cottage – Page 25 – Karla's Cottage

A Sweet Valentine Gathering

celebrations, cottage, Dew Drop, family, holiday decor, Sugarwings, Valentine's Day, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / February 14, 2015

One of my favorite things is to have a studio full of friends, whether it is at Birdsong, a craft day, or a kid's holiday party.

I don't always get to host a bash for every holiday, but love it when the timing works out to have everyone over.

Sugarwings and Dewdrop went to Michaels with me to fill a cart with pink and red heart supplies, I nabbed a few Dollar Store tablecloths and balloons, and we were set to go.

We made faux cupcakes by gluing a styrofoam ball into a cupcake paper, smearing it with modelling compound icing, and glitter.

Lots of glitter.

Besides that, the projects weren't organized, it was every artist on their own.

Valentine cards for loved ones were a popular choice.

Dewdrop completed this one for her mommy.

Lizele made lots of colorful hearts. She is a prolific crafter.

Besides the cart full of stickers from Michaels, I had vintagey goods out too. And had saved empty valentine candy boxes to be redone.

Sugarwings and her mommy made a mail box for her upcoming class party.

The littlest workers got a bit burned out and turned to coloring books full of ponies, then decided to work with playdough. That is always a hit with Dewdrop.

The older kids had already headed out to the creek and woods behind the house when I got my camera out. They usually make a few nice things, then head outside, not caring that it was horridly cold out there. Of course, someone always slips into the creek and needs dry clothes, but it never stops them.

I really should plan more summer time craft days, where they can get out there and enjoy the woods when the weather is better.

Before the party, Sugarwings and I made chocolate dipped strawberries to serve, and I saved the plastic containers that the berries came in. Those were ideal for sending wet modelling compound cupcakes home in. Cars might have been muddy from the creek on the way home, but at least they didn't have any pink, fake icing all over them.

I can't say there wasn't any glitter drizzled into the seats, though…

My new water jug from Victorian Trading was ideal! I filled it with ice, poured cold water over it, and it was still chilly the next day.

The pottery really keeps the water cold.

For punch in the cut glass dispenser, I mixed white cranberry/strawberry juice with a couple cans of Sierra Mist. The night before, I froze cranberries in juice to make a giant, floating ice cube to slip into the punch. Very pretty, and tasty, but so easy to make.

I'm already looking forward to the next party.

Does the chain reaction redoing ever stop? A Studio Shuffling

cottage, Hand Painted Furniture, studio tour

By Karla Nathan / February 9, 2015

When we decided to rip out the carpet and redo the guest room floor, I also decided to get rid of most of the things in the room. It was a hodge podge of misfits, leftovers from an antique booth, stuff that never sold, things that I just shoved in there to fill the space.

This piece is a good example of the decor. It had a piece of wood on the top and a tablecloth over it and was filled with stored books.

I'd kept it for years because I felt like it had potential, but I'd never done anything about it.

A coat of white paint was a big help. But it still had a huge, gaping hole on the top.

But that was easy to fix with two 18 x 18" marble floor tiles from Home Depot. Then, I sat another book shelf on top of it after giving that a coat of the same paint.

Previously, I had this table in the space, it was okay, but not as efficient for storage. And the mosaic shelf above it was useless. Purely decorative and a waste of precious storage space.

Even in a large studio, every bit of space counts!

(I might use this table in the freshly redone guest room, I don't think it counts as a leftover, or unwanted piece, I still like it)

I'm still not done with my rearranging, but I'm liking the use of space so much more. I've redone a lot of the shelves and have the things I use on a regular basis nearer to my desk chair than before.

Hmmm, yes, I know this doesn't look very tidy, but for me, it is.

While moving things around, I found this mini cabinet I'd made from two old boxes glued together and covered in old paper.

It is going to be ideal to fill with little tidbits for crafting.

When my guest room gets all settled and finished, I'll be sure to show some pictures of that too.

A Grand Fairy Indulgence, or the chain reaction of redos keeps on

cottage, Hand painted, Hand Painted Furniture, paintings

By Karla Nathan / February 7, 2015

When I was showing Dewdrop the paint chips for the guest room, she came up with a brilliant plan.

I should paint their bathroom pink.

The cute part was when she tilted her little head, tapped her tiny chin, and acted like she was really making a deep consideration about the color.

Which is funny, because in her mind, PINK is the only color that should exist.

And since I kinda like some pink myself, and since I'd been redoing and shuffling things around the house, and was still in that mode, I said, "Great idea!" And went for it.

