Sugarwings – Page 10 – Karla's Cottage

Another Halloween Banner

By Karla Nathan / October 16, 2015

Thanks for all of the banner and witchy love! I've enjoyed making these and have kept on making more as all of them sell.

Sometimes I sell so many kits for others to create with that I don't think about selling my own pieces. It is a good feeling to be encouraged to keep making these, I've loved doing each one.

The haunted houses too.

No two of any of my witches, banners, or haunted houses have been the same, but all are made from the luscious pile of goodies on my table that never quite gets put away.

Maybe when I run out of wonderful, old, black flowers, I'll be done?

It's time to switch focus to (yes seriously, it really is time for this) CHRISTMAS. Wow, already? Well, yep. If I want to sell hand dyed trees and little angel kits, and vintagey tree decorations, it is getting late for me to get them all made and ready to go.

But can you blame me for still being in a spooky mode? Heck, it is only mid October!

We are still knee deep in zombies and gore around here. Last night was the annual Zombie Walk, and my darling, little princess got infected with zombie fever. I'll have more pics from the parade later on. For now, I guess I'd better be starting in on some angels.

I hope I don't accidentally add a pumpkin or some cobwebs to them…

Dancing Princesses at the Castle

Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / October 6, 2015

Sugarwings and I had a fun afternoon last week. We went to see Dance Princess Dance at the Castle Tea Room, downtown.

It's a building I've always wanted to peek into, an old Victorian home built to look like a castle, and now used for private events.

I wish it was actually a tea room, open to the public, I'd be a regular!

We went a little early to poke around and check out the garden. The grounds are small, but nicely kept up. And anytime there is a fountain, we are ready to throw in a few wishes.

I've lived in this town for more than 20 years, and have always been curious about this place. Finally, an opportunity to see it up close!

Our little Leo was enchanted by the door knocker.

Every door handle was ornate and wonderful. The restoration on the place was very well done.

While I was intrigued by the design of the home, Sugarwings was much more interested in meeting the princesses.

After the show, there was a meet and greet, with photo ops, and autographs. With cookies!

The show was a cute concept. There was a backstory about a princess needing advice on how to be royal, and we followed her from one room of the castle to the next, to find a dancing princess in each room, ready to help her out.

Little girls attending were properly mesmerized.

And the princesses were gracious to the children.

The whole thing was done in under an hour and was only $8 to attend. Much easier than a trip to Disneyworld….

Kansas City Renfest 2015

fairies, family, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / September 24, 2015

Last week, we headed to the Renfest to visit our fairy and princess friends.

Sugarwings was sporting her latest gown from TJMax's great selection of royal fashions. Every fall, they have the BEST, highest quality, dresses at the most reasonable prices (about $30). I started to dress up, but since my husband was going along, I tamed my look down for him. A garland for my hair and a semi-witchy ensemble was plenty for him.

As much as I have fun watching the kids explore the festival, I personally love the overall style of the place, all of the attention to detail in the architecture, and the shady, hilly park it is all built in. The best building though?

This castle!

Wow!

My son's friend, Jessie is the stone mason. It is a labor of love for him, each year a few more rocks are added to this hand built palace.

It is a beautiful spot for photos, the artistry of the structure makes all pictures interesting. (not like my cute little models needed that)

Jessie does custom stone work for clients the rest of the year, and uses the in process castle as a storefront to sell his geodes.

There is a big selection of round rocks to chose from and take to the geo-tine (like guillotine but for rocks). Jessie spins a tale while the rock gets cracked in two. That guy can draw a big crowd to gather around just to wait while a rock gets broken. He is a born entertainer.

When the CRACK happens, the crowd cheers and everyone is excited to see what the geode holds as the owner walks through the throng to show off her treasure. No two look just the same and he has a wide variety of different crystals. Mine was smoky quartz with marcasite. Really pretty. This one is Sugarwings' stone and I'm not sure what it is.

She enjoyed working the crank to break hers apart.

She's also always happy to visit the mermaid lagoon.

While waiting in line to visit the merpeople, we found this heart seed pod.

Sugarwings gave the heart to Aurilliea Gyldenscale, one of our local, Kansas City area mermaids. (Being in the midwest, we don't have as many merpeople as you might find on the coast, so ours are very special and rare).

The lagoon area is a welcome addition to the renfest, it was added not that long ago and while simple, is very cute. One year there was a large tank/aquarium that a poor, chilly mermaid floated around in, this seems like a much more humane way to display the fishy girls. And it is more user friendly for the kiddos too, the little girls are thrilled to get hugs from their heroines.

