vintage paper/collage art – Page 44

Some more LOVE

antiques/junking, Chandeliers, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 28, 2007

This week has been a lovely party week, with sharing our homes on Tuesday,then the creative and glorious ball on Wednesday.

But today, caring bloggers are getting together to support Amy from 4 Sisters in a Cottage and her brave struggles with breast cancer.. If you are interested in saying a kind word of encouragement to Amy, go over Mary to find out more.

I thought I’d show a few more pictures of what I LOVE about my home.

When Sugarwing’s Dad moved out on his own, we ripped out his bedroom, used half of it as a large master closet/laundry room and the other half as a master bath.

A private laundry room in your bedroom closet is a great idea for an empty nester couple. We filled the room with shelves and baskets, so that the clothes went straight from the dryer to the shelf , no baskets- no hauling- so simple.

Then, of course, we had the kids move back in. And out, and then in again. And a niece stayed with us for 8 months. Our laundry room and the bedroom leading to it, became grand central station!

But it works out, and I still LOVE that we remodeled and added this area. I’m not showing you a picture of my closet, because it hasn’t been tidy since the day it was built. But hey, its a closet! I shut the door and don’t care.

These cabinets used to be plain, and are meant to be for guns.

I added trim (me and my saw and nail gun!) to make them look built in and we actually designed the size of the room to fit them. We were a couple of inches off- you can see to the right side. Oh well, with the walls dark, it seems OK.

I cut these pieces to fit around the door too. They are from Home Depot and are made of a Styrofoam, and can easily be cut by an amateur like me. They sell all sorts of trim pieces to mix and match and use to foof up your home. I’d say I spent about $100 on what I used for this door.

I found the rose tile at a carpet and tile warehouse clearance center. It still wasn’t dirt cheap ($190), but it adds so much to the room. By using an accent tile around the tub, I could go with a generic tile on the floor. It was from the same clearance center for 99 cents a tile.

The sconce is from an auction and was $15.

I’m thinking about painting the sink cabinet. I don’t have much natural wood in my house and even though it works well here, my paint brush fingers are getting itchy every time I walk by it.

To make a round tub fit into the rectangular box it needed to go into, I came up with this mosaic. There were two of these little square tiles left and the person at the store just gave them to me. One is a rose, the other is a bundle of wheat (for Kansas!).

I used the decorative tiles on the front two corners of the tub, the back is a simple mosaic of the small pieces of travertine that are used as background for the decorative tile mosaic.

This iron table is from a garage sale for $22. I loved it because it has a shelf to put books and magazines on while I soak in the tub.

Three colors of white and tan were used to paint the cabinets and give them an aged look. I added these wooden embellishments and tied keys on the handles with sheer ribbon.

The chair was free. No one bought it at a sale and it was about to be thrown out! The fabric is frayed on the top, but I don’t care one bit. The fabric underneath seems every bit as pretty, but I love the cabbage roses so much, I won’t let myself be tempted to pull it off and see.

I lined the back of the shelves with sheet music.

And yes, I know, I spelled cotten wrong on the jar!

I made my Grandma Downey’s old floor lamp into a towel/robe hook, since there was no convenient spot for a towel bar.

I tried to use pretty containers for the practical things needed to be stored in the room.

Well, I’m off to get Sugarwings for the day! This makes the 4th day I have baby sat her this week, if you are wondering why I have no "new" projects to show you. Did I mention she has had a flu bug all week? Poor baby. She has needed lots of cuddles.

Don’t forget to enter the drawing (details on the last posting)

Waste not want not, and some shameless self promotion and begging, with a bribe thrown in

Etsy Goodies, give away, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 27, 2007

The after party let down hasn’t hit me yet, I am still enjoying all the after party glow!

Maybe since there are no dishes wash or cans to gather up or floors to mop, I won’t experience the crash that usually happens to me after everyone is gone home after a fun little bash!

Do you recognize anything here on these tags?

I simply can’t let anything go to waste!

I cut up my hand painted party invitation and made it into tags with some of my wallpaper stash.

