fairies – Page 14 – Karla's Cottage

More fairy collage how to’s

By Karla Nathan / July 12, 2012

This card stock page is covered on both sides in sheet music titled the Cricket and the Bumble Bee.

To that I added embroidered ribbon across the top and crocheted lace to the bottom. I've cut a girl from an old photo and gave her bumble bee wings from an old book about insects.

With markers, I drew grass for her to sit in, and glued little flowers and leaves around the grass. She is outlined with a Tim Holtz distress marker to make her stand out a bit, and is topped with a crown of German foil.

It doesn't show up in the picture, but she is rubbed with glittery ink too, for a subtle sparkle.

At the very top of the page, I've added a bumble bee on a wire. It looks cute from the front or the back and I can't wait to see it peeking out the top of someone's book!!!

Once again, the back is simple. I've inked the edges (front side also), then glued down a large bee cut from my insect book. And of course, the Queen Bee needed a crown!!

Fairy page collage how tos, Plus some answers to questions about the swaps

fairies, how to's, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / July 10, 2012

These fairy pages are too much fun!

I know I only need 8 to swap, but I wanted some extra in case they were needed. Sometimes the count is slightly off in a swap, or someone sends the wrong amount, or I plain old screw it up somehow and its just handy to have a stack of extras to add to a book just in case.

(I'm an artist, not a mathematician!! I try hard, but numbers sometimes are painful for me)

This page is covered in "Moths" sheet music, then inked all over with 3 similar inks, darkening the edges even more than the rest of the page.

Next, I glued down some old hat netting.

Then, I added a fairy dress made up of flower petals to a vintage baby doll. Her wings are a sheer butterfly.

I started to glue her down directly to the netting, but she looked washed out, so I dug through my drawer full of millinery leaves and found a big, velvet one.

The page is finished by gluing trim cut from an old garment to the bottom and topping that with a butterfly brooch.

Here is another done with sheet music. This one is "Little Buttercup", and the words are on the back, I'll show that picture too.

I wrapped the sheet music around both sides of the page, and then lined one side with an old wallpaper bordered, and trimmed the bottom with zig zag chrocheted edging.

Next, I colored the little girl on the sheet music with markers, and gave her butterfly wings cut from an old book about insects. I drew in some flowers next to her, similar to the ones on the border of the sheet music.

To make her stand out, I outlined the body and wings with a Tim Holtz Distress Ink marker. I used the same marker around the wallpaper border. She still didn't "pop" as much as I'd like, so I used white ink to embellish the details of her dress, gloves, socks, and shoes.

From the bug book, I cut another butterfly out and glued it above the girl. Then glued a posy of millinery blooms to her hand.

The back is simple, a Victorian calling card was added to the middle of the page, and I inked the edges in a soft blue.

I do need to sign the back. Please make sure you sign your pages too! Everyone will want to know whose pages they received.

I'll leave you with some pictures of what is new in the Boutique.

And in my next posts I will have more "how tos" about the other pages I've done.

Its not too late to join the swap. Click on the button to the right of my post for details. You have all summer to make the eight pages. Well, its kind of 16, with the backs, but the backs can be very, very simple, just pretty paper only, no designs.

People have asked me if their pages all need to be the same. No, of course not! They go to 8 different people, so do them however you like.

Another question I get a lot is: can there be things sticking over the edges of the page?

Oh yes! Lace, trim, ribbons, whatever, all look pretty dangling from the book! And the size guidelines don't have to be exactly perfect, just in that ballpark size. An inch smaller or larger will be ok. I am folding card stock in half to use, so mine are pretty much the same, except for trailing trims.

You can be more creative than I've been and use other materials besides card stock. Just make sure that the page will hold up in the book. Paper that is too thin, might tear at the hole punch. But fabric, metal, cardboard, burlap, all sorts of things will be acceptable replacements for cardstock. (to see an example, look at what Cheryl did with her birdhouses here)

There are great tag examples and a little bit about how I process the pages as they arrive in this old post too.

In the past, I have been blown away by the imaginations of swappers when the bounty starts flowing in my mailbox. I am dumbfounded by what some of you are capable of and shake my head wondering why I never thought of doing something like that.

Another question I get is about 3D items. YES, YES! they add a lot of interest. Just make sure there is nothing thick along the left side, I'm still not sure how I'll be putting the books together, maybe just one punch in the upper left corner like here, or two or more rings like here.

I'll have to put a few together and see how I like the look of them either way.

