Karla's Cottage – Page 137

A quick trip to Ft Lauderdale

By Karla Nathan / January 17, 2015

My poor husband flies a lot for business but lucky for me, he flies so much, that he earned a companion pass for me to go anywhere he goes for free. When I heard he was flying into Ft. Lauderdale to play golf in Palm Beach, I decided to tag along and snag some Florida sunshine.

Well, I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but there wasn't a heck of a lot of sunshine. I didn't even need to unpack the sunglasses.

But Ft. Lauderdale was warm, or mostly warm enough. Better than Kansas, that is for sure.

Oh, there was some sun, and we had a whole day of exploring, walking along the beach, and dining by the ocean at H20 Cafe The food was great, the view even better.

And yes, my wine was almost empty before my food arrived, for lunch. It was vacation time!!

We only had the one day and night together there, but we squeezed in two ocean side meals. Dinner was at our hotel, and I fell in love with the back lit menus.

The veranda was a bit chilly, and other guests left to eat inside. But we were near a heater, and in a more closed off spot, so the wind didn't bother me, I just wore layers and braved it. When you only have one night on the beach, you just have to go for it and not complain about a little cool air.

Because it is OCEAN AIR!!!!!!!!

And worth a couple of shivers here and there.

This was my tip top, best ever, most favorite hotel to stay at. It was pricey. But, for just one night, we didn't mind. I loved all the details, our room had plantation shutters, lace curtains, gingerbread, and lots of white wicker.

Pretty furniture too. Oh, yes there was a mattress on that pretty bed frame.

But we moved it to the seating area, so we could prop the patio doors open and be near the ocean waves all night. The room was a little chilly (like my whole trip) and the outdoors was warmer than the indoors, so having the doors open warmed me up.

And nothing is as soothing as listening to the waves.

Cute entry ways to the rooms, huh?

I wish I could've stayed longer, but I was happy and lucky to get one night there. Of course, the rest of my trip wasn't too shabby either. I went to the Land of Guncles. I thought I'd hitch hike a free ride to Florida with my husband, "swing by" and visit family a bit, and enjoy being warm during the middle of a freezing Kansas winter.

Well……. while the Guncles have a heart warming and welcoming home, it was forecasted to be 25 degrees in Jacksonville. And "swinging by" to visit Jacksonville while in Ft. Lauderdale is like telling someone who is visiting Lawrence, Kansas that they should "swing by" St Louis while they are in town.

Which is not close.

But Jax from Ft. Lauderdale is even further.

And so worth the drive. I even got to pick some flowers and oranges from the garden before anything froze.

I'll have more pictures from the wonderful world of guncles next time. It was very festive there!

Will we be seeing you at Birdsong 5?

bird song art event

By Karla Nathan / January 14, 2015

Wow, five years??? How lucky am I to have such a great group of friends come to Kansas each spring to visit me and be a part of Birdsong?

We will be having 2 classes, plus lunch on Friday June 5th, with dinner, wine, shopping and swapping that night. On Saturday, there will be two more classes, with lunch. Coffee, tea, and plenty of goodies will be served throughout.

At Birdsong, you are a guest in my cottage, it is relaxed, casual, and homey. No dress codes, (heck, I've sometimes forgot to change out of my slippers for the day), we just hang out in the studio and on the patio with friends, creating and laughing.

Class kits will provide 100% of everything you need to create something lovely, you just bring the suggested tools. And they will be taught by my delightful buddies, Lori Oles and Andrea Singarella. as well as myself.

4bs

Cost is $395 and can be broken up into 3 payments.

Registration is now open to anyone who has attended any of the workshops in my home or has donated to the goodie bags for Birdsong. It is so meaningful to me that many past attendees want to return each year. Thank you so much!

I'll open it up to new friends after our buddies have had a chance to enroll. If you are interested, please contact me for an invoice at:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

I hope to see you here!

Cottage Garden Fence

cottage, Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 11, 2015

Way, way back, before the cold snap hit here in November, my son built us a new fence.

