flowers – Page 17 – Karla's Cottage

Lucky charms

antiques/junking, collections, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, flowers, Sugarwings, Travel, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / June 14, 2010

We had a great trip to Indiana! Traveling with 3 puppies and one 3 year old made the drive challenging, but unique. Instead of stopping for typical roadside breaks, we needed to find spots for all the little ones to stretch and play. Lunch was a quick trip to Trader Joe's in St Louis to pick up a picnic, then take it to a city park to eat it and play for an hour or so.

And for one break, we found a giant field of clovers to run in.

Adam's loved one has magical four leaf clover hunting skills. I've spent a life time trying to find just ONE. She says its all in the way you look at them. I consider myself a lucky person, and I have sharp eyes, but I can't find a lucky clover for anything. And I search!!

Its been a quest of mine since I was a little girl. Other goals, I've had to leave behind. Like trying to go one full mile on a pogo stick. I spent an entire summer when I was about 8 years old on that one, and had to give it up. Or the summer I tried to learn how to do a back flip into the pool. My body just doesn't do those and I gave up that dream too.

I'm not giving up on the clover search, and now I have a Clover Master to teach me her skills.

My poor little car was filled to the brim on the way there, and we had to half unload it every time we got the pups out.

But it was not too full to add some purchases along the way! My hat whispering skills were in fine form and I found so many (cheap!) along I70, that I am almost embarrassed to tell you about it.

These are just a few that I have unpacked so far. The rest are in my suitcase with all the dirty laundry and I am avoiding that. Its hard enough to admit a vacation is over, doing up the laundry and unpacking is just too much to face.

(The wallpaper covered box is full of old corsages. I got a bag filled with them for $11.)

So, I maybe my lucky charm isn't a four leaf clover its a millinery flower?

All the puppies are settled into their new homes now. We are down to Agnes Rose, who I am calling Rosebud instead of Rose now. She is just too little to be a big flower, she's just a bud.

I'm adjusting to the fact that we actually KEPT one. A couple days ago, she was one of the pups, now she is MY dog.

Well, that point is debatable. Someone else claims Agnes Rosebud.

They kept each other company for most of the drive home.

My fairy grand baby’s room

fairies, family, flowers, Hand Painted Furniture, paintings, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / June 13, 2010

While I am away from my computer for a few days I thought I'd leave you with some photos of the cottage. I'll be back on Sunday, and will have trip photos as well as some new listings to add to the shop (well, hopefully, I'll have some successful shopping while away!!) Any orders while I am gone will be sent out on Monday the 14th.

This is Sugarwing's room. She's pretty proud of the fact that she is big enough for her own night light (shaped like a tea pot) next to her bed. Her closet doors are painted with a mural of fairies in the flowers, and our dog, Sparkle.

Since she only comes to stay, and doesn't live her full time, the closet didn't need to be filled with her regular clothes, so it holds all of her dress up and play clothes. I'm always on the hunt at garage sales and thrift stores for fairy wings and princess dresses that are cute and cheap.

The ceiling and the area above the shelf are both painted like the sky. The shelves hold a collection of fairies and pixies, and little bird houses covered in vintage wallpaper for them to live in.

Her princess bed is vintage, I found it at an auction, and painted it white with pink glaze (instructions on my short cut paint technique are on my side bar under "tutorials")

Since the room is upstairs in an old house, it tends to get stuffy, so we had to add a window air conditioner. It doesn't exactly look great there, but it keeps her comfy.

There are white sheers on the windows, then above them, I screwed painted and glittered branches to the wall and tied trailing ribbons to them. We've clipped little butterflies and dragonflies to the ribbons and dangled fairies from the branches.

When Sugarwings was tiny, these pastel pails hung over her changing table and held her lotions. Now they hold fairy dolls that readers have sent to her.

I painted the fairy to look down at her on the changing table and she used to love to coo and talk to her while getting diapers changed.

I've painted LOTS of murals in nurseries over my lifetime and one thing I always make sure of, is that the pictures are interactive for the kids. In places where the baby spends time, like the changing area or crib, I was careful to add something of special interest for them to see. And in the rest of the room, all the creatures had friends. No matter what the theme was, fish, dogs, teddys- they all were in conversational groups.