(PS- thanks to all of you who are buying up my Etsy wallpaper Cottage Collage Kits, I know you will LOVE working with these papers!!!)

I was in an aqua mood, but I did use pink velvet for a couple of the ties.

These papers are quite an addiction for me, I found such great colors, the pinks are faded out to just the perfect shade.

I really should be painting, I have a big holiday sale coming up and I don’t even know if my typical crowd cares about wallpaper or tags, or paper doll dresses- they come to my sales expecting jewelry, hand painted things and lots of vintage pretties.

I could end up with a room full of paper goods and puzzled customers who wonder why they came!

I tend to get carried away with new ideas. Like- why did I buy a ton of these albums (with great hand made paper pages inside!!) to doo dad up like this, BEFORE doing one or two to see if anyone would even want one??

I just love them though, and will get alot of joy from covering them in wallpapers and old millinery flowers, jewels, tags, trims, and all the fun goodies I have to play with in my studio!

1-I glued down the full page of wall paper

2-I cut a medallion out of an old page with scalloped scissors

3- drew on the medallion with black gel pen and gold paint pen

4-added a smaller oval of rose themed wallpaper

5-rimmed the oval with gold glitter glue

6-rubbed a crackle glaze over the roses

7-garnished it all off with ribbon, a tiny posy and some vintage rhinestones and tied on a tag with one of my cut up hand painted roses from the invitation on it

The back is plain wallpaper, and the inside will get decked out too, I think I’ll make it into a book that anyone can simply add their own photos to.

How can I not keep playing with this old wallpaper??? It is too beautiful and fun to work with for me to stop even though I am about up to my neck in paper dolls, tags, covered boxes, albums, etc. I am nothing, if not prolific!

My drawing winners yesterday were Paula Kay and Cindy. Now, what are the odds that there are TWO Paulas?? One is Paula K.!

I am sending Paula #2 these cards I made up for her last night. She ends her emails with a cute quote, something about a hand made card is a hug with a fold in it. So, I thought, maybe this girl likes hand made cards!!

Here are a couple of folded up hugs coming her way today. Sorry about the mix up, Paula Kay and Paula K.!

Paula #1 gets this small painting and a magazine.

I think I might have some new readers from this party and wanted to let you know that I have a giveaway once a month, plus some extra goodies here and there too.

All you do is leave a comment and you are entered (every time). This month’s prize is the same as last month, a Cottage Collage Kit or a piece of art I have made from one of the kits.

My new friend, Cindy was the other winner for the magazine drawing from the party. I made a tag for her with some of the roses from the invitation and her name on water color paper I had added a pink wash to. (and my vintage wallpaper of course!!)

She asked me to sign the magazine and that just felt weird to me. People don’t ask me to sign things?!?! I added part of the party invitation to the page my pictures were on. That felt like more of a memento from the party.

I am not sure when my next article is out, either the December issue of Romantic Country or the one after. It is all turned in with the text and photos. I can’t show you the pictures, but can give you a tease with this slice of one.

And I have a big favor to ask. If anyone saw the article I wrote and enjoyed it, could you please let the editor know? A quick little note to her might mean me getting more articles to write, and hey, that means more parties for us!!! Thanks!

address:

Phyllis Goldstein

Romantic Country

c/o Harris Publications

1115 Broadway

NY, NY 10010

Heck, you’ve seen me give presents to receive comments, you know I love to bribe you for your visits here! If anyone gets a letter to the editor published in Romantic Country, just see what present I will send you as a thank you!!!!!!!

And the Party Goes ON!

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

By Karla Nathan / September 26, 2007

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

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

And they are:

Cindy and Paula Kay!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

But I will be seeing Silver Bellas soon in Omaha.

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

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

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

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

Thanks again for coming to see me and my friends!

Romance and Ballgowns- Time to Party!

Etsy Goodies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, holiday decor, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 24, 2007

Today is the Bloglandia Ball and I am all ready for it, with garlands of paper doll dress ball gowns.

