Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers) – Page 5

Sewing a vintage slipcover

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers)

By Karla Nathan / July 21, 2013

Lately, I've been on a home fix up kick. Just little things, like new pillows and touching up paint. (yes, those a doggie pee pads on the other side of the couch, those little brats are hard to train! They'd rather use a pad than go out their dog door. And they think rugs are pads… so no rugs)

Sometimes cleaning up means more messing up. I could go out to the studio to sew, but since I was making sofa cushions, it was more convenient to bring the sewing machine into the kitchen.

I'd been collecting old drapes and fabric for years and finally got around to redoing my couch cushions with them. I'm not a big fan of sewing, but I can make a simple pillow case for my cushions and pillows, and get a whole new look for the room with some garage sale fabric and a straight stitch.

I don't really measure, I just lay out the fabric, put the pillow on it, cut around, then turn the fabric inside out, pin together and run it through the machine, hoping the bobbin lasts through the session. I use whatever color of thread was last put on because I am a total loser at changing threads and bobbins.

It's far from a pro job, but I'm usually okay with the results. The whole job took me a couple of hours and less than $60 in materials.

Some of the fabric was too bright, even though it had to have been at least 50 years old, so I flipped it over and used the backside for a more faded look. I also bought pieces that were far from perfect, and just cut around the holes or stains and used only the good parts.

The pink silk brocade on the seat cushion is from an entire roll of old fabric that I'd found at an antique mall for $9. I doubt if I could buy a yard of cloth that nice for that kind of price at JoAnn's or any where else, brand new. The roll was in good shape too.

And funny, after I found this, I ran across a half roll of a slightly darker version of the same cloth at the Salvation Army ($5)! So, I used it to coordinate with the lighter brocade and the different floral pattern curtains I'd been gathering. I used it on the backside of all the pillows.

It doesn't show much, but looks nice when you sit on the couch and it peeks out when the pillows are mussed around. Which, with two little girls and three dogs in the house, they usually are.

While I was at it, I moved the furniture around. Then a week later, I put it right back where it used to be.

I think the new pillows look better with the bark cloth drapes behind them than with the emphemera covered wall.

The dogs don't care, as long as I point a camera in their direction, they are happy. Especially if it involves being on a soft pillow.

Do you ever have little things around the house that bug you, but you try to ignore? Since I hung these curtains (years ago), I'd been irritated that some of the clips were dark brass and some were painted cream. I finally grabbed a brush, and stood on the buffet with a capful of paint and quickly made them all match.

It only took a couple of minutes. Now, why did it take years to do??

A yorkie transformation

Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), puppies!, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / July 17, 2013

If you are visiting for the Where Bloggers Create Studio Tour, you can find my pictures here.

If My puppeesh are grown up. At least they look it now, with their new hair cuts. I avoided the first grooming for as long as I could, so they'd keep their fuzzy puppy look.

They left that morning as fluffy, black pups and came home as silver dogs.

Who were a little angry at me and refused to look at the camera. I don't think they enjoyed their day at the spa.

But they forgave us soon, and were happy to be cuddled. They got lots of extra hugs since their newly trimmed hair was so silky soft.

It's kind of hard to tell them apart now, Twinkle has the exact same cut. Unless they are all together and you can compare sizes, people confuse them with each other.

At least they will be cooler for the summer. And all that hair won't be blowing in their eyes out on the boat.

Hiding instead of repairing damaged dry wall and a rosey outlook for springtime

antiques/junking, cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, puppies!, redos, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / May 21, 2013

A bit ago, we redid a wall in the living room with ceiling tin. These were 8' strips, and were ideal for where I needed them, they seem to look nicer on a wall than the squares would have.

And after purchasing them, I happened to find the border at another shop and it is exactly what I needed! I'd planned on using wood trim and this is so much better. How lucky to find just the right amount of border.

