Karla Nathan – Page 243 – Karla's Cottage

Playing tag

By Karla Nathan / June 1, 2009

Thank you, to all of you who sent well wishes my way for my bad back and for Aunt Caroline's health. There are a lot of caring people in blogworld.

I'm sticking with my recipe for curing the back pain, plus added a trip to the Physical Therapist today. Also, a new addition to my cure, is that Sugarwing's Daddy is a massage therapist. He is a handy person to have around! That guy can stop a migraine before it progresses and has been great for helping out with back aches too.

But I was getting so bored with just watching movies and taking care of the aches and pains. I figured I could do ice and heat just as well from my desk chair in the studio as I could from a recliner in front of the tv. So, I worked off and on yesterday, making these books. I needed breaks to stretch and move around, but was able to get quite a few done.

Yep, quite a few. I think about 15 or so. Some are for a special event that I have planned, and others are for sale.

They were all Beth's idea. I couldn't think of something to make for the "special event" coming up, so she told me to get out my binding machine and make some tag books.

I make little wallpaper books a lot, but these are different. They went much faster for me since only the front and back covers are embellished, the rest of the pages are all plain tags ready for the new owner to add what ever they want, like photos, collages, or rambling notes.

Making these really cheered me up, I always feel better when I play with my vintagey pretties! And it was a great excuse to get out the good stuff. What use is a pile of wonderful things if I don't make it into something? I am a big believer in using all the best items and enjoying them.

I'd love to see one of these finished by its new owner, they have so much possibility and will be cute with all sorts of ribbons and charms tied to the tops of the tags and trailing out. I've listed a few of them in my Boutique for $26 each, if you'd like one. And if you get one, please let me know how you use it!

While recuperating, I also got this sketch started. Its for a swap I am in, and I really am not quite sure how I am going to make it work for the pages, but since I have nothing else to do right now, I have plenty of time to figure it out.

The hardest part of getting my back better is that I can't play with Sugarwings much. If I do, I pick her up, or she dive bombs me and expects to be caught, held, and cuddled. She's a boisterous kid, not one to sit quietly and play, she is a rough and tumble, no holds barred, hard playing, firecracker of a kid. Just going near her is painful while my back is hurt! So, I am taking extra good care of my poor old back, so I can be in shape to play with her. I want to go right back to doing kung foo kicks and leaping in the air, while we watch Kung Foo Panda on TV together. (which is how my back got this way in the first place)

edit- I swear, some times I HATE typepad!!!!!!!!! My screen has locked up 6 times while trying to correct something in this post!!!!!!!

The tag books are $18 not $26, sorry.

Back Pain Relief Recipe

antiques/junking, how to's, show and tell, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 30, 2009

Before I hurt my back this week while on vacation, I started a few tags. I was thinking about making some tag books, but decided that these wouldn't fit into the binder with all the 3-D stuff on them, I'll need to add doodads after binding the tags, not before.

These colors are a bit different from what I usually pick out. Beth and I have a Wallpaper Pact, when one of us scores some vintage paper, we share with the other. She gave me the border that I used across the bottom, and if went perfectly with a playing card I got in the En Le Jardin swap.

When my back cooperates and I can sit at my desk again, I'll be adding ribbons to these and calling them finished. Then, I'll start over on the tag books. So, this batch isn't exactly a waste of time. I just about always finish what I start and make it work somehow.

This is the statue that I bought from Carol. For now, she is gracing one of the dining room tables in my studio. I might bring her into the living room later on. I already have a couple in there now, and I do think a collection makes more impact when it is grouped together, but on the other hand, I like having my favorite things all around me. So, maybe she'll stay out here in the studio to keep me company while I work.

Last Saturday, at the world's greatest estate sale, I found this punch bowl. I've been wanting one forever, but didn't want to spend much. This one is cracked, so it was cheap, only 5 bucks. I don't mind the crack, since I am using it for something that won't leak, not punch.

There was also a giant box of cushion sized slip covers at the sale, and they were only $7.50! I immediately put some on my porch furniture. The rest got washed up and look even better. The pink background shows up a lot prettier when it isn't dirty. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with the rest of them, its gorgeous fabric, some of the prettiest that I have found. And while it isn't old-old, it is older. Hmm, does that make sense to you? Not antiquey old like bark cloth, but not made all that recently either.

