cottage – Page 21 – Karla's Cottage

A Mother’s Day gathering

celebrations, cottage, family, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 15, 2016

Last Sunday was Mother's Day and we had a crowd coming over to celebrate with us. I'd planned on keeping it simple, and using paper plates outdoors. But Sugarwings was spending the day with me and she LOVES a special occasion as much as I do. She wanted to do something nice for all the mothers, and that seemed like a good thing to encourage.

We moved the kitchen island out of the way, set up a folding table with extra chairs, got out the pretty table cloths, and I let Sugarwings set the table.

One of her special touches, was a colorful ribbon around the plates where moms would be sitting. (no that isn't Grammy hitting the wine bottle early in the day, that is actually sparkling water, although, I did switch over to sparkling wine at the dinner party)

Her Hippy Chick mama loves colorful things and rainbows, so instead of white roses, she got a fiery rose in a red vase, and an LED light stick that changed colors as it flashed in place of a candle.

Sugarwings took all of the photos after too.

Being able to set a nice table is a good skill to have. Our dishes, silverware and glasses are all mis-matched, but my grandfairy knows where each piece goes and makes it look nice even with the hodge podge we use.

It is always cute to see her use this tip, and make the a-okay sign with her hands to remember where the bread plates and drinks go.

Her finishing touch before guests arrive was to sprinkle some rose petals up the walkway.

Which was 100% her idea, she loves the over the top flourishes to make things special.

Rose petals lined the way to her mommie's seat.

Twinkle looked a bit confused by the whole thing, but will follow her girl on any adventure.

A new look for the bathroom with a sunburst faux finish ceiling

cottage, paintings

By Karla Nathan / May 6, 2016

I've been tired of the walls in the bathroom for a while, and have longed for a deeper shade of blue there that would transition with the paler blue tone I had on the adjoining bedroom walls. I'd put off redoing it because I'd originally painted the ceiling a faded pink, back when the walls were a deep chocolate brown.

And that pink ceiling, while a subtle tone next to brown or cream, looked like cotton candy when I held up any blue paint chips near it.

And I hate, hate, hate to paint ceilings. Especially white. Not only do I get a neck crick, I become snow blind, miss spots, and am constantly up and down the ladder to double check and see where I have skips.

So, I decided to make the existing pink work with a faux finish. I lazily thought this might be quicker, and actually it was. It was not any harder than washing the ceiling with a rag, there was no cutting in, rolling, or going over it with multiple coats.

I poured some of the blue paint into a cup of clear glaze, and did the same with white paint .

Then took a damp rag, and heavily covered the outside edges of the ceiling near the walls with the blue, blending in a washing motion as I went. As I got further into the center of the ceiling and away from the walls, I added the white, also washing the color on with an old rag, and also rubbed white over some of the blue I'd already laid down.

Away from the walls, I added paint and glaze with a much lighter application, so more pink showed through.

Around the chandelier, I wanted the pink to shine through like a sun burst, so stopped using any blue at all when I got close to the light fixture.

My neck hardly got bent out of shape at all, but I still I celebrated finishing the job with a nice, long soak in the tub.

My view of the finished room while soaking was exactly what I wanted. I'm loving the blue walls, and the cloudy ceiling makes me happy. (the curtain doesn't fit well, but that is another day's worry, for now it will do-)

While I had the walls bare, I'd taken the opportunity to change things around to a more springy look, with roses and little bird pictures.

I dug through the studio to see what I could bring in. I'm not sure it is all just as I want it, but for now, it is working. And I'm pleased with the colors.

Here is a before. While I am a fan of white on white, I always felt this room just looked washed out. Though, "washed out" is probably fitting for a bathroom, it just wasn't quite right.

This was the original color, and I always liked it. A deep color makes the cabinets and wood work stand out more than the tone on tone version I thought was washed out looking.

Changing a paint color can certainly change a room, even when everything else stays the same.

The color is Valspar, April Rain, but I had it mixed in Behr, because I prefer working with that brand.

Do you ever have a room that bugs you, and while there is nothing "wrong" with it, you just aren't satisfied? That is how I'd been feeling about this bathroom. I've been busy prepping for the remodel we have planned, and am slowly but surely making the Farewell to Downton journals, but this was something that I had a nagging itch to do, and squeezed the painting job in even though it wasn't necessary, and other issues had a higher priority.

Because I'd had enough of being bugged by it and decided that it needed to be done.

NOW.

And I'm glad I did. Other things will still get accomplished as needed and will be easier to face since I took time to do a project that I'd really wanted to tackle.

