flowers – Page 14 – Karla's Cottage

Gilding

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, flowers, paintings, Sugarwings, swaps

By Karla Nathan / June 23, 2011

My computer is home safe and seems to be working. Even though it was all backed up, the Geeks had some trouble finding where all the stuff was hiding. And a lot of it, they restored in weird places. I'm hunting and gathering and finding odds and ends as I go along. My email files are a wreck, all jumbled and not in files anymore, just years of saved things smooshed together.

But it still feels GREAT to have her back.

While my computer was out of commission, I was kind of on a forced vacation from work. While I kept up with emails on my Ipad and still worked in the studio, I also did some puttering around, reading, entertaining, and playing with grandies.

It was good to have some extra cuddle time with this dumpling.

And I hitch hiked along on Sugarwing's class field trip to a farm.

But it wasn't all play time. A huge start was made on the tag book covers too. I did a little painting of a bird, on a page torn from an old book about birds. Then I had it copied onto premium card stock and I really like the way they came out, very vibrant.

In the original, all the bars of the cage are black. So, I am going over each cage, slowly but surely, with metallic inks or glitters, gilding the black lines. I get bored easily and keep changing up how I do it.

If I am ever When I am done with this part, I'll cover the backs with pretty wallpaper, cut them out, trim 'em up with lace, add a charm and that is it. They'll be ready to put together.

Which reminds me-

If you are in the swap, all the details, including my address, can be found on the swap info page. You can get to it by clicking on the button on my side bar.

Also, I'm taking a trip to see family in Utah on July 14th, so I'll be extending the date from the 15th till the 18th. But please do go ahead and mail your tags by the 15th, they will be here in time for me to start assembly.

But, even though I just told you my address and the fact that I will be out of town, don't think you can come and rob me. My son lives here and he is a weight lifter, very strong. His weightlifting friends hang out with him here too.

I also have 3 attack dogs. And an alarm system. So don't even try to come by and raid my hat collection while I'm away, its well protected.

A few roses for you

flowers, free images, Tutorials, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / May 27, 2011

Lately, I've not taken advantage of the great garage sales in the area. But last week I hit one that seem to suck at first, but then I delved into the jewelry pile and found this Victorian gold ring with a date of 1892 inside for just a couple dollars! Kind of whets my whistle and makes me want to get out and treasure hunt some more.But there aren't many sales during a holiday weekend.

If you don't have any plans for the 3 day weekend, maybe you'd enjoy making some dress forms? My tutorial is up and ready for purchase at $15. Soon, I'll have kits for sale for $40 and those will come with a free link to the online tutorial.

If you buy the tutorial now and want a kit (filled with vintage goodies!) later on when they are available, I'll refund your $15 after your purchase of the kit.

The class includes all the directions, with photos and videos, plus papers to download and print and lots of ideas. Please click on the button on my side bar for more information.

I'll leave you with a couple of images to print. Just click on them to enlarge, save to your computer and print from that.

Hope you have a lovely holiday!

How To Alter a Book Cover with vintage pretties

flowers, how to's, Tutorials, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 23, 2011

Here is an altered book I made this week. I thought I'd do a simple, quickie tutorial about the cover.

The wallpaper covered cardstock is attached by gluing ribbon to the edge of the front cover and to the back also. Leave the center of the ribbon alone, not glued to anything, that leaves space for the cover to open and close.
The pages can be stitched together and sewn to the center of the binding ribbon. Use a heavy duty ribbon, like the velvet one I chose.
I cut girl from a hand tinted, old photo, and added it slightly off center to a medallion cut from wallpaper. At the bottom of the medallion, I used my Exacto blade to cut a slit to slide the photo under, so she looks like she is framed in the oval.
I glued down the oval/medallion, and the photo of the girl.
With a dark marker, I outlined the girl, and also the OUTSIDE rim of the oval, for shadows and depth.
Leaving the outside ring of the oval "frame" alone, I spread crackle glaze (from Tim Holtz) over the entire center of the medallion and over the girl too.
After drying, I topped it off with a bouquet of flowers and ribbons at the bottom and lined smaller flowers along the top of the frame.

