Karla's Cottage

Zombie Invasion

We live in a great town, it has everything, a good school system, community arts, a vibrant downtown, loyal Jayhawks, great food, and zombies.

Yep, real live zombies. Not the dead kind.

 
We went downtown for dinner, and snagged a street side table to watch the annual parade.

At first, Sugarwings was enjoying the site as the zombies arrived and made their way to the start of the parade.

But soon, we were in the middle of HUNDREDS  of the walking undead.

That is when she dove under the table.

I have to admit, it was pretty freaky.

I thought about joining her under there!

But she could see we were having a lot of fun with the parade and we'd been talking about costumes and how zombies aren't real, so she came out and joined us for dinner. 

But she did stay on her Pop Pop's lap.

The food was great, the weather was perfect, what a great night to sit outside and eat a big ole juicy steak as blood drenched corpses walked by.

This was a fund raiser for the Humane Society.

It was $15 to join the parade, and I'd love to know how much the shelter made, there was a huge turnout.

Zombies of all ages participated.

Brides seemed to be very popular.

And the local costume stores must have sold out of fake blood.

We saw the Skipper and his Lil Buddy, Santa, Batman, Superman, you name it, that zombie was there.

And many were ready to stop and chat at our table.

Some of the acting was really impressive.

And some of the costumes were almost too scary.

One little zombie boy stopped and gave our Sugarwings a flower.  She was really warming up to it all by then.

Soon, she was hiding under the restaurant's menu board and jumping out to scare people herself.

But her bravery didn't last, one zombie pulled the same trick on her, jumped in her face and growled. The poor kid was terrified after that and just sobbed.Luckily the parade was over and it was time to go home.

  I felt so bad for her.  She'd been having so much fun watching the hoarde go by, til that one girl jumped into her face.

My mom raised me to love horror movies, and my boys watched them growing up too.  Sugarwings has always been attracted to the scary characters in every fairy tale and story, she is a big fan of flying monkeys, witches, and trolls.

But I don't know if zombies will be very high on her list of faves.

We'll see.  If she takes after me, she'll be fond of them.  

 

 

Ariel, Ursala, and some odd witch thing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Romantic Cottage White Shabby Chic Farmhouse Vintage Kitchen remodel before and after

Since the remodelling began, I've been showing bits and pieces here and there, but haven't posted a completely finished view of the room. So, here are some pictures of the mostly done space.

there are a few things left to do. This dark chair by the window needs fixed up. I got it for $3 at a garage sale recently. (this is the mud room, the main entrance to the house from the breezeway)

I still need an island, and found a piece at the Salvation Army to redo. And the chandelier over the table needs to be hung so that it hangs over the center of the table.  I'm missing a light switch cover. 

The best part is the floor!!!!!  (I do have some rugs, but had to wait a few weeks to set them out so the top coat on the wood would cure)

I had hoped for a more even, cocoa brown, but love this dark color the stain turned out.  After all of my trials of stains, it didn't even matter, because the spot under the fridge and stove where I was experimenting was a different wood than the rest of the floor anyway.  The house was built on whatever wood was growing nearby, and all took the stain a little differently.  

But its all perfectly beat up, and wonderfully distressed, and exactly what I had hoped for.  We got lucky, when we started tearing out the layers and layers from years of linoleum and vinyl, we could have found a big mess. Instead just a few areas needed fixed, and it all worked out better than I could have hoped.

The glass block back splash (only about $150 from Home Depot's online store) is really pretty with the sun coming through. 

There had been a regular window on this wall previously, and I was hating the thought of losing that light.  This was a last minute idea to fix that and it is one of my favorite parts of the room.

(wooden spoons are kept in the pitcher)

This is the same spot before, you can see the window that we lost.

And here is a before shot while the wall was still between the two rooms.

The buffet is now under the dining room windows, and I moved the corner cabinet over to this side of the room.

This is a before of the same angle.

My son keeps teasing me because despite the flooring, ceiling, and wall changes, everything is just the same. I kept the color of the walls a toasty tone, the cabinets didn't get repainted, I reused all the stuff in the room. 

Mostly because now, even more than before, our house is very open and you can see from one room into the next. If I'd changed the colors too dramatically I'd have had to redo all of it.

And I like my stuff.  And did I mention that I am cheap?  I tried to keep costs as low as possible by reusing what I had.  If you only buy what you love, and shop for unique things with a timeless feel, I think you can get away with shuffling it around and giving yourself updates by reusing your pretties in different ways.