One night when my fairy grand baby was just learning to string sentences together, we were laying on the floor of her room playing and she said "Grammy has pretty stuff". I told her, no baby, this is all YOUR stuff, this is YOUR room. She was speechless for a moment, probably for the only time in her chatterboxing life.

I think she likes her space.

A cottage tour

flowers, housework

By Karla Nathan / June 11, 2010

I will be away from my computer for a few days, but have some
fresh posts scheduled for while I am away. I won't be able to answer
comments, and all packages will be mailed on Monday the 14th.

But please
do leave a comment if you'd like to be entered in the JUNE GIVEAWAY.

Before I had everyone come to visit for my Creative Cottage Girls Weekend, I actually cleaned my whole house. All of it! at once!

While it was spiffed up, I took advantage of the tidiness and snapped some photos. I thought that I'd post them while I was out of town. This is the back door of my studio. I found this table (at a garage sale) made from an old grate that matches the round grate that I use as a welcome mat.

The shutter is an old one that I painted for a design show house that I was part of a few years back. Its been out in the shed, because I don't have a lot of red and black around here. But I kind of like it in this outdoor spot.

A month or so ago, I did a major over haul on the bathroom and posted about it then. But it got a few more switcheroos recently. Some of the mirrors that were in the dining room got moved into the bathroom. Not a big change, just some bigger mirrors.

Its a small room with no windows, so an assortment of mirrors is good for making it feel bigger and lighter.

On the side of the built in cabinet, I hung 2 old bird pictures from a flea market, that were under $1 each and a $2 framed picture that I got at Bottoms Up market.

The redecorating that I started after Christmas was mostly a lot of editing and lightening up. I've removed most of the colorful things from the downstairs of the main part of the cottage and gone all neutral.

I'm finding it very calming. And with a houseful of puppies, a couple of elderly dogs, and a 3 year old, calming is not bad.

When I repainted my dining room furniture and redid a buffet that had been in my son's room as a dresser, I showed you some photos of what I'd done. But here is a final look, with it all pulled together and cleaned up. You won't see that often around here.

Well, mostly cleaned up, kind of looks like I was in the process of cleaning, see the mop? Which reminds me, have you tried the Mr Clean Magic Eraser mop?????? It is beyond wonderful. I have light floors that are always all dog tracked and dirty. This mop cleans the tile with one light sweep across the floor better than all the scrubbing and scouring with my old mop ever did.

This is the last of our peonies for the year, I already miss them!

Most of the peony bushes that I have are white with a blush of pink. They were planted years ago by the farm wife who lived in this home way before we did. I owe her a thank you!

Finally, I have found the right chairs for Sugarwings' table!! These are pastel, old, and just the right amount of chippy. I sanded them up so more paint wouldn't chip off, then sprayed them heavily with poly to baby proof them, and painted her table white to coordinate. (lots of poly on it too) I'm thrilled to have her plastic and vinyl Disney Princess table and chairs gone now. There was always something disturbing about dining off of Cinderella's breasts.

Notice the rug? Its bamboo and can be mopped. Which is good because I have a dog about to turn 17, is senile, and he can't be trusted to know where he is peeing. No other rugs are allowed in the house because of him. Probably more than you wanted to know about my house… But I am diligent about keeping the dog pee cleaned up and gone. I clean the floor with vinegar and orange peel, so unless I am just fooling myself, the house doesn't stink.

I'm pretty paranoid about that, but besides keeping that old guy corralled most of the time, there isn't much I can do about it.

Next post while I am with my sisses and away from the computer will be Sugarwing's room.

my Rose Room

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), flowers, Hand Painted Furniture, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / June 5, 2010

I'll be away for a couple of days to celebrate my husband's birthday. Ryan will be here with the big dogs and the pups will stay with their dad's family, where they can visit their spotted brother who has gone to live there with them.

So, I won't be able to answer comments, but I will enjoy reading them when I get back. And each is entered into the June Giveaway.

