how to’s – Page 14 – Karla's Cottage

Can there be TOO Many Roses? and a Temporary Hobby comes to an end.

antiques/junking, Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, holiday decor, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 4, 2007

Do you ever do a project that you put some time into, but it was still a wasted effort?

I painted this floral on the back of a linoleum scrap to make a rug. I’ve done this many times, it is a great way to make a cheap rug that is durable. (I have a stone patterned one in my office from a post a few days ago)

For some reason, this linoleum curls up on the edges, and will not lay flat, no matter what I try to do to flatten it. Guess I should have made sure it was going to be flat before I painted it, huh? Well there goes $10 in supplies and an hour of my time!

On a happier note, look at my new frying pan!!!

I got it for $1 at an estate sale last Saturday! It is a good, well made and well loved pan, and has a lot of use left in it- and it is PINK!!!

Carole sent little Sugarwings this book for her first birthday, and I promptly fell in love with Tasha Tudor. How can I have gone almost 50 years without noticing her work before?

I love her style and thought I would "adopt" it for a series of Christmas ornaments.

Generous Carole, is having back surgery tomorrow, please drop by to wish her well if you can. As a person with a bad back, I know how emotionally and physically draining that can be. I’ve had my share of back surgeries!

I only got a couple more ornaments painted yesterday,but they are not Tasha Tudor inspired, just my regular roses.

I also used two of my hand painted rose medallions (available on Etsy) to make a folder from one of my favorite vintage wallpapers. I’ll stuff it with Cottage Collage Kit vintage goodness and have it offered on Etsy too. (This is the same pattern as the ones that will be featured in Somerset Living – yippee- love that magazine!!)

I purchased these unfinished wood frames at Hobby Lobby after the 4th of July for under 50 cents each. I thought they could be Shabby Chic Christmas style instead of Independence Day with a few changes.

This one has a simple and sweet border of barely-there glitter and the roses are painted onto green sheet music, then coated with paper glaze, for a sheen.

the second one got a gloriously gaudy border with a heavier application of glitter, and a small silver star with a vintage rose bit of jewelry added to it at the top.

These roses are painted onto gold and white old wallpaper, but I got carried away and the paper doesn’t even show.

Are you all rosed-out at this point? I did have quite the rose painting day, yesterday between running errands (20 minutes to wait for a prescription at Wal-Mart????).

My Sissy gave me this print as part of the Swap we did in August. See the little Dorkie in it at the girl’s feet??

I decided to make the little girl in the picture into a fairy, by painting on some wings and antennas. (Although,if she wants to put her pretty bonnet back on now, the antenna might get in the way.)

To make the paint look like it belonged to the print, I used a crackle glaze over the whole picture after the paint dried, then when that dried well, I wiped a dark umber glaze into the cracks.

I used old ribbon and a fairy charm to hang it.

I covered the mat in the same vintage wallpaper I had happened to have laying on the craft table from making the folder (some decisions are best left to chance, I move quicker that way!) I used my stardust Gelly pen to outline the roses in the paper and give it some sparkle.

The inside edge of the mat is covered with seam binding ribbon and the old pink velvet is glued down then old earring are glued over that. I tore a chunk of flowers and velvet off a lovley old hat and added that at the bottom for extra foof.

Can you see the bottom of the painted wreath it is hanging from? I painted that on my closet door and hang little pretties from it sometimes. Others, I just leave it as a plain grapevine wreath.

And speaking of grapevine wreaths- I have finished my "temporary hobby" of making wreaths.

This is my 4th and final wreath. The rest of the 25 cent silk flowers will just go into vases. I did enjoy doing these few wreaths, but decided it just isn’t for me.

I was just making wreaths to get them done and over with, life is too short to make things because you feel like you have to.

By the way, in case you don’t know, if you leave a comment you are entered into October’s Giveaway Drawing.

Also, I am at 190 posts! I’ll have a special drawing for #200 and giveaway a gift then too!

A Royal September Giveaway Winner, and some winning combos

Etsy Goodies, give away, holiday decor, how to's, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 1, 2007

I now have a no- fail calender! Back in August, I thought the month was over at the 28th because of a screwy calender so, Beth gave me this perpetual one to keep me organized.

And beautiful words to live by. I kind of have this motto in my head any way, but not said so eloquently

Now I know what date it is and that is it the correct time to draw a name for my September giveaway.

