Food and Drink – Page 20 – Karla's Cottage

I’ll stick to glue

Books, Food and Drink, holiday decor, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 15, 2009

Today is craft day, some friends are coming over for a day of cutting and gluing. I can't imagine a prettier day, the weather is ideal. But most of this summer has been that way. I guess it isn't summer any more, but typically, September in Kansas is still muggy and hot, I guess that is called the "Dog Days" of summer. But not today, it is a glorious fall day. So, we are lunching out doors and taking advantage of the sunshine.

My garden is bursting with tomatoes, and they are the heavy, meaty kind, the ones that are just right for slicing into a salad, so I chopped up 3 kinds of basil and layered them with an olive oil, garlic, sea salt and balsamic vinegar dressing. Since all that was sounding so fresh and wonderful, I thought I'd go all out and make fresh mozzarella to go with it.

I read up about it online and it seemed pretty easy. The tips I gleaned were to use un-chlorinated water (and I have well water, so that was no problem) and to use local milk, as fresh as possible.

Sugarwing's Daddy and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen together, and he was excited about trying to make some cheese too. He's one of those all organic, all the time type of hippy guys and won't even eat anything that goes into the microwave or gets stored in plastic. So homemade cheese was right up his alley. He's hard to cook for, but since he loves cooking so much and is so great at it, he can be as quirky as he wants. Because that means he does most of the cooking and it is always fantastic.

The trouble is, he and I are both the type that cook without recipes. We throw it all together and guesstimate amounts. But for cheese, you have to pretend to care about temperatures and timing and measurements.

So I bought a digital thermometer (which brought my total for expenses up to almost 40 bucks). After studying and printing off lots of recipes, we saw that 55 degrees and 105 degrees were both very important numbers in the art of cheese.

Well, we aren't chemists or scientists or even semi good at following recipes. This is the mass that I salvaged from the batch. It was supposed to be kneaded like bread dough, and I thought I did, but I guess, not so much.

Adam is a massage therapist, so he worked his healing magic on the lump I couldn't repair and actually turned it into a series of little cheese balls.

4 hours into making what was called a 30 minute recipe we had a very small series of very little, very rubbery, cheese balls.

$40 worth?

Well, the olive oil with fresh herbs they are marinating in is tasty at least. I poured some over pasta last night. But I've not been brave enough to eat the cheese yet. They were so expensive to make I feel like keeping the little lumps of gold in a lock box.

But I'd probably be better off using them as toys and bouncing them around with Sugarwings.

Somehow, I don't think that I'll be serving today with the tomatoes and basil….

Well, my pot of cheese didn't do so well, but this little witch's cooking pot filled with pretties is much better. Its the giveaway for September and I added a fall colored enameled butterfly pin to go along with the leaf and rhinestone brooches.

Why am I feeling so fallish? I'm a warm weather person and hate the thought of winter approaching. I also love soft, sweet colors, and am not usually so attracted to the fall tones. Maybe its that perfect weather that is winning me over. Any way, I whipped up this Raven's Wreath and enjoyed working with the old millinery in the rich, Halloween colors.

Well, dur, it was still old millinery! I love that stuff in any color!

(the wreath is available in my Boutique)

I kept on using the deep, rich, colors on these book covers from Mary. Each is filled with water color and other art or journal pages, cut to fit. And they are tied up with hand dyed silk ribbons that I tinted to match each cover.

On some, I used inks and markers to embellish the existing pattern on the covers. I'm always happy when I get to play with markers.

Now, I'd better go shove the crap off my craft tables and make room for guests to join me today. But first, I need to run to the grocery store for some fresh mozzarella…

Sisterhood Magic

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

By Karla Nathan / August 25, 2009

My sister's birthday party and sleepover was even more fun than I had hoped.  The invitation said to come as a fairy, or dress witchy and magical, or be comfy cozy.  I made myself a witch hat, but couldn't resist being a fairy.  Sissy, who is about as wide as a stick of gum, had this skirt for me to borrow (she wears it with LOTS of safety pins).  

Cousin Paula fair-ied it up too. She found the hair extensions at her local dollar store on clearance for 11 cents!!!  We added some wings to her from Sissy's collection. I thought Sugarwings had a lot of sparkly wings and dress up clothes, but my sister has her beat.
 

Everything is magical at Sissy's house.  Everywhere you look, there is something that sparkles.  
 

Her home was the perfect location for  a magical birthday party. We only had to gather up pretties that were already in the house to decorate with. 
 

