cottage – Page 21 – Karla's Cottage

The construction project, in the midst of adding a hearthroom

By Karla Nathan / June 28, 2016

Things are coming along with the new room. There it is on the right, without the siding and door yet.

This is the view from the road. Our cottage started out as a tiny, 4 room shack almost 100 years ago. When we bought it, we added an upstairs, then rooms in the existing attic. Over the years, the kitchen has been redone a few times, as we could afford it. Twice, we have taken out interior walls to open it up, and now we are ripping off the exterior wall and adding an addition on the side of it, to make a hearth room.

You can see some previous incarnations of the kitchen here.

Ten years ago, we added my studio and a garage (on the left) with an office for my husband and an apartment for my son, above it. This is a very weird layout for a home, it is starting to look like a crooked caterpillar, isn't it?

As we have made our changes over the last 25 or so years, I've tried to keep the feeling of the old farmhouse in the new pieces we've slapped onto it. While keeping things as affordable as I could, which worked well because the original house was kinda plain and simple. But even while making efforts to have it all the new blend in with the old, I know that I was fooling myself, the odd ball, meandering shape we had created was nothing like a house built in that era.

Still, we love it. It is over customized and unusual, but it is exactly what we need. It has taken us a couple decades to get to this point, but I think we just might…. maybe… be all finished with remodeling after this last build on?

Last week, the contractor hung some plastic to protect the kitchen from some of the dust (there is NO WAY to avoid all of it), and within a matter of an hour, the two walls were gone, while I sipped my morning coffee and enjoyed the show.

We got a great preview of what to expect when the job was finished and the area would be one, big open space.

Then, some plywood was screwed up to block off the construction from our living space until a lot of the messy parts are finished.

Here is a view from our living room before the temporary plywood went up.

And here is a drawing from the plans. See what I mean about the weird shape? Good thing that we love our cottage, because I think we'd be stuck with it if we ever tried to sell it…

Overwhelmed, but trying to stay reasonable

cottage

By Karla Nathan / June 7, 2016

Kansas has been extra rainy this spring. Which, after years of draught, I shouldn't complain about and won't.

Well, maybe not much.

Just a little.

The mud has held up our remodel a bit.

I should be more like Sugarwings, she looked at the sloggy mess and saw mud pies.

The mud is a joy to her.

But for me, I'm kind of in chaos. The kitchen and living room are half packed up, the yard is a mess, which is all bad enough, but we also have a few other smaller projects going on and between those partially finished jobs, and the piles of tools and displaced items around is multiplying the other construction chaos.

Plus, everything seems to be falling apart around me. The computer, air conditioner, my camera, Ryan's car, and that is just a partial list.

My way of dealing with it all? I've gone on an organization binge. Since I can't control most of what is going on around me, I've gone over board on controlling what I can. I had to rearrange my studio and add a cabinet taken out of the kitchen. That lead to every single thing in the room being sorted and labelled and straightened up.

The construction, while delayed, is an exciting thing, and I'm not worried about the progression. I know our builder and know the project will go well. I just am overwhelmed by so much at once.

So, I'm trying to stay as organized as I can with what I can and take a lesson from Sugarwings to look at the chaos around me as opportunities.

Fried computer? Ack! But now, I have a new Mac!!! (its a learning curve, and there are issues, but I'm so pleased with it)

And I'm trying to concentrate on how lucky I am to be able to replace it.

And to remember that this is just a mud puddle, not a life threatening flood like in Texas. We are healthy. We are blessed. Life here is good, just sometimes a little messy.

Looking for Luck, 4 leaf clovers in the grass

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers)

By Karla Nathan / May 24, 2016

When I was a kid, finding a 4 leaf clover and learning how to do a back flip into the pool were two driving forces in my life. I'd sit in the yard for hours, fruitlessly searching through the patches of green, desperate to find my own lucky charm.

And as for the flip? I'd put on a heavy sweatshirt, to deaden the pain of slapping the water with my back, and relentlessly, toss myself off the diving board, trying to learn that trick. It was a good thing I had the sweatshirt, because my back got a lot of slaps, I never once made it all the way around into the turn to land feet first in the water.

I gave up on ever learning the flip when I was in my thirties, but never gave up on my hope of finding a 4 leaf miracle.

When I saw my friend, Angie, and Dewdrop's gypsy mama both gathering handfuls of 4 leaf clovers in a matter of moments, I doubled my efforts with some hints from them both.

What I discovered is that discovering one is kind of like those magic pictures that were so popular in the 90s. It's a way of looking at it, not simply searching. They are out there, if you can focus your eyes in the right way to see them.

Happily, I can now find one anytime I feel the need for a piece of luck to hold in my hand. But mostly, I just let them grow, and not pick one unless necessary. It is nice to know that the grass around my cottage is filled with Luck.

I've been known to scratch at the grass with a rake, and sprinkle clover seeds all around the yard. These plants are so much more interesting than typical turf. And the hope of a flock of four leafers spreading through the lawn, is a nice thing to think about.

Hmmm, now that I've learned the clover trick from two experts, maybe I should tap the knowledge of my circus performer family and finally master the backflip???

Somehow I doubt that I'll do that… but if I do give it a try, I'd better fill my sweatshirt pockets with as many lucky clovers as I can find!!

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.