cottage – Page 26 – Karla's Cottage

An early start to the decking of the halls, yay!

By Karla Nathan / December 10, 2014

I was so happy to get my home decorated before Thanksgiving.

(For the big dinner itself, I had white pumpkin center pieces, so I did tip a hat toward the current holiday too) Our Elf on the Shelf made her first appearance on Thanksgiving day, and was part of the centerpiece.

I'm using a fairy from my Birdsong class for Santa's spy this year and we've been finding her everywhere since she got to work. Some mornings, she is just creepily watching Sugarwings sleep and is waiting on the pillow when she wakes up. Those are the mornings when Grammie forgot to pose her somewhere cute and hurriedly plopped her down.

I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one. Ours sure was, and no one seemed to mind that I'd jumped the gun and got the Christmas stuff out. Personally, I was relieved that I'd got that off my list of things to do.

First of all, I had a lot going on and time was at a premium. Second of all, I've had a bad case of sinusitis and asthmatic bronchitis keeping me in slow gear and I needed the extra time.

But honestly?

I just couldn't wait!

Those boxes of sparkly things were calling out to me from the closet. I had to set them free and let them shine!

I've been making a lot of little ornaments too. But sadly, being sick and being busy, I haven't tried to sell them like I should. My shop didn't get much of an update beyond the kits that I made for others to create their own pretties.

This little shoe is one that Dewdrop wore as a baby.

This is the before shot of it. Cute as can be, but not exactly tree ready.

The first step was to paint it white, cover it in glitter, and stuff it, then embellish. I've done this with a few of Sugarwings's shoes too, I love seeing them on the tree.

The tree on my dining room buffet is filled with all hand made, or hand painted ornaments. More of the little pipe cleaner fairies, bird cages, and some family ornies or gifts.

This is from one of Beth's lessons in our Romantic White Christmas online class from a few years ago.

This is a deer I painted for my husband the year we were married.

And I've got some hand painted rose ornaments too. The sheet music star piece with Dewdrop's photo is made with vellum paper. I love the way the light shows through the vellum.

Here is a simple how-to for making these, if you are interested. Just scan sheet music and print on vellum to get this look with the project.

One thing I always do on my buffet, is to set out a mirror as a tray, or base for the holiday decor, add a string of lights onto the mirror, and then cover it with lace. The mirror reflects the lights and adds extra sparkle to the display.

And who doesn't need more sparkle???

PS- Kits from Romantic Cottage Christmas are available here and here.

Romantic Cottage Christmas,extra Kits, and Using the Good Stuff!

cottage, fairies, holiday decor, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / December 7, 2014

As you can see from this winter wonderland of fairies, when I plan a class, I make a TON of the pieces before I teach them. These fairies are from Birdsong 4. And not only was I trying to work out the kinks in the project before sharing the steps, I got hooked. I loved making them.

There were also plenty of sprites to add to the silver tree on the kitchen buffet. (on the right)

I tend to go over board with kit making too.

I whipped up dozens of holiday ornament kits for our small gathering, knowing that they would be great for gift giving and for adding to my online shops.

Our day in the studio was so much fun! I enjoyed having a reason to get the room into its full on holiday glory and then to spend time out there with nice people, listening to Christmas music, and making sparkly creations for our trees.

Here is one of the projects we made that day. If you'd like to make any of these ornies or fairies, the kits are available here and here.

We also made these stuffed, felted stocking with vintage lace.

These are from Shan and Rebecca.

Laurie's was Tiffany Blue. She was my inspiration for making up kits in that color too. (I also had red, white, and pink)

Beth added glittered ballerinas to hers and made one for each of her little nieces.

The kits contain everything you need to make the pretties, but I also had a big table full of extras.

With lots of little embellishments, wallpaper, ribbons, and lace.

Once we had finished the three kits, and had some lunch, we spent the afternoon "freestylin"

Everyone had plenty of supplies and inspiratins to make all sorts of pieces.

From tags, to garlands, to embellished little trees.

(once the glue dries on this one, it will be a glittery masterpiece)

I like the way Rebecca made this paper mache ornie into a mosaic of sparkling papers.

