family – Page 13 – Karla's Cottage

Rockin rocks

By Karla Nathan / March 17, 2021

A bird shaped rock! Isn’t it cool? Well, the front is head, back and wing shaped, the tail part is a second rock and they just kind of slid together perfectly to create a bird.

I was so excited to see it on the shore of our lake.

Then I found a dinner plate sized heart rock with a hag stone hole in it. This was my lucky day.

And a beautiful day at that.

A great afternoon for the trails around the lake.

The dogs thought it was their lucky day too.

I ❤️ these people

cottage, fairies, family, flowers

By Karla Nathan / March 14, 2021

The wing project the Miss Tree gifted the family with at Winter Solstice is a gift that never ends. Not only did we have day after day of fun with creating the wings, I made captured and framed fairies for the mantel from one of our two adventures in fairy dress up parties.

She has become a master wingmaker (Katie, you need an Etsy shop!) and crafted these for my son, to look like oak leaves.

He and Dewdrop were here for a much too quick visit, and while at the cottage, he took the time to remake my garden entryway. The vines put up years ago had started to fall, and most of the twinkle lights had given up their glow.

More native grape vines were gathered in the woods and he came up with the idea of forming a heart instead of just a random design.

See how he incorporated the scrolls of the fence to complete the point of the heart?

I’ll have more pictures of our dress up night, and of the projects I make with the photos later on. Because like I said, the wing party from Katie just keeps on giving. I can’t wait to add more fairies to my fireplace mantel.

Plus pics of the fabulous heart with blooming vines growing around it this summer! Won’t that be lovely?

Thank you, Katie and Adam, for the beauty you bring to my world.

Family Fire Fun Night- with axes and calzones

celebrations, family

By Karla Nathan / March 10, 2021

My boy is in town from North Carolina and we love being able to have the family together for adventures.

The evening began with some ax throwing out by my husband’s log cabin.

We were not only blessed by having a passel of pixies to play with, but the most beautiful spring break weather you could ask for, too.

The day before, I made up batches of vegan and of meaty, veggie calzones plus home made bread sticks and salad, so I could relax and enjoy the evening without worrying about dinner. Making up meals ahead of time sure makes life easier at family gatherings. I whipped up vegan, lemon cheesecake and dark chocolate cupcakes while I was at it.

Then we lit all the garden lights, fired up the fire pit and sticks, turned on the music and took turns playing with the flames.
I had a box of rainbow powder and the grand fairies added that to the flames, and I was impressed at how pretty the colors were. I got the $5 box of three at Walmart and it lasted all evening. I’ll be buying more of those.

At first, I was overly cautious and worried the children would burst into a fiery ball of death. But they were following rules and having sooooo much fun, I soon let go and enjoyed the show.

Even to the point where I shocked everyone by joining in! I am clumsy with no sense of rhythm, but who cares?

After everything we have all been through as a family, a country, and a planet this year, I think it’s time to let go of fears and enjoy what’s in front of us.

You can’t take life for granted, live it to its fullest, even if it means doing some bad dancing like a fool with or without a torch.

Captured fairies

cottage, fairies, family

By Karla Nathan / March 7, 2021

Some of the pictures from our fairy family photo shoot were simply ideal to use in cute ways, like Thia, here in this bottle.

And the bottle was ideal too! It’s a plastic bottle that unscrews from the bottom and came filled with candy. Why oh why didn’t I buy a case of them instead of just one? I’ve not seen another one since. I got the candy at Tuesday Morning a couple years ago, it was a brand I hadn’t seen before. I can’t remember what flavor it was filled with, but who cares, all candy is good and this bottle was meant to be a unique and wonderful craft supply!

Any container that has a good sized opening on the bottom is much easier to catch a fairy in than trying to use tweezers to slide them into a narrow top. This is an upside down sauce jar, not a fancy shape, but she went into it nicely. I should probably add flowers to the top to disguise it more.

The photo of me with Molly is printed a little larger than the girls, so I could layer them in prospective. I’m glued directly to the glass, a smaller Dewdrop a bit behind me, and slightly smaller Sugarwings a bit higher and to the side behind her.

Their photos didn’t show feet, so I used moss to hide that. In all the dioramas, I added pussy willow branches as trees, because I think fairies would really love to hang out under fuzzy, soft trees like that if given a choice.

This pic would’ve worked well in a box too, but is just so lovely, I wanted it framed as is.

And I thought the two of these were cute as a bug next to each other.

