Karla's Cottage – Page 233

Paper Dolls and other fun projects! Sign up to play along!!

By Karla Nathan / October 7, 2009

My pal, Mary, is hosting online tutorials that she is calling "Artist Class". If you sign up for her program, you get lots for your money, classes from a selection of artists, tips, tricks, photos, videos, downloads, patterns, on and on!

I'm lucky to be included in her group of teachers! My project isn't ready yet, to show you exactly what it will be, but you might be able to tell, that it will be paper doll dresses.

You can go to Mary's blog for details, but PLEASE use my code to sign up!!

karlascottage

(It has to be all one word, too.)

With my code, you get a $10 discount and I get paid per student!!

She will have lots of artists and all are doing something different.

Because I am going to keep track of "my students" and have special prizes and drawings for supply packs.

What will I have to offer for the lessons?

1. Detailed, step by step instructions with photos

2. Patterns of dresses to print and cut out

3. Vintage wallpaper scans for you to print and cut out to use for your dresses

4. One hand drawn paper doll, scanned for you to print

What are the prizes I am offering for those of you who sign up using my $10 discount code karlascottage?

1. Drawings for vintage paper packs and supplies to use for making the paper doll dresses. I will offer one pack per 10 people who sign up for Mary's classes who use MY $10 Discount Code karlascottage.

So, if 50 people sign up, I will give away 5 gift packs of ephemera. If only 2 people sign up, I'll give out one ephemera pack. But I really hope we get a big bunch!! I have plenty of old wallpaper, and am happy to share!

2. One drawing from the whole group of students who sign up using my $10 Discount Code karlascottage for the original hand drawn paper doll that I use to create the patterns.

I hope you will sign up and play along with me!

(Please note, that these dresses posted today, are examples of past dresses I have made, not the ones that I will be teaching you.) And thank you so much for using my $10 Discount Code karlascottage to join in!

A Farmhouse McMansion

collections, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, jewelry

By Karla Nathan / October 5, 2009

My house was empty over the weekend, just me and my dogs. When not parked in front of the DVR with a bowl full of popcorn, I spent time making some jewelry.  But mostly, I watched way, way too much TV.  
My TV addiction has become a serious problem.  I might need an intervention.  Or follow Beth's advice and get a job as a TV critic.
 
  
I was in a girly mood when I did this one.  Hmm, I think I'll switch the blue oval rhinestone with the rhinestone flower, this isn't balanced… I also think some pink crystal beads would be nice to add.
That is why I make my jewelry far in advance of an art show. I look it over, wear it, see if it hangs well and is comfy, or catches on anything. Changes sometimes need to be made.
 
Sugarwing's Daddy brought home a free dollhouse for her.  While I think it is magnificent, and actually kind of looks like our house (if I added some black shutters to it), its a bit overwhelming. Wow, it is huge!
"That's what she said."– see, I watch too many "Office" episodes, I am quoting Steve Carrell.
 
This mansion has hinges on each end so that a third of the house swings open, as well as part of the roof lifting up. I'd say it was hand made, with a lot of care. 
And big HEAVY ply wood.
 
My fairy grand baby already has a nice doll house in her room. This one is sturdy, wooden and hand made too, I found it at a garage sale for $20 a few years ago and painted it to match her room when she was big enough to play with it.  Its large, but not overwhelming like the white one her Daddy brought home to her.
 
Plus, it is furnished in just her style, with the blue flying monkey and rainbow haired troll dolls feeling right at home there.
 
There is a vintage log cabin with no roof that we use as a book case in her room too.  Its also from a garage sale, it was $10.  I lost the roof somewhere, and painted it white.  
It was probably worth something before I "fixed it up".
 
There is also a doll house in my studio.  This one does double duty, I dump her toys out and take it with me to shows, its a great display shelf. Its tall and lightweight and adds a visual impact to my booth. 
I certainly couldn't do that with the 2 ton, 20 room version that my son brought home this week.  Heck, maybe I'll use the new one for a dog house, its big enough for all three Dorkies to move into.
Notice how Twinkle automatically poses when I get out my camera? She thinks the photos are all about her. When I pick up the camera, she sits and waits to be admired.  The dog is turning into a bigger ham every day.
 
See what I mean? She can't imagine I'd take a photo without her in it. If you've wondered why I call the Yorkies "Dorkies" its because of their silly, and adorable behavior, like this.
 
