Karla's Cottage – Page 132

Whitworth Ranch Retreat

celebrations, Food and Drink, guncles, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 8, 2015

What can I say about my visit to the Whitworth Ranch Retreat??? Oh my, where to start? What a pretty place. Comfy, great food, hospitable, and fun. Stacy Seely is owner and chef of the retreat on an acreage in Scurry, Texas and she threw a party for my FABULOUS buddy, Karen Hillman.

But this wasn't just a party. It was an extended weekend BASH. With a bevy of beauties all dressed up like visitors to Downton Abby.

Stacy not only decorated to the hilt to make photo ops for us, she hosted one little party after another. Each elaborate, gourmet meal had its own decor and all featured British foods to keep with the Downton gowns we wore.

Her food was as delicious as it was pretty, and I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the fancy meals against the backdrop of the Texas landscape.

We were surrounded by a few hundred acres that were home to herds of cattle.

The interior is nicely shabby chic-ed. This was our attic room, with four little Snow White and the 7 Dwarves' beds.

Sissy called them Goldilocks beds.

I think there were 4 or 5 rooms of 4 sets of beds, each with a different cottage style. And spacious bathrooms, with big, fluffy towels. I liked our attic room best because it was pinkalicious.

And because I got to share it with these guys! Regina, Sissy, and Guncle Randy. I brought them each a set of fake teeth to go along with my gappy smile. And we put them in our mouths, composed ourselves, and calmly called a person upstairs, telling them we wanted to show them something. When our guest got up to the top of the stairs, we gave them each a wide grin, then rolled on the floor laughing. We pulled this prank over and over, til we had a room full of people rolling around with us.

Some meals were served in the main house, while some were poolside. Continental breakfasts were available in either building, and were self serve, with plenty of fresh fruit and home made pastries.

The main house was the original, Whitworth family home.

This addition is fairly new, and is where I stayed.

It holds the craft room, as well as two guest rooms, a large sitting area, a kitchen and two baths. We wanted to be here, so we could craft till all hours of the night, and we sure made use of it. I was up till after 1 each night, cutting and gluing. And maybe sipping a tiny bit of wine and snacking on some of the best cookies I've ever had in my life.

I'm not the only one who thought so, although I did my share of emptying out the cookie jar!

And see what I mean about the beauty of the decor?

Stacy went all out.

No detail was left untouched. For High Tea, we were served these specialty teas from Highclere Manor.

With tea sandwiches, fresh baked scones, and clotted cream. I'm very surprised I was able to control myself around that clotted cream. It took all of my will power to not lick the jar clean and risk getting the container stuck on my nose while trying to get to the bottom.

There is nothing as good as one of Stacy's home made scones topped with clotted cream.

Unless maybe it is her chocolate pudding made from a recipe handed down through 7 generations…

Or the champagne jello…

Or the fish and chips with Mushy Peas…

I'd never heard of mushy peas, and now they are my favorite food.

I'll leave you with some pictures of the prettiness. And soon, I'll post about about the crafts. With a craft room like that, I couldn't get in enough arty time. I was enticed to go in there and work whenever I got a free moment.

I really hope to go back. Preferably around Canton time or McKinney flea market days.. Stacy asked me if I want to teach sometime, I wonder if anyone would like to join me?

(photo by Karen)

She only charges $230 per person to stay there (classes, if offered, are not included in that fee), and that is from Thursday at 10am til Sunday at 3pm, with continental breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners included. (Plus whatever classes are being offered at the time, or else you can just treat it as a B&B and rent it for a vacation, not come during classes)

The cost kinda blew me away. I kept asking her again, in case I got it wrong, and then finally wrote it down just to be sure. Really?? Only $230 a person for the whole time, not for each day? And those meals are included? The food has to be much more simple than what we had, right??? NOPE. Elaborate, home cooked, gourmet meals done fresh, with any theme you'd like. Stacy has a culinary degree and knows her way around a kitchen. She says she can cook any style food that is requested. Italian, TX BBQ, or pure British bliss like we had.

I just go this message about a Mother's Day special, if you have free time in May, you should make plans to go! What a deal and what a friendly, welcoming place!!

