Karla's Cottage

Just another reason why its a good idea to purchase someone's tutorial

Don't you just love tutorials to stimulate your creativity?

My pal, Dawn, has a good one going right now.  But I have a confession to make.

My BFF, Beth, came over for craft day after purchasing Dawn's tutorial and was making wings while I worked on other things.   I kept watching her and was intrigued.  I thought I'd whip up a pair myself.

No, I didn't purchase the tutorial.

I kind of glanced at what Beth was doing and "winged" it myself. 

Well, I learned a lesson. The reason you PAY for a tutorial is because the person who wrote it, already worked out all of the kinks and came up with the best way to make the project. She includes tips and tricks that she has learned along the way.

Mine were a mess.  I didn't follow the steps and when I got them put together, they were a floppy, sad, droopy pile of wrongness.

I ended up having to redo them and go through a lot more steps (in the wrong order) to figure out how to fix them so that they didn't look like they were made of wilted lettuce.

My plan was to do something inspired by Dawn, but not by copying her.  I used different materials and my own patterns.  And I wasn't even thinking that it might not be the polite thing to do.

If I was smart, I'd have paid the $5 and did it correctly the first time. 

Not only did I make them wrong, I started to feel bad, like I had been stealing from a freind.  She did all the work to create the art, and the instructions.   I sell tutorials myself, so I would be sad if I saw a friend's blog filled with projects she had taken from my offerings.

I didn't mean to be dishonest, I was  just tempted by how pretty Beth's turned out and started to make some myself.  But, its a tough art world out there and we should support each other, not take advantage.

So, I've paid for the class now and feel much better. $5 isn't much to spend to ease my conscience and do right by a friend.

That said, I want to say that if you purchase one of my online classes, I don't mind if you make projects with a friend. I would hope that you wouldn't pass the codes on to others, I do want to sell the tutorials.  But it is reasonable to expect that you might share with your pal if you guys are working together. I wouldn't be upset. 

Still, I felt like I owed Dawn the five bucks and I was happy to send it to her.  I'll be making more of these pretty sets of wings, but I'll be doing the framework HER way, to save some time in making them sturdy!  I can still add my own flair and design style to her pattern. That is the fun part of having a set of instructions to use as guidelines.

This set of angel wings is going to Kim's as a door prize for her Winter Wonderland workshop.

This piece, "Visions of Sugar Plums", is on its way to another friend, Karen, who is hosting a holiday workshop too.  I've also included a few packs of old millinery for her to raffle off.

I've got a few packs of flowers added to my Boutique now, these are Nice November Neutrals.  But I think they'd be pretty year round, don't you?

And I've been busy adding mini, dyed and glittered trees to my Etsy shop.

This year, I've got some new colors, the previous one is a Peppermint Trio, and this one is Gumdrop.

Of course, I'll always have white!

Here is another new one, Winter Sky Blue.

I've been in front of the computer listing away. Thank you to all who came by and shopped with me! I am going to make more trees, there are still some in the shop, but there will be more coming.  Contact me if you have a custom color in mind.

Ps- I will be at my friend, Angie's, open house at her shop, My Father's Daughter- 646 Locust Street  Lawrence, KS 66044

I'll be doing a make and take using one of my own tutorials. Its a holiday star, and I will provide all materials if you want to make a glittery ornament and do some shopping.

Believe it or not, there is new stuff in the Boutique! And a puppy stampede

It feels like ages since I've added to my Boutique.  Between summer trips, 9 pups, the Faery Book Swap, and Romantic Gothic Ghosts, I'm lucky to have gotten anything at all done. 

But when Stampington returned the cuff bracelets used in Jewelry Affaire, I thought it was a sign that I should get some photos and get listing.

So, I snapped a few pics of the cuffs as well as some of the jewels and flowers I'd been accumulating and hadn't had time to market.

Plus a zombie bride that I'd ghouled up for the party here in the studio.  I'll probably have more spooky props to list, but seriously doubt if I will get it done in time for the Halloween holiday.

Oh well, its a start. I'm just impressed with myself for getting back to business.

There is a ton of stuff waiting for my attention. I seriously doubt if I will have time to get a swap together for Christmas.  I'd love to, and thanks for the enquiries. But I've noticed that as I get older, my time gets shorter.