We never fail to make a magic wand at the Children's Realm. Afterwards, you can test drive the wand with a real wizard. This was the point when I realized that Sugarwings is lacking in her magical knowledge. When I told her to call her patronus, she had no idea what I was talking about.

Time to start reading Harry Potter to her, right?

She definitely is well phrased in fairy lore and was able to chat with the faye like a pro.

And of course, is a champ at the maypole after years of dancing with the fairies.

Hmm, maybe this is my favorite part of the day there. Look at the smiles on all of those faces!

My not-so-fave part?

Visiting the animal rescue center. Which sounds very nice til you find out that it is a dragon, a hawk, and a billion snakes.

Yep, that is a snake wrapped around our little friend.

And around Sugarwings who got teary eyed about having to give the snake back. She wanted to stay and hold it longer.

ugh-shiver-bleck

Luckily, there was a fairy godmother handy to zap her out of her mood with a sprinkling of magic and fairy dust.

It is hard to stay sad at the festival, with all of that magic and revelry around you.

An Arabella Cinderella Farewell Teaparty

cottage, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, parties, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 31, 2015

We've had a nice, long visit with our tiniest fairy girl.

But now, she is headed East to be with her momma. We've squeezed in lots of snuggles and hugs before it was time for her to leave.

Sugarwings thought it would be a good idea to throw her a going away party, so we planned a tea to send her off with a toast.

Usually, Sugarwings helps set the table with me, but this was scheduled for right after school to combine after school snacktime with the festivities. I had the table set and waiting when they got home, to save time. If we delay after school treats too long, they interfere with dinner appetites.

But of course, this girl had to do some rearranging to improve my set up.

Dewdrop had been admiring some vintage dresses that I had hanging in the studio, and I kept promising her that she could wear them, but we never seemed to get around to it.

It dawned on me, that if I didn't pull those dresses down and let her try them on, they might not fit her when she came back again in a few weeks, those little ones do not stay little forever.

A vintage gown was chosen for Sugarwings too, but she preferred one of her own princess dresses. Both girls wanted to wear some of the jewelry I had out in the studio and chose some sparkling necklaces to try on. Dewdrop went with a floral hat from the studio too.

When the bigger girls got off the school bus from Jr. and Sr. high schools, they were good sports and joined in to toast our little sweetie. Can you tell by the look on her face that she appreciated our efforts and loved her party? That is one happy, kiddo.

We have recently discovered how delicious basil flowers are. I have always picked them off to make the basil plants last longer, and sometimes fill a vase with the blooming stems. Dewdrop likes to pick them out of the vase on the dining room table to eat during dinner, so I sprinkled some over our heart shaped watermelon slices for the party (made with a cookie cutter).

We also served blackberries and cupcakes along with the tea. All the dishes are mismatched and mostly from garage sales, and when set out on a floral table cloth, they feel special. Not so special that I get upset when one breaks. We had a creamer casualty, but it had only cost a quarter, so that didn't matter much. I want the grand fairies to enjoy nice things, had be used to handling them, not be afraid to use the pretty pieces.

We are all going to miss our silly, funny, little goofball and will be looking forward to planning a return party for her when it is time for her to come back.

Happiest Birthday, Sugarwings!

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 29, 2015

August is full of fun around here. Sugarwings' birthday (with multiple parties), the Hippy Chick's birthday, our anniversary, plus trying to fit in a few more fun things before school starts up.

Sugarwings' mommy always throws a special bash for her girl. This year's theme was Mystery. The cupcakes each had something flavorful tucked inside and you didn't know which you were getting. I can highly praise over the ones with peanut butter cups hidden away in the center.

There was a question mark pinata filled with goodies too.

And the kids had a scavenger hunt, following a treasure map to find the hidden presents.

It was all pretty cute to watch.

The world’s happiest dog

Dew Drop, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, kitties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 23, 2015

For one thing, yorkies are usually just plain happy. I started calling mine 'dorkies' because they are often such silly, little, joyful dorks.

Twinkle adores her buddy, Sugarwings, who she grew up with (both are now nine years old). Especially when the water hose comes out. Those two can spray the hose together to no end. (glad we have well water!)

I was watching them the other night as they played outside as the sun was setting, Sugarwings was in charge of the hose, Honey helped her a bit, the other dogs and Dewdrop stayed out of reach of the water. But Twinks? As always, she was voraciously chasing droplets and attacking the spray. If her girl got side tracked and sat the hose down, that dog would go and get her. Trying to tempt her back into playing. She would run towards Sugarwings, then back to the hose, over and over, till her buddy picked it up and sprayed her with it again.

Dewdrop was happier with the dry kitties.

Or snuggling with her Pop Pop.

