celebrations – Page 18 – Karla's Cottage

A surprise craft day for Judy

By Karla Nathan / April 1, 2013

Our visit to Karen's doll house was such a magical time.

The weather cooperated and was ideal, lots of sparkling sunlight. While blizzards blew at home in Kansas!

Here I am with Sherry and Karen on the porch of the Kozy Kottage. This is Karen's get away in Mt. Dora, and is as girlified as any retreat can be. Pinks, whites, roses, pretties, all twinkling and sparkling in a joyous petite doll house.

Guncle Randy and I had a bit of trouble finding it, because the GPS took us to another pink and white house a block or so away. (who knew there would be so many pink houses with white picket fences on one street??)

No one answered the door there, so we got out, walked around, and called Karen to leave a message and say we'd be back soon. Then, left my piles of craft supplies and kits on the porch to save bringing it back later.

As we drove off and around the corner, I spied another pink and white house.

hmmmm…

I told Randy that I thought just maybe, we should turn around and go get my stuff off of the other home's porch!

No one had opened my boxes and created bird cages while we were gone, so all was fine.

I'd brought tons of goodies for the ladies to go through and make as many fairies as they wanted and cloche/cage for the little sprites to live in when done.

We spent the afternoon at Karen's dining table twisting wire and gluing away as we chatted.

It was a fun group, we had the birthday girl, Judy, and her daughter-in-law who was part of the big surprise Karen had planned for Judy.

One of my best friends, Sherry had driven down from Georgia, and Casandra was there from a nearby Florida town. I've always wanted to meet her. And she is every bit as nice as you'd expect her to be.

Guncle Randy met up with me in Orlando, where I flew in. He was there to receive yet another, Top Sales Director of the Year award from Hilton. I was very proud of him!

Karen scooped me up at the airport for a day of junking, while Randy was busy accepting his trophy. She showed me some good places to shop in Orlando and was lucky enough to find a few florally hats to tear apart that night at the Hilton while I waited for Randy.

We all made these fairy cloche/bird cages, and I think they turned out sweet.

We will be doing a version of this again at Birdsong. Karen and Sherry will both be coming to visit me in June for that, so looks like they will be starting a collection, huh?

After we were done, we walked downtown to dinner. And then, weren't quite ready for the party to end, so we kept working till after midnight on projects.

My only regret (besides the fact that I probably passed my awful cold onto everyone) is that I didn't get to jump out of a giant cake for the surprise. I was hoping for strawberry.

Fairy Cup Cakes

celebrations, fairies, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / March 26, 2013

My trip to Florida to see Guncle Randy and do a mini class is also a surprise birthday party. I'm writing this ahead of time, so I'm not mentioning details about who will be at the party.

Since the class is about fairies, and it was a party, I decided to make fairy cupcakes.

A kind swapper, Wendy, who was in my Fairy Book Swap, had given me a cupcake she made as a hostess gift and I've always admired it.

I hope that she doesn't mind me making some myself. These were done with Styrofoam balls in cupcake papers. Hers are a bit different.

I made a special, little boy sprite for Guncle Randy.

And an extra large serving of cup cake for the birthday girl.

When I get all unpacked and settled back in at home, I'll have some photos of the weekend for you.

At the Valentine Journal Workshop AND some free images

bird song art event, Books, celebrations, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), free images, holiday decor, puppies!, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / February 4, 2013

I had such a nice time at the Valentine Journal workshop. There is something wonderful about a Valentine theme, that always makes me happy. Roses? Hearts? PINKS? All of it!

We had a small group, so only needed to use half of the studio. I used this half to set out extra supplies. So, not only did we have kits stuffed with Vintagey goodies, I had enough extras to make dozens more books. One table was just used to display previously made books as examples. I showed my travel journal, my samples for An Enchanted Affair, the Valentine book, as well as a couple of books from swaps I'd been in.

By the way, Kim was able to squeeze in one more table at her arty event this spring, and has sold all but one space at it! If you are interested, better jump in fast! Hope to see you there.

Another table held lots of extra pretty papers, while a third was all tidbits, ribbons, lace, and embellishments.

I should do fresh flowers in my studio more often, its a nice treat.

Our local grocery store usually marks a dozen roses down to $1.99 every Monday, but for some reason, they were on sale this Friday too. So, I was able to set out flowers all around the house.

When prepping for the class, I spent about 14 hours making kits, and thought I might just end up running away from home to get away from them. What was I thinking, waiting till the last day to make them???? That isn't like me. I sure learned a lesson, and will be getting a jump start on spring time class kits so this won't happen again.