There were enough crystal balls to start her own magic shop…
  

Of course, we had to add some edible glitter to the pink cupcakes!
 

Plus confetti on the counter tops. And on the table tops. And on the floor. And on each other….  Sissy will be vacuuming those up for weeks.
 

We each lit a candle and made a wish for Bobbie for the upcoming year.
  

The weekend didn't last nearly long enough, but was one big slumber party the whole time. We stayed at Sissy's, had the big event for Bobbie on Friday, then on Saturday, we honored our Mother on the anniversary of her death.  
We decided to do things she loved to do with us. We went to Goodwill to shop, saw a scary movie and at popcorn at the theater, then went out to a restaurant she enjoyed (and one that we had a coupon for, to save money!)
Mom would have loved it.  And the fairy party too, you are never too old to enjoy laughing and being silly with people you love.

Fairies for all ages

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

By Karla Nathan / August 23, 2009

Fairy parties aren't just for kids!  When my Sissy turned 60, she threw herself a fairy themed slumber party.  Now, my sister, Bobbie Sue is turning 60 this week and Sissy is having us all to her home for another sleepover, BYOFW (bring your own fairy wings)
While I am in Indiana for Bobbie's celebration, I thought I'd leave you with some pictures from the earlier event.

Sissy's home is a perfect location for a fairy gathering, she collects sparkling objects, glittery trinkets, and crystal balls. Things like that are everywhere, like the ones hanging in the window behind this year's birthday girl, Bobbie Sue.
(yes, I am wearing Tinker Bell jammies, with a sparkly tuxedo jacket)
 
I had some stick on crystals on my nose, but after seeing this, that might have been a mistake, they look more like growths…
My husband's brother came to the sleep over, he's pretty close to Sissy.  Having a gay brother is almost like having a 3rd sister. Plus, he lets me draw on his face.
 
And he knows how to dress up for the occasion, too!
 

Connie is a life long friend of Sissy's and is also practically one of the sisters. She conducted a ceremony in honor of the birthday.
 

Candles and fresh flowers were just as important in the decor as all the glitter and crystal balls.

Each of us had something to say about the honoree, then about a woman in our lives who had been meaningful to us.

I convinced Bobbie Sue to let me teach her how to belly dance. Of course, I had no idea how to myself, and I dance about as graceful as a hippo. But there is something to be said for not caring how the dance looks and just going for it anyway!
 
Did I ever mention that I used to raise peafowl?  I have a lot of peacock feathers from Percy (our papa bird) and have been making fans from them with vintage millinery and ribbon added.  I thought one of the feathers would be just right to make a magic wand for Bobbie's Birthday.  
It has hot pink, curly feathers from an old hat, some silk ribbon, and a millinery bloom topped off with a jewel pried from a broken vintage brooch.
Now, for a dash of fairy dust to get the magic kicked in gear, and its ready to wrap up and give to her at the party. I can't wait!! (maybe there will be more dancing..)

A flock of Fairies

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

By Karla Nathan / August 20, 2009

 
We flew my husband's mother from Wyoming to North Carolina for the wedding last week, and then brought her home with us for a few days after.  So, in honor of Grandma Joan's visit to Kansas, I threw her a fairy tea party with her great grand daughters.
 
Sugarwings was still in the party mood, after all the birthday celebrations this week.  She and little Pixie Pie have had a wonderful time together with so many family gatherings going on all week while Grandma Joan was here.
 
Even the big girls got into dressing up as fairies, although we couldn't convince their boyfriends to wear wings….
 
Our little ones were patient while we took some pictures before the party started. But not for too long.  At 2 and 3, waiting times are limited when there is something exciting scheduled to happen.
 
We served blueberry and cranberry herb teas, but the tiniest fairies were more interested in the spoonfuls of sugar they could add to their cups.
 Sugarwings drank cup after cup, just so she could pour more. 
 
For Sugarwing's birthday, I let her help me decorate the dining room with Dollar Store garlands.  Yes, gaudy and over the top, but she is in love with them, so we left them up for this party too.
 
We just added some fairies here and there. I happened to have a few around to use….
 
We served:
 cherry tomatoes from the garden on toothpicks with grilled chicken breast
 cherries and grapes with mandarin oranges
 crust-less cucumber sandwiches
 red cabbage with cream cheese rolled up in green tortilla shells
  peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the littlest ones.  
 
These are my fairy shoes, saved for special occasions like this.  
 