So, I'm trying to not over schedule myself. Tough lesson to learn for me, I'm not good at being reasonable about my time.

Maybe I can do a Valentine swap instead.... By then, maybe I'll be caught up. Sadly, the little fuzzballs will be off to new homes soon.

The babies have taken over the garage as their den, we turned the whole room into a play pen for them. But that isn't enough. They needed to get some fresh air and sunshine, so I made a fence around the back door to my studio too.  And leave the studio door open so they can run in and out while I am working.

Its so cute that they still want to sleep in a pile together, in a little dog bed, no matter how big they are getting.

I tried to get a photo of them all together, but as soon as they heard me step outside, they all started to stampede right at my feet.

It went quickly from 9 to-

7 to-

5 to-

3 to-

just one little guy waiting for me to come and pick him up as the others swarmed my toes.

 

just stuff

It sure didn't take long for me to mess up the studio again!  I've had a fun project in the works, actually a couple of them, that I can't wait to tell you about. I'll get to spill the beans soon, but not quite yet.

During the studio tour, someone asked to see a close up of this table that I have a box full of ribbons sitting on.  The veneer on the table was peeling up, so I covered it in textured, paintable wallpaper (not vintage, available at many home decor stores).  I then painted and glazed the whole table and the wallpaper to match.

When I cleaned up the studio to get photos for the tour, I thought this bowl tucked away under a small table would be a good place to store lace and trims. Twinkle seems to agree with me... but I might need to rethink this plan.

Although, this is her favorite place to relax.  Twinkle has decided that with the heat that Kansas has to offer this year, the lake is the best spot to tolerate it.

Dixie and Daisy, my sister-in-law's little dogs love it too.  Twinkle and Daisy bonded over hunting ducks.

Mostly, the garage sales I've been to lately have not been worth the effort to get up early.  But I did get this little Dorothy dress at one for $1, and Sugarwings loves it so much, she insists on calling Twinkle, "Toto" and wearing the dress over her bathing suit.

I'll leave you with some photos of what I added to the Boutique before we hit the road for Utah. 

We will be home over the weekend, all purchases will go out on Monday.

And if you want to sign up for the Faerie Book Swap, please email me, details here.  I'll add you to the list when I return.

 

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.

Pretty, pretty, pretty, I love Kim's house! plus a Boutique sale and a giveaway

Everything at Kim's was pure perfection, she has major decor, design, and detail skills.

And the ladies who came to spend the day were such fun!  I hope they enjoyed my two classes as much as I enjoyed sharing the tips with them.

There were gifts galore too. Kim gave us all the table decorations she used to foof our seats, I already have these wings on display in my own holiday decor.

And the generous attendees all included me in their swaps, even though I didn't have time to participate.  (photos to come, you'll be impressed with their work!)

Kim's house was sooooo pretty. I said that word so many times, that I sounded like a broken record.  Or a dimwit with a pitiful vocabulary.

Can you blame me? Pretty was everywhere.

Kim was attempting to show me around when I arrived, when I caught a glimpse of her studio through the open doorway and I was magnetically pulled into the prettiness of the room, with no hope of stopping myself. I just had to explore that space.

But it wasn't just the studio.  The whole house is that great.  This is the bedroom that Jessi and I shared, Kim's daughter, Kate, gave up her room for the whole weekend.

My main project was a wire wrapped wreath, with lace leaves and a nesting dove.   I brought a table full of "extras" for everyone to play with. Ribbons, lace, beads,glitters, etc.   When I teach a class,  I think its only fair to include everything you need in the kits.

But- its good to have an option to personalize the piece and have some bonus goodies to dig through.

Don't we all love to dig? 

Everyone's project was unique, no two just the same. Just the way I like it!

We also played with paint, and I explained some of the techniques for short cut painting tips that are on the side bar of my blog. I'll have some pictures of that later, as well as a bigger sample of the work. Kim and I painted her nightstands using the same steps that we did on the small wooden boxes that I brought for the class.

When I arrived, she had a pristine, newly painted, chalk board door.

And I had the honors of supplying its first drawing.