The winner for Sept. is

*The Flea Market Queen* !!

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments, please keep them coming, and I will keep bribing you with presents for leaving them!

A new give away begins today.

Sunday was a good day for me, and not just because it was the season premiere of Dexter on Showtime (have I mentioned that I am the biggest TV junkie EVER?)

I worked in the studio most of the day, combining two of my favorite mediums, collage and paint.

I painted, blue birds and branches on this old wallpaper, then made a tag out of it with 2 other vintage wallpapers and some millinery flowers .

This cool old earring was in my stash too, and seemed to fit the design of the wallpaper, same style of posies.

Another combo project was this old tin box covered in 3 different vintage wallpapers, with its edges trimmed in old seam binding.

I added hand drawn gold paint swirls, a flash of jewelry, some millinery leaves and a hand painted anaglypta wall paper medallion.

I traced some details of the paper with glitter, then sprayed the whole piece with clear poly to give it some durability.

Everything is glued down with "the Ultimate", so I know it will stay in place. That is a good glue.

I painted quite a few more medallions to list on Etsy. they seem to sell well. I did rose, cupcakes, and tea cups filled with roses.

The sugared frosting is German Glass Glitter from Heather. She says she is out of the genuine silver glitter (used on the blue birds tag) but has more ordered. If I were you, I’d get on a waiting list for it, it is that good to work with. I think one thing I like about it, is that it goes where you put it, not everywhere like glitter. It also has a unique look and sheen to it.

I painted a few Christmas ornaments. These are mini ones, that I will sell as pairs, I think.

I used the German Glass Glitter on them too. I DID NOT want to get hooked on that stuff, but it is really a pretty addition to a painting or collage.

I just worry about the dangers, I don’t want to be inhaling it, or getting it in my eyes. I don’t keep a tidy desk and I think you need to be careful when working with this glass.

Snowmen in October? I am getting ahead with my Christmas crafts, but I do need to get them done ahead of time.

I’ve been making wreaths this weekend too. I am working my way through the giant stash of 25 cent (brand new) garage sale flowers.

This is a new thing for me. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Time for me to go pick up Sugarwings to babysit and cuddle for the day. I’d hoped to stop at the gym on the way, but am running out of time. If I get fat, it is your fault. I am sitting in front of this computer way to much.

Beth, Birdies, Bertie, and a bit of weirdness

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, how to's, I do tend to run on, don't I?, I've been tagged, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 29, 2007

Yesterday was a Sugarwings Day. She is still feeling cuddly and quiet from her flu bug, so she wanted just to be held or to be pushed in her new ($3 from a garage sale) car.

While she was napping, I decided to surprise her by making her new car a bit more fitting for someone as special as she is.

I primed it, spray painted it pink, then dumped two vials of glitter all over the wet paint and covered that with a spray of clear coat.

I wish the glitter showed in the photo, because it really shines in the sun. Sugarwings might need some sunglasses when she rides in her pink convertible.

By the way, this is what I am using as a stroller. We go for long walks up and down the sidewalks and to the park in it. So much more interesting than most strollers, and the handles come off so I can put it in my car if we go somewhere.

Today was a Beth day. I went to her house and we crafted the afternoon away. Why is it so much more fun to dig through someone else’s bags and boxes of supplies than your own?

We both had new goods to work with, she’d gotten a tin full of broken jewelry at an estate sale and I had a stack of some of the prettiest paper ever from Heather. She and I did a mini swap of vintage wall papers.

This blue rose paper is one from Heather and the rhinestone posy shaped button is from Beth’s tin of sparkly bits and pieces.

Beth also had a drawer full of different wooden shapes, and she shared this birdie with me. And yep, the eye is from her stash of sparklies too. Plus- she gave me a baggie full of them to take home!

Beth had a page of Victorian bird pictures she had reduced and copied, so I was full speed into the bird theme today. I also was trying out her "Stickles" and decided that it was a product I won’t be able to do with out.

I used the burgundy Stickles ( a brand of glitter glue that has a very fine glitter in it, comes in many colors, and flows easliy from the bottle) to outline some of the flowers in the old wallpaper (from Heather) and the oval cut out of the bird (from Beth).

I also drew extra vines, leaves, and swirls with Gelly Roll Stardust pens. Another product that will always be on my desk!

