Karla's Cottage

Hoppy Easter

Did you have a good Easter? Ours was unexpectedly really nice.From no plans at all to a small family dinner and egg hunt in a matter of an afternoon.

Sugarwing's mom ended up switching  her plans, so we had our fairy grand child over night and all day.  Dewdrop came over with her mom at dinner time, and we were able to find buckets full of eggs on the Fairy Berry Trail as the sun was setting.

And what beautiful weather we had!  I'd thought I'd finish the banner I am working on for the Snow White blast coming up way too soon, but instead, I ran and played with Sugarwings all day and enjoyed the sunshine. 

I was able to do some yard clean up too, and foofed the Fairy Berry Trail up for the season.  Easter seems to be the time that we whip it into shape, just in time for hunting eggs the bunny left there.

Funny, how fast two little girls can find over 50 eggs.  This was a quick run through the forest, with lots of squealing along the way.  Dewdrop let out a yelp every time she spied an egg. And everything is a squealfest around Sugarwings anyway.

Luckily, I  had plenty of plastic eggs up in the closet and could find packets of tiny toys and junky fun crap to stuff in them for our impromtu hunt.

Although, the few pieces of chocolate I had on hand were the biggest hits when the eggs were open, of course. But, I do think that if there was nothing in them at all, it wouldn't have dampened the fun. 

The thrill of the hunt was the best part.

Dewdrop loved every minute of it. She is a cute age to be out in the woods gathering eggs.

She enjoyed the dying too, although it didn't last long because she thought it was just as much fun to pour the dye out on the ground as it was to dip the eggs in.  But they had plenty of glitter paints to add to the eggs once the dirt under the table was dyed.

We sat up the mini picnic table in the gazebo and I turned the kids loose with dyes and glitters.

Which was a great plan, considering that everyone had been playing outside and there was a bit of mud from the gardening project clinging to them.  Plus, Dewdrop's fascination with pouring out the dye worked better out doors than it would have inside.

I'll have more photos from the Mt. Dora trip after this little break for some Happy Easter wishes.

Altered candy boxes for Valentines Day

Last week, I played hooky from stuff that needed done and did some fun things.  Actually, I did that more than once... Sugarwings and I had a couple of afternoons together and another day, I snuck out to see the matinee of Les Mis. 

Nose to the grindstone this week, for sure!

I enjoyed having a day to make something just because it was pretty and i wanted to do it.   Some of these are in the Boutique now, but I've waited so long to get them there, that Valentine's Day is fast approaching!

These two are both topped with chalk board paint and decked out in my best Vintage Pretties. Each is a new wooden box, made to look old.

But this one is an old box, foofed up to look better.

 You can see, it started with a lot of what I call "fussy" decor on it.  And a plastic rose??? No thank you.

My first step in the redo was to pull off the plastic rose, then some of the lace and ribbon that I didn't care for.

I added a bead of glue all around the newly naked edge to replace the cheapo lace with something much better.  The Good Stuff.

Ahhhh, feeling better already, with some deep, dark, old velvet.

Next, a layer of good lace, and a row of ruffled chocolate ribbon over that.

Instead of taking the whole box apart in pieces, to get the lace rimmed existing red ruffle out, I simply trimmed off the cheap looking lace and left the rough edges of the red ribbon to show. Next, I took a dark brown ink pad and rubbed it along the outside lip of the bottom edge.

Some netting from an old crinoline, and more chocolate ruffles were added to the top.  Then a whole bouquet of tiny velvet sprigs and leaves, topped with a wonderful old rose.  To that, I tied some espresso velvet ribbon and more of the soft lace.

At the top, some milk chocolate velvet ribbon.

Layers and layers of loveliness. All my favorite things piled on top of each other!

 

At the Valentine Journal Workshop AND some free images

I had such a nice time at the Valentine Journal workshop. There is something wonderful about a Valentine theme, that always makes me happy. Roses? Hearts? PINKS? All of it!

We had a small group, so only needed to use half of the studio. I used this half to set out extra supplies.  So, not only did we have kits stuffed with Vintagey goodies, I had enough extras to make dozens more books.  One table was just used to display previously made books as examples. I showed my travel journal, my samples for An Enchanted Affair, the Valentine book, as well as a couple of books from swaps I'd been in. 

By the way, Kim was able to squeeze in one more table at her arty event this spring, and has sold all but one space at it! If you are interested, better jump in fast! Hope to see you there.

Another table held lots of extra pretty papers, while a third was all tidbits, ribbons, lace, and embellishments.

I should do fresh flowers in my studio more often, its a nice treat.

