Karla's Cottage

A BIG Thanks!

Every time I host one of these arty weekends, I'm blown away by the talent and generosity of the guests.  This was my matchbox swap creation from Suzanne Wingfield.   I see things like this and smack myself upside the head and ask why on earth I think I can teach a class to any of these ladies??? They have so much creativity and skill.

And this beauty? It's from the beautiful, Karen Hillman.

I wasn't in the Rosette swap sponsored by Mercedes, but Hope gifted me with one that she made as a nest.

Lindy gifted me with one of her hand painted (with a toothpick!) matchboxes.  They were quite a hit over the weekend, everyone oohed and awed over her paintings.

She also hand painted and dyed a bag full of candy for each and every friend who attended. No two were alike.

And Laurie made a special book for me.

Filled with delightful, personal and birdie themed pages.

Tami made cuffs for the teachers, mine is anointed with a mother of pearl dove.

See what I mean? If any of these gifts were offered as a class, wouldn't you love to attend? These ladies are gooooooood!

Sweetness poured in for the grand fairies too.  Judy Stafford, sent the girls these foofed flip flops.  Which Dewdrop calls fof fops.  Mercedes is a kindergarten teacher and filled a box with books she knew the kiddos would love and they were showered with magic wands, puzzles, stickers and play make up by the ladies. 

Lee did the cutest thing, and hid a captured fay in the fairy tree house for the girls to find later. Sugarwings was transfixed by the sparkling little sprite.  (no, she is not bruised, she keeps a stepladder under the mulberry tree and does a lot of snacking up there.  Her bare feet are permanently purple, I think)

I'd say we were all beyond spoiled.

Judy also was a sponsor and sent this necklace filled with fairy magic to give away.

I was completely blown away by the bounty.  It's quite a gift for all these women to travel so far and spend their some of their vacation time and budget here at the cottage, and that alone means the world to me.

I feel like I should be the one burying them in gifts!  And am grateful that so many kind sponsors did that for me. (I have more sponsor gifts to show too)

I'll leave you with some photos of the thoughtful pressies we were given. 

And a big thanks to all the Birdsong Peeps who shared them with me and my family!

PS- Don't forget that Google Reader is closing soon! If you are reading this from that site, you need to make a change real quick or your list of blogs will be gone.

I've tried Feedly myself and basically all you do is sign up and it will import all your Google Reader sites in the click of a mouse.  Very, very, very simple.Bloglovin is another good one.

You can also follow my blog through Networked Blogs and read it on FaceBook that way.  There is a list of different reader site buttons on my sidebar that you can click on to follow me in. 

Hope I'll still be seeing you around!

 

 

Birdsong class projects

Lori sent the prettiest kits to make these tone on tone, romantic wreaths.  She'd sent a couple boxes by UPS ahead of her flight, filled with kits and packaged pretties to sell at our vendor night.  The boxes arrived soaked to the bone! So wet that the tape was falling off and the boxes were caved in.  Luckily, she'd wrapped everything in plastic and there was no damage.

What did the driver say about it? "Sorry, my truck has a leak" Well, it must have been quite a leak, or else he has been parking in the lake.

This is my second bad experience with UPS. The mural I sent to CA was dropped off to be packaged and sent by UPS, and when it arrived, the paint was damaged due to the box being too loosely packed and the painting bobbing around, and rubbing inside the box.   I was able to repaint the damaged area, but wasn't very happy about it. 

Anyway, nothing of Lori's was ruined and her kits were wondrous. 

 During her class, I was a bit busy due to bad planning on lunch.  I was too busy with other stuff to chop and prep ahead of time (oops!) for our build your own burrito bar and spent the whole length of Lori's class working on it instead.  Silly me!

I did pop in to visit and get a peek of the class every once in a while, but didn't get to sit down and make a wreath myself with them.  But Lori saved a kit for me and I was able to get to it later on.  She included some great images and papers to make tags to tie onto the fabric wrapped wreath, and I had a good time with it later in the week when I had a chance to get to it.

Mine is a little different.  I actually used a necklace from my class to cut up and add to it. (Lori's suggestion, it is what she is planning on doing with hers too)

This way, I have two projects in one!  Double the memories to hang in my studio.

Both teachers were just The Best!  I loved having them here.  Both pitched in and helped with miscellaneous chores, and Beth was in charge of accounting for the vending tables.  And while I was trapped at the cutting board, I had no worries about being needed out in the classroom, which was quite the relief.

Beth had a great  project that everyone enjoyed too.

Wasn't her teacher table set up pretty?

She had tons of extras to share, and we had a huge variety of hearts and birds being stuffed and potted.

I was doing two classes, one each day after lunch was served and cleaned up.

