jewelry – Page 10 – Karla's Cottage

In the eye of the storm

By Karla Nathan / April 25, 2009

Its getting dark here, we've had a nasty storm. I knew I had been working too hard on cleaning up my studio when the tornado sirens went off and I was thinking how angry I'd be if my studio had a branch come through the window and everything got all wet or blown after slaving over the redo for days!

This redo has been very detailed. I started by getting a new tall, storage cabinet and that turned into shuffling everything around. I took my time and went through all my supplies, made them easier to get to, got reacquainted with things I forgot I had, and even pulled the jewelry I had from one end of the room to the other, all into one area.

These are the kind of jobs that eat up the hours. It took me the length of three "America's Next Top Model" reruns to find, and separate all my sparklies.

The case I have them in is from TJMaxx, I'd bought it years ago to use for display at art shows for my hand made jewelry. 99% of its life was spent in the back of the closet, taking up space. Then, it dawned on me, that this table with its display case and glass top would be ideal to have at my desk. Kind of like a kid's school room desk, with the top that opens up, but there certainly aren't any math books in here!

School would have been a lot more fun if this was what was inside the desks there.

All these gems and pretties on display, but under glass and not getting dusty, will certainly be handy and inspirational!

And maybe it will remind me to stop buying more. And more. And more.

But, I get such good deals! I have to buy glitzy pieces when they are a couple dollars or less, I'd be crazy not to!

But, I do seem to have a lifetime supply!

But, my favorite flea market is this week, and they always have rhinestones!

Sugarwing's part of the studio got some redoing too. I found this antique, toy vanity for her at a garage sale today. I think I'll paint it white, if the rain ever stops. I thought about painting her table to match, but I really enjoy the blue. Maybe I'll paint the old milk box that she uses as a chair and stores her coloring books in.

I sorted more than jewelry. I went through wallpaper scraps, ephemera, and ribbons and got those all tidy and put in useful places.

To celebrate having the place all spiffed up, I put the table cloth onto my work table. Not practical at all, but since I am not sitting there and working right now, and won't have time to for a few days, I thought I'd enjoy seeing it there like that.

And I do.

In the back is the culprit that started all this fuss. Who would have thought that one new piece of furniture would turn into 4 days (and counting) of sorting and cleaning?

There are still things I want to do, like cover the drawers of those two old cardboard/wallpaper chests in prettier paper. I'll leave the outside of the chest, but the drawer fronts would look better in lighter colors.

Of course, it has taken me 4 days so far, because I play with stuff too much. If I was just dusting, mopping and tidying up, one day would have been plenty.

The storm outside is still pretty bad, but at least the sirens have stopped going off. That must mean that the possible tornado blew elsewhere.

Storms don't bother me, I kind of liked my day of sorting and playing with my goodies as the sky grew darker and darker. Both of my sons called to make sure I was ok, since I was home alone. That made my day even better. There is no one more loving than a grown up son. I'm lucky to have two of them. Plus it was good to hear that Sugarwing's Daddy had her safely tucked into a basement (with shoes on, we always put on shoes if there is a storm, you never know when there might be broken glass) and away from the Kansas wind.

Feeling less than sparkly

Etsy Goodies, jewelry

By Karla Nathan / March 22, 2009

Doesn't this little lady look happy? I could use some of her exuberance! I've been in bed ill, with yet another bug of some kind.

Now that I am up and about, I am taking it easy with some simple projects, like sugaring babies. I've also been cleaning old hardware to get it ready to take to Miss Frenchie's sale. Some of the things I found in the boxes of knobs and handles were these glass discs. They probably went to part of a knob at one time, but now they are perfect little "stages" for my Sugar Babies.

I should keep a bigger stash of mini crowns ready to go. They do come in handy. I had one for the sweet baby on the left, but not enough to go around for everyone.

Another crown went on this sugared bird nesting in millinery flowers and vintage beads.

The nest is perched in this old German mug.

