Karla Nathan – Page 278 – Karla's Cottage

Guests come by the Cottage and one is a real live doll

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, family, Food and Drink, give away, hand painted signs, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 20, 2007

We have house guests at the cottage this weekend. An old college friend of my husband’s and his 3 teenagers with their dog, Bennet.

So far, Bennet and Twinks have wrestled non stop since he got here. It sounds like an entire herd of dogs running around upstairs. That is, when Twinkle’s feet get a chance to touch the ground. Our beautiful guest,Maddy is quite the dog lover and has been carrying Twinks everywhere she goes.

Maddy looks a bit like this paper doll doesn’t she?

I did this picture yesterday and have it listed on Etsy today.

Something a little different than what I usually do. I discovered that framed collage pieces require a a different mindset than the tags.

I made a couple more hanging pieces while I was at it. This one has a unique frame, it is a metal dish that I found junking this summer. Those portraits are tinted with pastels and then set down into the 2 cups of the tray. The piece itself is like a nut dish, or something like that. I can see it used for mints and nuts at a wedding a long time ago.

I am pretending that the old photos are of two sisters, one kind of plain and serious and the other blond and flirty and cute. Sounds a bit like the beginning to a Jane Austen novel, doesn’t it? I’m sure that the plain and serious sister married well and for love. And had nuts and mints at her wedding.

This is another metal tray from an estate sale, maybe it was meant as a boudoir tray? I think it might need a word or a phrase added to it. I am not good with that part of collage, but I will think about it, and look through some old books. Down near the doll there is a spot that could use a little something.

How sick are you of me showing button jars? I LOVE making those. I listed this one yesterday, all the others have sold and I only have 5 empty jars left to embellish, a couple of them will be commissions.

I’ll have to start checking out other jars to use, because they are so fun to make and it is rewarding when they fly out of the Etsy shop!

Although, I really need to get ready for my Holiday Sale. I should be getting serious and getting some painting done. I have to hand paint a few dozen ornaments and make some more of these signs.

As well as a million other things I need to have ready. I try to make a list of what needs to be done when, but I simply can’t follow it. I am not wired that way. I get side tracked by shiny objects and go off track and do something totally different.

Or I get sidetracked by my fairy grand baby. She has spent a lot of time with me this week. Last night she helped me make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from this recipe. I don’t usually use recipes, I wing it. But I saw this on Monica’s blog.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 Cups flour
1 cup quick or old fashion oats, uncooked
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter /margarine, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin
1 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels

preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Cream butter; gradually add sugars beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in morsels; drop by rounded spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes, until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Remove from sheets and cool on rack.

With a houseful of teenagers for the weekend, I thought I could use some more snacks so I mixed up a big batch of honey roasted nuts, regular peanuts, cashews, candy corn, broken up Hershey bars, and peanut butter chips.

I like to keep bowls of treats out to spoil the kids when they come to visit, and this is about as easy as it gets.

Speaking of cooking, I need to go tend to my huge pot of black bean chili that is on the stove. I am feeding a lot of people while they watch a KU game this afternoon. Maybe while they are watching football, I can squeeze in painting a few signs.

I will have my 200th post on Monday. Please leave a comment on this one, #199, or the 200th and I will have a drawing for the Foof of Life book and a hand made book mark to go with it. The drawing will be on my 201st.

198 and Counting and Sugarwings serves Tea

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, paintings, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 18, 2007

Will you be irritated with me if I complain about not getting much done again? I work fast, but I seem to have LIFE get in the way of getting artwork done.

Yesterday all I was able to do was this painting of roses, in an embellished frame, and a few more button jars.

I’ve really enjoyed making these jars, and they are selling as fast as I list them! That is a nice (and rare)feeling.

The pink one, filled with all pink buttons is my favorite. I hope to list it today. Yesterday my Internet went down, it was going off and on, unpredictably, and I would get kicked off just as I was in the middle of downloading a photo.

I have spent the better part of the morning talking to a tech person on the phone, but I think I have the computer back up and running. Or at least I hope so. Maybe I should make this a fast post instead of my typical ramblings, so I don’t lose it all?

The other reason I didn’t get work much done? I was doing better things!

Sugarwings and I had our first tea party together. She was excited to put on her party dress over her regular clothes and actually played with the tea cups and spoon as they were meant to be. She is growing up so fast.