Kits can be fun to make, and I enjoy playing with my piles of papers and deciding what to include, but not at the last minute. I had to write instructions, edit photos, sort papers, plus dozens of other things that make the kits successful and well thought out. It shouldn't be done the day before the workshop!!

I made up what I thought were lots of extras, but not quite enough. They sold out in one day, thank you to all who bought them! It is never any more trouble to make an extra 10 or so while putting together enough for a class, so I always make some to sell. Plus one for myself, so that I can pull things out during class to demonstrate and know that the kits are functional and have what they need in them.

The best part of making a kit, is seeing how it is used.

Of course, since they are vintage, no two are exactly alike, but still I love the way everyone changes things around so much and puts their own stamp of uniqueness on their work.

And its very pretty to see how far some go to change it up.

We do mini workshops for holidays throughout the year, just for my friends and their kids to come over and play, and of course, I have Birdsong too. (Which I have not done a single thing for yet this year! I need to gather my thoughts and get the website done for sign ups!!)

We did a Halloween gathering and then this little Valentine party, and I really enjoyed both. I would like to do more small, one afternoon workshops if possible. Its so much more intimate than a big to do. Of course, even Birdsong is not big at all, compared to most arty weekends, its 25 people and all cozy in my studio.

Still, it would be nice to do a smaller class like this and have them quarterly or so. Just a thought. 10 people or less, hanging out, chatting all together instead of broken off in groups around the room.

Either way, no matter how many come, I love having company in my studio. Its not that I don't enjoy a good day alone with my creations, but since I have soooo many of those days, working all alone, its nice to have some company.

I can't imagine any other job than the one I do (although the thought of one that pays better, is pretty tempting), but it does get lonely. Which is why having a blog and all of my blog friends is so nice.

Of course, these guys too! They are great company when they aren't stealing things from me to shred. Dorothy can't jump or climb because of the injury she had when she was tiny, but Albie is good at getting on the table and grabbing something fun for them to rip up.

Auntie Beth brought them some Valentine tees, and even girlie-ed up Dorothy's with some lace.

She also brought this. Beautiful, isn't it?

One of my guests brought this lovely, old image, and I was asked to copy it to share. I thought maybe you would like to have it too. Just click on the image to open it to a larger window, then save it to your computer to print.

And this one was in one of the kits and I was asked to copy it also.

When scanning it, I took a few moments to edit it in a romantic way. Please save these the same way as the cabin picture.

The prettiest food ever

celebrations, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / January 7, 2013

When we went to DC in December, I got to visit one of Twinkle's pups who now lives in VA.

HIs name is Buddy and he is a furry ball of delight.

He has a sister named Lola, from a previous litter of Twinkle's and she is a beauty.

While visiting the grand dogs is always a highlight of any trip I take, we also were treated to a fantastic holiday dinner at Rivercreek Country Club on the Potomac.

Not only was the food and wine fancy, there was also a sense of humor served with it. The courses were created to represent all the markets in the country that my husband's region held.

For Tennessee, the chef whipped up moonshine martinis!

I'm not a good drinker, two glasses and I start giggling or snorting, so I figured I shouldn't drink it. I just ate the olive instead.

The liquor soaked, strong olive. It was pretty tasty, but almost made my head spin.

Luckily, we had some of the world's prettiest food coming to soak up the liquor I'd just chewed up in that olive.

Usually, I'm not a fan of rare beef, but this was beyond amazing. It was cooked sous-vide and perfectly done.

And I don't think I've ever had a dessert this good. The disc thing on the bottom? I have no idea what it was made of, but when I bit into it, the thing disappeared into an explosion of flavor. Really, it disappeared. Like eating some sort of tasty ghost. But it was more like powder, not like cotton candy, although a similar principle. Delicious air.

It was all just perfect. So good that, looking at these pictures has made me sad about dinner tonight, and I had been looking forward to homemade pot pies in the oven before I started thinking about this meal. It was quite a special treat.

Top Chef style dream food and a great night. I even made it through the evening without snorting after imbibing the moonshine.

Happy New Year, and some Zero Dollar Decorating

celebrations, cottage

By Karla Nathan / January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

I'm starting off mine with a little bit of a redo. My husband has had some vacation time, and we've been enjoying reading by the wood stove in the kitchen. Since we have spent so much time there, I shuffled some things around and set up a comfy spot for us to relax in.

There is something about this time of year that compels me to rearrange, redo, lighten up, edit. Over the course of a year, as I scrounge flea markets and garage sales, I tend to accumulate and add cool, beloved junk to our home. When cold weather hits, and the January 1st marker of new beginnings rolls around, I start to rethink my look.