This week, I have been in a sorting mood. Not just hardware, I also cleaned out my jewelry supplies. After making up a big batch of jewels for the sale on April 17th (and to get me through the rest of the year too, I usually make all my jewelry once or twice a year, in big marathons) I cleaned up the odds and ends and bits I had too much of and am listing them on Etsy.

Aren't old beads so much more interesting to work with than new ones from Hobby Lobby or Michaels? I never use those. I'd much rather find necklaces at estate sales to take apart.

Luckily, the other day when I cleaned up from the Jewelry Making Marathon of 2009, I went ahead and made up bads of beads to sell. Because today is a perfect day to sit in front of the computer and add bead packs. It doesn't take much brain power or energy to do. And I have laid in bed TOO LONG. I need to be up and doing something, so this is just the right task for today.

While adding bead packs and charm packs to Etsy, I thought I should put a little something in the Boutique too. I didn't want it to feel neglected!

But I just felt like the de-stashing packs were a better "fit" for Etsy, so that is where they can be found if you are needing any!

Hopefully, I'll be back to feeling sparkly tomorrow.

Watch out, its Pretty Time!

jewelry, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / March 15, 2009

Did you think that I was going to show you nothing but sewing projects? I was able to get some jewelry made this week between stints at the machine and chasing Sugarwings.

Here are a few of the necklaces I put together. I've always had a fascination with old watches, the older the better. About 15 years ago, I made a bracelet for myself from old watch faces, and as much as I liked it, most people thought it was odd. The question I got asked quite a few times when I wore it, was "do they all work?".

Now honestly, is that the point? I would just say that they run on Pretty Time.

So, it does my soul good to see that this type of jewelry is popular now and that my blog friends "get it".

Some earrings got whipped up this week too. And all the jewelry that I had made previously got cleaned and and re-carded and ready for Miss Frenchie's sale April 17th.

Display matters!!! I was NOT happy with my previous cards, and the last two sales I went to, my jewelry looked neglected and dowdy just because of a crappy, unplanned display.

What I am using now is pretty simple, I took some old photos, aged and lightened them, then printed them onto parchment colored cardstock. All of the cards look nice together, are a uniform size, and have a vintage feel. I am much happier about my display now!!

(Sugarwings calls the little girls in this old photo her friends, and had me print some for her to color while I made tags)

My name is stamped on the back along with discription of the earrings, and the price is on the front in pencil. The sale is a couple of weeks before Mother's Day, so I am hoping some moms get a pair of my earrings as gifts, so it is nice to be able to erase the price on the tag before they get wrapped up. Those are the kinds of things you have to think of before going to a sale.

Things are getting checked off my list for Miss Frenchie's.

1- Hand made jewelry- DONE

2- tags and prices on hand made jewelry- DONE (I should have put these two lines together, but I like having extra things to check off the list)

3- table clothes made and pressed- DONE

4- boxes and shelves covered with vintage wallpaper- DONE

5- piles of antiques and vintage goodies piled up and ready for tags- DONE

6- cash box and tickets loaded and ready- DONE

Still to do:

1- one 15' x 5' and one 5' x 10' canvas sign for the side of the building

2- two 5' x 8' murals to paint for the backdrop of my booth

3- gather up supplies, a tool kit, lights, bags, etc

4- make some journals

5- tag my vintage jewelry and figure out a display for it now. Should I use the same cards as the homemade stuff? I should probably use that idea, but different photos. Yep, thats what I'll do.

6- gather up small planters and pots for a garden display

7- paint some garden signs to sell

See, not too bad! I'll make it. Sure I will. Some how, I'll fit doing taxes and spending a week in DC there somehow…

PS- I've added some more scrap packs to the Boutique.

The last ones went FAST. So now that I know you like these things, I added a bit more and beefed the bags up a little. There is ephemera, and wallpaper, and ledger paper, all tied up with vintage ribbon and topped with a color coordinating millinery blossom. Still a bargain, and perfect for having a variety of papers to use on small projects. If you are like me, you hate to cut into a nice big sheet of old paper to trim a 2" tag!

That Sewing Blog

give away, how to's, jewelry, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / March 13, 2009

Yep, I sewed some more. Hmm. Something weird is going on here.

