Food and Drink – Page 21 – Karla's Cottage

This one is all about the FOOD

celebrations, Food and Drink, Moving to DC

By Karla Nathan / April 5, 2009

As wonderful as so many things about my week in Virginiahave been, I have to say that the food at the Tower Club was one of the highlights! Right up there with the day we spent in Gettysburg (no, I'm not a Civil War buff, but man, that Cyclorama!!! What a painting, that painted battle scene was like magic, it comes to life with a light show).

But how many restaurants have a view like this?

And special treatments like this? Our name was on the mints when we got to the table. Now, I might just be a country hick, but I was sure impressed.

And yes, a country hick would photograph all the food. The waitress remembered me from the last time I was there a year ago. Apparently, not a lot of people take pictures before they take bites.

I had scallops as a starter, followed by Caesar salad prepared table side. Anything made table side is always extra good!!!

See why I pulled out the camera? Lobster and fillet, nothing prettier. Not even the foofiest of flowery hats! (oh, and I have been in top hat whispering form, and filled a SUITCASE with flowers! photos when I get home)

Since I'd been there before, I knew what a treat the coffee was. So I had the Baileys and coffee in place of dessert.

Was it rude of me to dip my spoon in the whip cream, then in the chocolate shavings and eat both little bowlful?

Then, yippee!! Treats to go with the coffee, as a surprise! (That mini hamburger looking thing was really tasty)

Pinkadilly-icious!

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Food and Drink, Moving to DC, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / April 2, 2009

What a wonderful trip! Lots of friends, lots of fun, and I've been to visit two of my grand dogs.

Yesterday, I took a trip to Fredericksburg to meet Andrea Singerella for some junking downtown. I would have been happy just spending the entire day in her perfectly pretty studio and watching her cute kids play, but downtown sure wasn't bad.

Did you see the decorated eggs she had in her shop for such a BRIEF time? Those eggs flew out within minutes of her listing them. She mentioned in her blog that they would go on sale at 4pm, and when I went to look at them about 5:30, they were long gone. But when I got to her home yesterday, look what was waiting for me! A little treasure egg of my own.

I'd brought her a wallpaper journal ready for her to fill with pictures and some homemade, organic granola for the boys. Then, I realized that in today's day and age, you don't just hand someone a bag full of nut goodies, there are so many people allergic to nuts anymore. Luckily, she said nuts were fine in her family, so I didn't cause any anaphalactic shock, because that isn't the best way to start a good junking day.

Shopping in Virginia is different than in Kansas. The buildings in downtowns here are so old, that it is fun to simply walk the sidewalks and enjoy the views even if you don't have any thing to buy. Fredericksburg was every bit as quaint and inviting as Leesburg, where I had gone on previous trips out this way.

This sign is above the oldest soda fountain still in service in the US. I fell for it, because the bright red of the Coke sign had faded out to such a nice pink.

And while I am mentioning pink- look at this lady!

She had lavender and green sisters too. Sorry, I don't even remember what store this window display was in, but I love the mannequins and will probably ~~steal~~use this idea! It is similar, but not quite what I had in mind for my new dress form. Miss Ta Ta (yes that name stuck!)is headless, and neutral toned, but I have big plans for an exciting floral display in place of her head. Now, maybe, I'll drape her in tulles too.

Andrea treated me to a tea party luncheon at Pinkadillies. I didn't even care what the food was, I loved the name of the place so much, the meal wouldn't have mattered. But it was really tasty and the place was cute as a bug. We shared a pot of Peaches and Cream tea and had a good meal.

We weren't the only ones having a good time there. These ladies had no idea how near they were sitting to an obsessed millinery collector or they would have been holding onto their hats! Luckily, my hat whispering skills were in fine form and I was able to find a few good deals this trip, so didn't have to resort to mugging little old ladies.

And did I mention grand dogs?! Here is Lola. She goes to the office everyday with Mary, who works with my husband.

Doesn't she have quite the set up? Here she is in her box, with a stack of mail on top of it. I wonder if it is her job to lick the stamps? From all the kisses she gave me, I'd say it would be a good career move for her.

