Karla's Cottage – Page 207

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

Are you gathering up the good stuff?

parties, show and tell, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / March 5, 2011

Are you ready to show off your creations? I'll have the link party ready Sunday morning and you can add your blog to it anytime through Monday evening.

Your project can be ANYTHING at all, where you have broken free of the instinct to hang on to your best supplies and actually used them.

Sewing, collage, a decorative item for your home. Anything at all that includes bits of your favorite things.

Please make sure you link to the POST that features the item, not just to your blog.

And please do mention the challenge and my blog address so that others can find the list of participants and visit us all.

Your post can be from the past, or a new one. If its an older post, please edit it to add the link back to the party.

As hard as it is to part with the besties, they sure elevate anything you make. I turned these little vintage postal bags into something I really love by adding my favorite things to them.

I'm hoping to make something special tonight just for the party too. There are some supplies I have been eyeing…. its time to delve in and enjoy them!

The postal bags, and some ephemera books (all dripping with the good stuff!) have been added to my Boutique.

And don't forget, you can win a bundle of my besties by leaving a comment.

Mrs. Staggs will be having a giveaway on her blog too. The challenge was her idea. Thanks, Lena!!

Sugarwing’s Low Sugar Freezer Jam, otherwise known as a strawberry spread type thing

family, Food and Drink, how to's, how-to projects, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / March 3, 2011

For not having a recipe and having never made jam before, we did okay last night when we gave it a try. What we ended up with was a unique strawberry spread type thing, and we really like it. So, I guess that is what counts. Whether anyone would ever call it "jam" when they ate it, doesn't really matter to us.

We were going rogue.

While I've never made jam myself, I knew a bit about it. Like you need a LOT of sugar for it to set up. And if you aren't canning it, you need to make freezer jam instead.

We used very little sugar, because I was making the jam myself so I could purposely cut back on it, since Sugarwings has a little bit of a jelly addiction. Well, with a name like Sugarwings, you might expect her to have a sweet tooth…

Here's how we did it, if you want to make some strawberry spread type thing for yourself:

First you need a good berry scrubber with skills in pulling off the "green parts".
After the green parts are gone, cut off the top, and toss the fruit into a blender. We used 2 quarts of organic berries.
We squeezed half of a lime over the berries in the blender and then purreed them. To get the most juice out of the lime, we played with it a while, and got it good and smashy before I cut it in half.
To the berry/lime mix, we added a 3/4 cup of organic sugar and about three good sized squirts of agave nectar syrup, and blended them all together. Have the lid on the blender before your helper pushes any buttons, or else be ready to wipe berry globs off your forehead.
We opened a packet of pectin (found on the jello isle at the grocery store) and disolved it in a 1/4 cup of boiling water. I have a feeling that the jam might have been thicker if my helper hadn't spilled quite a bit of the pectic powder when she poured it into the bowl. If all your pectin makes it into the hot water, you might have a better end product than we did.
Mix the pectin/water with the berries and sugar, then pour into jars. Leave space at the top of the jar for the jam to expand when it freezes.
Let set at room temperature for a couple hours before cooling in the fridge (or freezer if you want to save it for later)
Make labels while the jars set up.

The whole endeavor might have just been an excuse to make labels. Our yeild was small, only three partial jars, so we decorated the lids, too. We had looked forward to making labels too much to stop at three.

For our labels, we used some fruit rub ons and paint markers on water color paper shapes cut out with our punches.

My kitchen might still be a little sticky, but we sure had fun. And our so called jam really is tasty. And good for you too!

To me, it tastes a bit like a Margarita. Sugarwings thinks it tastes like jelly, but she's never had a margy. This spread has more of a fresh berry flavor than a jelly flavor. And I don't think it ended up costing any more than if I'd bought three jars of All Fruit spread. Sometimes, kitchen experiments can go a bit crazy in the budget department, but this one did okay financially.

Plus, its something we will really enjoy eating, and it wasn't hard to make. We also whipped up some home made yogurt, and for breakfast today, we swirled some of our "jam" into the plain yogurt, and it was heavenly.

A new look for the Boutique!

fairies, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / March 2, 2011

My Boutique is back in business!

My pal, Hope, has finished redesigning it and now it is arranged in a much easier way to navigate.

Here is a snippet of how she has redecorated my store for me. It goes along with my blog look better and has a lot of my favorite things on it. I scanned an old rhinestone necklace for her to use, along with the velvet flowers and old flocked wallpaper.

The roses are taken from a watercolor I painted (that is in my blog header), and then she digitally edited the painting to be sepia. Hope pulled all of my elements together in a functional way, and created a design I really like. Then she set up new buttons and categories for me.

So far, I've only got a few things listed, fairies, tag kits, and a couple of other goodies.

But my studio is overflowing with inventory to photograph and list, so the shop will fill up soon!

