More from our cottage gardens
cottage, dogs, flowers 
I tend to junk up my yard and home with old stuff.
And that makes me happy!
cottage
May Showers Bring June Flowers?
cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), flowers
Quite a bit of May and into June, it rained.
And rained.
Then rained some more.
I dug some trenches to have the water run away from the house in a few places, but this river was created by the dogs running back and forth to bark at people walking on the other side of the fence. I needed to dig out a tunnel under the fence for it to drain, and then, this raging river became ideal for redirecting the water away from our home.
But just imagine the mud we have had to deal with from all of the dog’s hard work in crafting this trail!
We are so lucky it has only been mud. So many places are flooded or damaged by the tornados.
I hate to even admit this, but the rain hasn’t been all bad at the cottage. We seem to have decent run off, and haven’t had problems with it, once the torrents streaming across the yard subside and drain away.
We have been gifted with lush, overflowing flower beds as an after effect.
Our yard has never been better.
We have also put a ton of work into trimming, planting, and cleaning up too.
And my studio redo made me so happy that I wanted some changes outside too. This swing got a fresh coat of paint, and moved from the big yard that has been taken over by Honey and Sugar, to a cozy spot where it is getting used again.
This corner got a big refresh, I added two rose bushes, a viburnum, some other shrub (whose name I have forgotten), and ten bags of mulch.
I also planted this little perennial that will bloom in pink. My husband said that we should support a local farm/nursery that had tornado damage. He loaded up his chainsaw and gator to spend an afternoon cleaning up there, then picked me up to go shop at their garden center.
We have always loved that farm, in the fall it is a pumpkin patch and we have had many happy memories of tiny grand fairies playing there.
If buying a few pots and flats of plants could help them out, I was in. We even bought a few for our son’s home.
I am very proud of my handsome husband for volunteering his time. He is a nice guy to not only go to help but to also suggest supporting their business.
Around the cottage
cottage, family 
It seems like I take a lot of pictures.
I simply cannot resist capturing special moments.
This person seems to show up in many of them….
See what I mean?
There are also many, many, random photos from around the cottage.
Family pictures make it to the art journals, and many pics end up on FB or Instagram. Sometimes they fall through the cracks and never hit the blog.
But here they are now, with a made up theme to put them all together in one post.
The Last Foof of February
cottage, paintings 
Well, it’s almost Spring, and in the meantime, while waiting for flowers to bloom and save me from the horrors of winter, I’ve surrounded myself with flowers indoors.
Besides a tiny bit of online shopping for the quilt and shams in previous posts, most of my “rosy-up the house” make overs have been switcheroos from one area to another. Or digging things from cabinets to bring out and reuse.
These roses are some that I painted years ago, and the tiny framed pieces had been on a shelf in another room.
There is a new piece here. My BFF, Beth, gifted me with a folding mirror for Christmas. It has a gorgeous picture on the front, and I’ve sat it up on the cabinet top, nestled behind some greenery.
This cabinet top got shuffled around and I added some projects made in classes over the years. They are sat in front of a watercolor I’d done ages upon ages ago, but will never be tired of.
There are always happy memories tied up in the decor when I can incorporate pieces from past art events!
Ps- These are all paintings that I have done myself. The watercolor marker tricks I will be sharing at A Song of Spring are meant for art journaling, or smaller projects. But the techniques behind them are universal. Learning the basics for cute doodles can be the start to learning how to paint something to hang over your mantel.
details for the class are here:
https://karlascottage.typepad.com/karlascottage/2019/03/a-song-of-spring-sign-ups-are-open.html
Another February Foof, small change to beat mid-winter drearies
cottage
A while back, one of my old, wallpaper covered cabinets apart. This one was meant for shoes, it had slanted shelves with a bar on them that held the heels in place. The outer shell became a case to stack paper in, out in the studio. And I saved the shelf pieces, knowing they were too pretty to toss.
Now, they are picture holders.