Lola's big sister lives nearby and we saw her last night. She seems like she could get a part time job as a stamp licker too.

This little one is twice the size of her baby sister! She is growing like a weed and is sweet as can be. Both recognized me (I'm positive) and seemed to be as happy to see me as I was to see them.

Today, I've taken a day off to stay in the apartment and work. Mostly paperwork for tax preparing when I get back home, but I also brought along these gloves to paint on. They started out way too vibrantly colored, so I soaked them in bleach for a day, then tea dyed them before I packed them up for the trip. Today, I drew vines on them with a fabric marker, then painted in the leaves. I've got a few pair of them, I thought they'd be a nice accent to the gardening display I am doing for my Miss Frenchie's booth in a couple of weeks.

I'd love to do some pairs with some real embellishment, but seriously, that wouldn't be feasible for using them. Rhinestones and millinery blooms would sure be pretty, but not useful if someone actually wanted to garden in them. At least not the way I garden, I get filthy when I work outside.

Oh- before I go and tackle that horrid paperwork waiting for me- here is the winner of the MARCH GIVEAWAY:

Kana

And remembber, the APRIL GIVEAWAY started yesterday! All comments, all month count toward the drawing. I'll let you know what the prize is, as soon as I come up with something good!

A trip to the treat cabinet

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / March 10, 2009

Was it the trip to the bakery that got me going? What ever it was, I felt the need to whip up goodies and invite people over for coffee and treats. Beth was coming over for Sewing Day Part Two, so I told a group of friends to come by before we got started and visit a while.

At the grocery store the other day, this bottle caught my eye, it is "English LUXURY Clotted Cream". Not typically something that I buy at the market, I'm more of a low fat, healthy food shopper. But I'm glad I got some, it is just wonderful, served with fresh pecan scones, cherry jam and Devonshire butter. Yes, I know, not low fat, and not healthy at all!

We hung out in the studio and ate out there, with all of the baked goods and a thermos of hot tea in the 'treat cabinet'.

For those who wanted to have something on the healthier side, I made up some granola bars. Lately, I've been making a lot of these. They seem really expensive to make, but if you figure how much you pay for a box of snack bars, and how little is in the box, and all the artificial ingredients put in those boxes, these really aren't too bad and once you have the ingrediants, it is usually enough to make two batches. I buy as many of the items as I can in the organic version.

There has been a lot of experimenting with making granola in my kitchen, and this is about the best way I came up with, with just enough of the goo mixture of peanut butter, sugar and honey to keep it together. But if you make some and it falls apart, the crumbles are great on yogurt.

I make them a little different each time, but here is how I mixed up this batch:

Tasty and Toasty Granola Bars

Stir together in a large pot and melt:

2 cups chunky peanut butter

3/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup honey

Let cool.

Toast 4 cups of oats in a shallow pan in the oven at 350

Add 2 eggs, 1 table spoon of cinnamon, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup of flax seed to the peanut butter and sugar mixture

Stir in the toasted oats

Add nuts- I used:

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup of crushed pecans

3/4 cup of sunflower seeds

3/4 cup of flaked unsweetened coconut

Its hard to mix, you'll want to use your hands.

Press into a greased pan and then press down more! If you don't get it good and smashed, it will all crumble after it is baked.

Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees

Am I losing it?

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, Food and Drink, holiday decor, paintings, parties, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / January 29, 2009

Even puppies agree- there is nothing more cuddly than a puppy! These guys are hugging each other.

And they aren't the only ones who feel this way. We had a "Puppy Party" yesterday, and my friends brought their kids over for cookies and milk after school, to hug puppies. I'd say these pups will grow up to be well socialized and kid friendly. A lot of small dogs don't like small people and can be afraid of kids. But these little ones have been handled by kids since the day they were born and should grow up to be outgoing, friendly dogs.

