Karla Nathan – Page 245 – Karla's Cottage

Finally photos of the April Giveaway, before May comes!

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2009

Finally, I have a photo of the April Giveaway. And how far am I into April by now? Just about May?

If you have left a comment, you entered the drawing for this two sided charm. One side says "Inspire" the other is a rose that I painted. I used metallic paints, so it is kind of a unique effect. You can add it to a charm bracelet, use it as a pendant, or tie it onto a craft project. Like an altered bottle or tag.

While I am at it, I'll show you a teeny tiny cupcake charm too. These are less than an inch long and are painted onto paper added to an existing charm, then coated with Paper Glaze for a durable finish.

The cupcake will be part of a giveaway for my 51st birthday on May 5th. 51 doesn't seem as fun and exciting as 50 did, so I'm going to have to create some fun for myself. And you know I enjoy wrapping and sending gifts!

All comments between May 1st and May 5th will go into a drawing for the cupcake. The rose is open to all comments the entire month of April.

And why was I too busy to take a simple photo of a gift all month? Well, Miss Frenchie's was sure taking up some time. And after that I decided to treat myself to a new cabinet for the studio with some of the loot I made at the sale. This great storage piece is over 8 feet tall and has sooooo much space in it!

Of course, it inspired a full studio redo. I'm still in the middle of that, but did take some time today to get photos of things I'll be listing soon, as well as getting purchases packed and shipped. Usually I am more on the ball than that, and get them out faster. But this week, I've mostly been on a cleaning binge. First, the house, then a bit of the yard, and now the studio.

Uhm, it might have needed a bit of cleaning….

This is the after for the sink area in my storage corner of the studio. I am taking all those half cans of paint to the Habitat for Humanity store for reuse and I rearranged the rest so I could get to the sink without scaling a junk pile.

The other end of the room was just as bad.

But is so much better now! Not exactly gorgeous, but hey, it is storage. The best I can go for is functional. I'd let it really get away with me, and hadn't taken the time to put anything back in its place.

One cute thing that I have in my closet (which really isn't a closet, it is just a corner of the room, that I blocked off with doors and furniture) is this old postal cart. I store my shipping supplies in it, seems fitting for that purpose.

The studio is coming along. I really didn't think I'd spend so much time on it, but you move one thing, that starts an avalanche of other things that need moved too. So, day three of the big clean up and I am close to done, but not quite.

Of course, I've had this little person helping off and on. Right now, she is sound asleep, napping on the floor of the studio, but I hear her stirring. I'd better run, its probably just about time for a play dough break.

A mini tutorial just in time for May Day and Mother’s Day

flowers, how-to projects, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / April 20, 2009

For some reason, I didn't do much shopping at Miss Frenchie's myself. I missed out on some great items, and am kicking myself about some vintage lace curtain panels thatDebbie had. I guess that when I go to a show, I am in a selling mode, not a buying one.

There were a few little souveniers I picked up for myself, though. One of these great "Miss Frenchie's April in Paris" candles from Debbie, and from Beth, this Eiffel tower. I might glitter it up. When I get caught up. If that can ever happen.

Part of getting caught up was cleaning up around the house a bit, (with me away 4 days in a row, and life going on without me to pick up after it, the house got a little – no a lot- messy). And I have neglected my yard getting ready for this sale, so I took a couple hours today to tidy up and hit dandelions with Round Up. I adore that stuff. I should own stock in the company I use so much of it.

The bundles of pansies and violas that I used as props at the sale needed to be potted, so I planted them, and used the moss I'd had for the sale too.

People at the sale seemed to be taken with the bundles of pansies, and I got a lot of inquiries about them. So, I thought I'd do a mini tutorial for you. With May Day and Mother's Day both around the corner, these are a handy and inexpensive little gift.

Start with a 4 pack of bedding plants and try to get a good one, with lots of blooms on it.

Remove from the pots and soak the roots in water. (you can add root starter if you'd like)

Wrap the wet root ball in a paper napkin.