Our local grocery store usually marks a dozen roses down to $1.99 every Monday, but for some reason, they were on sale this Friday too. So, I was able to set out flowers all around the house.

When prepping for the class, I spent about 14 hours making kits, and thought I might just end up running away from home to get away from them.  What was I thinking, waiting till the last day to make them???? That isn't like me.  I sure learned a lesson, and will be getting a jump start on spring time class kits so this won't happen again. 

Kits can be fun to make, and I enjoy playing with my piles of papers and deciding what to include, but not at the last minute.  I had to write instructions, edit photos, sort papers, plus dozens of other things that make the kits successful and well thought out. It shouldn't be done the day before the workshop!! 

I made up what I thought were lots of extras, but not quite enough. They sold out in one day, thank you to all who bought them!  It is never any more trouble to make an extra 10 or so while putting together enough for a class, so I always make some to sell. Plus one for myself, so that I can pull things out during class to demonstrate and know that the kits are functional and have what they need in them.

The best part of making a kit, is seeing how it is used.

Of course, since they are vintage, no two are exactly alike, but still I love the way everyone changes things around so much and puts their own stamp of uniqueness on their work.

And its very pretty to see how far some go to change it up.

We do mini workshops for holidays throughout the year, just for my friends and their kids to come over and play, and of course, I have Birdsong too. (Which I have not done a single thing for yet this year! I need to gather my thoughts and get the website done for sign ups!!)

We did a Halloween gathering and then this little Valentine party, and I really enjoyed both. I would like to do more small, one afternoon workshops if possible. Its so much more intimate than a big to do. Of course, even Birdsong is not big at all, compared to most arty weekends, its 25 people and all cozy in my studio. 

Still, it would be nice to do a smaller class like this and have them quarterly or so.  Just a thought.  10 people or less, hanging out, chatting  all together instead of broken off in groups around the room.

Either way, no matter how many come, I love having company in my studio.  Its not that I don't enjoy a good day alone with my creations, but since I have soooo many of those days, working all alone, its nice to have some company.

I can't imagine any other job than the one I do (although the thought of one that pays better, is pretty tempting), but it does get lonely. Which is why having a blog and all of my blog friends is so nice.

Of course, these guys too! They are great company when they aren't stealing things from me to shred.  Dorothy can't jump or climb because of the injury she had when she was tiny, but Albie is good at getting on the table and grabbing something fun for them to rip up.

Auntie Beth brought them some Valentine tees, and even girlie-ed up Dorothy's with some lace.

She also brought this. Beautiful, isn't it?

One of my guests brought this lovely, old image, and I was asked to copy it to share. I thought maybe you would like to have it too.  Just click on the image to open it to a larger window, then save it to your computer to print.

And this one was in one of the kits and I was asked to copy it also. 

When scanning it, I took a few moments to edit it in a romantic way.  Please save these the same way as the cabin picture.

Felted pink hearts

Some of these hearts were cut from felted wool (in a perfect pink!) for the Valentine Art Journal workshop that I am doing on Feb 2nd.

And some, I just wanted to play with.  On this, I used cream felt to make the big heart, and added lace, ribbon, and jewels.

Inside is one of the tiny pink hearts. 

Peek-a-boo!

I'm away from my computer on a dream trip to Hawaii right now, but please check back for fresh posts left for you before I flew off.  If you want to order from the Boutique, all orders will be shipped on the 30th. If you'd like to enter the drawing for one of Amy's books, please leave a comment on any post.

 

If you'd like to sign up for my Valentine workshop, please email me for an invoice at:  karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

 

Hopping down the Valentine trail- hand made felted wool bunnies and chicks a bit early for Easter

My mom was a seamstress, but I am NOT.  Yet, every once in a while, I'm attracted to a project that involves needle and thread. Even though stitchery is not my strong suit, I give it a little try here and there. I've discovered that as long as I don't have to use patterns, I do ok.  Or measure. I don't measure well either.

If I can make something up as I go along, sewing isn't bad.  Well, till the threads tangle. That part keeps happening to me a lot. But, I power through and keep stitching. 

These guys are pretty simple, not a lot of sewing involved and I just love doing them.  They are cut from felted wool. Beth gave me some scraps that she had from Lisa.

Yes, it's not even Valentine's Day yet, but when I saw that soft fluff, I just knew it had to be bunnies and chicks! 

Especially the pink.  It was calling out to me to be bunnied up.  I had no choice, even though there were dozens of other things that I should have been doing, I took an afternoon off to snip and stitch Easter critters.

I used up all of my little scraps, and thought I was over the impulse, but guess what?

This package arrived from Lisa!

