Food and Drink – Page 7 – Karla's Cottage

Cinderella’s Carriage

fairies, family, Food and Drink, friends

By Karla Nathan / April 29, 2019

When Karen came to visit me last week, she brought along gifts from our friend, Julie. When we first saw these, we thought they were perfume bottles, then were corrected by Julie. They are actually oil lamps

But to both of us, they were Cinderella carriages!

Karen brought these supplies to use on hers. We both removed the bevelled glass (my amber glass will someday become full moons, with little witches on them) and painted the brass white.

Here is Karen's all prepped and ready for a princess to ride in.

And she even had a princess ready to roll. Ta dah!

Lovely!

We took a lunch break and had pie, (well, a wonderful lunch too, but oh man, that pie!!) at Ladybird Diner.

Karen had read about our local cafe in Food Network magazine, and wanted to check it out while she was in Kansas. I'm always up for a lunch there, the buttermilk fried chicken is my favorite and I don't need much of an excuse to go have some again.

(At this point, my bruise was 2 weeks old and not fading much, but by now it is almost 3 weeks and starting to look a bit better. It doesn't hurt, so I forget about it, and am surprised when people ask me if I am ok, or what on earth happened to me. They aren't expecting a story about Harry Potter)

Mine holds two, very special princesses.

With a unique Fairy Godmother on top. Along with a giant, vial of pixie dust. Because at our house, there is no such thing as too much fairy dust to sprinkle around.

I also broke out the very, very special, vintage silk ribbon roses for both of us to use on our royal coaches.

In mine, the clock is about to strike 12, and there are white pumpkins behind the girls.

And the princesses are decked out in very sparkly gowns.

The wheels are vintage rhinestone buttons and earrings.

Mine is not quite finished here, I still had flowers to add.

Thank you Karen, for sharing your treasures from Julie, and thank you Julie, for this gift! It already has a special place in my home.

Once Upon an Easter

celebrations, Food and Drink, friends, guncles, holiday decor, parties, Travel, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / April 18, 2019

Jenn Hayslip’s bunny bash was every bit as special as I knew it would be.

It was great to catch up with old friends…

Meet some new friends…

Learn some entertaining tricks..

Attend a tea party with my baby bro…

Make Eastery foofiness in fun classes…

Eat wonderful food in fancy settings with fun people…

Teach a class…

Go to an Easter egg hunt…

Play dress up…

Eat more great food…

And more…

I even got to decorate an Easter tree and do some other sprucing up before things started.

Thank you, Jenn, it was lovely!

Bunnies in the Land of Guncles

Food and Drink, guncles, holiday decor, Travel

By Karla Nathan / April 15, 2019

In the last few years, I’ve been lucky enough to see Guncleland at Christmas and Halloween.

This is my first trip there for the burst of Springtime that blooms in their home.

It is adorable!

I think the key word to describe it all is Whimsical.

Or should I go with Colorful?

Abundance works too.

But wait, I think what I’m looking for is Delightful.

No, the perfect word has to be, Delicious!

(Have you ever had fresh from the ocean, trigger fish? It is my new favorite meal in the whole world. Especially when prepared Guncle Kevin style.)

No matter the season or decor, Hospitality always describes this home.

Hospitality heavily seasoned with Love and Warmth.

Thank you, bros!

I miss you and your Adorable, Whimsical, Colorful, Abundant, Delightful, Delicious, Hospitable home, filled with Love and Warmth!

Living like a Queen at the Cozy Castle, plus Kit and Class info

antiques/junking, bird song art event, celebrations, Food and Drink, friends, Travel, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / March 11, 2019

This is my buddy from my weekend at the Cozy Castle.

Queen Satine, is as gentle and sweet as she is glamorous.

I felt as queenly as Satine looks the whole time I was with Karen.

From the very first night, walking up to her welcoming home, I was wrapped up in comfort, caring, and luxury.

It was heavenly!!!!!

These wings are painted on an alley wall in Deland, FL. Karen took me out for a night of exploration of the cute downtown and we stopped to check out the artwork.

The workshops that I taught were hosted at her event space nearby, and she has it every bit as pretty as her home.

We had a group of fun ladies there to make angel wings and a memory book with me, and they came bearing gifts.

After this leg of my journey, I was meeting Sugarwings and my husband, and they were very happy to see me the chocolate when I picked them up at the airport.

The wings were the same kits from the class that I had at the cottage for Valentine's Day, A Lovebird's Song.

