We’re having a party – Page 13

Ariel, Ursala, and some odd witch thing

family, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 29, 2011

Ariel and Ursala the sea witch were also guests at our Halloween party last weekend.

Sugarwings has been a huge fan of Ariel since before she could even talk. Dorothy and Ariel have been a in tie for her affections for her entire life, she has loyally loved both forever.

I found this dress at TJMaxx for $9, because it was part of a whole princess set, but was missing the rest of the pieces. I bought it because I knew we could always use another pink princess dress, not even knowing it was meant to be Ariel's. Lucky find, because our little princess was thrilled.

They kind of look alike now that Sugarwings has the firey hair do, don't they? Of course, by the end of the evening, her hair was a tangled mess, and the red spray had it sticking up every which way, her face was all dirt, and her gown was too. She looked like ghoulish Ariel after playing flash light tag in the woods and sword fighting with the boys for hours.

And we have one pink chair from where she rested after getting worn out. Happily, it was the recliner in my husband's office. I hate that chair. You know, recliners can be pretty ugly, but a little bit a pink helps makes it look like it really belongs in my house.
After playing fairy dress up all weekend in Asheville earlier in the month, I was still in the mood for getting my fairy gear on. But since it was Halloween, I took it up a notch and added green/blue eyeshadow to my face and lots of glitter.

And some witchy socks, too. No one knew what I was supposed to be, and I really didn't either. A witchy fairy? That is probably close.

We all love dressing up. I'm lucky to have this little sea sprite to play dress up with anytime we want to.

Its been a while since I had a chance to do any creating. So, I was happy to have some time to make this Halloween tag. Its a good example of "Using the Good Stuff". All the supplies are filled with vintagey goodness.

And what did I do with it? I tucked it into a package that I was packing for a very nice customer. Its fun to surprise people.

I hope your Halloween is filled with the spirit of fun too!

(don'cha love picnik?-what fun for Halloween!)

Halloween decor, cheap and simple

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

By Karla Nathan / October 25, 2011

Note: Pixie Pie is still in the hospital, and in a lot of pain. Thanks so much for the cards you sent, her mom has them all hanging by her bed where she can see them, and she enjoyed having the nurses deliver them to her. The site was easy to use, wasn' t it? Very simple and quick, its a nice service for the hospital to provide for the kids there.

Our little Halloween party was such fun. And it was a good excuse to show off the new kitchen!

Complete with its new spooky decor. This beaded cob web was one dollar at a thrift store, and the shabby chic witch is the one I made at Sissy's house last week.

She has a paper clay head and jet bead eyes pushed into the clay while it was still wet. I made her hat from pink velvet millinery petals and it is sporting a beaded spider made with an old button for the body.

I made another one to climb on my white pumpkin. The big ole punkin is sitting in an old wash bowl and is the center piece for the dining room table. Or should I just call it the kitchen table now? There are no longer two rooms, its all one space!

Our local grocery store had the fancy schmancy pumpkins for the same price as the orange ones. I'd never tried cutting one before, but this white one was soooo much easier to carve than the traditional ones. It was more like slicing honey dew than a jack o lantern.

When I redecorated after the remodel, I kept everything pretty simple. Well, simple for me at least. It seemed like all the stuff I had out before was way too cluttery in a big space, I guess because your eye takes it all in at once. In the small, divided spaces I had before, I liked more stuff out than I do now in the bigger area.

I thought it would be the opposite of that, I was surprised.

The Halloween decor I added is simple too. Just a few touches here and there, mostly black and white.

These crows are from the dollar store, I'd like to add some glitter but haven't had a chance.

Normally, I try to seat everyone together, but that is one more thing I didn't have a chance to get done. I set up room for about 10 in the studio, some people ate in the kitchen, some in front of the football game playing in my husband's office, and a few outside. We were lucky to have beautiful weather.

Still, NO rain though, so that meant no bonfire.

