Food and Drink – Page 14 – Karla's Cottage

The craftless craft day

By Karla Nathan / February 6, 2012

Some friends came over for lunch Tuesday, and we almost had a craft day along with it. I'd planned an all day crafting day with lunch in the middle, but plans changed, so we enjoyed what time we had.

And I'll take any excuse to buy some fresh flowers for my kitchen. My local grocery store offers mark down floral bundles on Mondays, but I don't always treat myself to them. Or if I do, I'll buy one or two bundles. But for this special occasion, I splurged and got 7!

Did I mention they were only $1.99 each? And some of the ones available were pink roses, which are favorites of mine. I rarely buy the roses though, because I am a cheapskate, even at two bucks, I figure that the carnations will last 4 times as long, so I go for those.

Plus I feel kind of sorry for carnations, they are often unappreciated.

Sometimes I wonder about myself. Really? Too cheap to buy $2 worth of roses because they will only look good for a few days??

I was thrilled to have a reason to buy enough flowers to put all around the cottage.

Including the treat cabinet in the studio.

And the coffee cart next to it.

We didn't even end up making anything that day, but we did "retire to the studio" after lunch to have treats and spend an hour or so being creative.

We were so busy talking and laughing we never got around to crafting on craft day. I see Carol so rarely, and this was the first time Lesa has been out to visit, so we had a lot of catching up to do. My buddy, Angie was able to come by just for lunch, she had a client to meet with afterward.

I know that everyone is busy, so it means a lot to me when friends can make time to come and hang out for all day or for a short visit, whatever they can squeeze in.

One of the things we talked about was how nice it is to have other women to discuss business or family issues with. Its a topic that Carol has insight with, she has even started a blog that addresses that subject, called Good Stella where she offers encouragement and advice to help women on the road to achieving their dreams.

Carol is always generous with her time and experience. And has good advice to offer.

This bird topped tree is one that I made in another friend's class a few years back. Sheila makes the coolest stuff, and is such a nice person. I always set it out for Valentine's decorating.

This year, I've added an ephemera heart from Ginger Shrader, and liked her sweet idea so much, that I hung a few more similar hearts on the tree too. Its sitting on a vintage candy box, that I picked up cheap because the top wasn't very pretty and I thought I'd foof it up. But when I flipped it over, I saw that the back was much more attractive and I display it as is- upside down.

Hmmm, what was I talking about? Oh yes, friends. And how lucky I am to have time with them.

Working as an artist can be a lonely job. Which is why I love craft days, and classes, and other gatherings of creative pals. Now, I am not knocking being an artist. I can't imagine having to put on real clothes and leave the house to go to a real job every day. Well, sometimes I do day dream about those real pay checks… but heck, anyone who'd hire an uneducated, no skills person like me probably wouldn't pay much anyhow.

Working from home is great. And I have the Dorkies to keep me company, as well as visits online from blog friends.

But there is something extra nice about actually having people come to the house, sit down, and chat.

Wigged out for the holidays

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 28, 2011

This is my favorite holiday photo from our weekend. Little Dewdrop snuck up onto the table while her elfish father was fixing dinner. He wore the hat and cape for most of Christmas and I thought it added a festive touch.

We spent a lot of our time in the kitchen, and having it be one, big open space was just great. Now, why didn't we think of this years ago? Its made our house such a cozier place.

We had one wonderful meal after another, and since the kids were staying with us instead of driving back to the woods and going to their yurt each night, we even went all out for breakfast in the mornings. On Christmas Day, our Gypsy made this fluffy, puff of deliciousness for us from a recipe we saw in the Sunday paper that morning.

Poor Sugarwings had been pretty sick all week leading up to the big day, and stayed here with us for most of the time, with her parents having sleepovers with her at our cottage. She rallied by the time Christmas Eve came around, but was still not quite herself.

We were sad to see her so weak and tired, but It was nice to have a houseful for the whole week, instead of just seeing them for the dinner and present times.

