fairies – Page 22 – Karla's Cottage

Making Memories Last

Books, fairies, family, how to's, show and tell, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / January 29, 2010

The last few days, I've gotten caught up on a year's worth of photos! January seems to be a good time for me to get organized. But it would be smarter to glue pictures into the albums throughout the year instead of dealing with a couple hundred at once…

Since I had so many to arrange, I kept the pages very simple, quick and easy.

Printing a page of collaged photos saved a lot of time! So did using the black pages as a background, and not trying to cover them up completely. On this page, I doodled some flowers in Gelly Roll ink in the corner and slapped some glue on the picture and stuck it down.

For Sugarwing's Snow Princess picture, I used a two sided card stock to make a card. One photo went on the top, and then I trimmed it in some of my Great Aunt Caroline's old lace.

I glued the back of the card into the album, and added another photo to the inside. Next, I glued down an envelope that holds a copy of the story I wrote for her when we had our Snow Princess Tea Party.

The pastel Gelly Roll pens really worked well on the black paper, so I made use of them a lot.

I don't really consider myself a scrapbooker. But, I do have tons of books that I've made (mostly about Sugarwings, but there are some other pics in them too) so I guess I am.

My goal when assembling an album is to get a lot done, fast, simple, quick, and cute.

First step is to sort the pictures. I arrange them in piles according to event or person. I work my way through, one pile at a time, and have a stack of papers nearby to coordinate. Normally, I don't use stickers, but these were just so right for this picture of Sugarwings in her Snow White dress, that I couldn't resist sneaking them from her supply stash. Sometimes, I think that kid has more art supplies than I do.

Instead of glue sticks, I use a bottle of Incredibly Tacky, and run a bead of it along the edges of each bit of paper, then zig zag it around the middle before putting it into the book. It seems so much more durable to me than a glue stick.

Hobby Lobby has booklets of sparkle paper cut in just the perfect, time saving, size to add a photo to. I made use of about a whole book full of those.

Cutting people out of some of the photos adds some variety too. I don't cut too many out, though, because part of the fun of looking at an album 20 years later is seeing all the backgrounds, and remembering a chair, or table or wall color from years ago.

Textured papers add some interest too.

The best part of doing this was enjoying all of my favorite photos from the past year.

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You can probably tell that I don't spend a lot of time cutting or measuring…. I eyeball the paper and snip away, and just don't worry about it being perfect. Like I said, cute and quick. (this is more sparkly paper, in a larger size)

Notice the beautiful card? It was one of the 100 hand made cards sent in to my Great Aunt for her 100th birthday. When she passed away this summer, I got a few of the cards to take home and thought the album would be a good way to save them and remember the occasion. This one was done by Nancy. I glued it down, and then added two more pictures of Sugarwings and Pixie Pie to the inside of it.

Cards are a good way to fit more photos onto one page. For the Christmas pages, I saved holiday cards that we got in the mail and used those to hold pictures.

Not all of the pages got much attention. Some were pretty simple.

Others had more going on. There are 4 pages about the Fairy Berry Trail and I wrote a little story to go along with it. It might have looked better if I'd printed it out, or at least wrote more legibly, but like I said, there were hundreds of photos and I was going for quick and cute.

After making 4 photo albums in 3 days, I think I've had enough for a while. I have a feeling that I will not be keeping up throughout the year after all. I'm a bit burnt out. I'll probably have another big stack to deal with next January!

The Snow Princess

Books, celebrations, Chandeliers, fairies, family, Food and Drink, parties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 10, 2010

Things are still icy around here and I am still too big of a wimp to go outside. If it is below 10 degrees, I just don't think a 3 year old needs to be in and out of the car, and even though I am feeling better and over my bug, I didn't want to be in and out of the car either.

So we decided to make the most of a snow day, and have a Snow Princess Tea Party. We got all dressed up for it.

Well, kind of. One of us did at least. I'm wearing my husband's long johns, two sweaters, hair that hasn't seen a fixin in days, and a black lace "wicked witch" jacket.