This was a quickie center piece, the boot, baby head, and flowers all came from the same garage sale and were $1 each. I just stuffed the witchy boot with paper, and sat the head in it, then tucked the flower in the laces and added a feather.

And this doll head is modelling the witch hat I made for a bonus tutorial on Romantic Gothic Ghosts.

(scroll down on the workshop page if you are interested in taking the class, White Christmas is also on that page, both are $25)

This one broke my no orange rule. I bought the hat for its pinky flowers, but after plucking them, I thought it was ideal for a stylish Halloween hat, with a bit of black ribbon on it to cover up the globs of glue left behind when I tore off the flowers.

Speaking of breaking the no orange rule, the garage was an explosion of orange and purple.

Well, with black and white ghosts. They are cut up, paper drop cloths left over from my kitchen redo. I stuffed their heads with newspaper, tied a ribbon around the neck, and painted a cutey pie, kid friendly face on them. They serve the purpose of hiding a closet with no door on it.

Sugarwings planned the decor and helped with it. We painted a tarp with glow in the dark paints, to hang over some more garage mess that I was too lazy to move, and when we started throwing the paint for a splatter effect, she had the idea to climb up a ladder for a better aim. I told her that was how Jackson Pollack did it, and started calling her Action Jackson while she was at work.

Most of what is in the room was hand made by the two of us, from the dollar store, or a thrift store. My advice for party decor (for kids) is to shop the dollar store first, get as much as you can there, and then look at thrift stores.

The lighting was the only expensive thing, and the strands of lights were on clearance at Hobby Lobby, and I can use the lights again and again. I would NEVER buy black light bulbs again, they were my biggest splurge and were useless. No effect at all, and I spent $9 on three bulbs to add to the clamp lights that I hung by the ghosts.

The other expensive thing was glow in the dark paint, about $10 worth, and it wasn't dark enough in there for it to glow. But we had fun smearing it on everything!

I'll leave you with some scenes from the party.

Its so fun when grown ups get in the spirit and dress up too! Beth and the other Karla got their husbands to play along.

They were "gang green".

Beth had to give the "dur" sign a lot when she explained it. It was pretty cute.

I hope you have some spooky good times ahead for your Halloween too. Are you dressing up?

A studio tour, a giveaway, and a how-to

studio tour, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / July 15, 2011

Welcome to my studio! I'm showing (tons and tons) of photos of it today as part of Karen Valentine's "Where Bloggers Create" party.

Last year, I was chosen as one of the winners of the tour, and my studio was supposed to be photographed for Where Women Create. But… I've worked with enough magazines to understand that things don't always play out as planned. I've done dozens of articles over the years for many publications, and I've also done quite a few that have never appeared anywhere.

It happens.

But I'm still happy to be a part of this tour and I'm glad Karen is hosting.

I'll start with the views from my desk, standing at my workspot and taking a few pictures in all directions.

I've shown lots of photos of my studio on my blog, so these might be redundant to you if you've been here before.

But there are always changes here and there throughout the room, so maybe you'll see something different. I was looking through my post from last year and decided that the room is much nicer now.

Its still over-full, but to me it is less cluttery. Not to my husband, he mentions the "H" word sometimes when he ventures into my space. I always cringe, and start to justify my pretties. I saw 3 episodes of Hoarders and can never watch it again, its just too spooky.

Yes, I have a lot of stuff. But its good stuff!! And its organized, and I have plans for it. (does petting it and saying "my precious" over and over count as a plan?)

But I have a feeling that I don't have to justify any of my pretties to my blog friends. Unlike my spouse, you guys "get it".

It takes stuff to make stuff! And I looooove to make stuff.

This side of the room, that I've shown you, is the working area. I have one big square space, just under 1,000 sq ft, and I love every inch of it.

The front half of the room also over flows into work space, I usually leave my sewing machine set up there when I am not entertaining. We use these two dining room tables for big dinners.

