family – Page 36 – Karla's Cottage

Kansas City Renfest 2015

By Karla Nathan / September 24, 2015

Last week, we headed to the Renfest to visit our fairy and princess friends.

Sugarwings was sporting her latest gown from TJMax's great selection of royal fashions. Every fall, they have the BEST, highest quality, dresses at the most reasonable prices (about $30). I started to dress up, but since my husband was going along, I tamed my look down for him. A garland for my hair and a semi-witchy ensemble was plenty for him.

As much as I have fun watching the kids explore the festival, I personally love the overall style of the place, all of the attention to detail in the architecture, and the shady, hilly park it is all built in. The best building though?

This castle!

Wow!

My son's friend, Jessie is the stone mason. It is a labor of love for him, each year a few more rocks are added to this hand built palace.

It is a beautiful spot for photos, the artistry of the structure makes all pictures interesting. (not like my cute little models needed that)

Jessie does custom stone work for clients the rest of the year, and uses the in process castle as a storefront to sell his geodes.

There is a big selection of round rocks to chose from and take to the geo-tine (like guillotine but for rocks). Jessie spins a tale while the rock gets cracked in two. That guy can draw a big crowd to gather around just to wait while a rock gets broken. He is a born entertainer.

When the CRACK happens, the crowd cheers and everyone is excited to see what the geode holds as the owner walks through the throng to show off her treasure. No two look just the same and he has a wide variety of different crystals. Mine was smoky quartz with marcasite. Really pretty. This one is Sugarwings' stone and I'm not sure what it is.

She enjoyed working the crank to break hers apart.

She's also always happy to visit the mermaid lagoon.

While waiting in line to visit the merpeople, we found this heart seed pod.

Sugarwings gave the heart to Aurilliea Gyldenscale, one of our local, Kansas City area mermaids. (Being in the midwest, we don't have as many merpeople as you might find on the coast, so ours are very special and rare).

The lagoon area is a welcome addition to the renfest, it was added not that long ago and while simple, is very cute. One year there was a large tank/aquarium that a poor, chilly mermaid floated around in, this seems like a much more humane way to display the fishy girls. And it is more user friendly for the kiddos too, the little girls are thrilled to get hugs from their heroines.

We never fail to make a magic wand at the Children's Realm. Afterwards, you can test drive the wand with a real wizard. This was the point when I realized that Sugarwings is lacking in her magical knowledge. When I told her to call her patronus, she had no idea what I was talking about.

Time to start reading Harry Potter to her, right?

She definitely is well phrased in fairy lore and was able to chat with the faye like a pro.

And of course, is a champ at the maypole after years of dancing with the fairies.

Hmm, maybe this is my favorite part of the day there. Look at the smiles on all of those faces!

My not-so-fave part?

Visiting the animal rescue center. Which sounds very nice til you find out that it is a dragon, a hawk, and a billion snakes.

Yep, that is a snake wrapped around our little friend.

And around Sugarwings who got teary eyed about having to give the snake back. She wanted to stay and hold it longer.

ugh-shiver-bleck

Luckily, there was a fairy godmother handy to zap her out of her mood with a sprinkling of magic and fairy dust.

It is hard to stay sad at the festival, with all of that magic and revelry around you.

Behind the scenes at the Kansas City Renfest

fairies, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / September 13, 2015

My son works at the Kansas City Renfest running a booth for a friend and also selling his own wares. The first weekend of the season, the booth's owner (and his inventory) were away at another festival and my boy had some extra work on his hands to get the space open and to fill the spot up.

Here is one of his displays to foof up the "Druid's Grove".

I came in for an afternoon to help him and did a little druid-ing up myself. Bone decor isn't typically what I do, but I kinda like the result. I told myself that the bones were at least in my color pallet, I've always been a fan of whites.

At least they weren't as heavy to work with as all the stone my boy moved around. Here is the jewelry display in the glass cabinet. Not all of the inventory has been set out yet., and it isn't quite done, but aren't the pillars and slabs of stone very striking?

I've been hand dying silk ribbon to use for his pendants, and he also has black cord to hang the jewelry from. The buyers will get a choice and the silk or cord will be cut to order.

The day before the event began, he was still sanding, oiling and creating wands and spikes. This area is was still in progress, it is the weaponry corner. Yes, those are vampire stakes he has hanging up, and there are some wands and stakes in a pile that still need to be finished.

I offered to make a sign for him. Not everyone knows where to go when they are in dire need a cudgel, and usually if you looking for a cudgel or a vampire stake, then you are probably in a hurry to get it, and a little direction would be appreciated.

Cool, aren't they?

I also helped him embellish the woven willow laurels that he had created.

