Dew Drop – Page 8 – Karla's Cottage

Kittens and corn

By Karla Nathan / October 24, 2014

We have not had the best luck with kitties lately. Poor Terrance Snowball disappeared. Our other cat, was distressed and lonely, so we got a kitten for her (and for Dewdrop, who is a major cat person),

Dewdrop named her Cocoa and loved her. Then, one morning, I woke up to find the tiny baby dead. We don't know why. I was able to maneuver Sugarwings out the door, and off to school without seeing the body, so that we could sit down and talk about it later, not right before class started.

When Dewdrop and I went to the pumpkin patch, she had spent a lot of time holding this kitty with the pumpkin colored eyes and heart shaped nose. So, I called Pendleton's Country Market to see if they had any kittens available and found out that this kitty was looking for a home.

Sugarwings and I took a trip out to the country to get the new cat, and of course, spent some time playing while there.

Her favorite part was the corn bath. It was an extra large horse tank filled with shucked kernels, and she couldn't get enough of it.

First of all, it is great for jumping in.

And you can bury yourself in it, roll in it, or just sit back and enjoy it.

I played in there for a long time with her, but got a bit itchy after a while. She was enthralled and stayed about an hour.

I'm afraid I got a bit slap happy while she dwaddled in the vat of corn.

I was finally able to coax her out by mentioning the slingshot. This place is a year round, working farm, not just a pumpkin patch. Farmer John culls the veggies that are going bad from the good stuff he takes to market and has the bad ones in baskets by the sling shot, so that you can test your skills in flinging rotten apples or eggplants.

There were some issues with getting the cat into our carrier, but all in all it was a great day. And Dewdrop has named her new kitty, Pumpkin Pie. She remembered her from the previous trip there and was thrilled ot see her.

Her little heart is broken over losing Terrance and Cocoa, but having Pumpkin Pie to snuggle has helped. I hope this sweet kitty is here to stay, and is still around for ages like our previous, old barn cat. It hasn't been easy to go through this revolving door of kittens for the last couple of years, after having the same old tom for over a decade.

Wish us luck, please. And Pumpkin Pie too, she probably needs it more than we do.

Autumn in Kansas, with two free pumpkin patches to visit

Dew Drop, flowers

By Karla Nathan / October 6, 2014

Dewdrop and I had a day out together and visited the two pumpkin patches here in Lawrence.

One has a butterfly sanctuary. You are given a flyer with info and pictures of the different species living there, and instructions on using a "one finger touch" when approaching the little flutter-ers.

Then, the hunt begins.

Of course, it doesn't take long to spot the butterflies, they are everywhere.

Dewdrop tried holding very, very still, hoping one would land on her.

And decided that the butterflies on the pink flowers were ideal for one finger petting.

But the best part was watching them fly away after the petting.

The butterfly sanctuary was the highlight of her day.

While both pumpkin patches are free and have lots of things for kids to do, Pendleton's Country Market was the only one that had a batch of kittens to hold.

She much preferred the kittens and butterflies to the pumpkins. The gourds aren't nearly as cuddly. This one had a crack and she felt very sad about that.

I love the vastness of the fields, and the open views off into the horizon.

Yet, if you turn and look the other direction, there is Kansas University off in the distance, up on the hill.

Schaake's Pumpkin Patch has a lot of cute, kiddie elements like the hay bale minion in the previous picture and this witch on the silo.

There is also a hay bale maze, multiple play grounds, and cows to watch. Pendleton's is also a garden center, both are working farms. Pendleton's also has a lot for kids to do, a tricycle track, a corn bin filled with dried kernels to play in, and a scenic tower to climb. There is also a pretty bonfire pit for cooler days.

Both have free hay rack rides and nice stores. I left with 4 big mums, a bag of sweet potatoes, a jar of pumpkin butter, a bag of gourds, a large green pumpkin, a large white pumpkin, 3 smaller white pumpkins, 2 mini orange pumpkins, and a couple of bottles of water for the two of us, FOR ONLY $45!

You really can't beat Kansas for free fun.

Of course, with Dewdrop around, any where we go is fun!