Our family has been known to don wings on more than one occasion. Here are pictures of the Guncles that I thought should be added to the grouping. I have one of my sissies that needs to go up here too.

This picture is from the grand masquerade we attended. I cut out the girls and glued them to a little blue mirror and glued it to the rosy tin lid. I don’t know where the bottom of the tin went, but held onto the lid, knowing I’d find a use for it someday.

Blue mirrors are significant in the fairy world! You can spot them in your garden by holding up a blue mirror and peering into it, looking over your shoulder to see them flitting about.

These sisters are glued to an amber glass, beveled “moon” and then onto a painting that Dewdrop made.

She swirled lots of glitter paint onto a paper plate, then smooshed it onto a canvas. Gorgeous, isn’t it? I think it looks like woodland flowers.

Twinkle lights are strewn throughout the display. I’ll get a photo of it lit up when I add more fairies to the mantle. The lights twirl between the frames, then up into my set of wings hung over the mirror. I didn’t realize while doing it that the lights formed a heart shape!

Fairy Family Photo Fun

fairies, family

By Karla Nathan / March 3, 2021

On Winter Solstice, our Katie Tree brought over wing making supplies that turned into weeks of creativity and craftiness for us all. Afterwards, we had a fairy fashion show and played dress up with our fabrications.
I thought I’d hang my pretty, Tinker Bell style wings in the studio, and probably will later on. But for the beginning of spring, I wanted to display them on the mantle with some of the framed pictures we took.

Looking through my stash, I found some appropriate frames, and a couple of shadow boxes that made me think of doing just a bit more than simply framing the pictures as is.

Most pics were groupings, and it wasn’t possible to cut out individual bodies. But there were a few that I could make work.

Even without complete bodies, if tilted and used right, I had plenty of fairies to use. Each one got some embellishing with glitter and metallic inks.

This vintage mirror was ideal for showcasing some flying fairies.
I’ll have some more close ups in my next post.

A little cabin in the woods

Corona virus, cottage, Current Affairs, dogs, family

By Karla Nathan / February 21, 2021

It has been a long, cold week here in Kansas, as it has been in a large part of the country. We were only without power for a few hours, and our pipes froze up until we (meaning Rich) tucked a tarp around the bushes in front of where the pump goes into the basement.

My heart goes out to the Texans who went through much worse.

We built a big fire, piled our dogs and blankets on our laps and were just fine. When we heard the weather forecast of bone chilling cold and about the possibility of rolling black outs to protect the grid, we did what we could to protect ourselves and pets.

I charged all of our devices and extra power packs, filled the bath tubs with water to use for flushing, and Rich brought some five gallon water bottles in from the garage. We had plans in place if things got worse, but never needed to start hanging tarps up in the hearth room or lighting candles in terra cotta pots for extra warmth.

Our dogs were very excited to see that the hens came to live in the basement for about a week or so during the coldest stretch. And the cats were happy to be tucked into the hen house with all of the warmers and heated water out there, plus a cozy, insulated little box full of cushions to snuggle up in. While I was not quite as happy about chickens as house pets with hay tracked all over the kitchen from Rich’s boots and the dog’s feet, I was glad to know they were safe.

And that they didn’t really smell that bad. Just a tad of a whiff now and then.

But I did enjoy hearing their chatter and singing coming up through the vents.

We did just fine, and I hope you are okay too? Days like that can sure make you appreciate what you have, huh? And remind me that I am blessed.

That we have a cute long cabin just for fun, and not as our actual shelter.

Well, it is fun to have it now. It was not an easy thing to build. Maybe emotionally as much as physically for Rich.

Chopping, hauling, and stacking the logs, coming up with the design and crafting the building throughout a long, hot summer was his way of working through the pain of losing our son. I think a lot of tears mixed with the sweat of the hard work.

The project was mostly completed before winter came. He still needs to gather fieldstone to enclose the chimney and is waiting for the logs to settle before chinking between them.
The fireplace is functional, but not usable yet because of all the gaps between logs, the draft pulls too much smoke through the interior.

See what I mean about drafts?

For now, it is a little garage for our mower. Later on, he will build a table from some wood leftover out of our grandfather tree (a special oak that he used to tell stories to the grandfairies beneath. It fell over and was used to make our dining room table and dog crate) and add a hammock too.

Cherishing

celebrations, Corona virus, cottage, family

By Karla Nathan / February 14, 2021

Do you have plans for this special day? I typically go all out, with gifts for everyone in the family, Galentine craft days, and decorations everywhere.