Packing it up

flowers, Tutorials, vintage paper/collage art, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / May 22, 2011

The April Showers bring May Flowers sale is still going on in the Boutique and Etsy. I've added a few more packs of millinery flowers, and you'll get free shipping for the month of May for all flowers (USA only, sorry)

For the boutique, pay as usual, and I'll send a refund. For Etsy shipping is already marked free.

I've also been busy packing some up to sell at Paper Cowgirls next month. Lisa and I are sharing one table, so I'm trying to be smart about my space and what I'm packing to take along. Beth is good at figuring what items pack the most punch for the space they take up and I'm listening to her advice.

I tend to think that I can just take it all, and that isn't so smart. So this trip, I am trying to FOCUS on a few items that look well together, pack easily, and are affordable, but still worth my time to take.

This is my first Paper Cowgirls event, but Lisa has given me some tips on what the shoppers might like on vendor night too.

Here's what I have so far, some little Charlotte dolls (I have a few hundred more ordered, I hope I get them in time. If not, it will be a small basketful tagging along on this trip)

Lately I've been experimenting with paper clay fairies too, so I might bring those. On the other hand, they might be too hard to pack, since they are fragile… I'll only have one tub to fill, Beth and I are driving and neither of us have a big car. I have all the kits for my class that I need to take too. Beth is vending and will have a full table to fill, so space is limited.

And I think that some of my class kits for making dress forms is a good idea.

(by the way, I am making up extras to sell in the Boutique too. Along with an online tutorial.) I'll let you know when I have them ready to go.

Yesterday I made up some foofed journals to take along to sell. This one is an old diary, with a locking clasp.

These two are tiny little bank books I've given make overs to.

I'll probably have room for a few more little books. I wonder if that is a good idea? Any of it is a gamble, you just never know any time you plan to sell things.

But I'm going for the pure joy of being there, I've heard such wonderful things about Paper Cowgirls. Anything I sell is just icing on the cake!

We are over 80 participants in the Birdsong tag book swap, but I've got room for more. If you want to join us, details are in my blog post about it. You can get there by clicking on the button on my sidebar.

Hope to hear from you!

A Springtime tea party

fairies, family, flowers, Food and Drink, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 16, 2011

The weather around here has been weird, which means, its a typical Kansas Spring. The air conditioner was in use on Monday and by the end of the week we had the furnace back on again.

Sugarwings spent some of the weekend with me and we were both sick of the cold weather, so we cheered ourselves up with a Fairy Tea Party. A big part of the fun was setting her table and planning treats that our guests would like.

We made cupcakes together, then I put her to work making cherry tomato and cheese kabobs on colorful toothpicks. (she preferred to make her tomatoes connected with multiple picks, and her platter of snacks looked more like an erector set than kabobs)

I let her pick the flowers for the centerpiece and she chose all yellow, which is odd for her, she loves pink even more than I do. But I think she made a good choice for the table cloth and the teapot that she chose.

Our guests were Pixie Pie and Lola (which means Grandmother in Filipino, Lola is Grandpa Ardell's widow). All day, while getting ready for them, Sugarwings refused to call them by their names, she would only refer to them as "our guests".

And after they left, she set and re-set her table for guests to come again.

The goodies went over well. I don't have a single photo where someone isn't chewing. Everyone was pretty engrossed in the meal. (that is Sparkle in the background waiting patiently to clean up the floor under the table after the meal is over, Agnes Rosebud and Twinkle aren't that patient, they are under the table already.)

The girls might think that tea parties are all about the food, but I am sneakily teaching manners as we chow down. They learn about passing the food around, pouring their own cream, and sharing food, but not sharing the spoons or double dipping. As well as polite conversation and asking each person how their day was.