There were a few round pillows in the box too. And I almost didn't buy any of it, I wasn't sure if the size was something I could use, but Beth told me that the fabric was worth a lot more than $7 to have for cutting up. She's right, I'm glad I listened.

Notice these photos are focused only on the chairs? I've not done any planting and my porch looks desolate and lonely without flowers! Of course, with a sore back, I won't be doing much gardening this weekend, so it might be a while before I get plants set out.

Years ago, I fell off a pony and fractured a couple of vertebrae. Now, I wasn't thrown from a horse, I just carelessly slid off the back of a small pony. Like a klutz, nothing dramatic about it.

I had a few surgeries, cortisone epidurals, lots of rest. But, I was in bad shape for a LONG time, till I finally found a Dr. who got me to physical therapy. Since then, I've controlled the back problems by sort of keeping in shape. Not the kind where I look good, but the kind where I stay flexible and can move.

There is also a routine I go through if my back gets sore and it usually works in a day or two, I no longer have months of pain like before. My trouble now, is that my back went out on me while on vacation and I didn't follow my recipe for healing, since, not only was I staying at a hotel, we were sightseeing and hauling around a 2-1/2 year old.

Here is what I usually do, and am doing now. It doesn't work as well if you don't do it right when injured, but it still helps:

Back Pain Relief Recipe

Equal parts of rest, laying and sitting. Do not stay in one position too long.

Equal amounts of ice and heat, taking turns with each.

Walking and stretching in small amounts to start with, then building up to more. DO NOT rest too much, you have to MOVE or you'll cramp up.

And last, anti-inflamatories and muscle relaxers. I use Ibuprofen and Skelaxion, neither make me drowsy.

You will also need a stack of movies to watch. I'm going to go watch Diary of the Dead, it seems fitting, since I have the zombie shuffle walk going on right now.

And for now, I have probably sat too long at the computer, I need to walk and stretch. But before I go, I'll tell you the winner of the Cottage Charm giveaway, my May prize. Thanks, Kim, for hosting this annual event!

And the winner is:

Jenny

By the way,Beth is having a fantastic giveaway full of Victorian scrap! Go enter before its closed!!

Sweet Sioux

family, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 28, 2009

We're back from Sioux City, and it was an emotional trip, as well as being filled with all sorts of Sugarwings Fun.

When I was a young, divorced, and penniless, mom with two rambunctious sons, my Mom took us in. She had been transferred to Sioux City, so my sisters packed us up in Indiana, and drove the boys out to her home in Iowa, since I didn't even own a car at the time.

My Mom has been gone a few years now, but I will be grateful all of my life for the help she was to us when I really really needed her. She not only took us in, she helped take care of my wild and crazy boys while I worked and got back on my feet. To do that, she sold her cozy little one bedroom cottage, that was just perfect for her, and bought this beautiful, old brick palace with space for a family.

That house was so stately and special. Going back to see it again was heart wrenching, but was the first thing I had to do when we got to town. The house meant a lot to Mom too, she'd been through some rough times, and not so nice men in her life, so owning a house like this and being able to support us when we were desperate for help, was a boost of confidence for her. She was so proud of how hard she had worked and this house was kind of a symbol of all she had done for herself to get to that point. And was she was even prouder to be able to say that she did it "without a man".

Dear Abby and Ann Landers had been raised in this house. (I'm sure I could have used some of their advice at times while I was a single mom) And it had once been a fantastic neighborhood. But the area seems to be going down hill, now. It made me very happy to see "our" house so well cared for and tended to. It looked like a huge, and multi-generational family lived there now, with a grampa in the garden and babies on the porch. That seemed fitting.

While in Sioux City, we visited Palmer Candy. Sugarwings was pretty happy with that part of the trip….

We bought a case of their Cherry Twin Bings, as souvenirs to give to family and friends here at home.

Down along the river, a monument to Lewis and Clark has been built in the years since we lived in that town. The fairy grand baby figured it was part of the playground equipment.

Since we were doing a lot of driving around and sightseeing, we promised to stop at all the parks we passed for Sugarwings to get out and stretch. My husband's mom is a kid at heart too and she was happy to do more than just stretch when we made park stops.