I’d hoped that bar would be enough to lean a small frame on, but it wasn’t. I had to add a nail above it to hang to pictures on for stability. But they still rest on the little bar.
This picture is a vintage metal coaster with a circle of wallpaper and a diecut centered in it. I glued the ribbon onto the back.
This frame has been stashed away forever, waiting for me to find just the right place for it. It is wonderfully gaudy, isn’t it?
While the wallpaper is a different tone than the sofa pillows, I’m still happy with the rosy-ness of it all. The Euro shams are from Pottery Barn, and meant to be used as bedding. They were on deep clearance, and I thought they were just what I needed to spruce up the couch.
I like to have an assortment of pillow cases and shams to change the look of my room. The couch has a loose pillow back, and one large seat cushion. Sometimes I slip the seat into a duvet cover and tuck the excess underneath. Sometimes, I sew (blech!) covers.
I purchased the matching duvet in king size, on sale for $58. (Pretty cheap for that much material!) It’s too much to use the duvet with all of the pillows on the sofa at the same time. But there is so much fabric to it, that I can cut it up to make seat covers for the recliners and still have plenty for the seat of the couch.
Then, I’ll spread the pillows around the room and break up the pattern with some plain pillows.
But that involved more work than I was interested in doing for a quick changeover. Slipping on some fresh shams and hanging pictures was plenty for this February!
The bargain fabric is packed away til I get the nagging need for another change up.
More February Foofing, another small change
cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers)
When I bought new recliners for the living room, I opened a Pottery Barn charge card that gave me cash back to spend in the store.
Pottery Barn isn’t my typical shopping venue. I’m pretty cheap on the frugal side, and usually go for second hand or discount stores. But those chairs, were the exact perfect pieces, because I do not care for recliners, but they are all my husband wants.
These were ideal, cottage seats that secretly reclined.
So, I splurged.
And happily poured through the online catalog, planning my bonus purchase.
When isaw this quilt, in colors that would warm up a drab February, I knew it was just right for my room.
First of all- roses and birds?
With old fashioned, faded looking squares?
Yep, perfect! I’m a sucker for cottage quilts, my mom was a quilter, and I’ve got a soft spot for them. Plus, I like the way they feel, layered on my bed.
It came in the mail the same day that my Sissy sent this robe to me as a gift. I felt like I was meant to be wrapped in those warm, rich, flowery tones when I found both boxes on the front step in the middle of that awful, polar vortex of cold that had settled over much of the Midwest.
They both made me feel pretty happy, and knocked the mid-winter blues away.
Little changes can give me a big lift
cottage, Hand Painted Furniture
There is something about this time of year that makes me want to redo and spruce up my home.
Is it just that I miss the sparkle of Christmas?
Or that everything is so gray and dingy outside, and I crave some color inside?
Or am I just cooped up and tired of seeing the same things over and over?
On the other hand, there are some things that I never tire of and still very much enjoy having around, like the hand painted mirror and vanity in my bathroom.
But It still needed a freshening up. I satisfied the urge for a redo, by doing a deep cleaning and emptied the drawers, threw away expired items, regrouped others.
I added the larger, white set of mini drawers from the studio, and stacked it with the others already there in the corner. Then, I put cotton swabs and pads into the little, aqua tin from another room. I’d had the Qtips in a glass jar, which was fine, but like I said, I needed changes.
These are all little switches that I’d probably be the only one to notice. But they did the trick, and I felt pleased.
The necklaces and bracelets even got cleaned and resorted.
Valentines on the Mantle
cottage, Hearth Room, Valentine's Day 
After spending so much time on spiffing up the studio for A Lovebird's Song, I kind of called it in for the rest of the house.
I added vintage candy boxes to white flower pots that were already on the mantle and hung a bit of lace with some old Valentines clipped to it.
The lace had hearts on it, and the cards were the 3-D, folding kind.
Those are so pretty, simply hanging them up made it all look special.