This is the anniversary of the day my husband adopted our boys and we have celebrated it as a family, instead of the usual couple date. Last year, we were in Florida, so had our family night early, but our son, Adam met us there to be together. The weather turned cold and rainy, our little Dewdrop had a bad cough, but we made our time fun and we were so happy to have them with us for a few days.

Here is a photo from one of my best Valentine’s, the grand fairies and I put glitter and confetti on the ceiling fan blades and had everyone gather in a circle. This is a capture still from the little video. It was such a jolt of pleasure to see a snippet of Ryan laughing when the video memory popped up on Facebook.

This season, our holiday is on the quiet side. The weather is unbearably cold today, with a high of two degrees, because of Covid we aren’t going to restaurants or gathering with friends for a craft day. Our pipes are frozen, so having a big dinner here, even with just half of us would be difficult. Sugarwings’ mama is working herself to exhaustion in finishing her clinical for her midwife’s degree and is too busy to get together. Adam and Dewdrop are far away in North Carolina.

And my Ryan is gone.

Life goes on, changes keep on coming. While we will never get over losing Ry, the arctic wind has stirred up his wind chimes and they are making a pretty song that I can hear in my studio today.

Adam loves his life in the mountains and has found a job where he can express his creativity, I love seeing photos of his carpentry projects, knowing he is using his art skills. I was blessed to have both of my sons close by and with me as adults for as long as I did.

Our Hippy Chick’s years of hard work are close to paying off and she will be starting her new career soon.

The years when I had my little fairy babies were filled with magic. But so is watching them grow and become become strong women with endless possibilities ahead of them.

Having family move on, grow, and flourish can feel like I have been left behind, if I let it. But I prefer to feel gratitude and pride for what they are doing with their lives.

When we get together, whether in small groups, or as a big ole, bundle, I can count my blessings and know that I am surrounded by love from near and far.

You can’t stop change, no matter if it is heart wrenching or heartfelt. Valentine’s Day is also Twinkle’s birthday. Today she is 14, and no longer the frisky pup she once was. But she still knows her name and likes when I repeat it to her, it’s her favorite thing. I’ll be cherishing her for as long as I can.

For New Year’s, I choose a word to honor for the upcoming year. 2021 has “Cherish”.

I’ll cherish the time I get with my true love, as our family goes through changes and we have time to travel and be together, just the two of us.

I’ll cherish my memories, my family and their dreams for the future.

I’ll cherish my friends and the fun they bring to my life. Even through social distancing we have remained close in our hearts.

I’ll cherish my house full of dogs and let them know they are loved, whether they are a puppy in their first year, or an aging baby like Twinks who might be in her last.

(a card from my pal, Angie)

Today might not be a typical Valentine’s Day for me, but I will cherish what I have and be thankful for the love I have been shown.

Trying to be creative

Corona virus, cottage, dogs, family, Painting with thread, Ryan

By Karla Nathan / February 4, 2021

The malaise of 2020 is spilling over into 2021 for me. I have made efforts to be creative and busy, but haven’t had any project consume me, like they have in the past.

Lots of embroidery happened, because it’s kind of a mindless task, just to keep my hands busy in front of the TV.

I’ve had some studio time, but it is all a lot of simple projects, like doodling on this tag.

Or trying to make my own dog tags. I have also painted a lot of things, repaired and reorganized. But most were “one of”. Nothing prolific, as I have always been in the past. Typically, if I make something, I can’t stop and next thing you know, there are twenty of them.

I made a scrapbook for Ryan, fairy wings with the grand fairies, and added a vinyl floor to the closet/laundry room.

That was a long delayed job, and has made the floor much warmer.

I even decided that I’d start grooming the dogs myself.

At least the little dogs.

So, I’ve kept busy. I’ve gone for long walks, had socially distant visits with friends, and stayed active. I think the unease and uncertainty in the world because of the virus, and the unimaginable loss of my son who was also one of my best friends has dampened my drive.

We have a camper trip planned, and I hope to clear my mind and refresh my soul with some sea air. When I get back, I’d like to work on reopening my shop. It’s not exactly closed, but it is ignored right now. It would be good for me to revamp and restock for spring.

It has been important to me that I don’t lose myself to the sadness, that I keep crafting, creating, contributing. And while nothing will ever be the same, I am slowly trying to rebuild my world.

A book for Ryan

Books, celebrations, Corona virus, family, Ryan

By Karla Nathan / January 27, 2021

When Ryan died, I looked on Facebook, my blog, old albums, anywhere I could to gather photos of him.

