Food and Drink – Page 24 – Karla's Cottage

REDRUM

antiques/junking, Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, Food and Drink, jewelry, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 24, 2007

What a perfect Garage Sailing Saturday! Good weather, lots of sales, good prices, it was just right.

I love the $1 robin’s egg blue frame. I might just put it on the wall and hang plates inside it. I found many 10 cent pieces of glassware, a old pin cushion (with a crown pin!) for 50 cents, a made in Japan pink fish from an aquarium -50 cents, another old floral tray- $1, a solid old chair to paint- $4, a box of Italian framed prints to fix up and add new paintings to- $5,

a bagful of vintage seed packets- $2, 2 dozen old postcards for $1, a beaded purse- $1 and a McCoy pink pot that I splurged on for $20.

I also broke one of my Garage Sailing rules. I usually don’t go to the 2nd day of a sale, but I did to this one, and hit the jackpot. Barkcloth, old table clothes and vintage trim!

I will need some of this silver/grey trim for some Silver Bella projects (and the tiny pin crown too). But I got YARDS of it and will be selling it by the yard at my Etsy shop.

I found old lace too! This crocheted table cloth with fringe will be perfect for my dining room during the Christmas Home Tour. Can’t you just picture the table set up with all white and cream? I have some old white Wedgewood (big stack at an auction for $11), some Ironstone, and crystal. I know it is only June, but I have my Holiday Table all planned!!

Love this trim too. I will be selling it on Etsy, the butterflies are adorable, so I’ll have to keep some. Probably will make an art journal page for Sugarwings with it.

For all that fabric, trim, and a few very old books to cut up, I spent $17 at that sale!!!! I don’t even want to think about the barkcloth I missed by not going on the first day. Oh well, I am happy to just enjoy what I did find, never does you any good at all to be greedy about junk. It comes and goes, I am thrilled when I find goodies, but can’t fret about what I missed.

As if my day wasn’t good enough already, we went to a wedding in Kansas City and stayed over night at the Savoy, where the wedding was held.

This place is a pure faded elegance. It has a run down neglected feel in many parts of it, like this entryway.

And these long, dark hallways make you think that you will meet up with those twin ghostie girls from the Shining around the corner. but around the corner, is- nothing. Empty halls with walls ripped out and doors bolted shut. Very little of the hotel is operational and in use.

The rooms are cozy, and furnished with antiques.

I’d say the bathroom fixtures are original.

It is all decorated in a bare bones way. I think they do the best with the budget they have and let the old architecture speak for itself. There is a lot of charm there, but it is a bit neglected and has the feeling of an old bouquet left in a vase to droop.

There was some fantastic wallpaper in the spooky halls.

And the lobby was pretty much original too.

Since they only have part of the hotel in use, the front desk becomes the bar and the lobby is where the wedding cake was set up.

The cake was delicious, a fudge marble swirl.

The entire front of the old building is stained glass, done by Frank Lloyd Wright himself.

Harry Truman and Harry Houdini used to be regulars here. And the place feels like you could walk up to either one of their ghosts at any time.

I actually had to buy a dress for the occasion. Didn’t care for that. But found this nice, stretchy black one at TJMaxx for $32. Not bad, it was comfy and I didn’t need a new bra or shoes, or have to wear panty hose! What more can you ask for in a dress? I did make a necklace to wear with it.

What the Savoy saved on in renovations, they spent on FOOD AND SERVICE. Oh my god, it was better than being on a cruise ship. We were catered to every second. Great staff, some of them have been there for over 25 years. Our water glasses and coffee cups stayed filled to the brim and we had 2 waiters fluttering about.

Starched white linens, heavy silver, great food. And coffee made just for them from the Roasterie (best coffee in KC), called "Savoy Blend". They give you a bag of it in your room! Along with a plate full of fresh cookies, and a gift bag of sample sizes of toothpastes, and toiletries and candy bars. All complementary.

These are the breakfast choices. Notice my husband chose boring old Bacon and Eggs?? What was he thinking?? I got the Lobster Bisque and Coquille Saint Jacques. and it was wonderful.

Breakfast is included in the room price of only $99.