Well, at least I hope so… But for now, I'm very pleased with the new look.

Paint is magic

cottage, Hand Painted Furniture, how to's

By Karla Nathan / May 1, 2016

Before repainting the dining room table, I wanted to try out the crackle paint on something.

This is an itsy chest of drawers I'd found at an estate sale for ten bucks and it desperately needed a make over.

But I liked the two toned style of it as it was. Just not quite as it actually was… Seriously, there was a desperate need for a redo.

I decided to paint the cabinet and cover the drawers in paper.

Personally, I dislike modpodge. I live in Kansas, which is very humid and I knew that a piece of furniture with that on it would be a sticky mess in July.

Also, I didn't want the over 100 year old handwriting on the paper to smear. So I drizzled The Ultimate glue over the drawer fronts and pressed the pages into it, burnishing it well.

I don't pre-cut or measure. The paper gets glued down, then trimmed off with a sanding sponge.

Not only does it give the edge a clean cut, it helps adhere the paper to the wood.

Because the paper is so old, I couldn't use a top coat over it. I didn't want that ancient ink to run. This probably isn't a good idea for a piece that will get heavy use, so wherever I decide to put it, should be a low traffic spot. I might use it in the studio, or a guest room.

Funny, I didn't have any place in mind for it when I bought it. I simply wanted to save it. Years ago, I redid furniture for a living, and I miss that sometimes. When I see a small (NOT heavy!) piece for cheap, I can't help myself. I have to snag it and fix it up.

And I'm glad I got this little guy.

I think he fits in just right at my house, wherever I end up using him.

Repainting my kitchen table

cottage, Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / April 29, 2016

Well, I hadn't planned on doing this.

But after spilling super glue and having it take off the paint in a giant chunk, I had no choice.

Of course, I'm always up for a change and glad to try a new look. I'd been pretty happy with the bright white with speckles that the table was done in before, but if I was repainting, I wanted to do something different, so I went with gray, then a crackle finish, then white, then a dark glaze under a clear topcoat.

Now that it is done, I'm loving it. It still has that white feeling that I wanted, but in a more rustic way.

Plus, it looks great with the "new" French net runner I got at an estate sale for $2.

Our dinner guests seem to like it too. Sugarwings invited some of her friends to join us around the table when Aunt Sharon came to visit.

At the moment, I am trying to really, really, enjoy my kitchen and appreciate every bit of it, because we are about to start on a remodelling project and I'm afraid I'll be living out of boxes and in somewhat of a jumbled mess for a while. Once we are done, I'll be thrilled with the new room, I'm sure. But I see some rough times ahead before we get to that point! Please wish me luck.

Wild Phlox

cottage, family, flowers, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 16, 2016

The wild phlox is blooming out in our woods! And was blooming down in Southern Missouri where we went for the wedding too.

Sugarwings picked some for Miss Tree's bouquet.

It was a non traditional wedding and this was a last minute idea by my grand fairy. Quite a good one, too. Pretty, huh?

Well durn

cottage, jewelry

By Karla Nathan / April 12, 2016

Lately, I've had my share of screwups. This one kind of takes the cake, though.

Instead of working in the studio, on my folding tables, I've set up a jewelry making station in the dining room. Silly me.

The superglue leaked onto the table and as I pried it up, I also pried up the paint. In a big, long chunk.

Wow, didn't see that coming.

I'd been making these mica flaked sand vials (with the sand from Coronado beach) with Sugarwings. First of all, why would I have sand all over the dining room when I have a perfectly nice studio to trash?

And does superglue really belong on my dining room table? I guess I knew I was either repainting it or replacing it when we remodelled the kitchen again this spring. But I wasn't quite ready to redo it now.

And also, I seriously didn't need to be making dozens of wrap bracelets and all of this jewelry anyway. I have a Downton swap book to work on! And a kitchen to pack up for a remodel.

But, I have to say, I have enjoyed every minute of the time I lingered at the table playing with gems and beads. It has been a delightful escape from everyday life. Now, BACK TO WORK. Vacation is over, and I need to get busy.

Right after I repaint that table, I guess.

I'm Spring Cleaning in the Boutique, if you'd like to take advantage of my urge to purge the inventory, please use THIS link to access the shop. All items will be 50% off including the tutorials and existing sale prices.

Springtime sprucing up

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), paintings

By Karla Nathan / April 10, 2016

Our breezeway takes a beating over the winter. It is too cold for me to care about cleaning it up, cats make it their home, we stack firewood out there, and it just becomes a mess. Sadly, it is also the entrance to our home and it never looks all that welcoming in the coldest months.