Mother's Day Special, Treat your Mom, Sister, Daughter or Best Friend to a weekend away of fun, relaxation, crafting, sewing and great food!

I have 2 weekends available in May that I am offering at a discount in appreciation to all the Mom's out there!

These weekends are Thursday 10:00 AM to Sunday at 3:00 PM

May 14-17 and May 28-31

Cost is $185.50 and includes lodging and all meals.

Upcoming Retreat with Shanna Noel with Illustrated Faith is coming to Whitworth Ranch Retreat on Thursday October 22 to Sunday October 25th. This fun weekend will be packed full of devotionals, journal techniques and more. Deposit is $200.00 to reserve your spot. More details to follow. You can follow Shanna on Pinterest and Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/shanna.noel.5?fref=ts

https://www.pinterest.com/shannanoel/

A Fairy Egg

fairies, family

By Karla Nathan / May 6, 2015

Recently, when I gathered eggs, I found an itsy bitsy one nestled in amongst the regular eggs. This one was so little, it looked like a sparrow had snuck in and played a joke on us.

Some of our hens are young pullets and are new to laying. That could explain the size of the jelly bean egg. I looked it up online and read that is common in youthful hens. And a friend on FB mentioned that these are called "Fairy Eggs" or sometimes "Witch Eggs."

Well of course, I liked that!!!!

I saw online that is actually the name used for these mini shells. So, it wasn't a sparrow who pulled a prank on us, it was a fairy!

This egg had to be saved, so I poked holes in each end, and blew out the center, washed it and left it to dry overnight, then brushed on glue and sprinkled it with pixie dust.

I wanted to pack it up and take it to Sissy when I met her in Texas, and was afraid it was too fragile, so I did what any mother hen would do, and built it a nest. I started with a tiny tart tin, and added some tan paint to the metal, then filled it with moss and holographic Easter grass.

To cover the holes on each end, I glued down velvet leaves. Then, topped it with some of teeniest flowers in my stash of old millinery.

Sissy loves all things fairy every bit as much as I do. This egg came along just in time to be a gift for her on our trip.

Following Links

paintings

By Karla Nathan / May 4, 2015

Hope helped me clean up my side bar recently. I asked her about adding some little buttons in a block that held all of my "follow me" links instead of having the long row of ugly connections that were on there at the time.

She suggested that I draw them instead of using the official symbols. Thanks for the good idea, Hope!

After Hope got them on the side bar, she thought the text was a little too small, and we should change the box to hold two buttons across a row instead of three. But that would make the box uneven, so I decided to add a Typepad follow button for symmetry.

Which is a good thing to have anyway, I just never added one before.

So…. if you aren't a follower, it's pretty easy to become one now. Just click on your preferred venue and sign up!

And if you are already a follower, thank you.

May Day Blessings to you

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

By Karla Nathan / May 1, 2015

When I realized I'd be in Texas on May Day, I knew I had to make up some baskets for all of the guests at the Whitworth Ranch Retreat. Dewdrop and I had just been discussing May baskets and I was very happy to have a reason to whip some up.

These are all made from painted peat pots, (I can't get enough peat pot crafting) with a wire handle, and some old lace with a Downton-esque picture. (Our party at the B&B has a Downton theme.)

I lined them with lace cut from an old curtain, and Sissy is going to fill them up with goodies before we pass them out to our friends.

Top Hat Mercantile posted this photo and I knew it would be perfect for Guncle Randy's May basket. I layered the picture over a legal document from 1917 that was the perfect shade of blue.

The scraps from that document were used to line the pot in place of the lace I used for the girly baskets for the others.

Sissy and I are co-gifters of the baskets, but I had to make a special one just for her.

It means a lot to me that I get to spend this weekend with my sis and with friends, old and new. Many of our Birdsong Peeps will be at the art retreat, I'm so looking forward to seeing them all. I'm pretty busy at Birdsong, zipping around doing 30 things at once, so I'm happy to have an arty weekend with friends and family where I can relax and enjoy hanging out.

Thank you, Karen and Stacy for the invitation to this event!

And happy May Day to you all.