I have a few kits that I'd made up extra for my birdcages with fairies and my knotted ribbon necklaces.  If you'd like to buy one, they are each $30 plus shipping. The birdcage kit includes the online workshop, with instructions for multiple birdcages and cloches.  

Please email karlanathan@sbcglobal.net or comment if you are interested.

Cute, huh? I'll leave you with some scenes of the creativity in action.

 

More gratefulness

More Birdsong photos are on their way.  I'm kind of taking my time and enjoying  the editing process, reliving the moments.  And wishing I'd taken more.  Luckily, there are pretty pics from friends too. It's always interesting to see the same event through different lenses.  Tami, Mercedes, and Beth have all posted some that I've shared on Facebook.

When Picnic closed last year, I was frantic about what to do to edit my pictures.  It has been replaced by many sites just as easy to use.  My favorite is Picmonkey. Not free, but well worth the little bit that they charge.  It's self explanatory and simple to adjust photos with.  And boy, does it make a difference in a picture to take the time to edit it.

On Birdsong Eve, we had a little gathering at a restaurant downtown.  All of my pictures were off color and too dark due to the lighting there.  Once again, I wished I'd taken more, but I did make time to snap a few.  But when I opened them, they all looked like this.   Here is a before of Angie and Sugarwings.

With Picmonkey, here is the same photo.  It has been cropped, lightened, sharpened, and then I used Orton Effect, and faded that.

This was a bonus gathering for our group, I asked if anyone was going to be in town the night before and wanted to meet up, and we filled the front of one of my favorite restaurants with a flock of 26 Peeps.

This photo is  a bit beyond repair, but I liked it so much, I salvaged what I could of it.The evening happened to be my lovely friend, Angie's birthday and she baked cupcakes to bring.  She was a vendor at our little shopping extravaganza and is always a welcome addition to any gathering. I hope she can attend classes next time.

Sugarwings passed out cupcakes to everyone, after not taking her eyes off of the beautiful display throughout her dinner.  When she finally was allowed to have one, she didn't eat it, she politely asked Angie to take a bite of her own first, because the birthday girl always needs to go first.

Birdsong had ended up being a family reunion for me as well as an art gathering.  Guncle Randy, Sissy, Bobbie, and Terry all came to be a part of it.   For me, it was an opportunity for my family to see just what it is that I do.  (I don't know if my husband has ever quite figured that out yet)  It was wonderful to have them here and to meet my friends and be a part of my world.

And on the other side, it was very special to have so many friends come to see me and be a part of my family for the weekend. Birdsong is a homey, comfy event where all guests are family while they are here, not clients.  I hope that they can feel that while they are here.

My family were all soooo helpful.  Terry baked and baked and baked, her treats were  the highlights of our meals. (and brought her husband to keep my own guy entertained on the golf course all weekend)  Guncle Randy nominated himself "Parking B**ch" and directed cars, plus spread his charm around and welcomed everyone.  Bobbie and Sissy were hauling trash to the curb and unloading the dishwasher non stop.

My son, Mr. Zen, cleaned up the yard and helped with a lot of prep for the weekend.  Then, walked around the room to do some head and neck massage for those who were getting kinks from leaning over the tables and working on projects (and dealing with some of my not-so-great chairs).

Sugarwings had been as excited about the upcoming party as I was, and was constantly wanting to help get ready for it.  She was very busy making plans for "Our Birdsong" and wondering what the "Birdsong Ladies" would be like.  She was hoping they would show up in beautiful gowns, but we are a bit more casual than that.

When I took down the table that Sugarwings and Dewdrop had been working at all week to make room for the big tables for Birdsong, her little heart was broken. She'd been so sure that there was a place for her to be there and craft along with everyone else. 

But, all the ladies made her feel welcome and Auntie Beth did some work with her out on the porch.  She forgave me for taking her work table down.

I hope that our friends didn't mind all the family being included. It probably wasn't all that professional of me, but if anyone who knows me or reads my blog, they probably don't expect me to be all that professional.

Once again, I'll have to say how lucky I am that I was able to have the people I love here with me, along with so many kind and generous friends. I can't imagine a better weekend.

 

Thankful and lucky

I've been seriously derailed by Empty Nest Syndrome now.

The last of the "Birdsong Ladies" have flown the coop.

Birdsong ended on Saturday, but the fun continued for me a while.

Guncle Randy, Sissy, Bobbie, and Lori were still here.  Karen and Sherry stayed to play for the evening too. We snipped and glued till after midnight. 

Lori had to be off to the airport on Sunday morning and was gracious to offer to go a little early so we could combine trips and take 2 of my husband's brothers who had been in town to play golf and keep him company while we whooped it up in the studio.

We spent another evening in the workplayroom past midnight with Guncle Randy on Sunday, but had to take him to the airport on Monday.