But we put a Karen style spin on it, and had frozen Charlottes and bisque babies available for purchase to add to the wings. (Karen will be teaching a class using the sweet bisque babes here at the cottage if you'd like to join us on April 20th)

The kits I provided were neutral with soft pink, but I always enjoy seeing what goodies people bring to add some extra touches to their own projects. My friend, Becky gave her wings some Florida Flair.

We had two rooms set up for the students, and I was busy flittering about between the two. It almost made the teaching go a little easier than the same amount of people in just one room, because when they are at separate tables in the same space, I still have to repeat the instructions to each table, but this way, I didn't feel like I was bothering one table to say my spiel to another table.

After the morning's class, we were lucky enough to be guided to the Cozy Castle for a lunch break, to dine at a beautifully appointed table Karen had prepared for us.

And to be treated to the world's best cake!

Last year, Karen baked one for my birthday, and gave it to me on a surprise visit. I was quite happy to get another taste of one of her specialties.

After our schmancy luncheon of deliciousness and beauty, we went back to the workspace for round two, and made these memory, or autograph books.

There are some extra kits, (I always make plenty) I just haven't had a chance to get them listed in the Boutique because I am in the middle of BLECK! taxes BLECK! and in getting kits made for the Once Upon and Easter event that Jenn Hayslip is hosting on Jekyll Island. (I am making extra for those too)

I will have more time when I return in April, after the OTHER CLASS that I am also prepping for here at the cottage with Karen.

Whew! That is a lot of classes in a row!

You can inquire about the wings and autograph book kits now, ($40 each) or wait until all are listed in mid April. Sorry I'm not on the ball for the kits yet. But soon, there will be a slew of them. You can be crafting away up to your knees is kits if you feel like it. (ha)

Or maybe I will be seeing you at A Song of Spring and you can be treated like a queen by Karen too? She brings light and love and happiness and glamour and style and sincerity and beauty everywhere she goes, and I think you'll enjoy the classes.

Her only free time, while in Kansas visiting, is Easter weekend. Soooo…… it is not an easy time for people to get away for a workshop. Looks like it will be a smaller class, which means we have plenty of space available if you'd like to join us?

Lunch, treats, 3 classes, and lots of laughing, foofiness, and fun.

Sorry, I wish I could offer poodle hugs, but Queen Satine will not be attending. She must have an appointment with the Easter Bunny too.

email me at:

Karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

if you are interested in one of the kits from my past workshops or attending a future one.

I will leave you with a couple more photos from my royal weekend with Satine and Karen. It was the BEST! She even took me to Mt Dora's famous flea market.

Yep, it was the BEST.

A Song of Spring, sign ups are open

bird song art event, flowers, Food and Drink, paintings

By Karla Nathan / March 1, 2019

Registration is open for our Springtime class at the cottage, with Karen Hillman and myself.

I will be showing you how to use watercolor markers to create sweet, little images in your art journals or to frame. And speaking of framing, everyone gets a small frame to embellish and pop your finished painting into.

Also included is a set of watercolor paint markers, a watercolor notebook to practice your techniques, and I will draw a little bluebird for each guest to use as a guideline. (Or you can ‘wing it’ and draw your own.)

My talented friend, Karen, will be making “Felicity the Flower Fairy” with us. Everything pictured is provided, (including the darling, bisque dolly) you will need only your glue, tools, and any personal bits you would like to add.

Karen will also walk us through sugaring violets and mint leaves to enhance your holiday baking. You will need to bring a food safe paint brush and will go home with a prettily wrapped, vintage plate to hold your scrumptious flowers.

Date:

Saturday, April 20

Place:

Karla’s Cottage- Lawrence, KS

Cost:

$115

Includes:

Lunch, beverages, goodies

Karen’s kit for making Felicia the Flower Fairy

Fresh cut violets and mint leaves, and the ingredients to transform them

A set of watercolor markers, a hand done drawing, a watercolor notebook, frame and embellishments, and an instructional chart

I hope we will see you there! The class size is limited to the amount of antique dolls Karen has on hand. Anyone who has contacted me already will be given first priority, in the order that I heard from them.

Please email me at:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

to join in on the fun we will be having Easter weekend in the studio!

as before, return guests, (Peeps) get a ten percent discount)

Food full of love, with a room full of hearts and roses

bird song art event, cottage, flowers, Food and Drink, Valentine's Day

By Karla Nathan / January 31, 2019

As always, I got a bit carried away with the theme for the party….

Hearts, EVERYWHERE!

The freshly baked rolls were baked in heart shaped muffin tins.