She spent a lot of time pretending to feed Twinkle and the teddy bears. But Twinks was more interested in eating the crayons we’d been using instead.

OK, this is classic Karla here– notice the bright orange Goodwill tag still on the shoulder of the pretty dress? Yep, I take special "First Tea Party" photos for the scrapbook and the baby is wearing a Goodwill tag.

My fairy grand baby stayed over night and most of both days, so we got a lot of playing done and not much else.

We both woke up with the same bed-head hairstyle. Somehow,it is cuter on her….

Sugarwings went with me to run errands, I had to drop off some packages. I’d run out of poster board to wrap wallpaper in, and had to use the poster that I had as display for face painting last week.

When there is a baby around, you have to make do with what you have, it isn’t easy to drop everything and run to the store for poster board to wrap a package.

By the way, the going rate around here for a pumpkin or a butterfly on the side of your child’s face is $2.

This is fun- Beachy is having a challenge. She wants us to use this photo any way we want and then show the results. I plan on making a get well card for Carole of Scoundrels and Rogues, who is having a rough time with back surgery. I’ve had quite a few back surgeries myself and know what it is like. I spent a couple of years practically bed ridden and still have some nerve loss in my left leg.

If you want to send Carole a card, I can give you the info on where to send it. Marylou is putting a box together for her. I promise to add the link tomorrow, but am having computer issues today and can’t seem to do it.

Today is post #198, remember on my 200th, I will be giving away this beautiful book and a hand painted book mark to keep track of your place in it.

Also, leaving any comment at all, any time this month enters you in the regular drawing I have. Do you get sick of me explaining that every time? I should make up a button or something to keep displayed so I don’t say it over and over!

EDIT: here is the info for Carole

Hello Gal blogger friends! Our dear sweet friend Carole of Click here: Scoundrels And Rogues is having a very hard time of it. She’s had 2 back surgeries in the last 10 days. When she called me last Saturday she was in so much pain. I felt so bad for her…She’s in for a long slow recovery. She told me it will be 1 to 2 years until she will be able to walk again on her own again.

Marylou from Click here: Marylou’s Thoughts & Other Critical Matter:) has started the project "Cards for Carole" to help cheer Carole up. She would like you to all send Carole a get well card..Please. Click on Marylou’s blog to find out more of what’s going on. Or you can email Marylou at maryloudalcino@sbcglobal.net. I’m trying to get the word out for Marylou. Thanks so very much!! You and Marylou are just the best group of Gals there is out there in blogging land. Lets all show Carole how much we care about her…

Bless your hearts! ~Mary~ IsabellasCloset

Giving away some Foof and some practcial painting tips

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, how-to projects

By Karla Nathan / October 16, 2007

Even though my slipcovers turned out cute, (as long as you didn’t look closely at the seams and corners!!) I still hate to sew.

But vintage sewing stuff is so cool. I love the color of the satin on this sewing box, and it is also a music box!

I listed it on Ebay yesterday after filling it with pretties. I know I will NEVER use it if I keep it around.

I try to tell myself that I can’t keep everything. That also goes along with the rule "you can’t buy everything" when you are at a flea market.

Luckily there is Etsy too. I have sincerely loved this venue. I don’t sell a ton of stuff, but enough to justify making more!

I would say that for me, Etsy is about the equivalent of a small art and craft show once a month. Without leaving my cottage!

I made two more button jars to list on Etsy yesterday, one full of blue buttons, with a blue lid, the other red.

But I didn’t make much yesterday, I felt like the day was a mishmash and nothing really got accomplished. I did clean house, babysit and go to the gym and that was a chunk of daylight right there.

I also re-did this cabinet, chest of drawers thing from a garage sale ($25).

It was grey to start with, I lightly sanded and primed it.

I used Zinzer Bullseye spray bonding primer. The only place I can ever find that product (best primer on the planet!!!) is Home Depot.

I always take the drawers out to paint them. And I do paint INSIDE the drawers of old pieces, so they are nice and clean and fresh. I rarely prime the interior, it doesn’t seem to need priming.

Never paint the outside of a drawer, though, that will make it hard to pull in and out.

And of course, it is good to have company while you are working.

I use a small, flat, wheeled square thing that I got at a garage sale for 50 cents to move my furniture. It is easier than maneuvering a dolly. I have built bigger ones like this with a piece of wood covered in carpet remnants and wheels from the hardware store to handle larger pieces of furniture.