Twinkle never let Sugarwings get too far away from her, because she always wants to be in on the action. And while "Joy" is the fairy girl's middle name, it could just as easily have been "Action".

This is our idea of a perfect evening.

Can it get any better than this? Girls, bikes, garden hoses, with pups to play with as kittens watch… add in a cool evening with a bright sunset and, yes, that is perfection.

Celebrating

celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 20, 2015

It's been fun around here lately. Lot's of Summer's End celebrating, getting ready for Back To School, plus Sugarwing's birthday. The grand fairies made cupcakes and we loaded up the family and spent a day at the pool for one party for her.

And when we got home, I had bed time snacks set up party style for the littles, using the fancy wine goblets for sparkling juice, and yogurt parfaits served in pretty glasses, along with light up, spinning party favors.

(The spinners were on clearance for a dollar at Michaels, and the rest of the set up was just stuff from the cabinets. You don't have to spend a fortune at the party store to make a table look special for kids. They appreciate using the fancy dancy garage sale china and goblets.)

We made a trip to KC's Legoland, too. The girls had wanted to go for a long time, but I've never been tempted. The lines to get in are always practically around the block and never seem to move. Since it was a birthday, I figured I could stand putting up with a crowd, but I was happy to find that the place was near empty! Most kids were probably back in school, I guess. Anyway, we lucked out, and it was such a cute, little place.

Crown Center has so many fun things for kids. One is an ice skating rink. But in the summer, its just a slab floor, unless you have an imagination.

In the mind of these two, they were gliding across the ice, and I think they were getting lots of applause in those little heads, too, because there were plenty of curtsies.

Of course, any activity is best if you have a skirt that can swirl around you.

They always have a good time playing by the fountains too.

I take that as an opportunity for photos. There is something about being near water that gives them both a pensive, thoughtful look.

And I'm always happy to have an excuse to take pics of my little pretties.

After Crown Center, they played with Honey in the gazebo.

Seriously, what could be more fun than digging in the rocks and playing in the water with a puppy while wearing a swirly dress? If I was a kid, that is where I'd be.

A visit to see Snow White and the dinosaurs, just a regular day with the Nathans

Dew Drop, dogs, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 3, 2015

We are all infatuated with Honey. Playing with her has been our favorite activity.

We have had to tear ourselves away to do other things. Last week, we visited the Prairie Fire Natural History Museum to see the dinos.

There is an interactive screen where you can build your own dinosaur. Or dragon. That confused me… Dragons at the museum? You find a fossil in the wild, and work through what you think the live animal would have looked like, guessing coloring and skin textures.

Wait a minute, dragon fossils? Yes, that confuses me a little.

We didn't realize that the creatures you built showed up on the screen in the lobby. We were enjoying the giant TV screen with animals projected over the video feed from the room, and didn't know the two things were connected.

We were just having fun taking our pictures with the dinos.

And pretending they were coming for us.

Then we noticed that the dragons and other monsters had names. And some of the names matched the ones we had made ourselves.

Fun, huh? And totally free. We played with these and hung out in the lobby for an hour or so before we bought tickets for a session in the children's discovery room.

Where I had another surprise. Tea party stuff? At a natural history museum? Dewdrop was thrilled. Of course, there were tons of other things too, animals to look at, rocks and crystals to examine, things to look at under microscopes, a fossil scavenger hunt in the bricks of the balcony, and much more.

But I really didn't get the whole section of different style tea services. Maybe it was supposed to be about different cultures?

While in the neighborhood, we stopped by and visited Snow White.

At last year's Halloween party at Lions Gate Club, one of the coworkers was dressed as Snow White. She not only looked the part, she was so kind and sweet to Dewdrop, and spent so much time with her, that this little girl still talks about her on a regular basis. Snow is her favorite princess and none of the Disneyworld princesses quite measured up.

So, we polished some apples and wrapped them up pretty with nice notes, and filled a basket for Dewdrop to take to her. Before going in, I told her that Snow White probably wouldn't have her party dress on, she'd be wearing work clothes.

And Dewdrop got very shy when seeing her buddy again. She was tongue tied, and star struck. But she did get brave enough to give her a hug and as we left, called out, "I love you, Snow White!"

Yep, a very nice day.

A magical day in Topeka. Yep, Topeka.

family, flowers, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 14, 2015

Last week, Sugarwings and I made a trip to Gage Park in Topeka. We've often gone to the zoo and the Discovery Center, but this was our first stop at the gardens.

Many times, we have ridden the train around the park, and I always say, "I'd like to go walk across that pretty bridge someday," but till now, we have never taken the time. We usually hang at the zoo, playground, or carousel, and since I don't go there without grand fairies, I stick to things they prefer. But this time, I figured Sugarwings was old enough to do some exploring with me.

