magazine pictures or articles – Page 9

Spooky things, Storing things, and trying not to Hoard things

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, flowers, give away, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 1, 2007

While going through my stash of goods from the big flea market this week, I came across some things that had a touch of Halloween flair (lucky numbers 7, unlucky 13, some old ribbons in black and orange, and a bunch of other fallish things)

So I decided to make up Cottage Collage Kits with a Fall Theme.

For each one, I used a bit of the papers to make a sample of what could be done with the kits.

I don’t do a lot of Halloween decor myself, but can appreciate the colors and I really enjoyed putting these packs together for someone else who would get more use out of it than I would.

I have the kits listed on Etsy for $12 each, if anyone wants a big bunch of Halloween goodies to work with.

Each kit contains a generous handful of orange and green millinery flowers, because I seem to have a lifetime supply!

Look at all these flowers! I just want to spread them out and roll in them, I love them all so much. I am FORCING myself to not hoard them, to actually use them and enjoy making pretty things with the flowers.

Trying to put away my new acquisitions from the flea market made me reorganize my studio so I’d have a place to store them all within reach and within sight. If my supplies are hidden away, I forget about what I have and don’t use it.

Plus, it is fun to have all my favorite things out where I can enjoy them!

This stuff is just too cool to hide away.

All of the storage containers were things I already had, except these lidded glass jars. I had a chair from TJMaxx that broke, and when I returned it, I saw these on the clearance table for $7 -$10 each. There was cash back on this purchase after returning the broken chair, that is always nice.

After organizing, I couldn’t wait to play with my new pretties!

So, I finished decorating the folders I am making for Somerset Living.

I swore to myself that I would not hoard my vintage wallpaper either. I am using it and enjoying it!

The first two folders were from wallpaper that Beth gave to me, and the third is from some I ordered on Etsy.

The inside of this folder is a watercolor wash I did on some heavier paper.

And see- I used two big millinery flowers on this one! Good start on the pledge to not hoard!

While I am trying to not be stingy with the papers, I am also not being wasteful. I save all the teeny bits in a big hat box and dig through it for detail items, like the tags I made on all 3 of these folders.

It might seem silly to save such little pieces of scrap, but I don’t think this card that I made would have been nearly as pretty without the thumbnail sized bit of wallpaper that I added and wrote "rose" on.

I made that ATC into a birthday card and tied it to a bag that I put one of the $1.99 rose pots into and gave it to a friend for her birthday yesterday.

We went to an art opening another friend was having at KU, and then out for margaritas

to celebrate.

And now, I need to announce my gifts for the winners of the August giveaway!

Since I had so many comments I am giving two presents. Second place will be a hand made paper doll dress. And it goes to

ELAINE

And first place, with the choice of a Cottage Collage Kit or a hand made item is

Stephanie. Ladies, please contact me and I’ll get your goodies in the mail. And thanks to everyone who entered. I appreciate all your comments and conversations. That is why I have a big giveaway every month. And since today is Sept. first, I have started a new contest!

All comments from the month get entered, and I’ll let you know what the prize will be when I figure it out.

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.

Artful Bloggers Party- How to Paint Furniture

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, how to's, how-to projects, magazine pictures or articles, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 8, 2007

Yes, I am back for a second time today, but wanted to get an early start on the Artful Blogger’s Party hosted by Kari. I am leaving for a family reunion tomorrow (and hope to post from my sis’s house while gone) but needed to get my part of the party started before I go!

I just looked and Kari already has 3 party guests with their "how to’s" up and running, it promises to be a big bash!

I bought two of these chairs (hand carved and signed on the leg!) at a garage sale for a great deal. Some think it is a shame to paint old pieces, but if they are unwanted, and unused as is, then what is their true value?

I start with light sanding. You don’t have to sand it to the bare wood, a light touch is all that is needed.

I like my power sander, but a piece of medium sandpaper by hand works too.

I keep a beat up, old, fluffy brush to dust off sanding residue and spider webs.

ALWAYS PRIME!

Make sure your primer says "bonding" or "will stick to glossy surfaces". Zinzer and Gripper are good ones. But read the label and make sure it will BOND. There are many kinds of primer out there and the wrong one will ruin your project.

For these chairs, I used 3 colors, white, tan, and taupe. I poured a bit of each into the paint tray, with the colors butting up next to each other, and mixing as I used them.

I dipped my sea sponge into all 3 colors at once, smooshing and mixing it together as I dabbed it on.

I keep a cheap-o 50 cent brush around for pushing paint into crevices.

Notice how the paint starts to blend together in the pan? I add in fresh paint a little at a time if it starts to get too mixed together. Also, I dampen and rinse out my sponge regularly in a bucket of water I keep nearby.

Once the chair is painted, I start on the details, I painted the oval emblem white.

