vintage paper/collage art – Page 28

DecemBrrrrrrrrhhh! Scenes from a set up

antiques/junking, Miss Frenchie's, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / December 4, 2009

I wanted to let you know that for some reason, quite a few of my emails are coming back as undeliverable. If you didn't receive a reply from me, hey, it isn't MY fault! But, still, sorry that they are not reaching you.

This sweet little snow ball, is Pearl, Debbie's dog. She seems snug and cozy as can be on this pillow while her 'mom' sets up her display for Miss Frenchie's sale this weekend, but she is probably feeling as frosty as her snow white coat looks! We had NO HEAT while setting up the barn today for the sale. The furnace was out, and will be fixed by tomorrow when the guests come, but man, was it cold setting up today!

You can practically see Greg shaking with the cold! We all were. Greg does these beautiful calendars, I'm sure you've seen. Its great to have such wonderful artists as part of the show. I just hope his poor fingers didn't get frost bite today and ruin his career.

As cold as it was, the cockles of my heart were warmed by the site of these lace panels!

I want them for my home!! I pre-shopped a bit and was told that I could maybe buy these, or at least would have first shot at them if the dealer decides to sell them. She wasn't sure if she would keep them or let them go. I sure fell for them, and would love to see them hanging in my kitchen…. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Currently, I have curtains from Bed Bath and Beyond, and honestly could do better. I've been searching for years for something that would be elegant, old, and affordable all at the same time. This would fit the bill at $100 for 6 panels. I hope she does decide to let me have them! (BB&Beyond curtains are $40 each, and these are in a whole other league than those, so would be quite the beautiful bargain!!)

Carol, who is normally neutral, is going for a splash of red. I can't wait to see her display when it is done. Everything she does is styled to perfection!

My pal, Gwen, imports all her goods from shopping sprees in France. She's made these ornaments from some ephemera gathered there.

She has great stories of her travels, and my dream is to some day take a guided French Flea market tour with her. Of course, my usual shopping is Kansas garage sales, so this will probably stay just a dream, not a reality.

Willows Nest Farm has more than just the beginnings of a beautiful set up.

Down to the smallest detail, their spot is amazing. I can't wait till I get the feeling back in my poor frozen toes so I can explore there.

My booth? Its not done yet. I was way too cold to finish. I was working away for hours, before I heard the furnace was broken. I was trying to put my best face forward, go with the flow and not get too upset about the cold, but when I heard that the furnace was not lit at all, I gave up! I figure I'll go back and set up tomorrow AFTER it is fixed! No reason to power through and be brave in the cold if the heat will be on tomorrow.

Plus, I am so relived that our shoppers and guests won't have to deal with the cold, I was worried that the barn just wasn't going to be warm. Its a relief to know there was an actual problem, not just draftiness!
And, we have a WARM room for the guests to wait in for the doors to open. No long line in the cold.

Here is a little December gift for you, a calendar I scanned from an old book for you to use in your projects or just to print and keep on your desk to write notes to yourself on.

Until the heat is fixed, I'm cozying up to the wood stove and starting the book I need to have finished for book club on Monday. Got a bit of a late start…

Isn't this a glorious full moon? I don't know what that ring around it is called, but to me, it sure looks like a fairy circle.

Do you want a copy of Hankie Style by Amy?

antiques/junking, Books, collections, give away, Miss Frenchie's, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / December 1, 2009

Time for a winner! This bundle of vintage trims, wrapped up in an embroidered doily, and topped with a millinery rose goes to:

SUZY

Which is really cool, because she is a sewer! I'm sure she'll whip up something wonderful with the old lace.

Notice the sweet little white tree I tied onto the ribbon? I just love those. I bleached, dyed, and glittered a bunch of them to sell, but have kept them all to tie onto packages this holiday.

Wrapping up packages in special ways probably has become my main hobby now. I have such fun digging through my goodies to make the things I send out look nice.

This tag goes to a friend, and it was made with little scraps of my Heavenly Papers.

Personally, I prefer using bits and pieces of old papers instead of cutting into a big piece if I am doing a small project. Plus, its all so dear to me that I can't waste an inch of prettiness!!!