Luckily you can't really tell here, but my makeup job was a bit like Baby Jane.  Remember that scary Betty Davis movie?  I got carried away with the eyeshadow, not a pretty sight after 50… 
I'm on my way now to Indiana for my sister's 60th birthday party.  I'd better pack my fairy wings and hit the road.  The parties never end around here, huh?

Painting roses and a balloon hunt

celebrations, Food and Drink, parties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 17, 2009

Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes for Sugarwings! I think she had a fun day, at least I know that I did!!

She and her daddy picked us up at the airport, and that was the best homecoming ever, to see her face light up as she ran to us. Well worth getting up at 4 am to fly home to spend the day with her.

When we got back to the cottage, she and I baked some cakes. I used a regular brownie mix, but added a can of pears in light syrup (whirred in the blender) and a cup of applesauce, and 2 eggs, no fat or water. She got to push all the buttons and do all the mixing herself, so she didn't care if I was trying to healthy it up a bit.

We also "painted" roses. We used some clear corn syrup and food coloring, then she got to dip away, and add colored sugar sprinkles to each one.

These are the white icing roses that I saw Andrea show on her site, and had her take me to find some for myself when we were out shopping one day, the are really pretty and I just love using them!

.
When her little cousin, Pixie Pie came by to help decorate, they got pretty serious with getting the cakes just right.

But it is hard to stay serious when there are sprinkles to shake! Most photos are a blur of hands whirring through the air and sprinkles flying everywhere.

And so much for adding healthier ingredients to the cake itself, the tops were so goobered up with colored sugars, three kinds of sprinkles, marshmallows, squeeze tube icing, and painted roses that you could explode in a burst of sugary happiness just looking at them!

Sugarwings took her cousin on a walk along the Yellow Brick Road, but most kids her age aren't as informed obsessed about Oz as our fairy baby, so Pixie Pie wasn't too impressed with that after all the icing fun.

She did enjoy the Fairy Berry Trail, though. There was a butterfly balloon for each of them tied to branches out in the woods.

But first, they had to search for them.

The balloons were from the Dollar Store and I don't think there could be a better bang for the buck than the joy we got for $2 out on the Fairy Berry Trail with these balloons.

It was certainly a fun way for me to spend my fairy grand baby's birthday. I can't imagine a better party. Not big, not flashy, just some simple sugary pleasures and a walk in the woods. I think I want to spend my next birthday on the Fairy Berry Trail too….

Varmits

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / August 13, 2009

Since we have company coming to stay soon, Sugarwing's Daddy has been helping me clean up the place. We've got a yard full of family coming to visit and camp out here with us.

My son filled the truck with branches he removed and has them over by the bonfire pit, ready to burn.

Even though I've severely neglected the yard this year, all the rain we've had has kept it decent. With enough bushes and perrenials, staying green, its passable. So all those years that I did spend working on it have paid off. Of course, it would be better with lots of flowering annuals tucked in here and there, but that just didn't happen.

Sometimes, good enough just has to be good enough.

The veggie garden has been on auto pilot for the season too. We spread recycled brown paper and grass clippings down and have been about 99% weed free!

Its a summertime miracle. I haven't had to hoe, dig, or pull weeds out there at all. Or get desperate and invest in vats of Roundup either.

But we didn't count on this development. Mice live under the paper and eat our
tomatoes just as they start to turn color!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we have to trap the varmits to protect our crop.

Next year, I think I'll do the same thing anyway. Weed free is the only way to go. I might plant some grape vines on the fence, too, we are all crazy about grapes.

I doubt if these adorable, little champagne grapes will grow around here, I wish they would. Sugarwings just loves them. I serve them on butter pat plates because mini grapes deserve mini plates, don't you think?

There are a few new things in the Boutique, that I listed before I went out of town. I'm afraid I can't mail them until Tuesday the 18th after I get back. (This post was written before my trip to the East Coast)

My sweet boy

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, Food and Drink, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 9, 2009

Look what was waiting for me when I came in the house, after working for about 10 hours straight on the editing of my little story book ! Sugarwing's Daddy is a sweet heart of a son. He picked tomatoes and peppers and fresh herbs from the garden to make the sauce for the egg plant (from the garden too!)

Not only that, he was invaluable in helping me edit the book. My son has a sharp and critical eye for detail and isn't afraid to let me know if something needs changed in my artwork. It could be irritating, but it isn't because he is usually right.

Plus, did I mention he is a massage therapist??? There was also a FOOT MASSAGE for me after sitting at the computer all day. Yep, he is just about a perfect son.