My sisses and I had a day of shopping in KC after dropping him off, but by then, I was starting to droop.  Hopefully, I wasn't too cranky, but man- was I tired!  Days of prep, then the blast of excitement (and work) of the event, and so much fun hanging out with family that we kept staying up past midnight, were starting to hit me hard.

I just don't get to see my family often enough, so I did my best to stay awake, but I'd finally hit a wall and gave up.  I climbed into my bed mid afternoon with the Puppeesh, and 3-1/2 hours later, I woke up more like myself than one of the walking dead.

That was the best nap of my life. At least the most needed!

So, I was able to enjoy the rest of the visit with my sisses, and we had yet another day to play in the studio, where Beth joined us after a birthday lunch for her downtown.

But the party couldn't go on forever, as much as I'd like it to.

Today, I had to drop my sisses off at the airport and the place seems soooo empty and quiet with everyone gone now.

The quiet has given me a chance to reflect on all of the hustly bustly goings on of this last week.

Time to go over the details while it's all fresh in my head, what to do differently next time, what to add, what to change, what to adjust. 

But mostly, just to savor the memories and think about how lucky I am that so many people came to see me and spend time at the cottage.

How lucky I am to have a family that helped me pull it all off and never stopped washing dishes, to have such talented friends who taught classes, and to have so many old and new friends who wanted to be a part of our weekend, who came from all over the country to cut, snip,  glue, and laugh with us. 

I've got lots of photos of our party to edit and show you.  But for now, I think I'll have another little nap.  And I'm sure it will be filled with sweet dreams of Birdsong and the lovely people who came to see me here.

 

Birdsong 3 friends

What nice people! We had a lovely time.

I'm missing the "Birdsong Ladies" as Sugarwings calls them. 

But I still have my sisses and Guncle Randy for a bit of a visit.  I'll edit some pictures of all the fun and post again soon.  But now, I'm off to enjoy the last bits of Birdsongness, with the remaining guests.

 

Birdsong Eve

We've gotten the nicest gifts for Birdsong! Hope made these felted nests with sparkling, sugared birds and even included bags of mica flakes for everyone too.

Karen sent this lushly embellished train case for a door prize.

Not only is it made with sweet birdie details, she has also filled it up with "tweets" too. 

In the box were some birdie beverage napkins to use for our weekend, and a big ass bag of candy. Sadly, it came a week before the party, so the bag isn't quite as full as it was when it arrived, and my ass is the big one now.

Terri has sent these ephemera packs, and I spy a bird theme in the packages.

Look at the sweet details she added to the label!  A touch of glitter is an elegant touch.

I've been whipping up more samples for my class, because these three were shipped off to Jewelry Affaire.  I was very pleased to share our Birdsong weekend project with Somerset.When the magazine comes out in October, it will be fun to reminisce while looking at the photos. 

Our party starts soon, I'm all tingly just thinking about it.  This year, I've promised myself to be done and ready plenty early.  I want to relax and enjoy my family and friend's visits. We are doing a dinner party on Thursday night and calling it "Birdsong Eve".  There are 26 of us meeting at a restaurant downtown to kick off the weekend. 

I'll be preposting to my blog, but will not be checking emails much, so please forgive me for not answering comments.  I'll be back next week with pictures of our gathering.

Beth's project for Birdsong 3

Before our Florida getaway, Beth and Karla came over to do a practice class for Beth's Birdsong project.  She will be giving everyone a peat pot to foof and fill up with a few felty creatures.  While she will be making kits with everything needed to create three pieces to pop onto sticks and into pots, she'll also have plenty of extras. Cause she is Beth and that is how she rolls.

This is the potful that I made.

Here are some hearts she made.  She's providing patterns for hearts, birds, and flowers.

Here are a few that Karla and Beth made that day.  They can be stuffed, not stuffed, filled with lavender, made up of felt or muslin or lace, and decked out with lots of nice trims.

I wish Lori was close by so we could have a play day, practice class to prep for Birdsong with her. I can't wait to get my hands on her kit!!

Gifts are still arriving for the door prizes too.  Beth was way generous with this sampler apron she gave to us.

And Sissy is donating this lovely pendant made from a shard of china.  It brings back happy memories for me. My family and I had a craft day in Indiana once, and broke dishes together, then all soldered and made these necklaces. Sis enjoyed doing it so much, that she bought her own bench grinder.

Smashing dishes and sanding the edges using a big, powerful, tool is a task that gets out frustrations as well as creates something beautiful. So when the name of the power tool was misunderstood as "bitch grinder" that name stuck.   And still makes me giggle.

