Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers) – Page 20

My sweet boy

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, Food and Drink, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 9, 2009

Look what was waiting for me when I came in the house, after working for about 10 hours straight on the editing of my little story book ! Sugarwing's Daddy is a sweet heart of a son. He picked tomatoes and peppers and fresh herbs from the garden to make the sauce for the egg plant (from the garden too!)

Not only that, he was invaluable in helping me edit the book. My son has a sharp and critical eye for detail and isn't afraid to let me know if something needs changed in my artwork. It could be irritating, but it isn't because he is usually right.

Plus, did I mention he is a massage therapist??? There was also a FOOT MASSAGE for me after sitting at the computer all day. Yep, he is just about a perfect son.

Its been a good day. Garage sales in the morning, the farmer's market with Sugarwings and her Daddy, then I finished and ordered prints of the book!

Here is the cover.

And this is the title page.

Beth and I had a craft day at her house yesterday, and I painted this page while we talked. I decided that it is much easier to pack for craft day if I'm just painting a little something. If I am packing for a whole hog craft day project, I have to haul boxes and bags of supplies with me!

Beth has a great studio, there is so much to see there. And it is FULL of vintage treasures. You could say overflowing… We joked about starting a new diet fad, the Craft Room Diet. You fill your studio with so much stuff that you have to lose weight to fit in the room with all of it.

Poor Beth, I might have over stayed my welcome. I tend to lose track of time and keep working away. It was after 6 when I realized that maybe I should take off for home.

But she was gracious, even though I am one of those guests that you can't get rid of. She even gave me a stack of these pretty bowls.

And she sent home presents for Twinkle. Now the Dorkies have a whole new wardrobe of neck scarves to show off in.

Yesterday was a slow day for estate sales, my pickins were slim.

But even though I didn't find much, what I found was really nice! Quality beats quantity any day. Seems like I've been on a book streak lately, here is another of those slim, Victorian gift books.

All the items in this collage are in the Boutique now.

Here is the back cover of the book.

I've ordered just a couple copies to see how they look in person before I offer them to anyone. I sincerely appreciate your support and kind words (and inquiries to buy!!).

Safe and Sound (plus a bedtime story and some aprons)

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, Silver Bella, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / July 22, 2009

Thank you all, for your concern for Twinkle! I could tell you all could feel the pain of losing a helpless little pet and the hopeless dread that goes along with it. I appreciate all your big-hearted comments! While she was missing, I was so worried. Sparkle and I put on a bucket of bug spray and hunted through the 7 acres of trees on our property, in fear that Twink's collar had snagged on a branch, and she had been cold and alone in the woods overnight. I drove up and down the streets, dreading a stain in the road that would mean she had been hit by a car. All the worst case scenarios were running through my brain.

Thankfully, my little Dorkie is safe and sound, and is now being pampered and cuddled (plus watched like a hawk!).

Twinkle has decided that Sugarwing's new bed must certainly be meant for her, not the fairy grand baby. The mattress I made for it is thick and soft and fluffy, and since it is a miniature bed, it is low to the ground. Even chubby little Sparkle sneaks up onto it, even though it has been years since she has been able to jump on the sofa or our bed by herself.

Sugarwings calls it her "Princess Nest" because of one of her favorite stories that I tell her at bedtime. The story is about a sleepy fairy who is grumpy but will not go to sleep.

When I first showed you the bed in its before stage, I mentioned that I paid way too much for it at an auction, but I guess what I meant was I spent too much in Auction Thinking Dollars. Have you ever noticed that price is relative to where you are shopping? If I'd seen this miniature antique 4 poster bed at a nice antique store, I'd have thought it was the world's biggest bargain at $70. At an auction, I felt like I over paid!

(It does have finials for the tops of the posts, but they are so narrow and pointy, I thought they might be dangerous, so left them off. I'll probably add knobs to the tops of the posts later)

And my other redo project? This $35 hutch from the Shabby Chic garage sale came out great! It has so much space in it, I don't even have it full yet.

