We’re having a party – Page 10

Gilding, Frenchness, and fun

By Karla Nathan / May 15, 2014

Darling LA locals, hauled a group of us around before the Downton Affaire began.

Cheryl and Andrea were kind to take us to visit Gilding the Lily, and the owner even accommodated us with an extra hour of time before the store opened. (photo by Tiffany)

The jewelry making side of our group really loaded up. There are vast amounts of charms, beads, dangles and doodads there.

And it is a charming place to shop.

I loved the props used for display!

And of course, the items that were on display too. Who can resist shiny stones?

Or piles of paper?

After, we were invited to the French General for a cute make and take plus shopping and lunch. All elements, including scissors and glue were provided, but I couldn't help shopping in the ephemera stashes and buying some special paper to cover my own box.

Lunch was perfectly wonderful. Kale salad with chopped cabbage, dried fruit and nuts, along with sandwiches and ginger cookies.

There were sweet little embossed name tags for the luncheon, and my pal, Hope, known for her world class journalling skills, wrote karla on mine. Since my handwriting is so bad that when I wrote one, it looked like Harla instead. (by the way, this photo was edited to leave out the sagging neck)

Normally, I'd have just left the name tag as I'd written it and pretended my name was Harla, but Hope was hosting a travel journal make and take at the Downton party and I wanted the name tag for the book.

My friend, Sherry, gave me this bit of ephemera that she found at the French General, it is going in the travel journal too.

A lot of our trip was spent eating. Lunches, and dinners out, many, many, many treats. I loaded up on goods at Louie's to share with everyone, then we were served a ton more at the dessert buffet during our party.

Good friends, good treats, shopping, and projects. And everything around us was simply much prettier than real life.

Just when I thought the trip couldn't be more perfect, it was time to meet Sugarwings to go to Disneyland. Yep, it was a fantastic week. I'll have some pics of that trip too, but for now will leave you with some more scenes from Downton

(that is my vendor night, lace fanny pack. I guess I should have taken it off for pictures, huh?)

Sightings and sightseeing in LA: Ghosts, Stars, and Cupcake Thieves

By Karla Nathan / May 13, 2014

Before the big bash in LA began, Beth and I headed to the wholesale district and scooped up some deals.

We also saw some ghostly apparitions! We'd heard that the Millineum Biltmore hotel was haunted, but we didn't expect ghosts downtown too. (actually, these are just fabric displays, but we thought they were cool)

We wondered if we'd see a real ghost, and spent some time talking to a housekeeper at the hotel who told us some spooky stories from some of the employees' experiences.

And then we noticed the writing on the mirror…

It didn't show up after the first couple showers, but then Beth saw it after hers. We couldn't read it. Some other language, I guess.

I tried to sound it out, then wondered if I cursed us by speaking it aloud, (as in many horror movies) but when nothing bad happened, I figured that like in some movies, you had to say it three times for the ghost to appear. (I learned a lot from Beetlejuice).

We didn't think we should tempt it, so I didn't sound it out again. Lori wiped it off and tried to sub her own joke message, but after my shower, her message wasn't there. And this one was.

We also experienced ecto-goo. Well, at least that was what I was claiming it was. Items around our room were wet for no reason and Lori's dress was slimed.

As Dewdrop would say, "cweeepy!"

An equally fascinating sighting for a midwesterner visiting California, was this sign.

Matthew Broderick and Warren Beatty were shooting a movie at the hotel.

And in the courtyard outside.

I can see why. Wow, what a place.

The place itself, ghosts or not, was beautiful in every detail. Service was impeccable, and the rooms were comfy.

And have I mentioned the food? OH MY!

But not all treats are safe…. I sat down with a group who were discussing a serious cupcake disappearance from a past gathering Kim hosted.

uhm………

It was me.

I am the Cupcake Thief.

But really, there were circumstances behind the theft! Peer pressure, a bottle of wine, and the most delectable treats sitting in a hallway, all alone, on the floor, I couldn't help myself. They were left overs from our earlier party, and we didn't get one then.

Soooooo, when we saw them there, tempting us with their deliciousness, how could I resist scooping them up and running with them to one of our rooms, where we had a little midnight party going on????