And anyway, when redoing the guest room, I moved a piece of furniture to the studio, and when I redid that area of the studio, I no longer had a place for this sweet little tin box covered in old wallpaper.

So, heck, I needed to redo the bathroom to make a spot for it.

Right????

The shower curtains were due for a freshening and needed to be taken down to be washed. The room used to be grey, and the shower liner was tan, so I bought a new white liner. That alone really brightened up the space.

There is something about dull, Kansas winters that makes me want to brighten and lighten. I felt so much happier with my pretty, soft pink, sparkling walls and white shower curtain.

The best part of the pink is that sparkle. I dumped a few gold and silver glitter bottles into the paint before rolling it on. But to make it really dazzle, when the paint was still wet, I gave it a fairy dusting.

I filled my palm with glitter, and blew it onto the wall to stick to the wet paint. Perfect results! (Unless you consider what a mess the floor was, and how much of it got tracked through the house. Which doesn't really bother me. I like to leave a trail of glitz and sparkle every where I go, and apparently the dogs do too.)

And while I am pinking up the bathroom, I am considering de-pinking the kitchen. I moved one of my paintings from the kitchen to the newly pink guest bath.

The door stayed gray. I liked that neutral shade with the wall color. I almost painted it white to match the trim, but am glad I changed my mind instead of the door color.

I also left the old tins on the ceiling rustic and natural instead of painting them all white, like some already are. And not just because I detest painting ceilings, but because the roughness of the rust helps cut through the sweetness of the pink.

And there is plenty of sweetness going on. Previously, there was a similar wall of mirrors. The largest and smallest were here with two other ones. But in looking around the house, I realized that I had two more mirrors with a rose patterned frame and I switched them out and added them to the other rose rimmed mirrors.

Dewdrop hasn't been by to see it yet (as I am writing this ahead) but Sugarwings was very pleased. And I am too. It is so dainty and pretty that I no longer can refer to it as a guest bathroom, I think I'll have to call it a "powder room". That seems to fit it so much better.

There was a very ugly light fixture in there, previously it was painted to match the wall and disappear. I thought I'd paint it white, but wasn't happy with that. I bought a new fixture to hang, but decided I didn't want to spend that much. So far, my only expenditure was for a gallon of paint, a few bottles of glitter, and a $9 shower liner. The $89 light fixture gave me a pause, plus it was just too new looking for this old house.

The tin box covered in wallpaper that had been moved from the studio, made me think of these rolls of wallpaper border I had.

A strip of old paper dressed up the light fixture just fine for me.

And I'm happy with the mismatched, vintage shades on the fixture. They seem to suit my old cottage.

I think Dewdrop will like the pink flowers on the light. Of course, she'd probably rather of had pink kitties…. I can't leave all decisions up to her!

Decorating chain reactions, one little change leads to another- Part 2

cottage, Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / February 1, 2015

Recently, we'd switched our TV cabinets around, this one that used to be in the bedroom was moved to the living room.

This old bookshelf that I redid had been in the living room, but we wanted a bigger TV in the bedroom, where we watch most shows, so we did a switcheroo.

Problem was- our new bed with the drawers underneath was taller than our old bed. And I couldn't see the TV (or at least anything below the top of anyone's head) from my side of the bed.

My darling, and talented son, built a box to raise it up. And remember the stained glass piece from my friend that I hung over the bed? She also had made the one leaning against the wall in the photo for me, it was on a narrow cabinet that I was taking out of the guest room (another re-shuffling is going on there).

What are the odds that it fit the box exactly??? Yep! Pure luck, it is ideal for the base of the cabinet!!!

I'm keeping extra blankets and another set of sheets in that cubby hole now.

And I can watch TV from my side of the bed.

There is a blind over the TV for when I don't want to see the big black screen. But honestly, I rarely shut it. I'm such a television junkie, the set is always on.

I don't know what I'd do without my boy, all these little redos have kept him busy. We had some changes in the laundry room too, moving the dryer, getting a new washer, adding shelves. An electrician took care of moving the outlet, and set the dryer up. But when my son saw it, he said it was too low to vent directly outdoors, and built a box (from scrap lumber saved from ripping out the deck last year) to set it on to raise it up high enough so that the vent can be straight through the wall and not have to zig zag up and over the baseboard.

Not all redos are pretty, I used white duct tape over the old deck wood instead of painting. It worked so well, I did the same trick over laundry room shelves my son made for me too. (the left corner under the shelf) And while I wasn't going to do too much to gussy up this master closet/laundry room, I did tack up a curtain over the water hook ups and some of the ugliest parts. I could paint the conduit the electricians had to use to run the power to the dryer… nah. It's a closet, this is fine.

