Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers) – Page 28

It took a few days, but I am finally done with the stairs!

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), how to's, paintings, redos

By Karla Nathan / March 4, 2008

Its done! whew, am I glad. So are the dogs, they have been penned up way too much to keep them out of the construction mess. Plus, I knew that Twinkle wouldn’t be too much help with the stair painting. She’s helped me paint before and it usually means tiny little footprints across the room.

Remember last week, I had this?

Now look!!

My stairway had been quite the hodgepodge of wall art, none of it really went together. It was dark, gloomy,a nd I could never keep that carpet clean.

Plus, we have an old house, but the upstairs addition is only 15 years old. I always thought that the stairs looked too modern, plus the whole area was just blah.

Because I was too short to reach up into the corners of the ceiling, I had to paint the walls and ceiling both the same color, I simply couldn’t cut in with a brush. It all had to be done with a roller on a pole.

I am a big believer in painting your ceilings a color instead of white. but might have preferred some contrast here. Oh well, its so much better than before!!

I also edited and rearranged the artwork hanging on the walls. (of course, that also means that I had to redo a wall in another room to make space for the family pictures I took down from the stairway, but I already said, one redo automatically leads to another!)

While I had them all down, I painted the frames white and distressed them. It is a much more cohesive look. Instead of it being the place where my unsold watercolors go to die, it looks like a gallery! (well, not quite, it is still full of rejected paintings!)

While I had the white paint out, I redid all the wood work too, including the banister and the old door at the top of the steps.

A little splash of Strawberry Whopper Pink in the background livens up my living room a bit too.

The thermostat had always bothered me, since it was glaring white. I toned down the brightness with some glaze, and also glazed the closet door next to the sofa.

I had to do the same with all of the steps and trim. After painting them a semi-gloss, bright white, I brushed a pale coffee with cream color glaze into the crevices and cracks, then wiped it all down with a wet rag torn from an old T shirt.

Next, I wallpapered each riser with some gorgeous, old vintage rose wallpaper I’d bought on Ebay. I used Elmer’s glue instead of wallpaper paste, for a tight hold.

When I stood back and looked at the finished work, I was worried it was just way, way too much.

The wallpaper was in such good shape, it didn’t look old!! Too white and too perfect.

So, out came the glazes again, and I toned down the glaring newness and some of the busy-ness of the steps. They are still pretty durn busy, but in a way I can live with now.

And since I was redoing…. Beth had given me this iron arch, it was originally brown. (yes, she is a great friend to have around, isn’t she??? I bought her lunch, but think this arch is worth more than that.)

I painted it white and glazed over it too. Then painted the mirror white, it had been gold, and I’ve used it as a center piece for my white dining room table since Christmas. But I am getting a new table this week!! The top of it is pecan, not painted, so the gold mirror, just wasn’t going to work there any more. Plus, it is always time for a change!

Since I had already repainted or glazed:

stairway walls

stairway ceiling

door at the top of the stairs

banister

steps

kick board

trim

closet door

thermostat

the picture frames

iron arch

mirror

Then, I figured, why not paint the corner cabinet in the dining room, so it will look better with the new table that I am getting this week? It had been a white-white, and I painted it more of a creamy white. Not a big deal to most people, I guess, but it mattered to me. I added the ornate piece at the top of it. I had to stand on a step ladder and hold it in place for about 20 minutes, waiting for the liquid nails to dry. But I took a book with me, it needs to be read before book club next week and I keep putting it off. So, there I was trapped for a bit, with nothing else to do, a perfect time to get some reading done!

Marty Jo and Karkie Jo

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, swaps, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / February 16, 2008

Happy Birthday, Mom!

She’s been gone a few years now and it still seems like just yesterday. I am always thinking of reasons to call her, and then am sad I can’t pick up the phone and let her know about the latest thing going on in my life, the funny things Sugarwings just said, or just to complain about how cold it is outside.

My mom spoiled me when I was little. Spoiled me rotten. She used to make the best silver dollar pancakes and feed me breakfast in bed.

On school days. Now who does that???? My boys were lucky to get a Pop Tart on their way out the door.

She made homemade play doh and finger paints for me, as well as sewing one Barbie dress after another for my dolls as I sat under the sewing table and played. She always had time to take the scraps from her projects and turn them into doll clothes.

Mom was a quilter and a wonderful seamstress. I wish I had inherited some of that skill from her.

She made this log cabin quilt for me in the 80s. Luckily, it isn’t trendy and dated, it is as pretty now as it was when she first made it. I guess I have always loved these colors.