I like being able to move almost any piece by myself without asking for help. So all the little tricks and tools I can get, I’m happy to use.

I debated how much time to put into this piece. I know it would have looked great with trim added to the top and the handles removed,their holes filled in with putty, and then glass knobs added.

But, I don’t sell furniture full time now like I used to, and I have few markets for the piece. I am having a sale in December, but if it doesn’t sell then, I’ll be keeping it.

So, I kept the project simple, and primed and painted over the existing handles. I think they have kind of a rustic charm about them.

I lined the inside of the opening with some of my favorite vintage wallpaper. It hurt me a little bit to cut so much off the roll! I usually am making smaller projects with it.

I know it would look great to line the drawers with wallpaper too, but I was being practical with this one. Fresh paint was good enough. Sometimes good enough is OK.

Hmm, if this piece doesn’t sell, I think it will make a pretty backdrop for photographing items I have to sell.

But these are not for sale- the book "Foof of Life" and a handmade bookmark with a tiny painted rose on it will be your prize for my 200th posting!

Today is #197, so check back and enter by leaving a comment on the day of my 200th.

Every comment you leave on any post enters you into my October giveaway, which will be your choice of a Cottage Collage Kit, or else something I have made from one, if you are not a crafter.

Last night, I went to a talk given by a good friend of mine, Louis Copt. He is an amazing artist and does paintings of Kansas landscapes that are so beautiful, you almost think Kansas would be a cool place to live.

Here is his website, take a look at his Prairie Fire series!!!

http://www.louiscopt.com/

I have a screw loose

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, paintings, redos, Sugarwings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 14, 2007

Last night, I embellished old jars that I had filled with vintage buttons.

I used wallpaper on the lid and the label of this one, then added hand drawn swirls onto it in that translucent gold pen I like to use.

It shows up a bit here in the close up of the lid, but really is prettier in person. (I just got an email, the first jar sold on Etsy, but I will list more)

Everything I used on these jars is from my stash of old stuff. I have tons of scrap booking paper and supplies from Michaels and Hobby Lobby, but when I do my art projects, I prefer vintage materials.

I also finished up my Silver Bella ATCs. They have trim at the bottom and a ribbon to hang from, so I don’t know if that breaks any ATC rules, or not. But the swap is at the holiday time, so I thought they’d make nice ornaments.

They are all basically made the same, but no two are exactly alike.

Today, I haven’t done much of any thing but piddle around here and there. I listed a button jar on Etsy and those beautiful, old French illustrations on Ebay.

I’ve been struggling to get this crib together for Sugarwings for months now. I’ve asked everyone to help and no one could figure it out!

The friend who loaned it to me came by and we got it together, but of course, I am missing one screw. As always in any project!

It looked kind of plain so, I added an old table cloth as a skirt. My mother made the quilt years ago, the rosebuds are perfect for this room.

Now the fairy grand baby can actually sleep in her special room, instead of a portable bed downstairs.

(the bed has wheels and I will roll it away from the wall and cords before I let her sleep in it, don’t worry!!)

This chair used to be in the corner of her room, but I moved it into the library to make space for the crib.I added an old slipcover I had made for the chair when it was previously in the living room. For a heavy chair, it sure gets moved from room to room a lot.

The old log cabin style doll house was at a garage sale for $8. I painted it ivory and took the removable roof off to use it at a book rack for the baby’s favorite stories.

This is one of those catch all rooms that a lot of people seem to have. Where all the odds and ends go and you try to make them fit. (this room will need a LOT of work before people tour the cottage!)

This garage sale wicker desk needs repainted, but for now, I just laid two hankies on the top and covered them with a piece of glass from a dresser top.

I’m getting ready for a holiday home tour, so will stick with red and green for this room, and bring in my funky knee-hugger elves and other kitschy things.

The library is a room we added in the attic, this is the little room in the main part of the house that serves as an entry way to the space.

The library walls were textured, by adding joint compound to the paint.

The entryway is the same color of paint, but no texture. I painted leaves onto the wall with acrylic craft paints thinned with glaze, in a slightly darker green. (I just love the fabric on the old chair! It used to be curtains)

We walled of the end of the room to build a linen closet. To give the tiny room some interest, I cut up a broken Victorian foot board to hang above the closet doors.

I have a few of my watercolors hanging in this alcove area.

Sugarwing’s room and our guest room (also part of the attic) are upstairs also.