Wrap the wet napkin-ed roots in a piece of Saran Wrap, making sure you have it covered well, so it won't leak.

Select paper to tie up the plant in. I used pages torn from an old book titled "Art in Every Day Life" because I liked seeing those words across the top of the package.

You could use scrapbook paper, lace paper doilies, gift wrap, just about anything you'd like.

I chose a wide, ivory ribbon to tie around my plants. Raffia, rickrack, lots of things would work.

Since I was going to a show and needed greenery for my tables, I made up quite a few of these. There was no leakage, and 5 days later they were still in good shape to plant.

These bundles look so pretty and it is a nice presentation that takes little time or money. Sometimes, I add one to a gift bag to stick out of the top. Its like a bouquet with a bonus, because they can be planted later and enjoyed for a long time!

Magic in a Midwestern Barn

Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / April 19, 2009

We had a fantastic weekend at Miss Frenchie's! And Alexander Majors Barn (and Historical House) was a perfect location for the event. Not only was the staff welcoming, kind, and over the top helpful, we also got to contribute to this historical home and bring in some people to see it, who might not have even been aware that it existed.

Our merchandise was set up in the barn behind the home, and some of our vendors,
Donnie Volkart, and Elizabeth Maxson, had taken advantage of the lovely day and sat up on the lawn while this hardworking lady in the background tills up the garden the old fashioned way- with a hand plow!

I hope we at least raised enough money for the place to afford a mule for planting time.

The show was WELL ATTENDED, and that is no exaggeration! I kind of poled people as they checked out, asking how they heard about the show. Of course the biggest number was from Curious Sofa, Debbie has a well deserved following. But I was also pleased to hear that some people saw my sign while driving by and dropped in.

Donnie's things on the lawn probably caught the eye of people passing by too!

He had an eclectic mix, packed up straight from his week in Round Top.

Last winter, when we had our first ever, Frenchie's Brocante, we only used a fraction of the space. This time we opened up the other half of the barn, plus used the upstairs and the yards.

This is Carol's area, leading back to Elizabeth's.

And remember me telling you about the chandeliers Elizabeth was hanging? Well, it sure was worth her dangling 20 feet in the air and staying up till 4am, look at her space!

Everything was breathtaking back there.

Of course, so was Debbie's.

And Carol's.

And ALL OF IT. We had some amazing dealers and artists.

With gorgeous views from every angle!

(this is looking down on Beth's booth from the stairs)

I was glad I had taken the time to drape my ceiling in lights and lace. It made for a romantic atmosphere that I enjoyed spending time in.

Beth and I had adjoining spaces, and we shared a checkout table under the stair way to save room. I draped it in lace too, mostly to make it nice to sit under, so we didn't feel like trolls under a bridge, but also because I didn't want dirt and ucky stuff falling through the open stairs onto our heads.

Next, time, we are filling that crinoline with twinkle lights! The ones we plugged in this time didn't work, and there was no time to get another string of them.

My worries about sitting next to the bakery all weekend were justified. THEY BAKE HOME MADE CROISSANTS. And did I mention that they were some of the most buttery, delicious things I have ever had????

I'll leave you with a few shots of my booth.

In the next few days, as I unpack, I'll be listing some goodies in the shop. When I prepared for the show, I made up lots of extras to have for my on line Boutique.

I'll also pick a gift out for the April Giveaway and take a photo of that for you. I hope that you all know that there is always a PRESENT of some kind here on my blog? and all comments count all month as entries.

Off to restock!

Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / April 18, 2009

We are having way too much fun at Miss Frenchies! I'm on my way back to Kansas City to restock my booth and get ready for today's bustling bunch of shoppers. So, no time for more pictures, but I promise, there are tons coming. This one is from Marylin, and HERE is a link to some from Mary.

