Karla's Cottage

Mother's Day Chaos and Joy

Mother's Day this year was not what I had planned. But some days just rolling with the changes and seeing what happens is the best way to go.  You never know what little surprises await you.

We thought we'd do a girls day, the Hippie Chick, Gypsy and I.  But nursing school finals were looming, the Gypsy was feeling ill, and KU graduation was going on, so between the KU crowds and Mother's Day, no tables were to be had at restaurants around Lawrence.  So, I ran to the store to get dinner to cook at home, we tucked our Gypsy in on the sofa to rest, and we rolled with it.

My husband and Sugarwings mowed an "I heart MOM" into the grass and lined it with white flowers.  When he called me outside to see their creation, I was in the middle of one of the many crisises of the day (spilled syrup in the fridge- into every drawer, with broken glass every where/ a whole set of tea cups knocked over and broken/ baby pee to steam clean out of the new mattress/ trying to create a spur of the moment meal for 8/ as well as a few more stressors along the way) and I maybe wasn't as impressed as I should have been.

For one thing, it said "mom", so I figured it was for Sugarwing's Mommy.  He meant it for all the moms in the house, But I didn't realize that at the time. I said it was nice and the flowers were pretty and went back to my kitchen problems.

The day was not the Girl's Day Out that I had planned and there were lots of glitches throughout the afternoon. But I tell you what, it was still a beautiful day, somehow. 

• The hour cutting fruit and veggies at the sink with my son while we talked about nothing in particular
• The early morning arrival of our new flock of chickens and watching the grand fairies play with them
• All of us telling stories about our own moms over dinner
• Seeing the happy faces of our grand daughter's moms, who we now consider our own daughters, as they opened the gifts we picked out for them
• Looking around the room and feeling the love of this woven together group who became a family

All of those heart warming moments, as well as the chaotic, messy ones made the day memorable. And thinking about the trouble my husband went to, and the thoughtfulness of his mown message made me smile, and wish I'd acted a little more appreciative at the time when he showed it to me. 

It really was a sweet thing to do.

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail, Hopping down the Fairy Trail

Happy Easter!  We celebrated ours early by hosting an egg hunt on the Fairy Berry Trail in the woods behind our house. Our Gypsy and Dewdrop had foofed it up beautifully, and lined the whole trail with pinwheels (from the Dollar Store).

We started out letting the baby have a few minutes to gather some eggs for her basket at the top of the trail, then the race was on.

Sugarwings was ready to hit the trail in high speed as soon as she got the go-ahead to race away.

She might have been in a hurry to fill her own basket, but took time to stop and help her little sister when her eggs fell out of her basket.

The trail really looks good, better than it ever has.  What a gorgeous spring we are having!

Since Sugarwings was going to be at her aunt's for Easter Sunday, she and Fin wrote the bunny a note and asked if he would hide eggs early, and left it out in the woods with a carrot as a bribe.  Fin is older and knew that (spoiler alert- if you are a kid, or just a kid at heart, don't read this!)  that the Easter Bunny isn't the guy who does all the eggs himself, but he got behind the idea and seemed to forget about that. 

Dewdrop was pretty pleased with her first Egg Hunt too. I don't really think that the whole "give the baby a few minutes to find eggs first" was needed. She held her own with the big kids.

And was very fond of the organic jelly beans and gummi bears I'd put into the 150 eggs out in the woods. (I didn't want the parents mad at me for handing out too much candy, but had to put something in the eggs, so settled on a couple organic jelly beans in each, and made sure to have some healthy after school snacks for everyone before we cracked open the eggs and hit the sugar!)

I loved watching the different approaches to finding the eggs. Seems like the bigger you are, the faster you go.

The smallest kids ended up finding the most eggs, because they lingered.  

And Dew Drop was happy just playing with the eggs themselves, but when she realized there was stuff in them, it got even more exciting.

Sugarwings must have been watching some old movies, because she was certain that white gloves were required with Easter dresses, and kept hers on the whole time.

but didn't necessarily keep them white...

This gown has been in her dress up closet, along with the garland Aunt Sissy made for her, for years and is one of her faves.  Its good to have a piece in your wardrobe that is so versatile and can be worn for tea parties and fairy walks, as well as egg hunts.

I'm looking forward to garage sale season so I can replenish her dress stock. Most of them are 2nd hand to start with and are starting to show it after years of dress up play. 

One thing I've noticed over the years, is that as much as the kids like princess gowns, that are meant for dress up, they seem to prefer  pretty dressy-dresses.  And of course, those are much sturdier than the clothes sold in the toy department too.

