magazine pictures or articles – Page 7

The Art of Rejection and Sugarwings thinks that nothing is more fun than a wrestling rat

Etsy Goodies, magazine pictures or articles, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / February 8, 2008

Ever have something for sale that you know that you just love and wonder why no one seems to be interested in it? I had this hand made folder, made with some pretty wallpaper and hand painted roses for sale, and the listing just expired.

So, I took a look at the photos, and decided it was not well represented. A little dark, not clear enough, bad background, and the ephemera it was packed with looked messy.

These are the re-do photos.

I rearranged the ephemera to a prettier order, added a vintage brooch to the tulle bow, and lowered the price. Now, if it sells, how will I ever know which trick was effective? well, you just don’t anyway. You do what you can to make your pictures and your prices as attractive as you can and then you cross your fingers! You just hope someone likes what you put out there.

And as an artist, you have to learn to have a thick skin about rejection.

I’ve been the juror at enough art and craft shows, screening the people who apply to sell their work, to know that "no" doesn’t mean "yuck". It means, "not right for this right now."

I’ve turned away really good art, that wasn’t right for an art festival. Or I have been working at a gallery, hanging a show and just have to leave out a piece that was nice but that wasn’t fitting in.

I guess what I am trying to say to other artists out there, is don’t be discouraged. Keep trying, keep making the things you love and keep looking for your audience.

Rejection is never easy, but after so many years in the business, it honestly doesn’t bother me the way it did when I was younger. I’ve learned that if a piece doesn’t fit in one place, usually it will fit into another.

Or if it doesn’t sale, the right buyer still hasn’t seen it.

Or maybe I didn’t display or photograph it as well as I should, or had the price correct, or have it for sale in the right venue.

Or maybe the piece needs a bit of tweaking and a slight redo.

Other times, I just need to admit that maybe the piece wasn’t as good as it could be, and it just wasn’t going to sell anyway. That’s the hardest one to learn.

So, I redid and relisted the folder on Etsy. And my magic wands that Somerset is sending back I will list also. Somerset Life is using some of my folders in the next issue. Also, a framed baby doll dress is still there with them, and I think that they will be using this memo board.

I made the memo board from old ceiling tin cut to fit this frame. The magnets are buttons, jewelry and millinery flowers.

I’ll let you know if they plan on using it for the July issue. As an artist, sometimes you can feel like you hear "no" more than any other word!

As a grandma, you hear it a lot too. Sugarwings is in a "NO" mood today and yelled it at everyone and everything.

So what do you do with a contrary baby who is tired of being cooped up inside on a cold, wintry Midwestern day?

You go to the pet store!

Chinchillas and canaries at Pet Smart are as exciting to a one year old as a trip to the zoo would be to an older kid. It got all of us out of the house and smiling.

ps- the wallpaper folder is sold and is on it’s way to Jeanne!

A Fairy Princess and a Weird Old Lady

Etsy Goodies, fairies, give away, I've been tagged, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / January 11, 2008

I had a wonderful day, a Sugarwings day. That is the best kind. She cuddled up on my lap and watched a whole movie with me, while we played with Twinkle’s soft ears.

Then, this evening, I had time to do this watercolor sketch after making a pot of homemade turkey noodle soup.

Not a bad day at all, a cuddly baby, a dog with soft ears, homemade soup, and time to paint!

This little painting is a cartoon of my friend Rachael’s little Princess. I am going to send it to her as her prize for my December Giveaway.

I like to figure out what the prize for my monthly giveaway will be AFTER I draw the name, that way I can do something custom.

This isn’t a perfect likeness, only a quick caricature done while I watched an episode of What Not To Wear. Do you see Stacey London’s influence here? The little fairy is wearing an empire waisted dress. Stacey is always pushing those.

I’m so glad that Rachael won last month, I have been wanting to paint her beautiful daughter for a long time, and this was a great excuse to finally do it.