My son is very busy right now with two other carpentry jobs, so I'm waiting for him to finish those before he lays the floor in the guest room. I'll have pictures from the chain reaction of decorating that redo has caused soon too.

Or if you'd rather see them in person? Come and visit me at Birdsong 5!

(I promise I won't make you take a tour of the duct tape projects in the closet)

Decorating chain reactions, one little change leads to another- Part 1

cottage, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / January 30, 2015

Have you ever noticed that one little change means a chain reaction of other changes?

The new bed was great, I really did love it once it was painted. It saves space, it is cottagey-cute, and it has a cozy mattress.

But, not only did we no longer need the bedside dresser, the drawers udner the bed were blocked by it.

And all of my bedding was too long, and life is too short to tuck the bedspread under the mattress all the way every morning. But why have drawers if there is a blanket covering them up and you have to move it every time you want to open a drawer?

Plus, this head board was lower than the last one and the wall looked very blank.

I had this piece of stained glass made by a friend framed to hang over the bed, and that took care of the blank wall.

I found a white quilt and shams on sale at Target that fit exactly without tucking in under the mattress.

And best of all, I thought of using shelves on the wall in place of end tables. (they aren't lopsided, that is just a camera angle)

This smaller one is from Hobby Lobby, it is black metal and I painted it with leftover paint from the bed. We screwed the power strip up under it to plug in the lamp and my iPad chargers. The outlets are nicely hidden unless you are looking up from the floor.

For the other side, I needed a bigger shelf and couldn't find what I wanted. Till I noticed this old, broken drop leaf table out in the garage. My son took off the leaves, added iron brackets, and it was just what we needed for the wall space.

I've been really happy with both. And what a perfect fit! The two shelves, plus the bed are the exact size to fit the space. Wow, what luck.

But there was one more change chain reaction yet to fix….

A Cottage Bedroom Makeover, brand new dark oak gets lightened up, or why I will never use chalk paint again

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / January 28, 2015

We needed a new mattress. So, headed to Nebraska Furniture Mart to test a few out. While there, my husband spotted a bed filled with drawers underneath and he had to have it.

Now, he is NOT a shopper. We almost ended our marriage once at that same furniture store over a recliner. It is now and forever known as the Crying Chair. Long story, but basically, he hates to shop. He walks in, glances about, buys stuff, and leaves as fast as he can.

He prefers letting me make choices 99% of the time.

When shopping for a mattress, though, he had to go along and approve the fit. and we discussed that it had been a good life together, and if Nebraska Furniture Store succeeded in ending our marriage like it tried to do before, we knew that we'd at least had almost 30 years of happiness together.

Bravely, we decided that we could face the challenge. It was a quick trip for a mattress, right?

Then, he spotted this bed. When he does shop, and sees something he likes, he never hesitates, or looks around. He likes it, he buys it. And when he saw this bed filled with storage options, he thought it would streamline our lives.

I thought it was DARK. And too new. But figured, hey, it's his house too. I wasn't going to let the Crying Chair incident repeat itself. We bought the bed.

I repainted it within minutes of its arrival to our home. And found these great handles (at Hobby Lobby) to replace the heavy ones that came with the drawers.

Everyone raves about chalk paint, so I thought I'd give it a try. Hobby Lobby now carries this brand, it is $8 for a little bitty jar, but I made multiple trips with a 40% off coupon to get enough to tackle the job.

I'd heard that you don't have to prime, it covers well, uses very little paint, and is easy to sand through to see the previous layers of paint.

Hmmm….

Well, yes, I was able to paint without priming. (But a coat of primer and a coat of paint is an equal amount of work as two coats of chalk paint, and cheaper)

But- the coverage was not good. I had to go buy more paint. It took much more than I had planned.

And- I took a lot of care, layering colors, thinking I could sand through them for a varied look. Nope, when I sanded, I hit wood. You could not see the layers of colors underneath. I had to dry brush the colors over the white to get the look I wanted, after doing all those layers, and sanding.

Also, chalk paint simply must be sealed. You either wax it or use a sealer like Polycrylic. And I don't think everyone realizes that wax is not permanent. Just like on floors, it wears off, you need to re-wax. So, I chose the Polycrylic top coat (water based).

If I'd used a bonding primer, painted it gloss white, and drybrushed acrylic craft paint over that, it would have cost much less, I wouldn't have to seal it, and it wouldn't have taken as long.

