Karla's Cottage

Its just too hard to stop myself

While wrapping up some gifts to take to Silver Bella, I thought I'd gather up the gift for the November Giveaway. So many of you were hoping to win the bundles of vintage trim that I gave away earlier this month, that I thought I'd tie up a few more bits of it and offer that as the giveaway. 

I'll be away for the weekend, and will be swamped when I return, so might not have time to answer your comments, but will enjoy reading them. And each one goes into the drawing for the prize.

The blog redo that Hope did for me, is so pretty and is exactly what I wanted. I'm loving the new look! So I wanted to thank her and bring a little gift to show her how much I appreciate her work. I look forward to seeing her again, its so good to reconnect with buddies at the event! The flocked wallpaper I glued onto the book is the same that she used for the side bars of my blog.

She keeps an art journal, and is a champion doodler.  I thought maybe she'd enjoy an ephemera filled book with her name on it to fill up with her artistic ramblings.

Making a book for Hope got me fired up to make a few more...

Mary had given me a stack of old book covers, and I am finding them very compelling.  Little books filled with old papers has been something I've been making for a couple years now, and it is even more fun with these book covers.

Each is filled with with a mismatched assortment of papers, plus some tags that I like to trail ribbons and doodads from.

The last few days have been a hodge podge of little projects, as well as running errands, packing up and over all getting ready to go.

There is still a LOT left to do.  So why do I get so side tracked?  I didn't need to make books. I should have been packing up my supplies instead.  Or why did I make myself a brooch to wear on my coat?  That's just how it goes around here.  I can't help myself.

My Sissy gave me this cubic zirconia pendant, that looks like a crown, and I thought it would be great on one of my vintage medal ribbons with the "K" pendant that was a gift from Carol, last year at Silver Bella.  With a tiny  millinery rose added, of course!

My table is filled with an assortment of things that I decided I need to add to my booth, so I still have some price tags to make and packing to do. The truck is loaded and ready, but there are always odds and ends that get added at last minute.

I almost envy the people who ship their vendor goods... they at least have to limit themselves and not go crazy with inventory.  I went crazy with mine.

Silver Bella Bound

Since returning from our Florida adventure, I've been knee deep in Bella preparations. I've set up 3 tables, as a practice run to see how everything fits and what I need to bring. Since we have a SHORT set up time and I have a LOT of crap, I mean, beautiful and precious things, I needed to do a dry run.

One table is all jewelry and foofy stuff.  One is all Christmas and hand made stuff and the third is supplies.

After setting up the displays, I tagged everything and started packing it all up in a way that would be easy to pull out and set up quickly.  Well, at least that is the plan... I'm crossing my fingers that it works that way!

All lighting, table clothes, tools, tapes, extra tags, calculators and cords go in one container. 

Last year, I made a lot of display mistakes that I think I might have corrected for this year. But who knows.  I'm crossing my toes as well as my fingers that all goes well.

For 2008, I'd stocked too many flower packs in one small area. Now, I have less, and have them divided into two containers, easier to shop through. 

I'm also bringing a lot more supply type things, like the big 4" x 8" shipping tags that I like to use myself. I have cases of them, so might as well put some out. They are a great size to work with.

And do you remember the vintage glitter that my friend gave to me? I reproduced the label of the can and added some of the glitter to jars with the "old" labels.  I had more than I'd ever use.  And they make such a cute display on this spice rack that I got from the Good will and painted white.

So, 2 tables are packed and one to go.  I'm getting close! Now, I'll have a few days to enjoy gathering up supplies for the workshops, and gifts for friends.  I'm meeting a bunch of  people a day early, and then going to    Wallpaper Heaven again!! Can't wait.

But I've got to run now to make it to the PO before it closes. I'll announce the winners of Aunt Caroline's trim bundles next post. Your comments can still count on this one too.