Now for another thing that makes me happy -7 weird things! I was quite addicted to that rage when it went through blog world before, and read them all, from one list to another to another. I’d get lost in all the stories and insights into my fellow bloggers. Now, the game seems to be going around again and I’ve been tagged another time myself, this time by Michelle. Here is the last one I did, at the end of this (typically) long and rambling post: http://karlascottage.typepad.com/karlascottage/2007/09/beth-birdies-be.html

I LOVE the weird lists. Whether I know the blogger or not, I can’t stop reading all of them. I’ve done this a few times myself, but feel like I have enough weirdness to fill a few lists
On my trip home from apartment furnishing out East, I brought home a suitcase full of bubble wrap and cardboard that our new purchases came wrapped in. How could I waste all that wonderful, precious bubble wrap???
I had 2 suitcases on that trip, and weirdly enough, I filled the gym type bag without wheels full of clothes and heavy stuff, while the nice wheeled piece of luggage was filled with bubble wrap. I don’t know what I was thinking.
My wallpaper addiction is becoming serious. I am forcing myself to cut it up, use it, sell it, enjoy it, not just hoard the stuff.

These 3 drawers are full of rolls, and that is just the tip of it all.

Here are a few sample books, I love working with these, so easy, no ironing like the rolls!

I save every little scrap, you never know when that little strip of old paper will be the PERFECT touch to finish an artwork!

There is more, it is taking over my studio. I am thinking of papering one wall in it, but small bits, like a crazy quilt. So I can stare at it and enjoy it all. See, weird. It is an obsession.

5. I keep one of Sugarwings sockies on my bedside table when she isn’t here, because it is so tiny and cute and reminds me of her. I snuck a pair of her little pink sockies into my husband’s bag so he would find them when he unpacks at his apartment.

We are both smitten with her.

6. I wear my paint clothes all the time. I am a slob. My family is used to it and I used to get strange looks from people sometimes, but don’t so much anymore. My theory is that people don’t notice middle aged women much. We are invisible.

7. I can’t get enough popcorn. Sometimes I go to movies I don’t even care about just to eat the popcorn. I love to go to late movies all alone and get a bucket of crunchy, salty goodness and relax. Its not the same at home, no matter what brand of microwave corn I buy, the stuff at the theater is the best.

I met Orville Redenbacher at the Indiana State Fair when I was 12 or so, and it was before he was famous, he was giving out samples of his new popcorn (pre-microwave days) and I always remembered that funny man, and recognized him when I saw the commercials later. I just love Orville and am glad they brought him back from the dead to do his commercials again, even though it is slightly freaky.

Thanks Michelle, that was fun!

I finally picked up a copy of the new Somerset Life. What a gorgeous issue! But all of their magazines are wonderful, I love them all.

This one has an article about kits and they have featured one of my kits for sale on Etsy.

Its an honor to be a part of such an interesting and well done publication!

I hope to spend some time tomorrow making some more collage kits to list on Etsy. I have a few up right now, but I have some ideas for more.

But I also need to work on those swap recipe book covers, my year end quarterly taxes, and did I mention that my Christmas tree is still up, as well as my whole house is still decorated for the holidays???? I might just need to add some pink and red hearts to the trees and forget about it till after February!

So much to do. I think I’ll go to a late night movie! I need to RUN so I don’t miss the last show, I hear that bucket of popcorn calling my name!

Romantic Country, Toasty Trees, and enough tiny trees to fill a country

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, holiday decor, how-to projects, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 15, 2007

I have news- my latest story is out!! Romantic Country is on the stands now, I picked up this issue at Borders.

I had dealt directly with the managing editor, Phyllis, for the whole article and didn’t even know that our fantastic blogging friend, Fifi was the guest editor!!!

If you don’t read her blog, you should get right over there, it is full of great how to’s for beautiful projects and sneak peeks into her lovely life.