Traveling with a two year old meant lunches at places like Chuck E Cheese instead of quaint roadside diners my husband usually prefers. Usually, we tryto eat local cuisine, like Iowa loose meats, but for this trip, it was a lot of hotel food and kid friendly restaurants.

Honestly, we didn't care what the meal was, just spending all that time with our little one and doing things she loved to do made this trip one of the best of our lives. Finding a hotel with a water park was the best part of the trip for her, we stayed at a Holiday Inn downtown Omaha that seemed to be empty except for us. We had the whole pool area to ourselves.

And right now, Holiday Inn has a special. Stay 3 nights at any hotel they own, and get a 4th free in August. We plan on going back to Omaha in August for Sugarwings birthday to stay at this one again. I threw my back out on this trip, and didn't get to play in the water park. I sure enjoyed the hot tub, though. When we go back in August, I look forward to splashing around on all the slides.

Since I hurt my back, I won't be going to see Aunt Caroline this week. Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers for her health, it sounds like she is doing well. I hope that I can go to Florida to see her for her 101st birthday in June instead.

Visting Carol and maybe Caroline

antiques/junking, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 25, 2009

Beth and her husband treated my husband and I to dinner out on Friday night! It was such fun, but like many "double dates" after a while the guys talked golf and we started talking junk. Then, we realized that dinner was over and we still had a lot to say, so we made plans to continue the conversation Saturday morning at estate sales.

Beth took me to the world's BEST Estate sale in Kansas City. The BEST. Everything was exactly to my taste and style and the prices were reasonable. Luckily, it was the second day and the good prices were cut in half. Sadly, because it was the 2nd day, most of it was gone. I still seemed to manage to get some things that I just love (sorry, no pics right now of these- you probably wonder why I even am yammering on about it if I am not going to show you stuff, huh? I'm just still excited, it was such a fun day out.)

Not only was the estate sale a blast, (who wouldn't want to wander around in a Shabby Chic, French style, antique filled palace and shop at garage sale prices???) but the whole day was fun. My couple of hours turned into all day, and we went to visit our pal, Carol at Raised in Cotton.

(these pictures are from her shop)

This is a bit embarrassing to admit, it was my first trip to her store. She is a treasured friend, and has been my roomie on a couple of trips. We email chat constantly, but Raised in Cotton is on the other side of Kansas City and I just never get that far.

But, now that I have seen it, I'll be making the trip again. I loved everything about it, and saw lots of things I wanted.

Maybe I get too attached to my purchases?? I'm falling for statues now, and have started a collection. I was thrilled to find one here! Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find one of these girls with a pretty face? Often the faces are flat looking or the girl has feet like a man. Why is that always happening with these 50's and 60's ladies? I see it all the time. But this girl is a dainty one and I just love her.

I also bought the vintage lace shirt. Its a bit snug, but I'll wear it unbuttoned. (I know this is a BAD photo, makeup from the night before, bed head and a red nose. No, I am not a drunk, wasn't hung over. I just left for garage sales at 7am and am not a morning person)

We are doing our Memorial Day weekend a bit backwards. I worked all day Sunday, adding some items to the boutique, and cleaning the studio. Then on Monday, we are taking off on a trip. My handsome husband and I are packing up the fairy grand baby and all her paraphernalia and heading to Sioux City, Iowa to see family.

We hope to stop at the Omaha Zoo on the way home, weather permitting. If all goes well, on this long trip with a toddler, we might go to Florida next weekend. The baby is staying with us for a couple of weeks while her Hippy Chick mom is vacationing, and we are using the time to do as many fun things as we can.

Although, our reason for the trip to Florida is not so fun. My Great Aunt Caroline is in hospice care now. She will turn 101 at the end of June and knowing her will, she will make it and will probably keep on going till 102. But… I can't help but worry.

Last year, blog readers generously made 100 cards for her 100th birthday, and she was so touched!

I'm hoping a little dose of Sugarwings will be good for her, so we are tentatively planning a trip down to Howie in the Hills, Florida to see Caroline. She is the best story teller I have ever met, and I'd love for my little fairy grand baby to hear one of her tales.