This year, between Sugarwings being sick, and me travelling, I was behind on gift buying. I did a whirlwind shopping trip, throwing things into the cart as I buzzed down the aisles. By the time I got home, I wasn't even sure what I had for who, I just hoped it was done. And for some reason, I bought wrapping paper, not bags…. silly mistake! If you wait till the last minute to buy gifts, there is no time for wrapping, those late gifts need to be slipped into bags.

That was NOT the highlight of my week.

But watching these little fairies tear through that paper was.

Dewdrop was very fond of her new toys. She was busy giving all the dollies lots of kisses and hugs.

She wasn't quite sure what to think about the dress up wig that her big sister got though.

I think it added a lot to the festivities, as she wore it to pass out the gifts.

We had two celebrations, all gifts to each other on Christmas Eve, and Santa's presents on Christmas Day. My husband's family has always done it that way, and it has become our tradition too.

I grew up with being able to open one gift the night before, saving the rest for the main event. I was always disappointed that the one preview gift was PJs every single time. I thought it was just plain old bad luck that I always picked the one gift that was not fun at all, when there was a sparkling pile of things waiting under the tree for me.

Of course, now I know that Mom planned it that way, so that I'd have new jammies on for Christmas morning when I woke her up at the crack of dawn. But at the time, I was crushed that once again, I got pajamas, not a Barbie on Christmas Eve.

Now, I am pulling my own version of the jammie trick, and let the girls each have one gift to open after dinner, before bath time and the rest of the gifts. Yep, they each had a new pair of matching PJ's as their sneak peek gift just like I did when I was a kid.

We had a third holiday bash on the day after Christmas, with the rest of the family (at least the ones in this part of the world) over for dinner, and all 26 of us fit into the new kitchen.

The house seems really quiet now with everyone gone. I've kind of gone into hibernation, with a good book and a box of kleenex (I caught Sugarwing's cold). I've not even checked out the post holiday sales yet, and don't know if I will. Although I keep thinking about all that clearance price Russell Stover chocolate…. out there, just waiting for me, all marshmallowey on the inside and shaped like chocolate Christmas trees.

But I'm kind of enjoying being snuggled up with a book and staying home in my jammies. I think I'll pass on the sales and go have another slice of that white chocolate peppermint cheesecake that I made instead. By the time I leave the house, the only thing that will fit me will be my elastic waist jammies.

If you are into holiday sale prices and don't want to leave your comfy home either, I have a sale in my Boutique and now on Etsy too. And yes, it covers tutorials, millinery, charlottes, and all of the other vintage goodness in my shops.

Everything is 30% off in the Boutique if you use THIS LINK.

And the small print says: The only catch is, that I won't be doing any mailing for a few days. You might not recieve your box till after New Years.

And if you click on the website directly, you can't get the sale price, its only available from THIS LINK

When you fill your shopping cart, you need to type in the words- happyholidays – then hit "recalculate" to get the special price. Its simple to do.

For Etsy, use the same code word- happyholidays -to get 30% off there too.

And by the way, a Very Happy Holidays to you all!

Pretty, pretty, pretty, I love Kim’s house! plus a Boutique sale and a giveaway

Food and Drink, give away, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, Travel, We're having a party, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / December 23, 2011

Everything at Kim's was pure perfection, she has major decor, design, and detail skills.

And the ladies who came to spend the day were such fun! I hope they enjoyed my two classes as much as I enjoyed sharing the tips with them.

There were gifts galore too. Kim gave us all the table decorations she used to foof our seats, I already have these wings on display in my own holiday decor.

And the generous attendees all included me in their swaps, even though I didn't have time to participate. (photos to come, you'll be impressed with their work!)

Kim's house was sooooo pretty. I said that word so many times, that I sounded like a broken record. Or a dimwit with a pitiful vocabulary.

Can you blame me? Pretty was everywhere.

Kim was attempting to show me around when I arrived, when I caught a glimpse of her studio through the open doorway and I was magnetically pulled into the prettiness of the room, with no hope of stopping myself. I just had to explore that space.

But it wasn't just the studio. The whole house is that great. This is the bedroom that Jessi and I shared, Kim's daughter, Kate, gave up her room for the whole weekend.

