cottage – Page 10 – Karla's Cottage

I froze my watch off

Corona virus, cottage, Current Affairs, dogs

By Karla Nathan / February 17, 2021

The dogs are so happy with their new, furry, chair protecting, throw that they do not seem to notice the cold. This weather is scary cold, and the rolling blackouts make it a crap shoot for keeping warm. We woke up to no power on Tuesday, with minus 16 degrees outside.

It was only three hours for us, and we have a good fireplace with a heat blower on it, indoors, the temp only dropped to 56. Other parts of our land aren’t doing as well, I hope that these temporary blackouts stop the problem from getting even worse!

Last week, I volunteered a second time at the Covid vaccine drive through and it was only 14 degrees at the highest point of the day. This weather has gone beyond “cold snap” to “frozen smashed and broken”. Or something like that.

I hate cold with a passion and my family knows that I am a cowering mess of fear when I think the swimming pool water might be a tiny bit more chilly than I like.

Yes, quite the wimp.

I really didn’t think I could take being outdoors in that weather for six hours, but it is a cause that means a lot to me and I was so proud of myself for doing it.

It took:

3 pair of Cuddleduds leggings
2 Cuddleduds shirts
a fleece vet
a jersey lined, long lace skirt (because I could’t fit another pair of pants on)
wool socks
Ugg boots
a fleece gaitor/hood
fur lined hat
fleece scarf
lots of Toasty Toe warmers
fleece gloves (I had mittens to wear over them, but was handling paperwork and couldn’t use the mits, dang)
puffy jacket
Pretty mask

Did I mention, LOTS of warmers? I stuck them all over me.

I knew that all would show was my eyes, so I wore a ton of eye makeup. But didn’t realize that the fleece gaitor would cause my mask to steam up and I’d have a wet, red, icy nose all day. And that it would cause my mascara to melt into puddles that not only ran down my cheeks, but smeared in ragged half circles and froze above my eyes.

As if I had drunkenly drawn on weird eyebrows with a black sharpie.

And no one told me that I looked demented, as I greeted hundreds of drivers.

The cold was so bad, that my poor Apple Watch couldn’t take it. I had it buckled to my vest, because I couldn’t get to my wrist through all of my layers. The frigid air shut the watch down.

After dealing with freezing my watch off outdoors as a volunteer, a few hours in front of a fireplace, under a blanket with the power off didn’t seem so bad.

My next volunteer date is supposed to have temperatures way up to a balmy 21, so I am looking forward to the heat wave!

Hopefully you are warm, safe, and healthy. If you are, please turn down your heat a tad, turn off extra appliances and lights, and conserve what you can so that the grid doesn’t crash and the power stays off a while. Take care out there!

Cherishing

celebrations, Corona virus, cottage, family

By Karla Nathan / February 14, 2021

Do you have plans for this special day? I typically go all out, with gifts for everyone in the family, Galentine craft days, and decorations everywhere.

This is the anniversary of the day my husband adopted our boys and we have celebrated it as a family, instead of the usual couple date. Last year, we were in Florida, so had our family night early, but our son, Adam met us there to be together. The weather turned cold and rainy, our little Dewdrop had a bad cough, but we made our time fun and we were so happy to have them with us for a few days.

Here is a photo from one of my best Valentine’s, the grand fairies and I put glitter and confetti on the ceiling fan blades and had everyone gather in a circle. This is a capture still from the little video. It was such a jolt of pleasure to see a snippet of Ryan laughing when the video memory popped up on Facebook.

This season, our holiday is on the quiet side. The weather is unbearably cold today, with a high of two degrees, because of Covid we aren’t going to restaurants or gathering with friends for a craft day. Our pipes are frozen, so having a big dinner here, even with just half of us would be difficult. Sugarwings’ mama is working herself to exhaustion in finishing her clinical for her midwife’s degree and is too busy to get together. Adam and Dewdrop are far away in North Carolina.

And my Ryan is gone.

Life goes on, changes keep on coming. While we will never get over losing Ry, the arctic wind has stirred up his wind chimes and they are making a pretty song that I can hear in my studio today.

Adam loves his life in the mountains and has found a job where he can express his creativity, I love seeing photos of his carpentry projects, knowing he is using his art skills. I was blessed to have both of my sons close by and with me as adults for as long as I did.

Our Hippy Chick’s years of hard work are close to paying off and she will be starting her new career soon.

The years when I had my little fairy babies were filled with magic. But so is watching them grow and become become strong women with endless possibilities ahead of them.