April in Paris

Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / April 17, 2009

We aren't even completely set up yet at Miss Frenchie's and I am already shopping. How could I resist this candle? Debbie had them specially made up. And they have the perfect scent for the occasion to, a lemongrass rosemary concoction of some kind. One was burning in her booth, and the whole barn was filled with the scent. I was addicted before I even saw the label. I hate perfumey candles, I like natural smells just like this, herbs with a hint of citrus. I also love vanillas and cinnamon, and Kohls has a Birthday Cake candle that has special meaning for my Sissy and I. I always think of her when I burn one.

Just as I will always think of the fun group at Miss Frenchies when I burn this new candle from Debbie. We could have used one of those birthday cake candles yesterday, though. It was Little Miss Pearl's birthday. I think she just might have gotten a little attention for it too.

The sale is looking great! We have dealers that shop only in Europe, and bring back things like this PINK French farmhouse table and other gorgeousness that you rarely come across in the Midwest.

And then there are local dealers, like my BFF, Beth, who finds the coolest things that Kansas has to offer, and usually at the best prices too.

Then, there is the exotic and imaginative Elizabeth, who spent hours hanging a unique chandelier display 20 feet up in the air. She has quite a flair for drama, and it is worth coming just to see her displays!

(this is mid-set up, not done yet) Elizabeth's chandies hung in bags from cheesecloth most of the evening, I kept thinking about that scene in Van Helsing where all the baby vampires were hanging in the caves…

Now, I don't exactly consider myself a schmuck when it comes to being creative. I have my moments. But- when I walked around and ogled the displays that the vendors came up with, I sure was impressed and felt honored to be included with this group. This booth is by Greg Johnson, who designs popular calenders.

Heck, even piles of stuff not set up and "styled" yet, looked really good too!

Hope to see you there! For more info about the show and the dealers/artists, please look here.

EDIT- TYPEPAD MAKES ME SO ANGRY!!!!!!!! I had to hit ctrl/alt/delete SEVEN TIMES to write this post, my screen kept locking up. What is the deal with this? I never had trouble and just loved Typepad before their so called improvements. Since they "fixed things" there are days when I lose my post completely. Its really frustrating and I am getting fed up.

I discovered it is not a problem with my own computer, like they tried to tell me it was, when I wrote a post from another computer and the same thing happened to me.

OK, enough ranting,sorry, here was what I was trying to add-

I wasn't able to add this link to the body of the post, so am adding it here at the end. It is a link to the calanders that Greg Johnson designs:

http://www.amazon.com/Seasons-LLC-Andrews-McMeel-Publishing/dp/0740767666/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Making it Girly

antiques/junking, how to's, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / April 15, 2009

Today, I got a head start on my booth at the Miss Frenchie's sale. I went in to help Debbie and Carol tape out the booths, and decorate, and ended up staying and hanging my lights and drapes. The building is a dark, rough wood barn, so I wanted to make my spot a bit more girly. Hmm, I think I might have got it. Lots of lace, and cheesecloth and mini white lights are at least a good start! Tomorrow, it will feel good to have this part done, and I'll be able to throw on my table cloths and start piling up the crap.

Well, I wish it was that easy…. there is still the hauling all the heavy boxes in from the big, red, redneck truck and figuring out just where it should all fit.

Getting ready early is sure the way to go. I was thrilled with having so much ready weeks in advance. Yes, I still have some little things here and there that need done, but I'd say 90% of it was tagged and bagged before I went to DC. Wait a minute, isn't tagged and bagged what detectives on TV say when they have a body to wrap up?

Since I was mostly ready pretty early, I was able to hang out and make tags last night while I watched American Idol (I can't decide if I am a Gokey fan or an Adam fan, I really like them both).

Here is the process for this tag-

I drew the dress form on heavy watercolor paper in brown ink, then added a wash of paint.

Next, I glued the cut out dress form onto my favorite wallpaper ( a gift from Heather)

That was glued to a page from an old sewing magazine (a gift from Barb)

Next, I glued all of that to some vintage sheet music that I had sprayed with chocolate Glimmer Mist, and glued all of it to a 4" x 8" shipping tag, and trimmed the edges.