Notice the beautiful, blooming ball in front of it? That was a gift from my pal, Kim. I won it on her giveaway!

I'll show more photos of the hutch, and the rest of the studio from yesterday's craft day on Friday when I join in on what looks like an interesting party. Karen is hosting the event and asks us to show our creative areas.

Its been a long time since I threw a blog party myself, I should think about it, they are so much fun to go to. I look forward to seeing this one!

Maybe an apron party? Aprons are the theme for Silver Bella this year and that has got me thinking about them.

The theme got me looking around at aprons in a new way. So did the swap Heather and Stephenie hosted this spring.

So, I've been foofing up some aprons with millinery, ribbons and jewels. Some are listed in the Boutique, along with some other new items. (The sale for my Etsy shop has morphed into a new version, prices are marked down in the shop itself. Thank you to everyone who shopped with me and scooped up some half price deals!)

Oh, and here is the updated photo for the JULY GARAGE SALE GIVEAWAY PRIZE PACK.

I'm finding lots of tidbits to add to this month's giveaway at garage sales! Isn't that English bone china little plate pretty? (it was only a nickle)

At craft day, I tried to make Sugarwings paper dolls, but the hair color looks more red than blonde when I printed the doll onto cardstock. I need to do some tweaking…

I'll leave you with the bed time story Imade up to tell the baby when she doesn't think it really is bedtime. And also with my thanks once again for all of your kind messages about Twinkle!

edit- sorry, I have to delete the story, working in Word, then copying the text to typepad caused problems with some readers being able to open the posts.

What can you get for under $100 in Lawrence, KS on a Saturday morning?

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), flowers, Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / July 18, 2009

Ahh! That's better. I've had a rough day and a pale pink rose sure helps!

Its not been a bad day, just an exhausting one. Well, I guess the part about my computer refusing to recognize any Excel programs is kind of bad… Mostly it was just a long and tiring day. Sugarwings woke up with the sunrise this morning, so she and I went garage sailing together. (and yes, I have goodies to add to the giveaway, and will take photos soon. You can leave a comment on any post to enter the drawing)

Usually, the baby and I don't try going to garage sales together, she'd rather have a lazy morning telling stories and making pancakes. But when I saw an ad in the paper for an All Shabby Chic estate sale, I packed that kid up fast as I could and headed out. This table and chairs wasn't something I actually needed…. but won't I enjoy having it right outside my studio's back door?

I kind of repainted it, but not totally. I wanted it to still look weathered, just not so shabby it was looking trashy. So I misted some spray paint on lightly and evenly to clean it up, and then sprayed a bit more heavily in other places.

And of course, I didn't NEED this either. But for $35, I sure wanted it for my studio. I can get rid of some cluttery small pieces of furniture and consolidate the stuff in them into this.

It almost didn't make it home, on one corner, the top of the hutch went sliding and tilted out over the bed of the pickup. I drove slow and with my flashers on the rest of the way home, and we made it ok. Ryan helped me to get it out of the truck, and we almost lost it again then, when it came sliding down a little faster than we thought.

When I bought it, I thought it would be a simple slap of paint and I'd be done. Then, I saw to my absolute horror, that the person who painted it before DID NOT PRIME or sand it!!!!!!! Their paint could be peeled off in long strips. Which I did, for about an hour.

Then I finished it with the steps on my side bar, primer spray and glaze. The glaze is cream. I might add vintage wallpaper to the inset panels.

These were at the same house. I think they are meant for hanging on a chandelier. Not a bad sale, huh? And when we got there it was all picked over, I'd love to have seen what was sold before we arrived.

It would have to be a heavy chandy to hold these fruits, they have some heft to them.

Sugarwings spent the day with her Hippy Chick Mommy and is back for tonight, so my little "shadow" and I will have some play time tonight. I hope she is in the mood for something less strenuous than usual. Last night, I was the flying monkey and she was Dorothy and I had to scoop her up and run to lock her in the Wicked Witch's castle. (over and over and over) After hauling and painting furniture all day, I don't think my flying monkey wings will flap tonight.