While going through my stash of old aprons for a swap I joined (details later, I only have a short time before the baby gets up and we start our day) I came across this gingham check one. Sugarwings is Dorothy's biggest fan, sings all the songs from the Wizard of Oz, and sleeps with a Dorothy doll. So, when she saw this, she wanted to wear it and "be Dorothy".

Whats a Grammy to do? I had no choice, it was sewing time again! That apron was way too big for her as is. So, I cut off the waist band and tie first, with pinking shears Beth left over here. I need a pair of those, they really are wonderful to work with.

But no, I don't!!! What am I saying??? NO MORE SEWING, I do not need more sewing supplies. What does it man when I start wanting my very own pair of pinking shears???

After cutting off the waist band, I cut the skirt part almost in half and sewed the waist band and tie back on. Then cut around the pocket, and used that square as the bib of the pinafore, sewed to the top of the replaced waist band. To that, I sewed scraps that I had cut into straps to go around her neck. That was the most simple way to do it, to attach straps that just tied behind her neck like a halter.

Sugarwings was pretty happy with the outcome. Of course, she isn't a big critic, anything she sees that is gingham sparks her imagination and transforms her into Dorothy. The other day she found a pair of pink gingham shorts that were about 5 sizes too large for her (in the hand-me-down box of things she will grow into someday) and was wearing them on her head, dancing around and singing Over the Rainbow. Apparently any scrap of gingham will do to "be Dorothy" as she calls it.

The short cut pinafore didn't take long to make, and I spent the rest of the day piddling around getting a few (not many) things listed in the Boutique.

Here is something you might like. As I work on a collage project, I can't bear to toss the scraps of vintage papers. I keep a box near my desk, trim the bits up and save them. Its handy to flip through the box for small projects, so I don't have to cut into a large sheet of old wallpaper if I am making something like a tag or greeting card.

I thought some of you might like having a scrap back of ephemera too, so wrapped up a couple of mixed bags with bits from what I made my journals from last week. They are $6 each, and I have two listed.

There are also some wallpaper journal kits, and folders listed. The journals will be in the next Somerset Life and the folders were in an issue last year.

Thanks for all of your kind comments about the necklace that I have offered as the March Giveaway prize. Its one that I made. This week, I have made a ton of jewelry and will show some photos later. I also came up with the PERFECT display idea for selling the jewels and was cackling out loud with glee last night after the fairy grand baby went to sleep and I was able to tag all the earrings that I made.

But for now, I have to run, I hear some one stirring over the baby monitor.

Still Under the Weather

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, jewelry, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / February 24, 2009

I'm sorry if you have tried to buy from my boutique and haven't been able to complete your purchase. I am working on the glitch and hope that it is fixed. If you do have any problems, please email me and I can sell the item to you directly instead of through the website. Sorry about that!

I'm still not feeling well. Today I made it out to the studio to visit and feed Twinks and her little last pup, but didn't have the energy to play with them. Luckily, my husband is in town and took the girls for a romp and a run in the field. It is a beautiful day and they deserve a break.

Looks like she got plenty of exercise, she seems worn out!

Even though I was feeling pretty bad yesterday, I worked on some more of the ledger books that I bought from Beth.

After doing a few pages, I gave up and went back to bed.

Probably, if I would just STAY in bed, I'd be getting better sooner. But, on the other hand, I'm not exactly doing anything strenuous, and doing this little bit of creativity cheered me up.

But not today. I can't quite seem to muster the energy. So, I have been listing more items in the boutique, I just HAD to do something. There is only so much laying around I can take. Although, now that I am done, I think I will spend the rest of the day with a cup of hot tea, a good book and a pile of Dorkies.

Yesterday I listed a few wallpaper packs. Both of them include some of my "Rachel Paper". The lady I bought it from said she also sold a roll of the same one to Miss Shabby Chic herself. Can you guess which it is?

The blue one with the white rose. I wonder if we'll be seeing this design on bedding?

Today I mostly listed old jewelry. I had previously cleaned and photographed it, or I wouldn't have gotten that far today!

This one will be hard to part with!