Amazing. I’ve paid more than that to stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

If you are ever in Kansas City, you have to stay here, it is quite an experience, a one of a kind hotel.

And of course, if you are in KC, you have to promise to call me too. I’d meet you there for a cup of that coffee in the morning!

Will Work for Food, and garage sales that make your heart skip a beat!

antiques/junking, Food and Drink, give away, jewelry, paintings, swaps

By Karla Nathan / June 16, 2007

Lawrence, KS is full of beautiful homes, but when I get out of the car at a neighborhood garage sale and the houses look like this, my heart skips a beat. You just KNOW these people will have cool stuff!

I bought this mirror (to paint white with roses) for $7.50. Now, don’t ask me what I will do with it, the thing is about 4′ wide and didn’t fit in my car. I have to go back with the truck this afternoon. I have no place for it, but couldn’t resist. That happens to me a lot.

How can I stop myself from buying treasures when I am in such a pretty setting? It makes everything for sell look even better!

Speaking of pretty places, I had to go back to Junker Jo’s to see what I missed yesterday (the $20 trunk was sold, too bad)

Jo’s husband BUILT THIS PLAYHOUSE FOR HER!! (My husband is a great guy, but far, far from being handy- he’ll never build anything like this for me)

She stores inventory in it between sales and uses it for a showroom for the sale dates.

Look at the antique french doors on it!!

This is the 2nd day of the sale. The first day, her lawn was filled with furniture. I’d say she’d had a good weekend.

The kids were selling ice cold pop for a quarter.

What did I buy from Jo today? A pink chalk poodle ($2). Well, it isn’t a Dorkie, but she seems to fit in fine with the rest of the collection of vintage dog planters and fiures.

Last night, I went to Blue Plate Dinners, a friend, Lori Johns owns it. (her husband, Barry Fitzgerald, a professor of illustration at Kansas University, and a fine softball player, did the artwork on the wall)

Before she opened this winter, she hired me to decorate her public restroom. I used the blue plate theme by mosaicing an antique mirror and a child’s toy hutch in broken Blue Willow. no, I didn’t smash it for the mosaic, I had !eek! dropped a whole box of it. and saved the bits for a project.

My friend, Jen did the faux finish, and I provided the furnishings, custom painted to match.

I added round mirrors from a hobby store to 3 blue plates I found at a garage sale.

A vintage toy stove is a side table. I was glad she let me use these two child’s pieces (found at a flea market for about $50 for both). I thought it aded a whimsical touch to the place.

Lori paid for the supplies in cash, then paid for my labor in food!

So, last night, I made up 12 dinners from their menu and now have a fully stocked freezer. I just have to pull out a dinner, thaw and bake. Her meals have very generous portions and lean meats. Excellent recipes that I would never bother trying at home, but with all the ingredients out in front of you, organized and ready, it is easy to do at her shop.

I’ve bought food from her before and plan on going back again as a customer after we eat our way through this stash.

Lori made us all snacks and we had wine while we worked. My cooking budding, Shanna, and I had a blast. Its like a big night out on the town when you go with friends and cook together. Or am I just getting old? My "big nights" are a different classification than they used to be. I know that I prefer Blue Plate Dinners to going out to hear a band and have a cocktail.

Here is a reminder about my give away for June. A hand painted charm that you can win by leaving a comment or an email. I know that for some reason, some people have trouble leaving a comment with typepad.

And look at how pretty this is!! A little swap from Sonia, how sweet! Thanks, Sonia!!

http://ccraftscollectibles.blogspot.com/

2am Fairies, and Fun with History

fairies, Food and Drink, give away, paintings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 7, 2007

My friends are here! And I learned more about the town I live in this afternoon than I have in all the years I have lived in Lawrence!

A couple of them are history buffs and Lawrence, KS had a major civil war battle take place here.

Of course, I knew about "Quantrill’s Raid" and the devastation of that battle, but not details. Like this stone house, that I have been in before, when a friend was renting it. I had no idea it was one of 6 houses that survived the sacking of the town. We picked up a map from the Convention and Visitors Bureau and took the self guided tour to the historical sites.