Dorkiepalooza (this one has gone to the dogs)

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), yorkies

By Karla Nathan / June 27, 2009

I thought I'd write a few posts in advance to pop up while I am in Florida. And since I'll be missing my home and family, and the dorkies, I thought I'd have something on here that would pick me up when I look at it on the hotel lobby computer. Thursday's post is all about the garden (and hoping the brand new baby plants survive on their own with out me)

For today's, I went back into my photo files and found some of my favorite dorkie pictures.

These are all taken from various cameras over the years. But I have re-edited them in Picassa. That editing system has really improved some pictures taken with my older cameras too!

Picassa is free, its a quick and easy download from Google. Its simple to use and did I mention it was free???

Photoshop is much better, of course. I've never tried it, but I have seen others use it and have been very impressed with all its tricks. But did I mention that Picassa was free and simple and anyone can use it? No lessons, simply download and start editing?

Everyone of these older photos has really been improved with this editing. Previously, I used the basic editing that came with the computer, so I guess anything would have been an improvement.

Photoshop is something I'd love to learn how to use. Just like I'd really love to learn more about the Canon Rebel camera that I got for my birthday this year. But I have to face facts, and know that there is only so much time in a day and my days are pretty packed.

I adore the photos taken by my friends, Tiffany and Carol. Those two taught me a lot about my new camera when we were together in Macon at En Le Jardin. But they spend at LOT of time on editing (it shows, wow, they have knockout photos!!).

This new editing system has helped me a lot. And I do LOVE my new camera!! But I doubt that I'll never have the time or dedication to become a pro like Tiffany and Carol. I just want some pretty pictures, they don't have to be perfect. So, I'm pretty happy with this new tool, even on some of the older photos taken with a not so great camera.

You might have noticed that I tend to have a ton of photos…. So, I have to be quick with them. I'd say I spend only a couple of minutes at the most on each one.

Maybe because I have this little one in my life? Yep, my time at the computer is quite limited since she has come around, but we're pretty happy with our time together. I'm going to be missing her while I am away!

Better late than never

Chandeliers, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), flowers, show and tell

By Karla Nathan / June 25, 2009

Before leaving to go on my trip to Florida, I pre-posted some pictures of my garden to show while I was away. Now, I am wondering if these are worth showing… I got such a late start in planting that these are not very lush plants yet.

But they were all half price! By being a month (or more) behind, I was able to buy clearance priced plants. I just hope they are going to live till I get back, since they are not well established, I hated going out of town and leaving all the "babies."

The perennials that were planted years ago, will be fine, of course. Especially things like yarrow. The weather could be 100 degrees and no rain the whole time I am away and this plant will thrive.

Just like all the ground cover here. I like to use perennial plants that do well in Kansas with little care, or water. Then, I scatter annuals around in pots to brighten the garden.

Begonias are always a favorite here, because I can depend on them. They aren't fancy, but they grow well in my soil and need very little attention, but provide lots of pink prettiness all summer long.

Well, they don't look like much yet.

I set out about 3 flats of pink begonias, 1 of pink rose moss, 1 of mixed rose moss, and 2 flats of bright pink vinca. Along with that, are some lavender dahlias, two colors of sweet potato vine, and lots of herbs.

This planter used to be the water heater of this old farm cottage. I set out the herbs earlier than the flowers, so most of them are filing out now and looking good. These are right by the back door, so I can snip what I need for meals.

This Rosemary topiary tree was a treat for myself. Since it was a late season purchase, it was half price and I thought $20 was a good price for it. I also got a planter box filled with herbs half price (we can't have too many around here!) and divided them up to plant around the base of this topiary, and added some to a few other pots too.

This basket full of herbs was a birthday gift, and I set it down into a larger pot and planted some begonias around it.

But some pots stayed empty. I kind of like the look of stacked terra cotta pots.

Especially in groupings.

And I love to fill my yard with junk I buy at garage sales. This chandelier was $5, because it's wiring was all cut out. I'll add a candle to it for evening garden parties.