Having family move on, grow, and flourish can feel like I have been left behind, if I let it. But I prefer to feel gratitude and pride for what they are doing with their lives.

When we get together, whether in small groups, or as a big ole, bundle, I can count my blessings and know that I am surrounded by love from near and far.

You can’t stop change, no matter if it is heart wrenching or heartfelt. Valentine’s Day is also Twinkle’s birthday. Today she is 14, and no longer the frisky pup she once was. But she still knows her name and likes when I repeat it to her, it’s her favorite thing. I’ll be cherishing her for as long as I can.

For New Year’s, I choose a word to honor for the upcoming year. 2021 has “Cherish”.

I’ll cherish the time I get with my true love, as our family goes through changes and we have time to travel and be together, just the two of us.

I’ll cherish my memories, my family and their dreams for the future.

I’ll cherish my friends and the fun they bring to my life. Even through social distancing we have remained close in our hearts.

I’ll cherish my house full of dogs and let them know they are loved, whether they are a puppy in their first year, or an aging baby like Twinks who might be in her last.

(a card from my pal, Angie)

Today might not be a typical Valentine’s Day for me, but I will cherish what I have and be thankful for the love I have been shown.

A small addition and a bit of an escape

collections, Corona virus, cottage

By Karla Nathan / February 10, 2021

Sometimes adding a little knick knack brightens a mood. Especially in these days where, if you are anything like me, you don’t get out much. After looking at the same sameness all the time, even a tiny twerk in home decor cheers me, so finding a nice treasure to add to my countertop and getting out to shop made for double the good time.

The other day I just needed to go SOMEWHERE. Do you get those feelings? Or are you already out and about? I’d been hearing about a new antique mall for months and months, and figured that if I wore a mask plus shield and didn’t linger, I should be fine.

And I was. Plus, I had such a great time. And I wanted everything I saw.

My main purchase was this chippy, old cigar stand that seemed perfect for my kitchen window.

Just what I needed to hold some greenery. I wish I could fill the window with herbs, but there isn’t enough sun. Instead, I use low light plants and cut flowers. Because plants add so much life to a home, don’t they?

I am not exactly a recluse, I do get out. These aqua appliances are from Hobby Lobby. Shopping there and at Michaels are just as essential as the grocery store in my mind.

Antiquing, on the other hand, isn’t something I’ve done much of.

And I’ve missed it!

There is no rush for me, though. There is a light shining brightly through the gloom, a beacon of hope that makes me feel like we can soon get back to a “new” normal.

The other day, I volunteered at a Covid vaccine drive through. It was very moving to be a part of, even if all I did was a Vanna White point to the exit. (I tried to make pointing and waving as fun as I could).

With a few, well a lot, more of these dates under our belts, there is a plan for getting out safely.

And I see a lot of antiquing around the corner!

Trying to be creative

Corona virus, cottage, dogs, family, Painting with thread, Ryan

By Karla Nathan / February 4, 2021

The malaise of 2020 is spilling over into 2021 for me. I have made efforts to be creative and busy, but haven’t had any project consume me, like they have in the past.

Lots of embroidery happened, because it’s kind of a mindless task, just to keep my hands busy in front of the TV.

I’ve had some studio time, but it is all a lot of simple projects, like doodling on this tag.

Or trying to make my own dog tags. I have also painted a lot of things, repaired and reorganized. But most were “one of”. Nothing prolific, as I have always been in the past. Typically, if I make something, I can’t stop and next thing you know, there are twenty of them.

I made a scrapbook for Ryan, fairy wings with the grand fairies, and added a vinyl floor to the closet/laundry room.

That was a long delayed job, and has made the floor much warmer.

I even decided that I’d start grooming the dogs myself.

At least the little dogs.

So, I’ve kept busy. I’ve gone for long walks, had socially distant visits with friends, and stayed active. I think the unease and uncertainty in the world because of the virus, and the unimaginable loss of my son who was also one of my best friends has dampened my drive.

We have a camper trip planned, and I hope to clear my mind and refresh my soul with some sea air. When I get back, I’d like to work on reopening my shop. It’s not exactly closed, but it is ignored right now. It would be good for me to revamp and restock for spring.

It has been important to me that I don’t lose myself to the sadness, that I keep crafting, creating, contributing. And while nothing will ever be the same, I am slowly trying to rebuild my world.

It looks like it was a big effort, but this is really just a mini redo

cottage, Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / January 24, 2021

When I fell in love with this hutch, it was despite the yellow, goldish color it had been painted. I thought I could live with it as is, but it grated on me, until I finally had to neutralize the piece and make it this classic white.