Hey, did you hear that Somerset has another magazine coming out??? This one is to be called the "Gift Club" and will feature pretty gifts and packaging ideas. The editor asked me if I was interested in submitting something, and of course I am! This is right up my alley. If you have bought anything from my shop lately, you can probably tell I enjoy wrapping things up uniquely. I might send her one of the ledgers I am making, those sound like something that could make a lovely gift.

Okay, that pile of Dorkies and cup of tea are calling out to me pretty strongly about now. And a shot of Day Quil sounds pretty good too. I'll leave you with some more photos of the new additions to the Boutique, then head to bed.

Meeting up with blog Friends at the Big Flea

antiques/junking, jewelry, Moving to DC

By Karla Nathan / November 3, 2008

This trip to Virginia sure has been a fun one! Coincidently, Valita, a friend from Silver Bella last year was going to be in the DC area too. We met up with Robin, a friend I’ve hung out with here before (and who makes the best Play Dough ever), and a new pal, Sue. A non-blog friend wrote to us and was nice enough to take some time away from shopping with her sis to meet up with us too.

We met up at the Big Flea in Chantilly, VA, and although it was more high end than I usually shop, it was fun place to meet and we all managed to find some goodies.

I’m used to paying under 50 cents for vintage greeting cards, but I saw a few that were special enough to be worth the price of 3 for $5 to me.

And of course, I always am on the hunt for old jewels. I found a few, not that there weren’t plenty there, but I limit myself to the $1 price range for old jewelry.

Robin and Sue who have shopped the Big Flea before told us that it is normally 2 buildings full instead of just one, and more bargains can be found.

These little candelabras were a great price, only 50 cents each. Can’t you picture them glittered and sparkly?

I was on the hunt for old mercury glass beads to decorate my bottle brush trees with. The price ranges from booth to booth were really something! I was happy to find three strands in colors I liked, as well as some holiday decor in pretty pastels.

If you ever get an opportunity to get together with blog pals, I highly recommend it! Every time I have met someone whose blog I read, I have had a great time, they are usually people that I have a lot in common with and feel like we are already friends before we even see each other.

I’m really looking forward to having Natasha and Heather as house guests soon. And I am hoping to host a dinner party in their honor the night before we head off to Silver Bella.

Speaking of blog friends, I have been trying to update my blog roll (on my side bar, under "Pretty Places"). I haven’t finished, but have been so busy Leaf Looking, meeting Bloggers, going to movies (Zack and Miri- Kevin Smith always goes too far, but still is funny and I think Seth Rogan is a comic genius), out to dinner, antiquing, and of course watching my shows, (there is no way I can’t spend Sunday night without Vampire Bill) that I haven’t had time to do much to the blog roll like planned.

At least I have space to list more people and promise that I will later on when I can get to it! I may be a TV junkie, but I am also an avid blog reader and my blog roll has never reflected who I actually visit, so I am revamping it as I have time.

Tonight I fly home to my fairy grandbaby, so I’d better go try to smoosh all this junk into my carry on.

PS- I have shut my Etsy shop down until after Silver Bella, it was just too neglected and empty for now. I promise a big restocking and lots of pretties added when I return! Thanks for your support of the shop, I really appreciate it, and HATE to have it looking sad and pitiful, so will open it again when it is worth looking at!!

You know you want one- we all want to be a princess!

fairies, jewelry, Silver Bella

By Karla Nathan / October 28, 2008

So much for being done and packed up and ready to go to Silver Bella— I decided to make some tiaras, so had to unpack the basic crowns that were tagged and ready to sell!

But who can resist those midnight whispers, the ones that call you to the studio with and idea that you can’t ingore, no matter how you try?

I never can. I am weak willed when it comes to giving into the muse. If she calls, I answer, no matter what time of the day or night.

So, there I was, in the middle of the night plucking tiny velvet blooms from my garden of old hats and adding them along with sparkling pretties to these previously packed and tagged and ready to sell tiaras.

I have 2 more to foof up, (one lavender, one Aurora Borealis) . I also still have a couple more to sell pre-foofed, for you to embellish yourself or wear as is for a more sedate sparkle.