She can now walk by a fountain, without having to be pulled out of it. At least on a most days….

And she was happy to take a detour through the rose gardens on our way to the Discovery Center. I don't think she was just humoring me, it seemed like she enjoyed the flowers as much as I did.

Of course, the bridge was an attraction for her too.

And the pond is so pretty. But the best part was watching a school of tiny, black fish as they twisted and turned in the water, they almost seemed to be trying to spell something out for us. And I swear, at one point, they all joined in to form a heart shape as they swam by.

Anywhere that I go with this girl is a magical place.

Through her eyes and imagination, I see all the possibilities of magic being real in a public park in Topeka, Kansas. We could have been over the rainbow and it wouldn't have been any more special than it was right here in the midwest on an ordinary, overcast Tuesday.

You can find magic anywhere if you keep your eyes open. Not only were the fishies making heart shapes for us, I came across a mossy heart in the cracks of the pavement too.

We looked around, took photos, talked about flowers, watched the fish. It was a simple kind of entertainment, aren't those often the best?

She offered to take my picture too.

And, like usual, my eyes were closed in each one.

We did some of our regular kid activities too. She rode the merry go round a few times ($1 a ride, no lines, no crowds), we played in the black light room at the Discovery Zone a couple of hours, until my eyes were crossed, and we had lunch at the zoo.

After years of riding by the pretty, little, stone bridge, I was so glad that we stopped and explored the park. It was such a small thing, such an easy thing to do, but such a big adventure for the two of us.

ps- here are some newbies to my Boutique. And if you are here for the studio tour, you can find it here.

A quiet 4th of July

cottage, family, flowers, Garden, kitties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / July 8, 2015

We had quite a nice holiday weekend. Not at all typical for us, no parties, no people, no fireworks, no trips.

The weekend started on Friday with a performance at Theatre Lawrence, from the workshop Sugarwings had attended there.

It was very impressive to see how the teachers could corral all of these little ones and get them to understand the workings of being in a play, learning lines, songs, and choreography in just one week. And it is great for the kids to have a chance to be on the fancy stage.

Sugarwings is very serious up on stage, but does sneak looks up to where family is sitting, to make sure we are watching her. And at one point, she broke out in an impromptu, improvised tap routine that had nothing to do with the show.

Maybe tap lessons should be the next class she takes…

Her favorite part seemed to be the way her sparkling cape could swirl with some twirling in the lobby.

The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back. My husband and I did some hiking at the lake each morning, then spent the rest of the days doing yard work around the cottage.

Now, my husband isn't exactly a yard work kind of guy. At least as far as flower beds go. He is more of a chainsaw type, but when I mentioned that my rose bushes had become so overgrown that they weren't blooming the way they should and were more like thorn bushes than flowers, he was right there with a chain to wrap around them and pull them out with the John Deere Gator.

The roses were planted in bad places, that seemed fine when the plants were little. One was by the patio of the studio, and three were along the side walk to the front door. As they grew, they needed major trimming to stop their thorns from snagging unsuspecting people walking by.

I've not got a lot of experience with roses, but it seems to me, that the more you trim them, the woodier they become, and the less they bloom. These were turning into giant thorn trees with woody trunks, not green bushes with flowers. So, out they went, and the one by the studio was replaced with a hydrangea instead.

For the sidewalk area, I purchased 2 azaleas and a topiary. But the topiary wouldn't work, because there is a bedrock of gravel under the bed, and we couldn't dig through it. The base of the topiary was just too large, but the smaller pots of azaleas were just fine. So, the tree is in a temporary basket for now, and I'll set it in a pot when I find one later (it's time for some good 75% off sales at the greenhouses!)

We also dug out mulch and added a row of gravel along the foundation, due to some termite issues we are having. My husband got to fill his Gator with gravel and use the dump truck function to fill the trench he'd dug.

We also worked in the veggie garden, and had to pull some vines down from the walls. A vine covered cottage is a beautiful thing, if you don't care about termites and damage to your siding. If I could let them go, I sure would. Especially since they just start climbing on their own, it looks so charming and natural. But, nope, they had to be ripped away.

Lots of hard work got accomplished, and we had a good time doing it. I really can't remember the last time the two of us were on our own, and hung out together all weekend. We tend to have a lot of separate interests and many other people that take our attention from each other. This was nice.

I hope your weekend was a memorable one too. I thought I'd work in the studio and add some things to the Boutique, but didn't get around to it til Monday.

And I didn't mind at all.

Here are a few things that I listed.