The Stardust pens are what I used to outline flowers and leaves, then smudge it slightly for a subtle glittery look. (A trick I learned from Sissy)

Another new favorite is this genuine sliver glitter from Heather. She sells it in her shop and you HAVE to try it. Especially if you use it with yet ANOTHER new favorite of mine- a ball point pen that has glue instead of ink! I’d seen glue pens before, but these (from Michaels) have such a fine line and great control of where the glue goes, I just am crazy about them.

So do you have your shopping list of must haves for collage and scrap booking??

1. Stardust Gelly Roll pens (clear is the BEST)

2. Stickles

3. Ball point pen with glue instead of ink

4. Genuine silver dust glitter from Heather at Pretty Petals

These are my new "Can’t do with out ’ems" when I need to make something sparkle. And I always need to make stuff sparkle!

Here is what Beth made today. We might have gotten more done if we weren’t laughing so hard all day. For some reason, every sentence seemed to strike a funny bone.

Not a bad way to spend a day, laughing and gluing glitter on vintage wallpaper. Oh- and going out to lunch at Pei-Wei (a chain owned by PF Chang and just as good but half the price!)

Here is more of what Beth made today, she isn’t quite done with them, but I took the picture anyway, they look good to me.

Also, I have been tagged by Jennifer (Queen of the Ravens) to list 7 weird things about myself. Well, I’ve played this game before, twice, but I think I have plenty of weird to spare. Here are a couple at least.

1- This is embarrassing but true, and I did go back to finish later and jeez, I don’t know why I’d even tell anyone this- but I am a high school drop out. I’m not stupid, I was an A student, I wasn’t a loser or a druggie or anything like that, it was just family difficulties and I was a tad bit homeless at the time.

2- I am a serial renovator. I can’t stop. When we bought this old farmhouse, it was 800 sq feet. It is now almost 5,000. We just add and add and add.

3- I am a serial painter too. My living room gets repainted at least twice a year. Maybe more. Maybe twice a week if I feel like I need to. When I had an antique booth, I’d paint it every couple of months. Other rooms last longer in their colors, the living room seems to be my main target.

4- I sing and make up rhymes all day long and am completely tone deaf, but I don’t let that stop me. Sugarwings and the dorkies think it is pretty cool but the rest of the world finds me irritating.

5- I keep a file of co-incidences. Such as two days after this puppy, Bertie, died, I made a tie dye tee shirt that was supposed to be a butterfly, but it turned out to look like her portrait.

Anytime something odd or cute or coincidental happens, I make a note of it. I call it my Co-Inky Dinks and Odd Occurances file.

Like this picture of the sky over my cottage the day Sugarwings was born- this cloud is shaped like Sparkle, my dorky!!!

5- I have developed an addiction to vintage wallpaper.

A serious, dangerous addiction that can’t be stopped.

6- I once had a mural job that paid me $2,000 in one day. I paint fast, and usually try to make the job last longer so the person who hired me doesn’t feel like he got a bad deal. But sometimes, I can’t help myself, I zip through the work so fast, I get done too early. I’ve painted a 20′ x 60′ mural in 2 days, thats probably my speed record.

Here is are a couple photos of part of it, its a big ‘un.

7- I once broke my back. I fell off (was not thrown, that would be a better story) a pony –not a horse – a pony we bought from a church camp. A kid’s pony. I just was careless, slid off (it wasn’t very far to the ground either) and landed wrong. I broke 2 vertebrae and was in bad shape for years. Lots of surgeries, etc. I do exercises and keep limber or the arthritis in my back will cripple me up again.

8- bonus weird item- I don’t embarrass! (and I don’t know when to shut up) You can tell by the fact that I wrote all of this!!!!

I will do the drawing for September’s prize Sunday night. Thanks everyone for leaving comments, I appreciate it. Also, I am taking suggestions for October’s prize.

Waste not want not, and some shameless self promotion and begging, with a bribe thrown in

Etsy Goodies, give away, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 27, 2007

The after party let down hasn’t hit me yet, I am still enjoying all the after party glow!

Maybe since there are no dishes wash or cans to gather up or floors to mop, I won’t experience the crash that usually happens to me after everyone is gone home after a fun little bash!

Do you recognize anything here on these tags?

I simply can’t let anything go to waste!

I cut up my hand painted party invitation and made it into tags with some of my wallpaper stash.

(PS- thanks to all of you who are buying up my Etsy wallpaper Cottage Collage Kits, I know you will LOVE working with these papers!!!)