The idea came about when we were out in the studio and I realized that cabin fever was really getting to both of us, if I was letting a baby play with power tools. So, I started to make up a story about snow and princesses and fairies, and it turned into a 3 hour adventure for us both.

(Notice the new chandelier? It was out in the studio, I used it for lighting for above my jewelry display at shows, now it is staying in the kitchen. My son and I hung it last night- More Zero Dollar Decorating!!)

We scoured the studio for props, and made up the story as we went along. I covered Sugarwing's little table in layers of white and slipped pillow cases over our chairs.

After creating a snow princess crown, she decided that I should wear it instead of her. Sadly, she isn't a hat person. But that is okay, she usually indulges me in so many other ways, that I can forgive her for not playing with all of my vintage hats with me.

And what do you serve a snow princess? All white foods. Snow ball candy (yogurt raisins) were the hit of the day.

Here is the story:

Once upon a time there was a golden haired, happy little princess who loved to dance and sing in the sunshine. Every where the sweet girl went, flowers bloomed and birds sang with joy, just to be near her. Butterflies and fairies flit about above her just because she was so fun to be near. And her warm, kind heart always drew them to her.

One day, a nasty gnome who liked to spend his days in darkness and gloom heard the boisterous laughter of the happy little princess and all of her flying friends. This nasty gnome hated happiness and his ears ached from the sound of glee that was coming from the friends dancing and singing in the blooming garden.

He crept closer and peeped through the hedgerow to see where this hideous laughter was coming from. And he saw the pretty princess twirling and leaping in the flower beds. The sight of such playfulness brought pain to his eyes to match the pain in his ears. He couldn't take seeing and hearing anything as beautiful as this little girl. To him, it was not beauty at all- it was torture! He had to stop it.

So, he pulled out his crooked, magic wand and waved it through the air, then pointed it right at the happy little princess and cursed her with a spell to put a stop to all the singing.

The sweet princess suddenly felt a chill. She looked to the flowering ground beneath her silk clad toes and saw the flowers wilt and frost form over them. Quickly, the pond that was filled with long necked swans started to turn to icy slush, then freeze into a solid sheet of ice. As the princess looked up, a fat flake of snow fell right onto her once rosy, now pale cheek. She smiled at his sparkling crystal beauty, even as she felt herself growing cold.

All around her, the birds, and fairies, and butterflies flapped their wings trying to warm themselves as their world became covered in ice and snow and the sun was buried behind a gray cloud of doom.

As the nasty gnome still peaked through the ice-crusted hedges, he almost smiled. But he couldn't because he had a heart colder than any block of ice. But his ears no longer ached from the sounds of song and his eyes were no longer in pain from the sight of joyous dancing.

Because, the pretty little princess who loved playing in the sunlight, slowly turned into a snow princess. Her golden hair became as white as a blizzard and she was as frozen as the ice on the pond.But as she became a statue of snow, her face froze in an expression of wonder and delight as she saw the sparkling snow flakes fall.

He trudged away, feeling satisfied with his spell, knowing that her friends would fly away to someplace warmer, leaving the princess cold and alone like he had been his entire life of 568 years.

But as he left, he looked over his shoulder, expecting to see a flight of fairies, butterflies, and birdies deserting their princess. Instead, he saw something different! All the creatures fluttered around her, staying close to bring her what little warmth they could. The littlest fairy gathered herbs to make tea to warm her, as the swans plucked their down feathers to cover her frozen limbs.

Because the sweet princess had such a loving and kind soul, no one would leave her. Even though they were so cold and had wings to fly away from the frozen garden back to sunshine, they stayed with their snow princess. They would not stray from her side no matter how cold and miserable they were!

Maybe it was the tea that started to warm her. Or the fluffy swan's down? But she knew that it was the love her friends showed her that warmed her heart and melted the ice that held her captive. All the love and caring freed the happy little princess and broke the evil spell the nasty gnome had cast.