If you are attending Silver Bella, you know that a crown is just about required attire! If you don’t have one yet, these are for sale, and I can deliver it to you in person there.

If you are a princess or a queen who is without a crown, but not going to Silver Bella, one can be mailed to you. If you are interested in bedazzling your own head with one of my creations, here is the price list:

Fairy Ballerina – $30

Butterfly- $25

Velvet Floral Wreath- $25

(plus postage, if needed)

See, a dancing fairy on your head can make even a middle aged grammy with no make up on and wearing clothes covered in paint look good. Well, maybe not. But I felt pretty good with it on!

While obeying the muse, I decorated a couple of those bottle brush trees I was irritated with. Heck, their tags had already fallen off, I had to do SOMETHING with them!

Let me know if you’d like to buy the crown you deserve to adorn yourself with! (If you are wondering why the price is so low for an embellished one, I got a REALLY good deal on the basic crowns and I would rather pass on the savings than mark them up so high no one can buy one!)

Autumn Gathering

jewelry, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, parties, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 23, 2008

Today there is an autumn gathering at Artsy Mama’s, and even though I don’t do much in the way of fall decor, I had to participate, just because Kari throws such fun parties!

To battle the fall chills, I trade out my summer curtains for some heavier wwight, velvet ones, and bring out a warm quilt.

The crazy quilt thrown over the arm of the sofa was made by my mom, so I get a double dose of warmth from it, one from the actual quilt and the other from warm memories of my mom’s hugs.

(That small chest being used for a coffee table is full of Sugarwing’s toys. I guess I should cover the inside of the wire screen, the toys are peeking through!)

One of my favorite garage sale finds this year is the vintage, framed white witch for $2. She is set out on the table for Halloween, but I might just keep her around a while.

Since I am trying to get ready for Silver Bella, I have skipped over fall pretty much. Last year, I was participating in a Christmas Home Tour and that kept me hopping, so autumn was over looked then too. Maybe next year, I can go whole hog, but for now, I will just enjoy all the elaborate displays I see in blogland.

Remember when I said I was all done making jewelry for the year and put all the supplies away? hmmm, my crafting whims don’t seem to follow the schedules I set for myself. I ended up painting these charms yesterday, so that means, the crystals, jump rings and tools need to come back out again!

Yesterday was also "Fun with Buttons Day" here in my studio. I painted a few to see how that went, and I think that they did fine. I lightly sanded some Mother Of Pearl buttons before painting them, then topped them off with paper glaze.

Other buttons were turned into magnets.

This ceiling tin message board was featured in Somerset Life, I am taking it to Silver Bella, and added some more magnets to it to sell.

They range from $1.50- $4 and as I was pricing the button magnets, and some other $2 and $3 items, I was wondering to myself just how much crap I had to sell to make this show worth doing if I was selling so much of the inventory at such low prices??? Oh well, it is the thrill of making it and the fun of setting up and talking with everyone as they look through it all that makes it all worth doing.

Here is a magnet that isn’t a button, it is a vintage box that I had some beads in. Won’t it be cute on someone’s fridge with a surprise tucked in it? I glued two magnets to the back of it, so it would be sturdy enough to use.

While I was gluing away, I replaced some missing rhinestones on the lid of this old pill box.

And of course, that wasn’t enough! I lined it with flocked wallpaper and fitted the inside with a crown.

The sweet little birdy in the martini glass got a crown too. Hers is one of the gutter screen crowns I made from Carol’s design for the Romantic Country article we did together.

Yum, this says fall to me! We brought in green tomatoes from the garden to finish ripening and so far, they are turning as we had hoped!

Sorry I didn’t have much more in the way of Harvest decor to show you, but I can promise tons of it if you go visit Kari and follow her links to parties across blog land!

If you are here for the party and are new to my blog, please check the previous post for details about my giveaway. I have presents to give out and all you need to do is leave a comment on any post to enter.

Enjoy the autumn pretties out there!

ps- thanks to everyone who commiserated with me about my poor nose. It doesn’t seem broken, just slightly green and lumpy today and feels much better!