The paint has needed touching up for a while, so I decided to tackle that small job first. Well, I thought it would be a small job….

First mistake? I used the wrong can of pale blue paint. I had brighter blue freckles from one end of the room to the other. Because, of course, I was efficient and finished the job quickly, and didn't realize the colors weren't a match till the paint dried and I was long done.

Second mistake?

I rarely use a drop cloth, because I'm pretty tidy and don't drip, unless it is a big job and I start to get tired and careless as it goes on.

And I didn't drip this time either.

But I did leave the lid off the can while I went to the store to buy more paint. And the cats checked the color out while I was away.

Third mistake?

I didn't save the name of the original paint, or any samples.

Which might have been helpful, even though the hardware store no longer had that brand of paint, I could have at least done a computer color match.

I pride myself on not only, not being a dripper, but on also having an excellent eye for remembering colors. (uh, except for using the wrong can of paint, that doesn't count, does it? That was not paying attention).

So, I bought what looked like the right shade and once again repainted the freckled areas I'd created by using the brighter blue. This time, I painted entire boards, not just spots and I have to say, it was looking good.

Til it dried

Paint always dries darker.

Well, at that point, I wasn't giving up. I did NOT want to repaint the whole room, those boards are hard to get in and around, I couldn't use a roller and that sounded like a BIG job. (although, as much time as I'd spent messing up and redoing, I probably could've repainted the whole shebang another color much quicker)

So, I started adding white to the color I'd purchased, since the shade was right, the tone was just too dark.

And it worked. I don't think you can see the patches, and the room looked so fresh and clean that I touched up the doors and washed the curtains too.

A clean coat of paint on the door is so much more welcoming, isn't it?

The Christmas wreath on the door is perked up for springtime too. I pulled off the winter trimmings and stuck some pink roses into the grapevine. Then clipped a bird and eggs to the nest (there had been a big white dove, and some ornaments in the nest).

None of them are glued down, and the stems seem to be staying in pretty good.

This urn was stuck in front of the new gas line pipes. It doesn't completely hide them, but will help until the azalea gets bigger and does its job of obscuring the pipe.

And now, I'm ready for the next project. There is a lot of spring spiffing up to be done around here. (like painting that wardrobe in the first photo. I bought it late fall and haven't tackled a redo on it yet)

I'm also Spring Cleaning in the Boutique, if you'd like to take advantage of my urge to purge the inventory, please use THIS link to access the shop. All items will be 50% off including the tutorials and existing sale prices.

Around the cottage in February

cottage, dogs

By Karla Nathan / March 2, 2016

Our garage has needed repainting for a long time. Especially since we rebuilt the doorway for the boat to fit into it.

Years ago, I used to paint furniture with an air compressor and spray gun, often leaning the pieces against the garage while I worked. Mostly I used whites, but I used quite a variety of shades from snowy to cream to ivory. So, there were faint, layered outlines of chairs and headboards all along the side of the building.

The trim had been pretty messed up too. It is good to have a carpenter for a son, our boy rebuilt the wrecked trim and gave the building and the shed next to it a fresh coat of white paint.

Now, our whole yard looks revitalized. I've always said that paint is magic, and this sure proves it. What a difference.

Haircolor can be magic too. I was still feeling the effects of a long, grey winter (funny how the lack of snow was more depressing than getting snowed in and feeling trapped, huh?) and decided to get a pick me up of a shot of blonde.

I felt much better after!

In other Around The Cottage news, Honey has been busy digging. She finds moles and starts a collection on the porch where she can keep an eye on them. A few times a week, I go out and gather up her latest critters and throw them in the trash.

Between the 4 cats proving their love to me by bringing decimated creatures to the front door, and Honey's skill in hunting moles, I'm used to picking up and disposing of carcusses.

This latest catch really surprised me, though. A snake?

In February?

Aren't reptiles hard to come by in Kansas in the winter? She managed to find one. I guess she dug it up from somewhere.

She also seemed to have found a carpet cutter. There was not razor blade in it, thank heavens. And who knows where she got it. And is it now part of her snake hunting arsenal? She has put it in her pile of favorite things. Usually there are a few insides of toys and cushions, along with her sticks and bones, and dead things. And always in this spot where she can proudly watch over them.

Our yard is mostly holes now, Honey is busy looking for more items to add to her collection.

We'd heard that if you bury a balloon in a hole a dog has dug, they will dig it up, pop it, and frighten themselves so much, they will never dig again.