I was in an aqua mood, but I did use pink velvet for a couple of the ties.

These papers are quite an addiction for me, I found such great colors, the pinks are faded out to just the perfect shade.

I really should be painting, I have a big holiday sale coming up and I don’t even know if my typical crowd cares about wallpaper or tags, or paper doll dresses- they come to my sales expecting jewelry, hand painted things and lots of vintage pretties.

I could end up with a room full of paper goods and puzzled customers who wonder why they came!

I tend to get carried away with new ideas. Like- why did I buy a ton of these albums (with great hand made paper pages inside!!) to doo dad up like this, BEFORE doing one or two to see if anyone would even want one??

I just love them though, and will get alot of joy from covering them in wallpapers and old millinery flowers, jewels, tags, trims, and all the fun goodies I have to play with in my studio!

1-I glued down the full page of wall paper

2-I cut a medallion out of an old page with scalloped scissors

3- drew on the medallion with black gel pen and gold paint pen

4-added a smaller oval of rose themed wallpaper

5-rimmed the oval with gold glitter glue

6-rubbed a crackle glaze over the roses

7-garnished it all off with ribbon, a tiny posy and some vintage rhinestones and tied on a tag with one of my cut up hand painted roses from the invitation on it

The back is plain wallpaper, and the inside will get decked out too, I think I’ll make it into a book that anyone can simply add their own photos to.

How can I not keep playing with this old wallpaper??? It is too beautiful and fun to work with for me to stop even though I am about up to my neck in paper dolls, tags, covered boxes, albums, etc. I am nothing, if not prolific!

My drawing winners yesterday were Paula Kay and Cindy. Now, what are the odds that there are TWO Paulas?? One is Paula K.!

I am sending Paula #2 these cards I made up for her last night. She ends her emails with a cute quote, something about a hand made card is a hug with a fold in it. So, I thought, maybe this girl likes hand made cards!!

Here are a couple of folded up hugs coming her way today. Sorry about the mix up, Paula Kay and Paula K.!

Paula #1 gets this small painting and a magazine.

I think I might have some new readers from this party and wanted to let you know that I have a giveaway once a month, plus some extra goodies here and there too.

All you do is leave a comment and you are entered (every time). This month’s prize is the same as last month, a Cottage Collage Kit or a piece of art I have made from one of the kits.

My new friend, Cindy was the other winner for the magazine drawing from the party. I made a tag for her with some of the roses from the invitation and her name on water color paper I had added a pink wash to. (and my vintage wallpaper of course!!)

She asked me to sign the magazine and that just felt weird to me. People don’t ask me to sign things?!?! I added part of the party invitation to the page my pictures were on. That felt like more of a memento from the party.

I am not sure when my next article is out, either the December issue of Romantic Country or the one after. It is all turned in with the text and photos. I can’t show you the pictures, but can give you a tease with this slice of one.

And I have a big favor to ask. If anyone saw the article I wrote and enjoyed it, could you please let the editor know? A quick little note to her might mean me getting more articles to write, and hey, that means more parties for us!!! Thanks!

address:

Phyllis Goldstein

Romantic Country

c/o Harris Publications

1115 Broadway

NY, NY 10010

Heck, you’ve seen me give presents to receive comments, you know I love to bribe you for your visits here! If anyone gets a letter to the editor published in Romantic Country, just see what present I will send you as a thank you!!!!!!!

Its 3am and little old ladies like me should be tucked in and sleeping

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, flowers, hand painted signs, holiday decor, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, swaps, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 23, 2007

I was pleased to see that Romantic Country is out on the stands and this issue of the magazine is just beautiful!

There are a few fellow bloggers featured and they will be joining in on the party Tuesday. Come by to meet them and see more of their homes!!

Here is my favorite page!

The photos of my home are from almost 2 years ago and nothing looks the same now. My living room has been through 3 changes since then and I am planning another soon.

But the biggest change was done by the photo editors at the magazine,thanks to them, my kitchen has a completely new floor plan. It’s been fun to show the pictures to people today and ask what is wrong with the kitchen. They all stare a few minutes, then yell- "Its backwards!" Looks like the editors must have cropped a couple of photos together and then flipped them so it is a mirror image of the actual room. Really, it looks pretty cool, it makes me feel like I have gone through the looking glass.