I did a bit more for the guest bathroom, it got some rosy curtains that used to hang in the studio at one point, and some new towels.
Well, I guess that isn't a whole lot, is it? But it was a refreshing change to get me out of a mid-winter, post Christmas, decor slump. A small change can do big things for a room when you are cooped up inside on cold days.
I
Sprucing up in the Studio for my Galentines
bird song art event, cottage, holiday decor, housework, parties, studio tour, Valentine's Day 
While getting ready for A Lovebird's Song, I did a full on, happy new year, delve into the corners, serious cleaning.
I even washed and changed the curtains.
And rearranged some of the storage cabinets.
I went so far as to take everything off the tops of the furniture pieces, wipe it all down, and rearrange them too.
Originally, I was going to box up things to get them out of the way, and just set out some Valentine decorations.
But I got started on cleaning and just couldn't stop. I didn't even fill a single box of stuff to get things out of the way, I took care of each item by putting them away properly or getting rid of things I didn't want.
I even dusted branches on the ceiling. That is a rare occurrence.
(or should I say, a singular one?)
Afterwards, it felt so fresh and bright, I was pretty happy with myself.
The studio is basically just a workroom most of the year, and gets neglected when I am busy crafting.
I should invite people over more often, maybe I'd keep it tidier.
Because I sure am enjoying having it detailed!
Although, I have to admit, I was beyond exhausted when the party ended. I threw myself into prepping and cleaning for days ahead, then had an emergency with an icy driveway that had me spreading numerous, 40lb bags of salt on it, out there in the dark, cold, night before everyone arrived the next day.
And of course, I didn't have my trusty sidekicks, Terry and Guncle Randy to ease the labor load while I was teaching the projects.
And each year, I do get a teensy bit older…. That is a very hard one to admit. But I was feeling it!
Still, I adore doing these classes, even if I am a worn out, old lady when they end.
Food full of love, with a room full of hearts and roses
bird song art event, cottage, flowers, Food and Drink, Valentine's Day 
As always, I got a bit carried away with the theme for the party….
Hearts, EVERYWHERE!
The freshly baked rolls were baked in heart shaped muffin tins.
As were the cupcakes. But it wasn't all that clear unless you looked at the bottom of them.
Rainbow carrots were even cut into hearts.
(That might have been the moment when I realized it had gone over the top, it took longer than I thought it would, even with Kia helping. But it was kind of fun, even if it probably was not a good use of my time)
Of course, there were cookies cut out as hearts.
The Dove chocolates and Cadbury eggs aren't hearts, but they are "lovebird" themed.
The treat cabinet was strewn with hearts and roses from top to bottom.
Red isn't typically my color, but I do enjoy pops of it at Christmas and Valentines.
Especially when the red is rosey.
And while this calendar page on the Treat Cabinet door isn't purely Valentine's themed, it is from Jan.-Feb. and seemed to fit in perfectly.
Hearts made by Beth are hanging on the other door.
And LuWanda is dolled up in rhinestone birds on lace with a flocked wallpaper heart.
We had fruity iced tea in the Treat Cabinet, and in the kitchen, I set up a hot cocoa and hot tea station.
But to be honest, this is always here. We like to have the ingredients we need for tea or cocoa ready to roll. And the lace hearts? Those are year round too. I hung them up for Valentines Day a couple years ago and couldn't bring myself to take them down.
The chair covers were a very lucky find. I was at an estate sale for a closed catering business, and these brand new, never used, pink, pretties were only $1.50 each!
I almost didn't buy them, then came to my senses.
They were exactly what I needed, right?
Beth had just given me the pink napkins that match them, and the Guncles gifted me with the plates. Lots of sharing and love went into the table top.
Including flowers from our newest Peep, Amy.
Now that our day full of Peeps has passed, I think I need to throw a Valentine dinner party to enjoy all the decor some more.
I do love Holidays and all the pretty things that come with them.