But for now, off to pack and get ready for Sioux City!

When I get back, I'll announce the winner of the Cottage Charm Giveaway.

You can enter my drawing by leaving a comment on any post. To enter other giveaways, visit Kim for a list of sites.

Happy Memorial Weekend!

flowers

By Karla Nathan / May 23, 2009

We couldn't ask for better weather for Memorial Day weekend!

My yard is probably at its peak for the season right now, I am just loving all the blooms. I really do hope to fill my planters and pots with annuals, eventually, but for right now, they aren't missed at all. The perennials are the star of the show! This is the first year, that they have really all come together as I have hoped.They are well established and blooming like crazy.

As far back as I can remember, I've wanted rose bushes, but I've never been able to grow them until I discovered Knock Outs.

Yep, I'm loving these! (and my new camera!)

Has this ever happened to you? At the end of the day, I noticed that I'd been out and about with mismatched shoes all afternoon. And I'd been so proud of myself for wearing nice clothes instead of gym pants or work clothes! My trip to En Le Jardin had me re-thinking my wardrobe. I am a slob. So I am trying to make an effort. But his is how it turns out.

I guess you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, huh?

The Blue Bird of Happiness has moved in with us at the Cottage

family, flowers, Food and Drink, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 21, 2009

Today felt more like Summer than Springtime, and while I was hit with guilt about not having my bedding plants out yet, I was sure enjoying the perennials and so glad that we have such well established beds that can be completely and totally ignored and still look good (well, that is if you look away from the grass growing in the iris)

It was such a pretty day, we took lunch outside to eat.

Doesn't everything taste even better outside? Especially when served off of a princess plate.

The day was too nice to stay sitting at the table, Sugarwings wanted to explore.

And of course, she had to make sure that Grammy was following her. This is a wooden bridge that I found in a dump 15 years ago (don't ask how I drug it out and got it home myself). I always liked the little bridge, but this fairy grand baby just adores crossing it. She always stops to check underneath of it for trolls.

If only iris bloomed all summer…. I just love this time of year, I'll miss these when they are done, they bloom and fade too fast.

Sugarwings is learning the names of the flowers, she calls quite a few of them iris or snowball bushes, though. She thinks that the peonies are snowballs like the viburnums. I have to agree with her, they do look like big white snowballs.

But the peonies smell better.

The best part of summer coming? We can paint outside! (yes, she is still a paint taster, although it looks like she has moved on from blue to black paint now) Last year, there was a photo of her printed in "Where Women Create" all covered in blue paint.

But now, it is MY turn to be a model!

Yep, I am gracing the pages of a trade magazine that showcases New Holland Tractors, along with my niece, Shelli. Hmm, should I add this to my list of publications that I've been in? Probably not…

As if things weren't happy enough around here, most days, at least- look at this! The blue bird of happiness has come to live with us. Its a gift from Cindy and I just love it. Thanks, Cindy!!

More En Le Jardin with Jenn

celebrations, Etsy Goodies, flowers, parties, show and tell, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 20, 2009

Everyone is asking what we made at En Le Jardin. Here is my flower pot, I didn't exactly follow directions…. They are supposed to be covered in chicken wire and then the embellishments added to that, but I left off the wire. I also went a little crazy with the foofs, its about as gaudy as can be, huh?

I'd brought lots of goodies to embellish with, plus we were given loads of treats to use in our swap bags. But when I saw this vintage gift wrap paper that Jenn had out for us to use, I had to go for it. Its actually two different papers, the little ladies were cut out and glued onto the floral paper. All the glue is still wet in this photo, so it looks a bit murky.

The day started out blistery, smelty hot. But then, the sprinkles came, not bad, just a little steamy. We were all having so much fun we didn't even notice, really. But, then the skies let loose! There was something about being under the tent, all together working away while the rain poured down around us that was kind of intimate and cozy.

But not so cozy, that I didn't want to get out and splash around in the "water slide" with Tiffany!

I think that if Tiffany and I were neighbors, we could get into some trouble. That girl is a blast.

Our other project was a fairy ball. Cheryl had the idea of adding the streamers, so Kim and I both used it. Mine is the one in the middle, the left is Kim's and the right is Cheryl's.