This 1960's wall plaque was multi colored, so I primed and painted it white, then hung it on a garden wall to age, about 5 years ago. I had no idea it would last this long. But I only paid $1 for two of them at a yard sale, so it was worth the gamble. Sometimes, I just use things outdoors knowing that it might only last a season or two, and enjoy them while they last.

This is a cabinet door that I painted on, and hung by the back door to my studio. I know that the weather will rot the wood eventually.

The hot pink watering can came with a pink gerber daisy in it, and was half price too. But Sugarwings immediately claimed it as her own, so I removed the plant and let her have the can. It seemed more important to her than to me.

Plus she lets me use her tools. Last year, we got pick plastic garden tools meant for kids, at Target. But her little shovel is my favorite one to use, so we take turns.

My favorite flower this year, is this Knock Out Rose topiary (also half price). First of all, Knock Outs are miraculous roses, they are the only ones I have ever been able to grow. But I didn't know I could have a topiary one! I was thrilled to find that.

But my over all favorite of the yard? The veggie garden! I'm hoping to have some tomatos soon, the plants are looking great so far. It shouldn't be too much longer. Can't wait!

Blue Birds, Blue Berries, and talking about beautiful gifts till I am Blue in the face!

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, show and tell, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 23, 2009

Thank you for all your kind comments about the passing of my Great Aunt Caroline. She was a gracious lady who led an interesting and full life. I hope I can inherit some of her longevity genes! Not only did she live to just a few days short of 101, she did so in excellent health up until the very end. And she passed away quietly in her sleep with no trauma. Not a bad way to go, at all. Lucid and no pain.

My flight to Florida is Thursday, and I am trying to get caught up before I go. I added this pearl collar to my Boutique, and have been making some projects to add too, but most likely, will not be able to till I return.

One thing I needed to be caught up on was showing off the pressies I've been getting! It has been feeling almost like Christmas around here lately and I haven't had a chance to get pictures of the lovely loot till now.

My friend, Jenn Queen of the Garden Fairies sent me this Millinery School book. I wish I could really go! And not to a modern one, I want to go back in time and attend this school and play with all the flowers and trims there.

And at our Blogger's Shopping Day in Leesburg, VA, there was a flurry of gifts being exchanged. Amy Powers created the sugared and framed bluebird, that is so cute next to the minuscule flowers that Robin crafted from coffee filters and sticker dots. Can you tell what she has used for a vase? The lid to a spice bottle!

Andrea gifted us with gift tags, all sparkly and pretty and packed in a tin.

Please excuse Twinkle's vanity, but she insisted that I pay attention to her instead taking photos of everything else…

Most of these gifties have been used already, so I can't show you how cute Heather and Stephenie's little straw basket was when it was filled with blooms, or the hand knit wash cloth that Bethmade. I saved the packaging she made for it, (the tube covered in ephemera) but the wash cloth has been hard at work already. She has given me a few of these over the years and I just love to use them. I keep one in the kitchen to wipe the fairy grand baby's face after meals, because the cotton yarn is just right for a baby's soft skin.

In a previous post, I mentioned the great idea that Pamela had for the travel folders, filled with tags to tie to our packages, room for receipts and business cards, etc. And Hope gave us post cards from her shop, that I just can't use, I will save in the folder Pamela made along with other mementos of the day.

You are probably thinking that is all I have to show you???? No way!! It has been a gift-a-thon around here!!!

In today's mail, these wonderful Blue Bird plates arrived from Jenny!! I quickly filled them with fresh, hot blueberry muffins. Don't things taste even better off of pretty plates? It was so thoughtful of her to send these to me, after she saw the post about my mini collection of this china.

Jenny has an antique shop in Raleigh, and I just found out that my husband has that city in his region now. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to travel with him there and check out her store and thank her in person.

And there is more…..

Andrea sent a voluminous bundle of beauty my way! Full of vintagey tidbits and treasures. Including a hand made frame, for a photo of Sugarwings. And out of old pastel wallpapers and glitter. Now that even more yummy than a fresh muffin!

But wait, I am still going- yes there is MORE. How lucky am I?