I wish I had gotten to work with Fifi, she seems like a fun person and everyone who knows her says such wonderful things about her.

The issue is 100% gorgeous, and I am thrilled with the whole magazine.

The titles to my story, that Fifi added, are cute as a button and add so much to the article, I wish I could take credit for them.

Here is a tiny snippet from one of the photos by my good friend, the talented, Diane Guthrie. Diane and I had worked together on an article for Romantic Homes a couple of years ago, and it was such a great time. She is a buddy and we get together regularly for coffee and hanging out.

Diane is the one on the ladder in the photo on this posting, and there are also photos from our collaboration for Romantic Homes on that post too.

And now for more news- the winners of my drawing are:

Lori Oles– Vintage Flair (blogger winner)

Gail Sell (non blogger winner)

Gail has entered the Sweet Treats and Roses Recipe Swap that Beth and I are doing. I know that Gail LOVES roses as much as I do, and can’t wait to see what she comes up with. We still have a few spots left if you are interested in joining in too.

The two winners get to chose either a pair of earrings I made from vintage pieces, or a copy of The Crown and Tiara book (great ideas in it, and so pretty!!) First come, first serve, email me with your choices, I only have one book to send.

Remember, there is still the monthly drawing that you can win too. I’ll draw that the beginning of Jan.

We’ve had a fun morning here, yesterday was a Sugarwings sleepover night.

She helped cook breakfast.

A favorite around here is "Egg in the Hole"

You cut a hole in bread with a glass, biscuit cutter- or even better, holiday cookie cutter, then drop an egg into the hole and fry it up together.

Of course, the best part of egg in the hole is the little piece that you cut out, that you cook in butter too, then add jelly to.

Sugarwings liked the jelly covered Christmas tree shape, but notice that under her high chair, Twinkle is having the rest of the meal. I think Twinks gets more food than the baby does at mealtimes.

Well, I never have to mop after I feed the baby.

Sugarwings was fascinated by the Christmas tree project I did too, but I had to keep her back from the bleach and the dye. She isn’t quite ready yet to be a hands on helper with these kind of things.

I found the directions to this on Clarice‘s site.

I am crazy about the results!! Vintage looking, beautiful bottle brush trees from brand new ugly ones!

First you soak them a few minutes in bleach and hot water, and rinse well.

They already look great once they are bleached, but if you want you can dye them any color.

I used professional quality fiber reactive dyes, just because I had them, but am sure that Rit would be fine too.

Of course, I should have changed clothes. I should have done this in my studio. But no, I was too excited and wanted to play with the colors, so did it in my kitchen sink. There is a perfect, made for projects, sink in the studio. But, heck, it is only dye, I bleached it out of the sink when I was done. I think the sink might return to white again………

I left the dye in the trees for about 10 minutes.

And since I hate to let anything go to waste, I used the left over pink dye that was in the bowl to dye some shirts for my fairy grand baby.

Once the dye is washed out, the trees are perfectly vintage looking!!

These trees are on sale at Michaels right now for 25% off, plus they are pretty cheap to start with, a big bag full of all sizes for $14.

My little helper was pretty impressed with the results too.

Thanks for the tip, Clarice!!

And thanks to Fifi and Phyllis for making my article look so good in Romantic Country!

And thanks to Sugarwings for making my morning such fun with her giggles and all her help.

And thanks to Beth for being such a fine administrator for our swap and for being such a buddy.

And thanks to Diane for being such a pal and for her great photos.

And thanks to everyone who participated in our "What do you LOVE about your Holiday Home?" party

I must be feeling very thankful today. Just extra happy and exuberant, I guess. I need someone to start playing the music that tells me it is time to shut up, like they have at acceptance speeches at the Oscars.

Edited note: These trees really are not my own idea, I saw it on other blogs!! here is another one with them, http://mamanjackjack.blogspot.com/

and here is a flickr site to see everyone’s!! http://www.flickr.com/groups/563828@N24/

They are so fun to make, and so easy. Nothing like a simple project at this hectic time of year!