I had a blast going through her sewing room, picking through her fabrics for just the right combos to make this quilt. Her sewing room was the heart of her house and when she died, I could hardly bare to go in to it. I remember sitting on the cement basement floor in there sobbing as I held onto a pile of fabrics.

That room had so much of her in it. I wish now that I had scooped up and saved more of it for myself. I’d love to see a pile of her materials stacked up just one more time.

Of course, Mom always got carried away with projects. If she was making a quilt, she would make a bunch of pillows from the scraps. Never just one or two.

hmm, who does that remind you of?? I do take after her in a lot of ways, even if it doesn’t involve sewing.

She was funny, too. She loved to be SILLY. There was nothing on earth she enjoyed more than being goofy with my sisters and me.

I find myself singing the same silly made up songs to my dogs and to Sugarwings that my mom used to sing to me when I was little. I hope that someday my kids remember me as silly and goofy and fun the way I remember my mom.

I hope they remember the little ways I spoiled them too. And that they will cherish the things that I have made for them over the years the way I cherish hers. I hope they will always remember me, the way I will always remember my mom.

Moving on to happier thoughts- I need to announce the winner of my OWOH giveaway and thank Lisa again for her gracious idea and the time she put into it.

The winner is:

Heather of Blum Studios.

And the winner of my one year blog anniversery/Valentine’s prize is:

Jessi at Wild Rose Stamper

Thanks to everyone who commented and came by to visit. I still have the February prize to come and all comments for the month count in it. Also, I am giving away a couple of birdie houses.

One for the tutorial and one for the day of the party I am co-hosting with Beth.

And you still have a couple of weeks to enter my St Pats Day Two Tag Swap. All you need to do is send two Irish themed tags to me with a self addressed stamped envelope. (or put a dollar in the envelope to cover postage if that is easier for you)

And I will take two tags from two different swappers, put them in your SASE and send them back to you.

If you will have them to me by March 5 ( Friday), I can slip them back into the mail over the weekend, so they go out on Monday.

I am having a great time in the DC area and found the BEST antique shops!! Photos later.

Dorkies in the Snow

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, I've been tagged, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / February 6, 2008

When is SUMMER coming? I am not a winter person.

Twinkle, on the other hand is loving this snow.

Sparkle, our Little Miss Butterball, who you’d think has enough fat on her bones to keep her warm, wasn’t any happier about the snow than I was.

After walking the dogs, I scurried right back into the house and stayed there. I made use of the snow day by continuing my scrap booking.

Slowly but, surely, I am working my way through the 7 months worth of photos I am behind on.

I seem to have gotten out of chronological order somehow, here is Thanksgiving, and I don’t have Halloween in yet.

And on the page next to Thanksgiving, here is a sunny summer photo.

Hey, at least they are getting done!

When I got to our trip to the Renaissance Festival, there were so many, I need to do some collage work with a couple of pages. I used the guide map from the festival for the background and added our tickets to it too.

I didn’t want to fill a whole book with nothing but Renfest, but on the other hand, all the pictures of Sugarwings that day were so cute, I had to include them! So I made a big pocket and filled it with loose photos.

Look at the mess on my desk, do you wonder how I get anything done? I work and accumulate scraps and mess till I can’t take it anymore, before I finally clean up.

If only I could get into the habit of picking up as I go along.

I also made some time to list a TON of things on Etsy.

SOLD

Not a bad day for staying put at the computer for a while, getting things listed.

I am feeling so much better now, thanks for all your well wishes. I didn’t have a very bad case of the flu. I’m not saying it was fun, but it wasn’t as bad as it could be.

And tomorrow, I get to go and play in Kansas City with Beth. I’m glad I recovered in time! We plan on seeing a couple movies, so we are closer to being caught up on the Oscar list.

Another friend, Sandra has tagged me for this "meme".

If any of you want to play along, consider yourself tagged!

4 JOBS I’VE HAD

Mural painter

Bartender

Jewelry maker

Antique dealer

4 MOVIES I LOVE

The Jerk

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

Labyrinth

A Christmas Story

4 PLACES I’VE LIVED

Lawrence, Kansas

Pendleton, Indiana

Russellville, Arkansas

Wertheim, Germany

4 TV SHOWS I WATCH

Only four?? You’ve got to be kidding. I am a

TV junkie!! Idol, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Top Model

Top Chef, Runway, Survivor, ER, Office, How I Met

Your Mother, the Tudors, Flight of the Conchords,

Trading Spaces (now that Paige is

Back!) and on and on and on

4 PLACES I’VE BEEN OUTSIDE THE US

I’ve been to the Bahamas a few times and lived in

Germany for a couple of years

4 PEOPLE I EMAIL REGULARLY

Beth, Sissy, Bobbie, and my handsome husband

Plus I answer the dozens I get every day

4 OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO EAT

Another one of those, you’ve got to be kidding ones.