I've got cute, woodland fairy charms to tie on, and will add some ribbons and lace too. The books will be bound with rings, so the owners can always open them up to add more pages if they would like too.

Hope to see you in the swap! We are up to 80 swappers so far. Man, I have my work cut out for myself, don't i????

Yummy Bread Machine bread – too, too good

Dew Drop, fairies, family, Food and Drink, Hens, paintings

By Karla Nathan / June 29, 2012

This week has been a hodge podge. I repainted a fairy, finished another, signed up a TON of people for the swap (yay! This will be a fun one!), babysat my own little fairies, and baked a TON of bread. I might just weigh a TON more now that I've experimented with my new bread machine a bit…

As the smell of fresh baked bread fills the house, my Sister-In-Law, Sandy, and I do all we can to stop ourselves from standing over it, each clutching a stick of butter in our greedy little paws.

You know you've baked too much, when you realize the 5 lb bag of flour is empty.

I'm not a measuring type, but I've tried to approximate measures, so that the machine will be filled with the right amounts, and not overflow. And I've learned that as much as I love the pure whole wheat flour, it can be a bit heavy for most people. I've switched to mostly whole wheat, and about a 1/3 bread flour. Its lighter and breadier.

Pure whole wheat does make a good, solid, filling peasant type bread though.

Here is my favorite made up recipe (sort of- my own measurements are eyeballed)

Yummy Bread (as Sugarwings calls it)

1-1/2 cup leftover coffee, still warm, not hot (I drink Starbucks Vanilla)

1/2 cup organic clover honey

3/4 cup dried mixed berries

1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

2 cups whole wheat flour (organic)

1 cup unbleached organic bread flour

2-1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Dump into machine in that order. From what I hear, you want the liquid on the bottom and the yeast on the top. I don't know why.

Bake on the whole wheat setting.

Stand by with your stick of butter so you are ready when the bread is done! (notice that I didn't add oil or butter to the mix? I forgot to, and liked it better this way, it was moist and soft, and I put enough butter on top while its hot, that I do not need any inside the loaf too)

Bread machines are too, too easy to use. It takes me less than five minutes to make a loaf of deliciousness. If I keep this up, I will become housebound, too big to fit through the front door.

On Thursday, it got up to 107 degrees. In June. Yes, 107. Dang!

I had both little girls here, and we really did try to play outside. We turned on the hose, made mud pies and stayed in the shade till almost noon. I was proud of myself for staying out that long. As soon as lunch time came, I had the perfect excuse to give up on the great outdoors and get into the air conditioning.

Then, we did the same thing we do on blizzardy days. We built a fort of blankets over the dining room table, filled the floor with pillows and climbed in to watch movies and read books. We also brought markers, and drew all over the under belly of the table. Sugawings traced her foot and I dated it.

It was too hot for the chickens today too, when I turned on the hose to water the flower beds, a couple of them dove in to cool off in the water.

There hasn't been a lot of time for making things other than bread this week. I did finish a few book covers for the swap, I need to keep on top of that and make a few here and there, so I'm not swamped with too many at the last moment. We are at about 60 or so right now.

I hope you'll join us if you haven't yet.

Believe it or not, I actually made time to list some millinery packs in the Boutique!

Including some Halloween/Autumn tones.

And one magnificent double white rose with white velvet ribbons!

Painting fairies

Books, fairies, paintings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 26, 2012

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This week, I've done a lot of painting. Still not sure, but I think this might be the right fairy for the book swap covers.
I'm experimenting with different copy sizes and papers. When I make the covers, no two will be exactly alike anyway, even if I use the same image. I'm using vintage millinery petals and leaves for the wings, and trimming the bottom with a variety of laces and ribbons. The wallpaper under the title will be changing too. I'll have an assortment of florals that I'll be cutting from.

The back of the cover will be done in vintage wallpaper too. But I like the text behind the fairy. Or do I? Maybe I'll do some with wallpaper too.

When I have to make dozens and dozens and dozens of something, I need some variety as I go along. So a few changes here and there make the work much more interesting.

(by the way, thanks to all of you who signed up!! I'm excited that so many of you wanted to play fairy with us- and I have room for plenty more if you haven't signed up yet.)

The painting I did has a flower on the fairy's head, but I'm gluing a teensy millinery bloom over it.

She also has some wings, and a painted background, but I like the idea of cutting out the figure and adding 3-D wings.

I'm not one hundred percent positive that this will be the cover yet. I'm in a painting mood, I might do a few more girls and see which I like best. There is also no reason why I have to do all the covers the same, either.

