Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers) – Page 3

Looking for Luck, 4 leaf clovers in the grass

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers)

By Karla Nathan / May 24, 2016

When I was a kid, finding a 4 leaf clover and learning how to do a back flip into the pool were two driving forces in my life. I'd sit in the yard for hours, fruitlessly searching through the patches of green, desperate to find my own lucky charm.

And as for the flip? I'd put on a heavy sweatshirt, to deaden the pain of slapping the water with my back, and relentlessly, toss myself off the diving board, trying to learn that trick. It was a good thing I had the sweatshirt, because my back got a lot of slaps, I never once made it all the way around into the turn to land feet first in the water.

I gave up on ever learning the flip when I was in my thirties, but never gave up on my hope of finding a 4 leaf miracle.

When I saw my friend, Angie, and Dewdrop's gypsy mama both gathering handfuls of 4 leaf clovers in a matter of moments, I doubled my efforts with some hints from them both.

What I discovered is that discovering one is kind of like those magic pictures that were so popular in the 90s. It's a way of looking at it, not simply searching. They are out there, if you can focus your eyes in the right way to see them.

Happily, I can now find one anytime I feel the need for a piece of luck to hold in my hand. But mostly, I just let them grow, and not pick one unless necessary. It is nice to know that the grass around my cottage is filled with Luck.

I've been known to scratch at the grass with a rake, and sprinkle clover seeds all around the yard. These plants are so much more interesting than typical turf. And the hope of a flock of four leafers spreading through the lawn, is a nice thing to think about.

Hmmm, now that I've learned the clover trick from two experts, maybe I should tap the knowledge of my circus performer family and finally master the backflip???

Somehow I doubt that I'll do that… but if I do give it a try, I'd better fill my sweatshirt pockets with as many lucky clovers as I can find!!

A new look for the little dorks and my teeth

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family

By Karla Nathan / April 14, 2016

Twinkle and Albie have their new spring hairdos.

Albie seemed a little chilly at first, but is getting used to it.

The poor dogs had been a mess. Their hair had gotten pretty shaggy, and I'd been chopping tangles out here and there, instead of brushing it.

I always wait too long to take them in, but am always so happy to see them all tidied up and pretty again when I finally get around to doing it.

Is there anything softer than a freshly trimmed dog? Maybe a horse's nose. Those are purely velvet too.

The pups aren't the only ones with a new look. For the last year, I've been dealing with the after effects of having my tooth knocked out and the root broken when I carelessly slammed my face into a cabinet door that was left open.

Here is how I looked after it happened. My dentist then made a temp flipper thing that helped, but after gum surgery to build up a post to reset a fake tooth, that never fit well and was uncomfortable and funny looking.

And all of this was after I'd gone through having all new crowns just a matter of months earlier, as well as reconstructive gum surgery to fix a receding area above my front teeth. I'd been thrilled with the results that first time, so was doubly upset that all of that expense was wasted by this accident.

There was a lot of healing time after breaking my tooth before I could get it replaced. This caused a few comfort issues and plenty of migraines. Even a bit of vertigo here and there. Really? Odd fitting teeth can make me dizzy? Who knew that would happen.

Also, I had to get the tooth next to it recapped and the two were braced together. Because of the type of injury to the root, I had to have the two made of extra strong materials, not porcelaine. I thought they weren't all that great looking, and I had to train myself to not talk with whistling esses and funny effs. Plus, they still hurt, and were always sensitive.

My dentist didn't like them either and offered to redo them with zirconium, (although I call it adamantium, like what Wolverine is reinforced with) and even redid the teeth on either side of the two front ones, bracing those for even more strength.

Now, nothing hurts at all. And I think it looks much more natural. I'm pretty happy and feel lucky that I had a dentist who went above and beyond to give my smile back to me.

Of course, I have a LOT to smile about! My son married the lovely Miss Tree last week.

I'll have photos to show you soon.

I'm Spring Cleaning in the Boutique, if you'd like to take advantage of my urge to purge the inventory, please use THIS link to access the shop. All items will be 50% off including the tutorials and existing sale prices.

