Karla Nathan – Page 119 – Karla's Cottage

Coffee Filter flowers for Valentine’s Day

flowers, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / February 13, 2016

To celebrate the holiday, Sugarwings asked if we could throw a craft day party. I try to do these for other occasions too, some years we have one for every holiday, other years are hit and miss. It is always a good excuse to clean up the studio and hang out with good friends. so if I can make a party happen, I'm glad to do it.

And it is such fun to see Sugarwing's excitement and to watch her little wheels turn as she plans a soiree. We made a couple of trips to craft stores, and she picked out all the supplies needed to make cards.

The menu was all her idea too. Of course, Conversation Hearts were a main treat.

Along with Ghirardelli chocolate dipped strawberries.

Sadly, about an hour before the party, I got a call from her, in tears because she was ill. Our poor, fairy baby had a fever and had to cancel. Luckily, her Nurse Mommy had a day off, and was there for her.

Which meant she was in very good hands. (Here comes a bragging moment, and a big one-) Her mom, our Hippy Chick, is on the nominated list for "The Best of Lawrence" voting for Best Nurse in town!

And that is a big deal, isn't it?

After talking to Sugarwings, I talked to her daddy and discovered that Kia, my Faux Granddaughter, was ill too. So, no family for the big party. Dewdrop is in NC with her own mommy, and the rest of the bunch were taking care of sick kids.

I was down for a bit, sad that my girl couldn't come to the party she had planned out, but I'm leaving it all set up and letting her throw another one for her family, and I had a lovely day with my good friends and their kids.

Lots of cards to spread Valentine love were crafted, and we also made some coffee filter flowers.

Here is a vaseful at a point when I thought they were done.

But, I decided that they needed something more, and figured out that a kid's marker dipped in water was great to give the petal edges some color.

Watercolor paints work well on the petals too.

I added some leaves pulled off my favorite old hats too.

Much better!

They were so much fun to make, that I'm also having one more coffee filter craft day too. Plus, I have dyed HUNDREDS of filters…

Twinkle really needs to learn to not be so curious when I'm dying things. She always ends up with a polka dot on her head.

It's been a few days and the color is barely fading.

I bought two packages each of small, medium, and large filters, and dipped them in fiber reactive dyes. Once they were done, the amount seemed to quadruple.

I'm going to need more friends to help me use these up….

Or I could just sit and make flower, after flower, after flower. (this is the same flower I showed painted and using a marker on. Big difference, huh?)

Because they are addictive and beautiful. I seem to have the best luck with peonies, I wish my roses turned out better. And I find it hard to work with the dang floral tape.

Why is it even called tape? It has very little stickiness, which is basically tape's main ingredient.

But the flowers are really pretty easy to make, we all had some beauts. The kids might have even out-flowered the adults.

The hardest part for me was adding the wire stem with the floral tape. I discovered that it was better to use artist tape to hold the flower onto the wire, then cover it in the green tape.

It still wasn't perfect. I'll need to do some research before friends come back to make more flowers with me.

If you want to make some, there are so many how-to videos and guides online, that it probably isn't worth my time to give you any directions. This site has links to many different tutorials. I tried a variety of styles, some easier than others. I gave up on the Martha Stewart ones. They are unbearably beautiful, but not a quick process.

The joy of the other directions was that they are so simple and look like you spent a lot of time on them, when you really didn't.

I'll let you know if we figure out any good shortcuts or tips when we make more. I'm glad to be having more parties!

Sculpy dragons

paintings

By Karla Nathan / February 10, 2016

At the romance fantasy writers' retreat that I helped my sis, Terry, with in January, we had some craft time along with all of the author meet and greets, workshops, games and meals, snacktimes, and treat times.

There was a LOT of good food, we ate like Hobbits-

Here is a sample of a Hobbit's menu for the day:

Breakfast – 7am.

Second breakfast – 9 am.

Elevenses – 11 am.

Lunch – 1 pm.

Afternoon tea – 3pm.

Dinner – 6 pm.

Supper – 9 pm

Yep, that sounds about right. We had a lot of tasty breaks for goodies.