My main project was a wire wrapped wreath, with lace leaves and a nesting dove. I brought a table full of "extras" for everyone to play with. Ribbons, lace, beads,glitters, etc. When I teach a class, I think its only fair to include everything you need in the kits.

But- its good to have an option to personalize the piece and have some bonus goodies to dig through.

Don't we all love to dig?

Everyone's project was unique, no two just the same. Just the way I like it!

We also played with paint, and I explained some of the techniques for short cut painting tips that are on the side bar of my blog. I'll have some pictures of that later, as well as a bigger sample of the work. Kim and I painted her nightstands using the same steps that we did on the small wooden boxes that I brought for the class.

When I arrived, she had a pristine, newly painted, chalk board door.

And I had the honors of supplying its first drawing.

Kate has tamed a feral cat and it adores her. So, my thought was to add the kitty to the picture, and have it play with the ribbons dangling from the wreath that we were making that day.

I have more photos to share after Christmas, but for now, I really need to get shopping and wrapping! Sugarwings has been ill since I got home and a lot of my time has gone to snuggling instead of prepping for the big event this weekend. I hope Santa can find my chimney, because no one in this house should count on gifts from me…. I'm not prepared!

Speaking of gifts- don't forget that you have till Christmas to win a special, surprise gift from me. Any comment this week, any post counts.

Also, if you have Christmas gift cash to buy your self a gift, come on by the Boutique. Everything is 30% off if you use THIS LINK.

The only catch is, that I won't be doing any mailing for a few days. You might not recieve your box till after New Years.

And if you click on the website directly, you can't get the sale price, its only available from THIS LINK

When you fill your shopping cart, you need to type in the words- happyholidays – then hit "recalculate" to get the special price. Its simple to do.

Merry Christmas!

Book club holiday party gifts and decor and treats

Books, celebrations, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Kitchen remodel

By Karla Nathan / December 22, 2011

Last Monday, I hosted our annual book club holiday gathering.

All of the dining table chairs were moved into the living room for the guests to gather in a circle and the dining room table was covered in a vintage velvet quilt and filled with goodies.

If I didn't have old lady eyes and needed the over head lights on, I'd keep my house lit with ambient lighting instead! I love the glow of all the small lamps tucked around the room. And of course the Christmas trees add a beautiful glow to it all too.

December is the perfect time to add lots of little mini lights. I love to use them under old lace curtains on the buffet.

The fairy lights add a nice twinkle to everything sitting near them.

This little paper weight was a gift from my sisters. Bobbie Sue added a photo of the three of us to an old paper weight that Sissy had. She made 3, so we each got one.

For book club, we all wrapped up a book we'd enjoyed that year for a trade. I got extremely lucky! There was a book I'd read in my 20s that I LOVED and wanted to re-read. I've looked for it for 30 years, but didn't remember the author's name or title. And it showed up that night at the swap!!! Its from 1978 and is called "The Mirror".

The book I gave away that night was "Room" and its very disturbing, so I wrapped it extra nice and added a brooch to the package.

The night before guests came, my son's Gypsy Beloved helped me make some gifts. We whipped up goats milk bath salts with a vanilla rose oil scent, and some brown sugar scrub too.

Sorry, no real recipe, I kind of made it up as I went along. But each are sooooo easy to make, I'll give you the ingredients if you want to wing it:

Bath salts:

Box of powdered milk (goat or otherwise)

epsom salts (whole bag)

cup or so of sea salt

scented oil to your own taste

Sugar scrub:

Half pound of brown sugar

Full bag of epsom salts

cup of sea salt

about 2 cups of coconut oil

about a half cup of glycerin

scented oil to your own taste
The scrub is great for rough, dry, winter skin. And the milk bath is really relaxing. I use both regularly.

I wrapped them all in small plastic bags sold at Michaels in the cake decorating aisle, and tied up the bath salts with white lace and a mini bleached tree or wreath. The sugar scrub got wrapped the same way, but tied with rick rack and a tag made from an old Shiny Brite box.

It was wonderful to have my new, big kitchen to host a party in. I can't begin to tell you how much I love that room.

The treats that night were pumpkin cheesecake, fudge, german chocolate brownies, pumpkin muffins, a veggie tray, pita chips, flax seed chips and salsa.