Typically, I don't post recipes, because I make stuff up as I go along when cooking. But I was soooo happy with these cookies that I paid attention to how I made them, so I could tell you- here it goes:

Kansas Style Oatmeal Scotchies

MELT one cup (organic) butter

mix with a beater, the butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar, one cup natural sugar

add 2 (organic) eggs, a teaspoon of real vanilla, and continue mixing with the beater

In a separate bowl, fluff together:

1 cup whole wheat (organic) flour

1/2 cup flax seed

3 cups instant oats

dash of sea salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Stir the dry ingredients with the liquid mixture and then add 1 cup butterscotch chips and a cup of sunflower seeds (the Kansas State Flower, of course!)

Roll in balls and bake for 11 minutes on a non stick cookie sheet at 350

I made half on one of those air-bake pans and half on just a plain cookie sheet and honestly, the air bake pan was much better. I don't use it often because it is too big to fit into my dishwasher, but I will re-think that one, it does make a difference. The cookies on it were more evenly cooked and crisper.

What I liked about these cookies, was that I could lie to myself and pretend they were good for me. Sunflower seeds, flax seed, and organic ingredients made me totally overlook the butter, sugar and chips! I only used about half the amount of chips usually called for too, so that made me think I could eat twice as many.

While the kids were here, we started the Puppy naming contest. I took down their ideas and began a list. Are you ready to play? Here is Puppy #1, the first born and the tiniest. I'll get some photos of the other 5 girls and in my next post, you can start sending in the names. Details upcoming.

I've added my hand painted fairy box to my Etsy Shop.

The inside was in amazing shape for an old box. The exterior showed the wear you'd expect, but I wonder if anything was ever stored in it? The interior was about perfect. Of course, I had to foof anyway, I used flocked wallpaper, millinery flowers, crystals, all my faves on this little "royal emblem".

This box is listed in my Boutique. I plan on using both stores and going back and forth. Here is my criteria to decide which store to list what in (besides wanting a variety in each)- if the item looks better in a non-square shape, the photo will go in the boutique. If it needs more than the 3 photos allowed on the website, it will go in Etsy.

Okay, now if this post isn't already random enough, here is more. Am I going crazy? Lately my computer screen has been speaking to me through comment word verifications. Does this mean I am schizo? I don't actually hear it talk, if that makes a difference. Sometimes the words are very clear, like this one, "BLESS". Other times, they take some deciphering.

Like this one. To me, it says "mothering".

I might just be losing it. First, an actual, written recipe, not guesses and abouts, actual measurements. And now my computer trying to get messages to me?

An Elf Celebration

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, parties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 2, 2009

Today we had an Elf Celebration. Sugarwings was so excited, and talked about it all day yesterday, she just couldn't wait. She thought it was the elf's birthday and sang Happy Birthday all morning.

She and I drew an elf, then painted and cut it to copy onto this little rhyme that I wrote about the party's theme, then we made up gift bags for the kids who were coming over.

Each small guest got some treats, a black and white copy of the elf picture to color, and an elf of their own.

I have had a fondness for these cuties since I was a kid and have a big collection of them, that I was happy to share with my friends today.

We started with edible snowflakes, cut from soft flour tortillas. The idea was to saute the cut tortillas in butter and add powdered sugar and color sugar sprinkles, but my little fairy grand baby enjoyed snacking on the corners she cut out of her creation. She also really got into dumping colored sugars onto the finished product.

There were lots of other goodies to eat, along with sparkling fruit juice in glasses you could toast with.

At Michael's after Christmas sale, I bought lots of supplies to make elf hats for 75% off, and rolls of snowman wrapping paper to use as table clothes.

The work could be pretty serious at times.

But at others, jumping up and down was called for. Sugarwings was a blur most of the day. My friends are a bit shocked at how much energy that little one has coiled up inside of her. She is always on the go!

But, with her buddy, Julia's help, she slowed down enough to get a elf hat completed.

Shawn's daughter, Bethany made a really cute hat. She is an accomplished crafter and when Shawn comes out for a craft day, I always know that Bethany will create something sweet.

Max made a snow guy hat. And asked me to paint a matching snowman on his face.

When it was Sugarwing's turn for some face painting, she turned the tables and painted me instead.

We both ended up painted, although, most of my paint is on my saggy, baggy, old lady neck and when I look down, like in this photo, it is hidden.