Yes, Twinkle is pretty good company, she is right at my feet all day while I work, and is endlessly fascinated by all that I do.  I find myself showing her what I am working on, and her little head tilts to the side like she really cares and is intrigued by what I came up with. 
And of course, she thinks some things just look like dog toys. She really wants one of these chicks.
 
Not that she is getting one.  I kept a few for myself to make some things, and the rest are listed in the Boutique.  I've sold a LOT of them, but there are still some left.  But I can't recommend them as dog toys, no matter what Twinkle says.

Dollar Day

Books, Food and Drink, jewelry, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 3, 2009

Yesterday, I had a mini craft day. Beth, Mary, and I all had things to do for Silver Bella, so we decided to hang out and do them together.  I had a few little gifties for them, some ephemera and a chocolate from See's Candys. 
Beth brought a giant tub of jewels, a big box of buttons, and a stack of laces to tag and sort, one of those boring jobs that goes better with company.  Although, the jewels weren't boring to me, I loved looking through and playing with them.  
She even paid me a dollar to sort them out.  She also offered Sugarwings a dollar to sort buttons. Maybe Beth comes to visit for the cheap labor?  
 
It was a day full of finished projects for me, I am thrilled to be getting long neglected things completed!
For a while, I have been buying sewing boxes, jewelry boxes, and other vintage containers to foofify.  And hadn't touched them, they've been piling up and overflowing from the tub I had them in.  I felt like they were going to bury me in an avalanche if I didn't get around to them soon.  So, it was a relief to take an afternoon to whittle down the pile and get a few foofed.
 
There are a couple million dolls waiting for my attention too.  Some things, I just can't pass up while shopping, even though I should… Old dollies can be pretty cheap, and all they need is a bit of love, care, glue, cleaning, millinery and ironing.  Well, that does sound like a bit of work, no wonder I avoid them after I buy a pile of them.
But yesterday, I grabbed a couple of dirty dollies and got to work. And learned a trick from Beth.  She said that ribbons can be ironed on a lightbulb!!!!!!!
I had no idea, but it sure makes sense and really does work.
So, I pulled off a lamp shade and rolled a ribbon across the bulb, and that took all the wrinkles out immediately. I didn't even have to get out the iron and the board.  
So, I figured I'd try it on a doll skirt.  That worked great too, just open the skirt, drape it over the bulb and rub it around.  It looks very, very wrong while doing it (because the doll was stil in the dress), and elicited a few off color remarks, (I'll leave those to your imagination) but hey, it was easy and the wrinkles are gone!
I just hope these poor dolls don't feel too violated.
 
I got a good start on earring making too.  During the summer months, I collect vintage bits and pieces to remake into pierced earrings, necklaces, and bracelets for the fall art shows I do.
 
So, I'm planning on devoting most of this week to getting my jewels made up, tagged and ready to sell.
 
Isn't this a PERFECT display for them!?  I hope to have it all filled up by the end of the week. Then, I'll just close the lid, set it aside and it will be all ready to go when I leave for Silver Bella.
 
Sorting out Beth's jewels not only earned me a dollar, I found this little girl pin that was perfect to put on the cover of the Alice in Wonderland book I'd been working on.  Beth also brought me the rings to put the book together with.  So I got that finished too. 
Not a bad day of production!
 
When I was done, my son had this meal waiting for me! Roasted red peppers from the garden, rice with cilantro, and grilled tilapia.
Not a bad day at all.  Plus I made a whole DOLLAR. There are lots and lots of days that an artist can't say that!

Re-Do Day

vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / October 1, 2009

Yesterday was Re-Do Day.  I started with the white lady and Frenchied her up with the 1921 magazine that Zita sent to me. I saw a title on one page that said 
"Le Sphinx Blanc" and used it on the front, and added a white rose underneath that.
Now, I dont' speak French, but was guessing it meant the white Sphinx?  It seemed to fit her mysterious aura.  Unless of course, that isn't what it means.  I could be WAY off. But in my mind, that is her name now. "Sphinxy"

Hmm, does anyone else think that half circle shape on her neck looks like a hicky?  I didn't notice that before…

While in heavy duty re-do mode, I brought an accumulation of dark things outside to paint. I used my Lazy Woman style of painting, spraying with primer, glazing, then top coating with spray poly. (instructions on the side bar)
(Sphinxy got a coat of poly over her decopauge too)

When I saw this old clock, I was swept off my feet! My sister-in-law was the first to find it on our shopping trip to Rusty Chandelier.  The tension of waiting till she made up her mind on whether she was buying it or not made me twitch with desire to rip it out of her hands instead of standing next to her pleasantly and politely while she pondered her purchase.  