And of course wine!

I hope that your holiday has been filled with special occasions and more to come. Its a festive season, and I can't get enough of it.

And please don't forget, I'm picking a winner of a Holiday Surprise gift.

Just leave a comment between now and Christmas to enter.

Short Cut layered Fudge with Belguim Chocolate

Food and Drink, holiday decor, how to's

By Karla Nathan / December 20, 2011

For more than 30 Christmasses I've been making short cut fudge, the same way every year. But in the last few, I've noticed that it wasn't going as well as it used to. I blame the products, I think that they have changed gradually and just aren't as good. Nestle Toll House Chips just weren't working the way they used to over the years when I made up batches and batches of treats.

I think that they maybe aren't as pure as they were decades ago. I wonder if more paraffin has been added to keep the costs down?

Anyway, I believe that you don't get good results without good ingredients, so when I bake, I Use the Good Stuff, just like when I create in the studio.

Now, I've switched to only Belguim chips, and the results are worth it!

Here is how I make them:

One and one half bag of chips plus one can of sweetened condensed milk (I use low fat, yes, I know its still a sugary, fudgy concoction, but I think every little bit helps, and if it tastes good, go ahead and cut out a little bit of fat when you can!)

Warm the milk in a pan, then add chips.

Melt the chips.

With a mixer, beat on high speed for way, way longer than you think you should have to! The fudge will lose its sheen and get thick, then you'll know its time to pour it into a greased pan.

I make about 3 batches at once, so you can double or triple the recipe, easily,

Here is what makes it extra special- buy dark,white, and milk chocolate, as well as Reece's peanut butter chips and make multi fudge flavor layers.

This one is dark on the bottom, sprinkled with pecans, and ground white chips (I dump them in a blender to chop them up). After that, there is a layer of milk chocolate fudge that is again sprinkled with more white chocolate crumbs.

There is also peanut butter layered with dark chocolate picutured here.

The layers look impressive, but its an easy and tasty trick.

Of course, presentation is important. Doesn't everything look better under glass?

Please remember that I am having a giveaway, of a special surprise.

Just leave a comment between now and Christmas, all posts, any posts, as often as you'd like.

Fumpity Fump Fump

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, flowers, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings, videos

By Karla Nathan / December 12, 2011

We were out shopping the other day and Sugarwings saw this sign on a stand and in her mind, it was the perfect microphone, so she started to serenade all the shoppers. The kid seems to have inherited my singing voice. And also the joy of singing out, loudly.

Its a short video if you want to watch it, and my favorite part is where she is distracted by something shiny and walks away just as she sings "look at Frosty go".

This year, the holiday month seems to be racing by faster than I can keep up.

Its happening too fast and will be over before I know it! So, I'm slowing down and making myself take in every minute of it. Sugarwings has been spending a lot of time with me and she agrees that we need to make the most of our days. We've had a hot cocoa party every night that she sleeps over, lit only by the lights of the tree.

We make an event of it, setting the table with our best china, filling our favorite tea pot with hot milk, and passing around tiny bowls of shaved chocolate, mini marshmallows, and peppermint sticks. Not only are we getting a delicious bedtime snack, we are learning about manners, polite conversation, and building memories to treasure.

We are watching all the holiday specials that we can cram into our time together, without losing out on time to create and cook too. As much as I love holiday baking, its even better with her.

There has been a ton of cookies and fudge being whipped up, as well as a gingerbread house we had to put together with hot glue before we could decorate it.

I'm trying to show Dewdrop about the joys of baking too, she held the mixer for us last week. Its a start! Soon, I'll have two little helpers.

With her Daddy being so busy getting the Yurt weather proof and ready to live in for the long, cold winter, and her Hippy Chick Mommy studying hard for her first semester of nursing school finals (I'm proud to say that she is an A student!), I've been lucky enough to have lots of holiday play time with my fairy girl.

Sometimes, we invite guests to the parties too, like Luna Moona, her Raggedy Ann doll.

Last week, Dewdrop came to her first bedtime cocoa party and I have a feeling, she will be a regular at them with us next year. She adores anything that has to do with food.