(vintage jars of buttons $12)

My plans to add more today got interrupted, but in a fun way. Well, fun for me, I get Sugarwings for the night! Not so fun for my son, he shattered a tooth and is in terrible pain, so he needs help with the kids. He has a dentist appointment Friday, which is a long time to wait when you feel that bad. Not fun one bit.

So I'll be picking up Sugarwings at preschool and we will have a sleepover. I bought ingredients to make strawberry jam and home made yogurt. So, we'll spend the evening in the kitchen. I've never made jam, but wanted a low sugar, organic fruit spread for her, and thought I'd give it a try.

I figure if you don't know how to make something, and its going to be a big, and messy affair anyway, you might as well involve a four year old and make it into an adventure.

(Shredded ephemera $5)

Another item coming to the shop soon, is a selection of wallpaper packs. I've been chopping and slicing and ironing up a storm getting them ready. As I cut it up, I have little edges and salvage left over and simply could NOT let it go to waste. So, I made up some bags of shredded paper, and have so much, I added it to the Boutique.

I had planned on just using it as packing material, but I think that there are arty possibilities too. Like nests? Filling decorated cones? Easter baskets?

(fairies $12 each)

If you get a chance, I'd love to hear what you think about the new look in the Boutique. I'm thrilled with Hope's vision of it, and think its much easier to use with this new lay out. Lots of new categories, and sub categories should make it easier to find what you are looking for.

The categories are now listed under the banner instead of down the side of the site. Its much more balanced and a cleaner look, I think.

And I hope that you are getting geared up to show what you've made with your good stuff? Links can begin Sunday morning and the post will be open to link up with through Monday.

Leave a comment on any post till then (as often as you'd like) to be entered to win my prize pack of good stuff!

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.

How to paint a cement floor

collections, how to's, how-to projects

By Karla Nathan / February 25, 2011

The other day, I drove into Kansas City to spend the day with Beth. Whenever I go to her house, I always start peeking around to explore her latest finds. I had some time to kill while she finished something up, so I entertained myself by poking through her stuff. You know you have a good friend when you don't think twice about wandering around her house and making yourself at home.

I could poke around for days and not see it all.

And this isn't even in her craft room. This is a small portion of the stuff piled in the guest room, waiting to be tagged and sold or photographed for Ebay and Etsy.

I'm always attracted to doggie brooches and at first really liked this one. Then I took a closer look, what is going on with the poor creature's mouth? No wonder his eyes are popping! But still cute.

I like the blue fur. I think this dog has been flocked.

This is a pile I could really delve into. Can't you picture a collage in that old watch? It could be like a mini shadow box.

Recently she hit pay dirt at an auction and got a lot of watch bits and pieces. Hmmm…. if I invited myself over for a craft day, I wonder if she'd let me play with some of them?

Beth and I are driving to Texas together for Paper Cowgirls in June and are trying to figure out if we have enough space in the car to take along stuff to sell on vendor night. We'd share a table, so wouldn't need a lot of inventory each. Heck, if she just threw a couple of these boxes from her guest room into the back of the car, the shoppers would be thrilled.

We both drive Scions and they are shaped like a little box on wheels, so have lots of space in them for a small car. But by the time you pack suitcases, tools for the classes, my class kits, etc., things do start to fill up.

I think that we can make a couple of tubs of vendor goods each fit into the car though. I'd want to take some millinery flowers and wallpaper packs. Not anything that takes up much space.

Guess what!? My class at Paper Cowgirls is filling! The site has it marked as full, but there is actually a space or two left due to some sort of paypal button error. So, if you tried to sign up for my class but didn't get in, let me know and I'll see if there is a spot still there.

The reason why I went to Beth's in the first place was to help her with her booth at Mission Road Antique Mall. Years ago, that is where we met- we were neighbors with booths across from each other. Then, we started to share spots as well as each having a place of our own there too.

I was pleased to see that my old booth still had the hand painted floor that I did.

The mall owner let me pull up the carpet in my space and paint over the concrete below. I've done this in homes too, back when I was a full time painter. I've also tried this look on wooden floors and used the same steps. One area that did NOT work was an outdoor patio. And that was because of the temperature fluxuation here in Kansas. The winter freezing and summer heat, caused contracting and expanding that ruined the paint job.

Here is how I do it:

Cut the carpet in strips with a box cutter. Change the blade often, a dull blade makes the job much harder. Pull up the carpet.
After the carpet was gone, I cleaned the space well, getting up any fuzzies left behind from the rug. I didn't bother to sand down the glue marks, I just painted right over them. I kind of like the texture it gives the floor.
Before painting, always use a good bonding primer. Bonding is the key! Not just Kilz. You have to always read the labels, there are a lot of primers out there and they are made for different uses. A bonding primer lets you paint right over any surface without sanding and allows your paint to adhere and grip where you want it to. Look for the words "bonding" or "will stick to glossy surfaces". I prefer water based primers such as Glidden Gripper.
I painted the cleaned floor with a base coat of latex house paint, over the primer, and then did the art work with acrylic craft paints. I used a dark brown for the base, and a sponge roller to create the stone texture in lighter colors over it. Then splatter painted over the rocks before adding the details.
Top it with polyurethane. For the top coat, make sure you have plenty of ventillation, and stay off of the floor for a couple days.