First of all, pretty lucky to have a friend like Beth, who sent me this wallpaper pack from Holly's shop after I mentioned how much I loved the chocolate brown paper. I am beyond lucky, don't you think?

And so lucky that Sugarwings is fine, no problems from her episode of mushroom munching in the grass. The poison control center thought that the mushrooms were dangerous and sent us to the ER, but a specialist in mushrooms happened to live in the area and came in to inspect them and told us that they were a safe variety.

Thank you all for your concern about her. And now, she has a fairy guardian on the shelf above her bed, a gift from Lori,that is just about as precious as little Sugarwings is!

Thanks, everyone for the fantastic gifts! And don't forget that I have one for you, this month's gift drawing will be on the 30th and is one of my tag journals.

The right way to get the day you really want!

antiques/junking, celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 6, 2009

Thanks for all your happy birthday wishes! It was a fun day, I invited some pals over for a tee shirt embellishment day and for birthday cake. There were some issues with the transfer paper, we never did figure it out. But I had bought a bunch of different types of printable fabrics to try too, and those worked out well. For this brown tee, I added a copy of one of my favorite vintage paintings, then some velvet and lace trim under it. To finish off, it got old seam binding around the neck. The shirt is Lycra, so I stretched it as far as I could and straight stitched the ribbon to the neckline. When I let go of the pulled fabric, the ribbon ruffled just like I hoped that it would!

Everyone brought their own shirts or bags to work on, and then I had an assortment of goodies for them to go through and add to them, as well as a bunch of pictures I had downloaded and printed onto fabric. Of course, nothing was exactly right for what they needed, and we spent most of the day going through my supplies and my folders of images to see what they wanted to use for their pieces. Isn't that how it always goes? The stuff set aside for a project is never quite what you want, something buried or squirreled away is much more intriguing.

The crystals and glitter pens were popular though. Well, dur! Of course crystals are great to use!!

After the group left for the day, I sat down and worked on a couple shirts for myself, it had been hectic earlier with so much going on and I wanted to wear a new shirt when my boys and I went out for dinner. Ryan and Sugarwing's Daddy took me to my favorite Italian place, then we went to see Wolverine. Hugh was my favorite Xman before, but after this movie, I love him even more! And Ryan Reynolds is a fave of mine too, so it was fun to see Van Helsing take on Van Wilder.

Thanks also for your get well wishes for poor little Twinkle's toes. She is no longer whining and whimpering, and is back to running around, so I'd say she is feeling better.

Especially after a visit from one of her puppies, Bella.

Sugarwings (who by the way, is an excellent helper when it is time to blow out birthday candles) was glad to see Bella too.

Are you noticing anything different about my blog today?

Guess what came as my birthday gift! The CANNON REBEL!!!!!!!!! yep, that one. The one I've whined about and wished for. And you know who gave it to me? I did.

The best way to have a wonderful birthday is to throw it for yourself. I bought a cake, invited friends over for a craft day, supplied the crafts, picked out the restaurant and movie to to take my sons to, and bought the gift I wanted for the last year. The perfect birthday, perfectly orchestrated by me. Everyone was happy to have the burden of what to do for mom lifted from them and I had exactly what I wanted. Now, why did it take me 51 birthdays to figure that out? I guess wisdom comes with age.

Good camera, huh? What a nice gift!!!

I realized that I never showed you the goods that I bought last week at the flea mkt, so I'll leave you with a few photos from my OLD camera of my finds.

Can you see the difference?

Now, that wasn't a horrid camera, and I will still be using it quite a bit. It fits so nicely into my jeans pocket. But I love my new Rebel XSi!!!

Well, that photo sure isn't very good. I wonder what makes me show them any way, when I know they are bad?

Last week's shopping trip was a day for figurines and babies, as well as millinery and jewels. Lots of small things, I liked not having much to carry in at the end of the day.

Before I go, I need to announce the hand painted Birthday Cupcake Charm-

Claudia

And to say thanks again for helping make my day special with all of your kind comments!

