guncles – Karla's Cottage

Guncle time part three

antiques/junking, cottage, dogs, family, guncles, Hand painted, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 16, 2026

Besides lots of good food and wine, how was the guncles visit? Never long enough, for one thing. We hit the jackpot on junking trips, one full day at Sparks Flea Mkt, two garage sale mornings, and one afternoon estate sale.

This window is from the flea. I bought it for resale, but, uhm, oops, it somehow got hung in my hearth room.

Molly might not look like she approves, but she is just typically scared of getting her photo taken. Or maybe she is upset about warning the guys that they shouldn’t be hanging it up, it should go into the inventory stash in the garage? Oh well, if even the guard dog can’t stop the process, I guess that window belongs there.

Fate. Beautiful, colorful, fate. Isn’t that stained glass ideal there!?

Time flew by, with all the shopping, cooking, eating, laughing, and lots of small chores the guys helped Rich with since I cannot use my right arm for much as it recovers from surgery. (Like hanging my spectacular, new window!)

Randy and I were left with limited time in the studio. He worked on his handmade cards, and I also made a few, along with some door prizes for my upcoming class reunion. These hand painted bookmarks will be packaged up with jewelry I am crafting, to make three gifts.

All of us found treasures in Sparks, and I’m hoping this becomes a tradition, and the guncles come back next season too.

Randy made friends there, as always.

Sadly, the cards I made during studio time were not happy ones. Recently, too many people I care about have lost loved ones. So I was creating sympathy cards to get into the mail.

There were also many quick trips to the hardware or grocery stores. While on one run, I snagged Kansas sunflowers for the table for Kevin’s birthday dinner. I looked everywhere for a cut flower bouquet, but ending up buying a pot full.

The plant has already started to bloom again, and will be a summer-long reminder of the lovely time we had together. I miss you, guncles!

A birthday party week part one- Guncle Kevin

guncles

By Karla Nathan / May 8, 2026

We had a festive week with the Guncles, celebrating two birthdays.

First was Kevin’s and we hosted a red wine pairing dinner.

Starting with a charcuterie board and La Crema. I do not drink red, but tasted them all, and this one had a nice, creamy feel, like its name.

I baked Brie in puff pastry with herbs, walnuts, and fig jam.

Randy set the table in a fancy farm house style, with a mix of rustic and elegant.
Plus chickens.

Second course was pistachio, zucchini, brioche, and spinach stuffed portabellas.

The wine was a South American Malbec and I would’ve have remembered it without this photo because it just wasn’t memorable. Okay, but no one’s fave. We liked the mushrooms, though!

I didn’t get a pic of the third and best wine, Caymus. We had it with grilled tuna and lemon pepper asparagus. Randy bought Kevin’s favorite coconut pie for dessert.

The night was special, the company was the best. We should make this an annual tradition.

Redos in Guncleland

guncles

By Karla Nathan / August 2, 2025

The Guncles have a newly revamped guest room that feels Ike a Floridan getaway. Light, airy, comfy and filled with soft, summer colors. Good for our guests, but rough on the poor guys- they had a water leak that caused them to rip out the entire space and redo it a couple days before Sharon, one of our Nathan sisses, arrived on Sunday, and we took her spot on Monday when she left for a Disney visit.

And while the rush job might have left them feeling like this guy, they pulled it off in a grand fashion and we all had a lovely, new room to enjoy.

There is a bit more decorating for them to do, and I look forward to my next visit to see what details they have added. I enjoy the luxe design choices in their home, with elegant furnishings, fine antiques, and whimsical surprises around every corner.

And it makes me happy to wash dishes in the kitchen and see Ryan’s picture on the wall behind me reflected in the mirror on the shelf above the sink.

It’s a welcoming home, filled with laughter, extravagant meals, and happy dogs. The guys generously let us bring our pack of hounds, and even watched them three days so we could take a cruise.

Last time I visited, Randy and I decorated for Valentine’s Day. This time, we pulled out a smidgen of his vast supply of fall decor and spread it around the house.

Of course, there was crafting time too. Besides making crowns from filigree metal ribbons, I turned this vintage photo into a witch to put on the mantle.

For now, our decorating was mostly autumn themed, he will add Halloween elements later.