When I was getting ready for friends to come for the Creative Cottage Girls Weekend, I decided that my guest room needed a redo. It was inspired by this 1940s bedspread that I picked up at a local flea mkt. I already had the floral curtains, they came from a dumpster a few years back. The shutter that I hung over the bed was out in my shed, and all of the tins and rose pieces were scattered around the house.

The shutters on each side of the window were some that I painted for a client who never came to get them. So, I guess they are mine after a couple of years, huh?

This isn't exactly zero dollar decorating, since I bought the bedspread. But everything else that I used was pulled from another room, or out of my storage shed.

I've been collecting porcelain roses for years, but have been trying to use more neutral colors downstairs, so it was a perfect fit to bring all of the roses upstairs to my new guest room, and call it the Rose Room.

This chest of drawers is another item never claimed by a client. She had it in lay-a-way for years, and never showed for it. Should that make me feel like a loser, with both of these unwanted, hand painted pieces left behind?

Actually, I'm kind of glad that this was never claimed. I just don't paint furniture any more like I used to, and now am glad to have a piece to keep for myself. It was always one of my favorites, even while it was taking up space in the garage for 3 years waiting for the person to come and get it!!!

The De Longpre roses are from a garage sale for 50 cents. I've had all these things in my studio for a few years, and as much as I liked them, they just never matched all the other things out there. So, I was glad to move them into the Rose Room.

This is a room we added in the attic when we bought the 800 square foot farmhouse 19 years ago. Its been through many transformations, both boys used it as their bedroom at one time or another, for a while it was my studio, before we built the addition. A brother moved in for a few months, and later on a niece. Then, Sugarwing's Daddy has used it off and on in the last few years. Each time, it got a make over.

But of all of the redos, I like this one best. To me, it says Cottage B&B. I hope my guests feel that when they come to stay.

Upstairs in the old part of the house, I have Sugarwing's room, the Rose Room, and the Library. My fairy grand baby and I love to curl up in that big, soft chair with a good book to share. This room is a bit of a hodge podge. Doesn't every house have a catch all room with all the left over pieces in it?

While my house was actually cleaned up (that happens so rarely) I got photos of all of it. I'll show a few more next week.

For now, I'll leave you with another puppy video. You didn't think I'd do a puppy-less post did you???

Peonies and puppies

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, flowers, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / May 27, 2010

Here are a couple of little videos of the pups on You Tube. Each is a minute or so, really short.

Springtime is my favorite time of year. I love seeing the ground wake up and turn green, and plants take off blooming. While I don't have the greenest thumb around (sometimes, I think I should just plant dollar bills, I wouldn't be any worse off) I have learned about gardening by experience.

And after 19 years at this old farmstead, my yard has come to be a place that I look forward to spending time in every Spring. After all these years, most of the big, hard labor jobs are done. I've moved tons of rock with wheelbarrows, I've planted dozens of trees, hundreds of flowers, built sidewalks with stones I've dug up from the side of the road.

This is the year to really enjoy all the previous years of hard work. There is still a lot of maintenance to do, and weeds to pull, but the major projects are finished and now I can take time to sit in the garden swing with my little buddies and soak up Spring.

Nothing around here is very polished or perfect. Its homey. Its home.

When something really insists on growing somewhere, like the violets in this planter, I just let them go. Instead of weeding them out, I just added a couple of coleus for color.

I've learned that this big old yard will never be well manicured, that some plants live and some plants don't. That a favorite area one year might not do well ever again, and to enjoy that area while it is thriving.

And that any garden looks better with puppies playing in it!

The little guys have taken over our world here, they are underfoot every step I take. We've been spending a lot of time outdoors lately. But tiny pups need naps, so while they sleep, I've gotten a little work done. I've added wings to the Charlotte on my bird house.

And now have got all these Charlotte fairy projects done and ready to mail to Somerset Life.

This is the bottom of the pocket watch with the fairy in it. Its one of the images from Mary's class. She has tons of images that she has included for the glue books, and I just had to use this one somewhere.

During the dorkies' nap time yesterday, I made up a couple of these little books (less than 4" square). They are filled with watercolor paper and the inside of the covers are lined with rose wallpaper.

I've added one of the books, and some of these fun vintage doggies to my Boutique.