The 3rd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), paintings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 4, 2009

This is the 3rd year in a row that I will be participating in the Cottage Charm giveaway, hosted by Kim.

And once again, I am taking it literally and offering a Charm as the Cottage Charm prize! This one is a hand painted white rose, and it is accented with a genuine pearl. I've tied it to a mini tag made from vintage papers, but you could add the charm to a necklace or bracelet instead if you'd rather.

I've only been at this blogging life, for a little over two years, but it is fun to see traditions building up and things to look forward to year after year. Thanks, Kim, for this "charming" tradition!

Plus, you guys know I love giveaways, and I am on a charm kick lately. Here is the painted cup cake charm that is the gift I'm sharing for my 51st (ouch) birthday tomorrow. All comments, any post between May 1st and 5th count. For the Cottage Charm prize, any comment, any post until the 30th counts too. So, leave as many as you'd like.

I was asked if giveaways help build up my following. Honestly, I don't know if it does. I know I get more comments, and I do enjoy the feedback. Also, I get a LOT out of blogging and like to give back. Plus, I make a LOT of crap or find a lot of good junk at great prices and like to share. Ask any of my non-cyber friends and they'll tell you the same thing. Its fun to give little pressies!

Good luck, on all the Cottage Charm drawings, there will be tons of fun blogs to hop around to and visit to sign up for wonderful prizes!

We've had a traumatic day here, poor Twinks broke her water dish and had to be put under to get some stitches in foot. She's still feeling drowsy and is on pain meds for the cut. I could tell she was really hurt, you should have heard her whimpering, I felt so bad for her. Now, she has a solid, unbreakable, tin water bowl. No more pretty, vintage glass for this dog!

I felt bad for me too, you should have seen the blood everywhere, that I had to clean up. It looked pretty bad. I'm glad I went in the house to get something and heard her crying, because I'd hate to have let her go on much longer like that, she was really bleeding. My husband wrapped her foot in a rag and put a rubber band around it like a tourniquet and the vet said that was an excellent idea, and that it helped.

Aren't you glad I didn't take pictures of that mess??

The vintage wallpaper journal kits that I sent to Somerset Life are back now. I'm not sure which issue they will be in, but most likely soon, I'd guess.

Two of the journal kits are listed in the Boutique.

A few more wallpaper packs got added today too. I'm still wrapping and photographing the rest of the rainbow of wallpaper you saw spread out in the studio a few posts back. And some that have been listed have sold out, but there will be more on the way. Thanks so much for checking in to see what is there!

I'll leave you with a more cheerful picture of poor little Twinkle. She's posing with Miss Pink Frenchie, who I bought at the flea market last week.

PS- Cindy, at My Romantic Home (who just had her ONE MILLIONTH visitor, wow!!) is having a May giveaway too, to enter, check HERE

How to cut vintage wallpaper

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / April 29, 2009

If you are going to be trimming vintage paper to use in craft projects, its time consuming and you'll need company to talk to so you aren't too bored. Luckily, I have Twinks to hang with.

For me, vintage wallpaper is simply a billion times better to use in art projects than any scrap booking paper could ever be. Now, I'll scan a really, really wonderful piece before cutting it up, so I'll always have it, but honestly, I don't much like using the copied pieces. The feel just isn't right.

Trouble is, vintage wallpaper can be a LOT of trouble. Its usually curly from being rolled up forever and it is often brittle.

Ironing it makes it much easier to work with.

I kind of go back and forth on what is the best way to iron and cut it. If it is really fragile, or I am just cutting a few pieces, I'll cut it right off the roll, then iron the pieces. If I am on a marathon of ironing and have good movie to watch while doing it, I'll iron it directly off the roll, like the first photo.

Here are some tips for cutting:

Keep a fresh blade in your exacto knife, or the edges of the paper will shred.

Find something the right shape and size to cut around. I use the glass from an 8 x 10 frame. That makes a good size bit to work with for most projects, and if I am making up packs to sell, its easy to mail.