An art journal made from a vintage prom dress and a cabinet card

Books, Dew Drop, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 29, 2014

When I made this book, I had no intention of making a book. Sometimes that happens. My son and I decided to clean out the fairies' closet. Sugarwings was a dedicated dresser upper (and still is) but had outgrown many of the play clothes.

Dewdrop, enjoys dress up tremendously, but is picky about her ensemble. She has one or two faves and will not try on anything else.

So, we decided to donate 5 bags (yes, an outrageous amount of dress up clothes!!!!!) from their stash to a thrift shop so other little kiddos could pick things out in time for Halloween.

Most of the stuff had come from thrifts anyway, so it was kinda like taking them home again. Or just borrowing them for a bit.

Anyway, in the closet was an old prom dress that I've adored since I bought it at a garage sale a few years back.

Here is Clover wearing the dress a couple of years ago in a photo from another album that I made.

When I saw the gown buried under a pile of fluff and nonsense under the bed, I decided to reclaim the it for myself. And HAD to go and make a book, right then and there.

I transformed an old cabinet card into a book, with a simple little trick and this lovely fabric. Most of the books I've done for the tutorial aren't sewn, and this one isn't either.

But in cutting up the dress, and using existing seams, it looks like a sewn cover.

Of course, I had to use some vintage wallpaper too! And I just happened to have the perfect shade of old velvet ribbon to add to the book.

This book is for sale. All of them will be, as soon as I get them listed in the Boutique. I've not done it yet, even though I have tons of photos to use. But I have been selling some through enquiries by people who have seen the pictures.

This one will be $55 if you are interested, just email me at karlanathan@sbcglobal.net. (postage included in the US) sold, thanks for all the interest!

Or, if you'd like to make a similar book yourself? Directions for turning a cabinet card into a journal are available here.

Redoing the Fairy Berry Trail tree house

Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, Hand painted, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 21, 2014

We haven't had access to the Fairy Berry Trail for a while. First, a big storm turned some dead branches into widow-makers, dangling from the top of the trees. Then, my husband and son did some dangling from the treetops with the chainsaw, and trimmed it all up, leaving piles of debris blocking the trails.

This week, we cleared it up and repaired the Fairy Tree House by rebuilding its walls from the downed limbs and some grapevines.

It kind of looks like a big brush pile behind those two large trees.

One of those trees has grown crookedly down, to form a roof. We entwined branches into a dome shape over the crooked branch, creating kind of a igloo shaped structure.

Here is a picture looking through the archway "door" into the room. And a picture of one of my dogs sniffin the other's butt, apparently. Sorry.

After all the branches were in place, we wove fresh grapevine in and out of them to anchor it all. Hopefully, as the vines dry, they will keep the branches in place. The vines were laden with clusters of grapes, so I'm crossing my fingers that they will drop seeds and more vines will grow up the walls that we built today.

The grand fairies have always loved their tree house, but it is even more beckoning now. Very cozy, with full walls and a roof, made up of woven branches with sunshine peeking through. And I created an archway entrance out of grapevines, that is low enough that an adult needs to duck to get in, but just right for the kiddos.

After a day of construction, well, most of a day. We trimmed up some other trees and cleared the paths in the woods while we had the chainsaw out, but a big part of Sunday was needed just for building the tree house.

Anyway, once it was done, I decided it needed a little something. So, got my paints and thought I'd turn the big knot hole by the entrance into a face.

Then, I thought, no, some eyes looking out from the darkness.

That morphed into two sets of eyes, with the lower ones looking up.

And that made me think of the two fairy girls who will be playing in that tree house.

So, I thought I'd make the faces into those girls. This green sprite is supposed to be Sugarwings.

And here is Dewdrop.

A Pinkie Pie Birthday party and some home made sidewalk chalk

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 26, 2014

August is a busy month for us. My husband and I have an anniversary, The Hippy Chick and Sugarwings both have birthdays, and of course, back to school time. Which still irks me, that it comes so early. Am I showing my age by thinking back to school should be after Labor Day?

We have had a lot of celebratiing going on.