And they come in very handy when I do a tag book swap. Here is just the beginning of the tag piles that I'm stacking up before I start making the books.

But mostly, the front of the studio is just storage.

All of the furniture has to do double duty, and has to have plenty of storage space as well as being pretty.

And its has to be cheap too. Every single piece is from a garage sale, flea, or auction, and I repainted and fixed it up.

The treat cabinet is very useful. It holds a great deal of wallpaper up on the shelf, and under the table cloth, I store all of my paper plates, cups, etc.

And of course its always good to have sweets available on craft days!

The furniture isn't arranged in a way you'd do in your home. I clump the pieces together to seperate the room into different areas. I also use old doors and screens to divide the space.

To create an office, I grouped French doors around a faux gazebo made of salvaged porch columns.

The rug is actually painted vinyl flooring. Here is how to do it:

Buy a scrap of heavy vinyl from a remnant pile at most flooring stores (usually under $10)
Trim to the shape or size you want
Flip over, and use the smooth bottom side to paint on
Roll on a coat of BONDING primer (the label will say "will adhere to glossy surfaces", I use Glidden Gripper from Home Depot)
Paint or stencil as desired (I hand painted mine like rocks and moss)
Top coat with Minwax Polycrylic (or whatever product you like, I personally love this one)

Even Sugarwing's work area has double duty furniture. Her block seats are also storage for play dough and coloring books.

She has her own cabinet full of supplies too, but I guess I cropped it out of this photo. I took a photo of her corner, then when I edited it, I forgot that the focus was supposed to be her stuff.

This column might not be out here long. We are thinking of remodelling the kitchen, and it will possibly be used in there.

The dress form was decked out for Bird Song and liked the vines and birds on it so much, I'll probably leave it this way.

I've painted the stand, and wrapped the whole thing in grape vine that I cut off our fence.

While I'm talking about dress forms, I'll let you know that I'm having a giveaway for one of my Mini Dress Form online tutorials.

Leave a comment if you'd like to win one. If you have already purchased the $15 class, and I draw your name, I'll send you a kit of vintage goodies to make the dolled up dress form with.

Here is some good news! A box of these little girlies are on their way to Somerset. Its always an honor to be in one of their publications.

Lets see, where was I? Here is a bigger picture of the front part of the room.

We added onto our house about 6 years ago, and I didn't want the new part to look too out of place with the original old farmhouse. So, I've tried to add details that give this space some age.

I trimmed these windows and did some of the baseboards myself to save money on the construction. Since I'm not a very good mitered corner cutter, I butted the boards up to these vintage bullseyes instead. No mitering needed, and it ages the window.

Okay, this area might be one of the reasons my husband uses the "H" word when he comes in.

The buffet top sure is not going to be cleared to serve a buffet from anytime soon.

Its a bit full.

But I love my stuff and pretties. Some of it is completed work, some is supply type stuff for future work, others are just things I like.

Having it out in the open where I can see it, reminds me to use it.

Although, sometimes its just plain fun to set up and arrange. Kind of like playing with a doll house.

This banner was one of my examples from the Bird Song weekend here at my cottage. I've had lots of inquiries about when the next is. Well, we are still waiting to see what our remodelling project will entail. No one would want to be here during that! So, I am waiting to get things settled with the contractor before I plan anything.

I'm hoping to do something early in November. I'll let you know. The last one was so fun, I can't wait to do it again. I'd have had one already if our redo plans hadn't been so up in the air.

Beth and I wanted to do one in September, kind of a B&B weekend with just a few guests staying here with us and creating in our jammies at midnight, sipping wine, eating chocolate and playing with old wallpaper. Sounds fun doesn't it? But I don't know if I'll have a kitchen then, so that is probably out of the question.

Durn it.

But I do like the idea of a new kitchen.

This lamp shade was Debbie's project for Bird Song.

And this is what I made in Lisa's class at Paper Cowgirls.