The third project for the day was, "On Gilded Wings" this angel on the left. ( Her skirt is netting I tore from a 1940s bride gown, included in all of the kits.)

One thing we talked about while we glued and glittered, was one of my favorite topics. No, not the grand fairies, although I probably blathered on too much about them, too.

No, we talked about Using the Good Stuff.

I can't emphathize enough, that a project worth your time is worth your best materials. Why save them for something better? Just by using the vintage bridal gown lace, or the soft, old flowers, you have made THIS project better.

I am a big believer in using the good stuff in every day life too. And that doesn't mean it is top of the line expensive stuff either. My china is from an auction for $10. My vintage napkins are from a toss away bag of stuff Beth didn't want. The vases are from garage sales.

And the layered tablecloths (which don't really show here) were hand made by my Great Aunt Caroline and my Great Grandma Nellie. Why keep those things in a drawer, never to be seen? I like to get them out and use them. I added sheet music and a vintage, new stock doily under each plate to protect the cloths, but I figured if they get spilled on, I can always soak out a stain. Or set a vase over the spot next time if can't get the spot out.

But stuck away in a drawer, never being enjoyed and used? That would be too sad.

I feel the same way about my stash of vintage supplies. Why would I buy them to use as supplies if I just decide to hoard them away and not enjoy them???

That is why the tiny crystals on the Santa hats I made for my guests are vintage old stock from the 30s. And the felted wool is hand dyed. The trim is wool roving, not just dacron, and all of those ingredients make the piece just a little more special, even though it is a simple little, silly thing.

Another way to look at it, is that Using the Good Stuff is a gift to ourselves. Women tend to think of everyone else during the holidays. Maybe you need to stop and think of yourself, take the time to open your stash of special items, and make something wonderful for yourself or as a gift. The act of just using the Good Stuff is such a happy feeling, and making presents with your beloved goodies is even better.

This is the season to thing about sharing the bounty.

Don't be a Scrooge, hoarding it all away! Take that special button out of the glass jar, or cut away a hunk from the back of an old gown, or slice into that butter soft velvet and USE IT!

A mini redo, white on white

cottage, Hand Painted Furniture, Kitchen remodel

By Karla Nathan / October 19, 2014

Before I went on my trip, I had one night alone. Totally alone. No girls, no sons, my husband was out of town, I was on my own.

I thought about going to a movie. Instead I decided to paint the kitchen.

But I bought the world's worst paint and only got as far as the mud room part of the kitchen. Here is the after, pure white walls. I've always wanted a white on white room, but I usually tint everything ivory or tan, or cream.

Here is the before, see, the walls are tan, with a green ceiling. It's now white with a faded birds egg blue ceiling.

I used the same pure white to paint the cabinet/pantry door in that area.

Here is the before, ivory with a coffee colored wash over it, and a topiary painting. Some of the trim had broken off, that had been bothering me.

Once the trim was repainted, the missing pieces didn't show. I did the center in chalkboard paint (mix plaster of paris into any paint color to make some). I'd love to repaint all of the kitchen cabinets pure gloss white, I think I'm ready for all white cabinets. But first, I'll keep an eye on this area to see if I still like it after a while, or if I only like it now because I wanted a change.

The same chalkboard paint was used on the girls' table in hopes that they wouldn't redo my cabinet door for me. But they already have, as well as Dewdrop deciding the floor could be drawn on too. Not a big deal, it wipes off, but still a bit messy.

I think I'll paint their table back to normal, the chalkboard paint isn't the best choice for it. They use that table for play dough, making cupcakes, and all sorts of activities. A fresh coat of white might be better, and I'm already tired of the chalk dust.

High gloss pure white from Behr was what I used on the trim, cabinet, and kitchen table top (over bonding primer for the cabinet, since it was previously done in oil paint) I used the paint and primer in one, and have always LOVED Behr paint. But when I used the new, one coat paint and primer called Marquee in eggshell for the walls, I absolutely hated it. Instead of one coat, it took 5-6 for white to cover soft tan. Crazy! and exhausting. An afternoon's work turned into two days.

I love having my table redone in a clear clean white! But it was a little too bright, so I flicked some splatters of tan on it with a toothbrush before doing a clear, protective top coat.

This is the original painted surface on the table.