I had some very specific needs for it:

*The gate had to be on a spring, and swing closed so the grand fairies didn't let the dorkies out.*

*The gate had to be very lightweight, and it had to open easily, so those fairies could get in and out by themselves.*

*IT HAD TO BE PRETTY!!!!!!!!!! And if it looked like it belonged on a fairy tale cottage, that would be a big plus.*

The gate is under the deck off my husband's office, right outside my studio door. Here is a photo in process, where my son started wrapping vines around the posts. The top photo shows all the vines twisted into place. I plan on planting Clematis at the base of it, to fill in even more.

The metal filigree panel at the very top, under the deck, is a vintage one I had hanging around. The ones built into the fence and gate are from Hobby Lobby, and were on sale for 50% off. I love my son's idea for building them in.

The area outside of my studio is where the girls play most of the time. So, their Daddy made the fence feel like a play area instead of a barrier. He cut hearts into the wood so they could peek through.

And he drilled holes to pound marbles into, to give the space some sparkle. There are plans to add a lot more marbles later on, but while finishing up the fence, we were hit by a huge wave of cold air.

It was the weirdest thing, one minute, it was a beautiful fall day…. the next, a huge whirlwind of leaves blew over us, bringing temperatures about 10 degrees lower. From one minute to the next, the temps dropped. And then kept dropping. So, we were done working outdoors for a while.

At first, I was worried about the kitties, and wondered if a new fence would pen them in. Nope, they love it and spend a good part of the day running around on the top of it.

And now, our entire courtyard is fenced in. The place looks like a maze, with so many partitions and gates, but the dogs and chickens love it. There is a fence in the front yard, with a doggie door for the little fuzzballs. Then, there is a huge chicken run. And the side yard is fenced. Now the courtyard. All the gates can be opened to connect them, or only select areas can be left closed off. And then, there are extra gates big enough to drive a truck or 4 wheeler through if jobs need to be done in that part of the yard. And a gate that can connect our yard to the neighbor's yard so their dogs can come and play with our dogs.

It's kind of weird. But that is how my whole house is built too. All customized just to fit our needs. We will never be able to sell this odd conglomeration of mazes, doors, hallways, gates, fences. We are stuck here forever.

We don't mind though. We all kind of like it here.

2014 Resolutions, pass or fail? Happy New Year!

family

By Karla Nathan / January 8, 2015

Do you do New Year's Resolutions? I did a whole list last year. And maybe over promised myself…

Some were accomplished. I've tightened up control on the pupeesh. Dorothy (or Derffy, as Dewdrop calls her) is a leash dog. She has favored pee spots, but if she is leashed while in the house, she won't go to them. It's not a perfect solution, but it works when I pay attention.

SO-SO, NOT REALLY A FAIL, BUT NOT A SUCCESS EITHER

I had a miserable fail with the resolve to repair my handwriting skills.

BIG TIME FAIL

Another resolution was to host little workshops. Romantic White Christmas was a result of that one, and it was so fun, that I left my tables full of supplies up til, well…. they are still not put away…. and had friendly little gatherings with buddies and family to make more ornaments. I think this year, I'll have multiple dates of ornie workshops, maybe a few weekends in a row.

I really love doing that.

Small, intimate groups, where you can just sit and chat while making pretty things is so relaxing and rewarding.

But maybe I should resolve to not let the mess pile up into January? Nah, I've learned to stick with resolutions I can reasonably manage. Nothing hard like correcting illegible hand writing or keeping a tidy studio.

Along the lines of doing more workshops, I'm happy to have got this online one launched too.

YAY, PASS!!

One more from 2014 was trying to get my Etsy and Boutique shops up and running again. Hmm, well, uh, hmmm…..

When I list things, I sell pretty good and am happy with it. Sugarwings and I sold a ton of dyed trees (she and I work on them together every fall and I pay her for her help) and kits always zoom out of the shops (there are a few left, since I made lots of extras this season), but did I work at it consistently and add things on a regular basis?

Nope, and there were months that I paid that $12 fee for the Boutique that I didn't make the money to cover it.

