antiques/junking – Page 20

What’s new?

By Karla Nathan / March 22, 2010

Enforced time off can be boring. I won't say that I am sick of TV, because I worship and adore TV, but I am sick of just sitting in front of the set. I like to work while the TV is on.

But- I'm glad I took the time off, my arm seems right back to normal and the pleurisy is gone. In my youth, as Sugarwings would say "long, long ago in a land far, far away", I would ignore any ache, pain, illness or problem. But I've learned over time, that just either makes it worse, or makes it last longer. So, now, even though I feel wimpy doing it, I go to the Dr. And I take time off.

Today felt great, back in the studio and office!! I spent a good part of the day taking photos of vintagey goodies and listing them in the Boutique and on Etsy.

My poor little Etsy shop has been seriously neglected. My goal has always been to keep 50 items in there (I gave up on 100 a LONG time ago). Uhm, its not even close to that. Heck, its not even close to 20.

But I tried. And I'll slog away at it and try to get it going again.

But the trouble is, when I go to list things, I start looking through stuff and playing with it and thinking about what I could be making with it…. Listing things is boring. I'd rather be using them for something!

But not nearly as boring as sitting in front of the TV for about a week. So, I'm happy to keep adding things. When I am done, my reward will be a day to sit and do nothing but make crap for hours and hours.

These old papers will be fun to work with! I bought a never used box full of vintage wrapping paper. Most is in the Boutique, but you know I had to keep some of it!

(the pink hand is not paper, of course, it is felt. And sweet, embroidered felt! A little glove bag that I listed too)

We still have melting snow here, its on its way out. There are robins all over the place, trying to find worms in the puddles of slush, so I guess it really is spring, or they wouldn't be here yet.

I'm not going to be fooled by the calendar, or the robins. Its not Spring until I can wash my car and the slush doesn't immediately turn it brown again.

Or at least not until I can put on my little Spring ruffled skirt and prance around outside with my parasol.

Well, maybe I'll settle for that car wash. Since my youth was left long, long ago, in a land far, far away and my figure was left back there with it.

(But isn't that great stitching on these little butts? I think these towels were really well done!)

The very last of the Alice tag books got mailed out today too. I figured that it was already 12 days past the deadline, all the ones that were coming must be in.

I wanted to show you some of the little details that were included in the packages sent in. It was such a joy to open each envelope and see what pretties were inside. Not only were the tags themselves just great, the wrappings and little extras here and there were just wonderful!

All the treats and tidbits and pretties were really appreciated and will be enjoyed! Thanks so much, everyone!

Cinamon and Paprika Soap?

antiques/junking, Books, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / February 1, 2010

The ideas for Five Romantic Decorating tips for Valentine are coming along well. Its a VERY short segment on the local Lawrence, KS TV station. So short, that the ideas can't really have any explanation or how-tos, just time enough to see the pretty ideas.

One of my ideas will be an arrangement of heart shaped candy boxes in the kitchen. I'll add something next to it, (photos when I figure that part out…)

This one came about because I bought the red vintage box over the weekend at the Farmstead Style retreat I talked about in my last post. The other boxes are empties I saved from last year's half price, after Valentine's Day candy shopping spree. (the emptying didn't take long) I've foofed them up with old wallpaper, ribbons and flowers.

Did you notice my newest French netting score!!??? There are two of them, both from Saturday's fun shopping/crafting trip to Platte City. (they are both pillow cases, one was $10 the other $4)

Here is the 2nd piece, I'm lining this terra cotta pot with it. The sheet music, ribbon, and rhinestone buckle were added for the TV segment I mentioned. For that day, I'll put a pot of mini roses in it.

For today, I've filled it with homemade soaps. Book club is tonight, and we are discussing The Geurnsey Literary and Potato Pie Society. In the book, one of the characters makes use of a dead pig by making it into much needed soap, and wrapping up the bars with red yarn to give to the other members.

Well, I didn't have red yarn, or a dead pig. But I made some soap, using glycerin bars from the craft store, melted in the microwave. Instead of pig fat, I added olive oil, and some powdered goat's milk, with a splash of epsom salts.

In the book, the soap was scented and colored with paprika and cinnamon. Sounds awful, huh? But I tried it, and actually, its kind of nice. I hope the book club agrees with me, I'm bringing these as gifts tonight.

Today is crazy and hectic, I have Sugarwings, for an unplanned afternoon, and errands to run before I pick her up. So, this is a quick post. I wanted to let you know that these medals are listed in my Etsy shop now, 4 for $2. I have about 50 of them, so if the shop is out, please email me to let me know if you need some.