This is what it is now, white with speckles. I left the chairs and table legs as they were, it is only the table top that needed a freshening up.

I also painted the inset area behind the kitchen sink the same blue as the slanted ceiling in the mud room to the right.

Maybe I'll paint the kitchen walls pure white (eggshell) like the mudroom too, I really like it. But I will never, ever use that Marquee paint again. I'll go back to the regular Behr paint or even switch to Valspar.

When I paint, I don't tape off or use drop cloths, I've had a lot of practice, and with good paint, there aren't many drips. But the Marquee brand from Behr flew everywhere when I used a roller and dripped in huge blotches, ran down the wall and was a total wreck.

I only had time to paint one part of the kitchen instead of the whole room. Which I guess will give me a chance to decide if I want to repaint it all white or try something else when I get around to doing it again. Without Marquee. Or as I was calling it, Machiavellian.

And I had thought about trying the chalkboard markers for a tidier sketching experience. But from what I hear, they are hard to remove unless you are drawing on real slate chalkboards. Regular chalk is already looking messy on the door, so I might have to make some changes here too.

I could paint the bottom half white again, and just have the chalkboard part higher, so the smudging from little fingers is less.

Real life vs magazine shots

cottage, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / October 13, 2014

This has been a lucky year for me as far as publications go. First, Where Women Create, and now Shabilicious and Romantic Country. I've also got an upcoming feature in Country Sampler, but I think that might be 2015. The Country Sampler article has already been written, and the photos will be from the same batch as the Romantic Country article, but different photos.

I was so pleased to see that the writer of the Romantic Country article was kind enough to link back to my blog. And since I wrote the other two articles, I blathered on plenty about my blog and the art events that I have in the studio.

Who knows if that creates any extra blog traffic? But it's worth a try. Although I don't really know why it matters… I haven't had a chance to add anything to my shops in a while, so I don't need my blog to advertise that, I haven't got much to hawk at the moment. So sometimes I wonder how I even justify having a blog. anyway.

Wait! I've got an Art Journal tutorial for sale right now!! Yay, justification!!

So, it isn't pure vanity that makes me spend two weeks cleaning, rearranging, and foofing my house for photos.

Right?

It was for business reasons that I put myself through the grueling turmoil of making my house spotless (which is far from its normal condition).

Although, I have to admit, it is a lark, to do a magazine shoot. Even though, sometimes, between the stylist rearranging things and the editor tweaking the color on the photos, it doesn't even look like my cottage did to start with. And it is a LOT of work to get the house ready, then even more work after it is over.

After a stylist going through cabinets to find the items that fit her needs to make the house look more interesting for photos, and moving stuff from one room to another, by the end of the day the home ends up looking like someone picked it up and shook it.

And what isn't changed physically that day, can later be changed when the pics are edited. In real life, this quilt is a faded blue, but in the magazine, the saturation was turned up for a brighter look.

This is the color of the quilt before it got tweaked for the magazine.

And in real true life, this quilt belongs in the linen closet to use when we need an extra blanket in the grand fairy's room, and my bedroom is all very, very neutral colors, with no pink rose pillows on the bed.

This is how it really looks. See, too boring for a magazine photo. Darling Fifi gave me a new look for the day to make the room more photogenic.

Here is a link to the blog post I did last summer after her photo shoot with some details about how she worked her magic.

And here is a picture of what my living room really looks like on a daily basis (but probably not that clean, there are usually toys everywhere along with some weird thing that Sugarwings decided she needed to play with, the curtain over the TV is always open, and the kids have knocked most of the pillows onto the floor) I also have to keep rugs put away because the horribly untrainable, nasty mongrols puppeesh think it is a pee pad.

This is where the rose pillows from the magazine picture of the bedroom came from, along with some from a bench in the studio too.

And this is what it looks like after being styled for pictures. The pillows are moved back in from the bedroom along with the ones from the studio, a pink rug from the grand fairies' room is brought in, and all the flowers from other vases in the kitchen are added to the table top.

This is a photo I took of Sugarwing's bed (before I painted a mermaid on it).

And here is how it looks in the story, with the colors deepened, and no longer faded.

The original colors are more pastel.