FAIL

The 5th goal for 2014 was to host a swap. So, I made about 100 book covers and had artists mail in pages to put together "Nature's Blessings" journals. That goal was another happy spot in my year and gave me a major sense of accomplishment.

PASS!

(you can click on this image, open in a larger window, save it to your computer)

On a more personal side for the year, I learned to let it go. (I heard that song enough from the grand fairies, I had no choice but to focus on that).

To walk away from negativity. I heard a quote that stuck with me, and has really worked for me. It was "What you focus on gets bigger". So focus on the positive, not let worries pile up. Because if I think about the bad things, those just grow and grow.

I'm not saying that I don't face my problems, because problems do need solving. But I decided to not let the ones I couldn't fix take over my head. When something is out of your control, you have to accept it, cope and do your best.

And I am truly blessed with enough positive aspects of my life that I have plenty of wonderful things to use as a focus point!

I'm thinking I'll make this an official resolution this year. I'll make it #1 of the 5 I decided on for 2015.

*****************************************************************

2015 RESOLUTIONS

#1- Focus on the right things, don't let the bad ones grow into boogie men in my head. Deal with what I can and accept that is all I can do.

I notice myself getting impatient and easily irritated as I grow older and I DO NOT want to become a crotchety, old geezette. I embarrassed myself three times this year by being a grouch. My poor sisses heard it on the last day of our Florida trip, and I had a behind the scenes snit fit at Birdsong, (that hopefully, only good friends saw), and the other was just too embarrassing to say out loud. What a Bi**%%#$tch.

So:

#2- Be nice, stop, take a breath, and smile before snapping. Maybe even a sip of wine, then think about it. By then, if I still am feeling impatient, irritated, or pissy, I can feel free to show it, it must be justified.

Or else I'll become a wino…

#3- Stop letting Diet Coke sneak back into my life after I worked so hard to give it up a few years ago.

#4- Keep Derffy Rosebud on a leash or train her better. I'm not giving up. And along those lines, I'll say that I'm going to still work on those 2014 resolutions, even though the one about the handwriting is as doomed as it can be.

#5- Maybe a double dose of #2. I really wasn't very nice a couple times this year.

The Circus School and getting my act together

bird song art event, Travel

By Karla Nathan / January 6, 2015

A couple weeks ago, we attended a school performance by teachers and students at the Last Carnival.

It was during the holidays and the kiddos were dressed up like little elves.

It was an interesting night out, and I was thinking about how lucky we were to live in a town with such a variety of things to do. I tend to be quite a homebody, but part of my quest to soak up every aspect of Christmas, had me saying yes to unique experiences. And I was glad that I did.

Of course, now that I've said I'm a homebody, and my last post was about just getting back from Texas, I have to mention that I'll be in Florida visiting Guncle Randy for a few days. Lately I've been on a roll. Like the rolling stone too busy to gather any moss, huh?

Or the artist too busy to start advertising Birdsong.

I haven't gotten my act together on that yet.

But I hope to soon. Sometimes I feel like I'm hanging upside down and spinning through the air like this lady. But I have a feeling she is in complete control and knows what she is doing. I'm just spinning.

Oh well, grab the fun when you can, say yes to adventure, and go for it. There is always a cozy chair, good book, or TV show to watch later when the spinning stops. Or maybe after the spinning stops, and I get my work done, then I can sit back and zone out in front of the TV? I do need to plan Birdsong, huh?

Will you be attending this year??

Family Vacations aren’t always what you’d plan them to be

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / January 5, 2015

Our trip to Texas wasn't exactly what we had hoped it would be. But it was filled with moments like this, and that is exactly what we wanted.

We packed up with excitement, hoping for 60 degree days. Knowing it would be too cold to swim, but planning on long afternoons reading on the beach while the girls played in the sand. And we were thrilled to be getting away from the deep freeze of Kansas.

But it was soooo cold in Texas, we were barely able to skiddaddle over a pier to get out to a restaurant on the water. We also had booked hotels with no indoor pools, so didn't have a sub for the sand.