Its not easy to be a nice person sometimes.  But, my theory is, that there is a lot of junk out in the world and there is no reason to be grabby and mean about any of it. No matter how drop dead gorgeous it is, and no matter how much I think it is destined to be mine.
Well, she passed, so I picked it up and told her I'd buy it if she didn't but if she changed her mind, it would be OK.  I was lying through my teeth about the OK part, but would have made myself believe it was really OK, if I absolutely had to and she changed her mind.
I wanted to use it as a frame for a photo of my fairy grand baby, but when I got it home, realized that the clockworks were not coming out very easily, plus it was a nice clock, an 8 day wind up.

But even though the clock itself was cool, I wanted it to be a softer look for my house, so I covered the clock face with white and cream flocked wallpaper to match the paint job I did on the frame.

See why I wanted it so badly? Its ideal for this spot. Plus, did I  mention it was only $26, and really quick to redo?

Both of the statues got the same paint technique, white primer with cream glaze. I added another glaze coat of sage green over that. 

The (pink satin lined) suitcase from the Rusty Chandelier gold mine shopping trip was a really easy redo, too. I just covered up a black and orange picture on the lid. (why? why? What made the manufacturer put orange and black on the cover when the interior was a perfect pink???)

 I cut out a piece of pretty flocked paper to fit, glued it down, and used my paint can opener to pry up the rubber edges of the suitcase trim to tuck the wallpaper under.  It looks like it has always been there! 
The glass door cabinet was spray primed, then painted with a bisque colored paint that was left over from another project. After that, I distressed it with some sandpaper. I'm trying to decide on whether I have the patience to redo the interior… but I didn't get it done yesterday and now Re-Do day is over. 
Getting back to something is not easy. I try to finish a project immediately before I switch gears to something else.   And after doing all these things, plus a few others yesterday, I have to say, I am ready to move on.

Won't Sphinxy look great next to this hand covered in French ephemera?  I'm excited about my displays for upcoming shows now!
Here is some more of my loot from our shopping trip to St. Joe, MO.  My hat whispering skills were in fine form that day.

After cleaning up all my  Re-Do Day mess, Sugarwings helped me make dinner.  I cut up an eggplant, then gave her the "stump" of it, with the stem "handle" to use as a stamp.

 We used a butterfly shaped cookie cutter to made a design in the eggplant for her and she inked up her stamp with a washable marker instead of getting eggplant all over one of my stamp pads. 

And how do you get a 3 year old to yell, "Yippee!" when they see eggplant at dinner?  We cut the slices out with her butterfly shape before frying them and serving them over the top of penne pasta with lots of cheese.

Thanks for all your comments this month. The winning comment in the September Cauldron of Brooches giveaway is:
JANIS 
All comments on this post and every other post this month will go into the hat for the October drawing, what ever the heck that will be.
And on the subject of comments,   up to 250 comments  Kelee gets on her fund raising post will generate a dollar each towards a donation to the Northland Animal Shelter.  Visit her, say hi, and give those abandoned pets a dollar!
You can also win a $100 Hobby Lobby gift card.  Now, that could make me yell "Yippee!"

Pet Parade Party

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 30, 2009

Oh My Gosh! I'm late linking to Keylee Katillac's fund raiser for animal welfare. And then, when I get started, I see that Twinkle has won first place!!

Since
the scarf we were to design for the fund raiser was a Lance Armstrong,
LIVE STRONG theme, Twinkle posed with a bike for her photo. Plus, the
scarf is so big on her, doesn't she look like a super hero? (I even
cut it in half for her, she only weighs about 7 lbs).

For her Live Strong scarf, I simply cut it in half, and laid out
some velvet flower petals on it, then sewed part of an old apron over
that to make a see through pocket to hold the petals. Its held on with
a vintage ribbon tie, and vintage millinery is pinned to the bow.

Since the apron is made of tulle, you can peek through it and see the Lance Armstrong motto printed on the yellow scarf.