So, I wrapped up the trimmings from my wallpaper cutting this week and listed 3 bags full in the boutique.

I HOPE, that I will have time to list more larger pieces, man those went fast!! Thanks again, its good to see that my obsession is shared by so many of you. After Miss Frenchie's I'll try to wrap some more up for the shop, I appreciate all your inquiries.

Packing is going slow for Miss Frenchie's. I might be doing a last minute crunch to be ready. Not my style at all!! I like to be ready a week early so I can relax. But this time, life got in the way.

We had a couple of bonus Sugarwings days (always worth postponing work for!)and Saturday the weather was so beautiful, Sugarwings, my husband, and I just had to clean out the garage and pick up the garden a bit. We had a big bonfire going as I ruthlessly pitched stuff, burning lots of useless crap. What a good feeling, to have an uncluttered garage.

But not such a good feeling today. I only have half a tub ready to take!

Believe it or not, I am ready for the new giveaway and it is only the first day of the month. Usually I have to ponder on the piles I have accumulated to see what I want to put up for the drawing. But this time, a friend offered her newest book.

Its written by a local Kansas City gal,

Amy Barickman

who runs Indygo Junction and Vintage Workshop, and is full of great ideas and style. Just another reason why I'm proud to be in the KC area! Its great to have such talented women around- Amy, Carol, and Debbie, are just a few of the locals whose sense of vintage style I admire.

Amy is also generously giving the winner a $25 gift certificate for vintage image downloads!! Yahoo!

Since the book was about hankies (which I just adore, and hoarde collect) I found a couple that matched the picture on the cover to include, in case you wanted to make that pattern with them. You can also purchase downloads of vintage hankie prints here:

http://www.thevintageworkshop.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&keywords=hankies&x=9&y=10

(or use your winning $25 gift certificate!)

If you don't win you can buy a copy of the book here: http://www.indygojunctioninc.com/store/

All comments, all month count.

If you are anywhere close to Kansas City, or can get there, come to see some of the great goods that we have to offer around here this weekend. Its our 3rd Miss Frenchie's sale and it promises to be a good one!

Frenchie’s preview pics and shop updates

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, holiday decor, I do tend to run on, don't I?, Miss Frenchie's, vintage paper/collage art, wallpaper

By Karla Nathan / November 30, 2009

While I've been busy gathering goods up for Miss Frenchie's sale this weekend, I've taken a break to package up some of that great wallpaper I told you about.

I just loved playing with all the pretty papers and making packages for you to use! I package them in a few different ways, one is all coordinated, another is a varied selection. Also, I try to make varied sizes, some jam packed and others a bit smaller, to fit all budgets.

You can find them in my Boutique, and it looks like they are already selling before I've even had a chance to tell you about them! Thanks, guys, its good to see that I'm not alone in my wallpaper love!

Also, just wanted to let you know that there are only a few Crystal Crown Rings left. I'd better slip in and get one for myself before they are all gone!

The trees are re-stocked in my Etsy shop too. Why do I have the trees in a different shop? Laziness. I sold them there last year, so now, I just have to renew the old listing, not take all new photos and relist. Simple and quick.

Well, the bleaching, dying, gluing, glittering, packaging part isn't quick, but the listing is, and I'll take any little bit of help I can get!

Sugarwing's Daddy helped me cut wallpaper. He's the sensitive, artist type and is always happy to help in the studio when I need him. I was freaking out about my major budget blow out on all the paper I'd bought and how little time I had to get it packaged, with Miss Frenchie's sale looming. So, he jumped in and started chopping.

We sliced two sizes, 8 x 10 and 11 x 14. But, I don't have the clear envelopes to fit the larger sizes!! Someday, I'll have a chance to sit at the computer and look up glycine sleeves and get some ordered, then will list the bigger pieces. Sorry! They are sitting here waiting for me to make time.

Twinkle is wondering when I'll have time to spend with her too. As excited as I am to be going to Miss Frenchie's and as lucky as I am to be included on such a FANTASTIC, premier sale, I'm getting tired! I'm ready to kick back with Christmas music on the stereo, a frosty glass of egg nog in my hand, and the Christmas tree twinkling in the dark. Don't you love evenings by the light of a Christmas tree? Especially if there is a fire lit.