Sounds like nap time is over and there is a basket full of furry babies calling out to me. I'd better get them outside to potty!

Creative Cottage Getaway

celebrations, flowers, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 22, 2010

Our Creative Cottage Girls Weekend is so much fun! Thankfully, Twinkle's vet appointment this morning gave her the all clear and she is doing well. The pups are handling being taken away from her much better than I expected. But they were getting plenty of attention from all the guests!

We made bird cottages. I had piles of supplies and a big basket of bird houses to work with. Beth brought goodies to add too.

I'll have some more photos later, right now its time to go play, we are on our way to Carol's renovated 1800s farmhouse for lunch.

Visits

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), flowers, We're having a party, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / May 19, 2010

Thanks for all the puppy names! There are some good ones coming in… its going to be fun to make choices. I'll really need good prizes for the winners! I love the names coming in. If you haven't entered yet, you can leave some suggested names on this previous post.

I'll announce the winners on Monday.

This year, I laid out bales of hay around the garden veggies to help keep weeds out. Since the garden is fenced to keep out deer and bunnies, I thought it was the perfect place to turn puppies loose for a while to get some fresh air and sunshine. It kept them contained so they could play and run without getting lost.

The little guys had a blast wrestling and hiding in the hay. Here is a photo of the front of the garden, with the wisteria in bloom. The fence was just right for keeping pups in while we worked in the yard for the afternoon. Sugarwings, her daddy and his beloved came by to help get the yard spiffed up for my Creative Cottage Girls Weekend. The wisteria, iris, and peonies are in full bloom and looking pretty, but all of my annuals are still skimpy and not flowering much. The clematis is on its way out, I think the last petals might be on the ground by Friday when my guests arrive.

And it has rained too much to get any mowing done yet. I've warned my friends not to expect perfection, this will be relaxed and comfortable and very homey, not an over the top weekend. My plan is to enjoy it as much as they do, and not exhaust myself and my budget by thinking it all has to be perfect.

In my mind, the secret to entertaining is to enjoy your guests. I keep it comfy and welcoming but if there are a few toys left out, or some weeds in the flower bed, I don't think that will ruin anyone's visit. Now, I do love things pretty of course, but I try to keep that in mind for every day living, not just special occasions. I think that if a home looks loved and is filled with love, you are always ready for guests.

But I will clean up the studio mess before I invite anyone out there to have a craft day! That is my plan for the next couple of hours.

It looks a lot worse than it really is. I'll zip through and stash things away and the room will be ready to go in no time.

I had kind of thought that I'd get the studio cleaned up yesterday, but I was too busy having fun in the afternoon working in the yard and even more fun in the morning with some pals. A Silver Bella buddy, Cheryl was driving from California to New York and stopped for a visit.

Before visiting Curious Sofa and Mission Road Antique Mall, for shopping and lunch with Carol, Deb, and Beth, Carol invited us to her glorious farmhouse- its so beautiful, I think I might still be glowing green with envy today.

She is hosting a lunch for everyone coming to the girl's weekend too. Ooooh, that will be so pretty, I'll really have to watch my manners. Not act too jealous, and not stare too much and forget to talk to everyone at the table because I am mesmerized by the house.

I took Carol a little planter made from ceiling tins and filled with purple flowers as a house warming gift.

Cheryl had the prettiest hand made bags with fabric flowers for Carol and I.

Inside the bag was a fluffy, gray scarf. Instead of wearing it, I am using it as a table runner, the colors and textures were just too right for this room I just redid.

See what I mean? What a lovely gift. But Cheryl is a lovely lady and we had such a nice visit. Her family was kind enough to take a break in their cross country drive to hang out in KC for a bit.

Thanks, Cheryl!

Plants, Pups, plus the Broccoli Queen, oh, and two winners!

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, flowers, give away, Sugarwings, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / May 6, 2010

Thanks for all of the wonderful birthday wishes! I had a good day, and the garden is planted! My son and Sugarwings, as well as a few pups were there to help.

We had big plans for going out to dinner, but while we were on a roll with the garden, we just kept working. My birthday ends up being the hardest working day of the year, because my family offers to pitch in and help with a big job. I never fail to take them up on the offer, its good to get some manpower put to use out in the landscaping! Since my husband was going to be out of town for the day, he helped me in the flowerbeds over the weekend.