There might have been a little bit too much sugar in the tea, so we bundled up and went outside to run some of the energy off. It sure looks like Spring with all the iris in bloom, but it was too chilly for me.

Promising them a bubble bath got the two little girls to come inside again so I could get warm They were happy running full speed through the garden trails while I shivered, but a chance to play in the big tub convinced them.

And a warm bubble bath was good for them too, they were cold and sticky.

Thanks for all of your sign ups for my Birdsong Tag Book Swap!

And there is room for more. Scroll down to the previous post for details if interested.

How Cheesy

flowers, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / May 11, 2011

Time is running out to sign up for Paper Cowgirls! I think the final day is May 15th.

There are lots of fun swaps going on there this year, but I didn't sign up for any. I'll be kicking myself on swap night!

But I did enter the Velveeta Challenge. Yep, Velveeta. I hadn't bought the stuff in ten years, but picked some up this week just for the box. I made up a queso dip for company on Saturday night with the big yellow/orange block and a can of Rot-el, along with a block of cream cheese. I have to admit that it wasn't bad…

But I'm going right back to my anti-processed cheese stance now that it is all gone.

My arteries will thank me.

The challenge is to transform the empty box into something not so cheesy. Then, they will be auctioned off for a good cause.

These pictures are sneak peeks of my redo, but I'm not showing the whole thing, just a few little glimpses. (the pocket watch isn't part of the project, it is something new in the Boutique)

I went with what I always think of as Texas colors, all neutrals, some rust and white. And I used the Best of the Best of the Good Stuff.

This box metamorphosis really was a challenge to me. For one thing, it was pretty flimsy and had to be reinforced. But I sure enjoyed working on it. I could use more stretches out of my comfort zone. That is what can be really wonderful about doing a challenge or swap, its good to try something different.

I hope the Texas girls like it, and someone bids on it.

Speaking of Texas girls, when my pal Lisa came to Birdsong to teach, she brought me the most gorgeous "bridal"bed spread. I had it over my pale blue bedding for a week or so and loved using it, but was really afraid that the dogs would ruin it. And of course, since the bed belongs to Twinkle (or so she insists) and she just lets me sleep in it with her, I had to consider her feelings.

Not that she ever considers mine, that dog is a bed hog.

So, instead it is hanging in my living room window now, safely away from dog toe nails and muddy paws.

I have a double window and on the other half I hung a French net table cloth that I recently found at an estate sale. Of course, the two don't match, but I like it this way. They have a similar feel, so I think it works.

Aren't these cake toppers sweet as pie? Or as cake, I guess. I bought a big bag of them, and had to save some for Sugarwings, she's really into giraffes. The rest are in the Boutique if you've got a birthday party coming up and could use a few on your special little person's cake.

In my stash, I've had a roll of silk ribbon for years and never used it. It was just tooooo glaring white. So, I dipped it in coffee. Didn't like it. Then I spritzed it with some dye made from boiled avocado skins (for a perfect pink) and some walnut dye, too, and rinsed it out and this is what I got. The walnuts kind of faded to a soft green.

Now, don't ask me why I did 10 yards of it at once, with experimental dyes. I could have ruined the whole piece if the colors didn't turn out pretty. I had no idea what I was getting, I sure didn't think walnuts would make it green. This is kind of like when I made a vat of chicken salad for my Birdsong guests and thought it might be tasty to add some poultry seasoning. I've never made chicken salad with poultry seasoning in it, and should have tested it on a small bowlful instead of on 12 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts all chopped up and mixed with the other ingredients already.

But I got lucky with that too, and I really liked the flavor.

I'll leave you with a few more photos of what's new in the Boutique and Etsy.

And please remember, that for the month of May, all millinery flowers have free shipping.

On Etsy, the shipping is already marked, but in the Boutique, you need to pay as normal, and I'll send a refund to you.