So much so, that some days we had to double up on parties. Sugarwings' school's open house was the same night that we went out to celebrate her mom's birthday.

My social calender has been jam packed. A good buddy has the same birthday as the Hippy Chick and turned 50 this year, so we have had a brunch for her and a Girls' Night Out too.

I feel very blessed with all of the special occasions to attend. And to have friends and family around me to celebrate with. My sister also has a birthday this week, but is too far away for me to be there when she blows out the candles.

I miss being there to give her a birthday hug, but I also know that I'm very lucky to have my sisters in my life and that we are extremely lucky to be so close, even while being so far apart. I hope that Sugarwings and Dewdrop will always have this closeness. Whenever they spat (which is a LOT) I always tell them that a sister is a forever friend.

Not that it helps. When someone takes a toy from your hands, or screams in your face, it is hard to feel overwhelming friendship and appreciation at that moment.

The party that our Hippy Chick threw was full of friendship and fun. She let Sugarwings choose the theme, Pinkie Pie, and added lots of pink polka dotted balloons to the park by her house. Simple, colorful, and cute. With old fashioned games that inspired lots of laughs and running.

She provided some fun little giveaways, and made a gluten/dairy free cake with fresh strawberries. Sugarwings and I made some side walk chalk to give to her friends too.

There isn't much to making it, but I think we could have done it a better way. Maybe this post should be titled, "How NOT to make Sidewalk Chalk"

Here is what we did wrong. First, no recipe, no measuring, and no thinking it out. I kind of figured I'd wing it. And I was wrong, it would've been better if I'd paid attention.

First of all, I had no idea that plaster of paris would dry so fast. Our plan was to add the glitter to it, stir in some water, then pour it into a mold and swirl in food coloring to each piece of chalk in the molds.

Well, it was thick as burnt and lumpy gravy within seconds. Seconds! I did not use enough water. I found that if you use more water, it takes days to dry, but it is better than having it dry before you can get it in a mold because your mixture didn't have enough liquid.

And it sets up permanently. This bucket, after soaking for a week, is still coated with plaster. I thought it would wash away if I soaked it, but no, the bucket is ruined.

If you are making this, use something you want to throw away, like a Dollar Store bucket, not your favorite pail.

So, here is how you should do it:

Put on gloves

Add two cups of plaster of paris to a throw away bucket
Mix food coloring into one cup of water (we didn't do this, I figured out afterwards that it would be better to stir the food coloring into the water ahead of time, instead of adding it to the mix later)
Have your silicone molds nearby and ready to pour the mixture into ( you can also
pour the mix into small plastic bowls, and after they dry, break the chalk into chunks)
Dump a whole container of fine glitter into the plaster of paris, mix well
Slowly stir in water
Pour into the molds, let sit for a few days
Remove the chalk from the molds and let them sit for a few more days. Ours took over a week to set up when we did it this way, but the chalk was really nice. And the silicone molds made cute shapes.

PS- happy birthday, Bobbie!

Around the cottage

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 24, 2014

Summer ends too quickly for me. Especially this year, we have had fall like temps that make me believe that summer has really ended, not just that school starts way too early.

On Sugarwing's first day of second grade, we could see our breath, it was so chilly! That is NOT typical Kansas weather in mid August. Usually we are cursing the cracked, dry, brown earth that is baking in the heat.

Now, I'm not complaining about not feeling like I live in a smelting pot, I just am discombobulated by the freaky weather and am going to start thinking about pumpkin pie before it is even time to harvest our tomatoes.

We have made use of this untypical August cool air by taking lots of bike rides and hitting the walking trails. During one walk, we paused for a selfie, and snapped it just in time to catch Twinkle in the act of side swiping Sugarwings and I both with her tongue.

Besides working on Nature's Blessing journal covers, I've not had much of a chance to get creative, instead, I've been hanging with the grand fairies and working in the yard. All the work that normally gets put off til cooler, fall weather has been tempting me to be out doors, doing it now instead.

Oh, I've had time for a few little redos, like fixing up this frame from an estate sale, and I've been in a deep cleaning frenzy in the house for some odd reason.

The frame was sprayed with bonding primer (zinser)

Washed with watered down, coffee colored paint.