He saw the sun coming back out through the clouds and the flowers shaking off their frost and reopening their petals. He heard singing, even more loud and joyous than what he had heard before! This time, he ran as fast as his stubby, gnarly legs would take him, far, far away from the horrid sounds. He ran straight to a cave deep inside of a hill where he could hide forever in the darkness and gloom where he belonged.

A rainbow appeared in the sky as the ice storm cleared and the snow princess thawed. She felt the sun on her skin, wiggled her toes in the soft dirt of the garden and grinned the biggest, happiest grin she'd ever grinned before. But from that day on, her hair stayed white as a blizzard and was never the color of sunshine again.

When she saw her reflection in the pond, she was reminded of the nasty gnome and his evil spell. But she was never frightened when she remembered that day. To her the white hair was the color of the downy swan feathers that her loved ones tried to warm her with. Her memories of that cold, cold day were of the love and caring that she shared with her friends.

Extreme Cabin Fever and MORE Zero Dollar Decorating

antiques/junking, collections, fairies, housework, how to's, paintings

By Karla Nathan / January 7, 2010

The weather just keeps getting worse. Luckily, I escaped for an afternoon on Tuesday to go see my pal Carol, of Raised in Cotton. If I hadn't gotten a little break from being housebound, I'd be bouncing off the walls instead of just repainting them!

Its colder and there has been more snow, so even though it was cold on Tuesday, it was the best day to get out. I couldn't go anywhere today no matter how much I might want to. So, I've been working away on my Zero Dollar Decorating to stay sane. I touched up all the paint on the dining room walls, and repainted the base boards with a quick brush of glossy white.

Then, I brightened the room up with a wall of mirrors that I shopped for from the bedroom and studio. The picture in the glorious gold frame went into the bedroom to replace the large mirror.

Next, I tackled the corner cabinet in the kitchen. It had been painted pink inside like the other cabinets that I redid earlier. Plus, I hadn't rearranged anything in it for years. It looked pretty cute when I set it up, ages ago, but over time, it got cluttery and too much as I'd stick treasures in here and there after hitting garage sales.

My kitchen is getting a de-rose-ing. I told Beth I was deflowering it and she said that maybe that wasn't the best term to use.

I still LOVE roses and all my little pretties, so this is more of a shuffle, some went to the dining room, and some to the studio, and some will be listed to sell in the Boutique, if I ever get back to work.

This weather has affected me mentally. I seem to be in some weird limbo, waiting for my real life to get back on track. Extreme cold weather always sets me off like that. Its an odd sort of cabin fever, I start hating staring at the same walls and want to change them and everything inside them. Combine that with the post Christmas let down, and weeks of these horrid temperatures, instead of just days of it, like we are used to in Kansas, and I have gone berserk from it!

(Or berserker,if you are a Kevin Smith fan)

Sorry, didn't mean to run on with my weather complaints. Back to the photos….

Here is the after.

It is still nice and rosy, but is toned down and cleaned up. The sides are covered in the tone on tone silk wallpaper that I had in my stash. Funny, it is the first vintage wallpaper I have ever bought, and I got it 20 years ago to cover the walls of my dining room and never used it. I'd stuck it away in the closet and found it a couple years ago when I realized that old wallpaper was a wonderful art supply. And now, here it is, used on my home after all.

I like to mix my china cabinet shelves up a bit and display more than just china. A framed old print (that I tried to sale at Miss Frenchies and Silverbella, but no one wanted! I'm glad now- sometimes I think that my home is full of nothing but things that I bought to sell and got stuck with), an old Haeger pot filled with silverware, ready to set out for a buffet, a collage I did at Silver Bella, and of course, some fairies and birdies.

For me, fairies and flowers in with the dishes makes for a much more interesting look.

The wallpaper is stapled up, instead of glued. Because I know that I am fickle. It doesn't look perfect, but with so much in the cabinet, who can tell?

Its just background. A nice, neutral, but pretty background!