Only 4??? OK, I’ll go with what I eat most of the time

And love, baked chicken, cinnamon rice cakes, vanilla

Yogurt, pasta, sweet potatoes, chicken pad Thai, popcorn

4 PLACES I’D RATHER BE

I love to be here in my studio! But, anywhere with

Sugarwings, at a movie with my husband, junking

With Beth, on the lake with my family- but not in this

Weather, it would have to be summer time!

4 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO

Baby-sitting Sugarwings, making things,

Going to DC to see my husband next week and having

a special Valentine’s Day with him, SUMMER

Teaparties and presents

Chandeliers, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, give away, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 30, 2008

I am getting ready to put together the Sweet Treats and Roses swap books with Beth tomorrow and luckily two of the books are being mailed to people I am sending gifts to, so I thought I’d slip these into the packages.

The purple flowered pendant with the amethyst drop goes to my buddy, Barb, who also shares my birthday.

She had surprised me with this Fairyland ornament for Christmas and I wanted to do something nice for her. I am keeping it up year round, and hung it from the chandelier above my computer, so I always have my Sugarwings close by.

The other necklace goes to the winner of my 5558th comment prize, my pal, Heather. Having gotten to know Heather through reading her blog and exchanging emails, I think that she will like the colors I have chosen for her pendent.

Speaking of presents, Sugarwings got this wonderfully cute skirt in the mail!

I’d entered a giveaway on Clarice’s blog a couple of weeks ago and won this skirt for the fairy grand baby.

The skirt was made by Christy Misty and she has some adorable pants on her website too. Thanks Christy!

This skirt is a 3-4 and is a bit too large for my little sprite yet, but she’ll grow into it.

She loves to play dress up and for now will wear it as a tea party dress.

When I take her up the stairs to her play room, she always hands me something pretty to dress her in. She expects her special play room to be a formal occasion and can’t just wear any old thing up there where all her favorite bears and dolls will see her!

And of course, she likes to see others play along. Its a good thing that little Twinks is a happy dog who will do anything for her "litter mate" . These two grew up together and are inseparable.

The wings were a gift from Carol, and I can see they will be getting plenty of use in the future! I think it will be my turn to wear them next.

Finally, I attacked some of the Christmas decor that was still lurking upstairs. While the baby played with the puppy and the dolls, I took down the decorations in her room. Not all of them made it to the box, a lot just got shuffled around the room to live there year round, like these fairies that I put on the chandelier over the day bed.

I don’t know which of them came up with this idea, but they both seemed to enjoy it.

Twinkle is a good hearted dog and I think I see lots of doll clothes in her future. I hope she enjoys dressing up as much as the baby does, because I doubt if she’ll have a choice in the decision in the next few years.

Can a dumpster diving, midwestern artist with trailer trash roots survive a resort spa get away in Palm Springs????

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, holiday decor, Travel, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / January 23, 2008

I should be doing so many things.

1- packing

2- cleaning my house

3- mailing my packages

4- straightening out the crazy mess my quarterly sales taxes got into (by the way, never send the state of Kansas your own hand written forms, they really, really, really prefer that you use THEIR forms. I sent the money in and apparently, that doesn’t count if you send your own improvised forms with it.)

Instead of doing what is on my list, I got a little side tracked and worked on this old doll clothes collage I had done months ago. I thought it needed MORE.

So, I added a little hand painted border of posies, the little girl image from an old greeting card and a banner made of silk wallpaper with a word cut out of an old book, that says "Dolly".

Oh, and a ruffle at the bottom, from a vintage children’s book.

I am infatuated with ruffles and banners right now. And little hand painted embellishments.

I have listed this piece on Etsy if you are interested.

In the last month, I have successfully avoided my lingering Christmas decorations by hanging out in my studio or running around and being social.

But yesterday, I had the baby all day and we were in the living room, surrounded by all the dusty, over powering holiday things. My skin started to crawl and I got itchy and antsy and couldn’t take it any more, those decorations were driving me up the walls!

Maybe having a 15 month old help pack away Christmas decorations isn’t the best idea.