Then, wiped with a paper towel. I plan on sanding it for a distressed look, then popping in a pretty picture of a grand fairy.

Of course, I'll have plenty of those to choose from!

Why we love the Topeka Zoo

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 1, 2014

We have such a good time when we go to the zoo in Topeka. For one thing, it is small, and easy to get around in. It used to be kind of sad and run down, but improvements have been made over the years and every time we go, it gets better and better.

Everything is clean. Everyone is friendly.

There is a 106 year old carousel in the park next to the zoo, and I've never seen it busy. Most times when we go, there are very few people there. This time, we were the only ones visiting this gorgeous, old ride, for about an hour or so. The cost is only $1.25, or 15 ride tickets for $15 (includes the train too).

It's so cheap, and there were no lines, so we rode over and over and over. Well, at least they did, I get a bit dizzy just watching it go around. If I'd joined in for multiple rides, I'd probably still be spinning around in my head today.

The attendants are always friendly to kids and since there was no one else there, the young man at the controls let the girls play on the horses, giant chickens, zebras, etc. trying each one out before choosing the perfect steed for the ride.

The adjacent park has rose gardens, a big community pool, a new play ground, trails, and a very, very old play ground made up of giant cement animals to climb on. When my kids were little, there were tunnels, but those have since been covered up. I'm glad the goofy animals are still there to play on.

And play in.

Once you get inside the zoo (only $15 for three of us for the day) it's an easy walk through it. With some interactive sites along the way, like this African bush camp. We usually can play jungle explorer there for an hour or so.

This zoo has had a checkered past, losing accreditation a couple of times. But major changes have been implemented and it is a sweet, little place to visit now and seems to be very well run and kept up beautifully. It is a quick get away for us, only 20 minutes from my house to the gate.

And how often can you find a place where you can hitch a ride on the king of beasts?

My grand fairies love having lions to climb on.

And a "cweepy" (according to Dewdrop) cave where you can visit the cats up close and personal.

Bigger zoos of course, have bigger attractions, but I don't think any of them can beat Topeka for price, accessibility, and pure charm.

Interested in the journal swap? Info here.

Silly projects

Dew Drop, Food and Drink, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / July 7, 2014

Last week, the grand fairies and I made salt sculptures to paint. I really see no point whatsoever in making them… except that they were fun to do.

Basically, it is a bowl of salt, a ton of glitter, and enough water to moisten. Then, you press it in a mold to let it dry, supposedly rock hard so you can paint them and use them for blocks. Ours didn't get rock hard, they were a bit crumbly still. But fun to paint anyway.

Heck, anything you can smear paint around on, is good for a bit of entertainment.

Afterward, we played "dinner theater". I set their table up in front of the tv, which is a giant treat here. The TV is supposed to be off during meals and we sit together to eat.

But this is summer vacation, so everything is a treat!

And Dumbo was on, how could any of us be expected to turn that off to go have lunch????

After lunch was served, the littles had some tea, and were given menus featuring all the M&M colors I had to chose from. I figured I'd sneak in some learning during the fun. Reading for Sugarwings, and colors and counting for Dewdrop. Sugarwings read the menu to her little sis, and then they counted out their order as they sorted the colors together.

And of course, anything tastes better when served with antique silver tongs from a crystal dish.

ps- I'm having a Summer Clearance sale in the Boutique. 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)

Happy 4th!

Dew Drop, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / July 4, 2014

I hope your holiday is a peachy one.

The grand fairies and I celebrated a little early by trying to create our own fireworks. Not with explosives, though, with paint.

We made red, white, and blue glitter paint bombs by filling eggs with paint.

We sealed up the holes with tissue paper. First, we damped the tissue with a bit of paint, and it stuck right on.

I tacked a poster board to the garage wall and they let loose with the paint bombs, hoping to create big, spattery, fire works on the paper.

A lot of power went into the tossing, but the eggs didn't make as much of a spectacular splat as we thought they might.

But a lot of fun was had in the process. The eggs kind of landed on the poster with a wet thump, and then just hung there like a blob. Maybe we should have added water to the paint for a more dramatic effect? It could have been too thick.