Well, I've been blathering on for a while, and still have what looks like about 300 photos yet to load. If you are still with me, maybe you'd prefer just some detail photos of the room, and not so much chitter chatter?

Because I know that there are a lot of studios to visit on Karen's list.

Isn't this pretty? Beth made it for me.

Here is a photo I did of my littlest fairy grand baby. I love having sentimental things around the room.

Like this watercolor of Sugarwings for the Grumpy Fairy book.

And gifts from friends, this is from Hope.

And this basket is from Lori.

And here is another gift from Beth.

She gave me this little wallpaper cabinet just this week.

The pink cup is from her too. I have Beth gifts in every corner of the room.

Of course, this is one of the best things in the studio.

Its always wonderful to have my little buddies at my feet while I work.

(millinery)

Did I say that I was going to stop chitter chattering and just show photos? Then, I just kept chatting.

Sorry! If you are still here, I'll stop the rambling on and just leave you with the rest of the photos. Enjoy the studio tours, and thanks for coming by to see mine.

(Charlotte (Charlottes!)

Tru-Blood premiere party at the guncles

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

By Karla Nathan / July 2, 2011

Uhm, did I mention that the guncles and I had a good time? With lots of silly fun? The weekend went fast, but we managed to pack in a lot of goofiness, including a Tru Blood mini marathon.

With HBO Go on my Ipad, we were able to watch the second episode of the new season after the premiere. So, of course, we made a PARTY out of it!

Because everything is a party at Randy and Kevin's house!

I drew some Tru Blood labels that we added to some empty bottles, and we drank out of red, crystal goblets, and painted our faces to look like vamps.

Since the guys bought my plane ticket, I wanted to treat them to dinner. We talked about getting dressed up and going out, but decided it was more fun to get dressed as vampires, watch our favorite show and eat in. So, I bought some lobsters and we had the best meal ever.

Crusty bread, still warm when we bought it, a crisp lettuce wedge with Kev's home made dressing topped with a chopped, fresh tomato, and giant, lovely, delectable lobsters.

I was disappointed in fairy land on the show, were you? I've come to terms with the fact that the show doesn't follow the books. And since they do stay true to the actual characters themselves, I don't mind, and actually enjoy the surprises that the show wouldn't offer if it did follow the books.

But man, the fairy land is NOT what I had hoped for at all. And Bill is King?

But that's okay. I still love me some Sookie and am a loyal fan.

I love me some guncles too.

Every night, the suppers were so good. One night was seared scallops in a vermouth and heavy cream redcution.

And another meal was grilled flounder with fresh asparagus and fingerling potatoes roasted in butter and onions. See why I was worried about my zipper still working? Did I mention homemade German chocolate cake?

Oh, and please remember, that there is a giveaway for one of my Mini Dress Form online workshops. If you win, and have already purchased the $15 class, I will send you a kit full of vintage goodies to make the dolled up dress form with.

A Springtime tea party

fairies, family, flowers, Food and Drink, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 16, 2011

The weather around here has been weird, which means, its a typical Kansas Spring. The air conditioner was in use on Monday and by the end of the week we had the furnace back on again.

Sugarwings spent some of the weekend with me and we were both sick of the cold weather, so we cheered ourselves up with a Fairy Tea Party. A big part of the fun was setting her table and planning treats that our guests would like.

We made cupcakes together, then I put her to work making cherry tomato and cheese kabobs on colorful toothpicks. (she preferred to make her tomatoes connected with multiple picks, and her platter of snacks looked more like an erector set than kabobs)

I let her pick the flowers for the centerpiece and she chose all yellow, which is odd for her, she loves pink even more than I do. But I think she made a good choice for the table cloth and the teapot that she chose.

Our guests were Pixie Pie and Lola (which means Grandmother in Filipino, Lola is Grandpa Ardell's widow). All day, while getting ready for them, Sugarwings refused to call them by their names, she would only refer to them as "our guests".

And after they left, she set and re-set her table for guests to come again.