Not a lot got packed away and the room ended up worse than before we started. Only two ornaments broke and no one was cut, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

My husband has been gone almost three weeks now and will be coming back this weekend after our Palm Springs trip.

I really should do something about this room, it isn’t much of a welcome home, is it?

After Sugarwings went home.I skipped out and went to a movie instead of finishing the pack up.

I saw Juneau- it was really sweet and witty. I also saw Cloverfield this week, and was enthralled by it. Plus all my running around, with art openings and parties and coffees, and shopping, and of course, the start of American Idol, and the book club books I have to read, and making magic wands and book covers—-I have simply stayed out of the living room for a long time. But today, I face up to the empty boxes and fill them with holiday memories.

Or at least, that is the plan. I will make this room habitable while Project Runway is on tonight, then pack my bags and head off to sunny California!

This is me in my more natural environment. (the picture is from last summer)

Which might explain why I am living with my house looking like something out of a dumpster right now?

But tomorrow, I am off to Palm Springs, to be pampered at a spa!

I bought a dress to wear to the Country Club we will be dining at. I had hoped for something springlike and floral, but this is Kansas in January, that doesn’t exist here and now. I did find this dress on clearance, and don’t think it looks too wintry, at least I hope not.

I do worry that it might be a bit young for me??

So, I pulled out a couple of jackets to try with it.

Frumpy?

Too much?

I am not a polka dot person, but these dots are more random and I felt that suited me.

Plus I loved the vintage looking buckle! (it gives the illusion of a waist too)

My husband is a sweetheart, he said, take a few hundred dollars and buy a dress. Now, that is sweet, but silly—does he know who he is dealing with here?

I spent $22 on clearance, at Dillards (a classy department store, so don’t worry that I went to KMart, or found it in a dumpster)

Not only did I find dress up sandals, I got a pair of silver beaded thongs too. I am set for a resort get away. A trip to the clearance section of J Jill filled my suitcase with pastel long sleeve tees at bargain prices and the cutest blush colored light weight sweater I’ve ever seen.

So, I have the costumes ready to go. Think I can fool everyone into thinking I fit in?

ps- my Sissy says to stop calling myself trailer trash. And since it is her birthday this weekend, I will explain that SHE is NOT trailer trash!! Just me.

Actually, our family had a real solid foundation home (even with a pool in the backyard) till I was 11, then mom and I lived in trailers for a while, Sissy and Bobbie Sue didn’t, they were off and married by then.

And thanks to everyone who is warning me about the CA cold spell! I repacked and added socks and jackets to my suitcase. Close call, there. Thank goodness for blog friends all over the country!!

Cold hands, warm NOTHING- I’m a popsicle and Twinkle is a pupsicle

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, I do tend to run on, don't I?, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / January 20, 2008

Beth is now a contributer to The Vintage Workshop. Her how to projects will be in upcoming newsletters. Sign up HERE for a free newsletter and learn all of her crafty tricks!

Thanks for all the nice comments about the pictures of my home in the snow. Here is a photo of the front of the house. Like I said, it is a weird one, we have added on so many times, it is a conglomeration of different shapes and styles stuck together!

It is still FREEZING here. I can’t get warm, no matter how many pairs of socks I wear or shirts I layer on. The part of the house that is about to turn 100 is drafty, the new part is on a cement slab. No where is warm when it is this cold outside!

My studio/office has a cement floor and Twinks refuses to stay down there. I can’t keep her off of my lap for anything. It isn’t that easy to type with her helping me, but painting is even worse.

So, I put away the brushes and decided to work on more recipe book covers for the swap.

Some are going way over the top.

I wonder, is my resolution to use my ‘good’ supplies making my work a bit too much?

This one is a little bit more restrained, but uses some of my favorite things.

I covered this 25 cent wooden cut out from Michaels in old, pink wallpaper, then painted her up a bit, and added a glitzy necklace with a heart charm. (it dangles)

Isn’t the image I used wonderful??? Sissy found a website and emailed it to me.

It is a blog run by a generous person who posts vintage pictures and ephemera to share!

Check it out, the Graphics Fairy has a lot of great pics to offer!

(I drew the crown onto this lovely lady that I downloaded from her)

After I finished this cover, I realized- it had no roses!

Maybe I will add a rose to the hair of one of the ballerinas. hey- wait, it looks like their dresses already are garlanded in roses! That qualifies!!

I liked tying tidbits to the bottom of it, a rusty key, a heart charm with a red stone, and the last tassel from the pillow that Twinkle chewed up.(waste not- want not)

And how beautiful is this??

Last night, I went to an art opening that some of my friends were a part of.