If my photos seem a bit blurry today, it is because I am blurry myself. My SIL is visiting and we have had a whirlwind day, starting with garage sailing at 7am. It is almost 3am and I am working in my studio now, still decorating for my magazine shoot on Monday.

Here is a detail of a painting I did on glass to make a sign out of an old cabinet door.

Oh, no, this one is extra blurry. Or am I just too tired to tell the difference? Maybe it is clear and I am the one messed up.

We made paper doll dresses tonight, I finished a garland of them for over the window in my studio.

This little dress is made from some cute old wallpaper.

I’ve been scooping up wallpaper like crazy, and so has Beth. We decided to share our finds with each other, and she brought me these pieces the other day.

Beth and I are in a mini swap of paper doll dresses with Debra and with Betty.

Debra sent a wonderful Halloween assortment to me.

And Betty sent some sweeties.

If you’d like to see all of the swap, you can check out our flickr page HERE

These are something different that I made tonight. I hate to waste anything. So when a stained glass lamp broke, I took it apart and turned it into sun catchers.

I cut each section out with scissors, took out the glass, tied a chandelier prism in the opening and added a bow. These could look good on Christmas trees too.

Another 2am project was making a wreath. It is hiding in this "Wheres Waldo" style photo of a pile of silk flowers I bought today at a salesman sample garage sail.

Think I got enough flowers???? They were a quarter a stem and were such nice ones. I bought $17 worth, how ever many that is!

If I am able to get out of bed tomorrow, I’ll show more garage sale finds. A granny like me should not be up for more than 20 hours straight!! I’m way too old for these kind of hours. Good night!!

Lost Friends, Blogger Friends and my generous friend, Beth, as well as some witchey women who look like they might be close friends

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, how to's, jewelry, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 29, 2007

My husband called from a road trip last night to say that there were funeral services he was going to miss this morning for a wonderful lady who used to work for him years ago.

He asked me to order flowers for her, but I wanted to do something special, she was such a nice person.

So I took one of the $1.99 mini rose pots that I got at the grocery and painted the pot in 3 golds with a sponge, and added hand painted roses.

I cut a banner from scrap booking paper, aged it with ink, and wrote her name, Mavis, across the banner in gold outlined in black, then added gold glitter glue. The glitter seemed too heavy, so I took a paint brush and cleaned up the lines, took the extra glitter that I removed and touched it here and there to the leaves of the plant.

I needed to be at the funeral home by 8am this morning to drop it off for the family, so my day started early.

It is amazing how much you can get done when you get a jump start on the day. I even ran errands and stopped at the gym on the way home.

Then, I listed A TON of stuff on Etsy, including some jewelry that I had made.

I don’t make jewelry very often, but when I do, I get on a serious kick and make a lot of it for days on end. A couple times a year of those binges keeps me stocked up for all of my art shows, or where ever else I sell it.

I only use vintage beads and crystals, and try to keep each piece unique.

I don’t know how well it will do on Etsy, but was worth a try.

I added a few more paper doll dresses and a couple of other pretties made from ephemera.

AND MY EARLY START ON THE DAY WAS GONE!!!!!!!!!

It took forever to list all of that, I didn’t finish until 1:30.

Finally, by 2, I got to play with wallpaper!!!

I made up more witchey women with the copies of that old photo I am crazy about.

These are my "pastel witches"

Beth had given me some tags she’d glued wallpaper to, and I used those as a base.

I drew on the wallpaper with a gold gel glitter pen, that is my favorite new toy!

Then, I used the ladies on a large shipping tag (4×8) covered in some of the wallpaper that I bought on Etsy last week.

This time, they get to be royalty instead of witches.

But they really are meant to be witches, so in the last collage that I did with the photo, I gave them witch hats made from green velvet cut from vintage millinery flowers.

I started decorating the folders I am sending to Somerset. The pattern I am using to make them came from my sister

She had made this pretty pink one for me as part of our swap.

I’ve been tracing her folder and making them out of wallpaper.

The emblems on this one are copies of old postcards covered in crackle glaze.

Too bad you can’t see in this photo the cool way the glaze dried, all crazed and old looking.

These aren’t done yet, I need to play with them a bit more, and then I get to fill them up with vintage collage supplies and ship them off to Somerset Living. I just love that magazine and am thrilled to be included in it!

Tomorrow, Beth and I jaunt off to to our semi annual flea market up in Sparks and White Cloud, KS. It is Memorial and Labor Day weekends and is so much fun.