I got out acrylic craft paints in the colors I’d need for my flowers.

At first, my roses are blobby. But that is only background color. I let it dry, and I painted the scroll work around it, green.

Over the background colors, I swirled highlights over the roses and leaves.

Because the backs of the chairs were such a cool shield shape and show every bit as much as the front, when pulled up to the table, I added flowers to the backs also.

Again, I did a background color for each flower, and kind of sketched it out with paint.

I dipped my brush into more than one color at once as I applied the paint, so that the flowers had more dimension. I started with the base color sketch, in the darkest shades.

To the darkest shades, I started adding highlights and details.

Its important to let each application dry before adding more. If you try to add the highlights to wet paint, you just get smears.

Letting the coats dry in between will give you layers and depth.

Sometimes, you need to go back in with a little bit more dark paint, like I did in the center of the rose. But mostly, the last layers are all lighter and lighter colors as you add them.

Once the flowers were done, I added metallic gold paint, with a 1" wide brush, twisting it to a point as I pulled it down into a swirl.

To give the chair some age, I used a medium grit sand paper on the edges, for distressing.

I "distressed" right across the hand painted flowers too.

To complete the "aging", I used a stain and poly mix.

I buy throw away brushes at estate sales so I don’t have to wash them out with turpentine when I am done, since I hate the smell of that stuff!

I brushed on the poly/stain in small areas at a time and wiped it off with a soft cloth. An old tee shirt cut up works well.

I used "rub-n-buff" on the bead trim around the oval. It is a metallic wax that comes in a tube, and goes on with a fingertip.

Ta dah!

Thanks, Kari for hosting the Artful Blogger Party and congratulations on your publication!

I am on my way to a family reunion, but might be posting and checking emails from Sissy’s house. If you have any furniture questions, I’ll try to answer from there, but it might have to wait till I get back.

Kari’s work is published in Somerset’s new magazine about blogging. I can’t wait to get a copy.
This Cottage Collage Kit is going to be in a Somerset magazine also.

If you would like to win one, just leave a comment (as many times as you’d like) to enter my August drawing.
If you aren’t an artist and would rather have a finished item instead of a kit, just let me know (when you win) and I’ll make something for you instead!

Enjoy all the rest of the Artful Blogger’s Party by checking out Kari’s site!

July’s Winner and News from Somerset!

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, hand painted signs, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / July 30, 2007

Forgive me for showing a photo that I have shown before, but I have two bits of news about it-

First, the winner of my July giveaway, the COTTAGE COLLAGE KIT- is

http://raisedincotton.typepad.com/raised_in_cotton/

Thanks everyone for your comments, I love to hear from you. I will have a new bribe, (I mean drawing) for August. Something extra special since it will be my 22nd wedding anniversary that month.

Second– Somerset contacted me to send them my Cottage Collage Kit to feature in a story about kits! How cool. I love that magazine!

I have also been talking to Romantic Country about an article about my bathroom. Another favorite magazine of mine. I do have an article coming out in that one this fall about my home, already. I really like working with them, Harris is a great company.

At Hobby Lobby’s 90% off garden clearance, I found a stack of thin, metal signs for under $1.50 each. I bought ALL of them and have been repainting them in my own style (after sanding and priming)

Here are a couple I did today.

I should be making Christmas decor for my sale in December, but I just simply gravitate toward pink roses, no matter what.

Last week, before accidentally dumping a quart of white paint on my Dorky, I primed and base coated a few pieces of furniture, and today, I finished painting two of these gorgeous chairs I got at a garage sale for $20 each.

I painted flowers on the backs too, because often you see more of the back of a chair than the front, when they are pulled up to a table.

I took photos all along the process so I can post a "how to" this week when www.artsymama.blogspot.com hosts a Artful Blogger Party on Aug. 8th. If you want start to finish steps on how to paint furniture, check back then! Also check back to see what I have to offer for my August giveaway, and thanks again for entering in July!

A Tussy Mussy Fest

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, Hand Painted Furniture, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / July 27, 2007

Thanks for all the nice comments about my $1 table. Here it is all finished. I put a dark oak stain and poly over the top to protect the paper and to age it a bit. Then I added gold rub-n-buf to the edges. I should stain the legs too, to deepen the paint color and make it richer, but I didn’t want to deal with all the spindles and carvings! I figure it is OK as it is and I kind of like the contrast with the darker top.

I can get so much done in a day, because I know how to "stop" on a project and not keep fussing with it. Sometimes OK is OK!

My buddy, Beth, http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ came over this after noon for a Tussy Mussy Fest. She was going with a Halloween theme, and made this cone with some great papers she found at Hobby Lobby.

I used all vintage wallpapers on the outside of mine, and old sheet music inside. This cone has one of my hand painted medallions on it, some vintage velvet ribbon, and millinery flowers.