I also need to announce the winner of the January Giveaway-

Lisa of Tarnished and Tattered

Who, by the way, has a GREAT blog. I love her style.

Info about the February Giveaway will be coming up. All comments are entered. My giveaways are kind of loosely done. Sometimes people win and didn't even know they entered.

“Be My Fairy Valentine” Bird

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

By Karla Nathan / January 30, 2010

What a good day! I attended a class that my Bella pal, Sheila was teaching today at a barn. Yep, a barn. But not any old barn. Yes, there were stalls, and horses and hay, but there was also a full kitchen, two bathrooms, a bedroom, living room, dining nook, and full work space!

No, not a typical barn at all. And the farm dogs were foofy, standard poodles.

The cute as a bug owner, Kelly, has set up the place for her design business and will be using it also for these class events. Along with the class, was shopping. Good shopping. Two of my favorite dealers from Rusty Chandelier had spaces here along with all of Kelly's gorgeousness. Clothes, jewels, and vintage tidbits filled the space, and I spent an hour before the luncheon was served exploring it all and picking out some treasures (photos later).

Sheila taught 3 classes, but Beth and I just signed up for one. And it was a doozy. What a cool idea she had to share! This is Sheila's class example, and she provided everything we needed to complete it just like this.

But I had some changes in mind…. For the bird, I brought ledger paper with pink lines, and made the wings and tail feathers from millinery petals. The eye is a crystal bead that Sheila provided. (I dropped mine, but Beth gave me hers to use) I used the Cropadile to punch an eye hole, then glued the bead inside, so that it was 3-d from both sides. And you can see through it in the light for a little glow.

Before making the wired branches as Sheila instructed, I wrapped the "trunk" in pink velvet ribbon. My theme became "Be My Fairy Valentine", so I used lots of fairy girls, pink flowers, and hearts.

One cool thing about these trees, is that you can take all the goodies off and change them with the seasons. So, next this can be a springtime tree.

There are pink velvet flowers wired onto my branches, so I am all ready for spring!

Sheila provided the oval chipboard, but instead of the photo she offered, I glued on some hand painted roses that I'd brought along.

Two little wooden hearts got covered in wallpaper on one side and that pink lined ledger paper on the other. I snipped a length of a broken pearl necklace off to tie into a loop at the bottom to hold a little rose bud. ( I should have cut the length longer, it was a bit hard to tie with the string that short)

To hang the heart, I twisted a bit of wire into a kind of, heart shaped hook.

The spool and wire were things Sheila gave us, along with instructions on how to make a little nest with three eggs in it. She is a wonderful, patient teacher and took time with each of us individually to explain the wire weaving to make the nests. I'd never tried one before, and really enjoyed learning that part. I can see lots of nests in my future…

The nest I made wasn't for birdies, though, its a fairy nest. I wired this frozen Charlotte onto the top of the spool and made wings for her from little feathers that were in our kit ( I used one under the nest too) and some velvet millinery petals. (Do you think she looks like she is hoola hooping? Maybe I should make her a tutu to cover the wire?)

To the front of the small spool, I added another wallpaper covered heart.

Before the class this morning, I glued a rhinestone heart to the front of this locket and made a tiny collage to put into it.

The fairy hanging behind it, is an old photo that I painted on. Then I covered the back in rose wallpaper, added ribbon and flowers to the bottom, and punched a hole to hang a crystal from (that Sheila had in our kits, she really provided some fun baubles for us).

This is also a locket, with a mirror on the other side. This is something that I hung as is. I added a framed ribbon rose by my friend, Natasha, too.

The tree was so much fun to make, that I almost can't wait to make more stuff for it and change the theme already! I will be first in line to head out to the countryside for the next Farmstead Style experience, let me know if you want to come too!

Again, I need to thank you all for making the wallpaper FLY out of my boutique! I've added a few more here and there and have tried to keep it stocked up, but some packets that are sold out won't be replaced. I did replace some scrap packs and added this selection. Hopefully, later in the week, I'll have a chance to add some more.

But I have to work on a little segment for our local cable news channel for Thursday. Which means cleaning my house for the cameras, and showing 5 projects about Romantic Decorating for Valentines Day. So, maybe the wallpaper will have to wait. My house is a wreck again. Didn't I just spend a solid week cleaning and redoing??????