It is an honor for my house to be published and I enjoy seeing it all special-ed up. It looks different in the same way my head does after I get home from the salon. I look in the mirror after getting my hair dyed and cut, knowing that it is in a style that I wouldn't normally wear, or possibly couldn't replicate if I wanted to. But it is fun to see and a very nice change.

I've worked on, written, styled for, or had my home in quite a few magazines over the years. Here are a few on a shelf in the office part of my studio.

I don't know if anyone noticed me in them, but I did enjoy the process and it is nice to have a record of how my style has changed over the years. (or in some cases, how the stylist who set up the shot liked my home to look, but still it is my stuff she is arranging, so it is still me, I guess?)

Not all redos are all that pretty

cottage, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 28, 2014

Sometimes, practical just has to win out over pretty.

I loved this cabinet that I fixed up to use for the grand fairies' clothes, in our laundry room/closet. Our walk in closet has a washer and dryer in it, making it easy for me to put away my own stuff. All mine and my husband's things just hang or go on a shelf right there in the laundry room.

When the girls came along, I was not going to get back into the habit of hauling laundry up and down the stairs again. After a taste of total convenience, there was NO WAY that I'd be going back to schlepping baskets around.

So, I decided to add storage to the closet just for them.

But- as they got bigger, their clothes got bigger, and the cabinet seemed smaller. The shelves were dark and over stuffed. There was no room to hang any of their dresses.

Even though it looked nice, it just wasn't working.

So, I picked up this rack at Target. Everything fits on it soooo much better, and I can find thier matching clothes without a major search party and a flashlight.

I don't like the way it looks.

But, I sure like the way it works.

Sugarwings decided that the space behind it would make a great changing room for her. She uses a a couple of wooden clothes pins to hook a vintage table cloth onto a hanger on one side and the rack on the other. To get in and out, she unhooks the hanger side and pins it the table cloth back onto the rack.

And of course, if you move a piece of furniture, it kind of starts an avalanche of moves… I replaced a vintage, radio cabinet with the larger one from the closet, to have more space for the grand fairies' games and electronics, which cut down on some clutter, but now, where will the replaced cabinet land?

And so it begins, the furniture shuffle. If I was smart, I'd snap a photo and do a craigslisting for the smaller cabinet right NOW. Or load it in the truck and take it to Salvation Army, instead of creating a kerfuffle of moves with other pieces in the house.

We'll see…

Summer’s end

cottage, flowers

By Karla Nathan / August 8, 2014

The lazy days of summer are almost ending. Dang, what happened to school starting after Labor Day???

It has been such a great summer, I dread seeing it end. Usually, by this time of year, I'm longing for the cooler fall days. But this season, we've been blessed with ideal weather. Our gardens have never looked so good.

The flowers have been overly pretty.

Our little hummingbird moth has been enjoying them too. She comes back every year and visits the cleome patch. Well, at least that is how I see it. There are probably bunches of these creatures that are attracted to this flower bed, but to me, it is the same little bird-like butterfly that comes back to visit each July and August.

The weather has been more than wonderful for dining outdoors too. Our friends' have the best patio ever for brunching on and we never turn down the delicious meals they serve there.

Watching these two kittens grow bigger each day, has been like having a daily reminder of how fast time passes. As they morphed from spring time babies to almost full grown cats in what felt like a matter of a few short weeks, I was glad for the visual reminder that we all are changing and growing daily, even if we don't see it.

I've taken time to slow down, watch the flower gardens and grand fairies blossom, and enjoy as much time with the children as I could get. Because, before you know it….

Summer is gone.

Kids are grown.

Kittens are cats.

Oh bummer! I didn't mean this to be sad!! I'm loving it all. That is one of the reasons why I chose the theme, "Nature's Blessings" for the journal swap I am doing.

Noticing and appreciating daily life is something we need to stop and remember to do. I'm looking forward to having a journal to slip notes and photos into, maybe save a handful of seeds in, or a momento from a sweet day.

If you'd like one too, you can either order an empty book with a finished cover, or join the swap. Details here.

Where Bloggers Create Tour, another look at my cottage studio, I hope you aren’t bored with seeing this room over and over, but I’m trying to show a few little changes this time

cottage, studio tour

By Karla Nathan / July 12, 2014

The lovely and talented Karen Valentine is once again hosting the Where Bloggers Create studio tour.

