antiques/junking – Page 12

A nice little pile of old, French Books. I shoulda bought more!!!!!!

By Karla Nathan / February 19, 2015

At Bottom's Up last week, I bought some books from Gwen.

A few, from the 1760's, were simply too wonderful to be art supplies. I tied a silk ribbon and flowers to these to set out in my living room.

Books were $5 each and notebooks were only $1!!!!!

Which is why I was sooooo happy!

The composition books were full of old, handwritten notes. This one had some cards tucked into the pages. I was thinking this booklet was probably a medical student's journal.

I sure don't read French, but once I got a good look at it, a few words stood out.

Hmmm, Syphilis….

Not the prettiest phrase for creating with.

And it is on every page.

Oh well, this was the only book about venereal disease. And it still has some interesting and useful bits.

Many included maps, drawings, and nice handwriting. I'll be serving these up for the journals we are making at Birdsong 5.

There are a couple seats left there, if you want to come and make books with old French pages too.

The Old West Bottoms Antique District in Kansas City

antiques/junking, Books

By Karla Nathan / February 17, 2015

I really wish I got to the West Bottoms more often. It is a major shopping experience that seems to expand every time I get there. I especially love Top Hat Mercantile, one of the newest additions to what has become a street party/shopping extravaganza/festival of antiques.

I had to take advantage of this pretty paper wall to get a photo with my friends. And of course, my eyes were closed, as usual.

Gorgeous wall, huh?

Things are always looking good over at Bottom's Up too. Two of my favorite dealers, Carol Spinski and Gwen of French by Design had very cool stuff there.

Carol's "low color" look is always striking.

See what I mean? I wish I could do this look, mine is always more flowery.

But, I do like to incorporate bits of the look in my own home. This rusty stand was purchased from Carol that day, and here is how it looks in my dining room.

And Gwen was having a sale on OLD, French books.

I was slightly giddy.

I don't think I bought enough of them.

But the best part of the day? Hanging with my friends. I don't see these two often enough. It was a good afternoon of walking around, looking at old stuff, and catching up.

Using the GOOD STUFF to make an Art Journal, and my Birdsong project

antiques/junking, bird song art event, Books, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / January 23, 2015

Beth and I finally had a chance last week to have a play date and exchange Christmas gifts. Here is what I made for her.

She is as much of a journal junkie as I am, so I figured I could indulge my own love of making books by creating this one for her.

I bought this little framed photo of best friends when I was at a flea market with Beth, so I thought it was fitting to add to the cover.

These laces are both cut from the curtains in my house. I have very old lace curtains at the window and they got a bit shredded on the ends from blowing around when the window was open, so I had to chop them a little shorter.

The interior of the book is lined with canvas drop cloth, and the pages are card stock.

The "latch" is cut from an old necklace.

The exterior is remnants from the slip cover I made for my couch.

This is my idea of "Using the Good Stuff". Although, to some people, the ingredients might sound like trash. Trimmed pieces of torn curtains? A broken necklace? Scraps from a slipcover?

What makes supplies "GOOD STUFF" isn't what you pay for them. It's an item with a lush feel, something special, or sentimental. Maybe something old that you found at a flea market. They can be one of a kind, or just your very favorite kind of thing.

Now, some GOOD STUFF, can certainly be brand new and from a hobby store, of course. It can be any supply that you just plain old adore.

My idea of using the GOOD STUFF, is delving into supplies that I really love and feel like they need a special project for.

And then NOT saving them for something special. Anything you use them on becomes special by using the best supplies. I feel like any project worth my time is worth my best goodies.

But when I am making something for someone extra special, I'll use a double dose of goodies for her. This book is loaded, layered, and piled up with pretties. I hope she enjoys using it, half as much as I enjoyed making it.

I have not yet got my prototype put together for Birdsong. But I do know what I am making. And I promise, the kit will be over flowing with GOOD STUFF!

Last year, I couldn't stop making books. And I am still loving the process and making more and more. So, I simply have to do a book for Birdsong 5. How could I not? I'm more than a little bit obsessed with art journals lately.

So, my 1st class will be creating a journal, and embellishing it with lace, rhinestones, and millinery flowers. We will make it from the ground up, step by step.

My 2nd class will be about filling the book up. I'll provide a big, ole, scrap pack of fun and inspiration,, along with guidance from myself, and tips from Beth about designing pages. You'll get two for one teachers for the second day, Beth and I will teach together!

It's wonderful to have such talented friends. Class project pictures from Lori and Andrea will be coming soon. I can't wait to see what they have designed for us to do.