I was delirious about this beaded piece! Laurie said she worked on it for a YEAR. The time she put into it certainly shows.

I would love to own it, but it is slightly (ha) out of my budget. (but worth every penny of the $6,000 price tag)

Laurie offered to custom make a single square for me at an extremely reasonable price and I almost teared up.

She asked me to pick a style I liked. So, I pointed out about a dozen that I loved most, and told her that I liked the soft colors, and to surprise me with one.

It was hard to choose, I just couldn’t. I loved them all.

Here is our group of art appreciators in front of one of Linda Baranski’s paintings. (I am the one with the spinach between my front teeth- the food was great there!)

I wore two shirts and a big heavy furry lined sweater. I cannot get warm this week.

I wish that it would warm up even just to NORMAL winter cold. This single digit stuff is creeping into my poor old bones and starting to get me down.

It is so cold, I haven’t gotten done nearly what I wanted to this week. I should work out in the studio till midnight or so, but I am giving up and going in to sit by the fire and shiver. I’d go and rent a movie to watch, but that would involve going outdoors.

This is a box I had made previously, but to make myself feel productive, I listed it on Etsy. I didn’t make anything to sell today, but I felt better having listed something.

SOLD-THANKS!

I am nearing the end of the book covers.

Soon, soon, I will be done with them. I have loved making each and every one, but it has been a big job!

Of course, I am already trying to think of a good idea for a new swap with Beth, we have loved hosting this one so much!

But before I do, there are some projects I want to make, and things I want to create to sell on Etsy.

Hopefully, there will be photos coming in the next week or so!

I can’t say NO

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, give away, paintings, Sugarwings, swaps

By Karla Nathan / January 18, 2008

Can you restrain your self when you see a bargain?? Apparently I can’t.

I’d never tried Bath and Body Works shampoo and conditioner before, but it was on clearance for $3 a bottle. I figured, for that price it would make my little Dorkies smell good if I didn’t like it for myself.

Well, I tried it and decided it was the best shampoo I’d ever tried! My hair felt so soft and smelled so good. I am not wasting this stuff on the dogs!

I went back and bought a couple more…. but I am not hoarding it- I am giving sets to all my friends. (This photo is after I have already packed up a couple sets for buddies. )

NOT HOARDING is my goal for this year. I have adored working on the Sweet Treats book covers and using my favorite things on them, no holding back and saving bits and pieces for "something better"!

See, look at this rose!! I have been hanging on to this waiting for a good excuse to use it. But today, I just plucked it out of the pile of flowers and glued it right down with no second thoughts.

And it made me smile!

This card was one of the first I made when Beth and I planned the swap.

It was a prototype, and we decided we needed heavier cardboard for the covers, this was too flimsy.

So, along with my "waste not want not" New Years resolution and my Not Hoarding resolution, I decided to add a bunch of stuff to it and make it into something else.

Same with this cover, it wasn’t heavy enough for a book. So, I foofed and painted and added goodies to it.

Both of these are available in my Etsy Shop. I have been listing some things today and hope to add more tomorrow., unless of course I get sidetracked, which happens around here a lot.

Yesterday I got NOTHING done at all.

I started the day with great intentions.

It is snowy and cold, and I planned to stay in and work all day. I have 8 more book covers to make and a few more of my own recipe pages to finish gluing on.

(this photo is of my art studio, garage, and my husband’s office, the main part of the old house is hidden by the trees. The house is L shaped. Its an oddly built home)

Ryan had my wheelbarrow full of firewood, and like I said, I had plenty of good intentions to hunker down for the day, keep warm and keep working.

Then, my friend, Jen called and invited me to coffee. Well, that sounded like fun. (I took her some shampoo)

Then my son called and he and Sugarwings wanted to go out to lunch. How could I turn down dining with a fairy baby????

Well, after that, I came home to work, and of course, the phone rang. Sharon was asking if I’d meet her at the gym. Well, I’d gone out for breakfast and lunch, I thought maybe I could use some treadmill time.

I thought I was done gallivanting for the day, but the phone rang again.

Angie called and wanted to go out for a glass of wine at the Eldridge, a beautiful Civil War era hotel, downtown Lawrence.

We have a great time together and laugh our selves silly, so I had to go!! ( I took her some shampoo too)

She is ready to start dating, and somehow, I doubt she’ll have trouble finding a guy- look at her! I need to hang out with her now while I can, as soon as men in this town hear she is ready to date, she will never have time to see me.

If the men in my family are any example, guys get a little goofy and dreamy when she walks in a room.