I still love my junk, and always will, but feel like I need less of it around in January. Maybe its partially the excesses of Christmas that make me crave tranquility.

Being cooped up indoors so much makes me want less stuff around, cleaner lines. And a new view.

Combining my urge to edit, the compulsion to redecorate, along with our love of roasting our toes by the fire, led me to a drastic, but FREE change.

I took the leaves out of the table, and turned it around, moved the island (that is why I built it with wheels!) and shopped in my own living room for a recliner. The second chair in our Archie/Edith setup is just one from the dining table, with a soft pillow for the small of my back and a footstool.

When Sugarwings came over, she loved it and said that my table was soooo cute, since it looked so tiny with no leaves. I doubt if she has seen it set up this way before, I like having a huge table.

Does the room look fantastic this way? No, not really. To me, its all just a little off, and a bit odd too. But its very functional, comfortable, and only temporary for the cold spell. (but heck, if I wanted perfection and high gloss style, I probably wouldn't have a wood stove in the dining room to start with)

And I am enjoying the change.

Change is a good word for the 1st. This is the perfect time to look around at things we've grown accustomed to, or complacent with. It's a time to think about what really works and what we can do to make it better.

A time for looking at things in a new way, to see what makes us and the ones we love more comfy in our every day lives, whether its as simple as moving a recliner to an unexpected spot or totally rethinking some bigger issues. Getting rid of old habits that don't make sense today, things that you are doing by rote, just because that is how you've been doing it that way.

Could a simple change in the New Year bring pleasure or ease to your life?

Our Christmas

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, parties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 30, 2012

It's hard to say goodbye to Christmas this year, but on the other hand, on the 26th, I was itching to take down the tree. I wasn't able to, due to other goings on, but I was ready to see it go. I think its because the lights all went out on the tree the minute the last gift was opened! That was some sort of sign. Plus, I feel like a dark tree is a bit sad. So, into the closet it goes, and I'll deal with the kaput lights next year.

We had an extended Christmas celebration, with all the kids over on the 24th for brunch and gifts, with a hot cocoa and cookie party afterwards.

Dewdrop came over with her parents on Christmas morning to see what Santa left under Grammie's tree while all the rest of the family visited other relatives. I think it was special for the youngest of 7 to have a whole morning of being the center of it all and opening gifts just for her. She was pretty excited, and a joy to watch.

We spent a lazy day, watching our littlest fairy play. My son, Mr. Zen and his Gypsy cooked a great meal for us all. Broiled lobster with seafood pasta.

YUM! The only thing better than having someone cook a meal for you, is if the meal is lobster.

Sugarwings had a sleepover on Christmas night, so Santa could bring some gifts to Grammie's tree for her too. She loves the whole spectacle of Santa, Christmas, and the arrival of gifts, but I think the stories and ambiance are what she appreciates even more than the presents. We decided that if we didn't buy a thing for her, and told her that the Grinch had come and taken everything out from under the tree, she would have been so excited, she would have popped.

That kid lives for fantasies and her imaginary world. She'd love to be plopped into the middle of the Grinch story and wouldn't think twice about not getting a present.

On the other hand, she was in heaven with the magic of everyone's gifts.

Many of the photos I tried to take look like this. She is darting about from one person to the next, excited to see what is under the wrappings. When I'd snap the picture, I'd get a blurry image of Sugarwings racing in to check out the latest, greatest gift her siblings got to open.

Yet, in the middle of all the gifting frenzy, she did the sweetest thing ever. We had 14 people squeezed into this little living room, along with three Christmas trees. So, Aunt Sandy made herself comfortable on the stairs.

When Sandy got a gift, Sugarwings would take it to her and sit to watch while she opened it. And finally, took her by the hand and led her to the center of the room and told her that she was "part of the group" and shouldn't be sitting by herself.

I was so proud of our little angel, who was caring about her great aunt during all of the hullabaloo, and not wanting her to feel left out of all the joy.

And joy there was. Plenty of it!

I think the dogs had a good time too. With so many kids around, there were plenty of crumbs. Twinkle tends to park herself under the highchair at most gatherings.

We kept the meal simple, honey baked ham, French toast and hashbrown casseroles made the night before, sweet corn frozen from last summer's farmer's market with some peas added for color, and scrambled eggs straight from the hen house, with chopped spinach and red peppers to be festive.

Paper plates, plastic forks, and foil pans made it all even easier. There was minimal clean up time, so we could get right to the fun stuff and gather around the tree! For some of us, it was hard to wait for that part.