As were the cupcakes. But it wasn't all that clear unless you looked at the bottom of them.

Rainbow carrots were even cut into hearts.

(That might have been the moment when I realized it had gone over the top, it took longer than I thought it would, even with Kia helping. But it was kind of fun, even if it probably was not a good use of my time)

Of course, there were cookies cut out as hearts.

The Dove chocolates and Cadbury eggs aren't hearts, but they are "lovebird" themed.

The treat cabinet was strewn with hearts and roses from top to bottom.

Red isn't typically my color, but I do enjoy pops of it at Christmas and Valentines.

Especially when the red is rosey.

And while this calendar page on the Treat Cabinet door isn't purely Valentine's themed, it is from Jan.-Feb. and seemed to fit in perfectly.

Hearts made by Beth are hanging on the other door.

And LuWanda is dolled up in rhinestone birds on lace with a flocked wallpaper heart.

We had fruity iced tea in the Treat Cabinet, and in the kitchen, I set up a hot cocoa and hot tea station.

But to be honest, this is always here. We like to have the ingredients we need for tea or cocoa ready to roll. And the lace hearts? Those are year round too. I hung them up for Valentines Day a couple years ago and couldn't bring myself to take them down.

The chair covers were a very lucky find. I was at an estate sale for a closed catering business, and these brand new, never used, pink, pretties were only $1.50 each!

I almost didn't buy them, then came to my senses.

They were exactly what I needed, right?

Beth had just given me the pink napkins that match them, and the Guncles gifted me with the plates. Lots of sharing and love went into the table top.

Including flowers from our newest Peep, Amy.

Now that our day full of Peeps has passed, I think I need to throw a Valentine dinner party to enjoy all the decor some more.

I do love Holidays and all the pretty things that come with them.

Thankfulness, hugs, and gingerbread

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / November 23, 2018

I can't imagine a nicer Thanksgiving. Kia helped me prep quite a bit the day before and we had a pretty laid back Thursday, with all of the chopping done ahead of time.

We even baked a double batch of gingerbread cookies on Wednesday, which made for a fun morning of playing with icing and sprinkles before getting dinner in the oven.

After cookie masterpieces were created, we popped a little turkey into the oven (for the few of us that were not vegan) and headed out to the woods to enjoy the sunshine and the last of the fall colors.

We didn't go far, just out in our back yard, we have ten acres that have a few trails through the trees.

While out there, we visited the fallen Grandfather Tree, which we have harvested to make slabs. In the future, it will be a dining room table.

For now, it is fun to climb on.

And jump off of.

The grandfairies found a few fun places to climb around.

And Avahni showed off her fire fighter training by carrying people around.

Dororthy enjoyed it.

Twinkle isn't as fond of the hugging.

But the girls are.

After a festive dinner with lots of toasts and laughter, we started decorating gingerbread again, this time some premade houses.

Every year, I get a couple for the littlest grandfairies to pile up sky high with globs of candies, but didn't even think about getting them for everyone to play with.

But after watching the Halloween baking shows with Ryan, he and I thought we should probably try our hands at making some houses ourselves.

I certainly had plenty of toppings! We do NOT eat these, they are just for display, so we use candy that has been around longer than Dewdrop, back when Sugarwings first crafted a house. And I buy the 25 cent, clearance decorations after Christmas to save up and use too.

The only fresh stuff we have is for the cookies that we eat, and they are dye free, organic goodies.

Oh, yes, I do buy fresh fondant to play with too. You have to have that soft and pliable, it doesn't save like hard candies do.

The big girls like the fondant as much as the little ones do. Thia made a unicorn with hers.

This looks like it will be a holiday tradition around here, we had such a good time with it, that there is already talk of gingerbread birdhouses for Easter. And maybe even some more houses at Christmas dinner? Although, we usually spend the evening playing games that the kids get as gifts from Santa after dinner on that day, and decorating cookies in the afternoon.

I am truly blessed to have a family who can enjoy a relaxing day together, while pitching in to help with cooking so that the day wasn't all about slaving away in the kitchen and dozing in front of a game on TV.

And I was thrilled to have them want to make Gingerbread Houses! I'm not really a Thanksgiving person, for me, it is just the gateway to the holiday season, it is hard to hold back and not start rushing headfirst into Christmas before Thanksgiving is over.

This season, I decided there was no reason to hold back and went for it. I was glad to have my trees up, and the twinkling lights strung for atmosphere. And loved having these houses to do, even though they are a traditional Santa thing, not a turkey thing.

(with a side of Turkey!)