The bottom is trimmed with a sewn ruffle of pattern paper, and highlighted with gold Stickles (love that stuff, I don't know why I don't use it more often)

More Stickles was used around the wallpaper piece, I tied a silk ribbon to the top and glued on some old millinery blooms.

This one uses hand painted butterflies cut out from that heavy watercolor paper too. That just might be my new favorite trick. I did the same thing, with the hat that I painted for the piece I posted about last time.

My goal is to paint more. I just adore doing collage work, but have realized lately that I miss painting. So, I'm going to try to mix the two elements more.

And since I am feeling Frenchie this weekend, I wrote "butterflies" in French on the tag.

This one is a thank you gift for Stephanie who co-hosted the apron swap withHeather. Butterflies have a special meaning to her, so I hope she'll like this. The tag with the old hat goes to Heather and the dress form is for my buddy, Beth, because without her, I never would have finished that apron!

Well, like I said, I have a few little things left to do to get ready for the sale this weekend. I need to add a bulb to this GREAT lamp. Which I just might keep…..

If you are in the area, or wanting to take a road trip to come and see us, come on by Miss Frenchie's sale this weekend! Make sure you come by and introduce yourself. I'll be the one under the lace awning straight back on the left, by the bakery.

An ABC of crafting- Aprons, Bellas, and Changes

Miss Frenchie's, Silver Bella, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / April 14, 2009

Are you going to be a Bella this year?? I wouldn't miss it! The atmosphere created by all those creative types gathered together and sharing ideas, gossip, giggles, as well as glue and glitter is quite something. The timing makes it good kick off to the Christmas holiday season, I come home wanting to spread sparkles and cheer everywhere I go.

Silverbella is more than just classes, it is an Event, with a capital E. If you want to go, check it out here:

http://www.paperbellastudio.com/pages/silverbella.htm

Another fun thing I am trying to plan is a get away to DC with not one, but two batches of friends all in the same week. A group of Lawrence, KS buddies wants to join me there for a Girl's Getaway, during the week, and then when the weekend comes, I hope to meet up with Blog Buddies in Leesburg for shopping.

Heather and Stephanie,who hosted the apron swap I am in, are going to meet me there, as well as some local Virginia area pals. I'm hoping Beth will go too. Last time I was there, I found this wooden hanger for her collection and brought it back as a souvenir. The rest of the pile of goodies is what I pulled together to use to make the apron I did for Zita as my part of the swap.

But does anything ever go as planned? Very little of my pile of supplies made it into the finished product. I took the bag of laces and ribbons and flowers with me to Beth'sthe other day for a couple hours of escapism into craft time, which I really needed. Seems like some projects just need a 2nd person's opinion, and some days, you just need the outlet of a friend to talk to while you work.

I'd been struggling with this one, nothing I was doing was working, and one vintage apron actually fell apart on me, after I tried bleaching, dying, and aging it. But, having Beth around to bounce ideas off of, and to hand me things from her studio to try on it, really helped. She even provided this apron to use, as well as the image of the little girl. She downloaded it from Vintage Workshop and printed it on cloth. I'd done the same thing with a rose picture, but it somehow just wasn't quite right.

Sometimes, the plans just don't work. I've learned to be flexible, do my best to rearrange, make changes, and then do what Tim Gunn always says, "Make it work".

The pieces I had picked out to use for Zita, really were things I thought she'd like, so I used them as the gift wrap for the finished apron.

And I was even able to use the first apron that I thought was ruined, as a liner, no, I guess for fabrics, you'd say, lining, huh?

Its on its way to Canada now, I hope she enjoys it! I barely got it done by the deadline. Some how, I am not keeping up with my life as well as I should. I did have Sugarwings all week, and am trying to get ready for Miss Frenchie's, plus we just had Easter, and I took a week's vacation. Well, any one of those things could explain why I am so behind on everything.

Tomorrow, I go and help Debbie and Carol set up decorations and mark booth spaces for the show, and I need to pack a few straggles up that I don't have tagged and ready yet. But instead of tagging and packing, I have been doing something more fun. I'm making thank you gifts for the two hostesses of the swap.