The whole weekend was pretty interesting, even though the books weren't my typical genre to read, it was a racy yet, light hearted change for me. And the attendees were so happy to there that their enthusiasm was contagious. The hostess, S. E. Smith, is also an artist and she travels with Sculpy clay to create with during downtime at the workshops she attends. She brought some along for this event and led us in making some baby dragons hatching from eggs.

This was my first Sculpy experience. I've worked with paper clay and air dry clay, and each have their own pros and cons. I didn't do very well with this stuff, but it was fun to try. I found myself re-smooshing and ruining an area I'd just worked on. I think that with practice and with tools, I could get the hang of it though.

One thing I discovered is that if you use multiple colors, they can smear together easily. At least if you aren't careful.

One of the things most people love about this clay is the way it can blend as you use multiple colors to make your creations. But I found it messy and flat looking. Here is my hatchling at the event, and I wasn't too thrilled with the way I'd made him.

This one is even worse.

So, when I got home, I got out my paints and touched them both up. Adding some metallic and pearl paints really helped.

While they still look like a first attempt with clay, I think they are better than before. And I love an excuse to have something to paint.

Which reminds me, I need to go and paint some frames. Not quite as much fun as painting dragons, but I'm doing them for my "Farewell to Downton" art journal swap, and that is pretty durn exciting for me! I scrapped my first example because I didn't think it was as regal as I wanted it to look.

Back to the drawing board, because this book had to have the feel of luxury that we all drool over on the show. After searching online, in all my favorite stores, and trying lots of different ideas, I found some mini, ornate frames to add to the covers that was PERFECT touch. But they are garish colors, and need to be painted white with glints of gold.

Look for details to join the swap soon.

If you don't want to miss my announcement and would like me to contact you with the info when it is ready, please leave a message here or email me at:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

Asian centerpieces and decor for a dinner party

celebrations, Travel, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / February 7, 2016

Well, that is not a photo you'd expect to see on my blog, is it?

Nope, not like me at all.

I travelled with my husband to Long Island to visit the Hamlet club, where the crew there had done an exceptional job and deserved a celebration. My husband's team was going to prepare and serve a special dinner and I offered to help.

When I was asked to pick up some items to decorate with, I was excited, that was right up my alley!

When I was told it was sushi night, I was flummoxed, that isn't exactly my style and I had no idea where to start.

Especially in a strange city, without my regular shopping targets. But, I went out exploring, set my Google Maps to Michaels and promptly got lost.

Very lost.

No cell service, no maps.

So, I turned into the first parking lot that I found, hoping to snag some free wireless from a business. I just so happened to be in front of an AC Moore, a store I'd not heard of, but the sign said "crafts" so I went in.

And found all the inspiration I needed for the table- some handmade, Japanese rice paper in firey dragon colors, and paper, clip on, crayon yellow, dragonflies. I bought enough rice paper to line up and use as a runner, scooped up some colorful bugs, and went from there.

Black "floating frames" were buy one get one free. I got 8, in different sizes (all they had) to use as zen garden style trays to fill with stones and moss, along with simple, cylinder candles and vases. In the larger frames, I centered a strip of coordinating rice paper for an extra layer.

To spice up the candles and vases (cheap ones from the wedding section), I bought some washi tape (that is Japanese, right??). If you are going to use washi tape to add a stripe to the top of a glass, I'd say make sure the vase or votive is as straight up and down as possible, and choose a tape that looks okay with a bit of a wrinkle in it. Because it is very hard to get it perfect. I thought about using an exacto blade to trim Vs out of the tape to make it fit better, then decided that working with the wrinkles, and burnishing them out as flat as I could was good enough.

I think it is fine.

Each frame "tray" was filled with handfuls of pebbles around the candles and flowers, with moss tucked in among the rocks. I also bought some big, black stones, and a gold paint marker. Then, I googled "Japanese lettering" and copied pictures I found.

On the backs, I wrote the English translation. I tried to chose words that went along with the event, and the people it was for, such as: pride, team, strength, friendship, self confidence, etc.

(Uhm, if you are fluent in Japanese, please don't try to read these, let's consider them arty, not accurate)

You can find anything online can't you? I thought that it would be a nice touch to have origami folded napkins too. So looked up youtube videos on folding swans.