My husband and sons both sigh after saying her name and talk about her all evening after she has been to visit us. (I wish I had a better photo to show you) Plus she is so sweet and kind hearted, she doesn’t realize she is beautiful.

So, not one bit of work got done yesterday. I am trying to make up for it today, Sunday is the 20th, the deadline for our swap cards to be in. I need to be ready to put these covers on and get the books into the mail. I hope it works out, the deadline is a Sunday and then Monday is MLK Day and no mail. Looks like Tuesday at the earliest is when we can put our books together. But we should wait till the afternoon mail on Tuesday…. well, maybe I do have a few more days to get my covers done!

Just in case, I am NOT answering the phone today. I am staying put at my desk!

The recipe packs are rolling in, it has been exciting. Most go to Beth’s house, but a couple are coming here. This one is from the other Karla, sugarbear. Such pretty wrappings, it was like a box full of sherbet.

And look what she sent along, a pink puppy and a fairy doll for my Sugarwings!!! There is a surprise for Beth and I in there too, but I am waiting for her so we can open them together.

(isn’t that rose tag yummy?? Or as Sugarwings says instead, Nummy)

Did I show you the back of Sissy’s recipe yet? A ballerina rose!

I just checked and I am at 5392 comments right now, and by the way THIS is my 250th post!!

Remember, the person who happens to be comment #5558 (my birthday) gets a special surprise. (I don’t know what yet…)

And every comment you leave gets entered into my monthly giveaway. Details Here.

Box full of Fun

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, paintings, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / January 16, 2008

Beth and I had a great afternoon working on covers yesterday for our Swap. We really got a lot done, it is fun to work together on them, she is always full of great advice, when I hold up a piece and say "what is this missing???"

I had a little scrap of my favorite pink flocked paper and used it on this one, with a hand painted cupcake and golden flourishes.

The tassel on the bottom of the card is one that Twinkle removed from a pillow for me. She is good at things like that.

This is some great, old red flocked wallpaper. I added a watercolor painting of a rose wreath to it and think it needs some sparkly stuff somewhere too. But I think Beth has laid claim to this one as the cover for her copy of the book, and she likes it as is. If she wants more on it, she will be sure to let me know!

I thought that this old wallpaper was wonderful. It needed a chocolate cupcake added to it.

This one, I did with Sissy in mind, and then she emailed me that it was one of her favorites!

I’ve used a copy of an old French post card that I painted fairy wings onto. She loves fairies as much as I do. Probably more, if that is possible.

This one features a German die cut of a rose basket.

This is the gaudiest of them all! Beth had this great paint, that is two toned, gold and pink- it shimmers and changes depending upon the light. I went a bit wild with it, swirls and leaves all over this cover!

It might be a bit much…

Here is the backside of some of mine.

And Beth’s backside. Well, that doesn’t sound right, does it? She probably doesn’t want her backside plastered all over the web.

Beth was so sweet, to keep the packages of recipe pages that are arriving for the swap all wrapped up so I can open them and have fun too.

These were in some of the bags- presents from Ele and Tammi.

Thanks! I love them! (I don’t have a photo of what is in Tammi’s little brown tissue package, but it is pretty. )

What a nice surprise!

Here is a list of all the bloggers in our swap, if you’d like to visit them. There is lots of talent in that group! Also, some of the cards coming in from non-bloggers seem to be from a talented bunch. I’ll be showing them here and on our Flickr Site.

http://www.123lavenderlollipoplane.blogspot.com/

bethleintz.typepad.com

http://shessewpretty.typepad.com/

http://raisedincotton.typepad.com/raised_in_cotton/

http://catieanscorner.blogspot.com/

fromthepines.blogspot.com

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Boxes_and_ducks_004 Look what Beth made for my fairy grand baby! Isn’t it beautiful??

The colors are perfect in her room, and it is soft and cozy.

I am borrowing it to cover up with when she isn’t here visiting.

The cute sweater Sugarwings has on was a gift

from my other sis, Bobbie Sue. Boxes_and_ducks_008

Yesterday was a

funBeth Day,

today was a fun

Sugarwings Day.

We played in her

room a while. Boxes_and_ducks_009_2

Then, we sat in the

bathroom in the

dark and

played with her

light up ducky. Boxes_and_ducks_022

It is snowy and cold here, so we built a fire.

Our box of starter logs was empty

and we decided to

have fun with the box.

It was a great place to play hide and seek with a friend. Boxes_and_ducks_019

Or to sit on while performing a concert. Boxes_and_ducks_030

Or to wrestle in.