Last spring, I found this box of beautiful glass hardware

and this box of old receipts.

I am all a-twitter about what I might find tomorrow!!

We are hoping to meet Carol there, she is a blogger friend that we have never met in person, but lives in the Kansas City area (which is a great part of the country to live in if you love junk!)

Our other blogger friend, Carlene is always saying she can’t find such great things in AZ. So, sweet, generous soul that she is, Beth is making her a boxful of vintage Christmas goodies! I am including this dear little deer for her.

She likes pink, on one of the first posts that I read of hers, she had just died her hair pink.

The pink rose on its head reminded me of Carlene’s pink hairdo. Hope she likes it!

I need to finish up my studio work for the day and pack up my car for tomorrow’s big event- SPARKS AND WHITE CLOUD!!!

Heck, I thought I was up and on the go early today, tomorrow is going to be really early for me. But worth it!

Cottage Collage Kits coming up in Somerset Living!!

Etsy Goodies, fairies, family, flowers, how to's, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 27, 2007

I’m still on my paper doll dress kick, they are too fun to stop!

But I did take a break to make some of my wallpaper folders filled with vintage supplies to list on Etsy. This lavender themed one is in the shop and I stuffed it with lots of cool papers. I only made one, because purples, lavenders and periwinkles just don’t come up too much in the things I buy to use.

But I did come across some good ones to put in it. Lots of one of a kind items are inside.

And look- sheet music for "Lavender’s Blue!"

The wallpaper that I ordered for myself came from Etsy today too. And just in time, I need to make 3 of my Cottage Collage Kit folders for Somerset Life!

I cut two out and got them started,but not foofed up yet.

Some of the wallpaper that Beth gave to me was perfect to use on this tiny little photo album. I got it in the Michaels clearance aisle for 50 cents and embellished it to fancy it up.

I covered the inside and outside of both covers with Beth’s wallpaper, then glued old seam binding ribbon around the edges to keep the paper from shredding up on the corners.

I added glitter to the ribbon to cover any messy glue spots, drew on the wallpaper with a gold gel pen, added an English die cut flower to the inside cover and added MORE GLITTER.

The brass corner brackets and the green vintage earring on the clasp finished it off. (look at the glue on my fingernail, I was so glopped up at the end of this project!)

It has sleeves to slide photos into and I can just see a grandma using this as her brag book for her grand baby. But then, I can’t quite get enough albums myself for my fairy grand baby, so maybe I’ll keep it!

I am in two mini swaps with Debra, she, Beth and I are swapping ATCs, one fairy, one Halloween. Here is my fairy one, a bit odd, not a dainty fairy, that is for sure.

But don’t you think fairies come in all shapes and sizes just like people do???

We are also swapping paper doll dresses. I made this one with a page torn from a child’s book, The Tortoise and the Hare. Debra is an avid bunny collector. I found another old child’s book about bunnies to send to her too.

She over whelmed me with gifts when we swapped matchboxes so I owe her an ‘extra.’

She designs Halloween dolls for Bethany Lowe (check out her site, there is a big box of samples on it now!!!).

So, I made a Paper Doll Halloween gown. This one is on black paper with sparkles in it.

I drew the spider web with my gold gel pen, added crackle finish mixed with brown ink to age the whole dress, then sprinkled black and purple glitter onto to it. For a finishing touch, I ruffled up a sheer purple ribbon and glued it on the back to peek through as an under slip.

Betty and Beth are in the mini paper doll dress swap too.

Good thing I have someplace for these to go, because I can’t stop making them!

Although, these two sold on Etsy right after I listed them. That is a nice feeling.

I am not making two alike, and am not using patterns. I draw them as I make each one, so the sizes are way off kilter, there are giant ones and tiny ones!

When I was a kid, I loved my paper dolls. I wasn’t one of those kids who tore or trashed them, I played with the same ones for years.

That might explain my fascination with these little cuties.

I’ve enjoyed all the swap crafts that have been going around this year, the art doll hat, match boxes, tussie mussies, all have been fun to do. But I LOVE making these paper dolls!

And I LOVE the old wallpaper I have been playing with too.

I even turned some into a key chain (also in the Michaels clearance aisle for 50 cents).

As pretty as I think old wallpaper is—this is prettier! Sugarwings and her baby cousin, Madison, got matching dresses to wear to a party Saturday night.