The plates in the back corner are on a stair shaped stand, which is just what I need for my love of layering. I also like to hang things on the cabinet walls, pictures, cherubs, plates, etc.

Adding cake stands helps with layering too. I try for a variety of heights, and make lots of groupings instead of just lining up a matching set of plates. When my mom died, my sister got her set of Wild Rose dishes, and instead of keeping it for herself, she broke up the set and gave each of us a place setting. Mine is on this shelf, with a lot of other pale pink rosey dishes.

I went for an over all sense of "white", even though other colors were used as accents.

The lamp on that shelf was a quick project. I got it for 50% off of $5 at one of my favorite antiquing joints a while back and it was out in my studio waiting to see what it would become. Well, it didn't take much to transform it. In under 5 minutes, it had a whole new look.

1- switched the shade to an older one that I'd picked up at a garage sale a few years back.

2- pinned a rhinestone brooch to the shade

3- cut a page from a vintage French text book to fit the body of the lamp

4- drizzled glue on the book page, then rolled it around the lamp and burnished it down with my fingers

I really doubt that it took more than 2 or 3 minutes to do.

After the corner cabinet, I tacked the cabinet tops. Over the years, I'd collected tea pots, and over the years, as my tastes have changed, I edited the collection. My last redo had mostly rose patterned tea pots lined up on the cabinets. This time, I got rid of most of them, except a few plain white ones (I guess you can't see them in this photo, they are at the other end). I wanted to go very neutral and have much less up above. Now you can see the vines I'd painted on the wall years ago. I'd had so much crap up there, those were hidden.

They were also hidden by filth. Ugh, it was NASTY up there. All pottery got popped into the dishwasher, and I tried to clean the walls, and ceiling (yes, I told you I was going stir crazy with cabin fever- I WAS WASHING CEILINGS!!) but the greasy, dusty coating that was on everything was too awful to come off with my environmentally safe Windex. I had to use elbow grease and baking soda with a pot scrubber. And we are not people who fry much of anything. Where does all that grease come from???

That grease was another reason to put much, much less junk up there!

In this photo you can see a couple of the white pots that made the cut. I redid the narrow shelves between the cabinets too. I'd had decorated bottles, rosy shakers, and green depression glass there before.

Well, I could run on and on and on, telling you about my shuffling and reshuffling. I've been at it nonstop. You know how you take something from one room to another, then you have to redo to cover the hole that you made when you first moved that piece? Yep, that is the vortex that I have fallen into.

I switched the dining room picture with the mirror from the bedroom, and then had to dig around and find a different bedspread that matched better in there. Lots of those kinds of problems came up. But I am getting a new look with the same old stuff from other rooms, closets, or out in the studio, and keeping myself semi-safe from the ravages of cabin fever.

And I am getting lots of little problems solved. Like this ceiling tin that was covering the bad patch job. It has new screws, is up tightly, and now I've got it faux finished to match the ceiling.

At this rate, my New Years's resolution for 2010 will be completed before January is even over. And not in the typical way, where you give up. I'll run out of things to fix or redo around the house!!

There is more I want to do while I am trapped here in the house, but I think I am at the end of what I can do with with I have, and keep it Zero Dollar. I need a gallon of paint and some hardware before I go any further, and both cars and all three trucks are stuck in the driveway.

But today, I have Sugarwings. We've been climbing up and down the ladder that is in the kitchen and sitting in the dark closet playing with flashlights.

Now, its time to go and bake muffins, so I'd better run.

Zipping around

celebrations, fairies, family, holiday decor, Moving to DC, paintings

By Karla Nathan / December 21, 2009

This guy has been zipping around our house all afternoon, racing from one wall into another, never giving up and never slowing down. That's kind of how I've felt this week getting ready for Christmas! Not only did I have the regular, shopping, wrapping, baking, etc, we had the added pleasures of unpacking a 14 foot U-Haul trailer.