New traditions

celebrations, family, flowers, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 9, 2011

How was your Mother's Day? Mine started off a bit weepy, thinking about my mom, but it turned around real quick when my girls arrived for a day of fun. My husband took Sugarwings for the day and was happy to do it. I think it was his happiest Mother's Day of all time. No pressure, just fun with the apple of his eye.

She rode on his shoulders while in line to buy tickets to see a kid flick. He says that she turned around to everyone in line and said, "This is my Pop Pop."

Then, she added, "And I am a Princess".

And then turned one more time to tell the crowd behind her, "Because my Pop Pop says I am!"

Yes, she knows that in her Pop Pop's eyes, she's pure royalty and just eats it up.

My Mother's Day was not bad at all, either. Typically, my sons and husband help me with a big job in the yard as a gift. It always turns into the most exhausting day of the entire year, with all of us working till we drop. (me too)

They are sweet to do it, and for non-shopping guys, it was pretty good. But I've decided to change the way things are done for the next generation of moms in the family. No more hard labor on Mom's Day!

Our plan for this year was to have a girly day out.

The littlest fairy wanted to be with her mom for the day, so she got to tag along. And since all she does is nurse, sleep, laugh and smile, she was a welcome guest.

We went out for seafood and steaks with bellinis for lunch then went to Liberty Hall, our local theater that has been around since Civil War days and started as an Opera House. Its always beautiful to see a movie there, and you can sip wine while you watch a show. We chose Jane Eyre, great for a girl's day.

I can see a tradition beginning, this was the best Mother's Day ever. Relaxation, conversation, a cuddly baby, and wine!!

And did I mention NO hauling mulch???? NO digging holes?? Yay!!!

It was a weekend of celebration, with friends over on Saturday night to share some good wine and sit by the bonfire. As if that is not enough, we also had Sugarwings for 3 nights in a row. Yep, it wasn't just a good Mother's Day, it was a GREAT Mother's Day weekend.

I'm feeling pretty lucky right now.

Its time that I pull a name for the winner of a Birdsong souvenir. I promised last week, and then forgot to do it. The present goes to:

Kim Allen

Today I've been taking photos of some flowers to list online for my April Showers Bring May Flowers sale.

My birthday is in May and my mom always used to tell me that little rhyme and tell me I was a May Flower. So I decided to have a sale in the Boutique and Etsy with FREE shipping on all millinery for the month of May.

On Etsy, the shipping is already marked FREE. In the Boutique, you'll need to pay for the shipping and I will send you a refund for the postage you paid. (USA only, sorry)

Right now, I'm in the middle of adding flowers. Etsy has some new ones, the Boutique will soon. Thanks for looking!

Happy birthday happy birthday – cha cha cha (as Sugarwings sings it)

celebrations, flowers, Food and Drink, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 6, 2011

What a great birthday I had yesterday! Carol and Debbie treated me to lunch at Julian's in Brookside, owned and operated by one of the cheftestants on Top Chef Masters. And I am such a TV junkie, that I'll eat up anything served by someone on one of my "stories".

Luckily, this place was cute as a button and over the top delicious.

Friendly, casual, and affordable too. Celina Tio, from the show (and formerly on Iron Chef) greets everyone at the door and is nice as can be. Pretty too. The TV show doesn't do her justice, she's much cuter in person.

I had some things to deliver to Carol and Debbie and we decided to meet for lunch. I said, why not Thursday, since it was my birthday, so the poor girls might have got a party ambush. But I love birthdays and am upfront about telling everyone its my day.

Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes! I had some prime baby holding time too, so it was a good day.

I'll leave you with some photos of what's new in Boutique. I've added a few millinery blooms, and have photos taken of more to add.

For the whole month of May, I'm giving you free shipping (United States) for all millinery. Pay as normal, and when I pack up and ship the item, I'll refund your shipping fees.

There will be more blooms added next week too.

I'm just out of time today, we get Sugarwings tonight. So, no more working, time to play!

