Karla's Cottage

An Angel for Amy

Recently, a friend of my husband lost his daughter in a tragic accident. She was a young, first grade teacher who was beloved by many. We attended her Celebration of Life, and although I had never met her, it was an honor to be there and to hear all of the glowing stories about her life.  I was moved to create this angel for her by the winding, little creek behind the hotel we were staying at.  

Her family had bracelets made to pass out, with Amy's motto on them, "Live, Laugh, Teach" along with "Live Like Amy."

 

Registration for A Snowbird's Song, Birdsong 7

Our previous, holiday themed Birdsong was so much fun, I just have to do it again!  What could be more fun  than mingling and jingling with creative friends at the prettiest, most magical time of the year? We will be getting an early start on holiday decor by kicking off the season during Veteran's Day weekend, and you will go home bubbling over with cheer and ready to display your festive creations and get the holidays rolling in your own home.

This year, we are doing something a little different.  "Birdsong Eve" has always been a bonus to the event, not technically included. But since so many of our "Peeps" enjoy participating, we will add the evening as part of the party.

Here is what our line up will include:

Friday, November 8 (6:30-9:30pm) Birdsong Eve Welcome Night, with Swaps, Sangria, and Pizza

We will meet at my cottage to greet old and new friends, sip some sangria and trade our festive swaps.  Jennifer Hayslip will lead us in a make and take and you know that with her charming style, she will be starting off our weekend with whimsical, lighthearted flare!

Saturday, November 9 (All day and into the evening) Classes/Vendor Night

We will begin the day by crafting with Lesa Dailey

Beverages, treats, and lunch are included. After dining, we will take a bit more time to work with Lesa, to give everyone a chance to finish up their sweet tweet of a project.  The afternoon will also feature a project from me. (Photos and details of the class to come).

Saturday evening, join us for vendor night shopping, along with wine, dinner, and dessert.

Sunday, November 10 (all day) Ornament Day

Sunday brings us a full day  filled with ornaments to hang on your tree, add to a banner, or use as a wall hanging once you place them in your own home.  The morning will begin with mini classes by Lori Oles and Beth Leintz

Beverages, treats, and lunch are included. After our luncheon, I will lead more mini classes in ornament making, and will provide a plethora of ephemera and sparkling Christmas goodies for you to embellish and create with.  We will have a relaxed, informal afternoon of creating together.

At 6, we will wrap up and give hugs good-bye til next time.  For many people, Monday is a day off work (Veteran's Day), so if you are free Sunday night, please make sure you join in on our group dinner, where quite a few of the Peeps get together for one last meal (Dutch Treat) at a tasty, Lawrence restaurant after our gathering ends.

The Classes

Kits with full instructions, and all of the supplies you require will be included for each project.  You will be asked to bring tools, glues, etc.  Personal items can also be brought to change your piece up a bit, but are not necessary if you'd like to finish the kit as the instructor has finished hers.

Full photos of the classes will be available soon.  Sorry they are not ready yet. I have been redoing my studio with fresh paint and a new look, and while working on that, I was overcome with the idea that I just had to invite Peeps to the new studio to play in it with me! So, while I have ideas on what the classes will be, I do not have finished examples. And the teachers also have had no notice to make their examples.  But I wanted to let all of you know that the classes are coming and open registration now instead of waiting a month to give the teachers time to make their plans.

Thank you for understanding.

I can assure you that I will be using "The Good Stuff" as I build my kits, and take pride in pulling together pretty items for you to work with.

 

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Registration

You can email me at:

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karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

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for a PayPal invoice, or set up payments by check

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Cost

$475 

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Refund Policy:

If there is someone on the waiting list to take your place when you need to drop out, I will refund all but 10% of your payment up till four weeks before the party. If a replacement cannot be found, you will be charged $65 per large class kit and $25 for the mini kits (which will be mailed to you) plus postage and refunded the rest of your payment. After October 11th (the four week point), no refunds can be offered. At that point, you will receive your kits, but no partial refunds if you can’t attend. But please, don’t cancel!! We love our peeps!!

 

Payment schedule:

To hold your spot for Birdsong, a $150 down payment is due at signups.

A second payment of $162.50 is due Wednesday July 31st.

Wednesday October 11, the remainder of $162.50 is due.