We also sat close together and put it over all three

of our heads and told stories.

Green Eggs and Ham is a good story to tell

when you have a dog that can be the fox and

you are actually in a box. Too bad we didn’t

have a goat or a boat.

Tomorrow will be back to work, no Beth or

Sugarwings to play with.

Maybe I’ll get that Christmas tree down…..

Twinkle has a go at helping decorate the studio

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

By Karla Nathan / December 19, 2007

Its a relief to be feeling well again and back to getting ready for the holidays!

I am feeling all well now, thanks for all your kind thoughts and wishes!

My flueyness was gone and I was able to go to my cookie exchange party last night. The best part was that I got the dates wrong and made up fudge to take to it last week instead of this.

Which was great, because this week, I would have been sick and couldn’t have done it!

The flu-germ-free fudge was made a week ago and frozen, ready to add tags to before the party.

My Aussie pal, Natasha had sent me some wonderful, old, textured wallpaper that I made simple tags out of, and added a snowflake sticker to and then tied to the dishes of fudge.

I like giving treats out in containers that people will use and keep and enjoy, a gift in a gift. For bake sales, I always put my goodies on vintage plates from garage sales, they are so cheap to find around here. As little as a nickle quite often.

I love living in the Midwest!! Mess_014

Every year, I think I am going to go all out and wrap gifts so beautifully and they all will match and be breath taking. But, I never do. I wrapped all these yesterday and towards the end, the were lucky to get stuffed into a bag with a bit of tissue.

What’s my favorite thing in those bags and boxes? This sweet little dress for Sugarwings! Can’t you just picture her playing in the garden and getting all muddy in it this summer?

Maybe we can dress her in a long sleeve onsie and tights underneath it, so she can wear it this winter too.

Our swap is full! And a great mix of artists, bloggers, friends and fun people are in it, we are so lucky to have them join. Thanks everyone!!

Doesn’t Twinkle look like a sweet little angel? That girl thinks that her only job is to pose for the camera.

Well, that and CHEW things. My favorite chair!!!!!!! And now that she has had a taste of it, she won’t let it go. Any tips on stopping a dog from chewing your furniture??? I’ve never had a Dorkie as hard to handle as this one. She chews, she licks, she jumps, she hams it up every time I try to take a photo. She is one tiny,wriggling, bundle of desperate need for attention.

I am still feeling sentimental today. This table was one of my mom’s favorites and was made for her by a friend. No, actually, I think her friend made it, and her husband got it as payment for a poker debt at some bar. Oh well, what ever its origins, it is hand made and she loved it and now I do too!

The drawing was done by my great grandmother in 1906, and is another treasured possession of mine.

Notice the alarm clock?? I found a non-ugly, electric clock on Ebay, finally.

Then it quit working after about 6 weeks. So, I am back to looking, if anyone has any leads, I’d love to hear them.

People are still visiting our "What do you LOVE about your Holiday Home?" party and I am still adding links. Feel free to visit here for some holiday decor ideas and pretty things to see. I don’t even know how many sites I have linked, but I know there was a lot of beauty and warmth out there!

I want to thank Sara (Sadie Olive) for adding my latest magazine to the line up at the left. If you ever decide to have a blog redo, I have to tell you that she is so reasonable, helpful, talented, and easy to work with!

Sara is going to add my next few issues too. I have a collage kit shown in Somerset next month, and another in the next issue.

I am always surprised and thrilled when something gets published, since I am not a professional writer. All my articles have been just lucky strokes for me. A right place, right time, type thing.

Oh, and thanks also to my friend, Gail, who always takes time to visit and comment, has entered my Sweet Treats and Roses swap, PLUS bought this desk from me!! Thanks, Gail!!!

In the few minutes that I have sat here at my computer writing my blog for the day before I go run holiday errands, this sweet angelic little dorkie of mine as done-

THIS.

Oh man, just that much more I need to clean up before I can turn this mess into a dining room for 3 big dinners, at Christmas.

I am having a Christmas Eve prime rib dinner for the immediate family, then have invited about 28 people for Christmas Day Brunch and will have about 18 for Christmas dinner that night. Do you think they will enjoy dining in Twinkle’s decor and my mess from the sale??? I really need to get to work………. but for now, I am going out to lunch and playing with Sugarwings!!

don’t forget every comment is an entry to my monthly giveaway!

Romantic Country, Toasty Trees, and enough tiny trees to fill a country

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, holiday decor, how-to projects, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 15, 2007

I have news- my latest story is out!! Romantic Country is on the stands now, I picked up this issue at Borders.