And even though I've shown my studio a zillion mcbillion times, here I go again.

There are always a few little changes here and there. I've moved a couple pieces of furniture around since last year and added a couple crafty projects. And now my doors are pink. Yay! something different.

This tour is always so much fun to browse through, that I just HAD to join in, I really enjoy this bloggy party. Thanks for hosting again, Karen.

And I did mention that there were some new things.

Like "Fairyville" on top of my buffet. These are a few of the practice fairies I made for the Birdsong class I taught here in June. I was quite addicted to making these little sprites and couldn't stop! Plus, I love having choices and variety for my kits, and needed completed examples of all the colors I'd provided, kit-wise.

And I have a few extra kits left if you want to make one of your own- Email me:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

if you are interested in one for $25 plus postage. They include everything you need to make, and decorate a little sprite, illustrated instructions, plus create a peat pot swing for her to relax in.

I have a few colors, as mentioned.

This was my other project for Birdsong, a lace and ephemera mobile.

I've found that projects from classes I teach or take are items that I keep around and treasure. This book was made in Karen's (our blog hop hostess) class during the Downton Affaire in LA.

This sweet dolly dress was from Pamela's class at the same weekend.

I've got all of the dresses on a lace ribbon, hanging under the stitched sampler we worked on there too.

Some items are a constant. One thing that stays on display in my studio, are the swap books that I have hosted.

Sadly, last year I missed out on doing a swap, but I'm in the middle of putting one together right now. I'm painting a portrait of a cement garden angel, which will be copied and collaged with vintage paper onto the cover of the books we make. I'll create all the covers, each swapper will send in the proper amount of pages, and I'll assemble the books and send them back.

Details to come, but if you think you might want to make one, please email me and I'll send you a link to the details when they are ready.

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

Examples for tutorials are also keepers for me. This is a mini dress form that I've fairied up. I kinda like fairies…

You'll find the magical little creatures in every nook and cranny of the room. These are some that escaped from my wire birdcage tutorial.

Yet one more instance of something I made a gazillion of. Those birdcages took some brain power to get just right, and once I figured out the short cut to making them, I whipped up dozens to make sure I had the technique correct before teaching the class and writing up a tutorial.

Now, I have these cages hanging from the ceiling, (the room is still decorated with the Birdsong theme from our classes in June. I'll leave them there with the paper birds until fall and I do something witchy instead.)

At Christmas last year, I filled a small tree in the studio with birdcages, and hung shiny brites from the branches.

There are a LOT of birdcages!

Millinery flowers are a steady fixture in the studio too.

I do sell them in my shop, but I always get more! It wouldn't feel like home if I didn't have a roomful of smooshy, old flowers.

And pupeesh! Those guys are a very necessary element in the studio.

Being an artist can get a little bit lonely. I'm lucky to have a bunch of co-workers out there with me. Between the dogs and the grand fairies, I rarely get lonely.

The kiddos have their own corner. But this isn't really what it looks like. This is the cleaned up version. I had all of their things packed up for Birdsong to make room for guests. Then, before I could get it all set back up again, a blog friend, Kerryanne Woodberry, asked me to do some photos of the room for her magazine.

You can look at past issues online for free, here. It's a gorgeous publication and I'm honored to be invited to be in it.

Here is a more, uhm, honest, view of that corner, without the screen to hide stuff behind. There is always a messy pile of works in progress and a TV on Disney Jr.

Here is another switcheroo. Same old stuff, sitting in a new place. That cabinet is HEAVY as the dickons, and even heavier since I didn't bother to unload the fabrics jam packed into it. Have you ever used those carpet covered mini frisbee things that you can scoot furniture around on? I have a cement floor, and they are wonderful for moving any of my big heavy pieces with.

The treat cabinet was treated to a tidbit of a makeover in 2014.

I painted this plywood backdrop to cheer up this corner of the room.

And LuWanda has sprouted Bluebird of Happiness wings.

This spring, I took every single thing out of my hutch, dusted and rearranged it. Somethings went to a "use" pile, others to "sell" or "toss".