In the pastel forest

Thanks for all your well wishes for poor little Bookie.  His fever is gone, and he is doing better. But I can tell that he is still feeling bad, he follows me around and stares at me, like he is begging me to help him. It just breaks my heart to see him in pain and confused about what is going on with him.

My trees are coming along well.  I have some of the actual vintage ones that I have dyed and glittered listed in my Boutique.

There weren't very many to list, because I was using them all up in my own projects! I've been decorating the trees themselves, and also using them on the Putz houses that I've been remodeling.  But I've got lots more soaking in the bleach right now and will be dying them tomorrow. 

Sugarwings has offered to help, so I'll be dying them in Kool Aid.  I've never tried that but hear its wonderful to use.

There are a few more finished pastel trees in my Etsy shop, too.  Not many until the fairy grand baby and I get that soaking sinkful finished.  Hopefully, we'll do that tomorrow, because I need to RE-DO  the glitter on my Grumpy Fairy books over the weekend!!

The printer made a mistake and the covers that I spent hours glittering were cut wrong.  But I didn't cry.  My lip might have trembled a bit, but I took a deep breath, and took the box of pages back and asked for a redo.  I'll just need to set aside a few more hours to glitter these new covers.  Oh well.  That kind of mistake happens, I just have to deal with it and get glittering.

While waiting for the new book covers and for the dark trees to bleach out, I started planning my Silver Bella booth.

Next week, we are going to Florida to help clear out my Great Aunt Caroline's home, so I want to have everything done and ready before then. When I get back, I'll do price tags and pack it all up.  I'm  happier if any show I do is packed and ready at least a week before the event. It makes life so much more calm and enjoyable!

So, in the front half of my studio, I'm setting up a 10' x 10' booth to play dress up with my goods. We have a very small window of time to set up the booth on Vendor Night at Silver Bella, so I want to be as prepped as possible. No surprises, no problems, all planned ahead.

Plus, it would be hard to relax on my trip to Florida, if I was fretting about all the work I've left behind.  And this is a special trip, Sugarwing's first time on an airplane!

We have a day to go to the beach in Jacksonville, then down to Orlando for a day at Sea World, and another day that we don't have plans for yet.  We can't take her to Disney World... a long story that I'm sure you don't want to hear...  If you've spent time in the Orlando area with a 3 year old, I'd love some tips on where to take her for that last free day.

Any ideas?

 

And please remember, that all comments go into the drawing for a copy of the Grumpy Fairy bedtime story book as the gift for the OCTOBER GIVEAWAY.  

If it ever gets done and glittered, that is.

Back to normal

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.

Bubbling over with buttons

Yesterday, I met Beth at an auction to just hang out and visit. I couldn't stay long, and had no plans to buy anything.

But how could I pass up this marble lamp for $20?

Actually, I was pretty proud of myself for only buying a lamp. I love auctions as much as Sugarwings loves ice cream. Or as much as I love ice cream, too.

Just the thought of ice cream makes us both jump with joy. 

Usually at auctions, I go home with buyer's remorse, because I lose control and bid on things I
shouldn't, or even worse, had not inspected very well.  My advice on auctions, is to get there early enough to take a really good look at whats for sale.  If you don't see it up close, you might miss out on a flaw that could make it worth much less than you thought.

Yep, speaking from experience there.

Luckily, I kept my bidding under control, well except for the one time when I was telling a story to Beth and gesturing widely, almost bidding $35 on feed sacks that I didn't want.

I'm so glad I didn't over-buy. Because just the day before, I was struck with button maddness at an antique mall and bought 3 big jars of buttons (did I mention that I have a few buttons already?  Well, only a few buckets full, I guess).  So today, I am sorting, cleaning and bagging buttons.

I made up three cauldrons full of Halloween colored buttons for craft packs, and adding vintage flowers to the pots.  They are in the Boutique now if you need any.

These are the same as the cauldron I glittered and filled with brooches for the September Giveaway.