The original hardware was gorgeous, but too dark for me, so it got painted too.

See what I mean? It is a magnificent hunk of furniture, but just didn’t go with my house as it was. Maybe the tones were more Mediterranean instead of romantic cottage?

Ahhhhhhh, much better!

And a much more simple project than you’d think. I bought a quart of white chalk paint at JoAnne’s with a 50% off coupon. (There was a lot of paint leftover)

No prep needed, I just brushed it on. I didn’t take out drawers or remove hardware, I just carefully painted them in place, watching out for drips as I went along. After painting a drawer, I’d leave it open a crack so it didn’t stick shut.

I considered doing a glaze over all of it to accentuate the carvings and details. Then decided against it, because they showed up nicely in the solid color. Plus, other items in the room were painted that way, and I don’t like things too matchy.

The handles got the treatment, though. They looked odd in plain white, like they were unfinished.

The brass was turning a little green through the white paint and I kind of liked it, but didn’t want too much of it, so I used a clear coat on them, then another coat of white, barely leaving the green patina to peek through.

After that, I brushed on umber paint and wiped it off.

Then the whole cabinet got a satin, water based clear coat. Not wax! That stuff would have been soooooo much work to apply and buff on something like this! The clear poly worked just fine and was done in a fraction of the time.

Chalk paint dries quickly and covers well. It took one coat plus touch ups. The entire project was done in three hours, start to finish.

A cheeseboard with heart

cottage

By Karla Nathan / January 14, 2021

The artist/carpenter who built our dining table and dog crate also made this cheese board for me.

I’m always on the look out for found hearts in nature. This is a log that was in our woodpile. My husband cut slices of it for me, and I set them aside to dry a few months.

The heart isn’t as clear after drying, but it’s still there. With a few additional marks that developed in the wood, I think it looks pretty cool.

A Dog Crate That is a Piece of Furniture

cottage, dogs, Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / January 10, 2021

Ta Dah!

The crate is finished and I am thrilled with it.

It’s very spacious inside, actually a bit larger than our wire crate.

And a whole heck of a lot prettier. We keep a crate by the back door so we can send dogs with muddy feet right into it until dry. I was so tired of looking at that eyesore. I tried covering it with a tablecloth, but it just looked bulky.

The crate was exactly across from my seat at the dining table, my view every day when I sat and had my morning coffee. And over dinner.

I was over it.

Still, an ugly view was better than a muddy one that I had to mop up.

We still are using the wire cage until the polyurethane smell is gone, we don’t want to have fumes affecting the dogs. So for now, the wire one is still in the room and a hepa filter is running in the new one for a few weeks.

I think I’ll probably need to keep the metal crate out for a while after the fumes are gone, though. When I ordered this, we hadn’t planned on keeping a puppy. I am sure that no matter how good of a pup little Molly is, she would be tempted to chew on wood if locked inside. It’s probably safer to use it just for the big girls, not the baby.

And look at this!

From my seat at the table, this is what I see- the corner of the cabinet creates the silhouette of a bird!

Do you see it?

The front is a vintage floor grate. The top is from the same tree that that our table is made from. There is a door on each end with four metal medallions from Hobby Lobby as air vents.

I’d been worried about the hardware since there were no flea markets to go to, due to Covid. But I found some vintage styled ones on Amazon that worked out fine.

My dogs have always loved their kennels, I hope they like this one as much as I do.

Christmas decor blended into winter decorating

cottage, Goldendoodle Puppies, Hearth Room, redos

By Karla Nathan / January 8, 2021

It was time to take down my holiday decorations and trees. I didn’t do a lot (for me) this year, mostly trees, pinecones, and lots of lights.

The warm white lights had brought me a lot of joy this season. The first thing I did every single morning after letting the puppy out to potty was to flip all of the power strips on to get that cozy glow going. Molly wakes up way too early and everything is still pitch black and feels very wintery. She is desperate to go tinkle and doesn’t care if I am half awake, she is ready to go.

When she comes back in, I take a few moments to snuggle with her before making coffee and getting on with my day. Typically, I am not an early riser, but we enjoy our quiet mornings together with the lights sparkling in the darkened rooms.

January itself is too stark to go from a house full of festivity to none at all. So the lights above the windows are staying for a while.

Along with our hot tea and cocoa station. It got de-Christmassed, and we have rules about no cocoa parties unless they are near a Christmas tree.