My husband gave up his apartment in Virginia, he will still office there, but will hopefully be home more, and only have hotel rooms a few days a month out that way. So, we had to make space for all the things he brought back home. Just as I was enjoying my pretty holiday decorations and thinking how peaceful and nice it all looked, he brought in boxes and bags and 2 extra TVs and extra mattresses and who all knows what.

So much for tranquil and pretty!

He works for a golf course company, and every year I paint a Christmas card for him to send out. In between unloading boxes, and wrapping gifts, I whipped up this little snowman and elf for him to use this season.

While I had my paints out, I painted this long sleeve tee shirt for Pixie Pie. I hope to paint a matching one for her cousin and buddy, Sugarwings.

The cartoon of the two of them together tickled me so much, I repainted it onto an ornament to mail to their great grandma.

Then, I painted on of Sugarwings alone for her special ball for 2009.

This is the one that I made for myself. I have a fondness for little pink putz houses and wanted one that felt like those.

For my brother Randy and his husband, Kevin, I painted their 3 dogs playing in the snow.

Max got a tree frog.

Addie's is a princess kitten.

It was nice to sit down and paint for a couple of hours while I watched the Survivor finale. There hasn't been a lot of sitting around lately! Today I shipped packages to family far away, and tonight, Sugarwings and I are making candy. Tomorrow is a big party, a craft day with friends, so after candy making, I need to clean the studio.

I'd better be racing off and get busy!

Baby Bella

fairies, how to's, Silver Bella, Travel

By Karla Nathan / November 9, 2009

At Silver Bella vendor night, the theme will be Night Of 100 Aprons, or something along those lines. I know that I need an apron! So, I pulled this one from my Boutique and doctored a shirt to wear with it.

To make the shirt, I scanned a post card, and used the Picassa editing retouch tool to remove the "Happy Birthday" from the picture.

Then, I wrote in my blog title, and printed it onto printable fabric from the craft store.

When I cut it out, I left raw edges that will fray when I wash the shirt. I sewed it onto a long sleeve, J. Jill, tee shirt that used to be my favorite, until I dribbled coffee all over myself while wearing it.

To get the picture on the shirt just right, I wore it while doing the pinning. The tee shirt was stretchy and the cotton piece was not, so pinning it on while the shirt was stretched over my chest was the way to go.

After sewing it on, it looked a little puckery, but that is fine, because it leaves room to expand for boobs.

I'm looking forward to a comfy night in a tee shirt and jeans, last year was a much more dressed up theme, Prom Dresses.

Of course, I'll still be wearing a tiara! It wouldn't be Silver Bella without a chance to wear my crown.

This one is similar to my own tiara, but is one that I just finished, to take along to sell in my booth.

And what else do I have packed for the trip? A new outfit for Sugarwings. Yep, I'm bringing the fairy grand baby! Actually, her Daddy and my Handsome Husband are bringing her, they are coming up to help me set up my booth, and using the trip as an excuse to go and stay at our favorite Omaha hotel with the water park that Sugarwings loves to play at.

We have plans for breakfast on Saturday with Beth, since she is coming up to Omaha just for vendor night to sell her great stuff. I was afraid we'd be so busy I wouldn't even see her, so we made plans to meet up and enjoy the Embassy Suite's free breakfast together.

I splurged and got a new outfit for the fairy baby, since we have a breakfast date. Even though the frothy skirt and flocked butterfly shirt are from Old Navy, and not real costly, it was still sticker shock to me!! I buy all of her clothes at garage sales and Goodwill or get hand me downs from cute little Bethany.

But when I saw this pink concoction of froth, I had to have this skirt! She'll be an adorable Baby Bella. I think she'll need a crown too…

My goods are finished and all packed up. I've borrowed my brother-in-law's big ole truck again for the road to Omaha. We own three farm trucks ourselves, but not a single one with a topper. And a 3 hour drive in the Midwest in November can't be counted on to be rain or snow free. Luckily, my sweetie of an in-law is generous with his vehicle so I don't have to rent something.