April Showers bring May Flowers Sale in the Boutique

bird song art event, flowers

By Karla Nathan / April 27, 2011

Are you tired of my Nesty/Birdy blathering? I tend to be an enthusiastic person and I'm pretty excited that Birdsong is just around the corner! So there will be a few more posts with more stories of Birds coming.

I'm almost ready for it, and am so far right on schedule. So I'm taking Thursday off to head to my favorite flea market with Beth.

Today, I'll pack goodie bags, and finish little odds and ends. Friday is food shopping and cooking.

One of our sponsors is Mary Green, Queen of Ephemera. I asked her if she had any game cards with letters for sale and she showed up with a whole bagful of alphabetical cards and had separated out all the N,E,S, and Ts for me to give to the students to use in their banners.

My plan for the mini vendor night was just to wrap up a few millinery packs to sell. But- once again, I got carried away. Since I had to move so much out of my studio to make room for classes, I decided to use vendor night as a clearance sale so I didn't have to move as much stuff back into the studio again.

Most of it, is stockpiles of things that are waiting to get their photos taken so that I can list them online…. so if they don't sell during our party, I can always add them to the Boutique. Others are things that just need to find new homes, since I am not setting up and doing shows like I used to. I've got lots of less than 1/2 price items to sell, and plenty of $1 things too.

Not to mention those flowers that I originally planned to sell that night. And since that is what I do, I made up way too many packs of flowers. I'm adding all of these to the shop today.

I won't be able to ship anything till after this weekend, which fits right into a special I am going to have. My April Showers Bring May Flowers Sale. Free shipping on all millinery for the month of May, with more flowers being added throughout the month.

Just purchase your posies as usual, and I will refund the postage after packing them up to mail. Sale starts NOW.

I'm off to go and work on adding flowers to the Boutique and fine tune some details for Birdsong. I'll leave you with some pics of Sugarwings hopping down the Bunny Trail on her Easter Egg Hunt last Sunday.

It was too chilly to dress her in a frilly dress, so she is wearing a warm, brown sweater and pants. I called her my little Chocolate Bunny.

When the heck is Easter anyway?

celebrations, Chandeliers, collections, flowers, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / April 19, 2011

My Easter decor has been up way too long, already. And when is Easter even coming? Its late this year, and I got all geared up for it way too early, back in March.

Mid March even.

Every year, I'm excited to pull out the fluffy bunnies and pastel pretties to welcome Spring. Its kind of a spring cleaning ritual for me, and I like to decorate my chandelier for the season, as I wipe down the crystals on it.

Its always a fresh, clean, exciting feeling to have all the decorations out, but this year, I think it was a bit soon for all this fluff and I'm tired of it before the bunny has even come to hide his eggs.

Most of it is stuff I love, and more springlike than Easterish.

Usually I use my springy decor for the whole season, and just add the vintage bunnies, lambs, chicks, etc to it for the holiday itself. But I guess I didn't realize I was more than a month early for all the bunnies and their pals, and added the pastel guys way too soon.

Why is it that I adore having Christmas decorations up for as long as possible but not Easter? And last fall I had pumpkins (white glittered ones) every where for months and loved it. I never got tired of either.

But I'm ready to rip the ears right off the rabbits by now.

Yet, at this point, I need to just ride it out. Easter is finally just around the corner.

Plus, Sugarwings loves it all so much. She wouldn't like seeing Grammie go postal on the holiday decor.

One thing I really am enjoying is Picnik's "bunny tone" editing tool. Pretty, huh? I loved this photo of Sugarwings and my handsome husband, but it was blurry and dark. Using Picnik turned it into a keeper.

I have a feeling that when I get to fill Sugarwing's basket and hide her eggs, that my Easter Joy will return. But for right now, its a struggle to not gag when I see a china lamb.

Maybe I need some Cadbury eggs therapy. Nothing like an infusion of that elusive, annual treat to make a person appreciate Easter time!

Please pardon me for not visiting with you. I'm busy as an early bird chasing worms trying to get ready for my Birdsong art workshop coming up.