Karla Nathan – Page 106 – Karla's Cottage

It’s a very guncle-y Christmas!

By Karla Nathan / January 18, 2017

For a few years in a row, something has come up where I happen to have a shot at getting to Florida in January and make it to the Guncles' house to see their festive Christmas decor still on display and making the place even more sparkly than usual. This year, my husband had a business trip and I was luckily able to to tag along.

The guys have a marvelous collection of shiny brites, enough to fill an old, tinsel tree.

That tree is loaded to the brim, and has a fantastic selection of ornies.

Little Perry Clayton likes it too.

It is touching to see them use some gifts I've made for them over the years in the midst of their abundant cheeriness. Like this banner that I created last year.

Every inch of their home is transformed for the holiday, with the tiniest detail not over looked.

The home is already spectacular, filled with all of the vintage finds, Kevin, the antiques expert, scavanges from garage sales around the city.

Adding a layer of Christmas splendor makes it even more special. Thanks for the hospitality and the beautiful visit, Randy and Kevin!!

A Sea Shell Fairy Controversy and some disappointing shell searches

guncles, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / January 15, 2017

Over the years I've developed some vacation traditions. One is that I wear this necklace with charms and a moonstone from my sisses every time I go to Florida. (I also wear it when I'm feeling homesick for family too)

Another is making a sea shell fairy for every beach I visit. This trip was bi-coastal with a tour of Clearwater before driving to spend the night in St. Augustine, driving up to Jacksonville for guncle time then a trek up to Charleston for a mini family reunion on Sullivan Island.

It was also a quick trip. We arrived from the airport in time for lunch with a view of the sea, but then didn't get to the hotel til after dark, because my husband had some visits to make. After breakfast the next morning, we quickly strolled along the beach at Clearwater, but didn't have enough time to gather shells. I wish now that I'd made the time, because that was the most perfect weather I'd had that week.

And there was a plethora of shells to be found.

I shoulda, coulda, woulda stopped and snagged some if I'd known how the next few beaches would go….

Jax proved to be barren of shells for the day, and it was COLD. Too cold to try to get enough together to make a sprite, because it might have taken hours to find what I needed. And for some silly reason, I'd packed sandals and Ugg boots only. No shoes to wear, so my tootsies weren't happy with a beach stroll.

(yep, my eyes are closed)

There was time before breakfast to make a shell fairy on St. Augustine Beach, and I was soooo happy to be playing in the sand and day dreaming about happy little fairies. Till I posted the picture online of the little gal that I'd created, that is.

Soon, I got messages saying that my fairy looked a little "too happy."

When I realized what they were seeing, I deleted the Facebook and Instagram pics. Ooops! I showed it to a few more people and they agreed. Do you see the problem? If not, I won't mention it.

By the way, THAT IS AN ARM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh well, I had a chance of vindication at Charleston, right? Nope! It was beyond cold there. Too cold to even stand on the balcony and look at the beach, let alone walk down to it.

Well durn- 4 beaches, 1 fairy.

One that was accidentally R rated.

Luckily, I did have a picture on my camera of this version of my little fae.

And here is an edited version that I hope takes away the optical illusion??

Or should I just write her (him?) off and delete all the photos? It all made me feel sad, I adore making little sea shell girls and this time it just didn't go well. Although, everyone I showed the photos too, got a huge laugh out of it.

Sugarwings earns tickets for good behavior in her class and can use them for purchases at the end of the day. She'd over heard me saying that I was sad about the shell fairy that I'd made and that I couldn't make another one.

So, she used her tickets to buy some shells for me, and we made these three in the dining room at breakfast. There wasn't a shell for the wings, so I cut up the tissue paper they came wrapped in.

I've made quite a few water sprites over the last few years, but none that were as sweet as the ones that I made with real life, grand fairy.

Recipes and memories

Food and Drink, guncles

By Karla Nathan / January 13, 2017

Last week while visiting the Guncles, I was given some Florida lemons fresh off the tree to bring home to my grand fairies. The girlies and I love lemon meringue pie, lemonade, and working in the kitchen together. So a bag of lemons was the souvenir I brought back from my vacation to them.

Most kids might be disappointed with a gift of fruit instead of a toy or cute tee shirt with an alligator on it, but what did these two do when given lemons??

We made LEMON PIE!!!!!

Normally, I make things up as I cook and rarely reference recipes. But when it is time for lemon pie, Sugarwings and I make a ceremony of carefully opening up the old tin box of note cards I made as a 13 year old and we make the dessert just the way my mom would've done. My mom passed before the girls were born, but in small ways like this they can have a connection with her too.