Speaking of sweethearts,look what Stephanie

sent to me! Roses, roses, roses! Just out of the kindness of her heart. So, I will share with you. For my November Giveaway, I'll add a pretty millinery rose to the bundle of vintage trims. Thanks, Stephanie!!

I will be away from my computer till I return, but will do some pre-posting, so please check back. I'm sorry I won't be able to return comments, but will read them all when I get back, and each will count toward the millinery rose topped bundle of old trims!

Ghostly gowns, grumpy fairies and a dog two ways

Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, flowers, paintings, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / October 24, 2009

Its done! I have the Grumpy Fairy book hand glittered and ready to sell. I've actually listed it in my Boutique and it is available now, if you would like one.

The story is illustrated with my watercolor and ink paintings, then each picture is layered over vintage flocked wallpaper in coordinating colors.

The pages are printed onto high quality, gloss card stock and it is bound in white. I really like the colorful, but soothing palette of colors and took a lot of joy in pulling it all together.

The fairy on the front cover is hand glittered, and I've added a touch or two inside the books too.

You had to guess when you saw this wreath on the bed in the first photo, that this picture would be coming, didn't you??

Beth came along to keep me company today while I glittered books. She worked on some Christmas ornaments in sepia while we chatted. But first, I helped her with photos of these glorious gown she is listing on Ebay. We have had some cold weather, but no hard frost yet, so the flower bed in the center of my drive way is still blooming a bit. We thought it made a pretty setting for the prom dresses.

YUM!

Isn't the skirt on this one about as frothy as a concoction can be?

After taking the pics, we had some fun with Picnik, and made this one ghostly. It was done in "ghostify".

This photo was retouched with "vampire scope", but I don't think it is actually spooky, just a cool look. I hope that these applications are available after Halloween, too, I really like this one. I used it on the ruffles above too.

I'd better get back to glittering. Too bad I can't just photo edit that in….

And remember, if you want to win one of my Grumpy Fairy books, I'll be giving one away next weekend as the gift for my October Giveaway.

All comments, all month count. And I also want to thank so many of you for the kind, kind words you sent my way. I needed that.

Whisked away

Books, fairies, family, give away, paintings, parties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / October 17, 2009

My Handsome Husband whisked me away to Chicago for the night to see our favorite musician, Lucinda Williams in concert!

Typically, I'm not a concert goer. Too bad, my husband loves them, and would really appreciate it if I'd go with him to more shows. But Lucinda is such a favorite of ours, and the setting was a more intimate club, not a big convention center or stadium. We had great seats, and she is so real and down to earth, I'd go to a lot more concerts if they were as nice as this. Not too loud, not too crowded, just right. Geez, do I sound like an old fuddy duddy? But, I've always been like this even in high school. I'm just not a concert person.

Even though the hall was all black and set up with typical stage lighting and paraphenelia, I had this pretty view above our table. The building used to be an old theater and they were smart enough to save the intricate plaster work on the ceiling when they remodeled it.

Before the concert, we went out to dinner at Art Smith's cozy little restaurant, Table 52. I'd seen him on Top Chef Masters, and if you've ever read my blog, you know what a tv junkie I am, so I was excited to go to a place I'd heard of on one of my regular programs. I was as excited as Sugarwings would have been if she'd gone to Arial's grotto for dinner.

And not only was it a lovely place to eat, the food was amazing. And I do like good food.

The next day, I flew home just in time to make it over to my friend, Angie's house to be a part of a surprise party for her. She had NO idea that we were all in her home waiting for her, it was so cute to see her reaction and to see all the love and caring that her family put into the planning.

See the painting behind us? She
got it at an estate sale, and took it to Antiques Roadshow. She was
told it is worth $8,000, not bad for a $30 estate sale piece, huh?

Why do I show bad photos of myself? Yes, I was pretty tired, (and look it, too) after two days of travel and being stuck in Chicago traffic, and waiting at the airport for hours on standby, trying to get back a bit early so I could be home for the surprise.