I just can't imagine a more fun way to spend a morning. Time to sit and talk with best friends while drinking coffees and eating quiche, hot Cinnamon rolls and crunchy snowflakes, then crafting elf hats with some of my other, smaller pals. This is a good start to the new year, I can't wait to see what other fun is waiting for me in 2009!

edit- Shawn has a great camera and just sent me photos from today, so I am adding them on-

A second sneak peek at the December Giveaway and some tussie mussies to unload. (I mean offer to you at a special price.)

Books, Etsy Goodies, Food and Drink, holiday decor, I do tend to run on, don't I?, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / December 13, 2008

This is sneak peek number 2 of the December Giveaway– it will stay a surprise until it is sent off in the mail to it's new home on Jan. 1. If you want to enter the drawing, every comment counts, all month long.

Louisa is hosting a Home Sweet Home blog party today, please go to her site and see some of the linked blogs and thier holiday decor!

I've been extremely good about returning comments this month (I hope Santa is watching!) but they are not all going through!! I get about 20% of them bounced back to me as non-deliverable. ( I just made up that percentage, I don't really do math much, this is a guess).

Sugarwings got the sweetest gift in the mail from our pal, Robin in VA. If you'd like to see a couple second video of her hanging it on the tree, click HERE.

The present itself was the cutest Glinda the Good Witch ornament, she is inside the clear ball like it is the bubble she rides down into Munchkindland. And of course, since Sugarwings loves to make things, we saved the box and cut out Glinda's picture to make another ornament from that.

I did the cutting, she did the glue and glitter, then we tied a ribbon and bell to the piece so that the fairy grand baby could hang it on her little pink tree.

You know how kids always loved playing with the box a gift comes in? We have discovered that the boxes always make good project materials. If I cut out the logos, or characters, Sugarwings is happy to get out the glue stick and glitter to turn the packaging into one of her smeary, yet sparkly creations. We even cut the pictures out of cute paper plates we use to eat snacks off of in the studio. Nothing goes to waste around here. (and peanut butter does hold glitter) And as prolific as she is, creating one thing after another and flinging the finished pieces over her head, then calling out "more", we need all the supplies we can get!

Her Grammy tends to be prolific too. Of course, getting the items I make photographed and listed on Etsy, I am maybe NOT so good at. I can crank out the goods, but I can't seem to get them uploaded to sell. You should see the backlog in my studio.

Yesterday, when maybe I should have been trying to clear out some of the junk, I mean trying to sell some things, I took a day off for a fun crafting afternoon with some blog friends. We all worked on books like the project Teresa McFayden had in one of her classes at Silver Bella.

For this, we decorated the covers of old books in pretty papers, then hollowed out the book with an exacto knife, clamped and glued the pages together and filled the scooped out portion with a pretty scene.

I tinted this old sepia toned photo with some pink to go along with my vintage pink wallpaper and this perfectly aged, old Christmas sheet music that is printed with BROWN ink! how pretty is that? I had been using some of this paper as the packaging for the mini dyed trees I was selling on Etsy, then realized it was way too cool to not keep and use a couple pages for myself. I'm glad I did, I think that it was just what I needed for this book.

If you are interested in purchasing this book it is $35 includes shipping (in the US). sold, thanks!

The guests brought goodies and we ate fresh baked Christmas treats all afternoon.(Sugarwing's Daddy was a bit irritated at me for letting her have a chocolate and candy cane free for all in the treat cabinet)

By the way, my treat cabinet is featured in the latest edition of Romantic Country magazine, I'll let you know when I see some copies on the stands. A friend told me she has received hers in the mail already.

Of course, here is just one more thing I didn't get listed on Etsy for this season. Tussie Mussies are so pretty on the tree, or can be filled with treats or small presents and given as gifts.

They are made with vintage materials and decked out with loads of pretties. Maybe I should sell them from the blog instead, because who knows if I will get them onto Etsy?? So, here they are, if you'd like one, I can send you a pay pal invoice for $8 each (half price from what I usually sell Tussie Mussies for) plus postage. They aren't heavy, but require a box. I will ship them Priority Mail for $4.80, as many as you'd like to fit into one box.