My only other new listing is this hand made, painted and glittered pumpkin topped bottle.

This is probably it for me and Halloween. I've got to move along to Christmas and getting ready for Silver Bella.  Right now, I have little Putz houses spread out on my table ready to create sparkling villages.  I'd better get to them. The halls don't just deck themselves you know.

Getting my ducks in a row

Today is one of those days I look forward to all year. Beth and I never miss Sparks and White Cloud flea markets, and according to the website, White Cloud was supposed to be today.  Well, that is what is said at least.

After getting up at 6am (not typical for me at all) and driving over 2 hours, this is what we found. A ghost town!

Usually White Cloud is the last weekend of August and Sparks is Labor Day and some years they don't match up. So, this year, they changed the dates and aligned the shows BUT they didn't remember to change the info on the website!!!!!!

Next weekend is the Ginormous Nathan Camp-o-rama with 20 relatives coming to pitch tents in my yard, so no flea market for me this fall.  I might have pitched a fit about missing it, but Beth took me shopping at The Rusty Chandelier 
and that helped ease my disappointment.  We  ate a butter drenched lunch at Red Lobster and that wasn't so bad either.

Still, every once in  while, we'd turn to each other and say, "I feel sad".  We both love that flea market!


We also went downtown St. Joe, MO to Hatfield's, a junk shop/gun store.  We didn't see many rifles that we couldn't live without, but I found a few bags of old cupcake toppers and a bagful of hats.

 

Cute, huh? I'll be using some in my own work, but there were so many, I listed quite a few in the Boutique.


I especially liked the chickens.  I'm saving a couple to decorate cakes with Sugarwings, she needs to learn a bit more about farm animals.  When she sang Old MacDonald to me tonight, she didn't mention cows, chickens, or pigs. Instead, her farm had unicorns and sharks.



Her Daddy bought her this vintage dotted Swiss nightgown for under a quarter.  I couldn't decide if she looked like an angel, a Victorian doll baby, or Tammy Wynette in it.


We'll go with angel.


While filling beakers with buttons yesterday, I also tossed some into old ink jars.  The "labels" are made of a page cut out from a 1931 Needlecraft magazine (I thought that was fitting) and the ribbons are hand dyed silk.  I decorated the jars with really nice mother-of-pearl buttons along with sparkles and flowers.

These are also for sale in my Boutique for $14 each.

Someday, I need to get some things added to my Etsy shop, I'm down to only FIVE items in there.  What happened to my grandiose plans of keeping 50 things listed there? Between trips and company and everything else, that resolution kind of slipped by me.

Also, I am behind on my TV watching because of the trips.  I'd much rather get caught up on Top Chef, Runway, Mad Men, and True Blood than listing things. I'd better get busy on that!  So, I'm off to sit in front of the DVR for the evening.  Its about as full as my google reader log.


Remember, you still have a few days to enter the August giveaway by leaving a comment.

Buttons and beakers

Man, it felt good to get the glue out today!  I've had a busy summer, but today, I was all on my own, just me, the glue, and the studio.  It seems odd to have Sugarwings gone all day at school, but it does make a difference in my productivity.  After making her some Care Bear toast (sunflower seed, whole grain bread cut with a teddy bear shaped cookie cutter after toasting), I sent her on her way and went to work.

So what did I do? Just simple projects, adding wallpaper to a jewelry box, and sorting buttons into interesting vessels and foofing those up to sale at Silver Bella.

These vintage test tubes were fun to fill and foof.  I had to run to Hobby Lobby to buy some corks for them, but everything else used is all vintage. Little squares of wallpaper make the label, and it is tied up with old ribbon and topped with a millinery bloom.  Then, the corks each got a pretty button to spruce them up.

I only had 10 of them, I wish I had more. That is the trouble with using vintage things, I can't just order more when I need them. I just kind of use what I find when I go out treasure hunting. 