Neither of us signed up for the Tussy Mussy swap, but thought it would be just as much fun to get together and make a few.

I will list these on Etsy, but might keep one just to enjoy here in the studio, they look so good on my pink glass doorknob! That knob is from Anthropology, that store can be PRICEY but has great clearance prices on hardware. I got these half price knobs for $20 each. I wouldn’t have paid $40 for them, but I sure would have thought about it!

We used party hats as a base for the Tussies, (I got a pack of 8 at the Dollar store, Beth had cool Dora the Explorer ones). She and I made cones a few years back for a magazine shoot and didn’t use party hats, it took us forever to come up with a pattern that worked.

This photo from the shoot was taken by Bill Mathews and styled by Gloria Gale. It was in Victorian Decorating, maybe 3 years ago? What a fun shoot, we made up a bunch of crafty things then went to this glorious Victorian mansion and spent the day setting up our projects for photos. The house is a museum and every time we touched something of theirs we had to wear gloves, it was a bit intimidating, but a unique place to hang out for the day!

If you are going to make a tussie mussie, I’d recommend using a party hat as a base, quicker and easier, they come out really nicely shaped, and the perfect size.

I had a teeny snippet of old wallpaper that I hated to waste. Beth quoted Pam Garrison to me, something about vintage wallpaper being too precious to waste a single scrap.

So I turned this blue scrap into a paper doll dress and made a tag out of it. I thought the shape looked like a dress when I saw it laying on my table. So I drew and cut out a little girl to put into it. (The paper doll tag is sitting on my $1 table’s painted sheet music top).

My blogging buddy, Heather, http://prettypetalsboutique.blogspot.com/ ordered a couple of my medallions from Etsy! She was one of the first people I met when I started blogging and was so helpful to me, I wanted to send her a little thank you with her order. I made a tag for her, and a mini card to go in the package too. I used one of the legal letters from 1917, isn’t the handwriting pretty? I think is says something about past due taxes, but we’ll ignore that part.

My studio is back to normal-so messy and piled up with stuff I can’t find anything!

Before Beth arrived and the Tussie Mussie Fest began, I was painting a rocking horse for Sugarwing’s birthday. I got it at a garage sale for $2 and am painting it her favorite colors, with flowers and butterflies. It is almost done, I am a quick painter. I’d say I’ll have maybe 2 hours into the project.

I can’t believe my baby will be a year old already. I wanted to make something for her and start a birthday tradition. It will be nice to make a gift every year, then add some money to a savings account we will hold for her till college. I hate to buy too many toys, or clothes that she doesn’t really need.

(yes, I just posted another bad photo of myself)

After the Tussie Mussie Fest, Beth and I went to an AMAZING sale, then came back home for a Panera Bread style tomato salad (with herbs and tomatoes from my garden) and some grilled chicken that I had been marinating while we crafted and shopped. Not a bad day. She even stopped to buy a loaf of Panera bread to go with the salad.

I still have some cones to fiddle around with and add prettys to, and a car to unload. Oh my, you wouldn’t believe this sale we were at! It will be so much fun to unload this stuff!!!!

Maybe I’ll find something cool in my new goods to add to the Cottage Collage Kit giveaway- leave a comment to enter, I’ll be drawing a name in a few days.

Procrastination, Power Tools, and Pictures from the Past

hand painted candelabras, Hand Painted Furniture, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / June 29, 2007

What did I say this morning when I posted the pictures of my loot from the trip to St Louis? "I should be working" Well I should be now too instead of posting again…. But I did get some stuff done today-

Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ and I did a little design redo job, then went to her house to use power tools! I brought my compressor and nail gun over to help her finish the base boards for her new craft room. The floor they put in is like linoleum, it is a vinyl type product. Looks like wood, doesn’t it? Very practical for a work room and looks good, plus it went down in squares and they were able to do it themselves.

I have to write an article for Romantic Country this weekend, but think I am too tired tonight to start. I at least made an affort to go through the stack of past photos and found the ones needed for the story.

I came across some older ones that I liked and thought I’d post them.

Funny how much my home can change in a couple of years. I don’t have any of those walls those colors any more, and the mantel is now my headboard.

The framed quilt square was done by my Grandma Nathan, there was a bag of them in her closet when she died, I framed them up and gave them to family members. That is one item I will always have, I am sentimental about family things.
I no longer own a single piece of the furniture in these three pictures! I gave the hutch to my niece, it used to belong to my mother, so I wanted to keep it in the family.

Lets see, a few years later, out of these 3 photos, I still have:

the cement cherub

the quilt (mom made it)

some of the dishes

Things do tend to change a lot around here.

Bill Mathews was the photographer for these pictures, he does lovely work. They were styled by Gloria Gale. I can’t remember which magazines they were in, probably Romantic Country or Country Almanac.