They soon discovered it was a good consistency for finger painting.

I wouldn't say the result we got was what we were led to expect from Pinterest, but it was still a happy experiment.

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)

Travel woes and something very scary

Dew Drop, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 29, 2014

Dewdrop rode home from Roots and Bliss with us since her Daddy's car was full to the brim with supplies he'd hauled down for the event.

After only a few minutes on the winding, hilly roads, she let us know that her tummy wasn't happy and she wanted out of the car. Silly me, I gave her the ipad to take her mind off of her problems.

Now, I've gotten carsick enough in the past to know that reading doesn't exactly help the feeling, so giving her the ipad to look at probably wasn't very smart.

Soon, she starting spewing out buckets and buckets of breakfast. We pulled over pretty fast. And luckily, had a car loaded with camping supplies, towels, wash wipes, clean clothes, etc. I was glad to have trash bags too. And paper towels to save the ipad.

All of her toys were, um, saturated…. And she wanted something to snuggle. My mom used to make wash cloth dolls for me when I was sick, I wish I could ask her how she did that. I twisted up a paper towel into a baby in a blanky for Dewdrop, but it just wasn't as cute as what my mom used to make.

Still, it gave her something to snuggle and she was happy to hold it.

This curvy road wasn't the best luck for us. As scary as that spewing baby was, this is worse. On the way to the camp, we had a frightening experience, I was glad we didn't have a baby in the car with us then! As we were heading south, a young woman jumped out into the road, waving her arms and crying hysterically.

We pulled over, to see if she needed help, and she screamed that her boyfriend was trying to kill her. She wanted in the car, but I was leery. I've seen the ravages of meth on a person's body before and she had the tell tale signs of that addiction, but still I wasn't sure. We looked around, didn't see another soul, so dialed 911 and told her to wait by the car.

After we had the police on the line, we got out to see if she was okay. My husband wanted to let her in the car, but I've seen enough horror movies to know that if you are in the middle of nowhere and a stranger wants in your car, you probably shouldn't let them in. And wasn't this the part of the country that Winter's Bone was set in? Or maybe, Cabin in the Woods?

Well, I wasn't heartless, just careful. With the police on the way, we gave her water, food, and listened to her story while we waited by the car for the cavalry to come.

Apparently, her boyfriend was a fugitve from the law, and had kidnapped her and kept her captive in the woods for days, beating her with a baseball bat, threatening to kill her. Then, he drove off with her, they ran out of gas, and she escaped. It was hard to understand much of the story, she was crying so hard, and so frightened. She seemed battered, but didn't look like she had any broken bones. We asked if we should call 911 again and ask for an ambulance, but she said no.

While we waited, and waited for the police to come (we were in the middle of no where!) I gave her motherly advice about guys who are trouble,respecting herself and not letting him back in her life, and handed her some cash. I'm sure she appreciated the cash, I don't know about the advice.

And then she pointed out the boyfriend's car up the hill. As he walked toward it with a gas can!!

That was when we dialed 911 again, and made sure help was coming. They had us ask her if the guy had a gun, she said no, only the bat and a big flashlight he had hit her with. We decided we should drive away with her if he acted like he was coming towards us, but everything happened so fast, we didn't have a chance. After filling up his tank, he zoomed right at us, and luckily, kept on going, probably knowing the police were on the way.

Soon after, they arrived. The officer was very familiar with the loser who beat her, and said they had been hunting for him. I felt bad about not getting the license plate number, but it wasn't needed, they knew the car. I didn't find out if there had been a missing person report on this girl, or how long she had been kept in the woods, she said a few days. I still think she was probably involved with meth, it would have taken more than a few days to look as ragged and bone thin as she was.

What would you have done? My husband said that if I hadn't been there, he would have put her in the car and taken her away to call for help. I just didn't feel safe letting her in. Although, if the boyfriend had a gun, we would have been easy pickings when he showed up, and maybe we'd have been smart to drive away with her instead of waiting there for the police. She kept begging to leave, because she thought he was coming to kill her. And I guess he could have killed us too.