Since I am gearing up for a Christmas photo shoot (any minute now, I am writing while I wait for the photographer) I decided to show some Holiday Ball Gowns.

The gowns are all made from vintage wallpapers and trims.

And of course some Glitter for a bit of festive flair!

This one is the one I would chose to wear myself, if I were fairy sized. They say horizontal stripes are not flattering, but if I was that tiny, it shouldn’t matter.

Here is a real fairy who is coming to the ball, all decked out in a rose petal dress, and some pink highlights in her hair for the occasion.

This teeny tiny fairy has a glittering gown of white.

I’ve added glitter to a vintage bride cake topper doll and placed her in a foofed up peat pot to hang on the tree.

I hope to get around and visit all the balls in blogland today after my photographer is done.

And I hope everyone is keeping their party spirits going and will be back tomorrow for our Romantic Country Party here at the cottage.

What to do? Post a photo of What you LOVE about your own home. Then leave me a comment and I will add you to our list of links to all the party goers.

If you don’t have a blog, please leave us a comment about what you LOVE at your home and you’ll be entered for a drawing for a copy of this issue of Romantic Country (plus a surprise little present from me)

And what do I LOVE about my home today?

I am thrilled to have entertainment centers to put the TVs in! I used to have them sitting out and hated it. It is so nice to shut the doors on those ugly things.(ugly but beloved – I AM A TV ADDICT AND WILL ADMIT IT TO ANYONE!! I can’t get enough of it)

This one was tan, I lightly sanded it, white washed it, then added some little rose buds and changed the knobs, all the day it was delivered from the furniture store.

I couldn’t stand to have anything so brand new looking and generic in my house!!

This one was painted white and distressed the day it was delivered too. I don’t buy much in the way of "new" stuff from furniture stores, but it is really hard to find antiques sturdy enough to hold a heavy TV and also be the right size and shape.

Another thing in my house that was "new" is this bathroom vanity. It was a cheapo builder’s grade one that we put in when we remodeled the first time, 17 years ago. When we added granite counter tops to our kitchen 4 years ago, the contractor cut them wrong and I got to keep the mistakes, and had part of it made into a top for this vanity, for the cost of having it re-cut only.

I doctored up the cabinet to look older with glazes and paint, added embellishments and painted those to match.

The mirrored handles are from the clearance basket at Anthropology. They have the coolest hardware and the best prices, if you wait for the sales.

Enjoy the ball today! Hope to see you (and photos or stories of your homes) tomorrow.

EDIT- I am wrong!!!!!!!!The ball is Wednesday. What is wrong with me?? I hope I have the right day for the photographer today. I could be sitting and waiting all day and he’ll come next Monday.

Its 3am and little old ladies like me should be tucked in and sleeping

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, flowers, hand painted signs, holiday decor, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, swaps, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 23, 2007

I was pleased to see that Romantic Country is out on the stands and this issue of the magazine is just beautiful!

There are a few fellow bloggers featured and they will be joining in on the party Tuesday. Come by to meet them and see more of their homes!!

Here is my favorite page!

The photos of my home are from almost 2 years ago and nothing looks the same now. My living room has been through 3 changes since then and I am planning another soon.

But the biggest change was done by the photo editors at the magazine,thanks to them, my kitchen has a completely new floor plan. It’s been fun to show the pictures to people today and ask what is wrong with the kitchen. They all stare a few minutes, then yell- "Its backwards!" Looks like the editors must have cropped a couple of photos together and then flipped them so it is a mirror image of the actual room. Really, it looks pretty cool, it makes me feel like I have gone through the looking glass.

If my photos seem a bit blurry today, it is because I am blurry myself. My SIL is visiting and we have had a whirlwind day, starting with garage sailing at 7am. It is almost 3am and I am working in my studio now, still decorating for my magazine shoot on Monday.

Here is a detail of a painting I did on glass to make a sign out of an old cabinet door.

Oh, no, this one is extra blurry. Or am I just too tired to tell the difference? Maybe it is clear and I am the one messed up.