Speaking of time flying, where did January go??? But, you still have a little time to enter the January Giveaway drawing for a little painted and glittered cardinal!

Pretty kitty

antiques/junking, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / January 15, 2010

Have you met some wonderful people online? I know that my life has been enriched by all my blog friends, and I am constantly being impressed and inspired by the kind hearts and generosity out there in bloga-ritaville (as my pal, Robin, calls it)

A while ago, Rachel contacted me to see if it was okay to send Sugarwings a gift. She says that she is raising boys but loves to make pretty things for little girls, and wanted to send my fairy grand baby a kitty doll. I told her that Sugarwings loves to play babykitty/mommykitty, and she even customized the doll, by adding a kitten!

When Sugarwings, her mommy and I opened the box, all three of us said "awwwww" all together, it was so cute nestled in the box and wrapped in tulle.

If you'd like one for yourself, or for some little sweetheart in your life, she has a family of kitties waiting to be adopted in her Etsy shop.

And if you think it would be fun to make your own little stuffed buddy, here is a head start for you. I bought a boxful of old laces and trims and these were in the box. There are a total of 15 precut teddy bears, with the faces already embroidered and ready to be sewn and stuffed. The directions and pattern are included and you can find it in my Boutique for $5 (total for all 15 guys and the directions)

This morning, I went to a Thai Chi class. I'm middle aged and pudgy, so I doubt if looked very elegant while trying to keep my balance, but I think I kind of enjoyed it. Ask me tomorrow, when I see how stiff I am in the morning.

The rest of the day was spent on odds and ends, cleaning up my studio, so I can make space to work on some orders that I need to get done (wall paper for Rita and a fairy portrait for Sherry). But cleaning the studio to me, doesn't mean just putting piles away, it means doing something with it. So, the pile of stuff accumulating on the desk waiting to be photographed, actually got their pictures taken and got listed in the shop.

This little needle kit is $6.50

Great rose cover, huh?

And I might just be too late for this one…. is anyone still making Valentine's or has that ship sailed? In case you are still working on a Valentine's swap, or making something pink and red and rosy for your self, here are some supplies.

I found a cute heart shaped plastic box (vintage) and filled it with pink and red buttons, pearl beads and little red velvet flowers. Oh, and a bit of flashy rhinestone jewelry.

Its wrapped up in a pink floral hankie tied with old trims, with a pink velvet millinery sprig attached.

Do you need the perfect napkin to complete the table setting for Valentine's Day? Here are some delicate little embroidered ones, that are as dainty as can be.

These are nice too. They make me feel like Spring is actually going to arrive some day….

It is warmer here, but sure not Spring time. At least it is bearable out there.

Good thing its not single digit cold any more, my husband has been outside changing the tire on Old Blue. Sugarwing's Hippy Chic Mommy had some car trouble this week, so my husband offered to loan his big red truck to her and he will drive Old Blue till she gets settled. But, before this decrepit chunk of rust can be road safe, it needs brakes, and before it gets brakes it needs a tire.

Its nice to have an extra vehicle out behind the shed when you need it. Even better if it runs….

Okay, back to work for me. That studio needs more work before I can actually use it!

Inspirations

antiques/junking, Chandeliers, collections

By Karla Nathan / January 14, 2010

When I finally escaped from being trapped at home by the cold spell, I got really lucky on my shopping trips. I'm always looking for millinery flowers, and my hat whispering skills were in fine form this week. Not only did I find old hats, look at this sweet little parasol purse that I found!

Too bad I can't go to Jenn's event in April, it would be the perfect purse to carry there.

And did I mention the hats??? FOURTEEN hats this week, all flowery and vintagey, some nice and velvety.

There were bargains out there waiting for me, the prices ranged from $1- $17, and some are just loaded to the brim (pun) with flowers. I'll be making up some pink, red, and white packs for Valentine's Day. Unless of course, I am too late. I might have missed out on getting supplies to you for Valentine's. I feel like I am never quite caught up… so much that I want to do, no time to do it.

While I was in Kansas City, my pal, Carol, gave me a sneak peek of her farm house, dream house. It was hard to be happy for her, when I was turning so green with envy that I was about to froth at the mouth.

Her new home will be amazing. It already is, but when she adds her special Spinski touches, it will be amazing-er.

And I had mentioned going to Curious Sofa to look for rugs, here is a picture of Debbie's stunning decor. See why I felt like I needed to de-flower my kitchen? Hanging around with Carol and Debbie has made me bump up my style to a more sophisticated palette. These two ladies were certainly an inspiration for my kitchen redo.