As you can see, this floor has held up great, and it has been there for years, surviving shoppers and lots of furniture being moved around over it.

Here is a link to one of my very early posts, with another cement floor tutorial in it, complete with the arty steps:

Pond Scene on Guncle Randy's floor

Registration is open for Paper Cowgirls!

antiques/junking, bird song art event, how-to projects, magazine pictures or articles, Tutorials, vintage paper/collage art, Workshops

By Karla Nathan / February 23, 2011

Paper Cowgirls is open for registration!

I've already signed up to take a couple classes and am really looking forward to the event. Over the last couple years, I have heard so many good things about it and have wanted to get down to Texas to give it a try.

And I am thrilled to be one of the teachers this year. Well, that is IF ten people sign up for my class…. If ten don't sign up, it gets cancelled.

Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Personally, its a class that I would sign up for, if it wasn't my class, I mean. I really like the piece we'll be creating. I spend lots of time working on the prototypes and figuring out the steps on how to make these mini dress forms.

An idea can be the easy part. Making it work isn't always as easy! It took me a while to fine tune the process and get it down good enough to show others how to do it. I had a practice class with some friends before I submitted the project to Paper Cowgirls. And I'll do a couple more practice classes with two other groups of friends before I head to Texas to actually get paid for showing people how to make them.

As I've visited my favorite antique stores, I've been keeping my eye out for great pieces to add to my kits. Last week, I came across a few bags full of these insulators. Won't they make cool toppers for these dress forms?

Here's another pile of toppers I've assembled. My plan is to have a wide variety for the students to chose from, so that all the end products are unique.

When I go to a class, I always take my extras. And usually from the Bestie pile I've been talking about lately. Because I like my own piece of art to look like MY OWN piece of art, not just like the teacher's.

Oh, I get a lot from the classes and enjoy and use the kits. And I seem to learn a lot from everyone sitting at the table with me. But- I do like my creation to look like I was the one creating it, so I bring supplemental goodies to add to the kit the teacher provided.

So, for Paper Cowgirls, just like I am with Bird Song, I am giving the students the opportunity to make their own choices. There will be kits of course, and they will be filled with lots of vintagey goodness. And since most of the stuff is vintage, not all will be just the same in each kit.

For some of the supplies, I want to have piles on the tables for everyone to pick through.

I'd rather they didn't have to bring their own unique things unless they really want to. I'd like to provide enough to make sure that while we all follow the same steps and instructions, everyone has the chance to veer off the beaten path a bit and art the piece up in the way that calls out to them.

And with all my classes, the students will be Using the Good Stuff! Look at these great laces I bought yesterday from Beth. She gave me a deal so wonderful that I can afford to treat all the students to nice, old lace.

We spent the day together, she let me help her redo her antique mall booth, and I'll have some photos of that for the next post. And she bought me lunch, then hauled me to Costco so I could mooch off of her membership and buy plates/cups/etc for Bird Song and for another gathering I have coming up.

Over all, this has been a great week. Well besides the awful cold that settled into a sinus infection. But now, I have myself heavily medicated for that and the pounding in my sinuses is just about gone. I had Sugarwings a few nights, which makes any week wonderful. Even though, at my age with a sinus infection, chasing a 4 year old and getting up with her in the middle of the night isn't as easy to do as it used to be. Its worth it.

Besides lots of Fairy Grand Baby time, and getting to spend a day with Beth to play decorator in her booth, and signing up for classes at Paper Cowgirls, I also got this copy of Somerset Apprentice in the mail.

I've never been in it before, and honestly had never seen it, I wonder if it is new? But it is GOOD. I read the whole thing cover to cover while I was in the Dr.'s office waiting room and was impressed with the photos and the layout, not to mention the directions.

The whole magazine is step-by-step directions from many artists. It was well done, easy to read and follow. I got some good tips from it! And it made an unpleasant visit to the Dr. go much better.

Hey, thanks for all the comments and emails about Using the Good Stuff. I think the subject was close to the hoader's heart in all of us!

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!

A giveaway, a challenge, and “the good stuff”

sewing?, show and tell, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / February 19, 2011

There were a few plain bags left over after Beth and I made up all of the goodie bags for Bird Song. So, I foofed them up with trims and flowers and pretties that I had stashed in the studio, to use for another event I have coming up soon. This rose image is printed on canvas and it is one of those things that has been waiting for the right project.