Please help me out by alerting me if a check has been mailed, so I will be expecting it.    And by following this timeline.   Thanks! I appreciate it.

Upcoming Class Announcements, Autumn Glory and A Snowbird's Song

She is a darling sprite, isn’t she?   Here is what Karen has to say about her:

 

Welcome Fall with Felicity the Flower Fairy! 

 

Mounted on a vintage shaker and posed in a shimmering rose bloom with her flower wand, Felicity will now work her Autumnal magic- making all of the flowers in the world bloom one last time before winter steals away all of their petals! 

All pieces including vintage bisque baby are supplied for you. Just bring anything special of your own that you wish to use; such as any small rhinestone bling.

 

 

This class and a watercolor lesson will be offered in my studio at the Cottage on Saturday, August 31st.

You will have a choice of Autumn Ecru or Soft Pink for Karen Hillman's project.

 

My class will be a watercolor lesson on how to paint a bluebird.  You will receive a hand drawn bird, instructions, and watercolor markers to complete your own painting. Once painted, we will cut out the image and pop it into this sweet, little frame and embellish it with lace, ribbons, and vintage rhinestones.

 

Included will be a watercolor journal covered in a painted cover (by me). 

Inside the back pocket is a print out of watercolor tips and tricks to help you fill the book with future paintings

 

The day will include lunch, beverages, and treats. Also a sweet treat presentation on making Apple Cider Cake Pops from Karen, Hospitality Queen of the Cozy Castle.

 

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Class size is very limited, please contact me for more info:

 

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

Date:

Saturday, August 31st

Place:

Karla’s Cottage- Lawrence, KS

Cost:

$115

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Includes:

Lunch, beverages, goodies

Karen’s kit for making Felicia the Flower Fairy

A set of watercolor markers, a hand done drawing for you to paint, a watercolor notebook, painted frame with embellishments, and an instructional chart  for my project.

I hope we will see you there! The class size is limited to the amount of antique dolls Karen has on hand.   This is a makeup class for the one we had to postpone in April, so priority will go to previously signed up guests.

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To register, please  email me at:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

 

ps- If you are coming in from out of town, this is also Sparks Flea Market weekend, one hour and 20 minutes from my house, up north a ways. It is a fun, and funky place to shop, and is open Thursday- Sunday. I plan on being there on Thursday, myself, but I promise not to buy it all, there will still be some vintage goodies left to shop for!

And guess what???

Birdsong is BACK!

Registration will be open soon, I am working on details now.  

I hope to be welcoming you to the Cottage for both workshops, I love filling the room with my Peeps!

Yay, Khya!

Khya just finished her second session at Vango Mobile Arts in Lawrence.  It's an organization that gives back to the community by helping youth through artwork.  They actually hire kids as employees and teach them about work habits, regular paychecks, and how to be successful in business. 

I am glad our girl got to be a part of it, and she gave a moving speech about what it had meant to her.  There is more to the venue than just being creative, and it aided her with some struggles she had been going through.

Plus, she got to paint this group mural, that will be on display at the local health center.

In the past, I didn't really get the concept and thought that it was misleading to the kids to think art was always a well paid job.  As an artist myself, I know it can be rewarding, but not often in a financial way...

But there is much more to the non profit and I have been won over.  Thanks Vango, for being there for our kids when they need you!

Winging it at Disney World

Before heading to Universal Studios to hit my head, we hung out with royalty at Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge.  I'd never been to this restaurant before, but now it is my favorite place to go! 

We were lucky to get in, the night before, we checked the Disney planning app to see where we might find an open reservation. If you  have spent much time at the Disney parks you know about all of the tips and rules about making plans way ahead, to get the best reservations and fast passes.  People plan months in advance to try to get the ideal dining experience and get up at 6am the day the window opens for them to make their plans.

We weren't even sure what day or what park we were going to the night before, so had no itinerary at all.  But everything fell into place for us, after buying my ticket at 9pm that night.  

One thing I have always found, is that while it can be hard to get reservations for the princess dining, there are thousands of people who are working the app to get exactly what they want, and they often book multiple experiences, as they weed through to finalize their plans. While it is kinda rude to hold up so many spots, eventually they do have to release the holds because they can't do it all. And they have a deadline where the restaurants are non refundable.