But we have been known to still sip a cup of hot chocolate now and then…

The mercury glass stayed out too. It fit nicely with the holiday, but I think it will also be pretty for the rest of the winter. Anything that is reflective adds light to the dark months.

The Christmas trees had been decorated mostly in pinecones and twinkle lights in honor of a happy day that Ryan and I had together gathering pinecones last year.

After plucking them out of the branches and packing the trees away, I decided to keep the pinecones out for a while. I stuffed newspapers into the matt white pottery and a few mercury glass candle holders, then topped that with the pinecones. Some rosebuds, dried from an arrangement that came after Ryan’s death were put under glass for a hint of faded color.

Swans from Lesa Daily’s A Snowbird’s Song class are on top of the kid’s game and book cabinet. I like their silhouettes in the mirror.

The hutch previously had lots of mini, battery operated LEDs on its shelves. I took them down, but kind of miss them. I might bring a strand back out.

The mantle didn’t get much of a changearoo. I took out the pink shiny brites and left the garland stuffed with hydrangeas and pinecones.

For now, these changes feel right. I have some natural elements from outdoors and mostly neutral, low-color tones with a hint of sparkle throughout. Plus warm throws and lots of extra pillows, for us and the dogs. It always hurts to put the Christmas clutter away, but streamlined, serene surroundings aren’t bad either. I’m spending so much time indoors, it is nice to have the calm decor around me, along with the warmth of the lights that I left in place.

A mini greenhouse gets a mini redo

collections, cottage, redos

By Karla Nathan / January 6, 2021

I’ve had this little terrarium for ages and always thought I’d try to make it look a bit more vintage. (This is the after)

Here is the before.

Then I saw that Hobby Lobby still sells the exact one, and when I noticed it on the shelf, I thought to myself that it really needed a makeover. I guess I’d just gotten used to seeing it as is in my house and had gotten to the point where I probably didn’t see it at all.

In the midst of putting away all of the Christmas stuff (admittedly, there wasn’t much of it this year, but it did take all day), I took a break and repainted this white. I glued a couple of ornamental dodads over the open hearts too.

Looking for found hearts is a hobby of mine, I love seeing them appear in nature. But not so much as cut outs on things in my home, although I do love this old, old, tin trim filled with hearts.

There might have been too much impatience in getting it done, because I had some issues with the glued on pieces. I was trying to paint them while the glue was still wet and at one point, the heavy, wet paint was too much for the gloppy glue and one embellishment slid right off. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, if it had just landed next to the terrarium on the newspaper I was using to protect the table.

Nope. It decided to fling itself away from the newspaper with a hefty bouncing motion and spew minuscule paint drops across my kitchen floor.

Once I finally got it dry, in one piece, and the floor mopped up, I refilled it. I pretty much reused what I’d already had in it before, just rearranged and cleaned it up a little.

It might be a tad too springlike inside for the rest of my winter decor in the room, but I like a splash of spring somewhere in my home. I keep some favorite things in it, porcelain roses broken off of a vase, a sea shell with a glossy pink interior, crystals and pretty rocks I have found on trips.

Oh, and crystal balls, plus some houseplants that are easy to keep alive. And a sweet birdie. I always need little birdies around. I hope she likes her spiffed up, new home.

A Christmas Surprise

cottage, Dew Drop, family, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas!

We had a surprise visitors! Dewdrop and her Daddy hid under our tree on Christmas Eve, Sugarwings and I did not know they’d be here.

It just isn’t Christmas unless Sugarwings’ Daddy falls asleep on the sofa with her on his lap.

She was so happy to have him here.

And this goofball brings joy with her wherever she is.

Everyone was enjoying the surprise.

There was pie baking, cookie decorating, fairy wing creating, and candle pouring throughout the day.

On the day before the night before Christmas, Sugarwings and I were missing our littlest, goofiest fairy. She made some purple wings for her baby sister on craft day, and was sad she wasn’t here to give them to her.

We hadn’t set up the tree in Dewdrop’s bedroom, and I hadn’t gotten our big tree out either. We decided it would cheer us up get the large tree out of the closet after all (at bedtime) and she decorated it with all of Dewdrop’s ornaments so we’d feel close to her.

Then, there was Dewdrop and her daddy, sitting under the that tree the next day!

Typically, I spend hours making sure the tree is perfectly decorated. This is the year, that I discovered that it isn’t the way the tree looks that matters. I have enjoyed my mostly naked trees with just twinkle lights and no ornaments beyond some pine cones for Ryan. And I love this quickly set up tree decorated by one grand fairy with my other grand fairy’s things.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”