This is the door that was on the front of our old farmhouse when we bought it.I wanted to keep it, but really had no where practical for it, so here it is at the top of the stairs.

Some one had irritatingly painted over all the glass! I stripped those down to discover that some of the colored glass had been replaced with clear. So I used stained glass paint from Hobby Lobby to fill in. (the fakes are the purple panes)

My last piddling around project this morning was hanging the old print I had added fairy wings to, and above it, the portrait I painted of Sugarwings, back when she was 5 months old. (seems like ages ago that she was a tiny baby!)

These are in her room now and I think I am completely done in there and ready for the Holiday Home Tour!! The baby’s room and the guest room are set to go. Well, except for that one missing screw to the crib……

I’m off to go paint something. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway drawing.

A lucky Fairy Find, Sugarwings goes to her first estate sale, and Ryan gets a date!

antiques/junking, collections, fairies, I do tend to run on, don't I?, paintings

By Karla Nathan / October 12, 2007

It has been a long, long, hectic week, with working on the living room, helping out extra days with the baby,since her dad is hurt, and 2 days of jury duty selection.

Due to the nature of the criminal case, I was a wreck after sitting through the first day of the selection process, even though I wasn’t picked. I had to force myself to go back a second day,and it went better. Plus there was an hour and half lunch break and I went shopping! Finding a pile of pretty junk CHEAP always cheers me up!

This pink frothy prom dress (with a broken zipper, but somehow I don’t think this granny will be wearing it anyway) was only $5! The earrings above were 50 cents a pair and the lovely rose book was $2, so was the white bird. Which will go into my newly decluttered living room to restart the cluttering up process!

Part of my de-cluttering was to take this hand painted ceiling tin piece out of the room.

I still like it, the flowers are just too red for the new look.

I thought I’d show this piece again, because the last time I did, was on the day of my lowest ever number of views on this blog. Only 4 hits that day. So chances are, no one has seen it!

It is so nice to know I am not writing just to myself and there are actually people out there now. Not just readers, friends.

Bethany listened to me the other night when I was really down and upset about the creepy guy at court on Tuesday and how shaken up I was by the few details I had heard about the accusations against him.

Today, Tamy sent me this kind card and these little red hearts as a thank you for hosting the party last month.

That’s just two examples in the last couple of days of the generosity I have seen in the blog world. I am now nearing my 200th post and 80,000 hits. During that time, I have seen countless acts of generosity and friendship from readers and bloggers both.

That is why I am planning on giving away a gift on my 200th posting. Come by to visit that day and enter the drawing!

Another generous blog friend, who actually has been a great friend for years, is Beth. After this tough week, I took yesterday off to go and hang out with her. When I got there, this china bouquet wall pocket was waiting for me!

It is so pretty, I can’t decide where to hang it. Right now, I am just enjoying having it laying out where I can admire it. Shoot, I almost feel like sleeping with it under my pillow, it is so wonderful! (she thought it was ugly, but knew I’d love it)

I packed up my supplies to make ATC cards for my Silver Bella swap.

I loved this old photo, and copied it thinking she’d look lovely in a German foil crown that I got from Speckled Egg (another Bella- she has a great shop).

Beth had given me the gray floral wallpaper, and I thought it was fitting for the "silver" background of the Silver Bella cards.

I took her some wallpaper too.

We are both totally addicted to the stuff, and share in each other’s finds. Speaking of—- LOOK AT THIS!!!!

Fairy wallpaper!!!!

These cards aren’t quite done yet, I’ll be adding some of the Martha Stewart White Gold glitter to the outlines of the background flowers.

These took forever, lots of steps. I should have just painted something instead, it would have been quicker, and I doubt anyone will know how complicated these were to make.

There are hand drawn metallic swirls in the background of the paper, and the lady’s face has been tinted with pastels, then her dress is outlined in glitter ink, and two different metallic two-toned paints were used on her dress. It might have taken a while, but we had fun, Beth was making Christmas tags and we were snacking and laughing all day.

I took another day off today too! I figured after court, I deserved it. I took my fairy grand baby to her very first estate sale and it was a good one.

Three boxes of old hats and millinery flowers for $3 or $5 a box!

There were some, nice big roses in the box too.

Some sewing supplies, that I bought mostly because I found what I thought was a dream come true in the box–

A BOX OF PREMADE BOBBINS!!!!!!!!!!!