Springtime sprucing up

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), paintings

By Karla Nathan / April 10, 2016

Our breezeway takes a beating over the winter. It is too cold for me to care about cleaning it up, cats make it their home, we stack firewood out there, and it just becomes a mess. Sadly, it is also the entrance to our home and it never looks all that welcoming in the coldest months.

The paint has needed touching up for a while, so I decided to tackle that small job first. Well, I thought it would be a small job….

First mistake? I used the wrong can of pale blue paint. I had brighter blue freckles from one end of the room to the other. Because, of course, I was efficient and finished the job quickly, and didn't realize the colors weren't a match till the paint dried and I was long done.

Second mistake?

I rarely use a drop cloth, because I'm pretty tidy and don't drip, unless it is a big job and I start to get tired and careless as it goes on.

And I didn't drip this time either.

But I did leave the lid off the can while I went to the store to buy more paint. And the cats checked the color out while I was away.

Third mistake?

I didn't save the name of the original paint, or any samples.

Which might have been helpful, even though the hardware store no longer had that brand of paint, I could have at least done a computer color match.

I pride myself on not only, not being a dripper, but on also having an excellent eye for remembering colors. (uh, except for using the wrong can of paint, that doesn't count, does it? That was not paying attention).

So, I bought what looked like the right shade and once again repainted the freckled areas I'd created by using the brighter blue. This time, I painted entire boards, not just spots and I have to say, it was looking good.

Til it dried

Paint always dries darker.

Well, at that point, I wasn't giving up. I did NOT want to repaint the whole room, those boards are hard to get in and around, I couldn't use a roller and that sounded like a BIG job. (although, as much time as I'd spent messing up and redoing, I probably could've repainted the whole shebang another color much quicker)

So, I started adding white to the color I'd purchased, since the shade was right, the tone was just too dark.

And it worked. I don't think you can see the patches, and the room looked so fresh and clean that I touched up the doors and washed the curtains too.

A clean coat of paint on the door is so much more welcoming, isn't it?

The Christmas wreath on the door is perked up for springtime too. I pulled off the winter trimmings and stuck some pink roses into the grapevine. Then clipped a bird and eggs to the nest (there had been a big white dove, and some ornaments in the nest).

None of them are glued down, and the stems seem to be staying in pretty good.

This urn was stuck in front of the new gas line pipes. It doesn't completely hide them, but will help until the azalea gets bigger and does its job of obscuring the pipe.

And now, I'm ready for the next project. There is a lot of spring spiffing up to be done around here. (like painting that wardrobe in the first photo. I bought it late fall and haven't tackled a redo on it yet)

I'm also Spring Cleaning in the Boutique, if you'd like to take advantage of my urge to purge the inventory, please use THIS link to access the shop. All items will be 50% off including the tutorials and existing sale prices.

Our Christmas

celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 26, 2015

I hope your holiday was full of joy. We had some fun experiences, and plenty of laughs. With lots of hugs.

We started out our two day, holiday extravaganza with a nice, long walk in the woods on Christmas Eve.

It has been mild weather, ideal for a light jacket and some time in the trees.

Albie took that literally, and showed off his climbing abilities. That boy loves to climb trees.

Dewdrop likes to be a damsel in distress waiting to be saved from her perch in the branches.

And her Pop Pop is always happy to step in and help her down.

Katie's girls are as adventurous as Albie and showed off their circus skills by straying off the path and up the branches at every turn of the trail.

Of course, when you hang out with trapeze artists and circus performers on a regular basis, things usually get interesting.

We also had a big, family yoga session before our dinner Christmas Day.

Which soon led to a human pyramid.

Or two.

Or three. (Although this one is only 2/3 human)

Notice that I am not in any of the piles? I was in charge of Santa Hats and photos. Somehow, I wasn't added to the stacks of people, I think my reputation for clumsiness is pretty well known.

Our Thursday was full of exciting deliveries, there were presents being left on the porch all day! One was a package of steaks which came with DRY ICE packed in it.

I was intrigued by the dry ice and used it to create a mini fog machine in this old, silver coffee pot, with the mist flowing from the spout and around the evergreen branches. (Adding rubbing alcohol to the block makes clouds of swirling fog rise from it)

We also tried making sushi on Christmas Eve.

Tried pretty hard.

Then my husband got us some take out.

It was a little like the Bumpas' hounds ruining Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story.