Go
and check out the other dogs at the party, and make sure you leave a
comment, because each comment means a $1 donation to the shelter.
Also, you are entered to win a gift certificate for ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS
to Hobby Lobby!

Please help Keylee help the dogs! She has already raised $2,000 through this campaign, lets get those pups some more money!

(Notice Twink's new tags, I feel safer for her now)

And while Sugarwings loves to play hide and seek, she was
so heartbroken when she couldn't find her Toto. If Twinkle hadn't lost
her tags, we wouldn't have lost her!

Also, please
remember, today is the last day to leave a comment here for a chance to
win the September giveaway. Wow, that month sure flew by fast!

40 ways to say happy birthday

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Food and Drink, how-to projects

By Karla Nathan / September 29, 2009

This morning, we celebrated a friend's birthday with a brunch at my house.  It was a simple meal, organic vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit salad, and Rhodes cinnamon rolls hot out of the the oven, with a birthday candle stuck in them.

Since she was turning 40, a group of her friends came up with 40 charms for me to make into a bracelet for her.  We've done this for a couple of other pals in our circle on their 40th too.

Since 8 different people bought, or made the pieces, it really looked like a charm bracelet full of tidbits collected over a lifetime.  Some had special meaning, like her kid's photos, a coffee pot (to symbolize our regular coffee gatherings), a bowling pin (from bowling dates together), her initials, etc.  But some were just cute little things that were "filler".  

Since she owns two dorkie pups from one of my dog's litters, I really tried to find a Yorky charm for her.  But, one of her dogs is a giant, king sized terrier, that I swear is half golden retriever (we had goldens at the time too, so I really think that is possible…), so I figured that this over-sized blue dog looked enough 
like him to work.

To make the charms with her kid's photos:
 I bought frame charms from the craft store, and cut out at plain bit of green paper to fit them (her favorite color).
Then, I found photos of her kids on my computer, edited them to black and white, and emailed them to the copy store with instructions to reduce them so that the faces were just under 3/4" inches.
Color photo copies seem to work better under paper glaze than the pictures I make with my own printer. The ink never runs with photo copies.
I cut out the faces and glued those to the green paper, and covered it all with a layer of paper glaze. Love that stuff! It is self leveling, so you don't have to be perfect with it. You do need to watch it as it dries, though and pop any bubbles that form. (use a pin)

After it was all assembled, I wrapped the bracelet in a green, vintage hankie and put it into a decorated cone.  The Dollar Tree store was selling packages of these gold or silver cones 6 for a dollar! 
They were pretty as is, and make great favor wraps, or small gift packages.  I added a medallion with her initial, and then pinned some festive ribbons to the bottom with vintage brooch that she can take off and wear on her jacket.

This photo is a bit redundant, since I've already shown you the bracelet, but hey, look at my new lady!!  She is from Rusty Chandelier 
one of the BEST antique malls, EVER.  She isn't named yet, or finished. I am thinking about covering her in old French ephemera like I did the hand that Robin gave to me.

Especially since this gift just came in the mail!  Zita sent these French Canadian books to me and the pages are just perfect for redoing the face of my new lady, huh?

She'll be wonderful for selling hats and necklaces, plus will class up my booth a bit!

Before I get to work on her, I need to go and tidy up after the brunch. I never mind the after party mess, its usually a time to think about who said what and what funny things came up, and to enjoy the pretty dishes and bowls as I am washing them up.

Just like picking up after Sugarwings. Her leavings often give my heart a little tug, like this pile of her favorites set on the stairs waiting to be carried up to her room.

Back to normal

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, flowers, holiday decor, show and tell, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 27, 2009

Its so nice to have everything back to normal, with Twinkle home.  Sugarwings is no longer telling everyone "Toto has wunned away" and the two of them are happy to be reunited.  Since she is convinced that she is Dorothy, she has also decided that Twinks must be Toto.  Which works out fine, because she can't say "Twinkle", she always says "Ankle" instead. 
Yes, Toto sounds like a cuter name than Ankle. And that dog will answer to anything. 

Thank you for all of your kind words about my little dorkie taking off.  I really don't deserve them, it was ALL MY FAULT.  Poor dog. But, she is home now and I am making sure she stays this time.