Now, I'm a BIG believer in "using the good stuff" as I've mentioned before. But also, I believe in not wasting it and using it willy nilly either!

I hang on to things till the right project comes along. Its not hoarding, no way. Its establishing a catelog of supplies so I'll have what I need when I need it.

There is a fine line between accumulating too much and having plenty to chose from when you are ready to work on something, though. I don't think I can define that line…

But when my pal, Kim, asked me to be a sponsor for her Moulin Rouge event in March (which I can't wait to go to!)- I was at a loss for a moment when she said she needed SEVENTY items for the goodie bags.

That sounded like a lot. But once I glanced around the studio, I quickly came up with plenty of pretties that I had plenty of. What I settled on, was a few tidbits in a glam color palette tucked into little pouches that I made with metallic flocked wallpaper.

While I was at it, I made an extra one up too, and over stuffed it with some fun "good stuff". I realized that I had missed out on my 4 year blog-o-versary and needed a gift to draw a name for.

Then, my blog friend, Mrs. Staggs, commented on my previous statement about always using the "good stuff". She said that like many artists, she struggles to actually use her best supplies.

We decided that what we need is a challenge! Want to join us? Everyone should delve into their best supplies and cut, chop, glue, and enjoy them, then show us what you've created.

I'll host a Linky party so you can share your post about your best supplies.

How about in two weeks? That should give us time to make something good. Of course, a week of that might be spent staring at that great paper and getting up the courage to cut into it….

I'll draw a name for my package of good stuff that day.(Leave a comment on any post between now and then, as often as you'd like, to enter)

You can use this button on your blog so that everyone knows you'll be participating.

Make anything you'd like. Just use some of your treasures to make it!

Retail therapy

antiques/junking, bird song art event, collections

By Karla Nathan / February 17, 2011

Thanks for all your well wishes, Sugarwing's arm is just fine and my cold is fading. I woke up this morning trying to figure out what was different, then realized that I was breathing through my nose again! What a wonderful feeling.

I had a day of shopping therapy, I think I owe my recovery to that. I followed a spur of the moment whim and took myself to the Rusty Chandelier and Jesse James in St. Joe, MO and found a lot of little treats, mostly for upcoming classes.

But this OLD lace jacket was a splurge just for me. Its not practical, and will probably shred and fall apart as I wear it, but I convinced myself it was worth it. And I think I was right. It was only $22, and after it falls to pieces, I can always salvage it for art supplies.

And look at these little velvet posies! I love old flowered hats, (I might have mentioned that a couple times here and there) but I love VELVET flowers best of all. Especially the teeny ones like these. I do tend to spend extra when I find flowers this great. This hat was a bit over the budget line for what I usually allow myself to spend on flowers, but these were such wonderful flowers!

And there are lots on here. So, for $20, I think I'll get my money's worth out of it.

And since I got a couple of other hats for much cheaper, I figure it all averages out.

The cabinet that I keep my hats in is overflowing at this point, but the levels do go down. So, I never turn down hats when I see them at good prices. Once I get my boutique re-opened, I'll list packages of flowers for sale. And I use them. By the handful.

I live by the credo, "Use the good stuff!" Because why put all of your artistic effort into making something and using half ass goods in the project? I believe that a good piece of work deserves good supplies going in to it.

Or am I justifying an obsession? Maybe I buy too many hats…

Nah.

My pal, Lisa, made a joke on her blog about the guests at Bird Song guessing how many hats I own to try to win a prize. Actually, I think it would be a good idea to do.

After a day in the studio, I'll have all the students guess how many hats are in the room, and give one of the hats as a prize to whoever is closest. It will be like that game where you guess how many beans are in a jar. (which I am usually really good at, I've won that game more than once when I enter a contest)

When I got back from shopping, a package was waiting for me! From Kay Ellen Hammer. Her mother invented this great double tape, and they sent 25 rolls of it to give away at Bird Song too. Our goodie bags will each have a pack in them! Thanks Kay Ellen and Jodee!!

While in St. Joe, I also found a stack of old pamphlets from the government for farmers. They were published in the 30s and dealt with everything from how to grow strawberries to how to treat TB at home. I bought about 40, non-disease ones.

And I am stocking up on vintage ribbon for the classes I'll be teaching this year. I believe that my students deserve to use the good stuff too!

By the way, we have a few spots left for the May Day weekend event at my house. I'd love to see you there. Meeting blog friends is always a treat. If you are interested, email me for an invoice. Details can be found HERE.

EDIT- One spot left!

I'm going to be adding a link for all the Bird Song attendess who have blogs, onto my links page "pretty places". Today, I cleaned it up a bit and made it look spiffier and easier to read.

Links are how we all get to know each other in blogworld, and I am always happy to share. If you'd like to exchange links with me, please let me know and I'd love to add you to my page.