And Dewdrop seems  to be enjoying dressing up.

In the past, she has been irritated by Grammie trying to put her in fairy clothes, but I have a feeling that its growing on her now.

Not only did our Gypsy add pretties to the trail this spring, I started some plantings out there.  Around the fairy tree house, I planted some Virginia Creeper, which I hope with cover the over hanging branches eventually and make it feel more enclosed.

I also planted some variegated and plain vinca, and some ivy.  We'd spent a day edging the flower beds up by the house, pulling up vines that were growing beyond their borders and straighting the rocks that lined the beds before we had new gravel delivered.  Instead of tossing all those vines, I filled two wheelbarrows up with them and took them down to the Fairy Berry trail to  line the walkways.

It feels good to have fresh gravel everywhere! We did the driveway and sidewalks too. And we PAID someone else to do it all. In the past, I've spent weeks with my wheelbarrow and shovel spreading gravel from the pile we had delivered.  But I discovered that the labor cost of having it spread was only $250. 

Seriously?

I spent weeks of back breaking labor to save $250?  I know I'm cheap, but I am NOT that cheap. Its not worth my time (or back) when two guys with rakes and a bobcat can do it in one day!!

And now, everything looks so fresh and clean, like the ground does after a new snow. Of course, it will be a matter of days before weeds peek through, and I noticed this morning that we already have a gopher mound.

I hope your Easter is a blessed one and that your basket is over filled with chocolates!

Easter Eggs

Ahhhh, Spring!

The Bridal Wreath Spirea is blooming like crazy in front of my house. Sugarwings and I took advantage of it and picked armfuls to bring in the house.

For most of the year, they are not the prettiest of shrubs, but for a few weeks, these bushes are heart stopping.

We are also getting all Eastery around here.

I've been covering paper mache eggs in vintage papers and old flowers.  This paper is over 100 years old and is gold leaf.

This little egg is wrapped in a pearl finish gift wrap, then sugared.

This one really is prettier in person, its wonderfully gaudy with lots of gold trim and tons of flowers over one of my favorite rose pattern wall papers.

I wanted to list it for sale in the Boutique, but  I think I need to get better photos first.

Beth found a big bag full of paper mache eggs at an estate sale and gave them to me, knowing that I'd love covering them.  Some are egg shaped boxes like this one others are just plain eggs.  I've been making some for Birdsong, where I 'll use them for decor and drawing prizes, but a few just shout Easter, so those I'll go ahead and sell now, or as soon as I get better pictures that is.

Some are listed now, if you are interested.

Somerset Apprentice

In the Boutique

As I was making up kits to pack for Paper Cowgirls, I realized that I'll be in Texas for St. Patrick's Day.  Not that I'm a fan of green beer, or that I go out on the town, but  I am fond of all holidays. Even more since I became a Grammy, Sugarwings loves any reason to celebrate.

And my sister is a dedicated geneologist who has traced the "Downey" side of our family (my maiden name) back to Ireland and County Downs. So, I should at least slap some green on for the day!

Maybe my little grand-leprechauns and I can do something special for it when I get back.  When my kids were little, they got green food coloring in their cookies and milk and whatever else I could find to tint for them.  Now-a-days, I avoid food coloring for the girls.

I need to find some good organic food colors to use, because I miss pink icing. And green milk is just too much fun to have for St. Pats!

We are even celebrating Sadie Hawkins Day this year.  There isn't  much we don't turn into a party here at the cottage.  Sugarwings and Dewdrop have been staying here quite a bit lately and it seems like every morning is a party when they come trouping down the stairs with their big grins, bed heads, and happy voices, ready to start their day.

Here is something else I have to celebrate, I got my advance copy of Somerset Apprentice in the mail.

At a glance, I can see its a wonderful issue, and am honored to be featured as a "Pro".

I can't wait to get time to kick back and relax to read it cover to cover. Not only for the pretty pictures, but I saw that there are lots of wonderful tips and tricks to learn.

Its always an honor to be in any of Stampington's magazines, but this one really meant a lot to me.  Sometimes, my so called job is a bit iffy.  Am I an artist? Or a crafter? Or just a shop keeper? Sometimes I think that maybe I'm simply a babysitter and housekeeper.

But hey, somebody out there thinks I'm a PRO and actually printed that belief.

Yep, that means a lot. Thanks, Somerset Apprentice!