But honestly, NO ONE would look good next to Angie, she is such a beauty.

I guess you could say she is the fairest of them all.

Tonight, Sugarwings and I are having a girl's night. Its just the two of us and we are going to spend it watching Snow White and making caramel apples. She loves to act out her favorite parts of movies, so I bought her this gown to wear and I am prepared to be the wicked witch. I am always assigned the scary parts, the wicked witch, a flying monkey, or the big, bad wolf.

In the meantime, I have a few hours before she gets here for our Snow White Festival and will start assembling the Grumpy Fairy books. I'm extremely happy with the paper quality, and color. But am not so happy with the mountain of work ahead of me, binding them all myself.

Especially since I decided to hand glitter highlights on the pages. Stickles is a wonder product, and the sparkles won't rub or flake off like gluing down regular glitter, so I think this is the answer to getting Sugarwing's wings to look sugary and not having glitter all over the reader's hands.

I'll let you know if I ever get any ready to sell… I hope to have them in the Boutique in time for holiday shopping, and also have some to take to Silver Bella. But I will for sure have one ready to give away for the October Giveaway.

All comments all month count for the prize. (I do appreciate your comments!)

Flights of Fancy

celebrations, fairies, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 13, 2009

We all loved the Kansas City Renfest
on Labor Day weekend during the camp-o-rama family reunion. Sugarwings, especially. Although, my husband and I were pretty happy, just following her around and smiling at her happiness. (which just about sums up what our life around here is on a daily basis anyway.. her smiles mean the world to us we. We spend most of our time just watching her with goofy, indulgent grins on our faces She'll either grow up to be secure and filled with well being and love, or an insufferable brat.)

Sugarwings wasn't the only fairy, my nephew's baby, Kaydence, wore her "toot toot" (tutu) and wings too.

(It brings tears to my eyes to look at her picture, knowing that her daddy is leaving to serve in Iraq, and that he won't be with her for an entire YEAR!)

My Sissy made these hair garlands for everyone to wear, aren't they lovely? And so is my niece, Shelli.

When Sugarwings saw the bag of garlands, she immediately asked, "Who made these?" She is so used to everything being hand made around here, it doesn't even occur to her that some people buy such things from stores. She just assumed that if there was something pretty at our cottage, then someone must have made it.

Kansas City has a scenic location for their annual event, its in a shady valley, with lots of permanent structures that lend the place an air of authenticity.

And magic.

Even more magical, seeing it through my fairy grand baby's eyes.

To her the baby dragon that hatches from this egg, is as real as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

Of course, I'm every bit as enchanted by the dragon as she is. And yes, I am one of THOSE people who wear a costume to the festival. I don't consider myself a Renny or a weirdo, I just think it is fun to wear fairy wings.

Or maybe I am a weirdo? Who cares?! Life is short, wear fairy wings and be silly and have fun!!

We all work too hard, we should take some advice from the fairies, and be light-hearted, do some dancing, and be in the moment. Because those moments go by too fast to waste them.

I'll leave you with a few more fairy photos. I hope you get to kick up your heels and have some fun too!

Paper dolls

Etsy Goodies, fairies, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 11, 2009

If you aren't following Daisy Cottage
(well then, you must be one of the only people who aren't) you are missing a treat. Kim has the cutest cottage, in the most cheerful colors ever. When she ordered something from my Boutique, I knew I needed to make the package extra special to go to such a special home, so I added some wallpaper, ribbons, and trim to the lid of this little tin to use as the packaging.

Five minutes and no expense (I bought the tin for the buttons that were in it, and the rest of it was lying around the studio) and I had a quickie gift wrap fit to go to live at Daisy Cottage.

But then, I always enjoy the wrapping part of sending out purchases. I guess I was in an autumn mood when I packed these.

Today, little Sugarwings was feeling ill and stayed home from school. I managed to photograph and clean some old jewelry while she was napping, and got a few listed on Etsy.

Not as many as I would like, but I have all day tomorrow to add more jewels.