Earlier this summer, I found a boxful of these old jam jars.  These three are pretty as is, so I just filled them with buttons and that's it.  The rest have lost the details on their lids, so I'll get to play with them a bit more.

At my last garage sailing trip, a lady gave me this jewelry box. It was marked a dime, but she said she wanted to get rid of stuff, so she gave it to me, along with an armload of beautiful, plum colored velvet bedding! (that I gave to a friend who was redecorating)

The box was not that attractive, but I saw some possibilities. First, I primed and glazed it, with the technique in my sidebar.

Then, I glued down three coordinating wallpapers that were a birthday gift from Beth.
 
I'm not sure if I'll do more to it or not... I could put another paper on the top and do something to the front of the door, but I kind of like it as is.

The door of the jewelry box could never be as pretty as Sissy's front door. As the sun flows through the window, it hits all the prisms she has hanging there and creates light birdies that fly all around the room.

 

And onto the dog.

Isn't she a cutey? This is Elphie, my little cock-a-poo niece.  She'll be coming to visit next week when I have the Nathan Campgrounds open for business (20 relatives camping in our yard!!)  I just hope that bossy little Twinks plays nice with her.  They are just about the same size, but Twinkle thinks she's bigger than she really is.

Its almost time for Sugarwings to get home from school, so productive time is about over.  I'll leave you with a few photos of my Sissy's sparkles, then I need to squeeze out a bit more work from this last half hour of time that I have.

Isn't everything colorful and pretty at Sissy's house?



Don't forget you have a few more days to enter the August Giveaway by leaving a comment.

24

We took the trip to the East for a combination of reasons.  My husband's nephew was getting married, it was our 24th wedding anniversary, and my husband had some work to do.  A lot to squeeze into less than a week, and a lot of traveling from one place to another.
 
 But it was wonderful to spend time with family and see this little guy all grown up and happily married, so we were glad we went. 



 This antique mall was in Nag's Head, or Kitty Hawk, or one of those pretty little towns that run into each other.  We stayed at a hotel on the beach in Nag's Head for 2 nights, but got in late the first night and left early, so really had only one whole day there.  

On the trip in, I kept seeing one antique shop after another and of course, we were on a mission to get to the hotel and go out for dinner, so didn't have time to stop.  Well, that is what one person in the car thought, anyway.

   But that worked out fine, the non-antiquer in the family had to work the next day so, I spent the morning exploring and was able to trace my way back to most of the shops I had seen on the drive in.

Those shops were as cute as I had expected them to be, and I was able to find some millinery, but not a lot.  Some hats were over 40 bucks.  ??!!??  But I turned on my hat whisperer skills and searched out the under $10 variety and did okay.   I especially like the velvet petals on the sagey green flowers, they are such a perfect color to use.  That color is nicely faded and just plain old looking!  Like the pink on the skirt of the dolly, I'm sure it was a pretty shade to start with, but the years have made it even better.

Some flowers have been added to the Boutique but I am once again- on my way out of town, so if you want to purchase some, I can't mail them until I return, thanks for your patience. 

Our balcony was on the side of the hotel, but we still had an ocean view, and I sat out there for my morning coffee and a glass of wine in the evening. I was able to twist around with the camera and get a semi-ocean background for the picture of my flowers.



My husband took me to see one of the golf courses his company runs, on Nag's Head.  I have never played a round of golf in my life, and know for a fact that I never will, but I can still appreciate the beauty of the places and am always happy to go and see some of them with him. 

As long as he doesn't expect me to learn to play!  Just like I don't expect him to take up the never ending millinery hunt with me.



  We've got it all worked out pretty well, after all of these years together.  If I am lucky enough to have the longevity of my Great Aunt Caroline and live to be over 100, I plan on keeping him around for it.