Most just got returned right back to where they started. But without the years of built up dust.

During spring cleaning, all the cabinets got slightly rearranged, but I have a feeling, that if you compared it to the pictures from years past, it wouldn't be all that noticeable. But I feel much better about getting my myriad of supplies organized, and cleaned out.

The view out of my back door has improved quite a bit!

We have added a patio. No more mole hills and weeds. Or chair legs that sink down a foot into the dirt when a guest sits down.

This isn't exactly part of the studio, but kind of an extension of it. When I have crafty events, we spill out onto the patio. So, this counts as something new to show for the blog tour, right?

The contractor added the cobblestone stamp,and the flowers are something that I did free hand with a nail as the concrete was drying.

Thank you for coming by to visit.

And I'll bet you will have a great time checking out all the other creative spaces on the tour. I know I will.

ps- I'm having a Summer Clearance sale in the Boutique until July 15th. I've neglected that poor little shoppette too long, I need to clean up, clear out, and refresh it all. You are welcome to soak up some summertime savings and help me get a fresh start, by using this link and getting 50% off everything in the store:

http://www.karlascottage.com/?code=Summersale

(You must use that address to get the special price. Going to the regular address does NOT take you to the 50% discount)

A fairy tea party for grandma

bird song art event, cottage, fairies, family, Food and Drink, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / June 21, 2014

The day after Birdsong ended, my week was just gearing up! We had family in town visiting, and a new kitten joined our family. His name is Terrance Snow Bell Song Bird Nathan. (Terrance was in the Tinkerbell movie)

The monsoons resumed, and the girls made use of the piles of umbrellas we'd had out on the porch earlier.

Guncle Randy, Karen Hillman, and Crafting Queen Regina were in charge of dinner, while my husband grilled chicken. He had rigged up multiple umbrellas and tarps to grill under, and didn't give up, no matter how soggy the day got.

After a quiet-ish day of hanging in the studio and running people to the airport, we had a big family feast. And the next morning, the grand fairies threw a tea party for Great Grandma Joan who had come to visit them.

They had been talking about her visit for months. And had big plans for the tea party. I'm so glad that I didn't listen to my tired body, and that I rallied for this. It meant a lot to the little ones and a person like Joan deserves being the guest of honor at a fairy feast.

She is a dear lady.

Karen and Randy had whipped up a baked squash dish and a pan of roasted potatoes for our dinner the night before. I remade the leftovers into an egg casserole, made home made cinnamon rolls, asparagus wrapped in ham, and fruit salad (left overs too). Just about everything was a reconfigured dish.

The cinnamon rolls were even topped with extra raspberry icing I'd made for the cake I served for dessert on Sunday.

Did I mention that I bought WAY too much food for Birdsong? Luckily, I had a hoard of hungry nephews drop by to visit me on their way to a white water rafting trip. I filled their cooler with cookies and picnic food.

The little girls set the table for me, tea parties are a great learning experience for tiny fairies. Between their enthusiasm (and the smell of fresh baking bread) we had a table full of guests for our party. At first, it was just going to be a handful of us, no one else could make it.

Festivity can be contaigious, and even my Handsome Husband got into the feel of the event. He went and put on a jacket and tie for the party.

With his cargo shorts.

Regina, Guncle Randy, and Karen all delayed thier trip to Kansas City to stay and toast Great Grandma Joan with herbal tea.

I think this photo is hilarious. The breezeway was pretty much trashed, from Birdsong, a big dinner the night before, and the box of empties from the parties hadn't gone out yet. But it just goes to show that you don't have to make everything perfect to have a good time.

If I'd had to completley clean up from the previous parties, I doubt if I'd been able to squeeze one more occasion out of my hospitality drained soul. So, I just ignored the remnants of it all and partied-on.

From the look on this little fairy's face, a bit of mess wasn't even noticeable to her.

Sugarwings took this photo of us saying goodbye.

It was a fun way to see eveyone off and say thanks to the family and friends who had helped me so much all weekend.

Rosemary Garlic dinner rolls

cottage, flowers, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / May 28, 2014

There has been a lot of entertaining going on around here lately. Three weeks in a row, my husband has had someone from his company in town, and we've had a dinner party for them.