Earth Day

cottage, flowers, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 29, 2015

Around here, school gets out at 1:30 on Wednesdays. And if I'm lucky, that is my day to play hooky from work in the afternoon and pick Sugarwings up. Since this Wednesday was Earth Day, we decided to plant something in honor of our planet. And what better to plant than some poppies along the Yellow Brick Road that we had been fixing up?

Sugarwings was excited to see the Lily of the Valley crowding its way out of the ground, she thought it looked like mini cornstalks and decided that when we got our Scarecrow made, it should go right there in the midst of the lilies.

She also had some ideas about getting yard art gnomes to use as munchkins, which sounds do-able. But when she started in on some sort of idea about big emerald gates, I told her it might be out of our reach. I was answered with, "You are an artist, you can make it work, just think about it."

hmmmmm……

This tutu was $2 at a garage sale recently, it is actually a dance costume for a much older girl, but with a few safety pins, it made a lovely Glenda gown for my little sprite.

I think this was the first time I'd ever seen her give up the role of Dorothy to play another part when she is imagining Oz. It didn't last long, though. Soon, the story became that Glenda (or Ga-linda if you are a Wicked fan) gave Dorothy a magical gown, and Sugarwings was back playing the starring role, just not in blue gingham.

A Daphne’s Diary Surprise

collections, cottage, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / April 26, 2015

A while back, Fifi and Mark styled and photographed my home. The pictures were in Romantic Country and Country Sampler Home Tours. When you sign a release, you have no ownership of the pictures and it is a good thing for the photography team to be able to market them and use them as much as possible. It's also flattering when the pictures are popular and resold.

But…. it is nice to know when they are going to be published. I know, I know, I know, that once the team leaves my home, I am out of the loop. That is just how it is. They are on to the next venue and not looking back. That is the industry.

I've done dozens of articles, sometimes as writer or stylist, this time just as the home owner.In the past, I've seen a picture of my bedroom from one article show up years later in another article featuring 5 or 6 different bedrooms. Same thing with my bathroom, or other pictures here and there.

It was always a sweet,little surprise.

But I've never had a whole entire article published in a magazine without knowing about it before. This was a huge surprise.

A friend mentioned to me on FB that she had enjoyed seeing the article. I was flummoxed. What article?

Now, I'm not saying that I'm pissed or that anybody did anything wrong, because no one did. This is just how the publishing industry works.

BUT… it would have been nice to get a heads up.

When you open your home to a photo shoot, it can be a TON of work to get ready. And when I spend time on getting my home ready, I neglect the rest of my work. So, it not only doesn't pay, it takes away from time I could be working and earning some moola.

I think of it as a lark, though, and do enjoy the experience. And I adore my home, it is special to me. So, it is a delight to see it in print.

That is why, it would be nice to know if and when it is printed. Seeing the house in print is the only perk you get from all the prep and hard work, and from the chaos and mess of the day. After photos are taken, the house looks like it has been through hell and back, from all of the moving, shifting, and redoing that happens all day long.

From looking at the article, I'd say that the writer took a glance at one of the other articles the pictures had been used in. And what they didn't get from that, they just made up. Like saying the ceiling was plaster, not pressed tin. Or saying that I recovered a sofa with worn upholstery. Nope, the sofa was in great shape, I just covered pillows in vintage fabric to change it.

Not that these details really matter at all to anyone, nothing earth shattering or rude or unpleasant.

Just incorrect.

Because no one asked me. They just wrote what they wanted to.

Although, if I really had a piece of Chinese pottery, I'd be hiding it in the back of the closet, because I really dislike that stuff.

And while my son did build my cabinets, they are far from plain, I added ornate embellishments to all of the cabinet doors.

It was very kind of Daphne to compliment me on my painting, but the piece of furniture that she added to the page was not anything I own, painted, or have ever seen before.

And I didn't exactly horde a special roll of wallpaper for years, I am an avid (obsessed) vintage wallpaper collector and can open a cabinet in the studio to pick up a roll anytime I need one.

So, attributing the statement that I held onto it, knowing it would come in handy someday, is pure fabrication.

As is saying "that Karla had so much fun doing it."

Not that it wasn't fun to redo the old farm house. Well, some of it was fun, I guess. But I didn't tell her that it was so much fun. She made that up.

Maybe some of the meaning was lost in translation. It is a magazine from the Netherlands. And it is a very, very pretty issue. It is an honor to be a part of it.