I have had lots of success in getting to go where I wanted, by checking online to see when cancellations pop up.  24 hours before you go usually has lots of openings, and it did this time too.  Plus, we were fine with whatever happened, we were three adults who have been to the parks many times and weren't pinning all of their vacation hopes and dreams upon magical perfection. 

We were winging it and just happy to be there, wherever we ended up.

There are some Facebook Disney groups I follow (because, yes, you know I am a Mickey nerd and can't get enough!) and these people can be quite over the top about details and spreadsheets and planning.  I do believe you need to go into it with some idea of where and what and when you are doing things, or you waste a lot of time, but I sure don't think it needs to be as desperate as some of these people make it out to be.

 Artist Point and the Story Book dinner was the BEST, and I hope to go again. But we would have had a good time, no matter what we did that day.

If you get a chance, you should try it out. It is in a resort, not a park, so no ticket is needed to get in. Just remember to  check back again if reservations are full, some might open up. 

And don't forget to give my pal, Dopey, a kiss on the top of the head. I got to, just like Snow White does. He was pretty dang cute.

 

 

A trip to Universal, that included a bit of a trip, and Homer Simpson checked out my backside

What are the odds that when I was in Georgia for the art event, and then spending some time at the Guncles, that my sis, Terry would just so happen to be in Orlando visiting from Utah with her hubby?

Well, actually pretty good, They are season pass holders at Disney and spend a lot of time there.  And what are the odds of me turning a business trip to teach at Jekyll Island into an Orlando visit?

If you know me, you know that I cannot resist a trip to the happiest place on Earth! 

Terry and Dale invited me to join them at the condo they rented while there, so I added a couple of days onto my trip and took them up on their generous offer. I had my own room, and balcony, and we were just down the road from Disney and Universal.

While I am a Disney Girl, through and through, I do luvs me some Harry Potter too.

By the way, since i was a teen, before even developing  my obsession with going to the parks, I adored this song:  Disney Girls

Every inch of the two HP themed areas are awe-worthy.  I just wish the displays were what they were offering for sale....

Such cool, old stuff. Witchiness and wonder everywhere.

The rest of the park was interesting and I enjoyed walking through and checking it out.  While well done, and fun to see, the rides are a little rougher and MUCH MORE SPINNIER than at Disney World.  And outside of Hogwarts and Daigon Alley, there isn't the same magic as there is at Magic Kingdom.  (well, it is in the name there, after all, right?)

There aren't as many shows, but we saw the animal training show and the Hollywood horror make up show. And at that one, they pointed out that there were differences in the two parks.  As the actor heckled a small child and threatened to send a monster after him, he said, "This isn't Disney, we don't have to be nice to kids here"

It was pretty funny, and spot on. 

Magic always wins with me. I could have just sat on a bench and absorbed HP Land for days on end without tiring of it. So I know I will go back again sometime. 

But I will avoid the rides.  

They are not for me there. I should have known that when you are required to put all belongings in a locker before getting on, that they plan on spinning you around so much that they are afraid you will lose all of your stuff.

By the way, the locker rooms are horrid, over crowded, free for alls that are dangerous to try to maneuver through.

I was spun a little bit, no a LOT, too much while visiting Hogwarts. I loved the lines going in and the castle itself, and should have stepped aside then. But no, I wasn't that smart.  I have no idea what the ride even was about, I had to squeeze my eyes closed as tight as I could, because if I had a glimpse of that 3-D screen while being gyroscoped in every direction, I was afraid that I would vomit on my own head while upside down.

When I got off, it wasn't much better, I was discombobulated, and had to be escorted and propped up by my dear brother-in-law to a bench.  My theory about motion sickness it to ignore it as much as I can/get fresh air/walk around/ think of something else/ do not let it ruin my day.

But as a senior citizen, which I apparently now am, and a vertigo survivor, my theory isn't as helpful as it used to be, and I took a nose dive into that hideously crowded, overheated locker room and face planted into a locker.

Here I am a week later, after I'd found out that the reason I couldn't just walk off the headache and motion sickness was that I'd given myself another concussion.  My Dr. said I should get a helmet or bubble wrap if I was going to be landing on my head a lot, I had just gotten over a concussion a few weeks earlier.

So, I made myself an Easter bonnet with bubble wrap. (side note, Easter was a couple of weeks ago, how long is it acceptable to still be sweeping up Easter grass around the house??? That stuff is more insidious than glitter.)