Juggling a baby and three boxes of hats, made it kind of hard to look inside the bobbin box, and I figured I’d use the seam binding and buttons any way, so I bought it without opening it.

Sadly, it was just a bobbin holder, don’t you think the picture on the box is misleading??? And why don’t they sell filled bobbins? Heck, you don’t have to thread your own spools, why do you have to thread your own bobbins???

The rest of the day off was spent in watching a great Zombie movie, 28 Weeks later. That first zombie scene in it is one of the scariest I have ever seen. And I am a huge Zombie fan. I used to make Cherry cobbler to eat during these movies and call it zombie guts, but my son, Ryan went on a diet and lost 100 pounds and now he won’t eat cobbler with his mom any more.

Great news! A girl asked my shy son Ryan for his phone number and he is going out with her! I am thrilled to see him get out of the house and meet some one. All he does is work and work out and play video games (or watch horror movies with mom).

I’ve done it again, ran on and on. Remember- every comment enters the monthly drawing. Thanks!

The Last Day of the 3 day Living Room do-over

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Hand Painted Furniture, how to's, paintings

By Karla Nathan / October 10, 2007

I have a giveaway reminder:

I am at 194! On the day I hit 200, I’ll pick a name from all the comments that day.

Also, every comment is an entry into my Oct. drawing. I should make a button for that, people get confused and ask me a lot.

I finished the rest of the living room last night, with a faux finish on the walls done in the same glazes I used over the book "wallpaper".

I switched out aqua accessories for gold and white, with a hint of roses.

Then glued scraps of the left over slipcover fabric to my lamp shade, added some beads and old millinery flowers. I used to always redo lamp shades with hot glue and had the blisters to show for it. But this time, I used my favorite glue, "The Ultimate". It gets tacky fast and holds the pieces in place so that you can stick them down, hold it a second and move on. Every bit as quick as hot glue, but a better hold, no blisters and no little spidery web-strings everywhere.

I might paint the wood on the chair white too….. I’m not sure yet. Sometimes, it is nice to have the contrast.

Here is a close up of the wall, hmmmm, maybe it doesn’t show up too well.

I had the walls already painted a deep tan shade and used a creamy white, bronze, and metallic gold over that.

After I applied glazes, I went back over the entire room with the base coat, of the deep tan color, over the top of it all to blend. That is my number one best tip I will ever give you for a paint job!

Using the base coat as a top layer (rubbed on, over all of the walls, covering every inch in a light wash) gives a professional, designer finish look to the walls and makes any faux finish look great!

Here you can see the whole wall, that is covered in text. Maybe I need to darken the closet door a bit with a bronze glaze?

I also repainted the table I bought from Hobby Lobby’s clearance area for $28 to use as a toy box for Sugarwings. It is a small, compact piece that is a perfect shape to use a coffee table in my petite living room.

When I saw the tons of dust on everything that I moved out of the room to paint it, I decided to edit what I brought back in. I don’t know how long I will be able to hold myself back from glomming the room back up with clutter, but for now, it is nice and streamlined. Well, for me it is.

I rehung some of my paintings, but am not real happy with this one, I’ve never liked it much, mostly I like the frame! I might either repaint it, or just paint something else to hang here. Maybe something a lot bigger.

This water color is one that I did in my mom’s hospital room in the weeks before she died. I packed up my paints and brushes and drove to Indiana to stay with her while she was in the hospital.

The nurses were kind and set up a corner of her room for me to work in, and I got a lot of paintings finished in those few weeks, while I was taking care of her and keeping her company. Some nights, I would just stay over and sleep in a chair, but most nights, Sissy and I stayed in Mom’s house and sat on the porch drinking pink wine and laughing together all evening after we left the hospital. Our sister, Bobbie Sue, would join us on Mom’s back porch for a lot of those summer evenings. As awful as it was to lose Mom, those weeks are some of my fondness memories. I will keep this painting forever,and even used the image on cards as my price tags for the furniture I sell.

But- back to the redo—

I found a use for the hand painted floor mat that kept curling up so much that it couldn’t be used as a rug- I cut it down to place mat size for the dog dishes.

The little dorkies live in this corner, with a bed under the table I set a hutch on.

They have a doggie door cut into the wall to the right side of the picture next to their bed, so they can go out into the white picket fenced front yard when ever they want to.

So why does Twinkle still pee on my floor???