And speaking of passing along project ideas, Dona has used my lamp/coat rack idea and tweaked it into her own. Mine is featured in the Romantic Country magazine article that I wrote.

I’m outta here

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

By Karla Nathan / November 7, 2007

The Lawrence Magazine is out now. It is local, so I’m sure that doesn’t mean much to most of you.

I had to have 3 rooms of my home decorated for Christmas by Sept 15 so they could shoot this, and what pictures do they use?? Two, both from the same room!!

Oh well, at least I have the upstairs decorated and ready for the Holiday Home Tour and can concentrate on other things. If I hadn’t had this early deadline, I’d be scrambling to get those rooms done now instead.

This year, the tour will feature a Kwanzaa home and a Hanukkah home too.

(I am in the top photo.) I wore jeans, not knowing I’d be in the pictures. Its lucky I don’t have paint smeared all over me!

These pictures are by Jason Dailey Photography

http://www.daileyimages.com
http://www.blackboook.com/jasondailey and he was kind enough to let me post them.

I took time to list a couple things on Etsy today. I made these boots for an article I wrote for Victorian Decorating. I am keeping a couple and selling the others.

Aren’t the old buttons great?

One already sold too! They are $7 and there is one left in the shop if you are interested.

I had Sugarwings most of yesterday. It was her first peek at our Christmas tree, I was waiting for her with the camera so I could capture her face.

I think the lights and decorations will mean every bit as much to her as they do to me! We walked all around the house and pointed at pretties and talked about the holiday.

This morning, I decorated my tiara. It was a store bought rhinestone one, pretty enough. But I thought that to be worn at Silver Bella, it needed more. I think it might have plenty now.

The scarf it is sitting on will be what I tie around my waist for "Junk Gypsy" night at Silver Bella. I am just wearing jeans and a tee shirt and this scarf (with the tiara of course! I might have that on all weekend!)

I think the scarf might be a Xmas tree skirt when I get home…

I’m not getting decked out like a lot of the attendees. But I also am a lot older than most of them too.

Which reminds me, I should go and pack my bags. My swaps and tools and goodies are ready to go but my clothes aren’t.

When you are about to turn 50, the clothes don’t seem as important. A few t-shirts and some jeans and my tennis shoes and I am set for anywhere. It took a lot longer to figure out which glue, which pretty rhinestone buttons, etc to take than what clothes to pack!!

Good bye, everyone- hope you have a good weekend too. I plan on having a spectacular one.

A winner! Plus some lightening up turns into a giant snowball

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / October 24, 2007

Thanks for all your kind comments the last few days! It was good to hear from people I didn’t know were out there, and also from friends I hear from regularly.

I wish I was at Sissy’s house and I could use her cool hand made witch’s hat to draw the name from for the prize!

Actually, I just wish I was at Sissy’s house anyway, because I miss her.

Its a fun place to visit, she has such cool stuff at her fairy tale cottage, like these old witchy boots.

And a real cauldron to make up some Halloween potions.

I always borrow the witchy hat when I visit her. I wonder what that says about my personality, that I am so comfortable looking like a witch?

Well, no pretty Halloween Witch hat to draw a name from, but I was able to randomly select a name without it, even though it wasn’t as much fun that way.

The winner is:

DENISE DUNLAVEY

I have your address from past purchases, Denise, so I will mail out your Foof of Life book and rose painted bookmark.

Thanks again to everyone for entering!

All of those comments were also entered into my October giveaway and you can keep entering until the end of the month.

Besides taking care of Sugarwings and walking to the park with her in her little pink convertible, my week has been full of boring details.

Like touching up paint around the house. uck. But it had to be done before the Holiday Home Tour.

And it does make a difference.

I touched up all the dings on the walls throughout the house, plus this grate in my dining room floor.