Over the weekend, I finally broke my losing streak in hat gathering. Lately, I've not done well at all, and Beth reminded me that I had created my own shortage by buying all the hats up in the surrounding area.  But I did manage to find a few this weekend and might be able to reclaim my hat whisperer title. I thought I'd have to retire it, I'd been on such a long dry spell of hatlessness.

Most are already stripped naked and packed up, ready to fly out of here.  I love this little bouquet of about a dozen white flowers with a scattering of purple velvet posies. When I saw the hat with those next to the ugly green and orange hat, I knew that together, they'd be great for Halloween decor or crafting. 

It was an estate sale blast this weekend!  One here in my town was amazing, a beautiful, newer home on the golf course isn't usually the place to find old things, but it was jammed with a lifetime of great stuff. I was so surprised to see all of it. I was glad I didn't blow it off, like I normally would a house in that neighborhood.  I bought boxes and boxes of sheet music and a big stack of these spooky old napkins. So, I made up little craft kits with some of these things and have them listed here.

 On Friday, I explored the unexpected treasures at the country club house, and made a big haul.  Then, Beth invited me to Kansas City to shop with her on Saturday. And how could I turn that down? She is an estate sale master and knows where to go, what to avoid, and how to find the best deals.  Plus, I was still an emotional wreck from the Twinkle-less week and wasn't feeling too creative. I thought some more shopping therapy could help.

And of course, it did!  Isn't a bit of junking is good for the creative soul?  Sometimes, buying some new, old crap is just what I need to get me wanting to hunker down in the studio and work away.
I'll be getting out the jewelry making supplies and playing with all the rhinestones that I've been lucky enough to find lately.  

Don't you think that this picture is just trying too hard?  Its a great example of Photo Styling Gone Bad.  Too much loot, too much trying make it look cute in a picture. Just because I found pink Christmas lights, does it mean you really need to see them? 
 Sometimes I wonder about how I spend my time….  I'd better go do something productive, I'm off to the jewelery making tools and getting to work!

 And don't forget, if you want to win some vintage jewels, you still have till the 30th to enter by leaving a comment on any post. 

Gone

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers)

By Karla Nathan / September 25, 2009

  Twinkle went missing and it was all my fault. I had a door open during craft day to air out the room and enjoy the breeze while we worked. Twinks slept under my table or wandered out to check on the rabbit population every once in a while.  She is not a runner, she always stays close and comes when called.  But, bunnies can be tempting and I guess, she went too far.

And it seems like I have some bad habits that I need to break. I let my dogs wander around the yard when I am out, and since we have 10 acres, they have plenty of room to roam. But, we no longer live in the country. For 10 years, our house was in the middle of no where. Then neighborhoods came in around us. But for about a year a half, the road in front of the house was closed to traffic due to construction.

 

 So, we got used to not worrying about the dogs getting out. They aren't the types to run off, they stick around.  But now, the road is open, there are a thousand houses around us, and there is constant traffic on the street and the side walks.  When someone sees a little dog out, they scoop her up to "save" her. They are trying to help, not knowing that the dog isn't lost.  
Plus, the dogs could get run over, if they ventured further.

Apparently, that is what happened on Tuesday after craft day. Someone saw Twinks in front of the house and took her home.  We searched everywhere, called the Humane Society 4 times, went in to there to look, twice. Hung flyers, made posters.  

After no luck for two days, I figured she was gone forever.  

Not only was I worried, I felt so guilty about letting her disappear right from under my eyes while I was having fun chatting with my friends.

Somehow messages got lost at the pound, but today we got it straightened out and were able to retrieve her.  She had been well taken care of by someone who thought she was neglected and lost, and picked her up from our sidewalk. 
And honestly, they are probably right. A person should know where their dogs are and not let them wander. I don't live in the country anymore and she isn't a big, old, rough and tough farm dog. She's a sweet little bit of fluff and deserves to be treated like one!
Plus, look closely at this photo that I posted recently— see the hook on her collar? No tag! It had fallen off, and I didn't even notice.  Poor baby, its not like she can tell people where she lives.  
So, on the way home from picking her up from the good Samaritans, we got her new a new tag, with 5 lines of info, so that there is no questions about who she is and where she belongs. 
We are going to get one of those radio controlled collars for her too.