If you'd like to join the swap, please do! Email me me with your name, blog name, and email address ( you do NOT have to have a blog to join, of course) Details here.

Winged friends

fairies, Hens, paintings, swaps

By Karla Nathan / June 23, 2012

Things are going well with the Ladies. They are feeling enough at home that we can leave their doors open all day, and they return to the coop to lay their eggs.

We have 8 boxes for them, but there are only two or three that they like. And they deposit the eggs together in the same nest all day. The next day they might use a different box, but all will use the chosen box of the day.

The Rhode Island Reds are about as lovable as a chicken can be. All run up to me when I step outside. I'd like to think its genuine fondness, but I think they are just greedy pigs and wondering if I might have a treat.

What surprises me about hens, is how soft they are. And that some of them actually seem to like to be petted.

Our other four ladies, the Americaunas and Red Stars, are not nearly as friendly, but I hope that changes. They are much larger, louder, messier, and squawk at me like I have no right in the coop. I am kind of wishing I'd stuck with just the Rhode Island Reds, since they are so sweet, adorable and act like they are thrilled to see me.

I guess its time to tell the big, noisy, messy birds that they are too juicy and fat to not at least pretend to like me. Because I love fried chicken more than I love hens who act like I am an annoyance in their lives… No, thier eggs are too pretty to give up on them. Sugarwings and I enjoy the blue eggs they produce.

Don't forget, we are having a Faerie Book Swap! Scroll down a couple posts for details. I painted this fairy as a possible part of the collage for the cover, but I'm not sure I want to use it. I think I'd rather have a more vintagey looking fairy.

What do you think?

Faerie Book Swap and free fairy images

Books, fairies, free images, swaps

By Karla Nathan / June 17, 2012

(click pictures to open in a larger window, save to your computer to print)

Do you LOVE fairies? We do around here. Of course, its probably because I have a couple of living, breathing, little fairy kids running around pretending to be human grand children.

And of course, there are teensy fairies elves in my gardens, and guardian fairies watching over the house. Not to mention all the woodland fey habitating the Fairy Berry Trail out in our woods.

Fairies come in all shapes, sizes, occupations, styles, and forms. Naughty little trouble makers, angelic helpers, wild and wonderful tree dwellers, water nymphs, and of course the springtime sprites who paint all the pretty flowers to welcome the new season.

And I am delighted by all of them.

If you are too, maybe you'd like to join our swap in honor of the capricious, flittery creatures who are so illusive and lovely?

This is a little different than past swaps I have hosted. This time we'll be by passing tags and using half sheets of standard 8-1/2 x 11" card stock. (Or your choice of materials, cut to approximately this size) The theme is so special, that I wanted to do a "real" book instead of tags.

I will provide a front and back cover, with vintage papers, and my own art work, coordinate 8 pages to send back to you, ring bind the books, add ribbons and a fairy charm.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Here are the guidelines, if you'd like to join:

The theme is fairy, any interpertation you'd like
Size is 5-1/2" wide, 8-1/2" tall (approximately) A bit smaller, larger will work.
Please use card stock, or something sturdy. Please feel free to be creative and use other materials (cloth, felt, tin, chipboard, etc), just nothing too flimsy like plain copy paper.
Make 8 pages front and back, (the back can be simple but please at least cover it in pretty paper, not leave it blank) So that means 8 pages/16 sides total
Sign each page, add your blog name if you have one
LEAVE ONE INCH ALONG THE LEFT HAND SIDE FLAT, no 3-D items along the edge, so I can punch holes. Decorate the crap out of the rest of the page and goober it up as thick as you'd like, but please leave the left 1" for me to bind!
Email karlanathan@sbcglobal.net with your info to join. Please include:

Your first and last name
Your blog name and URL (you don't need to have a blog to participate)
Your email address

Deadline

Tags should be to me by September 1, 2012

In your package, include:

Your first and last name, same as you provided at sign up
A slip of paper with your name, and address, if your mailing address name does not match the first and last name you provided, please alert me
$20 fee for USA, $25 for overseas (these will probably weigh about one pound or so per book)

Here is a button you can post on your blog for the swap.

I look forward to seeing the piles of pretty pixie pages flying into my cottage!

Mail your sprite-ish art to:

KARLA NATHAN

1754 E 1200 RD

LAWRENCE, KS 66049

Faerie Swap Book Update, And an explanation of the costs

The Faerie Swap book covers are coming along fine. Here are 77, almost finished ones. They still need a magic wand and some lace trim.