So after days of "help" I am exhausted from all the yard work!! Its good to get the place cleaned up and get flats of flowers and herbs out to enjoy for the rest of the season. There is still more to do, but these last few days really took care of the major chunk of the work.

Sugarwings is a natural gardener, she loves nothing more than being wet and dirty. Her job was to play with and misplace the tools, and spray everything with the hose.

We crowned her the broccoli queen when she decided to wear the garden marker as a necklace and it was too small, so got stuck on her head.

I figured I wouldn't need a marker to recognize a head of cabbage, so made her a necklace to wear from that marker.

I was as wet and dirty as she was, and it was getting late, so my sweet son whipped up one of his great dinners for us while Sugarwings and I got cleaned up. His cooking is better than going out to dinner anytime! He made spinach and red pepper fettuccine with crab. Not bad for something he just whipped up in a few minutes while I showered.

We had a mini birthday party in the afternoon, before my son came by to help. Some friends dropped in to say Happy Birthday and have some carrot cake and blueberry ice tea on the patio and a walk on the Fairy Berry Trail.

They brought their kids, so I enlisted them help feed pups. We made up a bowl of puppy cereal and all the kids got a spoon to feed the babies with.

It was a birthday full of fun, friends, sweet babies, and help. Not to mention all the thoughtful well wishes I got from you. Yep, I'm pretty lucky!

Walmart has never been my favorite store, but it seems like sometimes you just gotta go there. When I do I usually find some spectacular deals. Like these tees. They are pure cotton and soft as if they had been worn for years. And only $4. I treated myself to a stack of them for my birthday and today I am embellishing a few with some of the trims I got from my Great Aunt Caroline's estate.

As much as I dislike sewing, I seem to be doing a lot of it lately, and I have to say, its been kinda fun…

Of course, my sewing is as simple as can be. Straight stitches only! And nothing that has to be perfect. Only decorative things like these pouches made from flocked wallpaper, or embellishing the tees, nothing that is measured, fitted, or complicated.

Speaking of these pouches- I need to announce the April Giveaway winner. The prize goes to:

Holly

She gets the pouch on the right, that is filled with my shard necklace.

Also, I have another 50 sign ups for my Google Friend Connect and need to give away a Peat Pot Pretty for that. I'll give away another at 250.

Please note that if you are already signed up for Friend Connect, you are in the drawing. But if you are a follower else where, I don't have a list for other following sites to draw from. If you want to enter, you have to sign up for Friend Connect.

The winner of a Peat Pot Pretty is:

Rose

Around the May Pole

antiques/junking, celebrations, collections, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, flowers, I do tend to run on, don't I?, Sugarwings, We're having a party, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / May 3, 2010

What's the only thing better than scoring over a dozen floral hats at a flea market? Playing with them when you get home! Especially when you have friends who want to play too.

These little guys are starting to get interesting. They all try to come to me (but are still kind of stumbly) when they hear my voice now. It has not been easy to get any work done today, its the first day that the pups really seem to want to spend as much time with me as they do with their mom. Its funny to see how fast they develop and change. Just yesterday, they were mostly sleeping and today they are crying until they get picked up!

Between snuggles, I've been plucking hats. My hat storage is overflowing, so I needed to make space by pulling all the flowers off the newest arrivals. Finding 15 in one day is kind of amazing, even with my hat whispering skills. But I have to admit that I had a little help at the flea mkt, Beth pointed a few out to me and was nice enough to let me at them.

She and I are good shopping partners. I try to point out things I know she'll love. Even if I love them too. We kind of let things go to who ever has the most passion for the item, or take turns with the greatest stuff, or even share. We started a wallpaper pact years ago to prevent jealousy. If one of us scores big on wallpaper, we always share with the other.

(The hat with the brown ribbon only had a few flowers on it, but LOOK at that fabulous dotted Swiss ruffled ribbon that rims it!!)

See why I can't resist these guys? They are finally starting to look around and observe their world and its so cute when they just stare into my eyes. I don't know if I've ever been more in love with a batch of pups… its going to be hard to say goodbye in just a few weeks!