Beth too. She has that sepia thing going on too.

This chandelier is in her booth. Notice the NFS tag??? Durn. I'm wanting it.

The whole drive into KC yesterday, was a wet and muddy one from melting snow. But everywhere I went, there were rainbows! (Yes, I was driving and taking photos at the same time, but hey, I was not about to pass up a rainbow photo op!)

On my way to the antique mall, I came across this. Notice the "Income TAX" sign? This place inspires trust, doesn't it? Makes you want to bring your shoe box full of receipts right in and dump it on the plywood desk.

Forget Zero Dollar Decorating, I’m going shopping!!!!!!!!!!!

antiques/junking, Chandeliers, how to's, redos

By Karla Nathan / January 12, 2010

I got out of the house!!! We had quite the heat wave, temps roared up into the low 20s. So, of course, I had to go outside into the world and soak up some of that great weather.

And shop!

My Zero Dollar Decorating is done, I went out spending! First stop? Curious Sofa. Debbie had emailed 20% off coupons with an announcement of big sales. I had been coveting some bamboo rugs she carries, with vintage style script on them. Sadly, there weren't any in the size I needed, but I HAD to spend my coupon, right? You can't let 20% off at Curious Sofa just slip by.

So, I bought the clock in the first photo. It seemed to be just right for the new look in the kitchen. While I was in the neighborhood, I swung by Beth's booth at Mission Road Antique Mall and picked up the clock face (2nd photo). Hmm, looks like the beginning of a theme, to me.

When I saw this Cinderella's carriage, I knew that clocks were the right choice! It was found at my favorite antique mall, the Rusty Chandelier in St. Joe. My friend and I were both needing a good girlfriend day out and we made the most of it. Talking non-stop for about 10 hours, shopping, dining, and shopping some more. There was no one home at either of our houses, and no reason to get back, so we just made a day and an evening out of it.

After being cooped up for so long, it was exactly what I needed to myself back to normal. Sometimes you just need a day out, to talk to another adult who you are not related to, but just love like a sister and have a lot in common with. What would we do without our friends??? Including blogfriends- thank you all, for keeping my company while I was snowbound. If I didn't have your email conversations during this last cold snap, I'd have really gone insane.

Its nice to know that friends are only a keystroke away!

Since I had found my clock theme while out shopping, I decided to add a watch face to a piece of art I made today for the kitchen.

I started with a French ad from an old magazine, and glued a butter pat plate to it, added a millinery bloom and the watch face to the center of that. To the middle, I glued a rhinestone.

Then, I cut a tiny oval of old text and glued it to a charm, and glued a mini cameo to it, and hung it from a crystal. With a punch, I made two holes under the word "Paris" to put a ribbon through, then tied that to the crystal to dangle it.

At the bottom of the page, I pasted a German die cut rose.

It didn't quite look done, so I drew some scrolls and swirls in metallic inks. If I'd planned better, I'd have drawn it first, instead of trying to work around the things I'd already glued down.

After that, I rubbed dark brown ink along the inside of the mat, and popped it all back together. Now, I want to go buy some more shadow boxes and make more! I loved doing a 3-D collage, or is it called an assemblage?

Another purchase yesterday was this crystal ball, bubble night light. While I had the old French papers and glue out, I covered the wooden base of this, and inked the edges.

This frame was from our trip yesterday too. I wanted new accent pieces for the kitchen redo, but just couldn't find what I wanted, so decided to make something.

In this, I used more French text from an old book, that I'd embossed one day when Beth brought over her Cuttlebug.

To make the embossing stand out, I rubbed over it with a bronze ink pad.

In the center, I added a circle punched from the cover of the French magazine, which was a nice brown, then glued velvet petals and a white millinery rose to the circle.

After putting it back together, I fashioned a hanger from ribbons. I tightly tied two ribbons around the frame, then looped another one through them, and hung that one over a hook on the wall.

Here is a view from the far side of the kitchen. A great view of just how crooked the old house is…

After dropping my friend off after our day of shopping, I stopped and got a can of creamy taupe paint to change the walls behind the cabinets by the sink. The inset had been chocolate brown (like the rugs) but it seemed way too dark after my other changes. So, I was painting at midnight last night. It was a quick job though, because Behr now makes a primer/paint combo and it covers like a dream.

(that is a pot of chicken rice soup on the stove, yum, I'm hungry just thinking about it in the kitchen waiting for me!)