Typical of my house, there is a Twister game on the floor to greet the guests. There is usually a toy or pile of toys of some kind around.

Luckily, it has been peony season, they have been in bloom for me to pick for all three little parties.

Peonies can be a lot of work to de-ant, but worth the trouble. I rinse, soak, whack, rinse each flower. If I accidently break one off while getting the little ants off of them, those big, fluffy, flower heads look every bit as pretty floating in a tea cup.

I think I got all of the ants off. None of the guests spoke up to say one was crawling around on the table. I wasn't too worried. Those flowers are so sweet, that if I did miss an ant, it would be soooo in love with the flower it was on, that it wouldn't want to leave it and bother us.

The dinners have been a great excuse for me to over indulge on rolls. I've been baking for each party. These are rosemary garlic.

Here is how I make them, please note that my measurements are guestimates, I don't actually use measuring cups or spoons, I eyeball the amounts.

Dump together in greased bread machine pan:

1-1/2 cups warm water

1-1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 Tbl olive oil

1 Tbl Guar Gum (helps in rising)

3 Tbl sugar

Add:

4 Tbl dried rosemary

1 Tbl minced garlic

3 cups bread flour

And last, 2-1/2 tsp of yeast on top.

Turn on the bread maker till all is mixed, then remove. Pinch off pieces, roll them into balls (with greased fingers) and line up in a greased cake pan. Oil the tops. I don't cover them because I let them raise in the closed microwave.

I set mine to rise for an hour or so. I've found that the perfect "Hot Box" for me to use for bread dough is the microwave. I boil a cup of water in it, turn on the light, and that light along with the hot water is enough to keep the temperature evenly warm for the dough to rise. Usually it takes 30-45 minutes to rise.

Bake at 350 til golden.

That is about how I make all of my bread, except not pinched into balls, divided up into bread pans to rise instead.

I use the same basic recipe so much that I never have to think about it. I just throw in different things for variety. Every loaf is the same amount of water, sugar, salt, guar gum, oil, flour, yeast.

Variations can be chia or sunflower seeds, or ground flax. I try to use chia and flax in almost all the loaves, but find that with the rosemary, it is better without those. I've also thrown in about 3/4 cup of whole multi-grain cereal and cut back on the flour a little. I'm surprised at just how simple and easy it is to bake bread. We rarely buy a loaf any more, and we have developed a bad habit of eating way too much bread.

I'd love to bake enough for Birdsong, but I'd have to make it ahead of time, and while that is good, it is not the same as standing by the oven with a stick of butter in your hand, waiting impatiently for it to finish baking.

Unless this hot weather turns the lettuce bitter before my Peeps arrive, I do plan on serving fresh greens from the food forest.

All this entertaining has me in good practice, I'm excited about all of my friends arriving soon for Birdsong!

Fresh

cottage

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2014

After finishing my Downton banner, I wasn't ready to get involved with another big project, so I took a creative break to do some housework.

ugh

Since I had a ladder out for the banner, I decided to climb up it in the kitchen and de-web, de-grease, and overall clean up everything on the shelves and on top of the cabinets.

I always put off doing it, but really, it isn't that bad once I get going. There is something nice about the fresh feeling the room has once the sparkle is returned to the china. I pop most of the pieces into the dishwasher, and go after the walls, cabinet doors, and top of the shelves with a Magic Eraser and a bowl of hot water with vinegar in it.

This time, I even treated the lamps to new shades. Actually, I had no choice, the other ones had seen better days.

While on my perch above the kitchen, I noticed that the chandy was getting fuzzy. That is never a good look, is it? Funny how it sneaks up on you. Those crystals end up dull in no time, but man, they sure are pretty after a wiping down!

The china cabinet got a slight spiffing up, it didn't take much though, glass doors are a blessing.

Believe it or not, crowded as this looks, I edited and futzed the pretties around a bit. There are less things in here now. And on the shelves too. The fresh feeling was even stronger after I'd gotten rid of about a third of the pieces on the shelf.

See, now there is space between the ewers, pitchers, and creamers. That has never happened before.

I kind of like it!

Not so much, that I want to get rid of all of it and not have to go through this again, though. But it is nice to have a little less up there.