I won some awards!!! From Carol, I get a Smile Award. Check out her blog if you need a smile, she has a new header with an adorable fairy princess on it!

And Betty gave me a Creative Blogger Award. Speaking of, she has some cute Halloween yard art creations pictured on her site. Thanks, buddies!

Here is something fun- Go to HGTV.com and check out "Rate My Space". http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/SNC/ViewItem.aspx?pguid=6db6be3f-1720-4ba3-a081-999042c09b6b&itemguid=bc6c28a0-7c97-4bee-98e7-2baba26e4f95

I listed my living room, it is #8704470

Give it a rating!

Great, this is all we need, one more computer addiction!! this site can really suck you in!!

Step by Steps and a peek into the crazy mind of a serial redecorator

Etsy Goodies, fairies, how to's, how-to projects, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 9, 2007

The slipcovers are done! And in use, you can see them here under my little fairy grand baby. Her dad has dislocated his elbow -ouch- and it looks like I will be seeing a lot of her this week. He is in bad shape, and can’t use his arm, so he can’t pick up his baby. I’ll be helping out till he is better.

We are hoping rest will do the trick, the poor guy has no health insurance and can’t afford time off work, or doctor bills.

Since I know I will be busy with the baby this week, I kicked it into over drive to finish the slipcovers and the wall behind the couch.

I decided to use a mix of books for a varied look on the wall. First I removed all these cool illustrations to use for projects or to sell on Etsy for someone else to use. Aren’t they beautiful???

I have 2 French books in different sizes, and one slightly more aged looking plus a book about roses with black and white illustrations.

I was so pleased to see how easily the textured wallpaper came down. Just a bit of peeling and patience and it was done.

If you know me at all, you know that I don’t waste anything. The wallpaper I pulled down was cut up into craftable sizes and saved for future projects. Some of it was used already to wrap up some Etsy purchases tonight. It made really cute wrapping paper.

I used all three books, with the pages turned upside down, sideways, all topsy turvey, with no real pattern or plan.

Wallpaper paste was rolled onto the wall and I added the pages to the glued wall, then rolled over the top again with glue.

The first part of the wall was dry by the time I finished the last part, so I started right away on the metallic glazes. Gold, bronze and umber glazes all went into the pan together.

To apply, all three were used on the rag at the same time.

It gets glopped on with the rag.

When you first start to smear it around, you think, "oh no, what have I done???"

But just a little blending and it starts to look good.

I wish you could see the metallic sheen this has, it is a nice effect, but doesn’t show up well in the photos.

I like the aged colors of the paper and the golden sheen over the top kind of blends the papers all together. The only color on the wall is this one page with the tiny word "Paris" in red.

Ta da! New slipcovers in one afternoon (it helps to not measure or be too picky, just go for it!) and a wall stripped of its old wallpaper and re-papered in vintage book pages in about 3-4 hours the next day.

One thing I really like about the slipcovers, besides the fact that they are washable and I have a houseful of dogs and a baby- is that I made the backs of the pillows all out of velvet. When you lay on the couch, it will feel good to flip the pillows over to the soft side to get comfy.

This is what I started with, and was ready for something more neutral.

(I found this brand new couch at a sale for $285!)

I’d used dark slipcovers for last winter,but it was way too much color for me and I got tired of it fast.

And before that, we had this couch that I gave to my son when he got his own place. He stripped off all the pillows and the cover that I made for it and likes it plain tan velvet.

Here is another version of that sofa.

Both of these photos were used in magazine shoots and were taken by Bill Mathews and styled by Gloria Gale.

And way way before that, we had this look. This was in Country Almanac, and was done by Bill and Gloria too.

And don’t ask me how long I will keep the new look I did tonight. Chances aren’t good that it will last!!!

Don’t forget about the giveaway, leave a comment to enter, I have two drawings this month!!

Somethings are genetic, some just aren’t

Uncategorized

By Karla Nathan / October 7, 2007

You know how I mention that I am crazy about Fairies? Well, here is one I really love! My Sissy has sprouted wings!! She makes a pretty fairy, doesn’t she?

And we have some similar tastes, don’t we?

More pretties- I have been working on making slipcovers all morning (I do not sew well, this has been rough). I wouldn’t have survived this ordeal with out a blogging break. Glad I took some browsing time, because I saw that my friend, Beth, over at Gathering Dust, is having a blow out of a sale!