With a break to raise puppies, I have been working on a scrapbook for him since.

Some times, the pictures and memories would reduce me to a puddle of snot and tears so, I couldn’t work on it every day.

The goal was to have it done today, his birthday.

He was a guy who loved his birthday! He usually took a week off of work, just to relax.

Although, relaxing for Ryan meant going to the gym to work out and walking 20,000 steps a day.

I will celebrate his birthday by going for a walk, and have been trying to get one in daily this week, like I would’ve if he’d been with me.

On cold days, we’d go to the community rec center. I was worried about using it now, but checked it out, and it is pretty empty. The track is built as a loft over four basketball courts that are not open due to Covid. It is a newer building and seems airy.

On nice days, I walk on the sidewalks and trails we used to go on together. But there has been a cold streak in Kansas, so I needed to use the track for his birthday week. Which is tough, because it requires a mask. That in itself is fine, but when I am thinking of how much I enjoyed running, walking and talking with my boy, I start to cry.

You can’t cry well in a mask.

So, I listen to an audiobook and try not to sob and get my mask soggy, since I can’t take it off to blow my nose.

Ryan’s book is finished, I made it from the canvas of a pour painting that he hung in his apartment.

I wish he would’ve joined me in creating a painting of his own. He did hang out with me as I swirled and played with paints, and he loved watching them come together.

The charm on this book was a pour paint necklace that he wore.

The book itself is a planner from Hobby Lobby. I cut the painting off its frame and pieced a gold toned canvas together to cover the exterior.

The interior is covered in a red canvas he also had in his room.

Ryan’s life long friends gave me an entire folder filled with sketches and doodles he did over the decades while playing card games with them!

What a treasure!

Some I cut up to make a collage, others I used as backgrounds as is. And the rest I used as additions throughout the book. I included some condolence cards too, this page is made of a card from his friends’ mom.

It’s too bad my hand writing isn’t nice, but it was still very important to me to add stories, so I didn’t let it bother me.

On this page, I listed some of his favorite tv shows, that we’d watch together.

And I added a few on my own doodles too.

Now that it is done, I am wishing that I’d bought a bigger book to use. This is stuffed tightly, and I would’ve liked to add printed pages from my blog about Ryan. There is no space left in this book.

I will keep this book by my favorite chair.

There is no recovery from a loss like this.

But there is comfort in reminiscing, and in memories.

Working on this album was healing for me.

And I’ll be glad to keep it nearby.

Fairy Family Fun

celebrations, fairies, family

By Karla Nathan / January 3, 2021

Katie Tree’s wing making idea was just plain brilliant for our family’s holiday.

The crafting started on the Winter Solstice and we had a tasty Ramen take out meal, so no one would have to stop to cook.

That part was MY brilliant idea. Not cooking? Yay!

I knew we would need extra time to create these flights of fancy.

What I didn’t know, was that her gift to the family of wing making supplies would turn into a full week of working on these off and on together.

It was an actual gift that just kept on giving.

We had bonus craft dates while the project continued, and everyone was in and out of the studio til New Years.

I went from crying at the grocery store over trying to plan a minimal Christmas, without both of my boys and missing one girl to rejoicing over the surprise of Adam and Dewdrop showing up, and then having a house and studio full of family fun for days on end.

Right up til New Year’s Day, when we had a fairy dress up party together.

And of course, the newest family member, little Molly, got a set of wings to wear to the party too.

We only had a couple of precious days with my boy, but he left Dewdrop with us for a week.

My kind hearted husband offered to drive her halfway home to North Carolina and meet up with her dad for the drop off. Instead of tagging along, I am spending time undecking the halls and editing fairy party pics.

Ha, who am I kidding? So far, I have just sat and edited pretty pictures, played with pups, and snacked on leftovers. (Pumpkin pie cake makes an ideal breakfast)

I have a book that is calling out to me, but I’m resisting, and gearing myself up for the tree tear down.

I shouldn’t be procrastinating, the chore won’t be hard. I kept the decor soooo simple this year, there isn’t much to take down.

I plan on leaving up the lights and frosty leaf garlands over the windows for adding some sparkle to a cold January.

This Christmas certainly was an unexpected joy in a dark, sad year.

I will be savoring the memories as I tuck away the trees.

Well, actually as I shove trees into the closet and do my best to shut the door.

Thank you, Katie, for such a fun project!

I think we need to plan a spring time, Fairy Tea Party for more dress up fun.