And we always have a fire lit, we heat our house mostly with wood. Now, I just need the tree and the time to set it up and enjoy it!

This is why I am slightly exhausted. I'm setting up my "trial run" for Miss Frenchie's, and getting it planned, tagged and packed.

I'll leave you with some scenes of my table. I'm heading over to it to pack it up and get it ready to load in the big red pick up truck on Thursday.

Shameless hawking of wares, Artist Class Ala Carte, a mini Tutorial, and prizes!

Etsy Goodies, family, give away, holiday decor, how-to projects, I do tend to run on, don't I?, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / November 27, 2009

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, with lots to be thankful for yesterday!

We had a smaller than usual group this year, and WAY too much food. I've already made turkey soup from leftovers for supper tonight. While cleaning up the kitchen and putting away the food, I have a pot simmering on the stove that veggies, turkey, and broth go into. I throw in a few handfuls of rice, and some seasonings and by the time I'm done with the kitchen clean up, the soup is ready to be cooled and put away for the next day.

Family brought side dishes, and we had the meal all under control on auto pilot, so while the guys watched football and played pool, some of us made paper doll dresses for our Christmas trees. We kind of have a family tradition of doing projects together while the turkey roasts. I keep the day low keyed and simple, so we can all enjoy it and not feel pressured or rushed. The meal is all served buffet style right from the stove top, so when its time to eat, all we do is line up. I can play with glitter and glue right up until its chow time!

This year, I had actual patterns ready for the guests to use, thanks to the tutorial I did for Mary's Artist Class. I enjoyed seeing how the "class" went in person, and they seemed to like it.

Artist Class is still available to purchase as a group of 12 projects, with lots of extras (use my Karlascottage code to save $10) and now, Mary is also offering an ala carte menu to pick and chose a few classes here and there too.

Click HERE to order the paper doll tutorial that I did.

You will receive the dress patterns, the hand drawn doll that the dresses fit, directions, and ephemera to down load and print out to make your creations. This class, on its own is $15.

I will be listing some more ephemera kits with extra patterns in my Boutique soon too. Along with that gorgeous wallpaper that I am slowly, but surely getting cut!!

Here are some of the creations that family made yesterday with the patterns. Its great to see the range of styles that some simple patterns can become!

This is one of mine, made from that wallpaper that I'm so far behind on getting packaged to sell! I've got a few rolls of it cut, but have about 10 more to get through. Thanks for your patience. I'd planned on doing it today, but when Sugarwings asked me to take her to a movie, how could I say no? Wallpaper will just have to wait, fairy grand babies take precedence!

If you'd like to make your paper doll dresses into ornaments to hang from the tree, here are some simple steps to do that.

First, punch holes in the shoulders.

Next, select your ribbon.

For holiday sparkle, I chose this vintage tinsel that was a gift from Beth.

Cut about 7-8"

Thread the ribbon through the holes from the front (although, you can tell from the floral dress I made, that I put the knots in the front, that is OK too)

Tie knots on both ends, then trim off any danglies.

To Christmassy-up a couple of these dresses, I added some glitter. Simply brush your finished dress lightly, with white glue, and sprinkle on glitter, then tap off. I used the vintage crystal "Diamond Dust" because it has such a pretty shine. Make sure you don't use something metallic or heavy that covers up your work completely! You want to use a transparent glitter and apply in a fine sheen, not thick or gloppy.

The dresses I've shown are available in my Etsy shop for $6 each, if you are interested.

And now, after what sounds like a lot of hawking of my wares-( but hey, I have to make a living here, don't I??), I have some gifts to announce!

The winner of the original, hand drawn and painted paper doll goes to:

Laurie Jackson

And an ephemera kit for making the dolls goes to:

Sandra Thompson

And of course, everyone who leaves a comment anytime this month is entered into the

November Giveaway.

While up at Silver Bella, there was a discussion among some friends about giveaways. A lot of people don't care for them and think there are too many. I know I have a lot, and yes, some of it is just to bribe you guys to leave comments, but that isn't the only reason I do it.