My mom made the best pies, dumplings, well, just about anything. And when I close my eyes to take a bite of this lemony delight, I remember her in the kitchen making something special for me.

Mom's pies were great, but with this combo of fresh citrus from the guncles, smiles from the grand fairies, and memories of my mom, I think we've made some improvements on her originals!

Rainbow Spiral Veggie Pie

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / January 10, 2017

I've mentioned making these pies in the past, and I love them so much, I wanted to talk about it again. I've made a few now and figured out some tricks. You can find a recipe anywhere online or Pinterest, so I'm not giving you one of those, instead, I'm giving you some tips on making it easier.

And tastier! This time, I chopped, seasoned (rosemary garlic and sea salt) and sautéed mushrooms to whip into cream cheese to line the puff pastry.

Before, I've cut the veggies by hand. Now, I am the proud owner of a mandolin, a wondrous, magical slicer that makes all of the pieces the same thickness!

Even though the pieces are easier to use when cut the same size, there can still be some issues with rolling them up. It helps to put a handful of veggies at a time into a bowl of water and microwave them. But, my son and his family think that microwaves kill all nutrients in foods.

I do NOT believe that, but when I cook for them, I don't use one.

A slightly softened strip of beet or carrot curls better than a hard one. So, steaming the strips can help, in a microwave if you aren't afraid of them, or in a pan on the stove if you have to.

Just remember not to fully cook them, just soften them enough to bend without breaking.

Even with the veggies steamed, the spirals don't always twirl into place perfectly. Another tip I learned is to roll them, stick them down into the cream cheese "glue", then if needed, fill the center with a tiny roll after you get them in place. It's pretty easy to slide a little curl down into the center.

I also add small curls to fill gaps between the bigger rolls.

Spritz with oil and sprinkle more seasoning over the top and bake until the crust is browned.

I used yellow and green squashes, rainbow carrots, and golden beets, in no particular order. Eggplant gets too mushy, and red beets dye the whole thing.

All of these kept their colors and baked up nicely.

Poodle Portrait

dogs, guncles, paintings

By Karla Nathan / January 7, 2017

As you read this, I am visiting the GUNCLES!!!!

Yay, me!

Since I knew I'd be seeing them right after the holidays, I didn't mail their gift, instead I'm packing it in my carry on to bring down. They are fantastic, loving, doggie dads, so I painted one of their babies for them. This is Oliver, and he is pretty dang sweet.

Fairy cards

fairies, family, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / January 4, 2017

The week before Christmas, I squeezed in a smidgeon of time to make a few cards to send out. Not many as I would have liked to create, but enough to bring me a smile from getting my fingers gluey and glittery and to send to my sisses and my husband's moms.

For the great grandmas in my grand fairies' lives, I printed this happy picture from the punkin patch onto matt presentation paper. The hands had been cropped out, but I figured I could make it work. I cut out the girls, leaving space to add mittens for Dewdrop and one for Sugarwings, but she was missing a lower arm too. So, I layered the pictures on the card to position her missing arm under her sis, making it look like a hug.

They do a lot of hugging, so that was a fitting fix.

To remove the Happy Halloween feel and add some Merry Christmas cheer, wings, scarves, and hats were added, then the fairies were glittered up and colored with markers and gel pens. On this card, I added lace, and glued them onto a sky blue piece of card stock. At the bottom I smeared on some of that crafty snow paint that comes in a jar. Then drew snowflakes with a white gel pen.

This card for Bobbie was done in a similar way. We were wearing mermaid shirts in the photo and Sissy was holding a little mermaid figurine. Which were cute as a beach photo, but not what I wanted for a Christmas card. So I used markers to draw poinsettias on the shirts, and drew, cut out, and glued a candy cane into Sissy's hand.

The same photo from our Sister Trip to Siesta Key was used for Sissy's card too, but done in her favorite color of sea blue. I covered up the mermaids with a silk rosebud, glitter, a rhinestone and a mini tree.

ps-For some reason, my [printer is not feeling well. All of the photos I used weren't as clear as I'd like them to be. I've gone through the fixes on the toolbar of the printer, but I still get lines and less detail than there should be with high quality paper. Hmm, I'm not sure what is going on, but I used the photos anyway. The quality bothers me, but I hope that the joy I felt while creating still comes through to the people I sent these to.