And Sugarwings helped me out by modelling them so I could see how they fit.

The booth is all about magic, which is why he used the willow limbs to make the crowns. I wrote up these tags for the finished laurels.

Usually, I work with vintage flowers, but you gotta know your crowd. Old millinery would not be as appreciated as the newer blooms. (Although, I did sneak in some vintage lace…)

All of the flowers are wired into place and there are crystal beads woven onto the wires.

I have loved the festival since the first time I attended, way back when my boys were in Jr High school. Over the years, I've become even fonder of it, and I was thrilled to get a behind the scenes peek at the park before it was open for the season. The buildings are so quaint and charming, and with no one there I had a chance to get some pictures without families in blue jeans or pushing strollers and spoiling the atmosphere.

For being the day before opening, I was surprised to see how quiet the venue was. Here and there, were cars pulled up in front of a booth as vendors unloaded, with a few folks were busy unpacking and setting up.

And people were planting some blooming flowers in front of their shops. But for the most part, it was dreamily serene.

The park itself is a pretty place, it was a joy to walk through in the peace, enjoying aspects of it I hadn't noticed before.

Still, I'm looking forward to a visit there while there is a bustling crowd of happy shoppers, watching shows, and munching on giant turkey legs. And the best part? Grand fairies all dressed up as fairies or princesses, eyes lit up, and believing that the magic is real.

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ps- I will be participating in Brenda's Fall Home Tour. It begins on the 15th, and my home will be on the list for the 18th. There will be lots of pretty things to see. I've been checking out some of these blogs from the URLs Brenda sent to me, and she has corralled an inviting selection of homes to peek into.

Happy Labor Day

family

By Karla Nathan / September 5, 2015

Happy Labor Day! Do you have big plans for the weekend? I have a feeling we will be out on the boat. We recently traded our old one in and the new one has rekindled my interest in being out on the lake.

Our old barge had started out as a pretty nice pontoon, but the years hadn't been kind to the poor old thing. After 15 years, it was time to say good bye.

The dang thing wasn't leaving us voluntarily though. As soon as we got it up and out of the water, the trailer had a flat. Right in the way of other boat traffic.

We were kind of stranded there til my son arrived to give me and the tire a ride to the tire repair shop, where for a quick $9, the valve stem was replaced.

This had taken a bit longer than we'd planned and we were worried that we wouldn't have it fixed before the new boat arrived…. Then we started to wait for the new boat.

And we waited

And we waited.

Til we got a call saying that the guy bringing it also had a flat tire.

A few hours late, but all ended up working out. We now have a new pontoon, with a much bigger motor. This one will pull a skier, and we foresee another 15 years or so of family fun on the lake with it.

An Arabella Cinderella Farewell Teaparty

cottage, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, parties, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 31, 2015

We've had a nice, long visit with our tiniest fairy girl.

But now, she is headed East to be with her momma. We've squeezed in lots of snuggles and hugs before it was time for her to leave.

Sugarwings thought it would be a good idea to throw her a going away party, so we planned a tea to send her off with a toast.

Usually, Sugarwings helps set the table with me, but this was scheduled for right after school to combine after school snacktime with the festivities. I had the table set and waiting when they got home, to save time. If we delay after school treats too long, they interfere with dinner appetites.

But of course, this girl had to do some rearranging to improve my set up.

Dewdrop had been admiring some vintage dresses that I had hanging in the studio, and I kept promising her that she could wear them, but we never seemed to get around to it.

It dawned on me, that if I didn't pull those dresses down and let her try them on, they might not fit her when she came back again in a few weeks, those little ones do not stay little forever.

A vintage gown was chosen for Sugarwings too, but she preferred one of her own princess dresses. Both girls wanted to wear some of the jewelry I had out in the studio and chose some sparkling necklaces to try on. Dewdrop went with a floral hat from the studio too.

When the bigger girls got off the school bus from Jr. and Sr. high schools, they were good sports and joined in to toast our little sweetie. Can you tell by the look on her face that she appreciated our efforts and loved her party? That is one happy, kiddo.

We have recently discovered how delicious basil flowers are. I have always picked them off to make the basil plants last longer, and sometimes fill a vase with the blooming stems. Dewdrop likes to pick them out of the vase on the dining room table to eat during dinner, so I sprinkled some over our heart shaped watermelon slices for the party (made with a cookie cutter).

We also served blackberries and cupcakes along with the tea. All the dishes are mismatched and mostly from garage sales, and when set out on a floral table cloth, they feel special. Not so special that I get upset when one breaks. We had a creamer casualty, but it had only cost a quarter, so that didn't matter much. I want the grand fairies to enjoy nice things, had be used to handling them, not be afraid to use the pretty pieces.