We made paper doll dresses tonight, I finished a garland of them for over the window in my studio.

This little dress is made from some cute old wallpaper.

I’ve been scooping up wallpaper like crazy, and so has Beth. We decided to share our finds with each other, and she brought me these pieces the other day.

Beth and I are in a mini swap of paper doll dresses with Debra and with Betty.

Debra sent a wonderful Halloween assortment to me.

And Betty sent some sweeties.

If you’d like to see all of the swap, you can check out our flickr page HERE

These are something different that I made tonight. I hate to waste anything. So when a stained glass lamp broke, I took it apart and turned it into sun catchers.

I cut each section out with scissors, took out the glass, tied a chandelier prism in the opening and added a bow. These could look good on Christmas trees too.

Another 2am project was making a wreath. It is hiding in this "Wheres Waldo" style photo of a pile of silk flowers I bought today at a salesman sample garage sail.

Think I got enough flowers???? They were a quarter a stem and were such nice ones. I bought $17 worth, how ever many that is!

If I am able to get out of bed tomorrow, I’ll show more garage sale finds. A granny like me should not be up for more than 20 hours straight!! I’m way too old for these kind of hours. Good night!!

Family Chaos and a Jingly Bed Plus MORE Christmas In September

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, family, holiday decor, magazine pictures or articles, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 20, 2007

My SIL, Sandy, is visiting from Tennessee and the whole family came by tonight to see her.

We hadn’t made any plans and next thing I know I am trying to figure out how 4 salmon fillets will feed 11 people, while trying to convince Sugarwings not to wrestle on the stairs with Twinkle or put spoons in the potty.

We played with babies and laughed a lot, and found a turkey tenderloin to go on the grill with the salmon and everyone pitched in chopping up potatoes and making salads and brownies.

What do I love about my home today? Not a color choice or an item, it is the fact that everyone feels at home and comfortable at my cottage and can show up at any time knowing that they will be fed and we’ll have a good time.

Before the dinner rush, Sister Sandy and I went out shopping this afternoon. Tuesday Morning has 50% all clearance items and I found this throw for the day bed in the baby’s room.

Its pink on one side and pink and ivory flowered on the other and seems to look right at home with the other floral quilts and pillows.

I bought these silver metal letters on clearance at Restoration Hardware last year at the after Christmas sale, and have added glitter to them (of course) and hung them from sheer pink ribbons to the day bed to spell Leandra’s nickname, Lee Lee.

She is too little to sleep in this bed yet, but I know she will love it when she is older. The letters clink a little against the metal frame and it sounds like wind chimes when the bed moves. When she comes to stay all night with me and have tea parties, I will ask her if she wants to sleep in her jingley bed, and give it a little shake when I tuck her in, to make the letters tinkle against the bars.

Sugarwings will be able to lay in her jingly bed and look up at the sky her grandmama painted just for her. I will make up fairy stories to tell her at bedtime and have her be the heroine of all tales about the sparkling fairies playing in the forest together.

Yes, I love my home, quite a bit and love the things in it, I have gathered them or made them with a lot of thought and care. But the family that is in the home gets a big chunk of love from me too.

I am looking forward to seeing photos of what other bloggers love about their homes during our Romantic Country Party on the 25th. The magazine was supposed to be out today, but I couldn’t find it yet. If anyone sees it, will you let me know?

And now, some Christmas in September – how wrong is that????

I have plans to make some hand painted ornaments to hang up for the pictures on Monday, but haven’t seemed to have time to get it done yet…..

These are some that I collaged with vintage papers. I also glittered up vintage birdies and added them to mini wreaths with old millinery flowers.

Vitnage doll parts are on display on white iron with some charm jewelry I make from old pieces.

I’d like to have time to make more paper doll dresses to hang on the trees too.

I’ve been hanging tags onto the trees and made a garland of them to hang over the window. Karen. I added a vintage butterfly spray that I glittered up.