Here is the kitchen from the other direction. The wooden piece over the window is also from yesterday's expedition. I got it at Rusty Chandelier's sister store, Jesse James. (Or would Jesse be a brother store? They share a parking lot)

After painting the inset creamy taupe, I had to add some of that color to the faux finish around the other walls. I think I'm done. Well, maybe…. I really would love to find some non-princess chairs for Sugarwing's table.

And I am still planning on bringing in some metal garden chairs for the breakfast nook

if the snow ever melts.

I've got some old alarm clocks that I might take apart to get the faces from, and add some of those to the china cabinet, too.

And I really, really, really want those rugs from Curious Sofa! Either this one, or this one?

Well, maybe I am not done, after all.

Are we ever done? That is what makes it fun!

Here are my totals for what I spent, after I escaped from the house and the Zero Dollar Decorating:

paint- $36

trim over window- $19

frame for flower collage- $2

clock faces- $6

Cinderella's carriage- $29 (big splurge, but SO cool!!)

Clock from Curious Sofa- $48

bubble night light- $15

Fleur de Lis hook for flower collage- $6

Extreme Cabin Fever and MORE Zero Dollar Decorating

antiques/junking, collections, fairies, housework, how to's, paintings

By Karla Nathan / January 7, 2010

The weather just keeps getting worse. Luckily, I escaped for an afternoon on Tuesday to go see my pal Carol, of Raised in Cotton. If I hadn't gotten a little break from being housebound, I'd be bouncing off the walls instead of just repainting them!

Its colder and there has been more snow, so even though it was cold on Tuesday, it was the best day to get out. I couldn't go anywhere today no matter how much I might want to. So, I've been working away on my Zero Dollar Decorating to stay sane. I touched up all the paint on the dining room walls, and repainted the base boards with a quick brush of glossy white.

Then, I brightened the room up with a wall of mirrors that I shopped for from the bedroom and studio. The picture in the glorious gold frame went into the bedroom to replace the large mirror.

Next, I tackled the corner cabinet in the kitchen. It had been painted pink inside like the other cabinets that I redid earlier. Plus, I hadn't rearranged anything in it for years. It looked pretty cute when I set it up, ages ago, but over time, it got cluttery and too much as I'd stick treasures in here and there after hitting garage sales.

My kitchen is getting a de-rose-ing. I told Beth I was deflowering it and she said that maybe that wasn't the best term to use.

I still LOVE roses and all my little pretties, so this is more of a shuffle, some went to the dining room, and some to the studio, and some will be listed to sell in the Boutique, if I ever get back to work.

This weather has affected me mentally. I seem to be in some weird limbo, waiting for my real life to get back on track. Extreme cold weather always sets me off like that. Its an odd sort of cabin fever, I start hating staring at the same walls and want to change them and everything inside them. Combine that with the post Christmas let down, and weeks of these horrid temperatures, instead of just days of it, like we are used to in Kansas, and I have gone berserk from it!

(Or berserker,if you are a Kevin Smith fan)

Sorry, didn't mean to run on with my weather complaints. Back to the photos….

Here is the after.

It is still nice and rosy, but is toned down and cleaned up. The sides are covered in the tone on tone silk wallpaper that I had in my stash. Funny, it is the first vintage wallpaper I have ever bought, and I got it 20 years ago to cover the walls of my dining room and never used it. I'd stuck it away in the closet and found it a couple years ago when I realized that old wallpaper was a wonderful art supply. And now, here it is, used on my home after all.

I like to mix my china cabinet shelves up a bit and display more than just china. A framed old print (that I tried to sale at Miss Frenchies and Silverbella, but no one wanted! I'm glad now- sometimes I think that my home is full of nothing but things that I bought to sell and got stuck with), an old Haeger pot filled with silverware, ready to set out for a buffet, a collage I did at Silver Bella, and of course, some fairies and birdies.

For me, fairies and flowers in with the dishes makes for a much more interesting look.

The wallpaper is stapled up, instead of glued. Because I know that I am fickle. It doesn't look perfect, but with so much in the cabinet, who can tell?

Its just background. A nice, neutral, but pretty background!

The plates in the back corner are on a stair shaped stand, which is just what I need for my love of layering. I also like to hang things on the cabinet walls, pictures, cherubs, plates, etc.

Adding cake stands helps with layering too. I try for a variety of heights, and make lots of groupings instead of just lining up a matching set of plates. When my mom died, my sister got her set of Wild Rose dishes, and instead of keeping it for herself, she broke up the set and gave each of us a place setting. Mine is on this shelf, with a lot of other pale pink rosey dishes.