So to recap, here is what I'm trying to say:

I'm honored, it is a lovely article
I wish I'd known about it
I wish someone had interviewed me
No one did anything wrong, or violated copyrights, I'm not angry, and hopefully I don't sound bitchy about it
Thanks to Diane for letting me know I was in this, or I might never have seen it
I hate Chinese pottery and do not use it along with jugs when entertaining
I didn't paint that green piece of furniture

ps- If you're interested in seeing a few of the other publications I've been in, I have some listed here. I recently updated it, this page had been neglected for quite a while.

A simple, easy, enjoyable Easter (its kind of late to post about it though)

celebrations, family, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2015

We had a laid back Easter, pretty simple and lots of fun. With time for crafting and egg decorating in the afternoon, which is alway a plus for me. Walmart sells these plastic eggs that are great to embellish and also take paint well. They can be cut open to create an interior scene too. I poked two holes in the top to feed a wire through, and dangled a butterfly on, then made a glittered, moss nest with genuine pearl eggs. It is mounted on a tiny tart tin and has vintage millinery covering up the holes on top.

Since Dewdrop was away, Sugarwings was our only small child for the annual egg hunt on the Fairy Berry Trail.

But she had a little help from a friend.

When I got a new convection oven a few weeks back, I was so excited to try it out, I baked a turkey, and stuck some in the freezer, which was great to have waiting and ready to go for the holiday. I might do that more often. I made noodles with most of the frozen turkey, and saved some of it to make gluten free noodles for Sugarwings. Since we have vegetarians at our table, I also made noodles with Swanson organic vegetable broth. I've found that by adding poultry seasonings to that brand of broth, I get a nice, traditional flavor that works well with noodles. Other brands haven't done as well for me.

Our family has a tradition of eating egg noodles over mashed potatoes at holidays, something that started with my mom.

While it might sound complicated to make three different kinds of noodles for one family, it really wasn't a big deal. And I prepped those along with fruit salad, green bean casserole, and roasted veggies the day before, so all I had to do was pop pans into the oven, warm up the noodles, make mashed potatoes and bread on Easter Sunday. I was happy with myself for getting so much done the day before so that I could relax and enjoy my day with the family.

We had plenty of time to sneak out and go to a movie, "Home". And if you've seen it, you'd know how perfect a choice it was for Easter, those "booves" changed colors with their emotions and the little aliens reminded me of Easter eggs.

Lots of crafting got done by part of our group, while others worked in the garden, and our dinner cooked away pretty much on its own.

I am going to remember how much I enjoyed this day as I get ready for Birdsong. It is entirely possible to have a delicious meal mostly made up ahead of time, so that I don't have to spend as much time in the kitchen, and I can have fun being with people I enjoy.

Birdsong is so special to me, but I often run around so busy, I don't get to hang out the way I really want to. Well NOT this year!! I'm doing some serious planning ahead.

Updates along the Yellow Brick Road

cottage, Dew Drop, flowers

By Karla Nathan / April 22, 2015

You know what I love most about Spring? That the views change daily. Just a bit ago, I posted about repainting the yellow brick road, and the flower bed was dull and gray. Spring popped out some colors and brightened the place up for us in what seemed like overnight.

I also was inspired by my uninspiring, dull photos to do a bit more work in that neglected bed. First of all, by cleaning out the old dead things, like some spireas that were hanging on by a leaf or two, and some overgrown brush that had seen better days. Then, I straightened up the rock border, and added mulch. Dark brown to the raised part of the bed, and regular cyprus to the main part.

After all of that, I still wasn't happy, so made a run to the garden center, and came home with 2 dwarf fruit trees, 2 rose bushes, and a reblooming azalea. I also bought a hydrangea at the grocery store floral department that was on sale for 99 cents because it was done blooming.

I've not had a lot of luck with azaleas in the past, but I have my fingers crossed for this one. And it doesn't really show in the photo, but I"ve got it centered in a shady spot while the roses and fruits are in brighter spots in the bed.

We already have lots of fruit and nut trees in the food forest, but seriously, can you have enough? We added a couple more to the courtyard behind the house too. Home Depot had the small trees for $29. Heck, I think I spend that much a week on fresh fruit already. How wonderful it will be when I can just take a walk in the garden and pick my own fruit instead of having to go shopping for it.