Well, there are two sides to the story. One is a group of tipsy gals being silly and sneaking treats. The other side is a poor, hungry young lady yearning for a cupcake, that disappeared from her doorway.

When I heard the other side of the story, I had to make amends and purchased the best little cake I could find to replace the stolen goodies for Cynthia, the victim of our crime.

I think she forgives me.

A Downton Affaire

paintings, We're having a party, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / May 11, 2014

Once again, Kim created a beautiful environment for her event. She never misses a detail or a chance to make something special.

Here is a photo of the room during vendor night by our Fancy Farmgirl photographer, Tiffany. Pure glam, huh?

The hotel itself was spectacular.

The table settings were sweetly done.

Of course, soon, the area was filled up with loot thoughtful gifts from table mates.

And by our great kits and projects. Andrea had us making necklaces from some softly colored pearl beads she found as vintage old stock, and lots of rhinestones on tarnished brass chain.

And in Charlotte's class, we had needle work to do. Here is my almost finished piece, (under Andrea's kit) with very little stitching done on it. I cut out the teacup from her kit, and used it as an applique on a vintage linen then glued a bunch of crap to it, instead of stitching all day.

This is what she had provided. Pretty, but it simply was too much needlework for me to even contemplate. Although, I was proud of myself for using a needle for some of it. I didn't break out the glue for at least an hour.

I also incorporated the silk ribbons and color swatches that Kim had sent to me to match up my paints with for the banner.

When she mailed them, Kim had asked me to return the curtain fabric swatch and I completely forgot. oops! Dang it. She reminded me RIGHT AFTER I finished cutting it up and gluing it down. I swear, I'm lucky to remember my own name some days.

The banner itself had a little glitch. Kim had told me to paint it 10×8', and I did, but I didn't center it, not realizing that would matter. I left a much bigger margin on the left than the right and when she hung curtains over it, the bare canvas showed. Poor Kim had to maneuver fabric around to hide the extra bare spots on that side.

She made it work. And I was honored to have my work used as a backdrop for the gala.

Andrea Singarella, Jenn Hayslip, Tiffany Kirchner Dixon, Lori Oles

This is how I finished Andrea's necklace. I always like to do a bit of a switcheroo in classes by bringing my own supplies to add to the piece for a personal touch. (Tiffany took this photo too)

In Karen's class, we were making fabric books. She had the high quality, heavy fabrics all stitched together and ready for us to add a cover and start foofing. I brought my own cover supplies, and extra lace too. The fabric I used is from an old Flapper dress my Sissy shared with me.

The final project was a garland of doll dresses from Pamela Huntington. I'd brought plenty of lace, so used that on mine. I also wanted some varied styles of dresses, so I cut the pattern a bit differently.

This project had my heart before I even started working on it and I would love to make garland after garland of dresses. I decided to make a few different ones, the first all ivory and cream like the first photo, then a row of pink ones too. This was from class, then I was able to make a few more rosy ones in the hotel room on Sunday.

My roomies checked out in the morning and I had the room till noon when it was time to go to the airport to meet Sugarwings and my husband for our Disney adventure, so I was happy to have a suitcase full of craft supplies to keep me busy a few hours.

I'll have more pictures and stories from the weekend in my next posts. There was simply too much wonderfulness to squeeze into just one.

Downton Abby, Highclere Castle painting for A Downton Affaire

paintings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 2, 2014

As you read this, I'm in CA at Kim Caldwell's latest party, A Downton Affaire.

Once again, I was honored to be asked to paint the banner used as a photo backdrop for the event.

My first one, was this whimsical Tiffanys themed one.

And last year,this giant mural was done for the Snow White themed party.

There was a castle involved in last year's painting, but it was very faint, way, way far away, and made up in my own mind.

This year's castle was a whole different story. It was a famous English manor that fans of the show all know and love. My painting had to be accurate. That just about killed me. I had to measure, do fractions (well, I had my husband do fractions for me) and use a level to get it right.

There was a little bit of leeway, since it was set in the distance. But still, this castle was the focal point of the whole painting, so I couldn't have it too faded and far away. There was a lot of angst, turmoil, tears, cussing, and nearly giving up.

Straight lines and architectural things aren't in my comfort zone.

I did fudge some details, since it was in the distance, I hoped that I got the impression of the Downton home close enough without being perfect. Far from perfect.