I told them that the only times I drove around and looked at the homes in Old West Lawrence was when there were garage sales there. They liked hearing about the sales, so we are going to get up early and go to some tomorrow.

Speaking of early, they didn’t arrive till about 4am! I stayed up and painted while I waited for them, was too excited to sleep. I knew that if I sat down to watch TV or read, I’d be OUT. So I painted a while.

BETH AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU ARE READING THIS! http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ If you leave a comment to tell Beth Happy Birthday on her blog, I will enter you in my drawing too!!
I painted a little ATC card size portrait of Beth’s dog, Madison. Beth’s birthday is this week.

I also painted this fairy. I don’t know if she is done, I think I’ll foof up the painting a bit, add something later. And her ear is weird. But hey, it was 2:45 am!!

Everyone is napping now, I will go pop a casserole into the oven now so dinner will be ready when they get up. I made tortellini with grilled chicken, broccoli, rep peppers, Alfredo sauce and layered it with cheeses. Its ready to go, glad I made it last night, since we spent the day chasing down historical sites!

Hey, don’t forget to leave a comment to enter my charm drawing for June, any comment or email will be an entry!

Paper Doll Fairies

fairies, Food and Drink, paintings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 3, 2007

What a wonderful day! It started with a big birthday brunch for my husband. I made biscuits and gravy along with eggs, bacon, fruit salad, and fresh muffins. Then, since it was officially brunch and not breakfast, we were required to have dessert. Every good brunch has yummy desserts!

Ours was a yellow pound cake topped with fresh strawberries, then a layer of vanilla pudding and cream cheese, and on top of that, whipped cream. Sugarwings enjoyed her first taste of whipped cream!

(I cook with as many low-fat products as I can, but even with skim milk and low fat sausage, this was still a, shall we say "filling" meal.)

Afterward, we took our pontoon and my brother-in-law’s ski boat out on the lake for the afternoon with our kids and all the nieces and nephews. Most of us are a bit sunburned, those cloudy days can trick you. Besides the slightly pink noses and red shoulders, we had a great time.

I had a couple hours between boating and when company came for dinner. (a crock pot full of roast and veggies, that cooked itself while we played)

So, I made up my 3 fairy swap pieces to get into the mail tomorrow to Natasha, http://natashaburns.blogspot.com/, Heather http://prettypetalsboutique.blogspot.com/, and Holly http://hollydoodledesigns.com/WordPress/

We are each making 3 items that fit into an envelope and are fairy inspired, so I made three tags. I started with a regular manila tag, rubbed with aging inks. I glued a pretty bit of scrapbook paper on each one. Then, painted a fairy on watercolor paper and snipped it out like a paper doll and glued it down.

The wings are cut from photo copies of vintage butterfly post cards than I encrusted with glitter.

Vintage posies were added to each sprite’s hands for a 3-D effect, and one of my hand painted charms was tied on with a bow of polka dot ribbon and pink tulle.

Natasha was so nice to set this up for me, I was complaining about missing out on the fairy jar swap and she offered to do this mini swap. I had a great time with it and hope they enjoy their hand painted fairies. I’ll have to look around and see what little thank you I can add to Natasha’s package. I appreciate her doing this. And I can’t wait to receive my fairies from them!!!!!

I joined the tiara swap that is being hosted by Holly too. I might just becoming a swap junky.

Last week, I showed you pictures of Sissy’s magical cottage while I was visiting her in Indiana. Here is a picture she sent to me of what she found at GOODWILL. What a beautiful platter.

Eat with Caroline

antiques/junking, flowers, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / June 3, 2007

Thanks for all your votes and input. I Love hearing from everyone, its nice to know I am not just writing this to myself, that there is actually someone out there who sees it!

Remember, you can still win a hand painted rose charm by simply leaving a comment this month. I love comments and don’t mind bribing you to get them!

I had a lucrative garage sailing morning with my sis-in-law, Sharon and her girls. First of all, she is an expectant grandma, and I am a slightly newbie grandmama, so we enjoyed scooping up baby goodies today. I used to drive right on by the sales that were all baby stuff, but now we squeal with joy when we pull up to the curb and see piles of tiny pink dresses and big, colorful, plastic baby paraphernalia that takes up half a room.