For one thing, I have so MUCH. And I like to share. I find good deals and I'm able to giveaway pretty things without hurting my pocketbook.

And also, to quote Kurt to Finn on Glee, "I honestly love you". My blog, and blogfriends that I've met through it mean a lot to me. There are billions and billions of blogs out there for you to visit and I just want to say thanks for you to take the time out to come and see me, and bother to leave a comment.

So, yes, there will be more giveaways here. And lots of them. Its appropriate to say at Thanksgiving time that I have a lot to be thankful for. So, I just wanted to let you know that!

Traveling, again??? How can she afford that???

collections, Moving to DC, Travel, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / November 22, 2009

If you were interested in doing my Paper Doll tutorial from Artist Class but didn't have time to sign up for all 12 classes, Mary is now offering individual classes for sale. You can purchase one, two, or more tutorials HERE.

Years ago, I used to have a sign by my front door that read,

"Creative Minds are Seldom Tidy"

Maybe I should dig that out and hang it back up… Lately, I've been going from one complete mess to another.

One end of my studio is still torn up from moving furniture around, and redoing the Treat Cabinet for Thanksgiving. The Silver Bella goodies have not all be unpacked and I am still trying to get ready for Miss Frenchie's.

I have wallpaper to iron, cut, and sell, (people are waiting for me and asking about my pretty new (old) papers!!), I seem to be knee deep in bottle brush trees, and I am leaving to go out of town again!

I do seem to travel a LOT. Almost as much as my friend, Jessi, she amazes me with all of her trips. Thing is, even though each trip I took this year was wonderful and I wouldn't give any of them up, I am such a homebody,that I hate to leave.

Once I get where I am going, I'm fine. Its the leaving that hurts.

(this is my journal project from Rebecca Sower's class at Silver Bella)

Here is where I've been this year:

4 trips to DC (including one for Beth's birthday to meet up with blogfriends)

1 trip to Florida with my sisses and to go to Aunt Caroline's funeral the day after her 101st birthday

1 trip to Florida to play with Sugarwings on the beach and go to Aunt Caroline's home one last time

Macon to Jenn Hayslip's home for En Le Jardin ( She is the ultitmate in Southern hospitality!!! There are spots still available for her next event, too.)

Indiana for my sister's 60th birthday party

Chicago to see Lucinda Williams and eat at Art Smith's restaurant

2 trips to Omaha to take Sugarwings to the fantastic zoo there and to hang out at the Holiday Inn's indoor water park

Sioux City to see Grandma Joan

Outer Banks for a mini getaway on the beach

Charlotte for a nephew's wedding

Omaha for Silver Bella

Geesh, I'm tired just writing these!!

(this is my project from Anna Corba's class)

And now, another trip out to Virginia, just for the weekend. No, I am NOT independently wealthy! My husband travels all the time, and racks up lots of points. He flew on Southwest so much this year that I received a Buddy Pass and could fly free any place that he was going.

When I travel with him, its usually business and he already has a room booked, so I just have to pay for own meals. And often breakfast is free at many hotels, if not, I keep granola bars in my suitcase.

Other times, we use Holiday Inn Priority Club points for buy a night get a night free, or other deals, and I have shared rooms with my sisses or friends to save on costs.

(here is my project from Denise Sharp's class)

Another trick for cheap travel is my Southwest Airlines Visa card. I get free flights from using it for everything I buy. I mean everything. Any where that takes a credit card, I pay with Visa. We get about 6 free flights a year that way, on top of all the other free flights.

If you do that, just make sure that you pay your bill in total at the end of every month, or your interest rates will beat out the savings you'd get in free tickets.

This bird is one of the hardest things I 've ever had to make at Silver Bella. I'm not much of a pattern follower, and this came with a gazillion steps to follow, and dozens of little tiny pieces to cut out.

Even though it was HARD to do, I'm glad I made myself do it, and got it done. I'm thrilled with the outcome. (and got a very nice compliment from Anna Corba on it!!)

I've named her Rosamund and she lives in my china cabinet now. Safe behind glass from tiny little Sugarwing fingers.