She sent a big bundle of soft toned felties for me to play with!   I was just thinking that I needed a little craft that I could do in front of the tv at night, and this might just be the thing that keeps my paws out of the popcorn while I watch my favorite shows.

Doesn't that larger cabled white look like it is asking me to be a sheep?  I can hear it.

Thanks, Lisa. I can't wait to start sewing!

And I can't believe I just said that I want to sew.  My mom would be so shocked if she could hear that. 

This is another future sewing project.  Lori Oles sent me this roll of rosy paper, and I plan on using it (and some other wallpapers) to make pouches for my journal kits at Kim's big Snow White affair in April.

I'm away from my computer on a dream trip to Hawaii right now, but please check back for fresh posts left for you before I flew off.  If you want to order from the Boutique, all orders will be shipped on the 30th. If you'd like to enter the drawing for one of Amy's books, please leave a comment on any post.

If you'd like to come to my Valentine workshop, please email me for an invoice.

 

Valentine Workshop

It's been fun to make a Valentine journal for the upcoming workshop.  The books are stuffed with vintagey goodness, and lots of fun, romantic details.

Since it's a journal, I decided to add some "journaling" which I have never done before.  Of course, leave it to me to decide to teach a class about something I've never tried.  But I think I worked out the basics on what to do in which order for a balanced effect. How to fix mistakes (they happen, for sure!) and some other tidbits of advice. 

Seems to me that journaling isn't any different than other art forms that I do.  It needs to be pretty and looked at as much as an arty creation as it is a written paragraph or phrase.

I'm printing out some prompts for students to use, and will have some basic guidelines to help get them going too.

I've been gathering up piles of pretties for supplies.

  I've got lots of old Valentines,

Victorian postcards,

Charms,

and German die cuts of roses, plus tons of ephemera  to use as the pages themselves.

We will build a book from scratch from old papers in neutral tones, then fill it up with lots of rosy toned hearts and flowers.

The cover will be decorated similar to an old fashioned box of chocolates, with a flocked heart, ruffles, and a millinery rose.

We'll add love notes, and envelopes to save romantic souvenirs from our sweeties.  In my own book, I'm making places for photos too.  All students can email pictures to me, and I will size, edit and print them for the books and have the pictures ready when everyone arrives.

The class will be all day, at my studio in Lawrence on Saturday, Feb.2nd. 

Lunch and luscious chocolate treats are, of course, included!

Cost is $100 and covers everything you will need from cover to cover. 

And we will be using The Good Stuff to make this book! 

Its a small, intimate class, and we should be able to get the book completed that day.  But remember, with a project like this, they sometimes never end!  You will want to continue adding adornments and doodlies after you leave, too.

 

I'm away from my computer on a dream trip to Hawaii right now, but please check back for fresh posts left for you before I flew off.  If you want to order from the Boutique, all orders will be shipped on the 30th. If you'd like to enter the drawing for one of Amy's books, please leave a comment on any post.

  If you'd like to sign up for my Valentine workshop, please email me for an invoice at:  karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

Mixed media with watercolor tips and tricks

Well, the holiday season is winding down, time for getting on with the New Year.  If you aren't all Santa-ed out, I've got some how tos for the painting I used as our Christmas card this year. 

First step is the drawing, in pencil on watercolor paper.

Second, I draw with ink over my sketch, then erase the pencil marks.

Since I want the background to have a soft, faraway look, I don't draw it in ink, only pencil.

Next, I wash in the sky and shadows of the snow, carefully keeping the drawing in the foreground clean and dry.  Keep in mind that the color is deeper at the top, and gets lighter toward the horizon line, along with a touch of blush tone above the ground and trees.

Before the sky dries, I add color to the tree line and a bit to the shadows of the pines. 

When the sky is starting to dry, and the paper shows a slight sheen of dampness, I sprinkle salt lightly over it. 

As the paint finishes drying, the salt absorbs moisture, along with that, color. It makes a pretty snow speckled look.

I let dry completely and brush off salt before proceeding any further.

Here is where the watercolor cheating comes in, by adding white paint. (so I just call the painting, "mixed media")  First, I paint in the bare branch trees, with faded browns and purples. Never deep or harsh or bright colors for a background, they have to look faded and distant.

I do save the white of the bare paper, as you should in watercolor, but I really like a touch of pure white over it for even more depth. I use white acrylic paint for snow and highlights.

Next, the foreground gets painted.  When working with watercolors, the trick is in knowing that the color flows wherever the paper is wet. You have to be careful to paint small areas at a time, with drawings like this, and not do adjacent areas until the first section dries.  So, I wet a segment, such as this part of the jacket, and drop in bright red.  While still wet, I add darker red along the shadowed areas.

