leave some paints and brushes on my desk to remind me that I am a painter…. and maybe to incorporate some painting into my collage work too.

My interests are spread out quite a bit. I adore working with millinery, ephemera, and well, most things old and pretty. But painting was my first love and I should try to get back to it more often.

What I really love to paint are flowers. Especially if I make the picture look vintage. But I do love cutting and gluing, and using cherished old lace, old postcards, WALLPAPER (yummy yummy wallpaper), and rhinestones in my art too. So, I can't picture going back to painting full time like I used to. Its just too fun to find cool old things and imagine what they can be made into.

Plus, the hunt is half the fun. As much as I love to paint, going to a retail store and buying a tube of paint is no comparison to hitting a flea market to find supplies!

Even silly things like this.

And even sillier ones like this! Life is too short to limit myself to just one style and one type of art. So, I'll dabble in paint like always, and still flit from idea to idea, playing with ephemera, and making stuff no one wanted into something pretty.

Even though, some days I wonder… if I had stuck with one thing and really worked with it for a life time, would I actually be successful?

Or just bored?

If you are like me and love to use vintage supplies, I'm adding these items to the Boutique, with more coming in the next few days.