We are all going to miss our silly, funny, little goofball and will be looking forward to planning a return party for her when it is time for her to come back.

Happiest Birthday, Sugarwings!

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 29, 2015

August is full of fun around here. Sugarwings' birthday (with multiple parties), the Hippy Chick's birthday, our anniversary, plus trying to fit in a few more fun things before school starts up.

Sugarwings' mommy always throws a special bash for her girl. This year's theme was Mystery. The cupcakes each had something flavorful tucked inside and you didn't know which you were getting. I can highly praise over the ones with peanut butter cups hidden away in the center.

There was a question mark pinata filled with goodies too.

And the kids had a scavenger hunt, following a treasure map to find the hidden presents.

It was all pretty cute to watch.

The world’s happiest dog

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

By Karla Nathan / August 23, 2015

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

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

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

Dewdrop was happier with the dry kitties.

Or snuggling with her Pop Pop.

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

This is our idea of a perfect evening.

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

Around the cottage in August

cottage, dogs, family

By Karla Nathan / August 17, 2015

How on earth can anything grow as fast as a puppy? She is doubling in size by the hour, I think.

And doubling her sweetness too. She is pretty smart, potties on command from the first day, sits, fetches, and heels.

Let's see, what else… I got a new iPad cover. I call it 'camouflage'.

We had some repair work done on the driveway and the grand fairies were just chomping at the bit all day til it was time to write in it. We were hoping for subtle markings, but Sugarwings went big, so we all did.

We were going to have Honey make baby prints in it, but she decided to run across the whole thing. So, we let all the little dogs have a turn too. Then a kitten. Who sat right in the center and stayed there (and who did NOT like getting her toes and tail washed after)

Of course, the ladies had to be represented too, right? So we brought out our friendliest hen (who also didn't like having her feet washed- there is a reason that "madder than a wet hen" is a saying)

She strutted to the center of the cement, just like the kitten did.

Then pooped.

Which I don't think would have left a mark if my husband hadn't tried to knock it away. Now there is a poo swish mark, dead center of the new concrete.

Speaking of that handsome guy, we celebrated our 30th anniversary. There was talk of going out, but after three days of working on the kitchen, then doing some major garden projects, we were beat. And we had our big celebration, with vow renewals back in June.

So, we did what we really enjoy, grilled out on the porch and eating tomatoes from the garden, then cozied up with a good movie. We had the house to ourselves for a few days, so we simply enjoyed each other's company.

To me, that is much more fun than a big night on the town.

A visit to see Snow White and the dinosaurs, just a regular day with the Nathans

Dew Drop, dogs, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 3, 2015

We are all infatuated with Honey. Playing with her has been our favorite activity.

We have had to tear ourselves away to do other things. Last week, we visited the Prairie Fire Natural History Museum to see the dinos.

There is an interactive screen where you can build your own dinosaur. Or dragon. That confused me… Dragons at the museum? You find a fossil in the wild, and work through what you think the live animal would have looked like, guessing coloring and skin textures.

Wait a minute, dragon fossils? Yes, that confuses me a little.

We didn't realize that the creatures you built showed up on the screen in the lobby. We were enjoying the giant TV screen with animals projected over the video feed from the room, and didn't know the two things were connected.

We were just having fun taking our pictures with the dinos.

And pretending they were coming for us.

Then we noticed that the dragons and other monsters had names. And some of the names matched the ones we had made ourselves.

Fun, huh? And totally free. We played with these and hung out in the lobby for an hour or so before we bought tickets for a session in the children's discovery room.

Where I had another surprise. Tea party stuff? At a natural history museum? Dewdrop was thrilled. Of course, there were tons of other things too, animals to look at, rocks and crystals to examine, things to look at under microscopes, a fossil scavenger hunt in the bricks of the balcony, and much more.

But I really didn't get the whole section of different style tea services. Maybe it was supposed to be about different cultures?

While in the neighborhood, we stopped by and visited Snow White.

At last year's Halloween party at Lions Gate Club, one of the coworkers was dressed as Snow White. She not only looked the part, she was so kind and sweet to Dewdrop, and spent so much time with her, that this little girl still talks about her on a regular basis. Snow is her favorite princess and none of the Disneyworld princesses quite measured up.

So, we polished some apples and wrapped them up pretty with nice notes, and filled a basket for Dewdrop to take to her. Before going in, I told her that Snow White probably wouldn't have her party dress on, she'd be wearing work clothes.

And Dewdrop got very shy when seeing her buddy again. She was tongue tied, and star struck. But she did get brave enough to give her a hug and as we left, called out, "I love you, Snow White!"

Yep, a very nice day.