Also, thanks so much to those of you who asked about the bird ornament from yesterday, it has been sold and was one of a kind, I can't make another. I appreciate your inquiries, though.

A “Family Tree” How-to

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, how to's, how-to projects, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / November 28, 2008

Did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving feast? Sugarwings and her sweet little Pixie Pie cousin sure did. But in hindsight, this idea of using the baby's craft table for their dining wasn't the best. It was a food free-for-all, with two little toddlers up and down and knocking each other over and dumping plates. I can already see that at Christmas dinner we'll be using a duo of high chairs instead.

At my house, we craft before and after holiday dinners. I prepped the meal way ahead of time, making mashed potatoes in the crock pot, and had noodles slowly simmering on the stove all day, while the green bean casserole (from scratch, no canned soup) and turkey were ready to pop in the oven when the time came.

Guests brought side dishes made at home, so we had time to play instead of slaving away in the kitchen! The guys were watching the game and playing pool, so we went to the studio and started cutting and gluing.

We were making the Christmas stars in two sizes, large for tree toppers and smaller ones for ornaments. Or wouldn't they be cute clipped to a ribbon and made into a garland?

We decided to use family photos on the ornaments, so we dressed the cousins up in their Christmas gowns and snapped a few quick pics of them to print out onto silver, holographic paper.

I wish the photos showed how pretty this shiny paper is.

A lot of you asked for how-tos for this Christmas star, so I thought this would be a good day for it. If you have a houseful of family together for the holiday weekend, this is a fun project you can all do together. Take photos of each other for the centers of the stars and you can make a "family tree" for Christmas.

Card stock works best. I wanted a vintage image, so copied this sheet music onto parchment colored card stock. You can use scrapbook paper, or heck, even plain card stock, what ever colors you like for a background.

Cut a piece of paper in half lengthwise and then fold both pieces in accordion pleats.

Then do a second piece to match.

Staple all four pleated sections together.

I suppose that for a tidier look, you could use glue, if you had an issue with not wanting staples to show. But if you do, you'll be wishing you were an octopus. I quickly switched to staples, after starting out using glue.

This is what it should look like.

You will need to cut 2 pieces of card stock to fit the back and the front of the star to hold it in place. Any shape, any paper that pleases you for your design.

For this tree topper, I used plain white on the back.

For the front, I used flocked wallpaper glued onto the card stock, then cut into an oval. After gluing, weight the paper down for minute or two till it sticks good.

That is a good time to take a break for a quick cuddle with someone furry and cute.

After the glue dries, you can trim the edges to get a star shape. Then with a paint brush (or fingers, like I use) add glue to the clipped edges and sprinkle with glitter.

At this point, it is ready to decorate however you'd like. Streaming ribbons, photos, flowers, sparkly things, whatever suits you.

If you think you'd rather make the smaller size, instead of the tree toppers, use one piece cut into 4 equal strips lengthwise instead of 2 pages cut in two strips.

And if you'd like extra sparkly edges, use Stickles as the glue that you add glitter to. (by the way, Stickles is now available at Hobby Lobby!!!)

There are actually some new things listed on my Etsy site. Some hand dyed bottle brush trees (more to come) and I am about to list some glittering vintaeg doves that I do-dadded up.

There are also some of my flower packs listed. If you need a specific color that isn't listed yet, just ask. I might have it!

You also have a couple more days to enter the giveaway for November. Good luck!

A Glittering Gala

antiques/junking, celebrations, Food and Drink, give away, holiday decor, I do tend to run on, don't I?

By Karla Nathan / November 7, 2008

We had a magical night at the Curious Sofa. Or Fofa as Carol and I called it after a funny typo. Well, maybe you had to be there, but it struck my funny bone.

Maybe I found it so funny because at the C. Sofa, every detail is pure perfection.

Deb is extraordinarily talented in the art of display, and there is never a mistake of any kind allowed on her property!

Even things that seem to be imperfect, are NOT. They are either made to look distressed or actually aged to perfection and chosen for that quality like the paneling in this powder room.

Pearl was hard at work greeting everyone at the entrance that was flanked by stacks of firewood. Who knew I was so trendy, I have firewood stacked in my breezeway by the door too! If Deb is doing it, it must be COOL to do!!