Kate has tamed a feral cat and it adores her.  So, my thought was to add the kitty to the picture, and have it play with the ribbons dangling from the wreath that we were making that day.

I have more photos to share after Christmas, but for now, I really need to get shopping and wrapping! Sugarwings has been ill since I got home and a lot of my time has gone to snuggling instead of prepping for the big event this weekend.  I hope Santa can find my chimney, because no one in this house should count on gifts from me.... I'm not prepared!

Speaking of gifts- don't forget that you have till Christmas to win a special, surprise gift from me. Any comment this week, any post counts.

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

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!

New in the Boutique and THANK YOU!

Since I was painting this week, I whipped up a few signs while I had my paint clothes on.  

this is on an old door panel. Its in the Boutique now, for $25 plus shipping. I used to crank these out non-stop, they were always a good item to have in my booth back in the days when I sold antiques.   Now, I don't make them very often.   I kind of miss painting...  But I do get to paint with Sugarwings now and then.

Sterling Silver and Crystal earrings $19

I don't know if you remember my big talk about getting my Boutique up to date a while back?  Well.... I tried.

I added quite a bit, and did it a few days in a row! I was patting myself on the back for getting back to business, but then got sidetracked with painting shutters and the breezeway, and all sorts of other little projects. (photos coming this weekend)

Crystal and rhinestone bracelet $20

Its very nice, though, that most of all the new goods sold before I could even tell you about them!! What a wonderful feeling.

Ephemera covered tag book (8 x 4")  $18

Here are some of the goodies that are still available.This tag book is filled with lots of ehemera treats.

Rhinestone bracelet $15

There are a few more pretties too, and honestly, I have a giant Rubbermaid tub by the door filled with things I am waiting to take pictures of.  I need to get moving. 

As Willy Wonka says, "So much time, so little to do.  Strike that, reverse it"

Thank you all so much for still shopping with me, even though I've not been very good at keeping things fresh and new for you.  There are still lots of "staples" in the store. When I listed papers, charlottes, and millinery, I made up tons of each, so they would be in stock a while.   

And I do promise to add more. 

Soon.

Maybe.

And thanks also for all the dress form love!!! Wow, I'm thrilled at the way this online class is still selling. I appreciate your interest in the class and all of the questions about the availabilty of kits. I have a million pretty things to make kits of.  But, haven't gotten around to making them.

I used to be so much more on top of things.  I don't know where the time goes anymore.

This picture could explain some of it. These two little sprites wear out us old people!

Today, I made a Halloween style dress form for all of you who have signed up for the classes, as a thanks.

I hope to add the witchy woman to the boutique too.  As a matter of fact, I'm going to go and do that now.

If you are interested in purchasing the dress form class, here are the details.

 

Sweet Charlottes

While packing up for Paper Cowgirls and deciding what to sell on vendor night, I decided to divide up the Charlottes that are heading to Texas and add some to the Boutique too.

These are the BIG ones, four inches and more.  I've never carried these before, but I sure see lots of possibilities for things to make with them.

I also restocked some of the smaller gals while I was at it. So, there are plenty of sizes to choose from. I even made a whole new catagory just for these girlies so they are easy for you to find.

Please note that if you order multiples at The Boutique at Karla's Cottage that sometimes the shipping rates add up really fast. I will refund the excess shipping  if it is more than a couple bucks.  Heck, I've seen the shipping go up to $14 or so for a little box that cost $5 to ship. Don't worry, I won't let you pay double for shipping, I'll refund the difference to you.

But I can't see a better way to configure the shopping cart.  Its hard to be accurate ahead of the game.

If you have a better way, I'd be happy to hear it.  And would love the advice.

How Cheesy

Time is running out to sign up for Paper Cowgirls!  I think the final day is May 15th.

There are lots of fun swaps going on there this year, but I didn't sign up for any. I'll be kicking myself on swap night!

But I did enter the Velveeta Challenge. Yep, Velveeta.  I hadn't bought the stuff in ten years, but picked some up this week just for the box.  I made up a queso dip for company on Saturday night with the big yellow/orange block and a can of Rot-el, along with a block of cream cheese.   I have to admit that it wasn't bad... 

But I'm going right back to my anti-processed cheese stance now that it is all gone.