Mine is a little different. Instead of a little girl's photo made into a fairy, I used a fairy ballerina perched on top of a faux cupcake. Then, I drenched it in rhinestones and jewels and millinery.

Just like the photo of the planter, this one still has wet glue. The rain might have been fun, but it made the air so humid that my creations were still slightly damp when I packed them up the next day.

Since this was the fairy's nest, I added some pastel eggs to the top of the cupcake too.

Although, what do fairy eggs really look like? These might be pretty pastel colors, but they are a bit blah to have been laid by a little sprite. I should have tied little ribbons onto them and added millinery flowers. (Ouch-that might be a bit painful for the fairy to lay, huh?)

To the top, I added a vintage chenille bee, and one of my plant markers, this one says "Fleurs" in honor of the event.

The day in the tent was remarkable and the craft projects were really interesting. But, my favorite part of the trip was in our downtime, when we chatted for hours. Evenings went on way into the morning hours, and the sharing never slowed.

Lots of the attendees have been posting photos, if you'd like to see more, Jenn has a really good sampling on her blog. She has complied photos from our Flickr site and used some from different photographers. From her blog you can follow links to other people who have posted pictures, if you'd enjoy seeing more. I gotta tell you, the details that went into the weekend were pure perfection!

And while talking about details, I have to tell you how much I am loving my new camera!!!!!!!! Tiffany and Carol both gave me priceless tips on how to use it better.

They convinced me to be brave enough to venture on from the point and shoot options, which I figured would be all I could handle and since I refuse to read how to manuals, thought I'd be stuck with just doing that. I learn much better from Show and Tells, and these two always took time to show me.

Look at the center of this partial roll of vintage crepe paper! yep, I LOVE that camera!!!!

I've been adding a few odds and ends to Etsy and to the Boutique. I'm plugging away at it. I have a goal, to get 50 items back in Etsy, mostly craft supplies. As far as the Boutique goes, I really don't know what works well for it. I'll experiment with inventory levels and see what works best. I know I prefer fuller to emptier myself, but I'll see.

Look what I saw today, on the Vintage Workshop newsletter- a project I did for Amy last year:

NEW DOWNLOAD COLLECTION –
Garden Collage

The Vintage Workshop would like to introduce a new type of multi-image collection called Elements . These collections will contain a series of coordinating elements including single images along with background images. The number of images in an elements collection will vary. Elements collections will still come in two versions – the resizable Designer's Choice and the pre-sized Click-n-Cut (all backgrounds in click-n-cut version are sized 8.5” x 11”).

The first collection in this series is Garden Collage – emt100. This collection contains four vintage seed packet images, two sheet music backgrounds, and four different vintage wallpaper backgrounds.

The sample note cards shown here use images from our new Garden Collage collection. Use these as inspiration to create your own projects.

Click here to view more garden imagery.

In the land of never ending cupcakes

celebrations, fairies, Food and Drink, give away, paintings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 18, 2009

My weekend at Jenn's retreat was such fun, I'm still running it over and over in my head today. So, I gave in to the daydreams and did a little cartoon of the event. Here are a few highlights, hmmm, maybe you needed to be there to get it?

Maybe this one will explain the cupcakes all over the drawing? It was a weekend full of never ending cupcakes!

Jenn was the Queen Flower Fairy, so she is the one flying in the center of the painting, wearing a crown.

The luncheon and craft tables were set so beautifully with pastel colors, lots of flowers, and each had a concrete cherub.

The crowns that Jenn made for the lil angels inspired the one I drew on her fairy portrait.

Jessi and Kim were across from me at my table. I also got to sit with Carol, Suzanne, and Analise.

Poor, sweet, Carol had a painful black eye. That explains the big purple smudge on her face in the drawing. She and I were roomies, and I am afraid that in the middle of the night when she had a leg cramp and fell face first onto the floor, I laughed way too much.

Honestly, I didn't realize she was hurt! But it might just be one of the reasons why Angela said that she was so surprised when she met some of the people whose blogs she read. She says we aren't at all what she expected. I asked her what she meant and she said, "I thought Karla would be NICE!"

That has to be my favorite quote from the whole weekend. And there were lots of good ones!