I studied photos of Highclere Castle online and used artistic license to change the angle of the castle from this view point.

This is the view of the estate that I liked, which I think is the back.

And this is the view of the building that I liked. The front, I think. My painting is a mix of both, with flower gardens thrown in.

Throughout season 4 of the show, I studied the sets. And even took photos of the TV with my phone. It was funny to be looking through pictures on my phone and come across pictures of Mrs. Crawley or the Duchess, like they were friends whose pictures I'd taken.

Then, before starting on the 9×10' banner, I painted a sample on paper.

Even with the sample painting propped up in the garage as I worked on the mural, I had to feel it out and make changes as I went along.

When working on a landscape like this, here is my plan:

First- sky, next mountains in the distance, far off treeline, and then I painted the grass that is the major part of it all.

That involved two ladders and going back and forth a hundred times to get it all blended. After a smooth blended background, I took chalk and drew in the trees, and roughed in the the flower beds.

Next, I painted the castle, where I stalled out and got stuck working for almost two days. As I mentioned, it wasn't my strong point.

After that came the flowers, from furthest to closest.

Then, the trees, leaves, and some highlights and details, like a butterfly and nest. Fingers crossed that it all hangs straight and looks good at the event. Hopefully, I'll have plenty of pictures of happy friends in front of it, to show you when I get back.

I'm also meeting Sugarwings and my husband in CA, for a few days at Disney. I've become quite the Disney addict in the last few years. And while being in LA for the art event, it seems like such a waste to not stop in to visit Micky and his pals! I'll be having my birthday lunch at Ariel's grotto, with my own little princess by my side.

See you when I get back!

A Holiday Ornament making party

celebrations, family, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / January 11, 2014

Is it too late to still be talking about Christmas?

I feel like I missed a chunk of the holiday since I got so sick with a 24 hour bug that I was in bed for almost a week. Luckily, the rest of the family didn't get hit so hard. But I was a pure wimp about it.

So, I feel a bit behind with my holiday recaps. Plus, I'm writing this ahead of my trip to Hawaii so my blog will update while I'm away, making this not quite as old of news to me as it is to you….

On the weekend before Christmas, we had an ornament making party. It was a big, pitch in dinner, with lots of tasty treats, about 40 or so people, and I filled a table in the studio with tons of supplies so whoever wanted to make something for their tree could snip and paste and glitter away. Most of the husbands preferred beers in the office to glitter in the studio. The kids and moms were all able to make at least a couple ornies each.

I think Finn set the record, he was a regular Santa's Helper Elf. That kid was cranking them out.

And, I'd say the glitter was certainly used in full force! I will be sweeping up glitter for months. Or not, I kind of like having it sparkling up the floors.

Actually, it was one of many ornament parties I went to. First, the workshop early in the season, then a few friends over the next week to make some of the leftover projects. And my pal, Tami, invited me to a holiday ornament party at her house with some of our Birdsong friends.

Those were all such fun, that I threw this big one with the dinner party too. But poor Sugarwings, who was so excited about helping me plan it, got sick and couldn't come. I had a mini party for her where she could craft her own sparkly creations to make it up to her.

I'd bought a bagful of those papermache shapes on strings at Michael's when they were 40% and I had a 25% off everything coupon. These made for some fun concoctions, and I think I should go back and get more if they are still on clearance there . I have a feeling that they are gone by now. They are good to work with for the adults as well as the kids.

I wish I'd had my camera out more. I was elbow deep in sparkly stuff and too busy to take many pictures til things slowed down and all the kids had been helped with the glue gun and basic steps.

Over the years, I've had other seasonal parties with crafts in the studio. I love making things so much, these are my favorite kind of parties. I'm blessed with the space to do this and also have more supplies than I'll ever use. Might as well share, huh?

Speaking of supplies, my friend, Jen, had given me a stack of photo paper she wasn't going to use. Some how, some old photos (copies) of her relatives were left in the envelopes, but I wasn't sure if they were from her or some I had, or what, because it was a year or so later that I opened them and I had lots of pictures and photo paper.

She saw the photos I had out for everyone to cut and play with and recognized her grandma in them. She and her daughter had a great time making family themed ornaments to give away for Christmas. And it was cute to hear her daughter come over and say, "Mom, can I have another relative, please?"