As I've looked around my house, I see a lot of neglect, since I've traveled so much this last year. Normally, I spend time on lots of little redos, or big redos, too. This year, its all been ignored, including touch ups that need attending.

My plan, after this last trip of the year, is to dedicate some time to pulling my home back together. I miss puttering and fixing and repainting. So hope to get some decor repairs done, and deck the halls big time for the Holidays.

I'm ready to settle into my nest for the winter and be cozy!

You still have plenty of time to enter the November Giveaway by leaving a comment. I'm sorry if I'm not responding to all comments that have been left, life has been a bit hectic lately, but I do read and enjoy each and every single one.

When I am not on the go, and Sugarwings is not here, I'm often alone for days on end, since my husband travels. Your comments are great company for me, and I treasure getting them. Thanks for being my buddies!

(this was pre-posted before I left)

Treating the Treat Cabinet to a redo

flowers, paintings, redos, show and tell, Silver Bella, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / November 20, 2009

There was a little detour on my way to getting the wallpaper ironed, cut, and sold… I decided to spiff up my studio for Thanksgiving dinner. The treat cabinet was treated to new (old) wallpaper in one of my favorite toile rose patterns. I thought about indulging myself and using one of the glorious new papers that I bought at Wallpaper Heaven, but decided to go with this, since it was more neutral. I can change the colors of table clothes, and decor inside this much easier with this background.

Plus, this goes well with my hand painted roses on the outside of the doors.

Years ago, I got this cabinet by trading $20 piece from a garage sale. Its been a lot of colors and styles since then!

My son helped me rearrange the furniture so that the cabinet was in a location near an outlet and now all the goodies will be illuminated! The room is much more functional this way too, more space to set up tables for dining or for crafting!

This is a before shot, with all my Silver Bella inventory spread out waiting to be transformed into Miss Frenchie inventory. I gave up and shoved it all in the garage for now and will deal with it after Thanksgiving.

(see the pile of wallpapers, waiting for me to get them ironed and cut?)

The treat cabinet is on the far left, in this picture.

I don't have a completely done After shot for you, but here is one mid-way. Even with all the clutter spread out, the room seems more stream lined with the furniture moved around, doesn't it?

I've always loved this big china cabinet, but it was facing the front door and was never really that noticeable in the room. Now, it is front and center.

Actually, that "I've always loved it" is a lie. When I bought it, I freaked out. It was one of those auction moments of pure panic when I realized that I bought a giant monstrosity that was too heavy for me to move, needed a complete makeover, was too big to fit in my van, and I was in trouble.

During the bidding fever, I was so excited to get this for under $50, that I wasn't thinking about what I'd do with it. After trying to remove the glass shelves and scratching the window in the door, and not being able to budge the giant, heavy thing by myself, I actually started to cry right there at Gold River Auction hall.

Luckily my sons bailed me out with the old farm truck. And luckily the old farm truck made it all the way to Kansas City and back.

Now, I love it!

The top shelf of the treat shelf just holds a set of dishes from the same auction ($22). I really should get rid of them, there is no space in the kitchen for them and I could use storage space in the studio for MORE WALLPAPER!

The jar of pink M&Ms with the crown topper was a gift from fellow Bella, Suzanne. She was the Frozen Charlotte Fairy at Silver Bella and was passing out these sweet dolls on tags all around! (not only was Suzanne generous, she is one of the funniest people you'll meet, and hanging out with her was a highlight of my trip)

The cottage print fan was a gift from Beth. She knows I collect pictures with a cottage and flower garden. I daydream about living in a home like that, and strive for that meandering, overfilled garden look here at my own farmhouse style cottage.

Beth also knew I'd love this print and brought it to me. So, I thought I'd share it with you. Its saturated colors will be beautiful in a project, so feel free to download and print it! If you get a chance, tell Beth thanks.

My plan for it, is to frame and hang it in the treat cabinet, the colors compliment the old picture of the little girl already hanging there.

Notice that I didn't finish the wallpaper inside the cabinet? I got close to the corner… I have to admit that I didn't match up my repeat either. I don't need perfection, sometimes good enough is plenty good for me.