I went for an over all sense of "white", even though other colors were used as accents.

The lamp on that shelf was a quick project. I got it for 50% off of $5 at one of my favorite antiquing joints a while back and it was out in my studio waiting to see what it would become. Well, it didn't take much to transform it. In under 5 minutes, it had a whole new look.

1- switched the shade to an older one that I'd picked up at a garage sale a few years back.

2- pinned a rhinestone brooch to the shade

3- cut a page from a vintage French text book to fit the body of the lamp

4- drizzled glue on the book page, then rolled it around the lamp and burnished it down with my fingers

I really doubt that it took more than 2 or 3 minutes to do.

After the corner cabinet, I tacked the cabinet tops. Over the years, I'd collected tea pots, and over the years, as my tastes have changed, I edited the collection. My last redo had mostly rose patterned tea pots lined up on the cabinets. This time, I got rid of most of them, except a few plain white ones (I guess you can't see them in this photo, they are at the other end). I wanted to go very neutral and have much less up above. Now you can see the vines I'd painted on the wall years ago. I'd had so much crap up there, those were hidden.

They were also hidden by filth. Ugh, it was NASTY up there. All pottery got popped into the dishwasher, and I tried to clean the walls, and ceiling (yes, I told you I was going stir crazy with cabin fever- I WAS WASHING CEILINGS!!) but the greasy, dusty coating that was on everything was too awful to come off with my environmentally safe Windex. I had to use elbow grease and baking soda with a pot scrubber. And we are not people who fry much of anything. Where does all that grease come from???

That grease was another reason to put much, much less junk up there!

In this photo you can see a couple of the white pots that made the cut. I redid the narrow shelves between the cabinets too. I'd had decorated bottles, rosy shakers, and green depression glass there before.

Well, I could run on and on and on, telling you about my shuffling and reshuffling. I've been at it nonstop. You know how you take something from one room to another, then you have to redo to cover the hole that you made when you first moved that piece? Yep, that is the vortex that I have fallen into.

I switched the dining room picture with the mirror from the bedroom, and then had to dig around and find a different bedspread that matched better in there. Lots of those kinds of problems came up. But I am getting a new look with the same old stuff from other rooms, closets, or out in the studio, and keeping myself semi-safe from the ravages of cabin fever.

And I am getting lots of little problems solved. Like this ceiling tin that was covering the bad patch job. It has new screws, is up tightly, and now I've got it faux finished to match the ceiling.

At this rate, my New Years's resolution for 2010 will be completed before January is even over. And not in the typical way, where you give up. I'll run out of things to fix or redo around the house!!

There is more I want to do while I am trapped here in the house, but I think I am at the end of what I can do with with I have, and keep it Zero Dollar. I need a gallon of paint and some hardware before I go any further, and both cars and all three trucks are stuck in the driveway.

But today, I have Sugarwings. We've been climbing up and down the ladder that is in the kitchen and sitting in the dark closet playing with flashlights.

Now, its time to go and bake muffins, so I'd better run.

At the Holiday Brocante

antiques/junking, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / December 13, 2009

Thank you all for your kind words about Bookie. I'm sorry for all of your losses too, these furry little guys are always a big part of our lives and our hearts. No matter how smelly and old they get, they are always our babies, aren't they?

My email problem is getting worse. I'd say close to half of all emails I send are returned as undeliverable due to a "fatal error." (Bobbi, Robin, Chloe, Diane, and dozens of others got bounced back to me, addresses that I know are good and I have used numerous times!)

Which is not a good thing when you have an online business… But I can READ all the emails and comments that I get, I've just given up on trying to answer until I get this problem fixed. There were so many moving comments about our love for our pets, and I appreciated each and every one.

Last week at this time, I was unloading the truck from Miss Frenchie's Holiday Brocante, and piling the tubs up in my studio. They are still not unpacked yet, and I realized I also still hadn't posted the photos of my booth.

Please excuse the slight blur, the lighting was not the best, and even though I splurged and got the dream come true camera- its still only as good as its owner! Actually, that's not completely true, I use it mostly in point and shoot mode and it makes adjustments all by itself for my lack of skill. But these photos would have been better if I'd figured out how to use the ISO settings.