I got this pack of collage and scrap booking goods for only $3. Hurry over, I am seeing some sold signs going up. I went back to get the rhinestone pack and they were gone already.

The remarkably warm and summer-like weather is continuing here in Kansas, lucky for me. I was face painting at the 150th anniversary of Eudora, KS yesterday and it was lovely outside.

Here are some of my clients. They are sisters and are expecting a new baby in the family soon. I think they need a redheaded sis to complete the set!

If you hear underground rumblings, it is my mom turning over in her grave. My mother was a perfectionist at the sewing machine. She could make anything and make it spectacular. She used to make slipcovers for me, and they were always so nice.

I DO NOT sew well. I hate to sew. But I love redoing my living room and the cheapest way is garage sale fabric turned into slipcovers. (the old French book will be wallpaper, doesn’t it look good with the fabric?)

I have a good start on it, and am now heading to make the pillows before Sugarwings comes to stay all night and no work gets done at all. Just playing a few hundred games of Peek-a-boo and reading some stories.

Here are hard learned tips for making slipcovers from a non-sewer:

1. Crying doesn’t help, if you get frustrated, take a break and go read blogs instead

2. It helps to pin things, even if you don’t think you need to

3. Stop and fit the piece to the cushion every once in a while. Don’t just keep going on, assuming it will fit.

4. Fabric stores do not sell bobbins ready to go, you have to spin your own, and clerks will look at you strangely when you ask where full bobbins are.

5. Magic fairies won’t come in and finish the work for you. Although, if you don’t clean the craft table up well before you start laying out fabric, the glitter all over the material makes it look like you had help from some sprites.

I am at 191 entries, 200 is coming up soon! So, I will have a prize on the day I hit 200, I don’t know what the prize will be yet, but I’ll come up with something fun for you.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out with French phrases for my signs. I appreciate it.

And don’t forget, you enter my October giveaway each time you leave a comment. It will be a custom creation this month, just for the winner. I’ll come up with a questionnaire for you to answer so I can custom fit the prize. Hopefully better than I custom fit slipcovers.

The Writing is on the Wall

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), hand painted signs, jewelry, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / October 5, 2007

I finally found some charms that are exactly what I was looking for to paint on! These come in a pack of 3 at Jo Ann’s and I only bought a few packs to try them out.

Now that I know how much I like painting them, I’ll need to get more! I’ve listed 3 on Etsy today, at $12 each, if you are interested.

They are dainty, about the size of a postage stamp. It takes a teeny brush to get the details in.

Its funny that I was painting such tiny things last night, because I had just taken Sugarwings for a walk and we happened to walk by a school where I had done some mural work, the opposite of the teeny little pictures.

We popped in to look at the mural so I could take a photo. (Yes, these are my normal clothes, I am always covered in paint!)

What is cool about this large wall, is that over the faux finish, I added words naming qualities to strive for as an inspiration wall for the students (this is in the study room).

In the flash of the camera, many of the words show up, but they are painted in a way, that you have to move around to see them, they only show as the light hits them just right. I used transparent, metallic paints and it is a really interesting effect.

I liked to think that this wall symbolized need to strive to attain goals, and that these traits represented by this text had to be earned, they weren’t that simple to grasp.

Plus, I thought it was a pretty way to do it!

On the way home from my son’s house after dropping off the little Fairy Grand baby, I stopped at a garage sale.

Junker Jo sets up a beautiful sale, and it is all great stuff at good prices.

I bought a couple things. This English pitcher was only $3 and so was the salvage piece. I plan on painting it, it will make a great sign.

Today I did get a few signs painted for my holiday show.

Although, I seemed to be having writers block on good phrases to use. Maybe I’ve made so many signs over the years, that I am feeling repetitive.

Any body know any French phrases that would make a pretty sign? Keep in mind I don’t speak French, and it wouldn’t be funny to trick me into writing dirty words on the signs, the Holiday Sale is for charity!!!

We are having unseasonably warm weather around here. So I took advantage of it by going out to the lake with Sugarwings and Sparkle today while I babysat.

The wind made the water a bit choppy, so we didn’t stay out on the boat long, but we had a great time with the wagon up by the Marina. Sugarwings got to break in her new $1 garage sale life jacket, and wasn’t too happy about the bulkiness of it.

I had some people inquiring about the desk in my newly rearrange office that I showed a few days ago. It is buried in my Etsy listed inventory. but sure is a pretty piece, isn’t it? It is the original blue that I got it in, but I did add a touch of white wash to make the roses show up more.