Birdsong FIVE- My Peeps

bird song art event, family, guncles, studio tour, We're having a party, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / July 17, 2015

Do you know what I love best about Birdsong? My peeps, of course!

It's a special time with old friends and new, plus a few family members who come along to be a part of it, and to help out.

Gail, Nora, Beth, and Tami have been to every Birdsong (plus many of the smaller workshops we have throughout the year- and by the way, I've got a Halloween idea in the works…)

To commemorate their 5th year, I made up special ribbons for them to wear, and added little birdie pins to their name tags.

Most of us gathered for dinner the night before our party began.

I'm so glad it worked out to meet for a Pre-Birdsong dinner, because by that time, I'm very impatient to get the party started.

And you know what else is special about Birdsong to me? Family members who want to be a part of the gathering. While this is my busiest time of the entire year, and I don't always have much extra time, I'm happy to have them nearby and share the experience with me.

There is a lot of fluttering and flitting from one thing to another, but we manage to squeeze in a few good conversations here and there. Especially while prepping in the kitchen. But it does go by fast, and then all of a sudden, everyone is leaving and I'm wondering how days slipped by without getting around to topics I wanted to talk about. When Terry and her husband pulled out of the driveway to head back to Utah, I found myself teary eyed to see them go, thinking that we barely scratched the surface of all we wanted to talk about, and knowing it would be months before I saw her again.

That is how I feel about all of my Peeps, when the weekend starts, it seems like there is so much time to talk, play, and create, then all of a sudden, it is over. And I miss them all.

This year, Sissy brought her daughter, Shelli. It was a first time for her, and I hope she comes back for another one.

Especially when she looks so cute in her outfit that matches my fly strip…. Ha!! (I did take the strip down before guests arrived, even though it was a very stylish pattern)

This year, there were a lot of weddings, graduations, and family events that prevented some of our regulars from attending, so we got to add some new Peeps to the group. (sign ups are offered first to previous attendees or sponsors)

Along with some favorite friends who come back every time.

Terry once again offered neck massages for hard working crafters. I think some of my friends attend just for her magic touch!

And my baby bro, Guncle Randy, is our official parking guide. (Or as he calls himself, the "Parking B*#ch")

It is surprising how many cars we can fit into our driveway,when properly coordinated, and he has the pattern down pat after years of guiding the way.

Birdsong is a highlight of my year, and it means a lot to me that so many people join in and make it special for us all.

It's a lovely group, and I'm happy to call them friends.

If you are interested, Birdsong kits are available here.

ps-If you are here for the studio tour, you can find it here.

A magical day in Topeka. Yep, Topeka.

family, flowers, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 14, 2015

Last week, Sugarwings and I made a trip to Gage Park in Topeka. We've often gone to the zoo and the Discovery Center, but this was our first stop at the gardens.

Many times, we have ridden the train around the park, and I always say, "I'd like to go walk across that pretty bridge someday," but till now, we have never taken the time. We usually hang at the zoo, playground, or carousel, and since I don't go there without grand fairies, I stick to things they prefer. But this time, I figured Sugarwings was old enough to do some exploring with me.

She can now walk by a fountain, without having to be pulled out of it. At least on a most days….

And she was happy to take a detour through the rose gardens on our way to the Discovery Center. I don't think she was just humoring me, it seemed like she enjoyed the flowers as much as I did.

Of course, the bridge was an attraction for her too.

And the pond is so pretty. But the best part was watching a school of tiny, black fish as they twisted and turned in the water, they almost seemed to be trying to spell something out for us. And I swear, at one point, they all joined in to form a heart shape as they swam by.

Anywhere that I go with this girl is a magical place.

Through her eyes and imagination, I see all the possibilities of magic being real in a public park in Topeka, Kansas. We could have been over the rainbow and it wouldn't have been any more special than it was right here in the midwest on an ordinary, overcast Tuesday.

You can find magic anywhere if you keep your eyes open. Not only were the fishies making heart shapes for us, I came across a mossy heart in the cracks of the pavement too.

We looked around, took photos, talked about flowers, watched the fish. It was a simple kind of entertainment, aren't those often the best?

She offered to take my picture too.

And, like usual, my eyes were closed in each one.

We did some of our regular kid activities too. She rode the merry go round a few times ($1 a ride, no lines, no crowds), we played in the black light room at the Discovery Zone a couple of hours, until my eyes were crossed, and we had lunch at the zoo.

After years of riding by the pretty, little, stone bridge, I was so glad that we stopped and explored the park. It was such a small thing, such an easy thing to do, but such a big adventure for the two of us.

ps- here are some newbies to my Boutique. And if you are here for the studio tour, you can find it here.