If you'd like to come to our classes, we'd love to see you here. And I know that you will just love these talented friends of mine, too!!

Old Summit Antique Show

antiques/junking

By Karla Nathan / September 13, 2014

On Friday, I took a day off to go to KC and do some shopping, I mean, help Beth set up her booth at the Old Summit Antique show.

Her booth is always the best deal in town. Great stuff, great prices, all arranged in an attractive way.

She and I used to do shows together on a regular basis, plus shared booth spaces at the mall. I kind of miss foofing up a booth for a sale.

So, every once in a while she invites me along to play with the goods and lets me arrange some of it.

Of course, as fast as it was selling to other dealers (I told you, GREAT prices!) I said we could have just set some tubs on the curb for them to look through on their way in and we wouldn't even have had to unload it, let alone set it up.

But we have fun decorating the space, even if the goods sell so fast, it doesn't matter where we place it.

We tried numerous times to get a good photo of the two of us, but after about 20 of me with my eyes closed, we about gave up.

If you are in the KC area on Saturday the 13th, it's worth a trip to Lee Summit to check out the show. Beth still has a ton of wares, and the show is a high quality production. Mostly primitives, and a lot of seasonal goods too.

Hat Whispering in Kansas

antiques/junking, flowers

By Karla Nathan / September 4, 2014

At last week's flea mkt, I hit the jackpot on millinery blooms.

At a booth of mostly linens and doilies, Beth found a pile of flowers, and picked a few out. I nervously stood by, hoping there were be some left when she was done.

She had a handful, and I looked at her in disbelief and asked if that was all she wanted.

Yep, she was done.

You're sure, really sure?

Yep. She had enough.

Then, I dove in.

I don't have the control she does. I bought them ALL.

For THREE DOLLARS.

Yep, $3.

Seriously.

All were still in the original packages, so I had to hire a helper to get them all unwrapped. It was her idea to sort them by color too.

I found a few hats on our junkin trip, all under $5 each. Before I came across them, there was only two other floral hats I'd seen all day, and both were over $25, so I'd been worried that I'd lost my touch and wasn't going to score on millinery that day.

It was a relief to know that I had not yet bought out the last of the cheap hats in Kansas.

There was lots of shiny stuff there too. I bought a few giant bags of jewels to sort through, here are some of the keepers. There is another whole different kind of keeper pile, that my assistant found. She was happy to sort jewels with me and got some plastic beads and Easter bunny brooches to wear with her dress up clothes.

She also tried on a hat or two to see how they looked with a twirly skirt.

Pretty dang cute, if you ask me.

Sparks Flea market

antiques/junking

By Karla Nathan / September 2, 2014

Last week, Beth and I went to my favorite flea mkt. Years ago we never missed it, but in the last few, we've not had the best luck with timing or weather to get to it as much as we'd like.

The weather almost kept us away this time too. I guess the day before we went, it had been pretty stormy there.

The forecast for Thursday was rain early, then again after lunch, so we decided to get up there and try to time the trip for the window of clear sky that the weather man predicted.

I'm glad we arrived when we did. The air was still cool, and parking was decent. Shortly after we got there, newcomers had to park along the highway, way up the road. The normal spots in the fields were a sea of mud. We snagged one of the last close places available.

Which really wasn't all that big of a deal in the morning when we got there. With all the excitement of hitting the booths, we wouldn't have minded a trek from the car.

But as the morning wore on, and the Kansas humidity from all the storms mixed with the heat of the day as the sun started to beat down, we were thrilled to not have to hike to the car. We were starting to feel like this poor fellow and decided we had shopped enough.

He'd taken up the best shady spot around, so we decided to head out.

It's a unique place. You don't often see shoppers walking their goats in many other antique venues.

We were satisfied with our purchases for the morning and ready to go. With age comes wisdom, and we were old enough and smart enough to leave before the weather got to us.

Back in the day, we'd have stayed til everyone closed shop and we had no where left to shop, no matter how blisteringly hot the day was.

We had time for a nice, long lunch in an air conditioned restaurant on the way home. And a stop at a couple of antique malls too.

Air conditioned, of course.

I should go to more estate sales

antiques/junking

By Karla Nathan / August 19, 2014

I had such fun a couple weeks ago, going to estate sales with Beth and Karla.

Not only did I find piles and piles of great lace to use for the book covers I'm making for the Nature's Blessing Journal Swap, it was good to get out and visit with friends.

(by the way, the swap is open for sign ups until the end, Sept. 20th. As long as you have time to get them mailed on that date, feel free to join in)

We had one really good sale, which made up for so so ones. In the basement I found this ironstone teapot, and a ton of old tart tins, which I love working with.