The wall panels are from Nook and Cranny. When I drove around to the back of the shop to load the pieces, I happened to see the tin crown molding on the sidewalk in front of another store in the West Bottoms. I bought all the border, but there is a truckload of the wall panels left. ($40 each, but ask for a volume discount if you buy more than a couple)

The room didn't look bad before, I liked the faux finish. Until you got up close.

My old house settles, and the shape of a doorway kept popping through the drywall. Years ago, during a remodel, we'd covered up a hallway and this door shape would NOT go away no matter how many times I'd patched it.

I don't mind cracks, old houses have lots of them. But not door shaped!

(and yes, you are seeing nasty cobwebs in this photo, not just faux paint treatments and cracks in the wall)

SInce I have tins on the kitchen ceiling, I thought it would look good to also have the wall at the far end of the living room covered in them too. (this is before)

Luckily, I have a very handy son, who installed them for me. He ripped off the baseboard, and I squirted a ton of caulking back under the wall to help with drafts before he put up the tin.

We decided not to put up more baseboard over it, I like the look as it ended up without it.

The panels plus the crown were just the right size for the wall! My son wanted to cut the tins and line them up perfectly, but I told him not to. It went against his nature as a carpenter to not have the lines on the tin exact, but I like it as it is.

(the purple marks show the door outline we were covering up)

I promised him I would tell everyone that, because the lines bother him. Not me, I'm soooo happy with the whole project!! He had them up in a couple hours.

The lines that might bother me are the ones between each panel. They need to be caulked and sealed so they aren't as prominent.

But I haven't made up my mind about painting yet. I did paint over the rust on the crown, but only because it was too regular and stripey looking. Random rust makes me happy, but this was not that kind.

For now, I figure I'll leave the chippiness as is, I can always paint later. But I do think I need to caulk the seams….

The dogs always think each photo is about them.

So, I indulged the little hams and let them pose.

They love to be in pictures.

For springtime, I hung some rose pattern bark cloth drapes and wrapped the sofa cushion in another bark cloth piece. It has come untucked on the edges a bit. I guess that is the sort of thing you should straighten before a photo, huh?

My living room stays cream and white most of the year, and I love that combo, it makes seasonal changes so simple. A few pillows, a couple curtain panels and a switcheroo of some knick knacks and I've got a new look for a new season.

And the dogs love the BARK cloth.

Dorkies in flight

dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), puppies!

By Karla Nathan / February 9, 2013

Our neighbor, Scruffy, came to visit. He is Twinkle's son and brother to my pups, but looks like a different species! His fur is thick and black as can be.

They love to run together, and get so excited they practically fly. Here, I caught them all mostly airborne. Dorothy Rosebud is my best flyer, she is the one in front.

Look at this furball! He is the puppy who had the dark face as a baby. I didn't think he'd turn silver and I think I'm right. Although, Yorkies can surprise you, their color isn't set for months. Eventually, all the baby fine puppy hair needs to be shaved off and the new, adult dog is revealed in its glorious new color. But I hate to trim mine up too early, because I love that puppy stage and will miss it when they get their first hair cuts and look all grown up.

Our two are turning light and are so two toned and raggedy, they almost look like opossums. We call them Crash and Eddie because the look like the two guys from Ice Age. Plus, they are such goofballs. Which is also why I call them all Dorkies instead of Yorkies. They are a group of dorkie and silly dogs.

At the Valentine Journal Workshop AND some free images

bird song art event, Books, celebrations, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), free images, holiday decor, puppies!, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / February 4, 2013

I had such a nice time at the Valentine Journal workshop. There is something wonderful about a Valentine theme, that always makes me happy. Roses? Hearts? PINKS? All of it!

We had a small group, so only needed to use half of the studio. I used this half to set out extra supplies. So, not only did we have kits stuffed with Vintagey goodies, I had enough extras to make dozens more books. One table was just used to display previously made books as examples. I showed my travel journal, my samples for An Enchanted Affair, the Valentine book, as well as a couple of books from swaps I'd been in.

By the way, Kim was able to squeeze in one more table at her arty event this spring, and has sold all but one space at it! If you are interested, better jump in fast! Hope to see you there.