I would do the other side of the jacket, waiting for that to dry before painting the sleeve or belt, since they are right next to what I just painted. If I were to paint the belt right away, the red paint would run right into it, as well as some of the black flowing into the red, where that was still wet.  Water pulls the color.

Black is always more interesting if you mix it yourself, using a dark brown and dark blue, never use black watercolor paint.

When the painting is done, I dip a wet brush into white acrylic paint and flick it over the picture for more snow.

I take my finished paintings to a copy shop and have them shrunk down and printed four per page to make into Christmas cards.

The trick then is to get them signed and mailed.... I am afraid I didn't send a single Christmas card this year!! After all this work.

My husband did send some out to his co-workers and we used a few on bags of home made candy that we gave away along with a bottle of wine to some friends.

My husband works in the golf industry, so likes the club swinging Santa. I was more into puppies for this season.  After Twinkle's nine babies in August, I thought a pup was a good theme for family cards.  But once again, I didn't get these mailed either.

At least the cards got made.  Maybe I can add hearts and call it a Valentine? No, I think I just missed the boat this season and am out of the time window to mail anything this Christmassy.

Let's call this a belated Christmas card from me to you. You can click on the image to open in a larger window, save to your computer and print it.

Our Christmas

It's hard to say goodbye to Christmas this year, but on the other hand, on the 26th, I was itching to take down the tree.  I wasn't able to, due to other goings on, but I was ready to see it go. I think its because the lights all went out on the tree the minute the last gift was opened! That was some sort of sign. Plus, I feel like a dark tree is a bit sad. So, into the closet it goes, and I'll deal with the kaput lights next year.  

We had an extended Christmas celebration, with all the kids over on the 24th for brunch and gifts, with a hot cocoa and cookie party afterwards. 

Dewdrop came over with her parents on Christmas morning to see what Santa left under Grammie's tree while all the rest of the family visited other relatives. I think it was special for the youngest of 7 to have a whole morning of being the center of it all and opening gifts just for her. She was pretty excited, and a joy to watch.

We spent a lazy day, watching our littlest fairy play.  My son, Mr. Zen and his Gypsy cooked a great meal for us all.  Broiled lobster with seafood pasta.

YUM!  The only thing better than having someone cook a meal for you, is if the meal is lobster.

Sugarwings had a sleepover on Christmas night, so Santa could bring some gifts to Grammie's tree for her too.  She loves the whole spectacle of Santa, Christmas, and the arrival of gifts, but I think the stories and ambiance are what she appreciates even more than the presents. We decided that if we didn't buy a thing for her, and told her that the Grinch had come and taken everything out from under the tree, she would have been so excited, she would have popped.

That kid lives for fantasies and her imaginary world.  She'd love to be plopped into the middle of the Grinch story and wouldn't think twice about not getting a present.

On the other hand, she was in heaven with the magic of everyone's gifts.

Many of the photos I tried to take look like this.  She is darting about from one person to the next, excited to see what is under the wrappings.  When I'd snap the picture, I'd get a blurry image of Sugarwings racing in to check out the latest, greatest gift her siblings got to open.

Yet, in the middle of all the gifting frenzy, she did the sweetest thing ever.  We had 14 people squeezed into this little living room, along with three Christmas trees.  So, Aunt Sandy made herself comfortable on the stairs.

When Sandy got a gift, Sugarwings would take it to her and sit to watch while she opened it.  And finally, took her by the hand and led her to the center of the room and told her that she was "part of the group" and shouldn't be sitting by herself. 

I was so proud of our little angel, who was caring about her great aunt during all of the hullabaloo, and not wanting her to feel left out of all the joy.

And joy there was.  Plenty of it!

I think the dogs had a good time too. With so many kids around, there were plenty of crumbs.  Twinkle tends to park herself under the highchair at most gatherings.

We kept the meal simple, honey baked ham, French toast and hashbrown casseroles made the night before, sweet corn frozen from last summer's farmer's market with some peas added for color, and scrambled eggs straight from the hen house, with chopped spinach and red peppers to be festive.

Paper plates, plastic forks, and foil pans made it all even easier.  There was minimal clean up time, so we could get right to the fun stuff and gather around the tree!  For some of us, it was hard to wait for that part.

I'll leave you with some photos of our day and I hope that yours was joyful as well.

Merry Christmas!

Visions of Sugarplums

I hope you and your loved ones are having a beautiful time together!

And I hope that you have been very, very good, because you know who is coming tonight!

Let the sugarplums begin their dancing!

I know my dreams will be full tonight.