Last year, I had a Christmas workshop in the studio where we made a selection of ornies for our trees, and the most popular turned out to be the little Tart Tin Trees. the extra kits sold out immediately in my Etsy shop.

This upcoming holiday season, I'd like to do a variation of this project and offer it again. And now I have twice the amount of tins as I did last year.

I think I'll incorporate some of these wonderful, old balls that I picked up at the sale too. Another lucky find on that great day out!

Maybe I'll see you at my home for a day of holiday crafting? Hope so!

KC’s Old West Bottoms newest addition- Welcome back, Curious Sofa!

antiques/junking

By Karla Nathan / August 4, 2014

One of my all time Heros Of Styling is once again back in the brick and mortar side of doing biz. Debbie Dusenberry of Curious Sofa has reopened in the Old West Bottoms in a shop called Top Hat Mercantile.

I've always loved her whites, well, everything about her sense of display and style.

The store shows her attention to detail, what interesting signage.

I was happy to see my friend, Joyce there too. Some of the most favorite things in my home came from her in the past.

Beth, the Other Karla, and I decided we needed a day out. Beth is an accomplished shopper, and is serious about it. She likes to scour out the items fresh to the market, mostly from estate sales and auctions to offer her customers, not just buy something in a mall that someone else has already found and resell that. So first, we went to some estate sales, and snatched up some cool loot.

After restocking her inventory at the early morning estate sales, we took off for the Old West Bottoms for social shopping once her working portion of the day was done.

Not that we didn't purchase items at the vast warehouse style malls that Kansas City has to offer now, but usually the kinds of things we find at those places are for personal use or supplies for projects. And there are such pretty booths to look at that, it is always an inspirational trip too.

Gwen's store, French by Design is a great example of something drool-worthy and inspiring.

She and her sis, just got a container shipped back from France and have a giant sized, second spot at Bottoms Up filled up with old world beauty.

I could have dug through her piles of vintage French magazines for most of the morning.

That is The Other Karla in the mirror.

We visited Sandee Millet too. Her rustic style and sunny smile always draws me into her booth.

Stopping to say hi to friends, makes the day trip even more fun.

Gilding, Frenchness, and fun

antiques/junking, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 15, 2014

Darling LA locals, hauled a group of us around before the Downton Affaire began.

Cheryl and Andrea were kind to take us to visit Gilding the Lily, and the owner even accommodated us with an extra hour of time before the store opened. (photo by Tiffany)

The jewelry making side of our group really loaded up. There are vast amounts of charms, beads, dangles and doodads there.

And it is a charming place to shop.

I loved the props used for display!

And of course, the items that were on display too. Who can resist shiny stones?

Or piles of paper?

After, we were invited to the French General for a cute make and take plus shopping and lunch. All elements, including scissors and glue were provided, but I couldn't help shopping in the ephemera stashes and buying some special paper to cover my own box.

Lunch was perfectly wonderful. Kale salad with chopped cabbage, dried fruit and nuts, along with sandwiches and ginger cookies.

There were sweet little embossed name tags for the luncheon, and my pal, Hope, known for her world class journalling skills, wrote karla on mine. Since my handwriting is so bad that when I wrote one, it looked like Harla instead. (by the way, this photo was edited to leave out the sagging neck)

Normally, I'd have just left the name tag as I'd written it and pretended my name was Harla, but Hope was hosting a travel journal make and take at the Downton party and I wanted the name tag for the book.

My friend, Sherry, gave me this bit of ephemera that she found at the French General, it is going in the travel journal too.

A lot of our trip was spent eating. Lunches, and dinners out, many, many, many treats. I loaded up on goods at Louie's to share with everyone, then we were served a ton more at the dessert buffet during our party.

Good friends, good treats, shopping, and projects. And everything around us was simply much prettier than real life.

Just when I thought the trip couldn't be more perfect, it was time to meet Sugarwings to go to Disneyland. Yep, it was a fantastic week. I'll have some pics of that trip too, but for now will leave you with some more scenes from Downton

(that is my vendor night, lace fanny pack. I guess I should have taken it off for pictures, huh?)

How nice!

antiques/junking

By Karla Nathan / May 4, 2014

My sweet friend, Angie, gave me the nicest birthday gifts before I went out of town! We'd been trying to get together for months and the timing was just not right. She had Christmas, Valentine, and birthday presents all in one giant bag of goodie heaven for me.

Including this lovely custom creation.

Lots of lovely thoughtfulness.

Thanks, Angie!!