Self healing cutting mats are wonderful! My blade doesn't get dull too fast and I don't slice up the table underneath. I used to try to measure the paper by the grid on the mat, but that was way too much work. Now, I just line up my 8 x 10 piece of glass with the straight edge of the paper and zip the blade around it. Much easier.

Iron the back side of the paper. Old paper is not prepasted, so the back is safe to iron on. If yours is gooey and gluey, its probably not very old. And your iron will be messed up.

The paper is often painted, if you want to protect your ironing board cover, you can lay a sheet of clean paper, or fabric over the board.

Ironing is almost as bad as sewing, but sometimes it has to be done. But ironing paper isn't nearly as bad as ironing clothes, since there are no cuffs or collars. At least, that is what I tell myself to get through it.

The iron can be left on its highest setting and some cut papers can be ironed in a stack of two or three pieces at a time to speed things along.

It has taken me most of the day to do this pile, but I'm still in my organizing mood, and it is rainy outside, so it was a good day to do it. I might even pull out a few more rolls to cut up before I start making up packets to sell. (this is just a fraction of the in my obsessed collection)

I'll let you know when I get them packed up and photographed and listed in the shop.

EDIT- I was able to add a few packs of wallpaper to the Boutique tonight

Man, there are a lot of steps aren't there? Sometimes I wonder why I don't get a real job… but then, I get to play with and sort out all these pretty papers while I sing to the Dorkie who never leaves my feet and think that this isn't such a bad job after all.

Before the skies turned gray and the rain started, I got a few photos of things to add in to the Boutique.

Slowly, but surely, I am getting some new things in there.

And I am trying to build up the Etsy shop too. Mostly supplies over there. But an assortment.

Wall paper packs will be coming soon, probably in both shops. If you see something you want in both, please email me before paying, so I can combine your shipping costs!

(There are some cute vintage swizzle sticks in both right now)

Some one asked me the other day if I wanted to trade links. You know, I rarely update my Pretty Places and am missing out on lots of good blogs.

If you want to trade links with me, JUST WHISTLE!

Also- one of my Etsy listings is in this pretty treasury, if you'd like to take a look.

Hoppy Easter!

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 12, 2009

Happy Easter! We've had a fun one so far, lots of egg hunting excitement, and we've decided that instead of Sugarwings, the fairy grand baby's new name is "Sugar Rush".

She might have had one too many jelly beans today! Although, her Daddy did buy organic ones and only hid one treat in each egg, she was insistant on opening them up and devouring the treat the moment she found it.

After all the eggscitement, she has been tucked in for a nap (well, we HOPE she'll take a nap- tucking in Miss Sugar Rush was like trying to convince a Tasmanian Devil to get some rest).

We are having a small dinner tonight, only about 9 of us, so we'll fit in the dining room. I didn't have to clean the studio after all!

My Handsome Husband is smoking a pork tenderloin, stuffed with apples and brown sugar plus a turkey breast, I am making baked mac and cheese, and Sugarwing's Daddy has whipped up vegetarian beans in the crock pot. My sister-in-law is bringing some other dishes. Aren't pitch ins the best meals ever?

Sugarwings did her part of preparing dinner by helping to decorate this cake. And it has taken over her mind, even with all the jelly beans she has consumed, all she can think about is this cake she created. Every other sentence she speaks includes something about Easter Bunny Birthday Cake.

And I don't blame her! This cake is a candy lover's dream! Sprinkles in the batter, as well as 3 kinds of sprinkles on top, 4 colors of sprinkled sugar, edible glitter, peeps, and little coconut nests filled with Cadbury eggs. I can't wait either!

Here is a tip for making coconut nests, I had never done it before, but figured out how to do it.

Mix one cup of sweetened, flaked coconut with a few drops of green food coloring

Add a splash of milk

Stir in a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

The trick to make it work, was the powdered sugar, that and the milk make the coconut easy to form into nests. Kind of like play dough.

My home is now covered in pink Easter grass, but I think I kind of like it. I was going to clean it up before dinner, but its festive, so I'll probably leave it all over the floor. But I do need to go and put together my mac and cheese casserole and set the table. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday too!