My sweet boy

Look what was waiting for me when I came in the house, after working for about 10 hours straight on the editing of my little story book !  Sugarwing's Daddy is a sweet heart of a son. He picked tomatoes and peppers and fresh herbs from the garden to make the sauce for the egg plant (from the garden too!)

Not only that, he was invaluable in helping me edit the book. My son has a sharp and critical eye for detail and isn't afraid to let me know if something needs changed in my artwork.  It could be irritating, but it isn't because he is usually right.

Plus, did I mention he is a massage therapist??? There was also a FOOT MASSAGE for me after sitting at the computer all day.  Yep, he is just about a perfect son.



Its been a good day.  Garage sales in the morning, the farmer's market with Sugarwings and her Daddy, then I finished and ordered prints of the book! 

Here is the cover. 

And this is the title page.

Beth and I had a craft day at her house yesterday, and I painted this page while we talked. I decided that it is much easier to pack for craft day if I'm just painting a little something. If I am packing for a whole hog craft day project, I have to haul boxes and bags of supplies with me!

Beth has a great studio, there is so much to see there.  And it is FULL of vintage treasures.  You could say overflowing... We joked about starting a new diet fad, the Craft Room Diet.  You fill your studio with so much stuff that you have to lose weight to fit in the room with all of it.

 

Poor Beth, I might have over stayed my welcome. I tend to lose track of time and keep working away.  It was after 6 when I realized that maybe I should take off for home.

But she was gracious, even though I am one of those guests that you can't get rid of.  She even gave me a stack of these pretty bowls.

And she sent home presents for Twinkle.  Now the Dorkies have a whole new wardrobe of neck scarves to show off in.

Yesterday was a slow day for estate sales, my pickins were slim.

But even though I didn't find much, what I found was really nice!  Quality beats quantity any day.  Seems like I've been on a book streak lately, here is another of those slim, Victorian gift books.

 All the items in this collage are in the Boutique now.

Here is the back cover of the book. 

I've ordered just a couple copies to see how they look in person before I offer them to anyone.  I sincerely appreciate your support and kind words (and inquiries to buy!!).

Sillies and snippets and the July Garage Sale Giveaway Prize Pack list

 

As I was laying down the bits of sparkle that I bought at a garage sale this weekend, it started to remind me of a face, so of course, this is what I HAD to do with them all.... I guess, I should have added millinery flower hair, that would have been cute.  And I wonder why I never get anything done, I spend my time on this kind of activity instead of working.

 

My days never seem long enough.  But today, I did manage to focus and get packages sent out, and two of these little brooches listed in the Boutique.

 

I also got three paintings finished for the Grumpy Fairy story I am illustrating.  Thanks for all of your encouragement about the story, I decided to go ahead and make a book from it.  This picture is of the Blue Bird of Happiness.

 

Here is a snippet of the Fairy Grandmother flying off to find the soft things to make a nest from.

I did 3 paintings today and 3 yesterday. That just doesn't seem like much to me, I am pretty fast. But I really want these to be special, so I am not rushing through them.

  

Tomorrow we are heading back up to Omaha to take Sugarwings to the zoo again, so not much more will get done on the book till next week.  Its hard to tear myself away from it now that I have started.  I don't have my paints out nearly enough, its been great to play with watercolors again! I'd take them along on the trip if I had any chance of getting any thing done without  Sugarwings demanding offering to help.  She likes to paint even more than I do. 

Well, July is coming to a close, Friday is the 31st.  I might get to garage sales one more day before my JULY GARAGE SALE GIVEAWAY PRIZE PACK is ready to send out. 

From last weekend, I added the sterling bar pin with the little girl on it.  Isn't she a cutie?  Leave a comment if you want to be entered in the drawing.

Lets see, what's in the giveaway?

• the bar pin
• bag o' buttons
• buttons on a cute card
• floral hankie
• dainty doily
• vintage postcard
• sprig of flowers
• an eensy English bone china plate
• a small, round, framed print
• pair of pink seashell clip on earrings