And for some odd reason, Sugarwings has been setting an extra place at the table for my sisters. She is fascinated by them and talks about them a lot. I guess she knows how much I love and miss them, even though she has only met them a handful of times in her short life and they live far away.

Yes, its been a sweet December!

Tourist time

family, Food and Drink, Travel

By Karla Nathan / December 7, 2011

Wouldn't this be a good idea for gift giving? It would be sweet to slip a gift into a box that is a gift itself.

I made this box for another reason, but it kind of got me thinking of the possibilities.

Of course, I haven't even done my Christmas shopping yet, so I should probably stop thinking about what I'll put the gifts in and start thinking about what I'll buy instead!

There was a teensy bit of time to shop while I was in Palm Springs last weekend, but it was more sight seeing than shopping.

If I'm in an area where the stores are Rolex, Coach, and other high dollar specialty stores, chances are pretty durn slim that I will be buying my family any holiday gifts there.

These guys simply aren't the type to wear a watch that costs thousands of dollars.

Not that I am the type to buy one, anyway.

But it was fun to look.

It was fun to be a tourist and go sightseeing. At the stores as well as out and about. We took the tram up the mountain side, 8,500 feet up to catch the views one morning.

And drove to Temecula to do a little wine tasting after that.

My brilliant husband had a great idea, that I'd never have thought of. He said we should go to the lounge, sit down and sample there instead of standing in line to belly up to the counter in the crowded tasting rooms.

The four of us got to try a good selection from the winery, relax in comfy chairs, and share a cheese plate. That was much nicer than standing up at the counter in the crowds of other testers.

Isn't this a cute display for the holidays?

And I loved seeing poinsiettas growing outside! The weather wasn't perfect, we needed our coats, but it was still warmer than Kansas and I really enjoy seeing all the flower beds full and blooming in the sunshine out in California. Its probably my favorite part of the trip, because back home, my garden is brown and crunchy with a hint of green slime where the last plants froze and are rotting.

The whole trip was just beautiful. But its good to be home and have a couple of days with Sugarwings and Dewdrop. They both stayed over night the last couple of days, so I'm just now getting back to work. That was a great way to ease out of the vacation and back into the real world.

Two days of llittle girl cuddles was a welcome extension of my time off!

Now, its back to normal and back to work.

And thats not bad either! Its good to be home and I'm happy to be back in the studio.

A Happy and Organic Thanksgiving

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / November 26, 2011

Was your holiday nice? I hope so! Ours was pretty wonderful. I think we had the best turkey dinner ever. My son helped me cook, and it was a lot of work, we went all organic, local, and from scratch. We tried to avoid convenience foods or short cuts. Man, it was tasty! But it did seem like we were in the kitchen non-stop for about 24 hours… Roasting a pumpkin before you can bake the pie isn't the quickest way to fix dinner. And about midnight on Wednesday, I was wondering if if was the dumbest. But those pies and pumpkin cheesecakes were really, really good on Thursday and we were glad we'd stayed up to do it.

Quality ingredients do make a big difference in the end result of the meal though, and cooking side by side with a grown up son is pretty cool too. The whole family pitched in to help, but Sugarwing's Daddy and I were in it for the long haul.

Our fresh, free range turkey was the best ever. I don't know if it was how he cooked it, or if it was the bird itself. We soaked it overnight in a brown sugar/sea salt brine, then he tossed an orange, onion and celery inside the cavity before rubbing it down with a blended slurry of fresh herbs, garlic,olive oil, honey, and S&P, then slow roasting it till it was tender and juicy.

Our local grocery store was selling these herb planters, brimmed with just what a holiday dinner called for. I made good use of them too, stuffing with fresh sage is sooooo good. We used a toasted loaf of whole wheat bread, and added rosemary, thyme, sage, and garlic to the onions and celery that I'd chopped and cooked in veggie broth the night before. We also through in a little olive oil and a cup of chopped kale.