While I was at it, I trashed the dining room rug, since Twinkle thinks it made a better toilet and chew toy than a floor covering.

Taking out the black flowered rug made the rest of the things in the room off kilter a bit, so I repainted the bench, slightly.

Here it is a year ago (It was white before this, pink before that, and maple when I got it from my mom’s estate 5 years ago)

This is the room last spring. (before the rug was Twinklized)

This is the lighter version of the bench.

I’d like to get a new rug, in a sisal maybe? But Twinks worries me with her bad puppy habits for now. I’d be better off with the scrubbable, bleachable tile until she learns.

My great grandmother made this table cloth!

We didn’t realize it, this one and some others were in the linen closet at my mom’s home, and when she died, we were getting things ready for an auction and also dividing up between family members.

One job I had was to go through all the video tapes. While I was looking at a tape of my Great Aunt Caroline’s visit to my mom’s, someone else was going through linens, and we both noticed that on the tape, Caroline was giving mom these linens and telling stories about them. We wouldn’t have known that it was made by my great grandmother if we hadn’t looked through all the videos.

Lightening up the dining room yesterday also meant redoing the center piece. I have had some fallish colors out for the last couple of weeks, and was ready for a change. This is still autumn themed, but has a lighter quality to it.

My rooms change a lot. Here is the dining room about 3 years ago in a photo taken for Paint Magic magazine (taken by Bill Mathews, styled by Gloria Gale).

I took the stained glass lamp from the dining room and moved it upstairs to the library.

That room still needs a spiffing up, it is rather blah. But I will worry about that when I get out my holiday decor.

I also had to repaint a bed this week. Didn’t want to.

But Ry’s back has been bothering him and it dawned on me that there was a really good mattress in the guest room that we should switch out with him for his older one.

But then, of course, the new mattress didn’t fit the old frame, yet another snowball effect like taking the rug out of the dining room. You change one little thing and all of a sudden, you have a chain reaction of things that need changing.

So, I repainted Ryan’s oak bed to go into the guest room. It looked a bit manly, but I don’t think that is a problem anymore.

While I was out in the driveway painting the bed, I decided to spray paint this little sewing stand (Goodwill -$5!) pink.

And that just about sums up how my days go. One thing leads to another and never seem to do what I planned.

Today, I am not babysitting,the house is put back together, and I have a casserole ready to go for dinner. I am going to get those signs painted that I mentioned last week!

ps- lots of nice people have tagged me for some fun things, I’ll get to those soon too

Step by Steps and a peek into the crazy mind of a serial redecorator

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

By Karla Nathan / October 9, 2007

The slipcovers are done! And in use, you can see them here under my little fairy grand baby. Her dad has dislocated his elbow -ouch- and it looks like I will be seeing a lot of her this week. He is in bad shape, and can’t use his arm, so he can’t pick up his baby. I’ll be helping out till he is better.

We are hoping rest will do the trick, the poor guy has no health insurance and can’t afford time off work, or doctor bills.

Since I know I will be busy with the baby this week, I kicked it into over drive to finish the slipcovers and the wall behind the couch.

I decided to use a mix of books for a varied look on the wall. First I removed all these cool illustrations to use for projects or to sell on Etsy for someone else to use. Aren’t they beautiful???

I have 2 French books in different sizes, and one slightly more aged looking plus a book about roses with black and white illustrations.

I was so pleased to see how easily the textured wallpaper came down. Just a bit of peeling and patience and it was done.

If you know me at all, you know that I don’t waste anything. The wallpaper I pulled down was cut up into craftable sizes and saved for future projects. Some of it was used already to wrap up some Etsy purchases tonight. It made really cute wrapping paper.

I used all three books, with the pages turned upside down, sideways, all topsy turvey, with no real pattern or plan.

Wallpaper paste was rolled onto the wall and I added the pages to the glued wall, then rolled over the top again with glue.