I'll leave you with some photos of our day and I hope that yours was joyful as well.

The Merriest!

celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 28, 2012

We had the BEST Christmas! This is a little video of our gift from our littlest fairy, Dewdrop. She practiced a dance and gave us a performance. The non-stop giggling you hear is me, she had me laughing through the whole show.

The video is pretty short, because she kept slipping and falling since her tights were slippery on the wood floor. A lot of the video was filled with mooning. Her little bottom was the star of the show. While I think itsy bitsy baby bottoms are adorable, maybe the internet is not the best place for them, so here is the edited version.

Our whole holiday was filled with laughter.

And a few tears too. I got a hand made stocking from our Gypsy and it was filled to the brim with sweet notes from all of the kids. I grinned and cried as I read each one.

We are a sentimental bunch. The calendar that the Hippy Chick and Sugarwings filled with family photos was a hit too.

Sweet is a good word for our
Christmas. Very, very, very sweet.

Breakfast with Santa

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 21, 2012

We had the best time at our breakfast with Santa at Lion's Gate Coutnry Club. The club is part of the company my husband works for so we have a membership, but if you know me at all, you will know that we are not a "clubby" sort of family. My Handsome Husband takes a chance every time he invites us in to see how his side of the world operates. We are all kind of arty and down to earth. He travels with the club set.

It was fun to have a reason to get dressed up, and have a fancy place to go, that was still kid friendly. I think its important for the little grand fairies to see both sides and experience some more formal places.

On the drive there, the kids told us how they had been practicing their manners. And there was a lot of talk about Santa and just how old he might be, if he was strong enough to chase down reindeer to catch them, and a few other curious aspects of the jolly old elf's life.

Fin was wondering if Santa lived there at the club, or did he just work there. And if Pop Pop worked there too, did that make him an elf?

Dewdrop didn't get the whole part about asking for presents, but she has been very good, so I'm sure he will bring her some ponies.

Everyone was at their country club best, manners were ideal and we all had fun. The only hitch in the whole day of us pretending that we fit in, was when my husband carried the baby around, accidentally bunching up her dress over his arm, as her little panties slid down, so that she mooned the whole dining room.

Her teensy weensy little baby butt was paraded all across the restaurant.

Aren't their dress up clothes cute? I found the girl's clothes at Salvation Army, for $2 each.

I'm quite happy to let someone else pay 50 bucks for a dress that gets worn for only one occasion, then donate it for me to buy cheap. Plus, my girls will wear them over and over as dress up clothes in their play closet.

I can just picture them all as winter fairies in their velvet and lace.

I wasn't so lucky finding something there for Mr. Fin, but he had this outfit already and looked extra cute. They did all get brand new shoes for the party, but that I don't mind spending on, since that is such a practical thing.

We were very proud of the kiddos, and they all said thank you to the manager and to Santa as they left.

The food was amazing. For Christmas Eve dinner, we are doing brunch instead of a big evening meal because Ryan has to work at 4pm. So, I was inspired by some of the tasty brunchy items on the buffet.

How are the plans for your holiday meals going?

It can be a lot of work, but when we all sit down together to eat, talk and be together, its worth every bit of the trouble of pulling it together. Moms and grammies tend to be overworked during the season with a heavy load of shopping, wrapping, grocery buying and cooking. So, days out like this are especially appreciated by me amidst all the rush and work of putting a holiday together.

I
will be away from my computer till Sat. the 22nd. Sorry, I can't get
new orders from the Boutique or Etsy out in time for Christmas. Next
shipping date is Dec. 27th. Wishing the happiest of holidays to you!!

Holiday parties galore!

celebrations, family, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 19, 2012

We had a big weekend, with lots of holiday fun. Friday night, our Hippy Chick and the two little grand fairies went with us to dinner and to see "Rise of the Guardians". Dewdrop loved it, because the "night mares" that the Boogey Man created were horses. She is a huge pony fan, and yelled out "go Honies!!" every time she saw one of these spooky creatures in the movie. To her, they were the heros.

Afterwards, we drove around to look at Christmas lights. One home here in Lawrence had an elaborate display set to music, complete with a video of a life size Santa eating milk and cookies in the upstairs window. At first, we thought they actually had Santa up there, it was realistic as can be. Then, the video started to loop and we started to clue in on what was going on. All of a sudden, the size of the picture changed and his whole head filled the window, that part was a bit creepy and unexpected.

Then, on Saturday, we had a holiday pitch in dinner and craft party. And on Sunday, we had breakfast with Santa at one of the clubs my husband works at.