I like to use lots of neutral colors, so there is a soothing background in my home. Its easy to mix and match that way. And if I need a splash of color, I can add accessories here and there.

The big painting that was in the dining room, is now in the living room.

And now the dining room curtains are in the living room too.  The living room curtains might become a shower curtain later on...

This is another before shot, looking into the kitchen from the mud room.

Same angle, without the wall.

I can't get enough of the ceiling!

We took out the wall between the kitchen and dining room, but added a small wall between the kitchen and mud room. Our fridge is now turned to face the kitchen with its back to the new wall, this has been a good change, and is much more functional than before.

We really like the new fridge with the double drawers on the bottom for the freezer but- it has a teensy little ice maker. I didn't notice that before... I might get a smaller freezer to keep in the garage too.

I'm also going  to try to wean myself from the habit of cooking way, way too much, then freezing some for later. Because months later we just throw it away. 

These are two watercolors I did years ago. One was hanging in the mud room, the other in the living room, now I've moved them to the kitchen for a spot of pink in my creams and taupes.

While the room is mostly neutral, there are still lots of roses and pinks in all the smaller details.

And there are still whimsical pieces scattered about too.

Believe it or not, I really did scale waaaayyyyy back and didn't put all my pretties back out again.

But I kept all  my special favorites, and some things are tucked away to rotate back in with seasonal changes.  Somehow, having one big space made me feel like the clutter was too much.  I had to pull some things down off the wall and pack some more stuff up after I thought I was done. I felt better after those changes.

I did away with some stuff, and tried to be more practical with others. A lot of the dishes in the step back cabinet in the mud room are things that I use a lot, and they were hard to get to in the regular cabinets buried and stacked up out of reach. Now they are behind glass, easy to find, easy to grab when I need something.

I guess what I am saying is that I put the more decorative, less useful stuff away in the harder to reach places or got rid of it, and instead gave myself easy access to things that are practical.

Best of all, the contractor was great to work with, and the job went fast, and came out under budget. He still has a few loose ends to tie up and will be back for those, but I am over the moon, thrilled with the job he did and my new space!  Sometimes I just like to sit and look at it.  And pinch myself. 

I'm  linking today to Cindy's show and tell.

PS- I have FINALLY added some more dress form kits to the Boutique.  They are neutral, like these examples, with French text, old German sheet music, some flowers, ruffled crepe, sparkly bits, lace, pearls, and buttons. Plus everything else you need to build your dress form. Half have wooden spools, the other half comes with porcelain insulators.

Just in case you are ready to start making some Christmas angel dress forms. If you order a kit (which comes with online directions) please let me know if you want a packet of mica flakes to go with it to embellish an angel. I'll throw it in for you.

Also- if you have already paid for the online class, please let me know, and I'll refund that amount from the cost of the kit. edit- one kit is left, it has a wooden spool topper

And another PS- Pixie Pie is home from the hospital and recovering nicely! Thanks for all your care and concern. We were very worried about our little sweet heart. Her best buddy, Sugarwings has been talking nonstop about her and waking up with nightmares about her cousin being sick. I'm so glad she is better, it was pretty scary to think of her so ill.

Halloween decor, cheap and simple

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They were "gang green".

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

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

Prayers please for Pixie Pie's speedy recovery

Dear little Pixie Pie is ill. She is in the hospital with meningitis. 

Her mother posted on Facebook that the hospital has a site where you can make a free card for her, with a message that the staff will print and take to her.   She is 4 and loves to get cards. If you'd like to send her one, it just takes a couple of seconds to do, and I'm sure she will enjoy getting one. 

It breaks my heart to think of her in pain.

If you want to send her a card, please contact me for her info.  The site is here 

Fairytale highlights

Once Upon a Dream was just plain dreamy! What a perfect event.  I'll have more photos soon, so far, I've barely had time to glance at them. When I got back from my trip, Sugarwings and I started decorating for our big Halloween bash that we've been planning. Every time I talked to her on the phone while I was away, she told me her latest plan for our decor, and it made me so happy to know that she thinks like I do.  There are always some sort of decorating ideas flopping around in my head too.

There are great photos of Jenn's event all over the blogworld and on facebook right now. And I have some more to edit and post too, but for now, I thought I'd show you a few of my highlights.