  My arteries will thank me.

The challenge is to transform the empty box into something not so cheesy.  Then, they will be auctioned off for a good cause.

These pictures are sneak peeks of my redo, but I'm not showing the whole thing, just a few little glimpses. (the pocket watch isn't part of the project, it is something new in the Boutique)

I went with what I always think of as Texas colors, all neutrals, some rust and white. And I used the Best of the Best of the Good Stuff.

This box metamorphosis really was a challenge to me.  For one thing, it was pretty flimsy and had to be reinforced.  But I sure enjoyed working on it.  I could use more stretches out of my comfort zone. That is what can be really wonderful about doing a challenge or swap, its good to try something different. 

  I hope the Texas girls like it, and someone bids on it.

 
Speaking of Texas girls, when my pal Lisa came to Birdsong to teach, she brought me the most gorgeous "bridal"bed spread.  I had it over my pale blue bedding for a week or so and loved using it, but was really afraid that the dogs would ruin it. And of course, since the bed belongs to Twinkle (or so she insists) and she just lets me sleep in it with her, I had to consider her feelings. 

Not that she ever considers mine, that dog is a bed hog.

So, instead  it is hanging in my living room window now, safely away from dog toe nails and muddy paws.

I have a double window and on the other half I hung a French net table cloth that I recently found at an estate sale.  Of course, the two don't match, but I like it this way.  They have a similar feel, so I think it works. 

 Aren't these cake toppers sweet as pie? Or as cake, I guess. I bought a big bag of them, and had to save some for Sugarwings, she's really into giraffes. The rest are in the Boutique if you've got a birthday party coming up and could use a few on your special little person's cake.

In my stash, I've had a roll of silk ribbon for years and never used it. It was just tooooo glaring white. So, I dipped it in coffee. Didn't like it.  Then I spritzed it with some dye made from boiled avocado skins (for a perfect pink) and some walnut dye, too, and rinsed it out and this is what I got. The walnuts kind of faded to a soft green.

Now, don't ask me why I did 10 yards of it at once, with experimental dyes.   I could have ruined the whole piece if the colors didn't turn out pretty. I had no idea what I was getting, I sure didn't think walnuts would make it green.  This is kind of like when I made a vat of chicken salad for my  Birdsong guests and thought it might be tasty to add some poultry seasoning.  I've never made chicken salad with poultry seasoning in it, and should have tested it on a small bowlful instead of on 12 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts all chopped up and mixed with the other ingredients already.

But I got lucky with that too, and I really liked the flavor.

I'll leave you with a few more photos of what's new in the Boutique and Etsy.

And please remember, that for the month of May, all millinery flowers have free shipping.

 On Etsy, the shipping is already marked, but in the Boutique, you need to pay as normal, and I'll send a refund to you.

So, what's new?

(felted nests $5-6)

This week, I am planning a get away with some buddies. Well, it might not be an actual get away for me, since its at my house, but it will still feel like one. A girl's weekend, where I can make stuff, shop, eat goodies and chat, chat, chat with blog friends that I just adore and love to spend time with will feel like a fantastic vacation, even if its in my own back yard.

(Lots of pink cupcake people, starting at $2 a package)

We are planning dinner at my house on Thursday after I make an airport run to scoop them all up that afternoon.  I'm not sure yet what I will fix for our meal, it needs to be something that is all ready to go ahead of time so  I can slip it into the oven when we get back from the airport.

 

(rhinestone rondelles 10 for $4.00)

For these kind of meals, I usually do something Italian.  It always seems easier to serve, and is something that tastes good when made the day before.  Those flavors develop over night and just get better, don't they?

Plus, I'm good at making an Italian dish nice and light.  Lots of fresh veggies, a low fat tomato sauce, and a light sprinkling of cheese.  It tastes good, but is not heavy.  I have a feeling that we'll be having lots of goodies around for the weekend, so kicking it off with a lighter meal will probably be appreciated.

(mini rhinestone crowns $4.50 each)

But its not the meals that will be important, its the time together.  I'm soooo flattered that these special ladies are flying across the country to come to visit and spend time. 