I had dealt directly with the managing editor, Phyllis, for the whole article and didn’t even know that our fantastic blogging friend, Fifi was the guest editor!!!

If you don’t read her blog, you should get right over there, it is full of great how to’s for beautiful projects and sneak peeks into her lovely life.

I wish I had gotten to work with Fifi, she seems like a fun person and everyone who knows her says such wonderful things about her.

The issue is 100% gorgeous, and I am thrilled with the whole magazine.

The titles to my story, that Fifi added, are cute as a button and add so much to the article, I wish I could take credit for them.

Here is a tiny snippet from one of the photos by my good friend, the talented, Diane Guthrie. Diane and I had worked together on an article for Romantic Homes a couple of years ago, and it was such a great time. She is a buddy and we get together regularly for coffee and hanging out.

Diane is the one on the ladder in the photo on this posting, and there are also photos from our collaboration for Romantic Homes on that post too.

And now for more news- the winners of my drawing are:

Lori Oles– Vintage Flair (blogger winner)

Gail Sell (non blogger winner)

Gail has entered the Sweet Treats and Roses Recipe Swap that Beth and I are doing. I know that Gail LOVES roses as much as I do, and can’t wait to see what she comes up with. We still have a few spots left if you are interested in joining in too.

The two winners get to chose either a pair of earrings I made from vintage pieces, or a copy of The Crown and Tiara book (great ideas in it, and so pretty!!) First come, first serve, email me with your choices, I only have one book to send.

Remember, there is still the monthly drawing that you can win too. I’ll draw that the beginning of Jan.

We’ve had a fun morning here, yesterday was a Sugarwings sleepover night.

She helped cook breakfast.

A favorite around here is "Egg in the Hole"

You cut a hole in bread with a glass, biscuit cutter- or even better, holiday cookie cutter, then drop an egg into the hole and fry it up together.

Of course, the best part of egg in the hole is the little piece that you cut out, that you cook in butter too, then add jelly to.

Sugarwings liked the jelly covered Christmas tree shape, but notice that under her high chair, Twinkle is having the rest of the meal. I think Twinks gets more food than the baby does at mealtimes.

Well, I never have to mop after I feed the baby.

Sugarwings was fascinated by the Christmas tree project I did too, but I had to keep her back from the bleach and the dye. She isn’t quite ready yet to be a hands on helper with these kind of things.

I found the directions to this on Clarice‘s site.

I am crazy about the results!! Vintage looking, beautiful bottle brush trees from brand new ugly ones!

First you soak them a few minutes in bleach and hot water, and rinse well.

They already look great once they are bleached, but if you want you can dye them any color.

I used professional quality fiber reactive dyes, just because I had them, but am sure that Rit would be fine too.

Of course, I should have changed clothes. I should have done this in my studio. But no, I was too excited and wanted to play with the colors, so did it in my kitchen sink. There is a perfect, made for projects, sink in the studio. But, heck, it is only dye, I bleached it out of the sink when I was done. I think the sink might return to white again………

I left the dye in the trees for about 10 minutes.

And since I hate to let anything go to waste, I used the left over pink dye that was in the bowl to dye some shirts for my fairy grand baby.

Once the dye is washed out, the trees are perfectly vintage looking!!

These trees are on sale at Michaels right now for 25% off, plus they are pretty cheap to start with, a big bag full of all sizes for $14.

My little helper was pretty impressed with the results too.

Thanks for the tip, Clarice!!

And thanks to Fifi and Phyllis for making my article look so good in Romantic Country!

And thanks to Sugarwings for making my morning such fun with her giggles and all her help.

And thanks to Beth for being such a fine administrator for our swap and for being such a buddy.

And thanks to Diane for being such a pal and for her great photos.

And thanks to everyone who participated in our "What do you LOVE about your Holiday Home?" party

I must be feeling very thankful today. Just extra happy and exuberant, I guess. I need someone to start playing the music that tells me it is time to shut up, like they have at acceptance speeches at the Oscars.

Edited note: These trees really are not my own idea, I saw it on other blogs!! here is another one with them, http://mamanjackjack.blogspot.com/

and here is a flickr site to see everyone’s!! http://www.flickr.com/groups/563828@N24/

They are so fun to make, and so easy. Nothing like a simple project at this hectic time of year!

And speaking of passing along project ideas, Dona has used my lamp/coat rack idea and tweaked it into her own. Mine is featured in the Romantic Country magazine article that I wrote.