The painting is a vintage watercolor that didn't have a frame. I taped it to a white framed mirror.

This project from last year's Silver Bella is hung over a mirror in another part of the studio. I love the reflection and light of having lots of mirrors, but get sick of seeing myself in them. This is a good solution!

Back to work for me. But remember, all comments count toward the November Giveaway bundle of trims.

Tending to my Christmas tree farm

collections, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), holiday decor, redos, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / October 20, 2009

Progress is being made on the Christmas trees. All are bleached, dyed, and glittered, and a few are foofed.

This year, I am trying something new with the glitter. I used a high gloss poly spray to mist each tree, then rolled it in a snowy glitter. After that, I spritzed it with a spray can of silver glitter/poly, hoping that would seal it.

Now, some of the glitter always flakes off no matter how you put it on, so there will be some molting, but it seems to be working very well.

The cold weather snap is over and yesterday was beautifully fallish. I had the doors and windows open, and sat outside in the rocks to spray trees. Is it ironic that I was enjoying the warm weather so much that I started on a Christmas project?

While I was feeling the holiday spirit, I started on a few putz house remodeling projects too.

It involved repainting some of the more garish colors, adding wallpaper, glitter, fake snow, and some of my teeniest dyed trees. Also, some little vintage characters, snowmen and deer that I glittered up.

These houses are now ready to display as is, or for me to use on some ephemera covered boxes I want to get started on.

My table is looking like Santa's Workshop!

Of course, I don't have any of that cheap elf labor, its all me doing the glittering and gluing. The only helper I know that would work for candy canes is Sugarwings and she has a bit of a heavy hand with the glue… I've known her to use a half a bottle on one bird house, so I doubt if I'll let that little pixie be my assistant on this.

Beth did help me out, though, she GAVE me a lot of the boxes that I will be covering with ephemera and topping with houses, plus a ton of the old bead garlands!!

Normally, I collect those old mercury bead garlands all year at garage sales, flea markets, etc, but this year was a bit of a dud. Not much luck on the strings of beads, no matter where I looked. (at a decent price, at least)

There were some left from last year and I did buy 4 strands, but I go through quite a bit of them at the holidays. So, Beth was a great help, but then, she always is.

By the way, Beth is having a wallpaper giveaway, you should go visit her!

She is owed a lunch for her generosity, at least, huh? I think I need to treat her to our favorite place, Pei Wei, on Friday when we hang out together. She is always giving me the best stuff.

We are planning on estate sailing on Friday in Kansas City, then crafting at her house, but it all depends on how this little guy is doing. This is Bookie, you rarely see photos of him, because he is old and likes to spend his days sitting on the porch all alone, or laying on his pillow.

The poor little guy has been attacked, by something, I have no idea what, or when. He is such a loner in his old age, that some days, I hardly see him, he is like a shadow around the house. We have a doggie door and a fenced yard, so he comes and goes as he pleases. So, I'm not sure when he was hurt. I know he was fine on Saturday when I gave him a treat.

But on Monday, I noticed he was covered in blood and was ill!! I rushed him to the vet, and was told that something had bitten his head and that it was infected pretty bad. He had a fever, and his head was horribly swollen. He might have a broken leg too, but was in too bad of shape to be put under for an X-ray.

What could have done this to him?? A possum? A raccoon? Our mean farm cat? That cat hates Bookie, it could be. It has to be something that could get over the fence. It terrifies me to think that there is a creature out there on my property that is attacking my mild mannered, sweet, little, guy.

Paper Dolls and other fun projects! Sign up to play along!!

vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 7, 2009

My pal, Mary, is hosting online tutorials that she is calling "Artist Class". If you sign up for her program, you get lots for your money, classes from a selection of artists, tips, tricks, photos, videos, downloads, patterns, on and on!

I'm lucky to be included in her group of teachers! My project isn't ready yet, to show you exactly what it will be, but you might be able to tell, that it will be paper doll dresses.

You can go to Mary's blog for details, but PLEASE use my code to sign up!!

karlascottage

(It has to be all one word, too.)

With my code, you get a $10 discount and I get paid per student!!