Til we discovered that Schliterbahn water park was covered! We love the Schliterbahn in Kansas City and go every summer, so we thought that would be the perfect solution to battling the cold and it could save our vacation.

Once again, not exactly what we had expected. The place was draped in plastic sheeting and had heaters, but I wouldn't call it an indoor pool. And it was freezing that day, with winds coming through the gaps in the plastic. And with condensation from the heated pool that made big drips fall unexpectedly from the visqueen roof right down the back of your neck. Or into your drink. Or your iPad.

But there was a huge table of holiday crafts set up. The girls and I probably used enough glitter glue and pipe cleaners to make up for the ticket price to get in to the park that day. The grand fairies spent half their time crafting, and the rest in the heated kiddie pool. We were all too frozen to go elsewhere and ride the slides.

It ended up being a very fun day. I bundled up in a jacket, the littles stayed under water and kept warm, my husband and I sat in lounge chairs and watched them play. I heard that the raging river ride had artificial snow and was a lot of fun once you got used to the chill of the water temps, but I stayed bundled in three towels and a jacket and had my fun watching my little sprites enjoy themselves and make friends in the pool.

The park was decorated cute for the holidays, and they did their best, with themed activities and lots of space heaters. But the temps were about 20 degrees below average for that area for that time of year and I don't think the water park was meant to be used on days that cold. On a 55-60 degree day with sunshine heating up the plastic walls, it would probably be very nice. But I can't recommend it on a day in the 30s.

On our way home (all dry and warm thanks to "family dryers" that you all climb into and pay $3 to be blown dry together, pretty fun and the perfect end to a cold afternoon), we simply had to stop by the Gulf of Mexico for Dewdrop, who had never seen the ocean.

We ran as fast as we could, because it was about 40 and windy.

Because everyone knows that the happiness of being at the ocean, and plenty of giggling will keep you warm enough, temporarily at least, to visit the water.

And yes, the happiness and giggling worked.

At least for these two. They ignored the icy feelings and waded right in. Notice that there are no pics of ME doing that??? Nope, I didn't take off shoes or coat, or get too close. But I'm so happy that Dewdrop got to experience the waves.

And the sand.

And since they were wearing their Anna and Elsa jackets, they had to sing, "Do You Want to Build a Sandman?".

Because it was too cold to stay at the beach, we took them to the Rainforest Cafe, thinking that would be a real treat, but Dewdrop saw the flames shoot from the volcano on top of the building as I walked in to check on seating, and she thought for sure I'd met a certain death. So, a fun treat, became a torturous threat to her. Poor kiddo.

To make up for the lack of sunshine or warm weather in Galveston, we headed up to Grapevine and checked into Great Wolf Lodge.

Where Dewdrop fell in love with the "marshmallow bears."

And story time in the lobby.

Not to mention the constantly warm, 84 degree swimming area. Now THAT is an indoor pool! Not a space heater and plastic wrap sham of an outdoor pool pretending to be an indoor complex.

If we'd had any idea how well run, clean, friendly and wonderfully warm that place was, we'd have spent all of our vacation there. (and probably all of our money, it was not cheap for one night during the week between Christmas and New Years)

Sugarwings and I agreed that it was a lot like going to Disney. I thought it was interesting that she picked up on that. Great Wolf in Grapevine shares the same attention to detail and themes, plus caters to families and has the same welcoming service that Disney offers. It's of course, on a much smaller scale, but they sure do it right.

The lifeguards are attentive, the staff is constantly cleaning, picking up wet towels, smiling, and working hard. I can't recommend it enough.

Over the years, we've had plenty of vacation mishaps. Record cold in the Bahamas, a back thrown out in Florida, the flu on a cruise ship, and other small issues that could ruin a trip.

And of course, on every trip, there are always these moments too.

But it is the special, sweet moments on a trip that stay in your heart. While the mishaps just become funny stories that your family tells and retells over the years. Vacations aren't much different than every day life, just in a different location (and cost a bit more)

And when you have hugs like this, life is pretty good, no matter where you are.