The goodies went over well. I don't have a single photo where someone isn't chewing. Everyone was pretty engrossed in the meal. (that is Sparkle in the background waiting patiently to clean up the floor under the table after the meal is over, Agnes Rosebud and Twinkle aren't that patient, they are under the table already.)

The girls might think that tea parties are all about the food, but I am sneakily teaching manners as we chow down. They learn about passing the food around, pouring their own cream, and sharing food, but not sharing the spoons or double dipping. As well as polite conversation and asking each person how their day was.

There might have been a little bit too much sugar in the tea, so we bundled up and went outside to run some of the energy off. It sure looks like Spring with all the iris in bloom, but it was too chilly for me.

Promising them a bubble bath got the two little girls to come inside again so I could get warm They were happy running full speed through the garden trails while I shivered, but a chance to play in the big tub convinced them.

And a warm bubble bath was good for them too, they were cold and sticky.

Thanks for all of your sign ups for my Birdsong Tag Book Swap!

And there is room for more. Scroll down to the previous post for details if interested.

Our Weekend at Birdsong

bird song art event, We're having a party, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / May 2, 2011

Birdsong weekend is past now, and I will treasure it always. What a beautiful time, with beautiful ladies.

A big thank you is owed to all of the sponsors who filled up our goodies bags with treasures that the girls just loved.

Our teachers provided lots and lots of extras with every kit, and we all had such fun creating their designs.

Lisa brought out the heat gun and showed us how to become pyromaniacs and uplift a cool project into something smokin hot!

Debbie's lampshades were even better in person than they were in the photos if you can imagine that. And she brought so many trims and baubles to add that no two people ended up with the same look.

But the best part of all??? The great group of gals that came to play.

I was honored to have them all as guests in my home.

It was a privilege to call them friends.

I'll leave you with some pictures of our weekend. And hopefully, I'll be seeing YOU at one of our future gatherings??

Friends from far away coming to stay

antiques/junking, celebrations, Food and Drink, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / April 5, 2011

A quick note- due to some shuffling, I have extra spaces available for Bird Song. If you'd like to sign up, please contact me.

We had the best time over the weekend! What a great group of friends, I was honored that they would travel so far just to come and hang out in Kansas.

Pictured is:

* Heather * Suzanne * Lori * me * Jenn * Andrea *

On Thursday, we just hung out, chatted and got caught up on each others happenings. Then on Friday, we took off to KC to go to Bottom's Up and some other sales, then over to visit Carol. I foofed up bags for each of us, and filled them with bottled water, treats, gum, and lip gloss so we'd be set for the day's adventures.

We all piled in the borrowed van (from Sugarwing's Daddy) and then just sat there. Apparently, the key comes out of the ignition when the car is still set on "auxiliary" and I left it on all night draining the battery.

So, after unsuccessfully hunting in every nook and cranny for our jumper cables, my son, Ryan, volunteered to run to the store to pick up another set. He soon had the van jumped and running so we could hit the road.

Bottoms Up is once a month and located is the West Bottoms district in KC, MO. (someone walking by us said we looked glamorous!! Now that is something I don't hear very often about myself. And from my pigeon toed stance in this photo, I don't think I'll be hearing much in the future either)

There are several shops with monthly sales in this old warehouse area, and its pretty cool to see.

And to shop at!

Gwen of French By Design has some very drool worthy goods. The vendors range from ultra classy and elegant to fun junk. So there is something for everyone. I know we found plenty.

Did you know that Victorian Trading Co. is based in KC? After hitting Beth's booth at Mission Road Antique mall, we went next door to shop at the outlet store for this catalog shop. There are only two brick and mortar stores for this company and both are right here in Kansas City.

The clothes there are so durn gorgeous. The girls were buying some perfect outfits for Jenn's romantic event in NC this fall. I tried on quite a few, then decided that I was 10 years and 10 lbs off to fit into the dresses right. Not to mention that I am too short. But I loved looking at them and seeing what everyone else picked out.