I've been trying to do them assembly line style, gluing all the wallpaper backs on, sanding and inking the edges, cutting out and adding the fairy with her vintage millinery wings, then the wallpaper circle with the title, then some glitter.

Whew.

It was going very well and I was pleased to see I was almost through the stack.

But the stack looked kind of small.

Then, I counted and realized that the copy store had only made 60 copies, not 100. So, back to the copy store for 40 more and start the process over again.

Now, I 'm working on the back cover. The very back is flocked wallpaper on the outside with some other pretty paper on the inside. I haven't decided which yet.

I bought chip board to use for a sturdy backing. I'm covering 50 in paper, then cutting them in half.

I plan for 100, my smaller swaps have gone way over that, but this one is more involved. We are not quite to 100 yet, so you still have time to join. Click on the side bar button if you want more info.

Some of the charms I ordered to tie onto the rings have arrived! I've got some other ones coming. I'll be tying pretty ribbons onto the binding ring and dangling charms from them.

I've had people asking me why I am charging so much to join the swap, when postage won't take $20.

So, I thought I should explain. First of all, I have to buy charms, chip board, wallpaper, glue, more glue, ribbons, ring binders,card stock, ink, and glitter. I have to pay for color copies, plus use my own stash of wallpaper, flocked paper and millinery.

It adds up for 100 books. And the postage will be higher than previous swaps I've done, these books are much larger than little tag books.

I put in hours, and hours, and hours of time to this. Starting with the watercolor of the fairy, so that there is an original design on the cover, not just an image I got from the internet.

Plus, all the sorting, and book making, then the days of making labels to send out the packages, plus the ink and paper for my printer.

Now, its true, that not all the money goes to purchases, some goes to my time. But it doesn't cover the extent of time that I put into the work. I'd make a lot more if I was taking photos of my things to sell and adding them to the Boutique. Or making something arty to add to it instead of this.

But I love swaps and its so fun to see my studio swamped in pages and pages of your art work!

So, I enjoy doing it, but I simply could not do it if I didn't charge, it takes away too much time from my real work. I hope you don't think I'm trying to gouge you on the price. Honestly, I'm not getting ahead on this. If you think I've over charged you, I hope this explains the costs behind the price.

Nests and fairies and birdies and peeps

bird song art event, Dew Drop, fairies, family, free images, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 26, 2012

While I was in CA, I celebrated my 54th birthday, and it was a joy to be with friends that day. A group of them took me out to lunch the day before, and Carol treated me to dinner that night.

My roomie, Lori, even brought me a sweet little gift in bed when I woke up on my birthday. Now, that is special treatment!!

Lori has some photos in Jenny Doh's new book, and one of them is of me! Well, part of me, at least.

As a thank you to my freinds for making my birthday so nice, I made up some wire nests (from my Twining and Twirling online workshop).

These are all on their way to my thoughtful buddies now. Just a token to thank them for the great weekend.

(I've added a few nests to my Boutique also)

While we are talking nests, I thought I'd show you my banner from the Birdsong swap I joined. I wish I could have been a part of all of them, but I was a little overwhelmed at the time. There were some really great swaps, I was impressed. And so glad that I was in this one! I usually try to join one swap whenever I go to an arty event, because I spend so much time oohing and ah-hing when I watch the trades getting opened and end up jealous over the beautiful loot everyone gets.

These letters were temporarily clipped to my curtain rod in the kitchen, but I kind of like them there, and they might hang out that way for a while.

This book is a Birdsong treat that I got from my friend, Tami.

Its more than perfect, because when I send messages to the Birdsong group, I call them my "peeps". Plus, I kind of like fairies a bit…

Its an adorable book, that Sugarwings and I fell in love with right away. Cute illustrations,and a fun little story filled with songs and poems and lots of fairies.

She has been entranced by it, and after I read it to her, she sat and looked at the book for over an hour.

And this is a kid that doesn't sit still much.

The peeps who came to Birdsong were overly generous! Very thoughtful gifts came our way, what a wonderful bonus on top of the great weekend of fun that I had with all the ladies.

I'll leave you with a scan of one of my favorite pages, and of the cover. Click to open in a larger size before you save them to your computer to print.

Happy May Day!

bird song art event, fairies

By Karla Nathan / May 1, 2012

Happiest of May Days to you!

I always thought of May Day as a very special holiday. I remember when I was a little girl and hearing stories about my older sister being a May Day Queen when she was a kid. That stuck in my mind as being an extraordinary thing. Like I was part of a royal family.