And speaking of giveaways- look at this gown!!

Details here.

Playing Store

jewelry, Silver Bella

By Karla Nathan / October 9, 2008

Country Living has a sneak peek at their Silver Bella article coming up in the next issue. You can see a slide show of 15 pictures here.

And here is a sneak peek of my Silver Bella booth.

I cleared a dining table in my studio to use for a practice set up of my jewelry displays.

Setting all of this up, reminds me of when I was a little girl and loved to play "store". I’d line up my toys and pretend they were for sale, and my pony tailed Barbie was my coworker as we wrote up receipts for all the purchases.

This isn’t quite the final product, I’ll be tweaking it tonight, then will pack it all up and have the jewelry portion of my merchandise set to go!

The table I am practicing on is a foot short than the tables we will be renting at the Market Faire, but it is close enough to give me an idea of what to bring.

My displays are going to be ready to go, just pull out of the packing box and set up.

I’ve enlisted the help of all the lovely ladies out in the studio to be my models.

Actually, this hand painted charm, isn’t jewelry, it is more of a tag.

And the necklace on this lady is vintage but not hand made. I will have both, and really should have them separated better when I do the final set up.

This lady might be better holding bracelets than necklaces. She is pretty dainty and has a tiny neck.

Do you remember this elegant belle? I bought her from Beth, and she will fit right in at Silver Bella, she will sell pearls for me.

I know red isn’t my color, but this is still a nice way to sell pendants. I hope the dark red isn’t too jarring for the rest of the space… I’ll have lots of pastels, white, and silver.

And I know it wouldn’t be that hard to recover this display, but it just isn’t high on my list of priories. Do you think it will matter?

Prolificity

holiday decor, jewelry, magazine pictures or articles, Silver Bella, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 8, 2008

Have I mentioned that I work fast? Last night during the debate and the discussion afterward, I made these earrings and bottles.

I’d found some cute little sterling silver crown charms, but they didn’t look as good in person as they did online when I found them. So I soaked them in a patina solution and aged them a bit.

After making so many pairs of crown earrings that I was starting to go cross eyed, I decided to use them for some other things too.

Like this bottle’s necklace.

And what do you think of my bottle toppers? Beth was selling some of this Victorian glass fruit and of course, my mind went directly to using it for stoppers.

It was a bit pricey for this use, but worth it, I think. So much more interesting than a cork!!!

On Monday, before Sugarwings came for her sleep over, I worked on making some more price signs for my Silver Bella booth.

To save time, I am doing simple pricing, with a sign that states the price of an entire species of craft. No individual tagged items, or at least not many.

So, I am trying to have multiples of items to sell. No two will be alike, of course, but lots of things in the same genre.

Wallpaper folders are complicated to make, but I love the results. My Sissy had made a folder for me using a cabinet card as a pattern and I got the idea from that.

But I glue two vintage papers together to make them covered inside and out, and these papers can be fragile to use. Also, I try to make sure they are interesting from all angles.

Including the backs.

Then I fill them up with ephemera, coordinating wallpaper and old book page scraps to match the design of the folder.

While I had ephemera and glue out, I made a few post card Christmas ornaments.

Only 3 so far. If I don’t get more made, I will have to price them individually instead of using a sign!!!

These are some jewel cases that I bought at a flea market earlier this year. The insides are a perfect pink, and one has a rose, the other says Princess!

But the outsides were kind of blah.

To spiff up the exteriors, I added velvet ribbons, rhinestones and old velvet flowers.

If only that would work on me. Seems like the opposite is true with me, the older I get, the less froofy stuff I can wear. Not fair!!!

Not like I would ever have worn this any way. Who could?? I think it was either a Halloween costume or dance recital dress. I hope it wasn’t real clothing….

Being a cheapskate, I was attracted to the the fact that it was only $2 but covered in about $40 worth of sparkly things!

Sparkly things that looked like they would be easy to pick off.

But aren’t.

Sometimes it sucks being a cheapskate. Now I HAVE to pick them all off or I will feel like I wasted my money. All two dollars of it.