I had a short period of time to pull this all off, from shopping to creating to setting the table. And the swans were not going well. So, I quickly switched to butterflies. Which went much, much faster. In all, I had about an hour into ironing and folding the napkins, and most of that was a learning curve. Once I figured out the steps, it went quickly.

The tall, clear vases were filled with more pebbles, and I split a package of curly twigs and bamboo between the 8 vases on the table and a larger one on the buffet.

On the way to the club, I got lost again and found the coolest grocery store I'd ever been in. I am a huge, Trader Joe's fan, and discovered the REAL deal type place that the chain is probably based on. It was an older market, full of imports and good prices too. I could've wandered around sampling cheeses and filling my cart with pasta from Italy, all day, but had to get to the club to set my table.

Before leaving, I picked up two bundles of freesias in yellow and orange for only $6 each, and they were the most perfect finishing touch for the vases. It wasn't something I'd set out to find. I thought that the vases looked pretty good with the washi tape, dragonflies, and curly twigs. But a few, small handful of bright flowers really improved the whole table.

There were even enough yellow freesias to add to the buffet table vase too.

There aren't any pictures of the buffet table because I was helping serve the appetisers by the time the main course was set out.

Yep, I was a waitress too.

When I was a single mom, that is how I supported my kids. And I met my Handsome Husband while waitressing at a Holiday Inn where he worked at the front desk. After I was married, I kept it up for years because the hours were great, I could work lunches while the kiddos were in school.

And I always loved doing the job and thought I was pretty good at it. So, I figured I still would be.

WHOA!!!!!!!!

Not so much.

The first thing I noticed as people were starting to come in, was that the trays were much heavier than I remembered. Very heavy.

Now, I still carry 9 year old Sugarwings around a lot. I garden, I keep busy. I'm not a gym rat, but I do lift some free weights (well sometimes).

But it didn't take long to find out that I do not have a single waitress muscle left in my body. Instead of 8 to 12 plates on a big tray, I could barely heft an empty, large tray over my head. I stayed with small, drink trays and carried a couple plates at a time, making many more trips back and forth that way.

Let me brag a smidge that I still had the drive and the eye for waitressing. I can spot a half filled glass and top it off before the guest even knows they are running low on water. I can whisk away a plate within seconds of the diner deciding he is done eating, and will scoop up all extra items on the placemat, keeping the area tidy.

But, boy, was I achey after all of it. It was fun to be a part of the event, and I loved the challenge of decorating, but the exhaustion that came with serving the meal really threw me emotionally. I wasn't prepared to face the fact that my youth is far, far behind me and I just can't keep up with things I used to do.

I think I'll keep my day job. Or maybe practice carrying trays around and get ready ahead of time before I do it again? I was too cocky to think of that, I figured I'd be a star waitress, not a weak, little old lady.

Because I sure would do this job again, what a delightful party it was, and the food was amazing!

I'd like to see more of Long Island, especially the Hamptons. There wasn't quite enough time to get that far. We did go to Times Square where we posed with one of a dozen or so Elmos walking around. They work for tips and before you know it, you are surrounded by all sorts of characters, each asking for money, even if some weren't in the picture and most weren't asked to be in it. They all crowd in, whether you want them to or not, and then try to get more cash from you. I was a bit taken back by it all, but it was pretty funny to be mobbed by cartoon characters.

I don't think Disneyworld would approve of Minnie Mouse's attitude.

We took a ride up to the top of Rockefeller Center. (Nice venetian plaster on the wall, isn't it?)

I was entranced by the chandelier.

Wouldn't you love to have just one strand from it?

And the lights built into the walls were chunks of crystal with colored lights behind them.

And what a view!

And what nice people we were with. Who knew I'd go all the way to NY just to meet a fellow junker and furniture painter? I enjoyed hanging out with my new friend, Beth.

We ate at Carmine's and I adored the mismatched chandies there too.

The selection of old photos on the wall made me feel right at home. This was my fave.

I've never been a city person, but I sure did love New York.

Keep Shining

family

By Karla Nathan / February 4, 2016

While walking from Disney Springs to our hotel last week, I spotted what looked like my name in the sidewalk. It was dark out, so I turned on my phone flashlight.

Yep, Karla, and spelled correctly.

The next day, in the daylight, I went back out and saw "Caitlin" next to my name. That is Sugarwings' Hippy Chick momma's name.