Now, why didn't I do this 20 years ago??? Well, at least it is done now. It's never too late.

We spend a lot of time sitting on the studio's porch and reading, or watching the grand fairies play, so the yellow brick road bed is always right in view. Plus it is one of the first things a visitor sees as they pull into the drive. For some reason, it has always been slightly (some years mostly) neglected.

Not this year! I might even plant some annuals out there, I rarely have, because well, as I said, it hasn't been well cared for. But since I have new trees that will need water, I'll be tending the area better and can keep some flowers watered too.

The shrubs on the outside border of the bed probably need to go. I had hoped they would grow into a hedge to block the view of the highway, but they never get any bigger and just turn brown. Any ideas on what I can plant in their place? We live right on I70 and the turnpike could use a good blocking!

My very favorite thing about this flower bed is how it attracts fairies. This little, curving path is a magnet for sprites, whether they are pretending to be Dorothy Gale, or just skipping along for the fun of it.

If you are wondering why I slurp and spit when I talk…. and some thoughts on aging

Dew Drop, family, paintings

By Karla Nathan / April 19, 2015

Yep, this is me right now.

Ouch!

And Uck!

A while back, I carelessly jumped up on a stool to get something out of a cabinet (without realizing the door had been left open) and whacked myself in the face. I had a bloody nose, black eye, but my mouth looked fine, even though that is where it hurt the most.

Then, one day, weeks after the incident, I took a bite of a popsicle. And my front tooth flew out of my mouth, bounced off a door, and ricocheted across the room. Apparently, I'd damaged the root when I smacked my face into the cabinet door, and the tooth was just waiting for a reason to fling itself of my mouth.

My dentist gave me a temp that was my own tooth glued to something that looks like a bleach tray, which I had to take out if I wanted to eat. Then, he had this temporary partial made, which I was quite happy with even though I don't talk, or eat well with it. I've been practicing saying "Five, fat fairies in the food forest sat sipping cider slushies."

My "f"s have gotten a little better, but my "s"s still sound slurpy.

Since then, I've had some reconstructive surgery, and hopefully will have the two front teeth redone this summer. Somehow, messing with one, messes with the other front tooth too. Sadly, I had just gone through major repairs on these two teeth and surrounding gums a year ago. And now am paying for the same two teeth to be redone again. And the specialist has warned me that I won't get the same look, that it can't look as natural as before.

I keep telling myself that I am extremely lucky to have good dental insurance, and money to pay the deductible. That while this is unpleasant, much worse things could happen, and if it doesn't look as good as before, at least I don't have to be without a tooth forever. Since I've lost my own tooth, I've noticed other people without teeth, and I have a feeling that they might not be as lucky as I am, and are not getting theirs fixed any time soon. Or getting such a nice looking, temporary solution like I have.

Still, I've been a bit down about it all. I'm really trying to not let this gap in my smile stop me from smiling. I've also been nervous about the dental appointments, which isn't like me at all. I don't mind dental work, but this time, I've been thrown by it.

I'm not as vain as I should aspire to be. I go out without makeup, I don't dress up as nicely as I should, or take my gym membership seriously.

And while at first, I was horrified when Dewdrop started playing with the crepey folds on my neck like I was made of play dough, I soon got over it and laughed with her and realized that this would be a happy memory for her, that she would always think of her Grammy's neck as something entertaining, and that that Grammy's lap was a good place to be. And I know how much she loves play dough.

My tooth will be fine, my smile will be fine. I have a lot of reasons to smile and a lot of people to smile with.

So what if it doesn't look as good as it was before, most of me isn't as good as I was before anyway. It seems like weekly, I see or feel something age, slip, ache, or change somewhere in my body.

Still, I do have some vanity that is bothered by all of it. The tooth trauma has been a little quite depressing. But I'll get over it.

And the grand fairies kind of like it. I can play Nanny McPhee or be a wicked witch when I slide my temporary tooth out. I'll just need a stick on wart to complete the picture. Or just wait a few weeks and see what nature provides as my sun loving youth comes back to haunt my aging skin….