I loaded up on pretties for Sugarwings, including a monitor to keep here for when she naps and the foo-fooiest pink dresses ever ($1 each!) I will keep the dresses at my house for her to wear to our tea parties.

I managed to squeeze in some non-Sugarwings purchases too. This tray was $4 and the overnight case was 50 cents. I plan to line it with vintage papers and paint roses on the exterior.

The linens were 10 cents each! (I bought 32) Heck, that is less than bubble wrap. At that price, I should wrap all my packages in linens when I mail breakables.

I always seem to find a new birdie for my collection when I am junking. These pink tweeties were only a dime.

"Eat with Caroline" was a quarter, how could I pass that up?

I don’t know if any of Caroline’s recipes will grace my table, but they sure will adorn my collage work!

We took a break from junking and strolled through the farmer’s market. Because an interesting market like ours, here in Lawrence, KS deserves strolling, not just walking through.

I really liked all the hand painted signs the vendors use.

"Friday Night Bakers" was the prettiest sign. but it was late in the day so there wasn’t much left of the baked goods.

Isn’t the bundle of wheat next to the simple daisies and the yarrow a lovely combination?

Kansas is known for its wheat, but I have never thought of picking it and using it in my flower arrangements.

And look at this flower, it reminds me of Queen Anne’s Lace, but has bigger petals.

I’d love to grow Queen Ann’s Lace, and have tried digging it out of a field of weeds and transplanting it to my garden, but it never lives. Now how hard can it be to grow a weed?? I seem to be a whiz with dandelions and poison ivy in my yard.

I got up at 6am (not like me) to go Garage Sailing this morning, spent the middle of the day in the garden, then cleaned the basement. Which in our 100 year old house, is more of a cellar. Nasty. But after that was done, we went to a movie, then out on the lake to watch the sunset from our boat (and eat cheeseburgers with sweet potato fries from the Marina). Not a bad way to end a day. Although, it didn’t end there, I have a dozen people coming for biscuits and gravy tomorrow morning and a dinner party and house guest tomorrow night (with a day of boating in the middle). So, groceries and baking came after the lovely sunset. And of course, BLOGGING! Now, off to clean bathrooms for company and then finally, to bed. Night, night

And The Winner Is……..

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), flowers, Food and Drink, give away, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 27, 2007

Just a quick note to announce the Cottage Charm Giveaway WINNER– I’ve been busy smooshing as much as I can into my last day of vacation, and here it is almost midnight and I want to get the winner named before the next day begins. So, congratulations to:

Niki at http://nostalgiaatthestonehouse.blogspot.com/

Thank you everyone for all the kind comments and for entering. I promise to have many more give aways, these have been a lot of fun for me, and I make a lot of crap (I mean arty stuff) so will always have something to give as a present!! So keep checking back, I’ll start another contest soon.

Today is the last day of my trip, tomorrow will be spent in the car all day. Hopefully, not too much of it will be spent stuck in Indy 500 traffic as we try to leave this town….. My day started with a special brunch by Sissy.

Fresh fruit salad, homemade bread, cherry jam that I bought in the mountains, vanilla yogurt, and wait, what is in the chickie?

A boiled egg!

We’ll all miss staying at Sis’s enchanted cottage. Sparkle and the other dorkies were treated like treasured family members and were spoiled rotten. But, that is how every guest is treated here.

(Even though Twinkle pooped on Sis’s rug and it had to be taken outside to be washed. That is why it is on the ground behind Sparkle)

Well, I’m off to pack, then get a bit of sleep before we fight the race crowd traffic tomorrow and head home!

Birthday Parties, Shabby Chic Friends, and Fairy Mermaids

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / May 13, 2007

I threw myself a big 49th birthday bash last night and of course, made a crown to wear to it, so everyone whould know who’s party it was!

I used a six pack of pointy party hats from the $1 Store to make the crowns, I simply cut the tops off in a zigzag pattern like crown points and glued glitter and lightweight sparklies to the hats. It was easier to make them than to take a photo of my own head.

And, see- a new hair color too!

Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ brought me a COSTCO CARROT CAKE. If you haven’t had one–go buy one NOW! Oh my gosh, they are the best. Thanks, Beth!