What are the odds of randomly finding your own name and a family member's name next to each other in cement while on vacation?

(There were NO other sidewalks written in along there, just this area. So, it is not like there are hundreds of names spread out and I picked through and found ours. The only other word was "Poppa" which is very close to title of "Pop Pop" the grand fairies use for my husband, but not quite close enough.)

After taking photos of the two names, I noticed the word, "Shine" next to them. I don't know how I'd missed it before.

"Shine" is one of the two words that my girls chose for 2016. Here is what Caitlin had to say about it on FB around New Year's day:

"Let your light SHINE with JOY this year.
Leandra and I chose these words for the year (shine and joy) and are looking forward to active creations to achieve them throughout 2016 and beyond 💜"

A sea shell fairy on Jax beach

fairies, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / February 1, 2016

In the last few years, I've started a tradition of making a sea shell fairy to leave behind as a thank you to every beach that I visit.

Usually,in the days I that I spend along the water, I keep my eyes out for the exact pieces to make the sprite just right. Every stroll in the tides is a chance to gather up the ideal shells. I have a rule that I can't manipulate them. I'm happy to find broken ones in the right shapes, but I never snap off bits myself.

And I like them to be from the shore that I am leaving them on if possible. Sometimes I'll slip a perfectly shaped curl of shell up into my pocket while walking on a nearby beach and save it for the fairy, but that rarely happens.

On this trip, guncle Randy and I only had a short time at the beach (craft day was waiting!!). I wasn't sure if I'd be able to collect what I needed to make a little shell girl that fast, but Randy had a good eye for what we needed and brought me the best wing, ever.

While I was finishing up brushing the sand nice and smooth around our elfin creation, a tiny dog ran up and gave me a kiss. It was a Papillion, so we named the girl after her. You can still see some of the itty bitty dog foot prints she left in the heart shaped ring around the fairy.

Disney time, family time, and lots of books

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / January 29, 2016

My Florida trip was not only a much appreciated break from the cold, Kansas winter, it was a family get together, a chance to explore all the theme parks with two life time experts in all things Disney, and I also attended a "writer and reader retreat"

This was something new for me, the event and the genre of novels. My pal, Terry was helping coordinate the workshop, and I offered to tag along and help her out. Her friend, S. E. Smith is the author of fantasy romance and was quite a sweet person to get to know.

I offered to make name tags from white card stock with book covers taken from the author's book jackets.

We clipped them to lanyards and I wrote the names on the blank backs of the mini books. Attendees could use the books to gather autographs from the writers and messages from their friends.

Gifts given out were non-stop, and I was lucky enough to win a couple myself, even though I was just there as a helper, I was treated so kindly, and like one of the group.You won't find a nicer bunch of ladies, anywhere.

There were games too. This is "Hero Bingo" done with the names of the hunks in the novels instead of numbers. I leafed through a lot of books during the writer's signing night, and "hunk" is a very mild term for the magnificent men described in those pages.

STEAMY STUFF!

All of us had gathered at Disney Springs, and when it ended, Terry, her daughter, Holly, and I moved on to stay at Animal Kingdom and a couple of other resorts there at the parks. They had gone in together to join the Disney Vacation Club and were hotel hopping to check out the various places.

How nice of them to invite me along on their mother/daughter trip!! I didn't want to intrude for long, so spent three nights with them, then let them have their own time together for the rest of of the week, while they visited a few more hotels. My three days were ideal from my point of view, and I hope I didn't wear out my welcome.

Our first night was spent at Animal Kingdom, a resort I've always wanted to stay at, and it was even better than I'd thought it would be. We woke up to the sight of an ostrich wandering around outside our balcony, then as the morning went by, all sorts of wildlife sauntered along on the grass below us. Feeding stations are set up in the courtyard to encourage visits, but we noticed that there isn't a lot going on very early in the morning.

If you are going to splurge on the cost of staying there, my advice is to make sure you aren't trying to get to one of the theme parks when it opens, or you'll miss the herds of hungry critters who happen by as the morning develops. We were lingering and leisurely, or we wouldn't have spotted so many creatures throughout the 9-11am period. This is the kind of hotel that is a vacation in itself, and if you stay there, you'll want to make sure you have plenty of time to take advantage of it.