Maybe even a princess myself!?

Well, on Saturday, I sure did feel like a princess!

After classes at Birdsong, i suggested a walk on the Fairy Berry Trail. I was surprised that so many people agreed to go, usually its not as interesting to the adults as it is to me and to the kids. I love to walk out in the woods.

When we got to the head of the trail, I realized why they were all willing to go with me, they had a REAL surprise waiting!

All along the trail, were bright colored, extra touches! Bird houses, signs, fairies, ribbons tied to branches, whirly gigs, butterflies, and on and on! They went all out decorating the trail and had kept it all hidden from me.

After years of watching home decorating shows and ridiculing the home owners for all spouting the same phrases of "Oh My God" or "Or My Goodness" over and over again at the reveals, I always knew that if I were on one of those shows, I would certainly have something more interesting or creative to say.

But- when the Fairy Berry Trail reveal happened, I said the same old thing. And said it over and over and over. I was so shocked and surprised and pleased, I just said, "Oh My Goodness" again and again!

These Texas and Colorado Peeps were the "surprisers". And what a wonderful surprise it was.

Now I know how the little fairy grand babies feel when they walk out in the woods and see all the hidden treats the fairies have left for them. Its like a treasure hunt to walk along the trail and find new cuteness around each bend.

(yes, I have my eyes closed, no surprise, I usually do in pictures!)

I owe some big thank yous to the Peeps who decorated the trail, as well as to all the sweet friends who came to spend the weekend and make such special memories for me!

It was a fun bunch of ladies!

I can't wait till next spring when we can kick up our heels and have another weekend full of Birdsong fun!

I will be in CA attending Kim's Tiffany event, then meeting Sugarwings and my handsome husband for a couple days at Disney! I've pre-written some blog posts for while I am away, so please stop by.

Dew Drop, fairies, family, games, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 23, 2012

I had some much needed Sugarwings time over the weekend, and as always, she brought lots of smiles to our house.

She helped me with some sugar cookies, although she doesn't realize that her batch never made it into the main pile of goodies. I wouldn't call myself a germ-a-phobe, (then again, some people do think that), but I'm always really careful about stuff kids bake. I separate the dough, give her some of her own to work with and do whatever disgustingly fun stuff she can think of to do to it.

I think our littlest fairy will be enjoy baking with us too. Dewdrop got out of the tub the other day, saw me making cookies, and ran naked as fast as she could to her play kitchen to get a spoon, and zoomed to me demanding to help!

Sugarwings and I also played dress up with the wedding gowns I found in a closet and got out to sell at Birdsong.

(bad photo, sorry)

The train was her favorite part of the gown.

She also helped me with my latest obsession, Drawsomething.

She likes to add the finishing touches to my pictures.

On Saturday, I took a break from working on Birdsong set up, and spent the entire day with my handsome husband.

We cleaned our old, beat up pontoon boat and got it ready for the lake. On the way there, we tried to save a few bucks by filling the tank at the gas station instead of paying Marina prices.

He wasn't quite sure it was worth the effort, but did it for me. I'm the cheapskate in the family. But hey, that extra dollar a gallon adds up!

We also ran errands around town, went out for a sushi dinner and saw Hunger Games (my second time, and I'd be happy to see it a third time)

Beautiful weather, accomplishments made, great company, good food, and a handsome man by my side. Not a bad weekend.

He's a pretty hot grandfather, huh?

There was even time to play a few more games of Drawsomething.

Not as many as I would like, though.

If I didn't have Birdsong to get ready for, I think I'd be playing this game way, way too much!

By the time I'm set up for Birdsong, I hope I still have energy left to play, but I have a feeling I'll be doing more of this!!

Sprucing up the Fairy Trail

Dew Drop, fairies, family

By Karla Nathan / April 6, 2012

The girls pitched in to help me get ready for Birdsong. Its still early yet, but the weather was so good, we decided to spiff up the Fairy Berry Trail. I hired these two as my Fairy Designers for the job.

In the fall, I put away the decorations we use on the trail out in the woods, so the girls loaded the wheelbarrow full of pretties and head out into the woods to replace it all and foof up the trail.

Of course, they needed to be dressed properly for the job!

This will be the first year that Dewdrop is old enough to play out on the trail, I hope she likes it.

Since she has spent a big chunk of her life living in a yirt in a woodland, so playing outside in the trees has been an every day thing for her!

The trail is looking prety, lined with pinwheels down its whole length. We are hoping to plant some vines and flowers out there this year too. And spiff up the tree house (to the left).