PS- notice the Google Friend Connector is missing from my side bar? Yep, they are no longer working on Typepad blogs as of March 1st. If you want more information on how to follow a blog, Marianne has done some homework and explains it all very well here.

She also has a good tutorial on using Google Reader here

and here.

I have asked Hope, who designed my blog, to add a connect button for all of these various blog following sites for me.  She'll be doing that soon.

A little late update

Three days before Valentines Day, I finally updated my shop with a few heart, pink, and red themed items.  I took the photos a while back and had them all ready to add, and then... well, I guess I just got too busy with other things.

Poor little Sugarwings had a rough week and needed some Grammy time.  Not to mention, we threw a Valentine Bash this week too.

The poor kid had a UTI with high fever, got on antibiotics just in time to feel better for getting her cast off. All is well with the arm, but its delicate and she needed some babying afterwards. And I'm always looking for an excuse for a Movie and Cuddling Day.

Then, as she was ready to go back to school, another high fever came on. She'd gotten an ear infection while still on antibiotics for the UTI.

Back home at Daddy's house, Little Dew Drop came down with a double ear infection along with buckets of snot that could be flung much further in one tiny little sneeze than you could ever imagine.

Its been a rough week for those girls, so Sugarwings has spent some time over here with me and of course that means my heart wasn't into working on the Boutique and adding inventory.

Today I finally had some time to work but almost ditched adding these things because they are not very timely for a holiday that is coming in a couple of days.

Still, not all of the things were purely Valentine.  Yes, there are lots of hearts, and most of the items are pink or red, but they are still lovely for use anytime. Even the 1961 Valentine Ideals book is full of images that would be pretty to use year round.

Any way, its not like they will be dated after February 2012. I don't exactly order things from a wholesale company just for the upcoming holidays. 

Its all vintage, and just gets older for each holiday that passes it by!

Plus, I have categories in the shop for different holidays and my plan has always been to keep them stocked year round, and just haven't quite got around to keeping them all full yet.  This is a start!

So, I'm choosing to not look at this as a failure to get my work completed on time. I'm looking at it as one thing crossed off the list, no matter when it got done, hey, its DONE.

And the way things have been going around here lately, that is impressive. I'm still lagging in everything. 

Now, both little girls are on antibiotics for their little ears and I hope are feeling better by now. We are having our family Valentine celebration on Sunday, and it would be nice to see them back to their old, bouncy, happy selves by then.

Valentine's Day is the anniversary of my husband adopting our boys, so we always have a family party for it.  This year its also my 5 year blog anniversary, so I am having a giveaway to celebrate that too.

This box is covered in ephemera and topped with chalk board paint.  If you'd like a chance to win it, please leave a comment on my previous post.

Valentine celebrations and a giveaway

This week Sugarwings and I threw a little Valentine making party for our friends. I set out lots of supplies for card making and for decorating gift boxes, plus had a few examples for ideas. The treat cabinet was filled up, and we made sure to have some healthy after school snacks out too, to make the parents happy as well as the kids.

One of my examples was a pop up card, with instructions next to a couple of finished ones. Its a very simple version, that even the kids could do.  Here are the instructions, if you want to whip one up. The part you can't read, behind the pop up just says to make sure not to glue the paper you cover the outside of the card with to the part that folds up.

The kids all seemed to get into the projects and worked away on them for a couple of hours. Its good to see little ones be creative and stick to something like that, to not have to get up and run around or go play with toys. It was refreshing to see them all involved with making their boxes and exploring all the different supplies there was to dig into.

They all kept me pretty busy, I didn't really get to sit down to make something myself. But before the group arrived, I had made up these.  Isn't the chalk board top perfect for writing a sweet note to your Valentine to read before opening it up to see the treats inside?

Its been a while since I've done a giveaway.  And I was reminded while reading Beth's blog that our 5 year anniversary is here!  Hers was the 9th, mine is actually on Valentine's Day itself.

Thanks again, Beth, for getting me started!!!

So it seems appropriate for me to offer a Valentine to you as a giveaway prize to celebrate!

Just leave a comment on this post, and I'll draw a name Monday, for this sweet little giveaway.

And if you are still cutting, pasting, and creating your own valentines, here is the back cover of that candy box I have on my dining table.  A friend asked to see a close up of it, to see if the music was acutally playable.  So, I'm posting it here for her. Its a cool graphic, and if you wanted to use it in your art, you can click on this to open in a larger window, save it to your computer, print it and cut out the heart. 

That music note, heart shaped border is a pretty one to use.  I might try to make something out if it myself.