I can't begin to tell you how lucky I feel to have her back.  And how guilty I feel for letting this happen to her TWICE in recent times.  
I've been a careless doggie mom.
Do me a favor, please. Go and check your dog's tags, just in case.  You never know when they might come loose without you noticing!

My little Pretty

Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 24, 2009

Guess where we went?

For the 70th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz, our local theater had a special screening of the restored movie. I bought tickets a week ago, luckily, because it was completely sold out. We must not be the only Oz fans around, huh?

We just happened to be the only two in the whole city who dressed up for the occasion. My husband is such a good sport to go out with me dressed like this, isn't he?

(I didn't wear the hat to the theater, it was too big, and since the show was sold out, I knew I couldn't just sit the hat in the next chair)

Sugarwings couldn't wait for the show to start. We went early to get good seats, and still had to sit way down front. Then, there was a documentary about the making of the movie that I really enjoyed, but it wasn't really geared to a 3 year old. Then, the movie screen went black for about 20 minutes till they could get it fixed. But the crowd was in a good mood and there was even a crowd wide sing along in the dark while waiting.

Our littlest Dorothy sat patiently waiting for the show. Which was worth waiting for. I know I'd never seen the movie on the big screen before. Its really quite beautiful, even with the old fashioned special effects. Movies weren't quite as smooth in those days. We could see the strings on the flying monkeys, and the gaps in the lion's costume. (disturbingly near his crotch, which made me keep my eye in that area way too much, wondering if the gaps would show again. Not that I wanted to see the lion's loins, but it was kind of like when you try to not think about a pink elephant, your mind just stays right where you don't want it to. )

But the very best part of the movie? Snuggling with Sugarwings, oops, I mean Dorothy. That was officially her name for the night and she wouldn't answer to anything else.

It was also pretty cute at the end of the movie, when she stood clicking her heels together in the lobby saying "there's no place like home" as the crowd veered around her on their own way home.

Bungled baubles, an Alice Obsession, and parading pooches

Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / September 23, 2009

Yesterday, at craft day, Beth brought her embossing supplies for me to try. I've never done that before and was intrigued with the idea of embossing small collages on these medals. So, I thought I'd share some step by step how to's with you.

But, it turns out that I am not very good at embossing. The paper bubbled and burnt, the finish looked thick and gloppy. Maybe you'd appreciate instructions from someone who actually can do it correctly? You certainly could do better asking anyone else but me!

Sorry.

So, no new charms to add to the Boutique. I will probably salvage them to tie onto things, they are cute enough to use that way. Just not good enough to make into a charm bracelet or necklace.

I did finish this old box and add it to the shop, though. It was in pieces when I got it, so it is all repaired and re-glued and covered with pretty vintage papers, then topped with a pale pink rose.

My guess is that it at one time held a manicure set. What do you think?

Also, thanks to everyone who snapped up one of my vintage goods prize ribbons. I made another with a triple row of ruffles, then thought I'd make up a few more till I ran out of crepe paper.

So, there are a few more added to the Boutique, waiting for you to let me know what initial needs to be added. All the initials are hand drawn and glittered, no stencils, or patterns. Also, no two are alike. And now, I'm out of crepe paper, and since it was an old roll from a flea market, that is the end of that.

Now, I am obsessed with making an Alice in Wonderland book. No reason, just because. It really is a bad idea to get started on…. I've got Silver Bella to plan for (those 10 feet vendor booths hold a lot of crap to sell), house guests coming for the rest of the week, and a trip to Florida to help clean out my Great Aunt Caroline's home.

Also, the Sugarwings Grumpy Fairy book needs a tweaking. The website that I had it printed on sucked about as much as my embossing skills…..

So, here I am, fulfilling a whim and playing with this Alice spread instead of acting like a big girl and getting my work done.

But look at how much fun it is!!!! I've had that cat with green eyes postcard on my desk for years. When Mary gave me an old Alice in Wonderland book cover, I knew immediately that I needed to add a Cheshire grin to this picture and turn it into a book.

I drew the grin onto paper from the back of an old greeting card, so it wouldn't look too new and stand out for the wrong reasons. then glued it on. I've made up about 8 pages so far, so hopefully, this obsession with be done and over with soon, so I can get back to business.

Before I get back to work, I want to tell you about a fund raiser to help pets. You can get details at Kelee's.

She is hosting a blog party and every link earns the charity $3.

Hope to see you there, Sept. 30!