I kept the party simple and fixed easy things. Simple snacks and foods look better when served on pretty platters, so people didn’t realize how little effort I made. And I always say that food looks more impressive when you get it up high! I always use cake stands, compotes, and other tall serving pieces for a buffet. Layers and levels make an interesting table.

I went with a garden theme, brought in the glass topped breezeway table (and de-spidered it)to set up on the food table and topped it with McCoy flower pots with candles in them and the roses I had bought earlier in the week for $1.99 a dozen. The roses might have drooped a bit here and there, but weren’t bad.

The dogs were penned up for the evening, and Twinkle seemed to be OK with it, she cozied up in her cut glass dog dish. (50 cents at a garage sale) The water dish next to her is one that I painted iris on at one of those do-it-yourself ceramic shops. I love to go to those, but here’s a tip if you go- take your own paint brushes!! A good brush makes all the difference in a painting and the ones they have there to use aren’t any good at all!!

This is my friend, Angie. She is so pretty, I wish she was part of my decor every day. Isn’t her coloring very Shabby Chic??

I shared the limelight with my good buddy, Judy. I felt less guilty about throwing a party for myself since I got to share it with a friend.

Throwing myself a bash was just the start of the weekend.

On Sunday, the family cooked steaks on the grill and then we went out on the boat.

This was Sugarwings’ first time on the water and we decided that she was part mermaid too, not all fairy. She was born to be a lake kid!

Today was the first Mother’s Day for Sugarwing’s mom and my first as a Grandmama. I can only wish for a lifetime of Mother’s Days with them that are even half as nice as today, and I’ll be a lucky, lucky old lady if I get them!!!

Romantic Log Cabin STYLE

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / April 22, 2007

What a wonderful trip! Big Cedar Lodge, south of Branson was so luxurious it was almost decadent. But, with the lodge theme, it has a comfy, down home quality about it so it is very relaxing there.

As an artist, my eyes were drawn to all the detail put into making the place beautiful. Here is a close up of some of the iron work on a sign.

And although my personal style is more "Shabby Chic" or "Cottage", I sure can appreciate the rustic yet romantic log cabin style that we were staying in. This iron chandelier was hanging above our bed and there were stained glass windows everywhere.

We all got away to the spa and treated ourselves to massages or pedicures. I chose pedicure because it was a tad bit cheaper than the massage, and I had to keep telling myself not to think how far that much cash would go at a garage sale.

It did seem a waste to spend money on feet like mine. I think I have mentioned that I have Fred Flintsone Feet? But after the hour of spa pampering, these Freds were sparkling, soft, and topped off with Ruby polish. The best part was the little pink slippers that seemed made to fit my feet.

We got out to the "NEW Branson" for the evening and I got to show off my sparkling toes. Branson has changed, not just a country music, all you can eat, hoe down any more. Besides the classy Big Cedar, there was so much to see and do. but I am afraid, that mostly we ate, just not at the big buffets.

Every notice how much better everything tastes on vacation? We supplemented our dinners out with healthy snacks at the cabin, out on the balcony over looking the cedars. But ate quite a few unhealthy (and worth every calorie) treats too.

The big joke of the weekend was the complimentary snacks. We all did voices of what kind of compliments the snacks were paying us. The pretzels were a little twisted, but the cookies were very sweet in what they had to say. And all of us thought the popcorn was a bit cheesy with its comments.

Yes, I guess we were the cheesy ones. But hey, if you can’t be silly with good friends, when can you be?

Now that I am home, I am wrapping up my package to send to my very first swap partner, Karin at http://www.creativechaos.typepad.com/. I hope I have stuffed it with enough stuff. I added a collage magnet that I made to some of the same things I have put into the May Bucket Giveaway (by the way, you can still enter that by leaving a comment!) and some other trinkets. I have some vintage robins’ egg pearl beads, some crystal joools, a silver buckle, velvet millinary flowers, note cards, and a plastic dinasour. Well, that last may sound odd, but- she posted that her sons asked her if she was alive during the Flintstones era. With my own connection to Fred (my feet), I couldn’t resist adding that little symbol. Hope I did ok with it, I just am so impressed by the swaps I see and what people show they received.