Only 4 more days till Valentine's Day!  I hope you have some sweetness planned for your holiday too.

A little home rehab for a very little home

after

Maybe I've mentioned that I am behind? Well, its been so bad that I didn't give my buddy, Angie, her Christmas gift!  Christmas is long gone at this point, but there are still hints of it here and there in my home. I keep stumbling across a bauble that I missed packing away, or a bit of broken ornament peeking out from under a dresser.

Every year, I break quite a few Shiny Brites.  I used to wonder what on Earth my family was going to do with all the holiday crap I have once I am gone.

But after breaking so many every year, I realized that by the time I am dead, they will be all gone. 

before

Anyway, I had made this Christmas box for my friend, but its a bit late to give her a Christmas themed gift.

So, last week, I re-foofed it for the next holiday, by adding some Valentiney stuff.

after

The little angel by the door now holds a heart cut out of a red sequin, and the front sports a frosted glass heart with old rose wallpaper behind it, and some crepe paper. 

And it isn't Valentine's Day without roses, of course.

Hopefully, her belated gift will have an extended shelf life now, so she can enjoy it awhile.

 

Song Of Love Wreath workshop for Valentines Day

Well, I have had some feedback on the Song Of Love, Valentine wreath class that I am offering.  Ladies are worried that the date is too close to Christmas and that they had too little warning to make plans.  After the holidays,all of us (and our bank books!) seem to be recovering from the hectic times.

So, I decided to switch the date to later in the month.

  Saturday January 28th from 10 till 5.

And to lower the cost  a bit.  $65 instead of $75.

But I'm not lowering the value!  I'll still be providing lots of vintage goodness to embellish the wire wrapped and beaded wreath with two ephemera covered, nesting love birds.

We will spend the day together, creating in my studio with lots of pretties and vintagey supplies. 

Lunch, beverages, and dessert are included.

It will be a small group, and seating will be limited.

No two finished projects will be the same, you'll get everything you need to complete a wreath, plus fun piles to dig through to personalize your own piece.  If you get finished early, plan on hanging out for the rest of the afternoon and making Valentines with us. 

I'll have plenty of supplies out for you to play with.

All you will need to bring is a basic tool kit, everything else will be waiting for you.

And if you are one of the people who were considering coming on January 14th, and that date works out better for you, please let me know, I'd be happy to have you then if your plans are already set.

And if you'd like to come for an entire weekend this spring, Birdsong Two signups are open now for previous guests.   This weekend we will open registration to new friends.

Plus, don't forget, there is a sale in the boutique and in my Etsy shop. Thanks to all of you who keep Sugarwings and Dewdrop supplied in fairy wings and glitter by supporting my stores!

Use this link

and type in the code:

2012

then hit recalculate, and save 40% in the boutique!

for Etsy, type in the code:

happy2012

to receive 50% off!

Wigged out for the holidays

This is my favorite holiday photo from our weekend. Little Dewdrop snuck up onto the table while her elfish father was fixing dinner.  He wore the hat and cape for most of Christmas and I thought it added a festive touch.

We spent a lot of our time in the kitchen, and having it be one, big open space was just great.  Now, why didn't we think of this years ago? Its made our house such a cozier place.

We had one wonderful meal after another, and since the kids were staying with us instead of driving back to the woods and going to their yurt each night, we even went all out for breakfast in the mornings. On Christmas Day, our Gypsy made this fluffy, puff of deliciousness for us from a recipe we saw in the Sunday paper that morning.

Poor Sugarwings had been pretty sick all week leading up to the big day, and stayed here with us for most of the time, with her parents having sleepovers with her at our cottage.  She rallied by the time Christmas Eve came around, but was still not quite herself.

We were sad to see her so weak and tired, but It was nice to have a houseful for the whole week, instead of just seeing them for the dinner and present times.

This year, between Sugarwings being sick, and me travelling, I was behind on gift buying.  I did a whirlwind shopping trip, throwing things into the cart as I buzzed down the aisles.  By the time I got home, I wasn't even sure what I had for who, I just hoped it was done.  And for some reason, I bought wrapping paper, not bags.... silly mistake!  If you wait till the last minute to buy gifts, there is no time for wrapping, those late gifts need to be slipped into bags.

That was NOT the highlight of my week.

But watching these little fairies tear through that paper was.

Dewdrop was very fond of her new toys.  She was busy giving all the dollies lots of kisses and hugs.

She wasn't quite sure what to think  about the dress up wig that her big sister got though.

I think it added a lot to the festivities, as she wore it to pass out the gifts.