Gosh, I hated to see the holidays come to an end. In my house, all the decor was packed up and stored away on Jan.1st. But there is still a silver and gold explosion of Christmas out in the studio. I have a feeling that when I return from Hawaii, I will be wishing I'd got that all boxed up too. Heck, I didn't even have a chance to clean up the room from the party yet.

That will be one of the first things on my list to do when I get settled. Because the girls and I have new toys to play with, I got these art sets at Michael's for them (those go on sale every year for a couple dollars) and Sugarwings bought one for me too! She had earned money from selling dyed bottle brush trees on Etsy and took that to her school holiday shop where things are donated by the community for kids to buy.

We were so tickled to see that we'd got the same gifts for each other. I can't wait till we get to sit down in the studio, spread out all the colors and give them a whirl.

A bookclub Christmas party

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 22, 2013

Before I left for my quick, Florida trip, I hosted our book club's holiday gathering.

This year, I am throwing myself whole heartedly into every opportunity to celebrate the season.

Lots of baking, lots of parties, lots of fun!

I'm hosting 4 gatherings, plus our family get togethers, took the girls to a play, attended a few parties, went to the Festival of Trees, and have Christmas lights burning brightly from morning till night.

When I had to have my decorations up before Thanksgiving, I thought it might be too much, that I'd be tired of all of them by the time the main event rolled around.

But nope, I've revelled in them and hate to see it all come to a close soon. It will be hard to pack it up and say goodbye to all of my twinkle lights and sparkly pretties till next year.

So for now, I'm soaking up as much holiday cheer as I can cram into myself, and into these two. We've done cocoa parties by the light of the tree and read Christmas stories galore.

Of course, I've had to pay the price of all this gallivanting and fun.

My shopping isn't done yet!

Oh, I've made a few gifts, like these trees I sent to my sisses. But for the most part, I've tried to make the holiday more about precious time together instead of presents.

Although, as the big day approaches, I'm starting to worry about my lack of presents under the tree, and really do need to get a few wrapped for the children, of course. I'm doing gift cards for the adults in our family, so they don't feel left out, but for me this year, it's about the joy not the gifts.

A Black Velvet Christmas with the Guncles

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, guncles, holiday decor, Travel, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 18, 2013

Our "Black Velvet Christmas" weekend at the Guncles was FAB.

Yep, that is the best word for it.

Except, the word should be written like this instead:

FAB!!!!!!!!!!

The home was colorfully filled with magical Christmas displays.

Tucked into every nook and cranny.

Not to mention that the house was also knee deep in gifts, that the guncles had generously bought and beautifully wrapped for their guests.

Fantastic, fresh seafood was fixed for every meal.

There were lots of pups waiting for cuddles.

A glamorous dinner party set up in a garden tent, where we cozily dined on lobster tails while a soft rain fell outside.

It was fun to have a reason to get gussied up.

I don't think I've ever been invited to a dinner party where my Handsome Husband put on a tux.

There was a complete bar set up with fresh limes from the garden.

And while it was rainy during our big dinner party, the rest of the weekend had perfect weather.

Especially since, back home in Kansas, the temps were in the 20s.

I loved being outside in the sunshine.

It was good for my soul to see fresh, blooming plants in winter.

And to share such a warm, welcoming weekend with good friends, old and new. Karen and I were already pals, and I enjoyed meeting her husband.

Randy and Kevin are top notch hosts, offering up more than just their home, they open their hearts up to their guests too.

And those guys are pretty lovable themselves.

They were overly generous with their gifting, but the best gift of all was them sharing their this haven of kindness, giving, and caring that is their home.

I'm very lucky to have married into this family. What great guys.

Thanks, Randy and Kevin!

For every before and after, there is an in between

celebrations, We're having a party, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / November 20, 2013

Saturday is my party!! I feel like a kid waiting for my birthday, I'm so excited. I sincerely enjoy throwing these little arty bashes, and when you add Christmassy decor to it, I'm plain old giddy about it.

My kits are together, but the room is still a mess. I've skipped over and tripped over piles of stuff to take a break from the boring part of getting ready to do some of the fun stuff, the foofing.