Here is the third bucket I painted. I have one for the swap, one for the giveaway and one to sell. Anyone need a blue, hand painted bucket? $10.00 if you are interested. (puppy not inclueded!!!!!!)

Virtual Pot Luck

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / April 6, 2007

You are in invited to a virtual pot luck today! It is hosted by Shabby in the City and she has some Kentucky hospitality waiting for you at her place: http://shabbyinthecity.blogspot.com/

Here at my cottage, the table is set for the get together. I’ve used my art studio for the party instead of my dining room, so I can accommodate a crowd!

A long folding table that is coated with smears of paint, glitter, and glue, is covered with a fresh white table cloth to hide its true nature.

A $15 thrift store table that I repainted white with all white flowers- daisies, viburnum, roses, lilies, iris, etc- is also a working table when not in use for parties. It is nice and solid and makes a good sewing table, plus isn’t crusty with globs of dried glue and paint like all my folding tables, so is better for laying fabric out on. But, as poorly as I sew, it doesn’t matter how stable the table, the seam is not going to be straight.

After being 81 and sunny on Monday, it has gotten down to 26 last night! I went out and picked as many armfuls of lilacs that I could bring in and felt guilty for not saving each and every bud.

This wardrobe has had a lot of different incarnations. At one time, I had painted cherub statues and topiaries on it and used it in my garden shed to hold shovels and rakes.

Now the wardrobe is painted with white roses on its doors. I put 2 small tables in it, and use it for parties to serve wine and dessert. For today, it is set up with Easter chocolates and cake. This photo is the interior of the cabinet. I love this cabinet, it is so handy. I keep plastic silverware, napkins, coffee cups, and all those kinds of things under the table clothes so they are always on hand out in the studio and I don’t have to run back to the kitchen each time I need something like that when friends drop by to work on projects together.

Sparkle is ready for the party, with her bunny ears on. Well partially on, they seem to slip back on her head a bit. could be all the head shaking she is doing, trying to get them off.

All the furniture out here is mix and match, whatever bargains I bought and fixed up and haven’t sold yet. Used to be a bit of a revolving door, but since the road is closed in front of my house and I am not having sales right now, I haven’t been selling furniture. This bench is one I can never sell, my son built it for me, from a Victorian headboard, then I painted the flowers on it.

Happy Easter weekend! Hope you are enjoying all the goodies and get togethers, real and virtual!

Dancing with Abandon

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / March 31, 2007

We always have the Welcome sign out here at our cottage, and get a lot of guests to show for it. After the Easter egg bash yesterday, we had an old college buddy of my husband’s drop by from Colorado for the weekend with his family, and our niece and nephew came over to hang out too, ended up staying the weekend. To feed a houseful of hungry teenagers, I decided on a build your own taco bar, and set up a couple large tables in my studio for seating. I don’t know if they cared about the fresh picked grape hyacinth and the fairy figurines as a center piece, but it made me happy to do.

Then, I took advantage of having two 13 year old girls over to giggle with and we decorated Easter cookies. After raising two loud boys who cared more about eating cookies than decorating them, this was a treat for me.

It has been hectic, but a lot of laughs. And this is just the beginning of visitor season. Next week, my mother-in-law arrives from Michigan. And who knows who we’ll have the week after that? I have been known to go months with people coming every week to stay for a night or two.

I am sneaking away for a bit to work on listing some more things on Ebay (this Welcome sign for one!) Oh, that sounds like I didn’t want guests, that isn’t how I meant it. I have a TON of these, am constantly painting on old bits of wood I collect. This one is from the old cabinets we tore out when we remodeled. I hate to throw away anything that has a possibility of painting a rose on it!

I also listed this ATC, isn’t she just full of zip? She reminds me of myself at my son’s wedding when I led the conga line and didn’t realize every wedding guest saw my panties as I dance through my gazebo and around the gardens! When you are having such a great time, who cares about a middle aged woman’s panties showing a bit??

Well, back to the guests. And the Easter cookies. There are a couple with way too much icing on them, and those are really calling out to me.