For the craft party, a friend had a bagful of clear glass balls she wanted to use up and we were challenged to find ways to create with them. So, I experimented with a few ideas, and filled a couple of tabletops with supplies for everyone to play with.

Some became snowmen, some had fairies or family member's photos inside.

I also had boxes that everyone could decorate and either top with a snowman head, or leave as is.

Another friend brought clothespins for the kids to make into toy soldiers.

Here is a snowman that Addie made.

Everyone's projects turned out quite different, which is one of the fun things about these kinds of parties.

Dinner was great too, pitch ins are my favorite. Every time I look into a pot or bowl someone else brought, it's like a little surprise party for my tummy. I love food that I didn't fix myself!

My studio didn't get much in the way of decor for the holidays this year. I set out some of the things that I'd made for sale, which is an excellent way to decorate, because hopefully, when the season is over, the stuff is gone and there is nothing to put away.

Well, that is if things go as planned. But, these wings will still be in vogue for Valentine's Day, so I'm not worried if I have a couple left.

Our weather is once again freakishly un-winterlike this year. So after making their projects, most of the kids played outside. Sugarwings soon turned her princess gown into something that looked like it had been dipped in Hershey's syrup, she had so much wet, gooey mud on herself.

After she and her little friend got cleaned up, we settled them in front of Frosty the Snowman on TV and gave them some hot chocolate to warm themselves up. It might have been warm outside for winter, but not really warm enough to play in the water and mud.

The husbands watched the KU game and played pool, we made things in the studio, and kids divided up their evening by crafting and playing outdoors. I think they even explored the Fairy Berry Trail in the dark.

Yep, it was a good weekend! I even managed to get about 75% of my Christmas shopping done.

But please, don't mention wrapping. ugh.

I will be away from my computer till Sat. the 22nd. Sorry, I can't get new orders from the Boutique or Etsy out in time for Christmas. Next shipping date is Dec. 27th. Wishing the happiest of holidays to you!!

Painting puppeesh

celebrations, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, paintings, parties, puppies!

By Karla Nathan / November 26, 2012

Isn't Ashley a beautiful bride? The wedding was lovely and our teddy bear of a nephew, Travis looked very happy.

The wedding was held in a shabby chic lover's dream house. I could have wandered around drooling over the furniture and decor all night. I wish I could have got more photos, but my camera broke and I forgot my phone.

Toward the end of the evening, it dawned on me that my husband had an Iphone that I could borrow it and email a few pics to myself. But by then, the light wasn't as good and I'd missed all the best shots. This close up of my handsome husband and I needed severe editing to make it usable. The rest, weren't salvageable.

Luckily, my camera didn't shoot craps till right as the ceremony started, and I had it for the bridal shower which was such a fun time!

It was held at Wine and Design where we all got to do a complete painting to take away with us, drink wine and eat yummy chocolate cheddar cheese ( from Trader Joe's).

This art studio is a GREAT idea that I would love to snag. You get a prepared canvas with a sketch on it, and the instructor paints along with everyone and they do a painting step by step.

Our class was a chandelier, but I was feeling a little homesick for my dorkie pups and for the kids. It was Dewdrop's second birthday, so I thought about her and painted a puppeesh (as she calls them) as a gift for her.

Its not the best painting I've done, but its aimed for a 2 year old. She likes it, and talks to the picture, telling it stories.

My idea of a fun party, is having a project to do, so this was right up my alley. They rent out to groups, and have a schedule of regular classes too. I think it could be fun to do in my studio, not as a regular thing like this was, but maybe a little class here and there, or teaching a painting of birds in a nest for Birdsong next spring?

Years ago, I used to be a painter, I rarely pick up a brush any more. I don't miss it until I do one, then I wonder why I don't paint more often.

The bride and groom are crazy about their pup, Barkslie, and I offered to do a painting of her for their gift.

This is done in watercolor, but I cheat, and use white acrylic too. I know that in the purest world of watercolor painters, this is frowned upon. But, I figure, its my picture and I can do as I like. So I do. I think the watercolor wash of shadows and spots on the snout is nicely accented with the white hairs over it. Now, the proper way to do this is to save the white of the paper, by using a masking fluid before painting the colors. But I prefer the layers, so I don't bother doing it the right way.

(the whites of the eyes are pure paper and so is most of the white fur, just not the accents over it)

If I do painting classes here at the cottage, I'd tell people not to listen to snobs who tell you that your technique is wrong and go for a finished look that YOU like instead.

Anyone interested? If so, please let me know and we can try to set up a class.