Thank you so much to Christee, Caike, and Adam for letting us have this time with their tiny fairies. It was so nice of them to let us take them along.

January whites

cottage

By Karla Nathan / January 3, 2015

It is good to be home again, and to have my home de-Christmassed. As much as I LOVE having it all foofed and shiny for the holidays, once they are over, I want the stuff gone, gone, gone. And I kind of like to keep things slightly spared down for January. I guess it is all the time cooped up in the cold weather, I start to feel overwhelmed if there is too much going on in the decor.

When Spring comes, or when I start hoping it is coming, I'll get out the floral curtains, cushion covers, and set out vases full of flowers.

But for now, it is all about extra, soft blankets piled on the sofa, and simplicity.

Hmmm, maybe that could be my word for 2015? Nope, I couldn't do simplicity all year.

By the way, Happy New Year!

Some holiday projects

family, guncles, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / December 31, 2014

Was Santa good to you this year? I think I was pretty good to Santa, myself.

I found this guy at a charity thrift shop for 75 cents. He wasn't brand new, but not quite into the category of vintage yet.

I gave Santa a makeover with some lux velvet, a rhinestone buckle, wool roving and goat hair.

I was trying to keep it a no sew project, and I like the effect of the two toned coat, with the dark, rich velvet bottom that I added and the velvet belt. The material that made up his jacket seems to be just fine with just the top showing.

I couldn't get his sack of toys to work as a no sew piece, though, I had to get out the dreaded needle and thread to stitch up a sack made of felted wool.

Then, I stuffed it and added some presents wrapped in vintage papers, a tiny gold horn torn from a 50s Christmas corsage, and candy canes made from twisted chenille stems from mini Shiny Brites.

The velvet I used for Mr. Claus was a unique piece. It was lined with felted wool. I used it to make these stockings too. (please avert your eyes from the awful sewing job I did on these stockings! I should NOT have used fancy gold thread that really stands out and shows my lack of skill, I should have gone with the color of the material instead)

One, complete, for Guncle Kevin. And one in a kit for Guncle Randy who loves to craft.

Along with the stockings, I sent them a clear ball with them inside all decked out as elves. It is a picture I took of them at their wedding and I added a tag at the top with the date. On the back, it says, "Finally!" (They waited almost 20 years to be legal)

These guys always appreciate a hand made gift. Randy is a crafter too, and understands the love that goes into something created just for someone special. I hope he will enjoy making his own present….

This year's Christmas cards featured the angel I made for the Nature's Blessings journal swap. I had a few extras left over and thought they would be appropriate. I didn't have quite enough to do many cards, but was able to whip up a few. I'm not all that good about mailing cards anyway.

A couple of other angels got makeovers this year too. When I saw seashell angles at Kohls, I knew that I needed to get them for my sisters, in remembrance of our Florida trip in October.

But of course, they needed a foofing.

Crowns, lots of ribbons, sea shells from the trip, sparkling doodads… and more. This is the back view. That poor little angel has so much stuff goobered onto her wings, she'll be lucky to ever lift off again.

The one for Bobbie got a necklace and a scattering of hearts on her skirt (Bobbie's last name is Valentine).

Sparkly, happy, rainbow feet- a Pinterest fail, but still fun

how to's, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 29, 2014

At the end of the summer, I found these canvas Mary Janes in the clearance bin at a craft store for a couple bucks. I kept thinking I'd turn them into something arty and wonderful, but realized that Sugarwings was going to outgrow them before I got around to it.

So, I turned them over to her. I'd seen a Pinterest pic of a tee shirt rainbow done with Sharpies and alcohol, so thought we'd try that.

It was a big deal for her, because she isn't usually allowed near a Sharpie. Permanent markers and 8 year olds rarely are a good mix.

We used a dropper for the rubbing alcohol, and it only took about a 1/4 cup or less for both shoes. We realized that the marker wasn't bleeding as much as we liked, so we scribbled in more yellow here and there. Yellow is a nice color for blending when you are creating a rainbow effect.