We had two celebrations, all gifts to each other on Christmas Eve, and Santa's presents on Christmas Day.  My husband's family has always done it that way, and it has become our tradition too.

  I grew up with being able to open one gift the night before, saving the rest for the main event. I was always disappointed that the one preview gift was PJs every single time. I thought it was just plain old bad luck that I always picked the one gift that was not fun at all, when there was a sparkling pile of things waiting under the tree for me. 

Of course, now I know that Mom planned it that way, so that I'd have new jammies on for Christmas morning when I woke her up at the crack of dawn.  But at the time, I was crushed that once again, I got pajamas,  not a Barbie on Christmas Eve.

Now, I am pulling my own version of the jammie trick, and let the girls each have one gift to open after dinner, before bath time and the rest of the gifts.  Yep, they each had a new pair of matching PJ's as their sneak peek gift just like I did when I was a kid.

We had a third holiday bash on the day after Christmas, with the rest of the family (at least the ones in this part of the world) over for dinner, and all 26 of us fit into the new kitchen. 

The house seems really quiet now with everyone gone.  I've kind of gone into hibernation, with a good book and a box of kleenex (I caught Sugarwing's cold). I've not even checked out the post holiday sales yet, and don't know if I will.  Although I keep thinking about all that clearance price Russell Stover chocolate.... out there, just waiting for me, all marshmallowey on the inside and shaped like chocolate Christmas trees. 

But I'm kind of enjoying being snuggled up with a book and staying home in my jammies.  I think I'll pass on the sales and go have another slice of that white chocolate peppermint cheesecake that I made instead. By the time I leave the house, the only thing that will fit me will be my elastic waist jammies.

If you are into holiday sale prices and don't want to leave your comfy home either, I have a sale in my Boutique and now on Etsy too.  And yes, it covers tutorials, millinery, charlottes, and all of the other vintage goodness in my shops.

 Everything is 30% off in the Boutique if you use  THIS LINK.

And the small print says: The only catch is, that I won't be doing any mailing for a few days.  You might not recieve your box till after New Years.

And if you click on the website directly, you can't get the sale price, its only available from THIS LINK

When you fill your shopping cart, you need to type in the words-  happyholidays   - then hit "recalculate" to get the special price. Its simple to do.

For Etsy, use the same code word- happyholidays  -to get 30% off there too.

And by the way, a Very Happy Holidays to you all!

A new holiday tradition?

We had a Fairy Merry Christmas, and I hope that you did too.  On the Day Before the Night Before Christmas (the title of one of our favorite songs around here), we had the girls here for a sleep over.

They decorated bottle brush trees in the studio, then decided to fix up the Gingerbread house for the fairies that live on our Fairy Berry Trail through the woods.  

It got a whole new set of furniture, made of graham crackers.

After the painting/gluing in the studio and the icing/sprinkle excitement in the kitchen, we decided a bubble bath was in order. I poured them all (plastic) flutes of sparkling juice and filled the tub with Sugar Plum Fairy bath salts.

Calliope said that she felt like a princess.  That gave us the idea to surprise them all with a princess party after their soak. The Hippy Chick ran upstairs and found some dress up clothes that were appropriately royal and had them laid out for the girls to slip into when they were done bubbling.

Of course, our girls lean toward the fairy side of "fairy princess".

Our tiniest sprite got to play a little dress up, but fell asleep before the other festivities began.

It was girl's night at the hot chocolate party. 

One of the fun parts of the party is mixing your cocoa just the way you like it. We serve warm milk in teapots, and pass around Giradelli chocolate, mini marshmallows, shaved white chocolate with peppermint, candy canes, and for the moms, some Kaluha.  

It was special. I'm lucky to have all these little girls to play dress up with.  They are pretty sweet.

and now for the winner of my Christmas Secret Surprise Giveaway!  Its a hand painted and decorated box with a nesting, ephemera covered bird on it.  Pretty for the holidays, but not so Christmassy that you can't leave it out all winter.   I'll fill it with some home made bath salts and send it to.....

Deborah Woodrow

And remember, if you have Christmas gift cash to buy yourself a gift, come on by the Boutique. Everything is 30% off if you use  THIS LINK.

And the small print says: The only catch is, that I won't be doing any mailing for a few days.  You might not recieve your box till after New Years.

And if you click on the website directly, you can't get the sale price, its only available from THIS LINK

When you fill your shopping cart, you need to type in the words-  happyholidays   - then hit "recalculate" to get the special price. Its simple to do.

Merry Christmas!