She will have lots of artists and all are doing something different.

Because I am going to keep track of "my students" and have special prizes and drawings for supply packs.

What will I have to offer for the lessons?

1. Detailed, step by step instructions with photos

2. Patterns of dresses to print and cut out

3. Vintage wallpaper scans for you to print and cut out to use for your dresses

4. One hand drawn paper doll, scanned for you to print

What are the prizes I am offering for those of you who sign up using my $10 discount code karlascottage?

1. Drawings for vintage paper packs and supplies to use for making the paper doll dresses. I will offer one pack per 10 people who sign up for Mary's classes who use MY $10 Discount Code karlascottage.

So, if 50 people sign up, I will give away 5 gift packs of ephemera. If only 2 people sign up, I'll give out one ephemera pack. But I really hope we get a big bunch!! I have plenty of old wallpaper, and am happy to share!

2. One drawing from the whole group of students who sign up using my $10 Discount Code karlascottage for the original hand drawn paper doll that I use to create the patterns.

I hope you will sign up and play along with me!

(Please note, that these dresses posted today, are examples of past dresses I have made, not the ones that I will be teaching you.) And thank you so much for using my $10 Discount Code karlascottage to join in!

Re-Do Day

vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 1, 2009

Yesterday was Re-Do Day.  I started with the white lady and Frenchied her up with the 1921 magazine that Zita sent to me. I saw a title on one page that said 
"Le Sphinx Blanc" and used it on the front, and added a white rose underneath that.
Now, I dont' speak French, but was guessing it meant the white Sphinx?  It seemed to fit her mysterious aura.  Unless of course, that isn't what it means.  I could be WAY off. But in my mind, that is her name now. "Sphinxy"

Hmm, does anyone else think that half circle shape on her neck looks like a hicky?  I didn't notice that before…

While in heavy duty re-do mode, I brought an accumulation of dark things outside to paint. I used my Lazy Woman style of painting, spraying with primer, glazing, then top coating with spray poly. (instructions on the side bar)
(Sphinxy got a coat of poly over her decopauge too)

When I saw this old clock, I was swept off my feet! My sister-in-law was the first to find it on our shopping trip to Rusty Chandelier.  The tension of waiting till she made up her mind on whether she was buying it or not made me twitch with desire to rip it out of her hands instead of standing next to her pleasantly and politely while she pondered her purchase.  

Its not easy to be a nice person sometimes.  But, my theory is, that there is a lot of junk out in the world and there is no reason to be grabby and mean about any of it. No matter how drop dead gorgeous it is, and no matter how much I think it is destined to be mine.
Well, she passed, so I picked it up and told her I'd buy it if she didn't but if she changed her mind, it would be OK.  I was lying through my teeth about the OK part, but would have made myself believe it was really OK, if I absolutely had to and she changed her mind.
I wanted to use it as a frame for a photo of my fairy grand baby, but when I got it home, realized that the clockworks were not coming out very easily, plus it was a nice clock, an 8 day wind up.

But even though the clock itself was cool, I wanted it to be a softer look for my house, so I covered the clock face with white and cream flocked wallpaper to match the paint job I did on the frame.

See why I wanted it so badly? Its ideal for this spot. Plus, did I  mention it was only $26, and really quick to redo?

Both of the statues got the same paint technique, white primer with cream glaze. I added another glaze coat of sage green over that. 

The (pink satin lined) suitcase from the Rusty Chandelier gold mine shopping trip was a really easy redo, too. I just covered up a black and orange picture on the lid. (why? why? What made the manufacturer put orange and black on the cover when the interior was a perfect pink???)

 I cut out a piece of pretty flocked paper to fit, glued it down, and used my paint can opener to pry up the rubber edges of the suitcase trim to tuck the wallpaper under.  It looks like it has always been there! 
The glass door cabinet was spray primed, then painted with a bisque colored paint that was left over from another project. After that, I distressed it with some sandpaper. I'm trying to decide on whether I have the patience to redo the interior… but I didn't get it done yesterday and now Re-Do day is over. 
Getting back to something is not easy. I try to finish a project immediately before I switch gears to something else.   And after doing all these things, plus a few others yesterday, I have to say, I am ready to move on.