And of course, there are tussie mussies all over the place! The tree topper is a bouquet of flowers from my first ever swap and were given to me by

Speaking of glitter, I should be making something sparkle. the house is quiet the guests are settled, the babies have gone home. Late at night might be the only time this old granny has time to get any glittering done, so I am off to work!

Let’s see, what do I love about my home today? Well,today it isn’t a thing or a decor choice, it is the fact that everyone feels at home here, and likes to gather here.

Studio Transformation in Progress (with a little help from a friend)

holiday decor, jewelry, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 19, 2007

I am getting a lot of response for our upcoming party on the 25! Thanks!

Also, thanks to Beth for helping today with my art studio’s transformation into Christmas gift shop.

Beth came by today to help unpack boxes of ornaments and arrange things. She’ll also be a part of the sale in Dec. and will bring antiques and art to sell that weekend.

If you are wondering how I can do without my studio for a few months, I won’t be. The other half of the room, is ART CHAOS and will stay that way till the week before the sale. I’ll shove all of this into boxes and set out the things that will be for sale.

Decorating for Christmas so early has been weird for me. On Sunday I went to every store in town looking for ornament hooks and I am sooooo early, that Wal-Mart didn’t even have any out yet!! I finally got some at Hobby Lobby on Monday, but they aren’t open on Sundays, so I was out of luck that day.

There are some corners I really like in the room, but I am not sold on the over all look yet. I have until Monday for the photographer to come (there will be an article in a local magazine about the Holiday Homes Tour).

I really like the silver chandelier covered in vintage gold and silver ornaments. Not easy to sell ornaments off of, but I will have big bowls of balls set out for sale too, and people can shop from those first.

This part of the room is all gold and silver with touches of neutral tones and a splash of aqua.

I’ve set out some of the jewelry I made as part of the display.

And this area is PINK!

Last night, I painted this desk/vanity white and added pink roses and vines, and today we piled it up with bunches of pinky goodness.

These lights are from Walgreens, they have pink bulbs (well you might have noticed that already) AND a pink cord!!

I will be painting a few dozen ornaments too. But for now, hung up tussie mussies, tags, and these collage ornaments that I made with old papers and glitter.

Beth and I "tag team" baby sat for Sugarwings while doing all this decorating today.

Which brings me to today’s photo of "What I LOVE About My Home"

Well, Sugarwings, that is a given. But, I am also crazy about her highchair. Its an old one that is all chippy and you can see the previous colors of paint through the pink top layer.

I can just picture the young mother repainting the high chair for each baby she had. It started yellow, then green, blue, and finally the perfect pink. I sanded and cleaned it,to make sure no paint would flake off for my fairy grand baby to snack on, then gave it a spray clear coat to keep it safe for her.

Don’t forget about our Romantic Country Party a week from today (Tuesday).

And remember that each comment enters you in the Sept. drawing for a Cottage Collage Kit or something made from one- your choice!

Procrastinating and Nit Picking

Etsy Goodies, Hand Painted Furniture, holiday decor, housework, I do tend to run on, don't I?, jewelry, magazine pictures or articles, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 17, 2007

These cute little peat pots are on Etsy now for $9 a pair. They have portions of a poem I cut out of a Victorian book tucked into the flowers, and a pansy picture from the same book on the front.

Now, why would I be listing on Etsy instead of working on my upcoming photo shoot? I listed a few things this morning,even though my shop is well stocked.

Maybe I am avoiding this?

And this? Both of these rooms have to be cleaned up and Christmassed up by one week from today.

Its more fun to fine tune the decorating I already started in Sugarwings room.

Playing with her pretty little pink things and fussing around with rearranging and adding to it, is so much better than taking a shovel to the studio and the library to clean them up!

Beth gave my fairy grand baby this little angel night light.

I haven’t decorated her doll house yet- just a little bit of decking the halls so far. I am waiting till she is older and we can do it together.

A peek-a-boo angel is in a window.

A pink and white reindeer is on the roof, and that is enough for now.

I added a few more ornaments to her tree.