Its always hard to say good bye to the flowers too… I fall a bit in love with each bloom. I was reading Jenny's blog the other day and drooling over some flowers she used on a May basket, then she mentioned she had bought them from me!

Its never easy to say good bye to Sugarwings when she goes home to her mommy or daddy either, but its easier knowing that her parents are generous with letting us have time with her and with them too. We are so blessed and lucky that our extended family can all "share" her and get along. Even though her parents aren't together, we are all still family. I'm hoping that her Daddy's new family will be able to blend with us all too.

My theory is that you can't have too many people to love.

We celebrated May Day together by going to a carnival at her school, then my handsome husband and I did hours and hours of yardwork.

The school is out in the country, and was a lovely setting for all of the events. The big kids did a May Pole dance, there were arts and crafts, live music, and a hula hoop class. (That's my husband showing his moves)

Our tiny little hooper had a blast.

Especially with the glue and scissors. Sometimes I wonder if she really cares about creating anything, all she cares about is cutting and gluing. That kid is obsessed with scissors and glue.

And when I buy her clothes at Goodwill (this is a $4 dress) I can relax and enjoy watching her go wild with the glue.

I probably shouldn't go so many days without posting, I tend to have too much to say as it is, when I post every day or two! It was such a busy and fun weekend that there is just too much to blather on about. Flats of flowers, working in the garden, redoing a guest room, parties, boating, puppies to play with, May poles and more. No wonder I didn't have a chance to do a post!

I'll leave you with some photos of the flower packs I added to the shop, stop running on and on!

Floral Fantasy Floor

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), flowers, paintings

By Karla Nathan / April 27, 2010

We are just falling in love with this little guy. His unique coloring is getting him a lot of attention, especially from Sugarwings. She wanted to snuggled him while we watched movies, I have to remind her that all of the puppies need some cuddle time.

There is nothing in the world better than holding Sugarwings while she holds puppies and we snuggle up to watch a movie together. Its the best! We hold two at a time, for about 15 minutes, until Twinkle gets antsy and wants them back. She will let us trade out two more when we return the two we had. She has some sort of inner stop watch and we aren't allowed to hold them for too long, or she'll start pacing and crying.

As they get bigger, she is spending a bit more time away from them and with me again. I've got my buddy back! She is right back to sneaking into my photos just like she used to.

Last week, I painted the bathroom in what I thought was soothing gray and mushroom with whites and cream accents. I thought I would love simple.

But, the floor just wasn't quite right for me. The soft taupey mushroom color was just too blah. So, I washed it with a sepia glaze. That wasn't quite enough either, so I added a border of flowers. Then, I sanded the whole floor for an aged effect and covered it with a water based clear coat.

Water based products are the only way to go, for me. I change things so much, that I have to use paints that are easy to cover. This floor has been a dozen different styles and colors since we moved in and I like the way I can sand through and pick up colors from under neath the fresh paint. It gives it some dimension.

Now that the floor is more to my taste, I am really liking the simple gray walls. Simple is great, in small doses!

Before painting the floor yesterday, and before running what felt like a million errands, I pulled out the sewing machine for something I wanted to experiment with. You know how nice and thick flocked wallpaper can be? Almost like fabric? I thought it would make a nice pouch, and sewed one up to see if it would work- it did!

Its fastened at the top with ribbon through hole punches and just stitched up the sides, so was really easy to make. I'm always on the look out for interesting presentations for things I send out from my shop, and love the way this looks as a wrapping. This one is going to Somerset Life and my altered book that I showed here is inside! Its always an honor to have something appear on their pages. A selection of my Peat Pot Pretty Fairies is going there too. (by the way there are still a couple of fairy pots in the Boutique as well as 2 kits left to make your own)

While I have the sewing machine out, I want to stitch up a few more bags.

And I have more Charlottes in!! I got a big boxful from Germany in a variety of sizes.

By the way, you still have time to enter the April Giveaway. I think I'll sew up a little flocked wallpaper pouch to send it to you in too…

I'll leave you with a reminder photo of the pansy pendant I am giving away, and also some pictures of what is new in the shop today.