Appreciations

celebrations, jewelry

By Karla Nathan / January 1, 2017

Way back in October, I found these large, Larimar beads in Florida. I bought enough to make some Christmas gifts, even though it almost drives me to drink to not give out pretties IMMEDIATELY upon purchasing them.

I was soooooo proud of myself for making necklaces in the fall and saving them for Santa time!

This one is made with aquamarine, moonstone, labradorite, mother of pearl, amazonite, and silver.

These two are designed by Sugarwings for her Hippie Chick Mommy and Mommy's partner. My girl went with me to the gem show, and spent over an hour finding just the right set of rainbow stones to use for the matching pieces.

I used silver, which was good for most of it, but the jump rings I had were too fine, and not strong enough, the pendants were easily pulled off when the piece snagged on a scarf. I've gathered the faulty gifts back up and have to replace the delicate jump rings that held the pendant on with something sturdier. oops!

Jewelry making was just what I needed to make me feel better last fall while I was down after my minor cardiac procedure. 2016 was a year of beading for me, working with my hands was very healing.

Last spring, when I first had the arrhythmia symptoms, I'd recently been to the gem show and had a bagful of beads on the dining table. I felt pretty crappy and didn't want to go out to the studio, so I turned my dining room into a jewelry workshop.

Bracelet after bracelet , necklace after necklace, was made this year, some for myself, some for friends and family. It was good for me to be able to be creative when I wasn't feeling up to par, and gemstone beads are an addictive item. The more I made, the more I wanted to make.

It wasn't practical, I wasn't selling the items. And I think I gave away at least $500 worth of beads in the pieces that I made.

But making all of this gemmy goodness was sooooo good for me.

My limited energy wasn't allowing me to be up to doing my regular work in the studio, let alone making kits or setting up classes.

Yet, being creative in any way is very important to me. This little hobby helped me get through some tired times and cheered me up.

Oh, I don't want to make it sound like I was a complete invalid, I'm fine, the whole cardiac thing was minor. I'm very, very fine, I was just feeling down for a matter of weeks multiple times over the past year.

Enough that between feeling yucky or being busy with our remodeling project, my business was put on hold. So, I am grateful to have had an outlet to keep my hands busy with pretty things that uplifted my weirdly, thumping heart.

2016 was jammed with wonderful moments, smiles, and loveliness. And I'm lucky that my health problems were as minor as they were. (I'm beyond very, very fine now, and my heart has not done any odd pitter pattering since I had the repair job done). Having those issues makes me appreciate my creative energy and not take it for granted. Being out of commission art-wise, can be as heart breaking as having a faulty thumper.

Earlier, I posted some of my vows for the new year, and now I think that I need to add another. Besides Joy, and Merry, Grateful, and Thanks as words for the year, Appreciation needs to be up on the list.

Appreciation sounds a lot like Grateful, but in this case, it is a bit more. To me, it will mean slowing down to think about what I do, what I make, and appreciating my own skill and drive to create. And knowing how being creative keeps me going, and makes me who I am. Not taking it for granted.

Holiday Mom-style Stress

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 30, 2016

What was the best part of your Christmas?

Mine was these smiles. And lots of them.

The grand fairies seemed over joyed with all their gifts (even though Dewdrop didn't get the two front teeth that she needed).

We were blessed with multiple celebrations starting with a Solstice party on the 21st, then our big family dinner and gifts to each other on the 24th.

On Christmas morning, we checked out what Santa brought, then had a big, buffet, brunch-bash with relatives.

With a table set for TWENTY THREE! (Did I mention how much I love my newly enlarged space????) We snaked three tables through the kitchen into the living room, and all seemed to fit just fine.

I'd had planned to set the table and make it fancy, but I was lucky to even get food done. So, everyone had to get their own forks and plates and drinks, which seriously, no one minded, or noticed. There is only so much time, and I overestimated how much time I had.

Which brings me to admitting that I over extended myself right along with the tables.

Which I think is pretty typical for the mom of the family to do.

After prepping all of the big meals, I was done in.

I loved, loved, loved, the family parts and the holiday traditions, of the weekend, but I have to say that I didn't enjoy fixing all of the food. While trying to please everyone and make sure they all got their favorite things, making vegan, vegetarian, meat lover, and gluten free versions of the foods, I forgot to keep my Christmas spirit. I got tired, I got cranky, I got resentful that I didn't have time to decorate cookies with the kiddos.

I don't know if it was because I'd been ill this year and am not back to 100%, (a medicine that I am on for another month or so can cause tiredness and muscle aches) or if I'm simply getting older and slowing down, or if I really did over plan and do too much.