Poor Sugarwings was so freaked out by spewing her breakfast across the dining room, that she insisted on keeping a roll of paper towels next to her all morning. I helped her out by turning the towels into a baby doll to hold.

One side is sleepy, the other is happy. Kind of like the moods of a sick kid, they seem to perk up and feel fine for a while, then crash and need to take another nap.

Yes, the paper towel roll seems like an odd doll baby, but it really did comfort her. And when you are three (or fifty one) anything can become a toy!

She is feeling much better tonight, and luckily the paper towel baby doll didn't have to be deconstructed and put to use. Here is a photo of her last week at the Kansas City RenFest, I don't want to leave you with a sad, tummy ache photo of her. So here is a happy one.

I'll post more Renfest photos of our happy, dancing fairy soon.

Here are directions for foofing a tin:

Turn the lid upside down and trace a circle onto the paper you want to use, then cut it out.

Using "The Ultimate" (my favorite) glue, adhere the circle of paper to the lid

Rub a dark ink pad around the edges of the paper, to age it.

Cut a length of ribbon to fit around the lid, and run a bead of glue around the edge to attach the ribbon

I glued a tiny crocheted daisy cut off of a doily to the end of the ribbon.

To the center of the top of the lid, glue down a matching button.

To the center of the button, add an embellishment. I used a daisy snipped from some old trim.

Not that I have anything against Canadians

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, paintings

By Karla Nathan / August 31, 2009

Button mania!  I've stuffed my overflowing buttons into some old jam jars and decked them out with lots of tiny millinery blooms.
 

Buttons and something to fill up with them has become my latest obsession. Well, that and my DVR.  I got all caught up on the shows I had missed while traveling.  DVRs are magic, what a brilliant invention, for a TV junkie like me. 
Did anyone see all the big, blooming hats on Mad Men last night!!!??? I couldn't even pay attention to the story, I was so overwhelmed with the millinery at the Derby party.  
 

The styles and clothes on that show always grab my attention, I'd watch it even if it didn't feature such good writing.  
(These jewels are available in my Boutique and the jam jars are on Etsy)
  

Twinkle and I have been working in the yard to get ready for the family reunion camp out in my yard coming up this weekend. I decided to mow paths through the grass in the fields for walking trails that connect to the Fairy Berry Trail.

I've been enjoying going out for walks on them myself. But while out there, I noticed the Canadian Thistle had gone a bit crazy. I know that thistle is considered an noxious weed, but I've always loved it. This drawing, is one that I did at age 15 for a biology class. Its the drawing that made me realize that I wanted to be an artist.

To this day, I keep this ink drawing out on display. You don't want to do the math to know how long that has been.

But as much as I enjoy the thistle plant, I know they have to go. So, as I started to chop them down to burn (the only way to dispose of them without spreading the seeds), it dawned on me that I had two adult sons who live here with me and one of them should do it all instead of me! So I went to fetch Ryan and set him on the chore.  
Why don't I think of that more often? I am finally gaining the wisdom that comes with age (or getting lazy).
 

So, while Ryan cleared the field of thistles, I was free to foof the Fairy Berry Trail!
Ace Hardware had some clearance garden decor that was just right for out there. Wind chimes with doe-doe birds, and bright metal flowers on stakes.  Sugarwings will be excited when she comes home on Tuesday (she spends a few days with her Hippy Chick Mommy and other grandma every week)  I love to surprise her with new additions to the trail, she always notices right away when we go for our walks along the path.
 
And how perfect was this? Its a gift from a buddy who knew I'd love it for the trail. And it is very fitting now, my handsome husband has been expanding the trail, so that now it goes up the hill from the valley it was first made in.  He and Sugarwing's Daddy took a chain saw out there and cleared a path through the brush.  (We'd do anything and everything for that fairy baby)
So, I've nailed this plaque to a tree at the top of the hill, at the beginning of the walkway.
Sugarwings can't read, but we will both stop and read it together every time we go into the woods.