Its been a good day. Garage sales in the morning, the farmer's market with Sugarwings and her Daddy, then I finished and ordered prints of the book!

Here is the cover.

And this is the title page.

Beth and I had a craft day at her house yesterday, and I painted this page while we talked. I decided that it is much easier to pack for craft day if I'm just painting a little something. If I am packing for a whole hog craft day project, I have to haul boxes and bags of supplies with me!

Beth has a great studio, there is so much to see there. And it is FULL of vintage treasures. You could say overflowing… We joked about starting a new diet fad, the Craft Room Diet. You fill your studio with so much stuff that you have to lose weight to fit in the room with all of it.

Poor Beth, I might have over stayed my welcome. I tend to lose track of time and keep working away. It was after 6 when I realized that maybe I should take off for home.

But she was gracious, even though I am one of those guests that you can't get rid of. She even gave me a stack of these pretty bowls.

And she sent home presents for Twinkle. Now the Dorkies have a whole new wardrobe of neck scarves to show off in.

Yesterday was a slow day for estate sales, my pickins were slim.

But even though I didn't find much, what I found was really nice! Quality beats quantity any day. Seems like I've been on a book streak lately, here is another of those slim, Victorian gift books.

All the items in this collage are in the Boutique now.

Here is the back cover of the book.

I've ordered just a couple copies to see how they look in person before I offer them to anyone. I sincerely appreciate your support and kind words (and inquiries to buy!!).

A Fairy Berry and some other goodness

Books, fairies, family, Food and Drink, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 6, 2009

My Blue Mood is behind me now, thanks for all your thoughtful and caring comments about it. Really, it was not a big deal at all. I think everyone has those days, they are just part of life and aren't anything to worry about. Not everyday can be over the rainbow. And you know what, sometimes, even when things are perfect, a mood can be wonky and out of it. It just happens.

I used to be much worse about moodiness, but had a hysterectomy back when I was 40 (the day before my 40th birthday actually!!) Now that I am hollow like a chocolate Easter Bunny, most of my moods are on a pretty even keel. But those cranky days do come around, and when they are passed, the next day seems even better than it really is.

Of course, my day really was pretty special….. We started out with a tea party breakfast.

And yes, I hate to admit it, but I have succumbed to Disney Princess mania around here. We are serving our tea party breakfast from Cinderella's breasts.

This table and chairs was 4 bucks at a garage sale this weekend and I wanted something to replace the highchair in the kitchen, so that Sugarwings had her own space in there. I was hoping to find a cute, vintagey table, but no luck yet. Hopefully, something elegant and beautiful and equally cheap will turn up and I can replace this media frenzy monster that is smack dab in the middle of my kitchen.

But I am kind of afraid that Sugarwings won't let me… She loves this one. Ooops!

Her favorite part of the meal, (well besides the garish table and chairs) was this mini grape that she called a "fairy berry" because it was so tiny.

The last illustration for my Grumpy Fairy bedtime story is done!! Now, I just need to do a cover, and a title page.

Doing this book has taught me a lot about editing software!! I scanned vintage wallpaper, then aged and tinted it as a different color for each page's background. Then, I scanned the painting, edited and sized it on Picassa, but couldn't do a frame there. So, I went to Picnik and made frames, and did a digital collage with the image onto the background in Piccassa, then added text in colors to coordinate with the painting.

It was complicated, but worth it! When I first started, I was just using the paintings as is, but now, I really like the results of all the extra effort to pretty it up.

I'd like to get the books ordered and delivered by her birthday on August 16th. If I rush, I can do it, but I think I'm going to take my time and make sure it is right. I might order one book to start with to see how it looks. I'd like to order more to sell in the Boutique.

What do you think? Any interest?

In looking around the studio for something to give as the August Giveaway, I realized I still had some of these hand painted charms, and since I was in a painting mood, I figured they would be appropriate.

All comments, all month count. Especially, all those sweet and thoughtful ones that you sent when I was needing a lift! Thanks again!

Kansas Countryside

celebrations, family, flowers, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / July 27, 2009

Kansas Julys are usually miserable. I'm a summer-lovin person, but even I get burnt out by the blasting heat of late July in Kansas. But not this year! Its been as sweet as June all month long. We went to a friend's for dinner over the weekend and were lucky enough to get to sit on their country patio and enjoy our meal along with the scenic views.

Of course, I always have to get pictures of the food…. its as pretty as the view from the porch!

And their view is more than a little special. This stream is right in front of the deck of the log cabin that they built themselves.