The view was spectacular and there were so many scenic spots for photos, this tractor was a fun one.  If you could balance on it, that is.  Honestly, the thing was not moving, I don't know why I am riding it like it is a rodeo bull.

Doesn't look like I had much better luck with this tractor at the Biltmore Estates.  The guy behind me seemed to get a kick out of watching me try to not fall off while I pretended to be elegant. The elegance eluded me.

It was such fun to get to help make Jenn's vision come true and do some of the set up. 

And I was thrilled with how my booth went over! There was hardly anything left to take home.

Hopefully, the fairies liked my class, I know I enjoyed teaching it.  The night before, I drew instructions in the bar over drinks, I'm glad I did. The acoustics in the room weren't the best for teaching, and written instructions helped.

There were lots of new friends to meet.

And beautiful views. This was my view from my spot at the table on our work day.

There was shopping too. I bought this Magnolia Pearl lace top at vendor night (actually, I bartered frozen Charlotte dolls for it, or I'd have been too cheap to buy it)

This light up magic wand is a gift for Sugarwings, but I didn't think she'd mind me using it to facilitate hosting the crown swap.

Did I mention that we got to be FAERIES ALL WEEKEND LONG??????????!!!!!!!!!!!

Even though I was wearing so many layers of skirts that I felt like Ralphie in a Christmas Story bundled up to go play in the snow, it was a blast to get to be a grown up fairy out in public, day after day.    I think I'll wear this for our Halloween gathering tomorrow night, I already miss being all fairied up.

After the party, I'll have some more pics of the fairytale event.  And some party pictures too, as well as the final kitchen photos, along with the 'before' pics of the room too. Oh, and I junked a lot on the trip, and have those snaps to show you.

Now, back to hanging witches and ghosts on the wall for the big to-do.  Have a great weekend!

Altimount Illinois has the coolest old junk/antique store! I need to go dig some more before I hit the road.

Well my vacation is ending. Today I am driving back to Kansas and back to work. I eased the transition between being with all my fairy friends in Asheville by stopping to see my sisses in Indiana.

And the best part there? Craft day! We made Halloween creatures, witches, goblins, and spiders.

Here is Sissy's hat and spider along with my spider.

Her witchy hat is made of sparkly felt over which she sewed vintage beaded chiffon trim she found on our junking day.

Our spiders are from the same box of vintage goodness her piece of trim came out of. Mother of pearl and rhinestone buttons with wires twisted thru the shank on the back. We then Slid jet beads (from her same box of treats) onto the wires and bent the ends. The heads are a flat bead with two old rhinestones added.

Well, time to hit the road. If I can find some good antique malls along the way home I'll post from there too.

Patsy the Monarch Butterfly

Lawrence is a great place to live.  We love it here for so many reasons. One is Pendleton's Farm, where you can spend an entire afternoon playing with butterflies, petting horses, going on a hayride, and tagging and releasing Monarch Butterflies. All for FREE.

(there is great shopping too, we always buy some fresh veggies, or local made jams while there so they can stay in business and we can keep coming back)

There is a butterfly garden that is nurtured all summer, then the flittery little bugs are tagged by guests, and taken outdoors to float away.  Sugarwings met a butterfly named Patsy that she released into the wild.

There is a lot of fun, farmy activities there, like a corn bin to waller in, a tricycle dirt bike track (yes, I raced a trike too), a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and other stuff we didn't even get to because the corn was so much fun.

A local winery was doing tastings and there were samples of fresh goat cheese too.

Yes, I tried the wines.  But that isn't why I jumped in the corn bin.

I'm just a giddy grammy, wine or not. 

 

 

A humming bird moth

My cleome patch is both my best and worst flower bed ever. I love the way it looks when the flowers are tall and in full bloom.  But I hate waiting all year for that couple of months of beauty. The rest of the year, it is a patch of dirt.  Right in front of the house.   I should plant something shrubby and more year round there, but I just love those two months of beauty so much, that I never do.

Plus they attract hummingbird moths.  These little pretties are such fun to watch. The first time I saw one, I was sure it was really a hummer.  They come out after dark and their wings are in constant motion just like the bird it is named after.

When I saw that I could get inches away from it and not scare it off, I realized it was a bug, not a bird.

Aren't they pretty?

 EDIT- This post was written ahead of time, before I left on my trip. I'll have new posts all week while I am away, but might not get to answer all comments or emails, but I will be reading and enjoying them on my Ipad. Thanks for coming by! I hope to add some "Live" posts from the road too.