On Christmas morning, we had evidence of the Jolly Old Elf's visit, by the tracks of glitter left on the floor. And I have a feeling, I'll be seeing remnants of that holiday magic for the rest of the year.

The evening ended with Elf and Nightmare Before Christmas, after a big poker tournament where Ryan won 40 bucks from his cousins and was beaming with pride.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures of our celebration, and wishes for a happy holiday season to you too.

Books with Beth and poor Dorothy

Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, friends, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / September 30, 2015

Beth and I had a fun craft day together recently. So much fun that I forgot to get out my camera. We redid her booth at the antique mall, made a run to Costco (where I kept mumbling to myself, "we're gonna need a bigger boat car"), then made a couple of books from some great old albums she'd found at an estate sale.

She gave me a lesson in stitching the signatures into the book. But, I had a hard time with trying to be precise with templates, and poked my own holes with a needle. Her book is going to be lined up much better than mine. I always go with the idea of throwing something together "good enough" then hiding any crookedy spots with plenty of lace.

We spent most of the afternoon cutting paper, and sewing it in. She had to help me so much, she didn't get hers put together that day.

It was also a play date for our dogs. Dorothy Rosebud has been in hell since the kittens were born. She never liked the cats at all, but when Pumpkin became a Protective Mama Cat with a Temper, Dorothy's life fell apart. Then, along comes Honey, the big galoot of a puppy who thinks Dorothy makes the most interesting squeaky noises when squeezed.

I've been keeping Dorothy away from Honey, but honestly, I don't even have to try. She keeps herself tucked into hidey holes and darts furtively from one secret spot to another, always on the lookout for attack by kittens, their mom, or the giant dog who adores playing with her.

I thought I'd get her out of the house for the day, and it wasn't until I saw how happy she was at Beth's that I fully realized how terrible she felt at home. All day at Beth's, she was full of energy, happiness, and wiggles. Typical Yorkie behaviour. I'd forgotten just how happy she used to be, because her mood changes were so gradual, I didn't realize how drastic they were.

Now, I'm determined to do something to make her life better. I've seen how she can thrive and have fun again.

It kills me to think of giving her away. Because she is my baby. She is such a snuggler. But with all of the dogs, chickens, cats, and kids, life is too overwhelming for her here. I have to think of what is best for her, and not be selfish about wanting to keep her myself so she can be my teddy bear at night (she likes to be held under my chin when I sleep).

But I think I'd sleep even better knowing that she wasn't living her life in terror when I wasn't holding her. I don't know that I am ready to give up yet, I started to write an ad to find the perfect home for her, but I couldn't go through with it.

Still, I have to think about her, not me. She was injured as a baby, and has a bad leg. Honey grabs it and has re-injured her. Luckily, my son is a massage therapist and can repair the damage (he is MAGIC). That doesn't mean it isn't going to keep happening, though. Being in fear is bad enough, but getting hurt is even worse. Plus, that makes the terror even greater.

It is breaking my heart to see her fade away to a shadow of herself. Seeing her jump with joy and play at Beth's house with her brother, Button, gave me hope that she can have a good life again.

Yes, I know it is all my own fault. I do LOVE animals and wish I could have dozens of them. But it is irresponsible to take on more than I can properly care for. This is a problem I caused myself by filling my house up too much. Dorothy is suffering from my mistakes.

I've let her down, and I have to fix it.

Honey is going to be a great dog, I can see the intelligence and the calm in her eyes. But for now she is a big oaf of a bouncy pup. It will be a while (years???) before that stage has passed.

But in the meantime, Beth and her sweet husband, have offered to let Dorothy stay with them for the month of October. That will give the giant Golden some time to mature, at least a little. Then, I've made an appointment with a dog trainer for private sessions for the two combatants. I'm also keeping Dorothy on a leash or carrying her around, to keep her near me.

This little dog is not going to be allowed to spend her life hiding away. Things have got to change for the better for her! Spending some time with her foster family and her bro is a start.

The world’s happiest dog

Dew Drop, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, kitties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 23, 2015

For one thing, yorkies are usually just plain happy. I started calling mine 'dorkies' because they are often such silly, little, joyful dorks.

