show and tell – Page 4 – Karla's Cottage

Back Pain Relief Recipe

antiques/junking, how to's, show and tell, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 30, 2009

Before I hurt my back this week while on vacation, I started a few tags. I was thinking about making some tag books, but decided that these wouldn't fit into the binder with all the 3-D stuff on them, I'll need to add doodads after binding the tags, not before.

These colors are a bit different from what I usually pick out. Beth and I have a Wallpaper Pact, when one of us scores some vintage paper, we share with the other. She gave me the border that I used across the bottom, and if went perfectly with a playing card I got in the En Le Jardin swap.

When my back cooperates and I can sit at my desk again, I'll be adding ribbons to these and calling them finished. Then, I'll start over on the tag books. So, this batch isn't exactly a waste of time. I just about always finish what I start and make it work somehow.

This is the statue that I bought from Carol. For now, she is gracing one of the dining room tables in my studio. I might bring her into the living room later on. I already have a couple in there now, and I do think a collection makes more impact when it is grouped together, but on the other hand, I like having my favorite things all around me. So, maybe she'll stay out here in the studio to keep me company while I work.

Last Saturday, at the world's greatest estate sale, I found this punch bowl. I've been wanting one forever, but didn't want to spend much. This one is cracked, so it was cheap, only 5 bucks. I don't mind the crack, since I am using it for something that won't leak, not punch.

There was also a giant box of cushion sized slip covers at the sale, and they were only $7.50! I immediately put some on my porch furniture. The rest got washed up and look even better. The pink background shows up a lot prettier when it isn't dirty. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with the rest of them, its gorgeous fabric, some of the prettiest that I have found. And while it isn't old-old, it is older. Hmm, does that make sense to you? Not antiquey old like bark cloth, but not made all that recently either.

There were a few round pillows in the box too. And I almost didn't buy any of it, I wasn't sure if the size was something I could use, but Beth told me that the fabric was worth a lot more than $7 to have for cutting up. She's right, I'm glad I listened.

Notice these photos are focused only on the chairs? I've not done any planting and my porch looks desolate and lonely without flowers! Of course, with a sore back, I won't be doing much gardening this weekend, so it might be a while before I get plants set out.

Years ago, I fell off a pony and fractured a couple of vertebrae. Now, I wasn't thrown from a horse, I just carelessly slid off the back of a small pony. Like a klutz, nothing dramatic about it.

I had a few surgeries, cortisone epidurals, lots of rest. But, I was in bad shape for a LONG time, till I finally found a Dr. who got me to physical therapy. Since then, I've controlled the back problems by sort of keeping in shape. Not the kind where I look good, but the kind where I stay flexible and can move.

There is also a routine I go through if my back gets sore and it usually works in a day or two, I no longer have months of pain like before. My trouble now, is that my back went out on me while on vacation and I didn't follow my recipe for healing, since, not only was I staying at a hotel, we were sightseeing and hauling around a 2-1/2 year old.

Here is what I usually do, and am doing now. It doesn't work as well if you don't do it right when injured, but it still helps:

Back Pain Relief Recipe

Equal parts of rest, laying and sitting. Do not stay in one position too long.

Equal amounts of ice and heat, taking turns with each.

Walking and stretching in small amounts to start with, then building up to more. DO NOT rest too much, you have to MOVE or you'll cramp up.

And last, anti-inflamatories and muscle relaxers. I use Ibuprofen and Skelaxion, neither make me drowsy.

You will also need a stack of movies to watch. I'm going to go watch Diary of the Dead, it seems fitting, since I have the zombie shuffle walk going on right now.

And for now, I have probably sat too long at the computer, I need to walk and stretch. But before I go, I'll tell you the winner of the Cottage Charm giveaway, my May prize. Thanks, Kim, for hosting this annual event!

And the winner is:

Jenny

By the way,Beth is having a fantastic giveaway full of Victorian scrap! Go enter before its closed!!

More En Le Jardin with Jenn

celebrations, Etsy Goodies, flowers, parties, show and tell, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 20, 2009

Everyone is asking what we made at En Le Jardin. Here is my flower pot, I didn't exactly follow directions…. They are supposed to be covered in chicken wire and then the embellishments added to that, but I left off the wire. I also went a little crazy with the foofs, its about as gaudy as can be, huh?

I'd brought lots of goodies to embellish with, plus we were given loads of treats to use in our swap bags. But when I saw this vintage gift wrap paper that Jenn had out for us to use, I had to go for it. Its actually two different papers, the little ladies were cut out and glued onto the floral paper. All the glue is still wet in this photo, so it looks a bit murky.

The day started out blistery, smelty hot. But then, the sprinkles came, not bad, just a little steamy. We were all having so much fun we didn't even notice, really. But, then the skies let loose! There was something about being under the tent, all together working away while the rain poured down around us that was kind of intimate and cozy.