Leisurely was the name of the game, we took our time and didn't feel rushed anywhere we went. Both of these Disney Pros know the ins and outs of where to be and when, what to see and what not to, short cuts, secrets, and were the perfect guides for seeing the parks.

Terry is a season ticket holder for Florida AND California parks. And she lives in Utah. That right there is true Disney love.

I felt as if I'd hired two expert tour guides to show me around. Not to mention, they are both a lot of fun, and we had a wonderful visit.

But the best bonus was having a chance to get to know a far away niece.

As a Vacation Club member, Terry got a lot of perks. Free photo passes, discounts, etc. And she was generous in sharing them. I rarely had my camera out, since there were professional photo stations at every landmark. Plus, I was a little chilly, and kept my gloves on. So it was extra nice to get photos that I didn't have to take myself.

Of course, cold temps are all relative…

In Orlando, I was loving the blooming flowers, while back home in Kansas, there was an ice storm.

I'm certainly NOT complaining about keeping my gloves on!

And who doesn't need an excuse to pick up a pretty, pink, Minnie Mouse hoody? I didn't pack as good as I should have, layers were the key. I ended up with a few wearable souvenirs to pile on.

We found some hidden Mickeys that I can point out to Sugarwings next time we go, too.

I now have so many things to show the grand fairies when we go back.

This trip was so much fun, that coming back again was on my mind the whole time I was there.

Thanks, Holly and Terry for such a perfect vacation! And thank you, Susan for letting me be a part of your workshop.

A family painting day, and yes, yet another Art Journal

Books, family, paintings

By Karla Nathan / January 26, 2016

Before I set off for Florida sunshine, the family came over to have a painting day in the studio. Miss Tree has a new nephew and her sister wanted a room full of paintings of trees done by her family. And I took advantage of having the paints out to do a little foxy picture for Guncle Randy.

My paints are typically packed away in the cabinet behind my workspace. Easy to get to, though seldom reached for. The times when I do unpack them, I wonder to myself why they aren't always out and ready.

I really do love to paint.

But somehow that gets away from me. I get involved with other things.

Like making books! I adore that too!!!!!!

Why can't studio days be longer? I could just bury myself out there in supplies and never come out. But, there just isn't enough time in the day to do all I want, or my house would crumble around me, my husband would go hungry, and grand fairies would miss out on snuggles.

So, I enjoy what time I do have, and make the most of it. I was happy to mingle the two genres, mixing making an art journal with a little painting.

And with collage. Another love.

Guncle Randy is a fan of foxes, so that is the theme of the book that I made to bring to him. Hopefully, we will have some craft time in his studio and I can watch him create on the pages inside of this book.

And I hope to have another family painting day in the studio to watch the creations filling the room. This is Kia's

And Miss Tree's tree painting got a palm tree with a lyria hanging from it. Kia drew the acrobat for her.

Avahni added the baby's name in stars.

And my son, who is so talented in so many ways, surprised me with yet another skill.

I had no idea he could paint. Nice, huh?

The little girls created piles and piles and piles of dripping, glittery, pink, gloppy painted slips of paper. And smiles. There were plenty of smiles. Too bad I forgot to put a card in my camera that day…

While I was away, my boy started this painting, done with layers of epoxy. It was a nice surprise to see it in the studio, and to know that he is exploring the world of painting. I think he has something going with this. It is a rich, deep shine, between each layer of paint. Hard to photograph, but it is really something pretty cool to see.

Magic- under the sea with the guncles, a trip to Jacksonville

guncles

By Karla Nathan / January 24, 2016

There were sooooo many highlights of my trip, but one of the most lovely was the special treatment that the guncles always offer to their guests. When you visit them, you feel treasured.

Randy set up his garden tent with an Under the Sea theme for a delicious crab leg dinner that was as beautiful as it was tasty. (I picked the fresh lemon from the tree growing near the tent in the garden-feeling very Floridian as I did it)

The tablescape featured oversized clam shells and a giant coral, sprinkled liberally with glitter and smaller shells, strings of pearls, and lots of candles.

But the best part? Well, dur-

those hosts!

Oh, and- that moss and "bubble" filled chandy, of course.