Another table held lots of extra pretty papers, while a third was all tidbits, ribbons, lace, and embellishments.

I should do fresh flowers in my studio more often, its a nice treat.

Our local grocery store usually marks a dozen roses down to $1.99 every Monday, but for some reason, they were on sale this Friday too. So, I was able to set out flowers all around the house.

When prepping for the class, I spent about 14 hours making kits, and thought I might just end up running away from home to get away from them. What was I thinking, waiting till the last day to make them???? That isn't like me. I sure learned a lesson, and will be getting a jump start on spring time class kits so this won't happen again.

Kits can be fun to make, and I enjoy playing with my piles of papers and deciding what to include, but not at the last minute. I had to write instructions, edit photos, sort papers, plus dozens of other things that make the kits successful and well thought out. It shouldn't be done the day before the workshop!!

I made up what I thought were lots of extras, but not quite enough. They sold out in one day, thank you to all who bought them! It is never any more trouble to make an extra 10 or so while putting together enough for a class, so I always make some to sell. Plus one for myself, so that I can pull things out during class to demonstrate and know that the kits are functional and have what they need in them.

The best part of making a kit, is seeing how it is used.

Of course, since they are vintage, no two are exactly alike, but still I love the way everyone changes things around so much and puts their own stamp of uniqueness on their work.

And its very pretty to see how far some go to change it up.

We do mini workshops for holidays throughout the year, just for my friends and their kids to come over and play, and of course, I have Birdsong too. (Which I have not done a single thing for yet this year! I need to gather my thoughts and get the website done for sign ups!!)

We did a Halloween gathering and then this little Valentine party, and I really enjoyed both. I would like to do more small, one afternoon workshops if possible. Its so much more intimate than a big to do. Of course, even Birdsong is not big at all, compared to most arty weekends, its 25 people and all cozy in my studio.

Still, it would be nice to do a smaller class like this and have them quarterly or so. Just a thought. 10 people or less, hanging out, chatting all together instead of broken off in groups around the room.

Either way, no matter how many come, I love having company in my studio. Its not that I don't enjoy a good day alone with my creations, but since I have soooo many of those days, working all alone, its nice to have some company.

I can't imagine any other job than the one I do (although the thought of one that pays better, is pretty tempting), but it does get lonely. Which is why having a blog and all of my blog friends is so nice.

Of course, these guys too! They are great company when they aren't stealing things from me to shred. Dorothy can't jump or climb because of the injury she had when she was tiny, but Albie is good at getting on the table and grabbing something fun for them to rip up.

Auntie Beth brought them some Valentine tees, and even girlie-ed up Dorothy's with some lace.

She also brought this. Beautiful, isn't it?

One of my guests brought this lovely, old image, and I was asked to copy it to share. I thought maybe you would like to have it too. Just click on the image to open it to a larger window, then save it to your computer to print.

And this one was in one of the kits and I was asked to copy it also.

When scanning it, I took a few moments to edit it in a romantic way. Please save these the same way as the cabin picture.

Workshops, giveaways, and an angel of a dog

dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, puppies!, vintage paper/collage art, Workshops, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / January 19, 2013

Dorothy Rosebud and I just might need to order more cupid wings for foofing. She likes to play dress up as much as Sugarwings does, apparently.

Plus, I like making them.

I've also been hooked on making wire cages. As I work on them, I'm taking photos so I can do an online tutorial too.

But so far, the cage details aren't worth passing on. I need to make a few more to get it perfected. Each one I make teaches me a bit more on the best ways to build them from the ground up

Which is important in a tutorial. The first few I make of something, I just wing it. Then, if I like the idea and make more prototypes, I start narrowing down just what works, what doesn't, how long is this piece, how big is that one.

Weeks of work go into making a tutorial, but they can sell for years, so they are worth the effort for me to get it right.

And if you enjoy my online classes, maybe you'd like an in person one? Valentine Journal Workshop on Saturday, Feb 2nd, all supplies included, just bring tools! $100, Details in the previous post.