The first part of the wall was dry by the time I finished the last part, so I started right away on the metallic glazes. Gold, bronze and umber glazes all went into the pan together.

To apply, all three were used on the rag at the same time.

It gets glopped on with the rag.

When you first start to smear it around, you think, "oh no, what have I done???"

But just a little blending and it starts to look good.

I wish you could see the metallic sheen this has, it is a nice effect, but doesn’t show up well in the photos.

I like the aged colors of the paper and the golden sheen over the top kind of blends the papers all together. The only color on the wall is this one page with the tiny word "Paris" in red.

Ta da! New slipcovers in one afternoon (it helps to not measure or be too picky, just go for it!) and a wall stripped of its old wallpaper and re-papered in vintage book pages in about 3-4 hours the next day.

One thing I really like about the slipcovers, besides the fact that they are washable and I have a houseful of dogs and a baby- is that I made the backs of the pillows all out of velvet. When you lay on the couch, it will feel good to flip the pillows over to the soft side to get comfy.

This is what I started with, and was ready for something more neutral.

(I found this brand new couch at a sale for $285!)

I’d used dark slipcovers for last winter,but it was way too much color for me and I got tired of it fast.

And before that, we had this couch that I gave to my son when he got his own place. He stripped off all the pillows and the cover that I made for it and likes it plain tan velvet.

Here is another version of that sofa.

Both of these photos were used in magazine shoots and were taken by Bill Mathews and styled by Gloria Gale.

And way way before that, we had this look. This was in Country Almanac, and was done by Bill and Gloria too.

And don’t ask me how long I will keep the new look I did tonight. Chances aren’t good that it will last!!!

Don’t forget about the giveaway, leave a comment to enter, I have two drawings this month!!

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!

Making more space and making money stretch

antiques/junking, Chandeliers, fairies, flowers, give away, holiday decor, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 2, 2007

I have been hearing that Romantic Country has been hard to find for a lot of people. I’ve seen that with these Harris Publications before. They have great magazines and people love them, but it takes some searching to find them sometimes.

So, today, I am mailing a copy to my sweet and tiny little mother-in-law out in Utah and my genteel and gracious great aunt down in Florida (who is turning 100!!). I made them each a book mark with their initials. I used some pretty scrap booking paper and brass charms but didn’t delve into my stash of vintage wallpapers and old ribbons. I knew they would just think it was old stuff and would probably appreciate the new papers more.

I redid the little corner of my studio that I call my office this week.

The rug is a linoleum remnant I painted for a magazine article "how to" story a couple of years ago. I switched from a larger table to this petite one and now the rug shows more. I’d almost forgotten it was there.

I use doors that are hinged together to make the partition that creates the space, and even though the doors have windows, the spot is dark. So I repainted the big hutch from black to pale, icy blue, and added another chandelier.

The table lamp is from last weekend’s garage sailing, $2.50- with the shade!!

Its hard for me to make an office a pretty spot, too many functional things, electronics, papers, BILLS, that I need to keep out.

Of course, the piles of Etsy stuff on the little blue desk doesn’t help the clutter, does it?

I might have mentioned a couple (or a thousand) times that I like fairies. I make my own from old dolls, or paint them, or transform vintage photographs into little fairy kids, but I also buy store bought ones.

TJ Maxx has these sparkly babes in with their Christmas decor for $5 each. I added these warm colored ones to my fall centerpiece in the dining room.

The velvet rose is from a bundle of the quarter ones I got at a garage sale, I glued it and some moss into a creamer from another garage sale that was only 15 cents because it was chipped.

My house doesn’t usually have fall colors. but I wanted to do something to celebrate the season and still be true to my own palette and style.

Fresh flowers are always welcome here. These are from last MONDAY at my local grocery store’s $1.99 clearance bin.