Then, I bought a shower curtain. (photos later, I'm dying it, and repainting my bathroom to match it)

Carol had us over for dinner, and if you think her home looks like it was right out of a book, you are right. She's in Romantic Prairie Style (and oooooooohhhhh, what a pretty book!)

Carol is not only a talented photographer and decorator, she is a hostess with a huge heart.

And a good cook!

Every single detail, every where you looked, her house is perfect. Just perfect. I feel like I am in the pages of a decorating book when I am there.

So, I was really touched to see something I made for her out on display.

She served some local made honey flavored wine over dinner, and it was a good thing I was driving, or I'd have drank way too much of it. I could go Winnie the Pooh all over this honey nectar! Man, it was good.

Carol just had this fire place built in her backyard. It was a lovely evening to curl up by the fire and tell ghost stories. Even though the others didn't like ghost stories much. We quickly moved on to more fun stories and had a lot of laughs. If you've ever spent an evening with Carol, you know there will be lots of laughter.

Here is the back of her home, near the fireplace.

This is the tree that Carol is teaching for Bird Song. Pretty, huh?

I'll have more photos later of our studio day. After that day with all the creative types in my studio, I am even more pumped about Bird Song. I can't wait to fill the room back up with arty friends and see them in action!

Are you up for the challenge?

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

By Karla Nathan / March 5, 2011

What a wonderful day I have had. Its about 8pm, and I am still jammied up. I've spent the entire day in the studio elbow deep in my favorite things, and was too busy to even get dressed. (which also explains why these photos might be a little fuzzy, I just finished, and took the pictures in bad lighting. But I wanted this post to be up and ready for you to link to on Sunday)

My goal for the day was to delve into some of those supplies that I'd bought to use, but that were so wonderful as is, I'd just left sitting in my studio and never touched. Like these little figurines.

For years, and years, I've had this red velvet, vintage album cover, just waiting to be turned into something, and today I finally did.

And I didn't hold back. Every tiny bit that I used on it is something wonderful, French text, rose wallpaper, handfuls of millinery flowers, a rhinestone butterfly, and a GREAT, old, English cottage print.

It was the best time! I cut and glued and played all day, my husband is out of town and I am on my own. No meals to cook, no one to tend to, America's Next Top Model and some other deliciously awful trash TV recorded to watch. And the determination to use The Good Stuff. Yep, a great day!

Beth had given me a bagful of these butterflies last week, and one of those was just perfect to use for the fairy princess's wings. Its tempting to fill an apothecary jar with these and just admire them, but I made myself pop the head off of one and glue it to the figurine's back, (I do think that the antenneas and heads should be removed from a butterfly before adding it as fairy wings. You don't want it to just look like a complete butterfly on her back, you want it to look like the wings are actually hers.)

Earlier this week, I'd sewn up some ruffled strips of salvaged fabric, and while they were not "worth" a lot, I still include them in my besties. And they are something that normally I would have used sparingly, but today, I went whole hog and used THREE rows of ruffles on this can-can girl dress form that I made.

And not only did I use a nice old rhinestone button for the top of the mannequin, I also ringed it in rhinestones. I double foofed it, even though the button alone looked good, the extra sparkle really made the piece.

We all know its not the cost of the item that makes us want to hoard the best things, its much more than that. It can be the sheer beauty, the rarity, or a memory tied to it. We tend to get emotional about our best finds, don't we?

This piece of round, domed glass came out of a ratty frame, and was a dollar at a flea market. But I've left it on a shelf in my studio for what seems like forever, just because it looked nice with a collection of other clear glass items I had in the pile.

But I sure think it looks better over this bird picture than it did on a plate on my shelf!

It felt good to use it.

And I'll bet you can guess what the hoarded item in this piece was- yep, the ROSES. Oh my! Some of the prettiest I have ever had.

I also used TWO rows of old velvet ribbon, and a beautiful jet bead earring.