While at the party, I noticed a cabinet at the house that I had forgotten that I painted. It is always a nice surprise to come across a past work in someone’s home.

I spent a lot of time gluing today. The day started out early in the garden while the morning glories were blooming and now it is evening

and the moon flowers have opened. I’m glad I have leftovers and don’t have to cook tonight.

Yesterday I picked tomatoes, peppers, fresh herbs and garlic to make home made sauce, and put together at big lasagna for Sunday dinner.

Ilearned that you shouldn’t eat a big lasagna lunch before you go out on the lake on a day with a 100 degree heat index. But Sugarwings didn’t seem to mind if the rest of the family was over full and lethargic, she had fun on the water!

Well, I’m off to eat a plateful of leftovers right now, and kick back on the couch for the evening. I am all glued-out.

Downtown Murals by Grandmama and some Witchy Women

Etsy Goodies, family, how to's, paintings, Sugarwings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 23, 2007

I’ve had an etsy-palooza-blowout week! I am thrilled (and lucky) to see so much go out of the shop in a couple of days! Thanks to everyone who bought something, I really appreciate it!

And as a hardworking business woman who wants to get ahead in the world, how do I spend my day? Do I make more stuff to list? Do I list what I already have laying around in piles in the studio and get my Etsy store restocked???

Nope- I played hookey! I walked around downtown with Sugarwings and her grandpop. We looked at some of the murals I have painted on business fronts downtown (I’d have photographed more, but my battery went dead!).

We rode the mini carousel, went out to lunch, then rented THREE movies to take home for later.

But I did manage to do something constructive before I skipped out for the afternoon to goof off with the fairy grand baby and my handsome husband (did you see those arm???? He lifts weights, I get older and saggier, he gets better looking all the time). I quickly made a couple of things.

Here are the three crones that were in the old photograph I copied for my Cottage Collage Kits.

I glued a piece of vintage wallpaper to a card, then glued it to a piece of black sparkly paper. Aging ink in pink was wiped on with a sponge before gluing down the lovely ladies cut from the photo.

I cut a frame out of anaglyptic wallpaper, and drew around it with a gold and a silver paint pen.

Black and brown ink pens were used for vines and accents around the silver.

I cut hats out of OLD black grosgrain ribbon and added a band with a sparkly gold gel pen. The same pen was used for sparkle on their bewitching gowns.

I wrapped vintage millinery flowers around the teeny bit of black gross grain that was left ( I rarely waste anything) and glued it into place to hang the picture with, then added a rose chipped off of an old earring.

Since I am so crazy about this photo, I had to do one more picture with it. This is on a piece of watercolor paper, that has been stained with 4 colors of inks, then drawn on with brown ink and gold gel pen.

The trim and the hats are cut from paper salvaged from an old photo mat board. I made ‘stars’ by adding swvarski crystals.

I quickly added the first witchy picture to my Etsy shop, then ran out the door to go play with Sugarwings.

Tomorrow I get another hookey day, I am going to visit Beth and play paper dolls. Actually we are doing a mini swap with Debra about doll dresses, I think. (She is also the person that the 2nd witchy picture goes to, we are swapping ATCs)

I have my third movie of the day to go and watch, so I’d better get back to playing hookey and get off the computer!

NOTE: MY WITCHY WOMEN ON ETSY ALREADY ARE SOLD, THANKS FOR LOOKING!!

Banner Battles

fairies, give away, how to's, paintings, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 20, 2007

Remember I said "I don’t do Red, White, and Blue"? I guess I don’t do Autumn colors well either.

Since my blog has opened slowly for a lot of people, it was suggested that my banner was too big. I thought I’d try a fall colored one, but my colors are always more springy that fallish!

First step was a watercolor background with details in brown marker. Next, I cut out a cute Sugarwings picture, of her curled up in a booster seat.

Before I glued down her photo, and painted her fairy nest with acrylic craft paints, I wrote the title in blue paint with a liner brush.

That way, her photo looks like it is in the foreground, because it over laps the words.

With a fine tip glue pen, I added sheer glitter to the blue words. I gave Sugarwings a magic wand by gluing down a vintage lapel pen with a star design.

For the script, I cut out a vintage calling card that my sis had copied for me. I wrote my info with the fine tip brown marker, then took a gold glitter gel pen to add some sparkle, and for even more sparkle, I glued on some crystals.