And when I say "tripping" I mean it. The room is a wreck. But- it is an organized mess. Those Trader Joes bags on the table? Each one is full of 20 kits for each of the ornaments we will be working on. It might look like chaos in here, but it's all coming together, and my stacks and piles have purpose. Soon, they'll be packed up and piled elsewhere, or used, or arranged, or something, and it will all be ready for company.

But I am not the type of person who can do all the grunt work at once. I need little pick me up, fun breaks. So, I'll trim ribbons, cut paper, and print images to pack up a kit, then I'll sneak over to hang a banner or pretty up a corner of the room.

The clutter will be cleared from the tables eventually, the dog pee pads will be picked up and tossed out, and the floor mopped, but having my pretties up on the walls around me as I do the drudgery part makes it more bearable.

Although, I might be sorry I am taking my time and preparing the room in the fun way instead of the practical way. Last night, the handle snapped off of my kitchen sink faucet!

No repairing, this needs replaced. Now, I'm off to Home Depot and have to clear the whole counter top and under the sink. A bit of a time suck, when I have a lot to do in the studio. I might have to be a firmer taskmaster to myself to get the room ready for Saturday.

On the other hand, it is nice to know that a lot of the pretty part is done and waiting for guests. I can always shove a bunch of stuff in the garage and the room will pull itself together quickly if need be.

Wish me luck….

Sidetracks

holiday decor, vintage paper/collage art, wallpaper, We're having a party, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / November 13, 2013

Yep, I know, I know, I need to make kits for the Romantic Cottage Christmas workshop November 23rd.

But I've been having too much fun playing with all the supplies I have out to create the kits How on Earth could I resist taking an extra set of wings and turning them into a little ornament on their own?

So nice, I did it twice.

I've been experimenting with different ribbons and lace to see which makes the best wing texture.

I've decided this lace makes the prettiest wings. And was the easiest to work with.

Of course, we'll have lots of different lace and trims to try that day if the participants prefer something other than what comes in the kits.

And yes, there will be kits, eventually. I have all the Tart Tin Trees wrapped up and ready to go, in neutral and pink so my guests will have a choice. (I love having extra choices, the fun part of a workshop is seeing how varied one project looks done in different ways)

But, gosh, where there are little remnants lying on my table, I can't resist turning it into something.

I have been way too distracted by shiny things this week!

While cutting up this beyond wonderful, pink flock wallpaper, I couldn't let the scraps go to waste. Some I cut into die cut shapes to use later, but if there were any snippets too small for that, I used them to wrap around the spools for my little trees.

I treasure each little, left over, bit too much. To me, the old paper is too precious to let anything usable go to waste.

And I love a good excuse to get out of the task at hand…

But now, back to work. I really do enjoy putting kits together, and an excuse to stop and play just extends the fun. I refuse to look at it as procrastinating. It's too much fun to be labelled in a negative way!!

True Eye Candy

dogs, parties, Travel, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / October 17, 2013

Yep, believe it or not, this is REAL. A real life home, filled with kids, dogs, and love. As well as some of the prettiest collections you'll ever find.

Jenn's house is pretty as pretty can be.

A sweet confection of frothiness and pastel beauties.

With a fair share of whimsy too.

And attention to detail throughout.

And a home with a Yorkshire Terrier in it, is a very special home to me.

Throw in a second one and I'm a happy house guest.

Jenn graciously invited us to stay with her in her Georgia mansion and it was our home base for a couple of nights on our trip.

There was something breathtaking to see, everywhere I looked. But the loveliest item off all, was this photo that Jenn took of her daughter, Vivian.

She is beginning a new photography business called Pink Ellie

From the examples she has posted, I can see that she will do well. Oh my! She has captured some beautiful moments.

Jenn opened up her equally frothilly sweet studio to us too. I brought charms and glaze, Lori and Hope provided old papers, so we could all have some creating time.

The room is Jenn from floor to ceiling.

Pictured: Jennifer Hayslip

Hope Wallace Kearny

We had decided not to do a whole craft day, or any big projects. This little one was just right, to satisfy the creative urge but still leave plenty of time for just relaxing.

Pictured:

Suzanne Duda and Lori Oles

And of course, was a great excuse to soak up Jenn's stellar studio. And pose. We did a lot of posing.

d And smiling. Tons of smiling.