The back ground for these collages is something I just got, and I treated myself to a stack of them before listing some in the Boutique. Sometimes, I tend to sell the best things I find instead of keeping them for myself.

This one features a frame that I'd been holding back on using.

The frame is something that I've had for at least 10 years. Now what the heck was I thinking???? Why would I buy something like that and leave it in a cabinet? Sometimes things get set aside, just waiting for the right project that never comes along. And it will just sit neglected in a drawer or closet, out of sight, out of mind. Just because I thought it was too good to use when I first bought it.

Is it too late to make a New Year's resolution? If not, then, mine is to dig through my cabinets and rediscover hidden treasures. And USE THEM.

Like this key hole that I found in a drawer today.

Uhm, did I mention that I was productive today? And inspired!

If you've embraced the challenge and have been brave enough to dig into your Good Stuff too, I hope that you will add your link to this post so you can flaunt your efforts.

We all know that it isn't easy to use "the best" and if you've read any of the comments I've been getting on the subject, you'll know that many of us suffer from this. We buy amazing things to create with and then are loathe to do it. Our hands shake, and our forehead breaks out in sweat beads when we reach for that perfect, faded rose, or we try to cut into that length of hand made lace.

But sometimes, you gotta just go for it. A good piece of art deserves are best supplies in it. That note book I covered wouldn't be nearly the same in scrapbook paper, as it is in that beautiful, old, rosey wallpaper.

And I find there is a lot of joy in using the besties. I hope you've found that joy too!

So, here is what you do to join in our link party.

Show your challenge project on your blog (or flickr or facebook, or whatever you use)
Click on the title of your post, and copy that URL into Mr Linky, not the URL of your blog.
Add your link to the bottom of my post where it says, "Click here to enter"
Please add my blog address to your post so people can come and visit all the participant's blogs.
If you want a chance to win a "Good Stuff Prize Pack" from me or from Mrs. Staggs, please leave a comment on my blog for mine and visit her for her rules.
You can use this button if you'd like to

Curious Sofa Style is nothing but the Good Stuff!

bird song art event, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / February 28, 2011

Debbie Dusenberry of Curious Sofa sent me these photos of the project she is making for Bird Song.

She'll be teaching these two sconce shades, and they are even more beautiful than I was expecting.

And you expect a lot from a lady of her talents!

Gorgeous, huh?

The classes are most likely sold out. I'm holding a spot for someone, and haven't heard back from her. So, if you'd like to be on a waiting list to join us the last day of April and first day of May, for classes in my studio with Debbie, Carol, Lisa, and myself, please let me know.

Debbie also sent me this picture of her supplies for the kits. Yum.

My thoughts have turned to the menus for the weekend, since I'll be feeding everyone breakfast, lunch, and treats both days. I've decided to order pizza for the evening meal that I am doing, so I can mingle and have fun with the group. All these great ladies are coming from all over the country to come and visit, and I hate to be so busy that I can't hang out with them!

It never hurts to plan ahead. I'm not a list maker, but I do plan non-stop in my head. There are a lot of lists rolling around in there, pages and pages of them. So, right up there in my noggin with the thoughts of what would make the best tasting chicken salad for my guests, and how long should the lace snippets be for my Paper Cowgirl kits, is a list of what I need to photograph and list for my Boutique grand opening (coming soon!!) and about a billion other things. If I took the time to write it all down, I'd never have time to do it all.

Also on that never ending list of lists in my head, is trying to figure out how to set up a linky party. Since we are having one next weekend.

Mrs. Staggs was the person who suggested the "Using the Good Stuff" challenge. And she has offered a giveaway on her blog for the day too. Here is a photo of her generous treats.

Please go to her blog for the giveaway rules. (I know I'd love to win those rose basket die cuts!!)

The rules for my giveaway of Besties?

Simple, just leave a comment on any post, up to and including the party.