For the exact same look. Oh well, I'd been wanting to give chalk paint a try. I won't be spending that much on paint again. And I like the bed now, so all is well. Lesson learned, and it still looks pretty.

My Handsome Husband also made another purchase that day. After buying the oak bed, and walking out, he saw this velvet bench and said it would be ideal for the dogs to be able to use to get up and down with.

I think I might just have to take him shopping more often, whether he enjoys it or not. He is pretty good at it! I love the new bed and bench, (after they got lightened up).

I'll show you details of the rest of the room next time. We had to come up with a plan for bedside tables, because what we already had blocked the drawers on the new bed.

Cottage Garden Fence

cottage, Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 11, 2015

Way, way back, before the cold snap hit here in November, my son built us a new fence.

I had some very specific needs for it:

*The gate had to be on a spring, and swing closed so the grand fairies didn't let the dorkies out.*

*The gate had to be very lightweight, and it had to open easily, so those fairies could get in and out by themselves.*

*IT HAD TO BE PRETTY!!!!!!!!!! And if it looked like it belonged on a fairy tale cottage, that would be a big plus.*

The gate is under the deck off my husband's office, right outside my studio door. Here is a photo in process, where my son started wrapping vines around the posts. The top photo shows all the vines twisted into place. I plan on planting Clematis at the base of it, to fill in even more.

The metal filigree panel at the very top, under the deck, is a vintage one I had hanging around. The ones built into the fence and gate are from Hobby Lobby, and were on sale for 50% off. I love my son's idea for building them in.

The area outside of my studio is where the girls play most of the time. So, their Daddy made the fence feel like a play area instead of a barrier. He cut hearts into the wood so they could peek through.

And he drilled holes to pound marbles into, to give the space some sparkle. There are plans to add a lot more marbles later on, but while finishing up the fence, we were hit by a huge wave of cold air.

It was the weirdest thing, one minute, it was a beautiful fall day…. the next, a huge whirlwind of leaves blew over us, bringing temperatures about 10 degrees lower. From one minute to the next, the temps dropped. And then kept dropping. So, we were done working outdoors for a while.

At first, I was worried about the kitties, and wondered if a new fence would pen them in. Nope, they love it and spend a good part of the day running around on the top of it.

And now, our entire courtyard is fenced in. The place looks like a maze, with so many partitions and gates, but the dogs and chickens love it. There is a fence in the front yard, with a doggie door for the little fuzzballs. Then, there is a huge chicken run. And the side yard is fenced. Now the courtyard. All the gates can be opened to connect them, or only select areas can be left closed off. And then, there are extra gates big enough to drive a truck or 4 wheeler through if jobs need to be done in that part of the yard. And a gate that can connect our yard to the neighbor's yard so their dogs can come and play with our dogs.

It's kind of weird. But that is how my whole house is built too. All customized just to fit our needs. We will never be able to sell this odd conglomeration of mazes, doors, hallways, gates, fences. We are stuck here forever.

We don't mind though. We all kind of like it here.

January whites

cottage

By Karla Nathan / January 3, 2015

It is good to be home again, and to have my home de-Christmassed. As much as I LOVE having it all foofed and shiny for the holidays, once they are over, I want the stuff gone, gone, gone. And I kind of like to keep things slightly spared down for January. I guess it is all the time cooped up in the cold weather, I start to feel overwhelmed if there is too much going on in the decor.

When Spring comes, or when I start hoping it is coming, I'll get out the floral curtains, cushion covers, and set out vases full of flowers.

But for now, it is all about extra, soft blankets piled on the sofa, and simplicity.

Hmmm, maybe that could be my word for 2015? Nope, I couldn't do simplicity all year.

By the way, Happy New Year!

Around the cottage in December

cottage, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / December 18, 2014

Before I decked the halls, we did a mini makeover. This wardrobe had been in the bedroom, but my husband never liked it there because when the doors were open to see the TV, they were in his way.

So, we moved the tvs and their cabinets from room to room. Once we did this, I felt that the space next to the cabinet was too empty, so I brought in a column from the studio, and another from the bedroom. both fit nicely behind the door when it is open and one even peeks over the top.

I also made a trip to KC's new IKea and got white, netting curtain panels, $2.99 for a package of two. I bought four sets to replace my lace curtains that were so old they finally shredded (but are now considered craft supplies!!). I love the fullness of having panels of netting on each window (and the price).

I was happy to have the perfect spot for a winter wonderland forest of trees on giant cabinet.

And I like the way the columms look from the dining room.