The kids were calling the meal, our "Healthgiving" Dinner, we kept all of the items freshly made, with no processed foods. With everyone helping, that wasn't hard to do. There were circus tricks on the aerial rig, a walk in the woods, crafting, massage therapy, and we all took turns giving a Huzzah! for what we were feeling grateful for.

The laughter, warmth, and hugs were much appreciated.

What a nice holiday! I hope you had a happy one too.

Our respect for the bird is slipping….

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

By Karla Nathan / November 19, 2018

Sugarwings and I LOVE decorating for the holidays, but we try to hold back and wait til after Thanksgiving. Our reminder to each other is, "We must respect the bird!"

Last year, our home was on the holiday tour plus I was hosting a holiday workshop (A Snowbird's Song) and I had a great excuse to ignore our rule and toss tinsel everywhere on November 1st.

And this season, we started our holiday fun a bit early by attending the play, "Elf" at the KU Lied Center. We decided to throw a mini dinner party before the show, and simply had to have appropriate decor to serve our meal, right???? Heck, it wasn't our fault that the date of the play was before Thanksgiving.

Sugarwings was in charge of the tablescape and made up this Candy Cane Forest, from the story.

Cocoa parties are a big part of our Christmas celebrations, and Buddy the Elf loves cocoa too. Typically, we do not have our first cup until the tree is up and lit. We made an exception, and served hot chocolate with organic candy canes and marshmallows in both vanilla and peppermint. She made a banner from one of Buddy's quotes.

He does have some of the best quotes.

While she crafted a candy cane forest, I hot glued some felt and feathers into elf hats to wear that night.

I was kind of surprised that we were the only group decked out for the theme, but was proud of my girls for rocking the look.

We served finger foods and things we thought elves would like, although we didn't go whole hog with Buddy's list of elves' favorite food groups:

1- Candy

2-Candy Canes

3- Candy Corn

4- Syrup

We decided to compromise on our respecting the bird rules and leave our tablescape set up. I dodged a bullet on breaking the rule even further by being very busy, and having a couple of trips come up to prevent me from pulling more yule goodies out of the closet.

But I'm twitching with the need to tear into the storage closet and fling lights and ornaments from one end of the house to the other!

Honey Harvest

cottage, family, flowers, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / October 2, 2018

Last year, we hit the honey jackpot.

This year?

Not so much.

I'd prepared for another huge harvest, and bought not only our normal sized jars, but also these mini bears to give as gifts.

We only filled one of these, (to save for Dewdrop) and very few larger ones for the family this year.

The set up isn't any easier to get an abysmal number of bottles than it is to have a bountiful harvest. It took a day to get it all ready then cleaned up for this slow trickle. And this year, there were 3 hives instead of just one.

I guess the drought over the summer was hard on these poor little gals.

Florida Friends with Flowing Paint and eating from field to fork

Books, celebrations, dogs, family, Food and Drink, guncles, paintings

By Karla Nathan / September 20, 2018

While Karen, Regina, and Randy were here from Florida, we got together at the Cottage for some flow painting. I showed them how to make an ocean scene.

And we made some book covers.

They all got messy with me, and we poured paints in the garage.

This is a "swipe" technique. The colors go on over black paint, then more black paint is drizzled over it, and swiped across to make a pretty design. The paint needs to dry for a while, when it is done, I'll assemble the books, and show you how it turned out.

Here is Guncle Randy's other painting.

WOW.

I love it.

I wonder if he will notice if it isn't in the box I am mailing to him when the paint dries….

I'd planned a lunch for us and was happy to have a chance to use the fall tablecloth that I found at the flea market we all shopped at.

We had beef pot pie with puff pastry, salad, and rosemary garlic bread fresh from the oven.

With "paint pour" cupcakes for dessert.

But that wasn't it for the day…

Karen started her morning at 4am, dove hunting at the camp we had been visiting.

She brought them along to clean and gifted us with a whole flock.

It is not something I've ever done before, but intriguing. There is definitely a bonus to a meal that you have hand crafted, whether from garden to table or from field to fork.

And well worth it, those doves were tender and delicious! We soaked them in salt water for 24 hours, before marinating in Italian dressing.

While the dove breasts soaked up the flavors, we took a Labor Day spin out on the lake.

After boating, I wrapped the breasts in bacon, and my husband slow cooked them on the grill. We served it with a cauliflower mash, asparagus, fresh made bread, and a salad featuring tomatoes just picked from the garden.

Thanks, for being such a great shot, Karen! And for sharing your bounty!