We had a fun group, and sat in the rustic cabin display and chatted after exploring the store. Here is Beth, Carol, Gwen and I from left to right. Gwen had recently returned from a buying trip in France and we were drooling as she was telling us all of the details about the trip.

By the way, if you will be at vendor night at Silver Bella, Gwen will have fresh off the boat, French ephemera for sale. Please do me a favor and say "Bon" to Gwen. I promise, she will laugh….

Plus, she has GREAT stuff and you’ll be glad you dropped by to shop! I put in a pre-order for 20 bucks worth of old French postcards. I wanted to be first in line!!

And here is the Queen of Styling, Deb. What a great hat!

This is something I fell in love with! I’m jonesing for that crown.

This big headed girl caught my eye too. I didn’t buy her though, but am kind of wishing I had, now. I got a few trinkets and will show photos of them after I recharge my camera battery.

Notice the books wrapped in old papers? And the fabulous colors of pearls? There is never a jarring note in that store, every inch is coordinated and well thought out.

Deb is an expert at sticking to her palette. She adds hints of color here and there, but it is always faded to a remnant of its original shade.

And there were sparkly things everywhere!

I don’t know what kind of glitter went on these roses to make them look like they were kissed by an early frost, but I want a jar of it. A BIG jar.

Don’t you wish you could pull up a chair to this table for a dinner party? Well, I did, but only because Carol dared me to. I didn’t mess anything up, I just sat and ate my dinner and felt pretty pampered while doing it! All chairs should have angel wings like these do!

And what a dinner it was!!!!! Champagne with Dean and Deluca catered deliciousness.

I tried to not make a pig of myself, (remember I was complaining about the 10 lbs I put on?). But honestly, LOOK at these platters. I had to have some of each.

But this platter is the one that got my heart racing (and not just from high fat treats, but from the beauty of it!). If I only had that Cannon Rebel camera that I wanted so bad, you could see the detail of this. The pink bon bons are covered in glitter. Yes, glitter. The Real Deal. Edible glitter that looks like GLITTER not sugar, because it really really is real glitter!!!!!!!!

Does it show up any better in this picture? I swear, the stuff is magical pixie dust, not just sugar. It is sheer, fine, holographic and as beautiful as the stuff Martha Stewart sells to craft with. Sugarwings and I were on a quest to find the stuff today and Dean and Deluca sent us to this cute little bakery where they sold us some magic pixie dust of our own!

Everything in there looked tasty and rich. Sugarwings was convinced these goodies were snowmen. I tried to tell her that they were tuxedos, but I don’t think she gets the concept of what a tuxedo is.

I am so thrilled to find this pretty glitter, and can’t wait to start sprinkling it around! I have big plans for frosting the rims of the glasses we will serve the Glitter Tinis in at our Glitter Lounge in Omaha! My roomie, Carol and I are having a mini kick off to Silver Bella before the group craft night starts and I think that I will have to sprinkle the magic fairy dust on the Godiva chocolates too.

I will be using this stuff everywhere! Heck, I always have glitter in my hair, on my face, all over my house, grandchild, dog, and husband. I might as well have it in my food too. And on purpose!

Thanks, Deb for such a fun party last night. And for feeding me glitter cakes and starting a whole new obsession for me!

I think that what ever my giveaway for November will be, I will add some pixie dust for the winner to sprinkle onto some of her own holdiay goodies too. Don’t forget, there is a giveaway going on. I know, lets call it a secret surprise goodie bag giveaway! You won’t know what it is until you get it in the mail! But I can guarentee, it will be sparkly.

Flaming Fall Fun

Etsy Goodies, Food and Drink, holiday decor, parties, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 13, 2008

Between throwing a party and hauling our boat in from the lake for the winter, I managed to sneak in a few minutes of crafting time.

These tags are listed for sale at my Etsy shop now if you are interested. I certainly have been neglecting that shop lately….

The wallpaper they are laying on came in the mail Saturday, isn’t it gorgeous!! I can’t wait to make something with that. Maybe I’ll get to tomorrow, I am having a craft day with some friends.