Won't Sphinxy look great next to this hand covered in French ephemera?  I'm excited about my displays for upcoming shows now!
Here is some more of my loot from our shopping trip to St. Joe, MO.  My hat whispering skills were in fine form that day.

After cleaning up all my  Re-Do Day mess, Sugarwings helped me make dinner.  I cut up an eggplant, then gave her the "stump" of it, with the stem "handle" to use as a stamp.

 We used a butterfly shaped cookie cutter to made a design in the eggplant for her and she inked up her stamp with a washable marker instead of getting eggplant all over one of my stamp pads. 

And how do you get a 3 year old to yell, "Yippee!" when they see eggplant at dinner?  We cut the slices out with her butterfly shape before frying them and serving them over the top of penne pasta with lots of cheese.

Thanks for all your comments this month. The winning comment in the September Cauldron of Brooches giveaway is:
JANIS 
All comments on this post and every other post this month will go into the hat for the October drawing, what ever the heck that will be.
And on the subject of comments,   up to 250 comments  Kelee gets on her fund raising post will generate a dollar each towards a donation to the Northland Animal Shelter.  Visit her, say hi, and give those abandoned pets a dollar!
You can also win a $100 Hobby Lobby gift card.  Now, that could make me yell "Yippee!"

Back to normal

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, flowers, holiday decor, show and tell, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 27, 2009

Its so nice to have everything back to normal, with Twinkle home.  Sugarwings is no longer telling everyone "Toto has wunned away" and the two of them are happy to be reunited.  Since she is convinced that she is Dorothy, she has also decided that Twinks must be Toto.  Which works out fine, because she can't say "Twinkle", she always says "Ankle" instead. 
Yes, Toto sounds like a cuter name than Ankle. And that dog will answer to anything. 

Thank you for all of your kind words about my little dorkie taking off.  I really don't deserve them, it was ALL MY FAULT.  Poor dog. But, she is home now and I am making sure she stays this time.

Over the weekend, I finally broke my losing streak in hat gathering. Lately, I've not done well at all, and Beth reminded me that I had created my own shortage by buying all the hats up in the surrounding area.  But I did manage to find a few this weekend and might be able to reclaim my hat whisperer title. I thought I'd have to retire it, I'd been on such a long dry spell of hatlessness.

Most are already stripped naked and packed up, ready to fly out of here.  I love this little bouquet of about a dozen white flowers with a scattering of purple velvet posies. When I saw the hat with those next to the ugly green and orange hat, I knew that together, they'd be great for Halloween decor or crafting. 

It was an estate sale blast this weekend!  One here in my town was amazing, a beautiful, newer home on the golf course isn't usually the place to find old things, but it was jammed with a lifetime of great stuff. I was so surprised to see all of it. I was glad I didn't blow it off, like I normally would a house in that neighborhood.  I bought boxes and boxes of sheet music and a big stack of these spooky old napkins. So, I made up little craft kits with some of these things and have them listed here.

 On Friday, I explored the unexpected treasures at the country club house, and made a big haul.  Then, Beth invited me to Kansas City to shop with her on Saturday. And how could I turn that down? She is an estate sale master and knows where to go, what to avoid, and how to find the best deals.  Plus, I was still an emotional wreck from the Twinkle-less week and wasn't feeling too creative. I thought some more shopping therapy could help.

And of course, it did!  Isn't a bit of junking is good for the creative soul?  Sometimes, buying some new, old crap is just what I need to get me wanting to hunker down in the studio and work away.
I'll be getting out the jewelry making supplies and playing with all the rhinestones that I've been lucky enough to find lately.  

Don't you think that this picture is just trying too hard?  Its a great example of Photo Styling Gone Bad.  Too much loot, too much trying make it look cute in a picture. Just because I found pink Christmas lights, does it mean you really need to see them? 
 Sometimes I wonder about how I spend my time….  I'd better go do something productive, I'm off to the jewelery making tools and getting to work!

 And don't forget, if you want to win some vintage jewels, you still have till the 30th to enter by leaving a comment on any post. 