I'll be giving away one of Amy's books then. Or you can win one by leaving a comment on my blog on any post.

I'll be away from my computer for a while, I'm in PARADISE as you read this. Any Etsy or Boutique orders will be mailed on the 30th.

Mixed media with watercolor tips and tricks

dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), drawing, free images, holiday decor, how to's

By Karla Nathan / January 3, 2013

Well, the holiday season is winding down, time for getting on with the New Year. If you aren't all Santa-ed out, I've got some how tos for the painting I used as our Christmas card this year.

First step is the drawing, in pencil on watercolor paper.

Second, I draw with ink over my sketch, then erase the pencil marks.

Since I want the background to have a soft, faraway look, I don't draw it in ink, only pencil.

Next, I wash in the sky and shadows of the snow, carefully keeping the drawing in the foreground clean and dry. Keep in mind that the color is deeper at the top, and gets lighter toward the horizon line, along with a touch of blush tone above the ground and trees.

Before the sky dries, I add color to the tree line and a bit to the shadows of the pines.

When the sky is starting to dry, and the paper shows a slight sheen of dampness, I sprinkle salt lightly over it.

As the paint finishes drying, the salt absorbs moisture, along with that, color. It makes a pretty snow speckled look.

I let dry completely and brush off salt before proceeding any further.

Here is where the watercolor cheating comes in, by adding white paint. (so I just call the painting, "mixed media") First, I paint in the bare branch trees, with faded browns and purples. Never deep or harsh or bright colors for a background, they have to look faded and distant.

I do save the white of the bare paper, as you should in watercolor, but I really like a touch of pure white over it for even more depth. I use white acrylic paint for snow and highlights.

Next, the foreground gets painted. When working with watercolors, the trick is in knowing that the color flows wherever the paper is wet. You have to be careful to paint small areas at a time, with drawings like this, and not do adjacent areas until the first section dries. So, I wet a segment, such as this part of the jacket, and drop in bright red. While still wet, I add darker red along the shadowed areas.

I would do the other side of the jacket, waiting for that to dry before painting the sleeve or belt, since they are right next to what I just painted. If I were to paint the belt right away, the red paint would run right into it, as well as some of the black flowing into the red, where that was still wet. Water pulls the color.

Black is always more interesting if you mix it yourself, using a dark brown and dark blue, never use black watercolor paint.

When the painting is done, I dip a wet brush into white acrylic paint and flick it over the picture for more snow.

I take my finished paintings to a copy shop and have them shrunk down and printed four per page to make into Christmas cards.

The trick then is to get them signed and mailed…. I am afraid I didn't send a single Christmas card this year!! After all this work.

My husband did send some out to his co-workers and we used a few on bags of home made candy that we gave away along with a bottle of wine to some friends.

My husband works in the golf industry, so likes the club swinging Santa. I was more into puppies for this season. After Twinkle's nine babies in August, I thought a pup was a good theme for family cards. But once again, I didn't get these mailed either.

At least the cards got made. Maybe I can add hearts and call it a Valentine? No, I think I just missed the boat this season and am out of the time window to mail anything this Christmassy.

Let's call this a belated Christmas card from me to you. You can click on the image to open in a larger window, save to your computer and print it.

The Merriest!

celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 28, 2012

We had the BEST Christmas! This is a little video of our gift from our littlest fairy, Dewdrop. She practiced a dance and gave us a performance. The non-stop giggling you hear is me, she had me laughing through the whole show.

The video is pretty short, because she kept slipping and falling since her tights were slippery on the wood floor. A lot of the video was filled with mooning. Her little bottom was the star of the show. While I think itsy bitsy baby bottoms are adorable, maybe the internet is not the best place for them, so here is the edited version.

Our whole holiday was filled with laughter.

And a few tears too. I got a hand made stocking from our Gypsy and it was filled to the brim with sweet notes from all of the kids. I grinned and cried as I read each one.