The silver marker did nothing. No bleeding at all. Maybe it faded a bit, but it wasn't the best color to use for a tie dye look.

But it was nice for her lettering, the words, "Love" both stayed legible, but the pink hearts melted away.

I washed them alone in the machine with hot, sudsy water and they a bit faded. I just hope they didn't shrink. Kids' feet grow fast, and I've had these around a while. It would be too bad if they were already too small.

Still, it was a fun project, and I think we will try it on some other things. One problem we did have was with the alcohol burning a small ouchie on her hand, so she asked me to handle the dropper for her. I doubt if a band aid would prevent that, but gloves might for next time.

Now, we probably need to add some glitter fabric paint before she wears these, doncha think?

Our Christmas

Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 27, 2014

Sugarwings and her mommy spent the night with us on Christmas Eve, so we had her here when she woke up to find what Santa had brought to her.

And to check and see if he'd found the cookies she'd made for him the day before. (Yes, and speaking for the jolly, old guy, I have to say, they were YUMMY!)

We do our family party on Christmas Eve. It's a day of hanging out, baking, dinner, and then opening gifts together.

Mid-afternoon, we realized that we had no cookies to leave out that night! Oh my! So, we all chipped in to mix, roll, cut, bake and decorate a giant batch of sugar cookies and a small batch of gluten/dairy free ones too.

I discovered that almond meal is perfect for dusting the table to roll out the gluten free ones. I'm not a fan of most of the flours used in that kind of baking, and if you dust with them, the cookies aren't very good. Almond flour was ideal, plus it gave a nutty flavor to the goodies.

Making cookies at the last minute set us behind a little on our dinner. So, the prime rib got into the oven a bit late, then just would NOT cook. It was taking forever, we started in on gifts and decided to open a few before we ate.

So we had some back and forth, checking on dinner and opening pressies. Till we realized that the hunk of meat was going to be in the oven way, way too late, and we might still be waiting to eat, with Santa sitting up on the roof waiting for us to get tucked in so he could come on down.

We went into high gear, slicing up the giant slab of prime rib, and turned it into rib eye steaks, while my husband fired up the grill (in the dark, on a 30 degree night).

I was glad he did because, man, were those good, and grilled to perfection!

My son sauteed a few pounds of mushrooms with eggplant and golden beets, and I'd baked a layered red beet, asparagus, and rainbow carrot casserole. Along with that, we had smashed potatoes with garlic aoli sauce and panko crumbs. Plus fresh, homemade rolls, and canned green beans from Aunt Jenny's garden.

No one minded waiting, it was delicious, and a big group effort.

And soon, we were right back into the fray. Leftovers were popped in the fridge, the table was cleared, and dishes were piled up to do later, getting those packages open was much more important.

We like to open one gift at a time, with everyone getting to watch and enjoy seeing what the other person got. That way, there is time for modelling and admiring the presents too.

And plenty of time for hugs and thank yous.

We are all about the hugs around here.

See what I mean?

I hope there was lots of love in your day too.

For the rest of the week, my husband and I are loading up these two fairies and driving south till we find some sunshine. It's an impromptu trip and who knows what we will find on our "maventure" as Dewdrop calls it.

Our adventures have been nonstop for the holiday, and it is very exciting that they are still ongoing.

Last week, we saw "Mary Poppins" at the local theater the same day that we attended a "Santa Splash" at the indoor aquatic center. Along with all of the other parties and plans, it has been one fun event after another for about a month of Christmassing. A little vacation is just what I need to rest up from all of the celebrating that I've been whooping it up with since Thanksgiving.

Between being on the go all of the time with holiday happenings, buying and wrapping gifts, shipping packages like crazy (by the way, thank you for all the shopping at my Boutique and Etsy store!!), being sick for months, (I'm finally done coughing, it was a Christmas miracle), redoing the bedroom (pictures to come of the new look) and everyday life, the beach is sounding pretty good right now. I hear it will be too chilly to swim in the Gulf, but I'm happy with playing in the sand.

There are new pre-posted blogs upcoming, so please do check back. And have a great new year!