But we did sneak in a few little witchy bits.

And possibly a few ravens.

Randy had so many pumpkins, garlands, and blossoms, as well as owls, and more, that decorating was a breeze.

What makes a big difference in pulling off a redo is not only the items you’re setting out, but the infrastructure you have to work with. He had cloches, compotes, lights, crystal bowls, well, he has anything you’d need to elevate a vine from Michael’s and make it look classy.

Picture this pumpkin and vine on this table without the elegant cloche and crystal compote.

Not quite the same, right?

Yep, they have a beautiful home with great stuff in it. And I always have a blast when they let me “play dress up” with all of it.

Thanks for the fun, guys! I miss you already.

Crafting Crowns with Randy

guncles, jewelry, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 19, 2025

Of course Randy and I made time for hanging in the craft room!

One of our go-tos is making crowns.

Lots of crowns!

Then we have fun playing with them, finding critters around the house and yard to wear the new creations.

Soooo much fun! We never have quite enough time for all the projects we want to get done, but we love the heck out of each we do.

Treasured times in Guncleland

dogs, Food and Drink, guncles, jewelry, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 16, 2025

We enjoy traveling with our dogs, and there is no better place to take them along than to the Guncles’ house in Jax. They get the full royal treatment there, complete with a throne to rest upon.

They aren't the only ones feeling queenly on this vacation. Randy and Kevin make us all feel special with their pampering.

See how they feed us? Deliciously beautiful!

We’ve been crafting, touring the antique mall they have a spot in, drinking good wine, and playing with pups.

As well as being fed the best meal I think I’ve ever had. Honestly, the red snapper and rosemary honey carrots rank at the top of anything I’ve ever eaten.

The dinner was so perfect that we couldn’t think of erasing it from our taste buds by eating dessert. So, I’m considering having this tart for breakfast instead.

I’d brought fresh peaches from our tree and made this a little differently, with a tiny bit of brown sugar, spices, and some white wine drizzled over the fruit. I think it will be an appropriately decadent breakfast for Guncleland.

The girls are enjoying the trip as much as we are. They travelled well, stopping at dog parks along the way. All are freshly groomed to be their loveliest selves for the adventure, including Honey. We take the doodles into the groomer a couple times a year, with home trim ups as needed, and regular baths in the garden hose.

But not their mama dog, I didn’t even think about getting a haircut for a golden retriever, til I saw one being styled when I picked up the golden doodles from their appointment.

So Honey Bunny got the full treatment, including a furminator brushing. Worth every penny! On the drive here, no clouds of hair were wafting from the backseat and floating up my nose. Who knew you could avoid fluffs of fur like that? And doesn’t she look pretty for going to see the Guncles?

We are heading out to a cruise this weekend, and the dogs are staying behind in the lap of luxury here on Sweet Cherry Lane. I know they will love every minute of it. That’s how we all feel here.

At the Guncles

dogs, family, guncles

By Karla Nathan / February 19, 2025

While the reason for my trip to Jax wasn’t the best (poor Kev was under the weather and I went to help out) my time there was as delightful as ever.

The Guncles’ home is colorful and welcoming, the company is hilarious, and the food? Amazingly delicious.

On this visit, I tried to make myself useful by helping Randy take down Christmas and replace it with Valentine decorations.

We created a mushroom and fairy wonderland.

He had been crafting a lot of schroomies, so the ones that didn’t go into the fabulous birdcage got popped them into flower arrangements.

He let me redo his craft room too. I love a good sorting out, and a session of label making.

The Florida temps were mild, but after the cold January I’d survived in Kansas, it felt downright balmy. Wearing a sweater to go out is a treat after the layers upon layers I’d been bundling into back home. Olivia and I went for strolls around the neighborhood multiple times a day.

We saw hearts in the sidewalk and pavement every time.

This one was a unique find, it’s a ding on a car’s door.

The best part of the trip was seeing Kevin get stronger and stronger.

I wished I could’ve stayed longer.

That is what I say every time I leave their lovely home.

A Wicked themed hot air balloon

guncles, show and tell

By Karla Nathan / February 10, 2025

In my last post I mentioned possibly making springtime and Easter themed balloons to hang from the entry to my booth.