Now that the easy part was done, I spent HOURS trying to get the photos of the banner to look right when I loaded them into Typepad.

How frustrating! I still think it looks shadowy and dark, even after photographing it outside in the sunlight. Oh well. This day has been eaten up by trying and trying to edit this and I think I have made a valiant effort for a non-techie person.

I appreciate all your input on how this loads. I’m sorry my blog seems slower than some other people’s. I’ve resized all the pictures and now have a smaller banner. I hope that helps, and I sure appreciate the effort you have gone through to read this, when it has been slow!

There are about 8 days left to enter my August drawing.

I will have 2 prizes, and you can choose between as Cottage Collage Kit with old papers,

like some of these papers and goodies.

Or, if you are not an artist and would like the old papers made into a finished product, let me know and I’ll make a present for you instead!

I do appreciate all your comments and try to answer them all. And I appreciate your continued visits, so will most likely be starting another giveaway for September as soon as I draw the name for this one!

A One Year Birthday and a Brand New Birth plus a SUPERSTAR Guitar Guy!

antiques/junking, family, how to's, Sugarwings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 17, 2007

My Fairy Grand baby is One Year Old now.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and blogger love she received!

Another sweet little baby that is all grown up is my niece’s son, Jimmy Lutton. He leaves on Tuesday from small town, Indiana for the Big Apple where he begins his tour with Emiko as the bass guitar player.

I watched her concert on TV last week, she has an earthy, emotional voice and I enjoyed seeing her. I want to buy a CD, but I’m too cheap to buy two, so I’ll wait and get one that Jimmy is on!!

Michelle Ward ‘s "Crusade" this month is "Make Some Noise". So, besides being full of Auntly pride in Jimmy’s big break (which he deserves, since he is soooo talented) I wanted to combine a scrap booking photo of him, with the link to Emiko’s site (Jimmy is not playing on it yet).

We were treated to a mini concert this summer, where Jimmy played for the family, so I included photos of the crowd watching him play. They are slid into a pocket that I made by cutting a triangle from card stock and adding a cut out picture of Jimmy’s mom, Shelli, and my other niece, Stevie to the front of the pocket. TIP: When adding a pocket to a scrapbook for storing extra photos, always have the pocket open to the inside, so that the pictures don’t fall out. (I learned the hard way)

I then punched a star (I always knew he would be one someday!!) into the top of the page and also into 2 photos of him glued back to back and tied the photos to the page with a snippet of yarn. When the book is closed, his picture just tucks back inside.

Speaking of scrap booking, I found these two old journals today when I was out garage sailing. One has a slight damaged spot (where the doofusses stuck on a price tag!) but neither book has ever been used.

If anyone is interested in these two books for a project, I can send them both to you for $12, and that should include postage.

And speaking of postage- look what came in the mail while I was on vacation! My order of ballerinas from Etsy .

And I just so happened to have a hand carved ballerina shelf to set them all on too! I will keep a few up there, but will use the rest for projects.

The mail lady was good to me this week. Cheryl sent me this adorable mail art- yep this little cutie is a hand made post card, that says "happy anniversary" on the back!

And I won a custom made gift package from Natalea filled with pretty things, embellished with "K" for Karla, and lots of roses. Sugarwings has already laid claim to the white wicker chair. She can sit her teeny little bottom right on it for now, but soon, the way she is growing, it will have to be a dolly chair.

I think the photo that Natalea (a fellow Silver Bella) took for her blog was prettier, you should go look there to see it better.

And yes, there is more! Jennifer sent my art doll hat from the swap .

Isn’t she magical?

And because I have been on vacation for over a week, and my house is trashed since I have been so busy from the time I got home till now and haven’t had a chance to get it back to normal- I have been daydreaming about clean, pretty houses. Like my friend, Angie’s home.

Everything about her home is tranquil.

and elegant

And her dining table isn’t covered with 2 weeks of newspapers that no one has recycled. I’ll bet there aren’t bags and suitcases piled up in the kitchen either. Who leaves a suitcase in the kitchen for almost a week? I need to go unpack, I should stop writing now and get to work!

Oh but first,

I am a great auntie again! Kaydance was born the 13th to her mom, Steffi, and her dad, Aubrey, my nephew who is stationed in Bagdad and wasn’t home for his daughter’s birth. Wish him a safe a swift return back to his new baby, please.