The weather for our bonfire on Saturday could not have been more perfect!

I think we had about 20 or so for dinner, I pulled a bunch of tables and mismatched chairs together from the patios and studio and set it all up out in the courtyard.

All the rectangle shaped tables were covered in white table cloths, and I put my only fall colored one on a round table in the center of the line.

(you can tell I didn’t waste any time ironing them!)

My centerpieces were a hodgepodge of whatever was around.

This white, glittered pumpkin is one that I have used over and over, it is from Hobby Lobby and I added glitter to it.

The rest of the centerpieces were just vases of flowers I picked from the garden, a few votives,gourds, and some real pumpkins. Simple and easy, no money spent, not much time put into it.

This pumpkin (from a garage sale) I sat in a flower pot and placed on a tray full of gourds and a vase of flowers. It really has a cool glow in the candlelight!

So does my pretty friend, Angie.

Here is the aftermath, once the food was gone and we moved on to the bonfire.

Dinner was simple and easy too. Well, at least it was for me! Everyone brought a side dish, I just made a spaghetti squash casserole (from my garden) and the cupcakes that Sugarwings decorated for me.

My husband grilled salmon and chicken, all I did was set out the food and plates buffet style in the house. I love parties that are effortless. I’m never shy to tell people to bring something with them, for one thing, it is fun to taste all the different things that people make. For another, I want to be able to have fun and be part of the group, not stuck in the kitchen.

(to Beth’s left is her handsome husband, Jeff. Too bad you can’t see his face, he is a cutey. But you can tell he is a cyclist, look at that physique!!)

I don’t know why we don’t use our bonfire pit more often. When we, sadly, had to take down the old barn, we kept the foundation and filled it with gravel, then added a curving gravel pathway back to the area. The big, gravelled space in the clearing of the woods makes a perfect area for a fire.

For parties, I string white lights along the path on one side and set out candles on the other.

The evening was one of those nights when it wasn’t so cold that you HAD to have a fire to stay warm, the fire was more of an accent to stare at and enjoy.

Although the flames did get a little hot when I decided to throw an old chair onto them. We all had to back away for a bit till the heat let up.

My husband thinks I have too much junk and he is thrilled when I surprise him and burn some of it at a party. Well, you do what you can to keep them happy, huh?

Would you like to have a pair of silver crown earrings?

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Food and Drink, give away, Silver Bella

By Karla Nathan / October 10, 2008

My grandiose plans to tag and pack up all the jewelry didn’t come to fruition. I’ve had Sugarwings as a helper, so just didn’t get a lot done!

There are a lot of things she is good at helping with, but sorting and pricing jewelry isn’t one of them.

Sugarwings is a good shopper. We went out and ran some errands and picked up Halloween themed paper goods for a bonfire I am planning tomorrow night.

She is also a good sprinkler. I handed over the sprinkles container and let her decorate the cupcakes herself.

I was hoping to do some autumn decorating before tomorrow night, but simply haven’t had a chance. She and I picked some hedge apples and squash. That might be it for my fall decor this year! Maybe I will call it "minimalist".

Being busy with getting things ready for Silverbella and having a two year old move in with me have kind of slowed me down a bit.

If you aren’t getting answers from me for you rcomments, please know that I am reading them at nap time, or after her bedtime, and enjoy seeing each and every one of them, I just might not have time to reply.

It’s nap time now, so Twinkle and I have been cleaning up this smoking stand to use for a display at my booth. I need to find a knob to fit the door, and it will be ready to go. It is perfectly aged and crackled up! And just the right size to add height to a table of goods for sale.

I like small cabinets for display. I can set something on top of it, inside it, and underneath too.

I’ve been so busy baby chasing that I forgot I had told you I was going to add to the October Giveaway.

If you remember, there is a set of black and white rose linens and a white glittered pumpkin already in the prize pack.

I think that what is missing from the prize is a pair of earrings. And since so many of you are interested in Silver Bella, but might not be going, I thought I’d offer a pair of the patina-ed sterling silver crown earrings that I am making up to take to that event.

All comments all month count as an entry. And please do continue to comment, sorry I can’t answer them all.