Or maybe:

I had shoes that were too tight.
My head wasn't screwed on right.
My heart was two sizes too small.

Cause I acted a little Grinchy while pulling it all together. I'm a bit ashamed of myself.

Yet, on the other hand, I sincerely, honestly love the holidays and it all means so much to me. I did make a huge effort to stay positive and loving with the grand fairies, but I think I grumped and grinched a bit too much with the older family members and really shouldn't have let that happen.

And no, even though Honey looks a little like Max here, I didn't force her into pulling a sleigh. I wasn't full on Grinch, just annoyed that the food preparation never seemed to end.

Like I said, it often is the way of many moms to stress out to make things perfect for Christmas. Normally, I can kind of roll with it and keep our holiday simple while pretty. This year, I'm not sure why, but it got away from me, and I was in over my head.

At least I learned a lesson. Next year we will do a simmering pot of soup instead of a full restaurant menu with enough food to feed a restaurant full of people. I have to be able to treat my family special while not forgetting about myself too.

Yes, I'll change the dinner next time, but there isn't one other thing I'd change, it was delightful to be with people I loved and there is nothing better than that.

(and the leftovers were pretty tasty)

Aftermath

celebrations, cottage, family

By Karla Nathan / December 28, 2016

We had a very full Christmas, and I still feel a bit like Dewdrop did here at the end of our evening, over the brim with holiday celebrations.

Gratitude, Joy, Merry, Thanks, and all of those wonderful words we need to use more

Dew Drop, family, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 25, 2016

I hope your day is a Merry one! Isn't that a great word? I love Merry and Joy both, I'm not sure which is my all time favorite word, maybe Joy.

We've tried to make each of those words part of our celebrations. Oh, there have been tummy aches, forgotten homework assignments. a case of the sniffles, and a few reminders that, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit" here and there, but over all, I'd say the season was a joyful success at the cottage.

I've tried to say YES to any and all holiday activities that come my way, plus make up a few of my own to make Christmas last all month, not just a day.

Some days, it can be as simple as a Cindy Lou Who hairstyle after watching the Grinch. Other days, it is cocoa in front of the tree, a special night out, or a ride to look at lights. Big or small, it is the attitude of celebration that brings the fun.

And while I can't keep up the parties year round (without more naps than I'd have time to take for recovering), I think that we can keep up the Joy if we make our best efforts.

I'm thinking about making that my New Year's resolution. To create a smidgeon of Joy or Merriment in each day. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture, of course, little things mean a lot. And this happiness should be shared, not saved just for family. It really needs spreading around.

My son is a master of this, and I'd like to emulate some of his moves. Like always asking the name of a store clerk or waiter and using it is one of his ways of acknowledging others and showing care.

There are many more, like: Simply giving smiles to people you pass, or making a joke on a crowded elevator instead of looking at the floor and just waiting for the door to open.

Stop yourself from snapping at your kiddo when you've asked them three times to do something, and try singing the request instead. A silly or unexpected response can turn a day around.

LAUGH! Even if you are all alone but especially with others.

Give a kiss on the head to someone as you walk by (which I have to admit, is a better idea with family than strangers).

Post a picture of pure prettiness on FB and bypass those ugly political arguments.

Compliment when you see something you like, speak up, if a passerby's coat is a great color, or if your husband looks nice in his shirt, or if some one is walking a dog that has very nice manners. Don't just think it, say it out loud when you see something you like!

Remember the power of please and throw in plenty of Thank Yous.

And be thankful-to others, to yourself, and to the world and god for what you have. Slow down and be grateful. Nothing brings more happiness than letting yourself remember all the reasons you have to give thanks.

I guess I'm saying that I want to work on not just noticing the good things around me, but speaking out about them. And also creating moments that count, that might lift my own day as well as another's.

Saying YES to Joy.

Well, maybe I should've saved all of this for New Year's Eve? No, probably not. It is never too early to get started on spreading cheer. And maybe I'll start a new tradition for myself- making Christmas Eve resolutions.

And I'll start my resolution by speaking up about YOU. Thank you to those who take the time to visit me on my blog, for listening to me blather on about what is on my mind, what I think is pretty, what I've made, or about my family and pets.

It's been almost ten years of blogging for me and I've enjoyed every minute of it, and I am both grateful and thankful for all of you on the other end of what I write.

Please have the Merriest and most Joyful of Christmases!

Author name: Karla Nathan