But not so cozy, that I didn't want to get out and splash around in the "water slide" with Tiffany!

I think that if Tiffany and I were neighbors, we could get into some trouble. That girl is a blast.

Our other project was a fairy ball. Cheryl had the idea of adding the streamers, so Kim and I both used it. Mine is the one in the middle, the left is Kim's and the right is Cheryl's.

Mine is a little different. Instead of a little girl's photo made into a fairy, I used a fairy ballerina perched on top of a faux cupcake. Then, I drenched it in rhinestones and jewels and millinery.

Just like the photo of the planter, this one still has wet glue. The rain might have been fun, but it made the air so humid that my creations were still slightly damp when I packed them up the next day.

Since this was the fairy's nest, I added some pastel eggs to the top of the cupcake too.

Although, what do fairy eggs really look like? These might be pretty pastel colors, but they are a bit blah to have been laid by a little sprite. I should have tied little ribbons onto them and added millinery flowers. (Ouch-that might be a bit painful for the fairy to lay, huh?)

To the top, I added a vintage chenille bee, and one of my plant markers, this one says "Fleurs" in honor of the event.

The day in the tent was remarkable and the craft projects were really interesting. But, my favorite part of the trip was in our downtime, when we chatted for hours. Evenings went on way into the morning hours, and the sharing never slowed.

Lots of the attendees have been posting photos, if you'd like to see more, Jenn has a really good sampling on her blog. She has complied photos from our Flickr site and used some from different photographers. From her blog you can follow links to other people who have posted pictures, if you'd enjoy seeing more. I gotta tell you, the details that went into the weekend were pure perfection!

And while talking about details, I have to tell you how much I am loving my new camera!!!!!!!! Tiffany and Carol both gave me priceless tips on how to use it better.

They convinced me to be brave enough to venture on from the point and shoot options, which I figured would be all I could handle and since I refuse to read how to manuals, thought I'd be stuck with just doing that. I learn much better from Show and Tells, and these two always took time to show me.

Look at the center of this partial roll of vintage crepe paper! yep, I LOVE that camera!!!!

I've been adding a few odds and ends to Etsy and to the Boutique. I'm plugging away at it. I have a goal, to get 50 items back in Etsy, mostly craft supplies. As far as the Boutique goes, I really don't know what works well for it. I'll experiment with inventory levels and see what works best. I know I prefer fuller to emptier myself, but I'll see.

Look what I saw today, on the Vintage Workshop newsletter- a project I did for Amy last year:

NEW DOWNLOAD COLLECTION –
Garden Collage

The Vintage Workshop would like to introduce a new type of multi-image collection called Elements . These collections will contain a series of coordinating elements including single images along with background images. The number of images in an elements collection will vary. Elements collections will still come in two versions – the resizable Designer's Choice and the pre-sized Click-n-Cut (all backgrounds in click-n-cut version are sized 8.5” x 11”).

The first collection in this series is Garden Collage – emt100. This collection contains four vintage seed packet images, two sheet music backgrounds, and four different vintage wallpaper backgrounds.

The sample note cards shown here use images from our new Garden Collage collection. Use these as inspiration to create your own projects.

Click here to view more garden imagery.

In the eye of the storm

housework, jewelry, show and tell

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.

Planted Plates and Pansies

collections, flowers, give away, show and tell

By Karla Nathan / May 25, 2008

Hope you are all having a happy Memorial Day weekend? We’ve been busy, with boating, and a party, and the fairy grand baby staying the WHOLE weekend with us. She and I have done yard work all morning (and no, I didn’t tame the wildness of the yard, I merely pulled weeds and cleaned up a bit). After nap time, there will be more boating, so I thought I’d use this small window of time while the baby is sleeping to be a part of Show and Tell Sunday and snap some photos of my china and crystal.

Except, I don’t really have any crystal…

All of my glassware comes from garage sales.

Just about all of my dishes do too. Except the collection of chintz patterned coffee cups, those I buy at Home Goods or TJ Max when I see a pretty rosey one I don’t have. The chandelier cup is from there too, it was on clearance for $1.99.

Gosh, on my last post I was talking about the wildness of my gardens, but from the looks of my cabinets, they aren’t much neater.

I am so much more comfortable with a laid back, casual display.

The very top shelf seems to be neater. These pieces aren’t in daily use like the others.

It is important to me to have things pretty, like painting the insides of the cabinets a complimentary pink.

The pink interiors aren’t really that noticeable when the doors are shut, but the color always lifts my spirits when I go to put away my dishes.

For every day, I use an assortment of white, cream and ivory plates and bowls that I have picked up here and there.

Then I have a couple of sets of "good dishes" like this stack of Wedgwood ones from an auction (for $11).