I wasn't as happy with the tv cabinet that got moved to the bedroom, because it held the television too low to see from my side of the bed. But my son is going to build up a box to set it on. I'll have some pictures of that when it is complete.

(by the way, if you ever have to do a switch-a-roo with tvs, I suggest taking a photo of all the wiring on the back so that it is easier to hook them back up again. With satellite boxes, DVD players and who knows what, all those wires are confusing. My son did a great job with it all, including drilling bigger holes into the back of the vintage cabinet to fit cords through, when the new box didn't fit where the old one was)

Here is a photo of the kitchen from our luncheon during my craft party/workshop. I've been thinking about painting my kitchen white, but I am liking the warm creams when I see this picture. I might have to rethink my plan…. But then, I do love the idea of bright white with some pale blue. Everything I own will still match.

That is what is nice about having so much neutral stuff, it goes with anything, I can mix and match pieces from one room into another, and a quick coat of paint can freshen up a look without changing anything else in the room.

The centerpieces were mismatched, matt white pottery vases from garage sales, filled with branches I cut from the yard, a $2 bundle of mark down roses from the grocery store, and poinsettias I cut from a plant I bought. I love to use the poinsettia blooms as cut flowers in water, instead of leaving them on the plants. They hold up well, and stay fresh for over a week.

And for one $6 plant, I got enough flowers to add to these four vases, plus plenty were still on the plant, so it will look nice as is. Until I'm ready to pluck them off and replace these blooms as they wilt. The branches should last the whole season.

In the middle of the table is just a large bowl of glittered pine cones. I figure I have so much going on with holiday decor around the house, I need to keep things simple here and there.

A Holiday Party for my Bookclub and some JOY

cottage, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 16, 2014

"Merry" used to be my favorite word this time of year.

But now, I kind of like "JOY."

It is this silly elf's middle name and that has made it my favorite seasonal word.

Plus, we could all use all the joy we can get.

I hadn't planned on Sugarwings being here for book club, but her daddy had a chance to go camping with his buddies. (Even though it was going to be EIGHTEEN DEGREES THAT NIGHT!!!!!!)

So, I picked her up after school, and we ran some errands, then came home to foof up the house for the party. She was glad to help, but I was worried about her being on her own all evening while I entertained.

She had no problem with it and was excited to dress up like an elf to greet the guests (she is all about the costume, no matter what the occasion is)

I set up a table of crafts in my bedroom in front of a TV full of holiday shows to watch on the DVR. First of all, she never gets to craft in the bedroom in front of the TV, and take food in there too. Double forbidden fun.

Of course, there was some hot cocoa spilled on the chair, but hey, why use slip covers if you don't plan on pulling them off to wash them?

I guess these photos are pretty similar to the previous post, showing the dining room all set up for a party. But since this is an evening gathering and that was a luncheon, maybe they are different enough to show?

I love to use lots of twinkly lights when I have a party. The ones on the table are wrapped on gold branches and are battery operated. (bought on clearance after Christmas last year, 75% off)

I've added lots of layers of table clothes, and some lights under the table too. This time, I have vintage curtains as a table skirt and the string of lights show more. Usually, I have a regular table cloth draped to the floor, and get a softer glow. But this look is kind of fun too.

I chose the wine for the pretty labels. And it was good, too, and very affordable. It's nice to find a tasty wine under ten bucks.

I kept the food simple, like brie sprinkled with rosemary and wrapped in puff pastry, with a side of fig jelly and crackers. That is one of the easiest things to ever make, but sure looks special.

Another trick I have for elevating an ordinary dish is to, well, elevate the dish.

Here, I've set a compote of chicken salad on a plate, and set that on a cake plate, making three levels.

This compote full of dip makes this veggie tray more interesting than it would've been if I'd had it served on an actual tray. And lining the bowl with ruffly kale made it prettier too.

The three vases of flowers (left over from my last party) are also on different levels. I turned a bowl upside down to set one vase on to lift it up.

The cheesecake is a regular cheesecake, but I added a hand full of chopped pecans to the graham cracker crust, and then mixed in some of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Carmel Sauce into the batter. When it was done baking, I drizzled a little more on top.

One thing I should have done was to take some leaves out of the table, but I can't do it by myself and my husband was out of town. There is too much space between the dishes. since it was a small gathering, I didn't have a ton of food out, and it was spread out a bit too much to look its best. But that is just nit picking, huh? I doubt if my friends were gossiping about how much space I'd left between bowls…

For party favors, I made tiny, glittered books out of vintage papers. I'll have a mini how-to coming up soon if you want to make some yourself.