In the past, I don't think I've given kale a chance. But now its a fave. We used dark green, purple, and the pink and white kind in our tossed salad too. Sugarwings and Mr. Finn both helped me with the greens. We tore a head of Romaine up with the kale, and added chopped radishes, pears soaked in lime juice, dried cranberries, sugared pecans, roasted pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese. Letting the kids make the salad themselves and filling the bowl with such pretty colors encouraged them to eat lots of greens (and purples).

The dressing was a half cup of cranberry pomegranite juice, a 1/4 cup of white balsemic vinegar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, S&P, and a tsp of chopped garlic. Fast, simple, and a good compliment to the kale.

To go with all that, we had sauteed fresh green beans with red peppers. And to make sure the meal wasn't too heart healthy, we had a good, gooey, sweet potato and butternut squash casserole that our Gypsy girl made with lots of butter, blueberries, and brown sugar, then topped with marshmallows. I baked the potatoes and squash the night before while the pumpkins were roasting so she just had to work her flavor magic and pop it in the oven to heat up while the turkey was being sliced.

Oh, and of course, there were mashed potatoes too. I try to keep those healthy by using golden potatoes so they look buttery without actually adding any butter. It seems to trick my family. To make them creamy, I use a cup of fat free cottage cheese instead of sour cream.

Dew Drop discovered that she could pull up a chair to the kitchen island and sneak some appetisers while we waited for that turkey to bake. I'd never cooked a fresh, free ranger before and discovered that they seem to take another hour longer than a Butterball turkey does. They also cost about 3 times more.

That part was painful. But I'd already committed to the whole fresh/local food idea before I saw the price tag and it was too late to back out. I'm still cringing at what fresh/local/organic costs for the whole meal compared to canned goods and a frozen bird.

But I'm thankful that I have a houseful of grand kids that think purple kale is an exciting thing to see on their plate. I spend a lot of my life in the kitchen, cooking healthy foods for my family and sometimes I complain about how much time it takes to chop and prepare the meals. But I love it that they care about eating well and appreciate the good food.

Its not cheap, its not fast, but maybe we'll end up with longer lives because of it, and that will make up for all the time I've spent in front of the stove?(of course, I will probably also die poor from paying three times as much for food to get it organic)

And with this great newly remodelled kitchen, how can I complain about spending time in it??? Its a joy to have and to work in!

Don't forget, I'm celebrating the holiday weekend by giving away a couple of my online cuff bracelet tutorials. If you are interesting in winning one, please mention that in a comment to enter. I'll draw winners on Monday.

Zombie Invasion

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 31, 2011

We live in a great town, it has everything, a good school system, community arts, a vibrant downtown, loyal Jayhawks, great food, and zombies.

Yep, real live zombies. Not the dead kind.

We went downtown for dinner, and snagged a street side table to watch the annual parade.

At first, Sugarwings was enjoying the site as the zombies arrived and made their way to the start of the parade.

But soon, we were in the middle of HUNDREDS of the walking undead.

That is when she dove under the table.

I have to admit, it was pretty freaky.

I thought about joining her under there!

But she could see we were having a lot of fun with the parade and we'd been talking about costumes and how zombies aren't real, so she came out and joined us for dinner.

But she did stay on her Pop Pop's lap.

The food was great, the weather was perfect, what a great night to sit outside and eat a big ole juicy steak as blood drenched corpses walked by.

This was a fund raiser for the Humane Society.

It was $15 to join the parade, and I'd love to know how much the shelter made, there was a huge turnout.

Zombies of all ages participated.

Brides seemed to be very popular.

And the local costume stores must have sold out of fake blood.

We saw the Skipper and his Lil Buddy, Santa, Batman, Superman, you name it, that zombie was there.

And many were ready to stop and chat at our table.

Some of the acting was really impressive.

And some of the costumes were almost too scary.

One little zombie boy stopped and gave our Sugarwings a flower. She was really warming up to it all by then.

Soon, she was hiding under the restaurant's menu board and jumping out to scare people herself.

But her bravery didn't last, one zombie pulled the same trick on her, jumped in her face and growled. The poor kid was terrified after that and just sobbed.Luckily the parade was over and it was time to go home.

I felt so bad for her. She'd been having so much fun watching the hoarde go by, til that one girl jumped into her face.