Terry, who I was meeting up with in Orlando, is in the process of moving and is making some major changes in her studio. She has been busy doing some destashing, and had sent a couple of boxes of delight my way earlier.

When I got to Randy's there was a pile of large,flat rate boxes there, and he saved them for us to go through together.

Geez, Louise, those were some fun boxes to delve into! I'd already had the squealing, oohing and ahhing good time of opening the ones at my house, and now I got a double treat by helping him open his.

On craft day, I made a thank you card for Terry, done only with things that she had sent.

We also played with metal sheets, dyes, spritzes, and embossing plates that she'd packed up for him.

Here is a card that Randy made.

I spent some time on a drawing, here it is in an early stage. It is for a coloring page, to go in a book I'm making. Anyone up for a "Farewell to Downton" book swap? Details to come. I need to design the cover and get the rules together. I'll have a blog post up about it before too long, but feel free to contact me at:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

to get on a list for me to contact you when I have the info together, so you don't miss it.

Or leave a comment and I'll get back to you when it is ready.

We had a good day in the studio, and had plenty of company while working there. Our friend, Regina, came by and we had a constant parade of pups under our legs and in our laps.

The food and company are always wonderful, (I loved the fresh shrimp whipped up in a New Orleans style sauce), lots of wine, laughs, and snuggle pups.

Even better, their eclectic home filled with antiques was still decked out for the holidays, yay! Kevin is a master of junking and is one the best hunters around. His vintage Christmas finds and bargains are the BEST. Whole villages of putzes. Silver trees with over 500 shiny brites. Comfort and Joy in every corner, on every table top, every where you look.

Ahhh, that fireplace…..

And that cabinet, full of collections….

All done with an eye to hospitality.

And love.

Kansas is too cold

cottage, dogs, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 20, 2016

As I wrote this before I left on my trip to Florida, we had a major cold spell. Our pipes didn't freeze up over night, but only because I know the drill. When temps plunge into single digits, the curtain comes off the cabinet under the sink, to let the warmer air in the house circulate through there to the pipes.

Of course, every time that I forget to do that, we wake up to no water in the kitchen.

Honestly, I shouldn't be such a wimp about the cold, this has been a remarkably mild winter so far. And here I am flying off to the land of guncles and sunshine right when it is at its worst.

But I cannot get warm! And I feel like my skin is made of ancient tissue paper that is disintegrating. No matter how much cream I slather on, no matter how many pots of water I set to simmer on the wood stove to put moisture in the air, nothing helps.

And my poor toes. They can't remember what it feels like to be pink and warm.

Sugarwings has had the opposite of the complaints that I've had. She wants SNOW and LOTS OF IT. We had this little dusting of flakes and she was so happy, she couldn't wait to get out there with her dog and show her how to catch snowballs. (While dressed in a fashionable scarf)

If this is the only snow we get, I'll be pleased as punch, myself. Or maybe there will be enough snow to satisfy these two while I am away this week. That would be ideal. They get to chase snowflakes while I soak up some sunshine, and we are all happy.

I plan on returning from my time in the South with a much better attitude, once my toes have been reaquainted with sandals and sun. My plan is to soak up enough rays of light to get me through the rest of this dismal time of year. And to remind myself that for some odd reason, I do enjoy living in Kansas.

Boy, am I glad to be getting a break from it right now, though.

And another one…I’m smitten with art journals

Books, Travel

By Karla Nathan / January 17, 2016

For such a homebody as I am, I sure travel a lot.

And I do love making art journals. Usually, I take one with me to work on while I'm on my explorations, but this book is a special request for someone else.

I'll just betcha that I start one while away on this trip to Florida…

I'd like to reproduce another page like this one, it is a fave of mine.

And I'd enjoy filling out a page like this. My husband and I love to experience local restaurants and trying new dishes.

While making this book, I came up with a lot of things I'd like to have in a book of my own.

So, don't be surprised to see a somewhat repetitive post coming up someday soon, when I show some replications that I make!

Although, since I use so many one of a kind, unique bits of ephemera, no two pieces that I do will ever be exactly the same. I can recreate the hand written doodly things, though.

And I plan on redoing some of these designs for myself.

Author name: Karla Nathan