I don’t always put my things away in an order that makes sense. I go more for how pretty they look together, then add little tidbits to the display, like these chipped up porcelain flowers.

And no, I am not too proud to admit that I cook with instant mashed potatoes and prove it by showing a cannister full of them in the cabinet with the Wedgwood plates.

I do have a trick for instant taters, though. I will boil one potato, skin on, and smash it up so that is still slightly lumpy and add that to my instant ones to give them a better texture.

Any china with a rose on it is hard for me to resist at garage sales, even though I am out of room for displaying them all.

And of course, what is a cottage without some Pussy Willow around somewhere?

Well, when you run out of display space indoors, it is time to start hanging plates on the garden fence!

There were quite a bit more out here hanging but over the last few years, they have fallen and I simply haven’t replaced them. I’m surprised these have stayed up through a few rough Kansas winters.

And of course, I plant plates too.

And use them as flower bed borders.

Teacups glued to the arms of an old chandelier make great candle holders. (I did this project for Romantic Country a couple years ago).

As a clumsy, careless, and hurried antique dealer, I always had boxes of broken dishes from moving displays without bothering to clear the shelves first.

So I took up mosaicing to use up the dishes that I regularly crashed.

I’m not the sort of collector who expects or values perfection. Many of the dishes in my cabinets are chipped or cracked or crazed. I think it makes them more interesting (and of course, more affordable!!).

If all I am doing with a plate is using it for decor in a cabinet, I’d much rather have a 25 cent chipped one than a $35 dollar one in perfect condition.

In honor of last week’s Show and Tell Sundays vintage linens, I added an embroidered doily to the MAY GIVEAWAY PRIZE PACK.

For this week’s Show and Tell, I’ll do the same and add a lovely old plate. It seems to just be perfect with the assortment of other prizes, doesn’t it? How could I NOT add it to this bunch of pretties??? (that is if I don’t break it first!)

Don’t forget to "grab for the golden ring" and leave a comment to enter the drawing (all comments, all posts this month count).

Also check out the button on the side bar to see all the Cottage Charm giveaways going on this month. Good luck in the drawings!!

We have Extended the Deadline for the Swap, I wish I could extend the Deadline for my upcoming art show so I could have more time to goof off, since I can’t, I’ll just whine about it.

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), jewelry, show and tell, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / April 20, 2008

Its show and tell time again, and the subject is a timely one for me. Vintage jewels!

Twinkle has agreed to model this pink jeweled bracelet, and doesn’t seem to be too embarrassed by her choppy haircut, although she isn’t looking at the camera like she usually does.

I have an art show to get ready for and one of the things I take to shows is my redesigned old jewelry.

Thing is, it has been a while since I organized my sparklies and made anything from them, so I had an hour or so of prep work to do to even get started.

Just because I hadn’t been making jewelry, doesn’t mean I wasn’t buying stuff to use as supplies for the last year!

The pieces needed sorted out so I could find what I wanted to put together. I sort by era, style, color and lots of different criteria that mostly boils down to a made up system that doesn’t work anyway. I end up looking through each of the 8 or 9 plastic containers sitting on the desk for that perfect bead that I knew was just there a minute ago…..

So, what did I make today?

A charm bracelet first.

A few necklaces next.

A couple more necklaces, then moved on to earrings. I prefer making earrings, they just fly through my pliers and almost make themselves. Necklaces and bracelets take a lot of time and trying on, measuring the weight of the charms to be sure they hang straight.

Balance is so important when making jewelry. Both visually and weight wise.

I only use sterling or 14kt gf French hooks for the earrings and buy them wholesale through Fire Mountain, for the best prices.

The rest of the pieces are all vintage, including the beads. Sometimes I do use some new semi-precious beads, but I prefer older things.

To tell the truth, it was not a fun transition from my tag marathon to jewels today.

I know I have to make the jewelry for the art show I am going to on May 4th, that is what my clientele expects there (along with hand painted things) and luckily I always sell it well there.

But I am still feeling like making more tags! I did a few this morning and was zipping along, humming to myself and having a great time.

When I got the jewelry out to work on in the afternoon, that is what it felt like- WORK!

Probably, I should shut up and not complain. Poor Karla, had to stop gluing her endless parade of tags and put aside her Vintage Workshop papers to play with sparkly jewels instead.

That isn’t going to get me much sympathy!

So, the papers are on hold, while I put together old jewelry for a few days, then make price tags for it. If you think I am complaining now, wait till you hear me whine about pricing items!

But in the meantime, I will play hooky from all of it and go blog surfing and see what everyone else has for Show and Tell.

Its always a treat to visit other bloggers and see their collections. Hopefully, I won’t run into anyone else who complains and whines about it like I did today.

Before I go, I wanted to announce that "due to popular demand" Beth and I extended the deadline for our swap. So, if you haven’t joined yet, hurry up and come play with paper with us!!