I was inspired by this Wicked one that Randy and I made together.

He found the ideal photo of Elpheba and Galinda to download and print. We glittered up Glinda (with a silent “gah”) and glued them in together surrounded by pink tulle to look like a frothy skirt. The wand is an olive fork Randy had.

I looked up the font from the Wizard of Oz movie poster and cut the word “Oz” from rainbow wrapping paper then glittered it too.

This was such an entertaining project that my next move was to order a multi pack of lanterns to make more for my booth.

Angels made with vintage half dolls

collections, cottage, fairies, guncles

By Karla Nathan / September 11, 2024

Last winter, I’d made a tree topper fairy for Guncle Randy, using a pin cushion doll. He had a collection of those and brought them to share with me and make some more.

Some we crafted onto empty tp rolls covered in vintage paper to make into tree toppers again, the rest were simply built to hang. Probably on a tree at the holidays?

But not necessarily. We took our bounty of beauties and hung them onto my chandelier to decorate for a birthday luncheon. They aren’t exactly Christmas ornies, they’d just look exquisite on a tree at the holidays.

This one, this queen of all pin cushion royalty, she would rule wherever she was placed. Oh my, what a gorgeous doll she is, no matter what I do with her or how she got jazzed up.

The day before, I’d found this onyx lamp base at a garage sale, it cost under a dollar. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, til Randy sat this woman onto the top of the stone.

Oh my, she found her home!

I started to deck her out for the holidays, but soon realized she needed to be a daily part of my life, so no golden tinsel or shiny brites got added after all.

Thank you, baby bro, I love her!

Fall family and farm stuff

cottage, family, Food and Drink, guncles

By Karla Nathan / September 8, 2024

We had such a nice time with the Guncles! Randy and I even got a full day in the studio together to make angels with the pin cushion dolls he brought to use.

We had a couple of dog walks, enjoying the mellow weather that came with the beginning of September.

Terry and Dale swang by on the way home from their long Florida to Canada drive. It was almost becoming an accidental family reunion. At least a mini one, Rich has a huge family.

We hadn’t planned it out this way, it just luckily happened that Terry and Dale were driving through while Guncles were visiting.

Little Dorothy got plenty of snuggles. She loves it when these guys come to town.

The visit wasnt all just about strolling around, chatting, and cutting up old lace, though. Stuff got done! Rich and Kevin cleaned the chicken coop, then picked apples and green beans from the garden. We peeled until late into the night, cooking and freezing apples for pie.

Rich brought in the honey comb from the hives and we got it bottled up. There wasn’t a big harvest this year, but that doesn’t change the amount of cleanup afterwards. Whether you get one gallon or five, you are still left with a kitchen full of sticky equipment. But also delicious honey to share, so all is good. I made up a charcuterie board that included a bowl of gooey honey comb that was worth all of the wiping down with warm soapy water that the kitchen required.

Speaking of honeycomb, check out this sky we were treated to after finishing the bee job! A sky filled with glowing honeycomb.

We might not be in Florida with fresh seafood, but the Guncles still worked their butts off feeding us great meals. One night was Kevin’s famous grilled turkey burgers, next was Randy’s signature lemon chicken, and then on my night to cook, Kevin took over and made fresh marinara sauce with chicken parm. All I did while they were here was a little bit of bread.

On our final night, Sugarwings hosted a Hocus Pocus cocoa party.

Complete with eyeballs on the cobbler made with the apples from our tree. I might not enjoy the time it takes to cut up all of that fruit, but it was made easier by so many hands, and I loved having loved ones here to share “the fruits of our labor” with.

These two couples who came to see us might technically be Rich’s family, but they each own huge chunks of real estate in my heart and I consider them my sibs too. Thanks for the visit, everyone!

A craft day to crow about

dogs, drawing, family, guncles

By Karla Nathan / March 30, 2024

Guncle Randy and I had an excellent craft day together.

We both worked on crowns, I painted some of my book page drawings, and helped him with a base coat on a violin he wants to embellish.

He had a couple bridal gowns to share, so I cut those up. He is using some of that on his violin too.

It was a lot for one day, but we jammed in as much fun as we could, and made time to take pictures of our hand crafted crowns on the heads of his many garden friends.