The peacock feather fans were popular, and so were the foofed putz houses, and the pearls in this photo. Funny, I had the same things at Silver Bella and they didn't get a second look, here they about sold out. I had tons of those little cottages and all sold but a few that were kind of tucked away. I have three in my Boutique right now, along with a couple of fans that are left too.

My table arrangement for this show was sooooo much better than what I did for Silver Bella. In Omaha, I ended up with only 9 feet of space, instead of the expected 10 feet, and when you try to fit a U-shaped display into only 9 feet, you create a closed in little spot. If I'd been smart, I would have just given up my third table instead of making it all squeeze in.

For Miss Frenchie's, I was very pleased with the spaciousness of using an elongated L-shape for my 3 tables. I don't do a lot of shows, but try to learn a little from each one, and from this season, I discovered that while it is good to have a LOT of stuff to sell, it is not good to squeeze it in to too small of an area. You would think that would just be something I'd already have figured out at my age and all the shows I've done, huh?

A big plus about our Miss Frenchie's venue, is that we have solid wood walls that we can hang things on. I used my winter white velvet curtains from my living room (and from Target before that- I adore the Shabby Chic department at Target!!!). Then cut down some mini trees from the woods behind our house and dusted them with white spray paint, and screwed them to the wall above the curtains and draped them in white lights.

It was simple and easy, but got a lot of compliments. Which is always a wonderful thing!

These pieces were meant to hang above my booth, but I used them to decorate this corner by the stairs instead. It saved me from a few more nail holes in my living room curtains, too!

Even though I was chilled for most of the event, it was a wonderful sale and such fun. And I doubt that the customers were cold, only parts of the building were chilly and shoppers were moving around. My problem was that I was sitting still in a drafty area. But the cold was worth braving, the weekend was sure worth it. I get so much out of these shows beyond just sales. I love meeting so many like minded people who enjoy the same little pretties that I do.

What do I not enjoy about shows? Unpacking. Ugh. I've put it off for a week, its probably about time to face the piles. But before I do that, I have an even more enjoyable task to tackle. My email problem! Double Ugh.

Cold toes, warm heart

antiques/junking, celebrations, holiday decor, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / December 6, 2009

What an event! Miss Frenchie's was once again, a beautiful place to be! The barn was magically transformed into a winter wonderland of treasures.

Sadly, our friend, Elizabeth wasn't able to set up for the sale, but she did drive in from St. Louis to visit and shop. Her over the top, brilliant displays were missed, but we were glad to see her. Willow's Nest stepped in to fill the barn annex where Elizabeth was before, and I have to tell you, they were amazing. My chair was situated so that I had a view of their wares and GORGEOUS set up the whole weekend, and it was all I could do to stay in my own booth. I felt drawn back to their space to wander around and drool on things.

I certainly hope that for our next Miss Frenchie's event, we get both Elizabeth and Willow's Nest! Wouldn't that be something magnificent???

Why, oh why, did I not buy one of Linda's sweet vintage coin purses with a millinery rose tucked in, so I could hang it on my own tree?? She only had a few of them and they were really reasonable ($10). I'd be kicking myself if my feet weren't still so cold. I'm afraid a toe would snap off if I tried to kick anything.

Once my feet get cold, they just don't warm up, no matter what I do. I slipped my gloves onto them, and borrowed a rug from the entry way to keep off the cold cement, but did not dip them into my hot coffee like I really wanted to.

Debbie, of Curious Sofa, was serving delicious soup that warmed me up from the inside out, that helped. And we were so busy, that most of the time I forgot how cold my toes were.

Carol, of Raised in Cotton, was my near neighbor and her spot was a joy to the eyes too. Plus, she is always ready for a laugh or a story. Its always fun to be near Carol.

Near us was Angela, of Angel Court, who brought sparkly beauties that matched her outgoing, and sparkling personality.

Linda, of Willow's Nest, is an astounding individual with a sense of style like no one else. Even when dressed like a Snow Queen, she has a warm personality that draws you near. And a wealth of information about antique shows!

I really enjoyed being her neighbor for the day and seeing her creations. She was a Silver Bella vendor too, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her then, so was really glad to be set up near her for this show.

Another new friend from this show, was Joyce. I've bought things from her at my favorite antique mall in the world, Rusty Chandelier, but had never met her before.

And yes, she sold me the curtains!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've already hung them up, it was the first thing I did when I got home last night. I still had my coat on, and was climbing up on a chair to play with the fabulous, old, French netting before I even said hello to Twinkle. I'll have photos of my new kitchen look soon.