And I did a bit of rearranging in the guest room too. Just added a few little details to the room.

I moved a few of the things that I’d brought in yesterday after looking at the photos I took.

I like to take snapshots of a room when I have rearranged it, then look at those to critique and see what needs changing. The photos never look as good as the room does in "real life" and are a great tool in getting it right!

(can you see the glitter in the paint on the walls?)

I only made a few small changes and added a couple of things, but I am happier. What do you think compared to yesterday’s pictures?

I added more decorations to Grandma Nathan’s foil tree too.

I made a star for the top of it, with an old photo of my mom.

I got the idea from Beth who made

this star for part of her Silver Bella Swap.

These sheet music Victorian boots are from a couple of years ago and I found them when I attempted to get started cleaning my studio. So, I used that as a good excuse to stop cleaning and took the boots over to the guest room and fussed around with them.

I put another under the glass tray top of this side table, with old post cards over a piece of rose patterned gift wrap.

Here is a close up of my Wilton Cake Decor crowns with old jewelry on this tiny tree. I bought a big box of mixed cake toppers for $5, and even if these 6 crowns are all I use out of it, I am happy with the box!!

I think I might be procrastinating a bit right now.

But I do see things that need changed in some of these photos, maybe I should go back up to the guest room and futz about again!

I don’t want to deal with THIS!! It is something I DON’T love about my home, the way the library becomes a catch all and books never get put away.

But, I’d better get to it, that mess won’t clean itself, and there are cameras on their way here in a week.

Thanks to all of you who are interested in participating in my Romantic Country Party on the 25th and will be showing photos of your homes that day too!

ps- Phyllis has a blog anniversery coming up, lets all wish her a happy birthday!

Christmas Comes Early-way too early- and a visit from Dusty

Etsy Goodies, fairies, Hand Painted Furniture, holiday decor, I do tend to run on, don't I?, magazine pictures or articles, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 16, 2007

Thanks for all the people who are letting me know that they will be part of the party!!

Here are the rules again, since there have been questions-

For fellow bloggers:

1- Take photos of something you love about your home.

2- Comment on my blog about your post Tuesday Sept. 25th and I will list all the participating blogs and link to them, so our party guests can mingle.

3- If you’d like to let people know that you will be at the party, you can add the button invitation to your side bar

4- All participants will be entered to win a copy of Romantic Country

For readers:

1- Leave a comment the 25th about something you love in your own home and you will be entered to win a copy of Romantic Country

Thanks! I can’t wait to Party Hop from blog to blog and see your homes!! And don’t forget, that every comment you leave throughout the month, enters you in my Sept. giveaway drawing, for either a Cottage Collage Kit with old wallpapers, or something made by myself from one of the kits.

What do I love about my home?? Well, love and care goes into every inch here at the cottage and I love it all. That is, until I get tired of it and have to make a change!

Right now, I am prepping for a photo shoot.

I am decorating the guest room for Christmas, and will just leave it up for the Holiday Homes Tour first weekend of Dec.

Its not done yet, these are the in progess pictures.

I’m trying to keep this room Romantic and lush, with gold, silver and roses.

I’m adding some angels, and vintage postcards of lovely ladies.

I found this tiny tree at a garage sale this summer for a nickel. I added vintage Wilton cake decorating plastic crowns that I sparkled up, and some old jewelry.

I’m also decorating Sugarwing’s room.

I spent part of today making tags and paper doll dresses to hang on her little pink tree.

They were fun to make, since I had rolls and rolls and rolls of new -old- wallpaper to play with!

I also am hanging vintage ornaments in pink, aqua, and soft green.

And of course, I hung all of the sugar coated fairies I made (from inspiration by Holly.)

They are so dainty and sweet.

Here are some of my great new wallpapers! I spent a huge chunk of my day yesterday ironing and cutting and packing the papers up for Etsy.

As much as I love it all, no one could use that much, even me!! So I am making up packs of it, since I also spent a huge chunk of money for it all.

I also made up specialty packs, like this chocolate and roses pack. I only had enough of the right colors to make two of these.