The stream looks natural, but the home owners built it too. My husband went out and spent a day helping move rocks to form the creek bed a couple years back. Which, he would never do at our house. Funny, he'd do anything for a buddy, but when it comes to gardening at our own cottage, well, he's not that into it, I guess would be the polite thing to say…

So, do I have a little bit of creek envy? I have to admit that I do. This yard is ideal. It is all landscaped into flower gardens up by the house and the rest of the land is left to go in native grasses that never need mowed or watered.

Most of the areas are left to natural landscaping.

And other areas were steered into that direction. Some native plants that spread and become ground cover make this hillside a no-care delight now that they are all established.

This makes me miss living in the country! When we bought our farm years ago, we were in the middle of no where. Now we have civilization on three sides of us, with just the back acreage that we own still wild and free.

But I'm feeling the farmhouse vibe now, anyway. Its time to put up corn for the winter!

I'm doing it the short cut way. We shucked a few dozen ears, dumped them into the sink, then poured a pot of boiling water over them, and iced it all down after.

Then, we cut the kernels off with a simple corn cutting tool from Bed Bath and Beyond, that made the chore zip by quickly.

The kernels went into freezer bags, and one of the bags was marked Thanksgiving , another was marked Christmas. We save up big servings of fresh frozen corn for holiday family dinners, because there is nothing like the taste of Kansas summer in the coldest part of winter!

There is lots of new stuff in the Boutique right now. I've been playing with the millinery flowers and made up some deluxe, rosey collections!

Also, I did snag a little something to add to the JULY GARAGE SALE GIVEAWAY PRIZE PACK. I just haven't had a chance to get photos.

I might have time to get some photos tomorrow. I've had Sugarwings a little bit extra this week, so we've been pretty busy with the other things I found at garage sales this week, princess dresses and tea party toys!

No matter how much you spend on cupcake decor, if you can’t get the icing right, the cupcake still looks homemade

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, Food and Drink, give away

By Karla Nathan / July 15, 2009

Today is craft day, but with a twist, I am not cleaning up my studio and inviting friends over, we are using a rental studio in KC. ( I'll have details when I get back, I lost the blog address and am rushing right now).

But first, I wanted to take the time to thank you for your purchases and to remind you that the sale is still on at the Etsy shop . Details are in the previous post, but I also want to remind you that you need to purchase the items from Etsy, go to the check out, but do NOT pay with check out. Email me and I will send you an invoice for half off whatever is left.

I'm fine with you just emailing me the info and I go to the shop and delete the items, but I doubt if Etsy would like it, and I might get booted from there, because they don't get their percentage that way. I've done this for a few people, because it was quicker and easier than explaining and no problem to do, but I really don't want to make the big ole Etsy goliath mad at me.

I've made up cup cakes to take today, because crafting in packs is hungry work. We all get nibbly while we are cutting and gluing.

And you know, I really, really, sincerely tried to make pretty cupcakes. These are okay, but not what I wanted. I saw some on Andrea's blog once that made me sigh they were so lovely. So, when I spent a day with her, I asked her secret and she took me to her cupcake decor source, where I bought a big bagful of icing roses.

But, its not the same. Oh, yes, they are the same roses. They just don't look as good without her magic cupcake touch. She has that touch with everything. Heck, she could probably have a cupcake hanging out of her nose, and everyone would think it was the most beautiful cupcake they ever saw. She's that good with making things pretty.

I even tried the edible Glitter that I was introduced to at Debbie's party. The glitter and the roses look good, but with my sloppy icing job and skimpy crooked cupcakes, it just isn't the same.

Well, they might not look like they came from a classy bakery, but they are tasty. Pillsbury strawberry cake mix and a can of cream cheese icing, yum!

See the stack of books? I can't believe it, but I found more of these at a sale yesterday! I listed a couple, the last ones went fast. They are in the Boutique. There are some sale prices here and there in the Boutique, but the Etsy sale is Etsy only.

These teensy framed prints were at the sale too, so I bought a bagful. This one is being added to theJULY GARAGE SALE GIVEAWAY PRIZE PACK, a couple others went into the Boutique, and I kept a few for myself to deconstruct and use in projects.

But what is the most special thing in the photo?? Ahh, aren't these just the best?? Aunt Caroline had her pink pearls sent to me. Sorry for the bad picture, these deserve better than that. But I need to throw some supplies and crap in a box and get my butt to craft day, gotta run! (that butt that is a bit bigger after making sure the cupcakes were tasty even though they only looked average)