We are a sentimental bunch. The calendar that the Hippy Chick and Sugarwings filled with family photos was a hit too.

Sweet is a good word for our
Christmas. Very, very, very sweet.

Sometimes I just babble on too much about things no one wants to hear

dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), holiday decor, puppies!

By Karla Nathan / December 23, 2012

House breaking puppies in the winter is NOT easy. Especially when they think that the corner behind the Christmas tree is the best place in the whole house to poo. Much better than braving the winter chill outside and much sneakier than leaving their "gifts" to me in an easy to get to place. So, I found some old wire fencing in my shed and wrapped it around the tree a few times.

They sure look sweet and innocent, don't they? Its shocking just how much poop two puppies can produce. Normally, they use the pads I have laying around the house (yes, its not very attractive, but better than them using the floor), but they are drawn to the white cloth that I used as a tree skirt too.

The little puppesh still like to climb into the bowl that Twinkle slept in while she was pregnant and that all nine used to sleep together in. I guess its home to them. There are pillows and other softer spots for them to lay down, but they love that bowl.

Someone needs to tell these guys that they might be getting too big to pile in together.

I've had winter puppies before and always told myself, never again. They are slow to learn how to go outside and not on the pads because I am too cold to take them out as much as I should. Just shoving them out the door doesn't do the job, they need to be told that they are good dogs at the moment they squat, not when they come in.

I need to be strong and face the cold, or that Albie will soon be lifting his leg and hitting the furniture, not the pee pads!

But why am I even talking about all of this? Does anyone peruse blogs to hear about dog pee?

Probably not.

But you never know what you'll be hearing about here.

Maybe I'll just shut up and show you some pretty pictures.

Over the river and through the woods

cottage, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, holiday decor, puppies!

By Karla Nathan / December 11, 2012

Its been much more fallish than wintery around here lately and we've been taking advantage of that weather. Last week, we crossed the creek and went out in the woods to cut down a tree for the Hippy Chick and her roomies. They wanted to set up a nature tree outdoors for the birds and animals and are going to garland it with popcorn and berries, and make birdseed ornies to hang on it.

We've got tons of scrub cedars, that it never hurts to clear out a bit, so we all trouped off into the woods to pick a pretty one for them.

Dorothy Rosebud was a big chicken, and had to be carried across the creek, and through most of the underbrush. Twinkle and Albie Brave and Strong ran off ahead were so busy that all the pictures I tried to get of them were just blurs. They ran non-stop and explored every fallen leaf.

Cedars aren't the best trees for indoors, but I think it will be a good one for the birdies to have their snacks arranged on outside. I hear that it was a bit sappy, the girls had a Griswald-ish time getting the sticky off of themselves!

While it was nice outside, I took some time to clean up the yard and move furniture into the shed.

These chairs are brand new from an estate sale, I'm looking forward to figuring out where to use them next spring. I got 4 chairs and a table for $20. They are meant for indoors, but have metal frames, so I'm thinking that if I cover the seats in something waterproof, they will be good in the yard.

Some day, I'll do something fun with this shed. It used to be my antique store, now the other half of it is the chicken coop. It might be nice to turn this half into a play house for the fairy grand babies. The new estate sale table is not going to be good for outdoors, even though the chairs can work outside. So, leaving it in the shed can be a start for making the play area next year.

Well, at least its something to day dream about once the long, cold winter hits!

I've added some neutral toned mini wreaths with millinery to my Etsy shop.

As well as a few more trees.

Some not so neutral pretties too!

The last couple of weeks, I've been trying to accommodate as many special orders as I could, but I'm now officially out of stock, after what is listed is gone. So, what is pictured is all that there is.

Sorry I can't do any special packages for you now, but I can't even find any dark trees to fix up, the stores all sold out early this year, so I am too! I made quite a few tree runs this season, and now its time to move on.

At the time I am writing this, there is still a good selection in the shop, especially the ones that I have decorated.

Thanks to everyone who shopped with me this year, I appreciate all the tree sales!