Tomorrow I am face painting at a fair in a nearby town that is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

I did some practicing on Sugarwing’s cheek this afternoon. If this is an example of the work I’m going to be producing, I shouldn’t be charging for it!

Hopefully, I’ll have some less wiggly kids to paint up tomorrow. Or I am in trouble.

Well, the baby is gone for the day and I am exhausted. Grandmama needs a nap.

Can there be TOO Many Roses? and a Temporary Hobby comes to an end.

antiques/junking, Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, holiday decor, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 4, 2007

Do you ever do a project that you put some time into, but it was still a wasted effort?

I painted this floral on the back of a linoleum scrap to make a rug. I’ve done this many times, it is a great way to make a cheap rug that is durable. (I have a stone patterned one in my office from a post a few days ago)

For some reason, this linoleum curls up on the edges, and will not lay flat, no matter what I try to do to flatten it. Guess I should have made sure it was going to be flat before I painted it, huh? Well there goes $10 in supplies and an hour of my time!

On a happier note, look at my new frying pan!!!

I got it for $1 at an estate sale last Saturday! It is a good, well made and well loved pan, and has a lot of use left in it- and it is PINK!!!

Carole sent little Sugarwings this book for her first birthday, and I promptly fell in love with Tasha Tudor. How can I have gone almost 50 years without noticing her work before?

I love her style and thought I would "adopt" it for a series of Christmas ornaments.

Generous Carole, is having back surgery tomorrow, please drop by to wish her well if you can. As a person with a bad back, I know how emotionally and physically draining that can be. I’ve had my share of back surgeries!

I only got a couple more ornaments painted yesterday,but they are not Tasha Tudor inspired, just my regular roses.

I also used two of my hand painted rose medallions (available on Etsy) to make a folder from one of my favorite vintage wallpapers. I’ll stuff it with Cottage Collage Kit vintage goodness and have it offered on Etsy too. (This is the same pattern as the ones that will be featured in Somerset Living – yippee- love that magazine!!)

I purchased these unfinished wood frames at Hobby Lobby after the 4th of July for under 50 cents each. I thought they could be Shabby Chic Christmas style instead of Independence Day with a few changes.

This one has a simple and sweet border of barely-there glitter and the roses are painted onto green sheet music, then coated with paper glaze, for a sheen.

the second one got a gloriously gaudy border with a heavier application of glitter, and a small silver star with a vintage rose bit of jewelry added to it at the top.

These roses are painted onto gold and white old wallpaper, but I got carried away and the paper doesn’t even show.

Are you all rosed-out at this point? I did have quite the rose painting day, yesterday between running errands (20 minutes to wait for a prescription at Wal-Mart????).

My Sissy gave me this print as part of the Swap we did in August. See the little Dorkie in it at the girl’s feet??

I decided to make the little girl in the picture into a fairy, by painting on some wings and antennas. (Although,if she wants to put her pretty bonnet back on now, the antenna might get in the way.)

To make the paint look like it belonged to the print, I used a crackle glaze over the whole picture after the paint dried, then when that dried well, I wiped a dark umber glaze into the cracks.

I used old ribbon and a fairy charm to hang it.

I covered the mat in the same vintage wallpaper I had happened to have laying on the craft table from making the folder (some decisions are best left to chance, I move quicker that way!) I used my stardust Gelly pen to outline the roses in the paper and give it some sparkle.

The inside edge of the mat is covered with seam binding ribbon and the old pink velvet is glued down then old earring are glued over that. I tore a chunk of flowers and velvet off a lovley old hat and added that at the bottom for extra foof.

Can you see the bottom of the painted wreath it is hanging from? I painted that on my closet door and hang little pretties from it sometimes. Others, I just leave it as a plain grapevine wreath.

And speaking of grapevine wreaths- I have finished my "temporary hobby" of making wreaths.

This is my 4th and final wreath. The rest of the 25 cent silk flowers will just go into vases. I did enjoy doing these few wreaths, but decided it just isn’t for me.

I was just making wreaths to get them done and over with, life is too short to make things because you feel like you have to.

By the way, in case you don’t know, if you leave a comment you are entered into October’s Giveaway Drawing.

Also, I am at 190 posts! I’ll have a special drawing for #200 and giveaway a gift then too!

Author name: Karla Nathan