I hope you will link up with us and show a project you've made with your favorite supplies- the good stuff that we tend to hoard and not use. It can be a blog post from your past, or something you have just made.

Please add info back to my blog from your posting, so everyone can see the rest of the parade of pretties.

A few thoughts on Good Stuff

Books, give away, show and tell, vintage paper/collage art, wallpaper, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / February 21, 2011

In honor of our challenge coming up, I delved deeply into the Good Stuff yesterday. I had a stack of chipboard rectangles covered in fantastic old wallpaper, that had been on the shelf above my desk for about a year, and I'd never used them.

Now, I have tons of wallpaper, and plenty to chose from. In my mind its all great stuff. But weirdly, there was something just a little special about these covered boards, all set and ready to go that held me up. I kept thinking that they were too "nice" to just use for nothing special.

So, I decided that if they were all that nice, it just meant that they deserved to have other great supplies added to them! Each little book that I made was done with only the best stuff in my stash.

There are different ways to attack the Good Stuff pile of accumulated supplies you are afraid to touch.

You can ease into it, just using one nice thing to elevate your creation. Or you could sprinkle them throughout, for a nice mix. (my typical plan) Or you can just go for it and use all Good Stuff. I chose the latter when I made these and went whole hog.

Every bit that went into these journals was from my Besties pile.

Including inside the books. Why have a boxful of French post cards if I am just saving them? I never see them inside the box on the shelf (although it does feel really good to know that they are there, near by and sooooo pretty).

But you know what? It feels just as good to know that there is a beautiful French postcard inside this ephemera book!

Once you get going, its a very liberating feeling.

Of course, there are limits, and you don't want to waste your best things on projects that aren't good enough. Well, maybe that isn't how I meant to say it. I believe that everything I make needs to be good enough, everything should be done to my best abilities. When I make something I picture someone picking it up, looking at the details, turning it over.

I want it to be well constructed and properly finished as well as pretty.

But- I also figure price. Would I make a tag with a $5 piece of jewelry on it? No, but I'd make a tag with the best supplies I could afford to put into it and still make it at a reasonable cost.

Also, knowing what the piece is going to be used for plays into the supply decision. A special gift deserves an upgrade, right? But the label or tag on the gift itself should be looked at as possibly thrown away later on by the recipient.

Another thought, for artists who sell their work, is "Can anyone afford to buy this piece???"

Its tempting to layer on the Besties, but there comes a point when the cost factor comes into play. Luckily, I find good bargains on my pretties, and also the things that I often consider my best stuff aren't exactly high priced items.

Its not always the price that makes something wonderful, of course. Like the ruffle on this tag. I trimmed the fabric off a very old pair of curtains that were falling apart. The curtains weren't worth a fortune, that isn't what makes it special to me. Its the perfectly faded old pink color, and the softness of the old fabric. And the fact that I can't just run to Hobby Lobby to buy more if I run out.

Sometimes it seems like we artists tend to work for the cost of materials. Our time isn't always covered in the price of what we sell. But when the creations are from the heart, it just feels so good to have someone care enough to buy them, that we just keep on cranking the stuff out.

Beth and I like to quote Jenny Doh's speech from Kim's mermaid event last summer, when she spoke of why we make art.

"It's the process"

She meant that as artists, it's often not what we get out of selling the piece we've created, it's just the process itself of making it that counts. So, why not treat ourselves to making our art with the best possible stuff we can?

I take a lot of joy in using beautiful and special materials. It elevates not only my artwork, but the process itself. It makes me happy to play with pretties. What a great job I have!

I may never be rich, but I sure do like what I do for a living!!!

If you'd like a chance to win a packet of my Good Stuff supplies, please leave a comment on any post (or all of them for more chances) between now and our challenge link party on March 6-7.

And if you'd like to do a little show and tell of creations you've made using your Besties, please come to our link party on Sunday March 6 and Monday March 7.

That gives you two weeks to get up the nerve to dig in to the Good Stuff. Believe me, you'll be glad you did!