Its always good to have an excuse to make things! And some how those tags will get on that stuff, and everything will get thrown into the big red, redneck truck I drive. So, I made this last night while I watched "House" instead of making price tags.

For this, I even got my watercolors out. I want to make a gift for Beth too, she was a major factor in me getting that apron done at all.

Ah, it feels good to just sit and make something that I really enjoy. But for now, I'd better get those price tags made. I have a feeling that my fairy godmother isn't going to show up and do it for me. I'll have to create the other two paintings that I have in mind later.

Hoppy Easter!

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 12, 2009

Happy Easter! We've had a fun one so far, lots of egg hunting excitement, and we've decided that instead of Sugarwings, the fairy grand baby's new name is "Sugar Rush".

She might have had one too many jelly beans today! Although, her Daddy did buy organic ones and only hid one treat in each egg, she was insistant on opening them up and devouring the treat the moment she found it.

After all the eggscitement, she has been tucked in for a nap (well, we HOPE she'll take a nap- tucking in Miss Sugar Rush was like trying to convince a Tasmanian Devil to get some rest).

We are having a small dinner tonight, only about 9 of us, so we'll fit in the dining room. I didn't have to clean the studio after all!

My Handsome Husband is smoking a pork tenderloin, stuffed with apples and brown sugar plus a turkey breast, I am making baked mac and cheese, and Sugarwing's Daddy has whipped up vegetarian beans in the crock pot. My sister-in-law is bringing some other dishes. Aren't pitch ins the best meals ever?

Sugarwings did her part of preparing dinner by helping to decorate this cake. And it has taken over her mind, even with all the jelly beans she has consumed, all she can think about is this cake she created. Every other sentence she speaks includes something about Easter Bunny Birthday Cake.

And I don't blame her! This cake is a candy lover's dream! Sprinkles in the batter, as well as 3 kinds of sprinkles on top, 4 colors of sprinkled sugar, edible glitter, peeps, and little coconut nests filled with Cadbury eggs. I can't wait either!

Here is a tip for making coconut nests, I had never done it before, but figured out how to do it.

Mix one cup of sweetened, flaked coconut with a few drops of green food coloring

Add a splash of milk

Stir in a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

The trick to make it work, was the powdered sugar, that and the milk make the coconut easy to form into nests. Kind of like play dough.

My home is now covered in pink Easter grass, but I think I kind of like it. I was going to clean it up before dinner, but its festive, so I'll probably leave it all over the floor. But I do need to go and put together my mac and cheese casserole and set the table. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday too!

Cest La Vie

hand painted signs, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / April 10, 2009

Miss Frenchie's sale is next weekend, and since I don't have much in the way of genuine French goods, like some of the other dealers, I faked it and made up a few little French inspired signs and tags. This is a mix of vintage paper, ink, paint, lace and part of an old necklace.

Both of these signs are painted and collaged onto old door panels. This one is sparkled up with some OLD beaded trim from a vintage dress. What good is the good stuff if it is just tucked away somewhere? I'm using mine!

It was fun to mix elements and come up with these plaques. And I think that everything looks better with a bit of crackled finish.

For some reason, I was in a "scripted" mood. My handwriting is notoriously bad, it was a joke in my family for years. Back in olden times, when letters were handwritten, my mom and sisses dreaded hearing from me, because they knew they would only be able to read every other word, if they were lucky.

But when I paint words, my handwriting changes. I love frilly, curvy lettering done free hand. En Le Jardin refers to the gathering at Jenn's that I am over flowing with anticipation for.

Maybe it was that phrase that got me started on this signage. (this one is for Jenn, not for the sale) Jenn has ordered fleurs (I'm still feeling Frenchie, I guess) from me for a project she is doing as decor for the gathering. So, I have been laying out piles of flowers to photograph for her and have enjoyed them covering my table top so much, that I left them there for the back ground of all these pictures.

See, isn't a pile of flowers, I mean, fleurs, prettier than any table runner I could have used behind this card?