A vintage table cloth with roses in autumn colors, that Beth was selling for $3, and just gave to me instead, a basket from garage sales last week for 50cents, some of the vines and flowers (with lots of sparkle to them) from garage sales for a quarter a stem, and an 80% off after Christmas spray of glittered fruits from Hobby Lobby are part of the display.

I also added a gold carnival glass dish that was my husband’s grandmother’s and filled it with china roses that I collect for mosaic projects. Oh, and a bag of white pumpkins for $2, and a beaded pumpkin for $1. All of this, for what it normally costs to buy a flower arrangement!

Even though the flowers from last week’s sale bin are still thriving, I bought a dozen roses for $1.99 yesterday. Look at the deep reds and the wonderful striping of greens and yellows!!

The grocery store had a pot of white hydrangeas for $1.99 too. I hope to plant it outside as soon as we get a good break in the weather.

But for now, the pot looks good on my studio porch with the fall display there.

I might have saved a ton on flowers, but I went slightly overboard at TJMaxx on the fairies.

I bought one in every color they had for the baby’s room.

Even though I am decorating for the Christmas Parade of Homes, I don’t think these will come down after the holidays, they look like fairies that should live here year round to me.

One more bargain, before I go make things. I’d hate to only have 2 book marks and a rearranged room to be all I accomplish today.

My friend was having a yard sale and I bought this desk from her for $30. If I had bought it from a stranger, I would have offered $25, but very politely, I am never pushy or rude when I wheel and deal!

This attic room is in its beginning stages, you don’t want to see the rest of it yet.

And one more "one more thing" this is what I sent to Priscilla, who won the Sept. giveaway.

The tag is one that I made by cutting up my Romantic Country party invitation. I thought it looked fitting for her, as a Flea Market Queen.

I added her initial and a charm that I had made with old papers.

The charm can be worn as a pendant if she’d like.

I hope she enjoys her throne.

Please leave a comment to enter the Oct. giveaway. Maybe I will keep it as the Sept. one was, custom fit to the winner?

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!!!!!!!

And the Party Goes ON!

flowers, give away, holiday decor, magazine pictures or articles, parties, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 26, 2007

I want to thank everyone who participated in the "Romantic Country- what do you LOVE about your home?" party!! And everyone who came to visit me and who party hopped around blogland to check in on the party locations too.

I have 2 winners for an issue of a magazine, one will go to a reader, the other to a blogger.

And they are:

Cindy and Paula Kay!!

Please contact me with your address and I’ll get the magazines into the mail (as soon as the editor sends me the bundle of copies, should be soon). Remember I said I would have a surprise for the winner who was a non-blogger? Here is a small autumn leaf watercolor I have done. Hope you like it, Paula!

I do think that this subject is dear to all of our hearts, we all love our homes. Would you like to have a "What do you LOVE about your Holiday Home?" party in December? I have another Romantic Country article due out about then—-more celebrating!!!

Don’t forget you can still enter the Sept. drawing for a giveaway choice of a Cottage Collage kit with vintage wallpaper, or a hand made item from one of my kits!

Today I had a real life party, here at the cottage. A few good friends came by for muffins and yogurt and coffee.

I made the muffins with applesauce instead of oils and added lots of healthy extras like walnuts, raisins, flax seed, whole wheat flour, etc. They really were good and gooey and moist. (and I had cream cheese icing on the side in case the muffins were too healthy)

We had 3 kinds, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Zucchini, and Blueberry-Cranberry. Wish I could throw a real life party to meet all of you!

But I will be seeing Silver Bellas soon in Omaha.

Remember when I told you that Monday was the Bloglandia Ball? Well, now I am telling you that is TODAY again. And this time I am right!

(I have more gowns posted on the earlier entry fomr two days ago)

You can visit the ball here. Please do, you’ll enjoy it!

Also, I will keep adding links to our What do You LOVE about your Home party for the rest of the day. There seems to still be a lot of interest in it and I’d hate to leave anyone out.

Thanks again for coming to see me and my friends!