Beth was my next door neighbor on the other side, but the way our booths were set up, we really didn't get much of a chance to hang out. We'll have to schedule a craft day for some catch up time.

Her booth was a hit, she not only makes cool stuff, she searches out and finds the coolest, old things imaginable by attending every single auction and estate sale that she can find in the greater Kansas City area. Then she marks it up about 2 or 3 cents over what she paid for it and people swarm in to buy it!

(she's a brilliant accountant, so I'm sure she is making a profit somehow, but man, her prices are so good, it doesn't seem like she could be!)

Here is another view I had from my spot. Barbara Farmer's rich colored, sequin fruit was a splash of vibrancy that kept drawing my eye all day.

And what on Earth is wrong with me, that I didn't snap up one of Lesa Daily's birds???????

She makes the most magical creations. As soon as my feet warm up, I'll need to give myself a kick for missing those too.

Here is a bit of French by Design's goodies brought back from their European sprees. I don't think I can show you my booth today, after all these exquisite treasures.

Mine are all from rural Kansas garage sales, not world class antiques….

Have I mentioned how LUCKY I am to be a part of such a great show? Its not just the event itself (which is quite wonderful, beautiful, and lucrative!!), its the atmosphere of being around such talented and giving women that make the weekend so special for me.

No matter how cold my toes are.

DecemBrrrrrrrrhhh! Scenes from a set up

antiques/junking, Miss Frenchie's, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / December 4, 2009

I wanted to let you know that for some reason, quite a few of my emails are coming back as undeliverable. If you didn't receive a reply from me, hey, it isn't MY fault! But, still, sorry that they are not reaching you.

This sweet little snow ball, is Pearl, Debbie's dog. She seems snug and cozy as can be on this pillow while her 'mom' sets up her display for Miss Frenchie's sale this weekend, but she is probably feeling as frosty as her snow white coat looks! We had NO HEAT while setting up the barn today for the sale. The furnace was out, and will be fixed by tomorrow when the guests come, but man, was it cold setting up today!

You can practically see Greg shaking with the cold! We all were. Greg does these beautiful calendars, I'm sure you've seen. Its great to have such wonderful artists as part of the show. I just hope his poor fingers didn't get frost bite today and ruin his career.

As cold as it was, the cockles of my heart were warmed by the site of these lace panels!

I want them for my home!! I pre-shopped a bit and was told that I could maybe buy these, or at least would have first shot at them if the dealer decides to sell them. She wasn't sure if she would keep them or let them go. I sure fell for them, and would love to see them hanging in my kitchen…. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Currently, I have curtains from Bed Bath and Beyond, and honestly could do better. I've been searching for years for something that would be elegant, old, and affordable all at the same time. This would fit the bill at $100 for 6 panels. I hope she does decide to let me have them! (BB&Beyond curtains are $40 each, and these are in a whole other league than those, so would be quite the beautiful bargain!!)

Carol, who is normally neutral, is going for a splash of red. I can't wait to see her display when it is done. Everything she does is styled to perfection!

My pal, Gwen, imports all her goods from shopping sprees in France. She's made these ornaments from some ephemera gathered there.

She has great stories of her travels, and my dream is to some day take a guided French Flea market tour with her. Of course, my usual shopping is Kansas garage sales, so this will probably stay just a dream, not a reality.

Willows Nest Farm has more than just the beginnings of a beautiful set up.

Down to the smallest detail, their spot is amazing. I can't wait till I get the feeling back in my poor frozen toes so I can explore there.

My booth? Its not done yet. I was way too cold to finish. I was working away for hours, before I heard the furnace was broken. I was trying to put my best face forward, go with the flow and not get too upset about the cold, but when I heard that the furnace was not lit at all, I gave up! I figure I'll go back and set up tomorrow AFTER it is fixed! No reason to power through and be brave in the cold if the heat will be on tomorrow.

Plus, I am so relived that our shoppers and guests won't have to deal with the cold, I was worried that the barn just wasn't going to be warm. Its a relief to know there was an actual problem, not just draftiness!
And, we have a WARM room for the guests to wait in for the doors to open. No long line in the cold.

Here is a little December gift for you, a calendar I scanned from an old book for you to use in your projects or just to print and keep on your desk to write notes to yourself on.

Until the heat is fixed, I'm cozying up to the wood stove and starting the book I need to have finished for book club on Monday. Got a bit of a late start…

Isn't this a glorious full moon? I don't know what that ring around it is called, but to me, it sure looks like a fairy circle.