My mom raised me to love horror movies, and my boys watched them growing up too. Sugarwings has always been attracted to the scary characters in every fairy tale and story, she is a big fan of flying monkeys, witches, and trolls.

But I don't know if zombies will be very high on her list of faves.

We'll see. If she takes after me, she'll be fond of them.

Halloween decor, cheap and simple

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 25, 2011

Note: Pixie Pie is still in the hospital, and in a lot of pain. Thanks so much for the cards you sent, her mom has them all hanging by her bed where she can see them, and she enjoyed having the nurses deliver them to her. The site was easy to use, wasn' t it? Very simple and quick, its a nice service for the hospital to provide for the kids there.

Our little Halloween party was such fun. And it was a good excuse to show off the new kitchen!

Complete with its new spooky decor. This beaded cob web was one dollar at a thrift store, and the shabby chic witch is the one I made at Sissy's house last week.

She has a paper clay head and jet bead eyes pushed into the clay while it was still wet. I made her hat from pink velvet millinery petals and it is sporting a beaded spider made with an old button for the body.

I made another one to climb on my white pumpkin. The big ole punkin is sitting in an old wash bowl and is the center piece for the dining room table. Or should I just call it the kitchen table now? There are no longer two rooms, its all one space!

Our local grocery store had the fancy schmancy pumpkins for the same price as the orange ones. I'd never tried cutting one before, but this white one was soooo much easier to carve than the traditional ones. It was more like slicing honey dew than a jack o lantern.

When I redecorated after the remodel, I kept everything pretty simple. Well, simple for me at least. It seemed like all the stuff I had out before was way too cluttery in a big space, I guess because your eye takes it all in at once. In the small, divided spaces I had before, I liked more stuff out than I do now in the bigger area.

I thought it would be the opposite of that, I was surprised.

The Halloween decor I added is simple too. Just a few touches here and there, mostly black and white.

These crows are from the dollar store, I'd like to add some glitter but haven't had a chance.

Normally, I try to seat everyone together, but that is one more thing I didn't have a chance to get done. I set up room for about 10 in the studio, some people ate in the kitchen, some in front of the football game playing in my husband's office, and a few outside. We were lucky to have beautiful weather.

Still, NO rain though, so that meant no bonfire.

This was a quickie center piece, the boot, baby head, and flowers all came from the same garage sale and were $1 each. I just stuffed the witchy boot with paper, and sat the head in it, then tucked the flower in the laces and added a feather.

And this doll head is modelling the witch hat I made for a bonus tutorial on Romantic Gothic Ghosts.

(scroll down on the workshop page if you are interested in taking the class, White Christmas is also on that page, both are $25)

This one broke my no orange rule. I bought the hat for its pinky flowers, but after plucking them, I thought it was ideal for a stylish Halloween hat, with a bit of black ribbon on it to cover up the globs of glue left behind when I tore off the flowers.

Speaking of breaking the no orange rule, the garage was an explosion of orange and purple.

Well, with black and white ghosts. They are cut up, paper drop cloths left over from my kitchen redo. I stuffed their heads with newspaper, tied a ribbon around the neck, and painted a cutey pie, kid friendly face on them. They serve the purpose of hiding a closet with no door on it.

Sugarwings planned the decor and helped with it. We painted a tarp with glow in the dark paints, to hang over some more garage mess that I was too lazy to move, and when we started throwing the paint for a splatter effect, she had the idea to climb up a ladder for a better aim. I told her that was how Jackson Pollack did it, and started calling her Action Jackson while she was at work.

Most of what is in the room was hand made by the two of us, from the dollar store, or a thrift store. My advice for party decor (for kids) is to shop the dollar store first, get as much as you can there, and then look at thrift stores.

The lighting was the only expensive thing, and the strands of lights were on clearance at Hobby Lobby, and I can use the lights again and again. I would NEVER buy black light bulbs again, they were my biggest splurge and were useless. No effect at all, and I spent $9 on three bulbs to add to the clamp lights that I hung by the ghosts.

The other expensive thing was glow in the dark paint, about $10 worth, and it wasn't dark enough in there for it to glow. But we had fun smearing it on everything!