Sugarwings and my husband thought they'd give this a try and filled a few of the many pits in our yard with colorful balloons.

We didn't consider that Goldens are bred to retrieve birds and have gentle mouths. Honey found all the balloons, retrieved them, and was thrilled to get new toys to carry around and play with. Not a single one popped and scared her. She was just excited to find so many bright and fun things to egg her on into digging to look for more.

So, now Honey has her habit of searching for hidden treasure underground reinforced, not cured. We need to find her a new skill…

Sugarwings is learning a new skill, she has signed up for circus classes. Here she is doing silks. Next up, after our trip to Cali? Trapeze!

I'll be back from California soon, but if you'd like to sign up for the Farewell to Downton swap, you don't have to wait for my return. Here is the info.

Midwinter pick me ups, look for happiness wherever you can

cottage, flowers

By Karla Nathan / February 19, 2016

There is no reason why I should be complaining. None at all. The week the weather was hovering at zero, I was in Florida. At the end of February, I'm going to California. And most of our winter has been pretty mild.

But Kansas is soooooooo gray in the winter.

Soooooooooo gray.

I have to keep looking around to find reasons to not let winter get to me. Buying some new houseplants to give my kitchen and living room a shot of green, was a good start. Especially since it gave me an excuse to finally purchase one of those terrariums that I always walk by in Hobby Lobby and day dream about owning. Heck, they aren't expensive, and even go on sale for half price on a regular basis. But I'm glad I waited til the mid winter blahs struck before indulging myself. It feels good to have some live plants cheering up my space now when I need it.

One of the very first things I do every single morning is stand at my back window and look out into the yard as I brush my teeth. In the spring, I'm on my toes with excitement watching for the latest blooms, and I love seeing what new flowers have popped up to greet me. Summer is just pure enjoyment, because all of the plants are at their peak. And fall holds all sorts of changes daily with the trees changing.

But winter?

Mostly gray.

We haven't even had much snow this year. Still, I love looking out the window, contemplating the new day as I scrub my teeth, whether there is much new to see or not.

But every once in a while, I get a view like this- BLUEBIRDS GALORE!!!!!

Ahhhhhhh, that was just what I needed. And near them, were redbirds. Little flying flowers, all throughout my trees.

You've got to look for happiness, sometimes it is right in front of you and if you are not paying attention you'll miss it.

I had jury duty recently, and from my seat in the juror room, I could see this Happy Tree through the slats of the blinds on the window in our semi-basement room. It was a windy day, the branches were blowing, and the tree looked like it was talking to me.

Of course, I didn't mention the talking tree to the rest of the jurors, I thought I might lose my position of head juror, or even get kicked out of the box if they knew I was slightly crazy.

Because this is what I saw all day, in my own mind.

Yep, it is the reminder of spring that green plants bring, elusive bluebird sightings, and silly little things like this that keep me sane during the long, GREY, winter months.

Or am I?

Kansas is too cold

cottage, dogs, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 20, 2016

As I wrote this before I left on my trip to Florida, we had a major cold spell. Our pipes didn't freeze up over night, but only because I know the drill. When temps plunge into single digits, the curtain comes off the cabinet under the sink, to let the warmer air in the house circulate through there to the pipes.

Of course, every time that I forget to do that, we wake up to no water in the kitchen.

Honestly, I shouldn't be such a wimp about the cold, this has been a remarkably mild winter so far. And here I am flying off to the land of guncles and sunshine right when it is at its worst.

But I cannot get warm! And I feel like my skin is made of ancient tissue paper that is disintegrating. No matter how much cream I slather on, no matter how many pots of water I set to simmer on the wood stove to put moisture in the air, nothing helps.

And my poor toes. They can't remember what it feels like to be pink and warm.

Sugarwings has had the opposite of the complaints that I've had. She wants SNOW and LOTS OF IT. We had this little dusting of flakes and she was so happy, she couldn't wait to get out there with her dog and show her how to catch snowballs. (While dressed in a fashionable scarf)

If this is the only snow we get, I'll be pleased as punch, myself. Or maybe there will be enough snow to satisfy these two while I am away this week. That would be ideal. They get to chase snowflakes while I soak up some sunshine, and we are all happy.

I plan on returning from my time in the South with a much better attitude, once my toes have been reaquainted with sandals and sun. My plan is to soak up enough rays of light to get me through the rest of this dismal time of year. And to remind myself that for some odd reason, I do enjoy living in Kansas.

Boy, am I glad to be getting a break from it right now, though.