If you'd like to be a sponsor for Birdsong 3, you still have time.  Your link will be added to the list on the side bar till next year's new list for Birdsong 4 goes up.  And you'll make the Peeps who attend our party do a lot of ooohing and ahhing!!

 

Brier Rose

Elaine at Brier Rose has sent these beautiful, hand made half dolls for sponsor gifts to all of our Birdsong Peeps!!!!!!!!

  I swear, the sponsors have been just Delightful (Sugarwing's and I call everything delightful, but these sponsors certainly deserve the term)

I've been blown away by the sweetness that has come in the mail. I'll have more goodie bag treats to show you after my trip.

Yep, I said trip. On the road again!  Seems like I've been hopskipping from one place to another since 2013 started.  Hawaii, Florida, California, and now Florida again.  When I was in CA, what seems like a couple days ago, I went to Disney with Terry who is a Disney expert. She lives in Utah, but has season passes to both parks.

She gave me quite the grand tour of the park, and lots of tips for what to do with Sugarwings when I take her. We are headed to the beach and then to Disney World in FL to celebrate the Hippy Chick's graduation from nursing school (with honors and president of the senior class, if that doesn't deserve a trip to Disney,  what does??)

While I'm away, please forgive me for not being so prompt with emails, but I will have my iPad with me and if you order one of my tutes, I'll get the codes to you by the next day.  The newest one is this bird cage/cloche wire concoction.

When I get back, I'll be in full on zoom speed to finish up details and get Birdsong ready. I'd hoped to make food ahead of time to freeze, but my family had a flu bug and I'm such a germaphobe that I was afraid to bake anything, just in case I might have some flu clinging to me somehow. 

 

 

 

Spring cleaning in the garden

Having an arty weekend at your home is a good incentive to get some yard work done!   When we had some trees removed this winter, the sunshiney areas in my courtyard tripled and I've had a chance to add some roses to the area. 

We've never had enough sun back there before to grow much other than ground cover and begonias. So, this week, I planted some knockout roses and a few miniature roses. Knockouts are so easy to take care (you don't have to do anything much more than watering as needed) I can't get enough of them.  And they always go on sale at Home Depot for $10 around Mother's Day.   

I'd hoped to replace a drooping deck this year, but we ran out of time.  (I don't even want to talk about budget, we'll just say there was no time to do it).

The boards are warped and some stick up.  My temporary solution was an outdoor rug under the tables.  I found one on sale at Kohls for $85, which is much quicker and cheaper than ripping out a deck and replacing it.  I saved soooo much money on the deck issue, that I splurged and bought a colorful new umbrella from World Market too ($99) and a couple cement birds from TJMaxx ($6 each).  I really should have taken the photo with the cushions on the chairs (sky blues) and the umbrella open (blue, pink, orange, green paisleys on cream).

Don't you just love it when bloggers basically say, "here is a crappy picture, please use your imagination, I promise it really looks better than the photo"?

I've been rearranging the tables and chairs too, and now have two groupings that I like, one on the gravel and one on the drooping deck.

In my dream world, the whole area is redone in paver stones, with moss and thyme peeking between the stones, and there is a fountain trickling in the center of it all. 

In real life, I have second hand furniture held together with wire and a deck that trips people in one area and a pile of gravel in another.

But instead of dilapidated, I chose to call it charming. And when the court yard is filled with my friends at Birdsong, it will be so cozy and fun!   (as long as no one trips on that dang, droopy deck)

Bird collage pendants

I did it! Not only did I finally figure out what my second class was going to be for Birdsong, I got lots of samples made and packed every single kit up and have them tucked away ready to go when my peeps arrive!

Beth, Mary, and Karla came over on Tuesday to participate in a practice class, here are a couple of their pieces.  The book they are lying on is filled with little bird images and was published in the 1800s.  I've used these old birdies in the kits, so of course, no two will be alike.  In case someone gets a bird they don't care for, there are plenty of extras to chose from so the artist can find just the right little creature to put on her collage.

This is the actual pendant we will be working on, it's a large one, so we have space to play with the collage.

Now, I just need to get the bird cage kits packed up for my other class.  All of the elements are prepped and ready, I just need to get them wrapped up.

If you would like to make a bird cage/wire cloche, I have spent weeks working out the best way to make them and have made a tutorial with step by step illustrated instructions, along with downloadable images to make fairies to keep in the cages once you get them made.

I've come up with a way to make the cages that I've not seen anywhere else. My son helped me come up with some great ideas that simplifies the process and keeps the wires from springing out every which way and driving you crazy.

He really deserves a lot of the credit, the boy is great with wire, and is a talented jewelry maker.  This bracelet that we collaborated on will be featured in Jewelry Affaire.  I'm thrilled to be doing an article with my son!

And greatly appreciate his input on the birdcage problems I was having.