Blog world has been very good to me, and I am extremely lucky to have met such good friends through their blogs, and through going to art events.  Funny, we each are at different ages and stages of our lives, but all of us have a love of beautiful vintage things,  and never run out of conversation topics.

Friday will be shopping in KC, and then on Saturday, we'll hunker down in the studio and play with pretties.  Nothing formal, just comfortable and relaxed.  If weather permits, we might sit by the bonfire that night.  But then again, we might be having so much fun in the studio, we won't want to leave it.  So, I'm not setting  schedule, we'll do what sounds good. 

That is the best kind of vacation, isn't it?  

So, this week, I'll be busy Spring cleaning and getting the guest rooms ready for friends. I've got 3 extra beds, 2 sofas, and we'll set up a blow up mattress.  Just like the slumber parties I loved as a kid!

Growing up in Pendleton, IN, my friends and I lived for slumber parties. Any occasion was a reason to throw one.  I used to have a big birthday party every March for my Irish Setter, Ambie, and would have a whole group of girls come for a sleep over.  

Now, as a grown up, I'm glad to continue the parties.  My favorite thing about visiting with my sisses is that last glass of wine at night, sitting up late and talking. That cozy feeling of knowing you are in for the night and can talk as late as you like, all curled up in your jammies, laughing and being silly.

Do we ever out grow that? I hope I don't.   I always want to enjoy that 14 year old girl that is still a part of me, who likes to giggle and stay up late with friends.

(rhinestones $3.50 a foot)

I'd hoped to get the yard cleaned up for the party, but it snowed over the weekend, and spring is just not cooperating with me.  Oh well.  I have a feeling no one will really care if my flower beds are planted or not.

But they will care if the studio is too messy to find a path to the tables! So, I'd better get to work.  I don't know how I do it, but I sure tend to pile things up in there. It gets away from me, and I live like a pig out there.  I'm not that way in my home, I get antsy if my house is cluttery and messy, but I sure can let the studio fall apart and fill up fast.

(glass stones  25 for $3.50)

 I'm off to clean. I need a giant trash can and a shovel, I think. 

I've been trying to get it done, but keep getting distracted by shiny things.  All these photos are of new things I've listed in the Boutique.   This last one is clear glass stones from the 40s, aren't they nice?  

If you'd like a chance to win a souvenir from Moulin Rouge, please leave a comment anytime (or as many as you'd like) till March 31st.

Well, some is better than none, right?

 
There were lots of good intentions of getting a ton of wallpaper cut.... but it just didn't happen.  But what I did get cut is as pretty as can be. 

Sometimes I  just have to admit that there is only so much time in a day.  Yesterday, Sugarwings and Pixie Pie came to play and I had to chose between getting my work done or being a grammy. I think you know what won!

Oh well, its not like the paper will spoil.  I can cut more later when I am not pressed for time. 

While I was working, it seemed like I had really cut up a lot, but once it was all ironed and packaged, it was much less than I thought it would be.  I guess because I cut such big pieces this time, a hefty 14 x 17". 

A lot of people were asking me for larger pieces, and I wanted to do a variety of sizes, but well, I've already mentioned that I was distracted by something shiny- two little sparkly fairies!

For now, I have about a dozen or so packs listed in the Boutique.  And I  have hopes of making up more packs when I get back from my trip to Moulin Rouge.

All purchases from the Boutique and from Etsy will be shipped a couple of days after I get back. Thanks for being patient! 

 

There is also some other new stuff listed for sale, like this banner made of vintage gift wrap and old game cards (from my friend, Mary)

     

While I didn't get as much wallpaper packed up as I wanted to, I made up for it by cutting up what felt like a million or so pieces of old gift wrap.  While I had it out, getting it ready to sell, I just had to make a few things with it too.

Like this mini notebook.

 

Its pretty stuff, isn't it? 

I'll leave you with some more photos of what is new in the shops. And please check back, even though I'll be away, I'll have some new posts for you.

Now, I'm off to pack for Moulin Rouge. I'm not quite sure what to bring.  I think I'd look more than a bit ridiculous as a can can girl.  More of a can't can't old lady.  

Oh well, I'll throw on one of Sugarwing's feather boas from her dress up pile and go kick my legs up any way. This is one old grammy who doesn't care about looking ridiculous!