And aren't these old Easter cards cute? Although, if I were a kid hunting eggs and came across some that big, I might be a bit freaked out. What laid those, dinosaurs??? Just how old are these cards, if they depict kids hunting dino eggs?

Speaking of being freaked out by dinosaurs, Miss Sugarwings went to T-Rex today and had some prehistoric close encounters herself.

That is my new favorite restaurant! Gosh, I wish I had the job of doing all the mural painting for those, what fun work that must have been. And the decor is too perfect, I thought the ice age areas are beautiful as can be.

Here is Sugarwings in some of the eerie blue light coming off the fake ice. She was craning her neck out as far as she could to take in the sights. Every once in a while, she'd let out a little scream, but it was all in fun, as long as she was being held, she was loving all the scary creatures.

Its been a busy day, picking up my husband at the airport, dining with dinos, and trying to squeeze in some work between dinner and an art opening I went to tonight. I was able to get some packages wrapped up to get into Saturday's mail, and that is something I hate to rush. Wrapping up the package is such fun. This is the necklace that Kana won for my March Giveaway. The tag that is tied to it is made of a copy of some French ephemera from my pal, Gwen, who will also be at Miss Frenchie's sale (actually, the whole event was her idea to start with).

This pretty Easter postcard went in the package of goods that Valita bought from my boutique. And of course, the floral wallpaper was so perfect with it, I had to use that to wrap it in.

Jewelry has been popular as a giveaway item for me lately, how about more jewels for the April gift? Right now, all my pieces are packed up for the sale next week, but here is a sampling from an earlier picture.

So, after Miss Frenchie's I'll get something pretty picked out to photograph and that will be the April Giveaway. All of the comments all month count.

do you get tired of me repeating that line all the time?

As hectic as today was, I'm glad I took the time to go to the art opening downtown. Meeting up with friends (even REALLY SKINNY ONES- why do I always have to stand next to my skinniest friend, Jen, in photos??) is a nice way to cap off a day!

A Frothy Concoction of pink and fluff just for me!

Miss Frenchie's, swaps

By Karla Nathan / April 8, 2009

When I first started my blog, I wasn't a blog reader, wasn't even quite sure what they were for or about. I thought it would just be a business tool. When I saw "swaps" going on, after browsing a bit, I wondered what the heck those were about. Giveaways too. Why would anyone give away their hand made goods to strangers???

Then, as I got to know my readers and other bloggers, I realized that they are not strangers at all! And giveaways are just a small part of giving back all the goodness I get from all of you out there.

And swaps?! Wow! Its so fun to see other artist's take on the same subject and it is just wonderful to see what each one comes up with for the theme.

This altered apron swap hosted by Heather and her good buddy, Stephanie(who is new to blogging, but has sure hit the ground running and has a nice spot to visit!) is a great example of the talent and generosity out there in blogworld. This frothy concoction was waiting for me this afternoon on the porch.

Just look at the details that went into its transformation! Lori drew my name as the person she was whipping up an apron for and she sure nailed my tastes, didn't she?

Lori sent along a goodie packet with the apron.

The "Bluebird Buttons" card went directly into my china cabinet with my blue bird collection.

And the embroidered hanky went right to Twinkle. I think I'll have her wear it for Easter Sunday's egg hunt.

I know what I'll be wearing! Thanks, Lori!!

On a much, much less pretty note, this is what my studio looks like right now. I think I've mentioned that I use my two dining room tables in the front half of the studio for big family dinners. But why do dinners always seem to be around the same time as something big going on that causes me to trash my studio? Right now, I am packing up for Miss Frenchie's sale (by the way, that blog is updated). So, the room looks like a twister hit it, not like I am going to be serving a turkey dinner there.

I'd better get cracking on that, huh? I'll try to gather up something for April's giveaway to show you in the next post. I'll probably find something really nice buried in that mess somewhere. Just because I don't have a prize yet doesn't mean there isn't a giveaway. All comments count, all month.

Author name: Karla Nathan