I'm afraid that Typepad is giving me fits, and I can't do links to the people I am mentioning. If you'd like to visit them, all of their links can be found on the En Le Jardin site, here.

We had such a lovely luncheon! Jenn had set up the room ahead of time and kept it under lock and key till the surprise unveiling at lunch time.

Definitely worth waiting for!

Carol is a pro with her camera, so we got in early to get some good shots. Don't tell anyone, but while we were getting a sneak preview of the room, I also got a sneak taste of some of the treats.

Tonight, Typepad is being extra unkind to me, I need to finish before my screen locks up again. There are plenty more photos of En Le Jardin and I'll be back with more later on. But I wanted to remind you that all comments all month of May are entered into the drawing for this hand painted charm, and vintage paper tag.

Also, I added some tags to the Boutique. I'll leave you with a few photos of the newly listed pretties.

Happy little Garden Fairies

celebrations, fairies, parties, Travel, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 17, 2009

This past weekend at Jenn Hayslip's home was over the top beautiful, just like she is. Every inch of her home is swathed in gorgeousness. She never missed a detail of making our visit the best it could be.

It was all such a pleasure, that this is how I felt all weekend, ready to burst with joy!

We weren't just treated to Jenn's graciousness, we were treated to a giant dollop of Southern Hospitality by her neighbors too. They offered up guest cottages for some of us to stay in. Here is the view from our balcony.

Not a bad scene to wake up to each morning, huh?

You guys might have heard me gush a few times about Silverbella and how much I love going there? Well, of course, I love that event and always will, but this trip to Macon was even more special. I always say that the best part of Silver Bella isn't the classes(but of course, they are interesting and its great to meet the talented bunch of instructors). My favorite part of Silver Bella is the camaraderie, of meeting like minds and spending time with a group of women who feel the same way.

Jenn's classes were adorable, her home, the treats, the day trips, the limo, all of it was abso-freakin-lutely special. But most of all, it was the time to just hang out and talk, bond, and laugh for hours that made this so remarkable.

Jenn never missed a detail, and provided for all of our needs in her own extraordinary way. And I love details! Her attention to our care and happiness created a magical time, where we could forget about "real life" and be silly, happy garden faires for a few days.

Thanks, Jenn, for bringing together such a delightful group for such a memorable weekend!

A Barrell of Monkeys

family

By Karla Nathan / May 13, 2009

What do you think my roomie will say when I unpack and THIS comes popping out of my suitcase?

Believe it or not, I did finish packing. Now, don't ask me what exactly is in the bag, because, with this one's help, the goal was just to finish, not to be fashionable. My craft supplies, clothes and gifts for Jenn are all crammed in there, somehow. I don't even know what I have in the way of craft supplies, I just grabbed what was handy. Plus some tees and jeans. Well, at least I hope I remembered jeans.

One time, I was planning to go on a cruise with a friend, and was working out of town before the trip. I caught the flu and stayed an extra few days at the hotel, then called my son to pack my bags for the cruise so my friend could get my bag from him and meet me at the airport for our flight, since I was still out of town and had been too sick to come home and pack before I left.

My son was 13at the time and not comfortable packing underwear for mom, apparently, so I got none of that. He did manage to get me a swim suit, but it was the worn out, stained top that I did yard work in and bottoms that didn't match. He also put in my gardening clothes for day trips in the Bahamas, and for some reason, a dozen disposable razors (for a 5 day cruise). Luckily, he added a sundress and Birkenstocks- for the Captain's Dinner. Did I mention that the sundress had seen better days and was more appropriate for covering a swimsuit?

I'd been out of town on a job painting murals, and it was midwinter. All I had in the van with me, was painting clothes, tennis shoes covered in paint, and snow gear. I might not have been the best dressed person on the ship, but I sure had fun anyway.

I have a sinking feeling that I am about as well prepared for this trip to Georgia as I was for that trip to the Bahamas! Life has been hectic around here lately, so no matter what I end up with in my bag when I open it at Jenn's, I am going to be thrilled just to be away.

Even if the papers and ribbons I threw in the bag don't go well together, I can't wait to start creating things with this talented group of ladies.

See you when I get back!

Author name: Karla Nathan