Twinkle adores her buddy, Sugarwings, who she grew up with (both are now nine years old). Especially when the water hose comes out. Those two can spray the hose together to no end. (glad we have well water!)

I was watching them the other night as they played outside as the sun was setting, Sugarwings was in charge of the hose, Honey helped her a bit, the other dogs and Dewdrop stayed out of reach of the water. But Twinks? As always, she was voraciously chasing droplets and attacking the spray. If her girl got side tracked and sat the hose down, that dog would go and get her. Trying to tempt her back into playing. She would run towards Sugarwings, then back to the hose, over and over, till her buddy picked it up and sprayed her with it again.

Dewdrop was happier with the dry kitties.

Or snuggling with her Pop Pop.

Twinkle never let Sugarwings get too far away from her, because she always wants to be in on the action. And while "Joy" is the fairy girl's middle name, it could just as easily have been "Action".

This is our idea of a perfect evening.

Can it get any better than this? Girls, bikes, garden hoses, with pups to play with as kittens watch… add in a cool evening with a bright sunset and, yes, that is perfection.

Pet pics and what is new in the Boutique

dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), kitties, photography, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / July 31, 2015

Honey is fitting in better than I had expected. She pees on command, fetches, knows to go into her kennel when told, and has stolen everyone's hearts.

She is even learning to pose, but isn't the best at it. This photo is a fluke, she isn't very patient with the camera like Twinkle is. Of course, Twinkle sees a camera in my hand and thinks all photos are of her. She jumped right up in the chair next to her blonde nemesis to make sure she got her share of camera time too.

Actually, they are getting along pretty good. Twinkle has her jealous moments, but as long as Honey remembers that Tinks is alpha dog, they seem to enjoy each other's company. Albie isn't happy with her at all, though. He takes every opportunity he gets to nip at her tail.

I don't know if Twinkle likes being around her, or is just making sure that the new dog doesn't get more time with me than she does.

These guys are champion posers. The puppeesh are almost as talented at modelling as their mom. Although they do it just to please me, they don't care about being in a photo. Twinkle likes to think that the camera is always pointed her way. Sometimes, I have to agree to take her photo to get on with my business of snapping what I had meant to in the first place.

Honey doesn't get the point. Most pics of her look like this.

Or this.

I have to act fast to get all four of them together. I'm going to keep trying. It will be fun to have a record of how big she gets in comparison to her peers. I'll try to get a weekly update of the group as she sprouts up.

Even if Honey can't keep her eyes open in the shots. Poor dog, I know what it is like.

Not everyone can pose like Twinkle, of course. Pumpkin's kittens can be elusive. And this one, Gourdie, always has RBF (Resting B**ch Face). She is a perfectly nice cat, she just looks cranky.

PS- I've added quite a few ephemera packs to the Boutique.

Wallpaper scrap packs, ephemera, paper dolls…

Fairy book kits, and more.

Oh, did I mention wallpaper? I loaded a few packs of that too.

Plus, a completed Fairy book over at the Etsy shop.

As well as an art journal with an included ephemera pack, ready for you to fill up and create in.

Some of our Cottage Critters

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), kitties

By Karla Nathan / April 14, 2015

These shrubs were planted in front of our farm house decades ago, and bloom abundantly in the spring.

The rest of the year, they are just overgrown bushes that are a bit overwhelming. I used to cut them back to waist high every fall, but they grew so fast, it seemed like a sisyphean task, and I decided that I should just grow to enjoy them as they wanted to be- giant and shaggy!

These two kitties are soul mates, Pumpkin and Joy Joy are the best of friends. While their cuddling looks adorable from inside the window, I'm not thrilled about their choice of snuggle spots.

And neither is this newly planted lavender in the window box. Their habit of using this box as a perch might not be an easy one to break.

Unless I plant cactus? Nah, probably not a good idea…

Sometimes, you just have to let it go and give in to nature. Giant, overgrown shrubs might be a bit much, but the blooms they share in the spring make them worth it. And while I'm not pleased about the kitties taking over the planter box, it sure is funny to see them up there taunting the short, little dogs and it is cute as a bug to watch them curl up together and purr.

Time to replant the lavender, I guess.

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

cottage, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / January 30, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Karla Nathan / January 28, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hmmm….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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