And since I am in the throes of Christmas, while every one else is enjoying fall, I made up some vintage Holiday packs.

My friend Becca bought one of these Cottage Collage Kits of my pretty wallpapers, and I made a blue bird tag for her in honor of her blog name "Bluebirds and Roses".

And speaking of friends,look who came to see me, Dusty. His mother, Lady, used to be one of the horses we boarded for a few years. She lived with us while pregnant, but her family built a barn for her right before Dusty was born. I almost felt like I was his grandma, or at least his great aunt. It was so nice to see him.

Maybe I have run on long enough now??

Beths’s Button and what I love (besides loving Beth for bailing me out)

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, give away, Hand Painted Furniture, magazine pictures or articles, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 14, 2007

URGGHG!!

That sums it up. I struggled over and over trying to make a button for the Romantic Country Party on the 25th, I must have loaded it (incorrectly) 20 times or more. Then I gave up, and posted my blog for the day, those long rambly, take my time, things that I do, and as I hit save, Twinkle (or shall I call her STINKLE) stepped on the power strip and turned off the computer.

I have forgiven Stinkle and Beth created the button for me, so I am off to re-do my post for the day.

If you want to put the party invitation button on your sidebar so people will know you are showing photos of what you love in your home on the 25th, please do. If you need help, you can try to ask me, but I might have to send you to Beth!

I thought I’d start showing some things that I love about my house, maybe a few with each post till the party (I love everything about my house!!)

This pitcher is from one of my first trips to the annual flea market Beth and I go to. It was only $5 and I use it to keep my remote controls in.

This little side table that I painted is another favorite thing. It was part of a set of 2 night stands, 2 twin beds (gorgeous with curved foot boards) and a dresser with big mirror that I got at an auction for $140 all together. I painted them up and sold them one at a time, but kept this as a living room table, its narrow shape makes a perfect fit in a small room.

Sometimes, it is the little things that can make a room. I LOVE my curtains and tie backs. I usually change my curtains with the seasons, but these Shabby Chic (Target) drapes have been up for over a year and I am not tired of them at all.

I tied them back with white velvet ribbon edged in pearls and held that in place with a vintage buckle.

The interior of my home is done in soft and calming colors, but the breezeway rocks! I love to walk in the doors and be welcomed by this cheerful green color.

The azalea pink and black accents really make the colors pop. I doubt if I’d be comfortable with these shades to live in, but as an entry way, it always makes me smile walking through.

And there is big LOVE for this piece. My son took this old table I had in the shed (garage sale $10) and made it into a sink for me.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the things my blogger friends love about their homes too, during our Romantic Country Party. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave comments and tell us what makes you smile in your home!

What have I been up to today besides pulling my hair out over computer woes?

Glitter up to my eyebrows.

Hobby Lobby has theirs on sale half price this week and I bought a bagful.

I’ve been making all of my vintage cake toppers into Christmas decor and at my cottage, that requires a bagful of glitter!

Did I mention I have to have part of my house decorated for Xmas by Sept. 24th for a photo shoot???? And that I have a sweet house guest this week? I think I’ll put her to work stringing lights!

Today I turned little peat pots into ornaments by filling them with vintage yarn nests, little angels, millinery flowers, buttons and GLITTER, GLITTER, GLITTER.

My flock of red flocked birds are now sugar coated and ready to grace holiday decor.

I feel even more like it is Christmas, because not only have I made a few dozen decorations today, I have a gift! These are from Michelle, I won her give away and she geared the gifts towards what she knew I would like- yep, she was right, I LOVE them!

Don’t forget I am having a few giveaways that you can enter by leaving a comment:
One is my regular monthly giveaway and the prize is your choice of a Cottage Collage Kit or a piece I have made from my vintagey stash of goodies.

.The second is a copy of Romantic Country magazine to a blogger who participates in the party and a copy to a non-blogging reader

And now for a mini parade of tussie mussies that I made today from my new toys- vintage wallpapers I ordered!