Karla's Cottage

Kick starting the season

My favorite season is here and I’m taking advantage of every fun offering available, to soak up as much holiday joy as I can.

One annual tradition is to view the Holiday Home Tour with friends.

This year had a banner crop of festive flair to walk through.  Every house I got to see was a winner.  But I didn’t get a complete tour, I’d over booked myself (I just can’t say no to any holiday event- if there is Christmas fun going on, I’m in the middle of it!)

Sunday was no exception to my seasonal excess, we started the day with a coffee date with friends, then the home tour, next A Christmas Story musical with Sugarwings, and finishing the night with a holiday movie with the kiddo.

Was it too much for one day? Welllll….. probably, but worth it.  

A couple days before, friends invited us to Snow Globe for dinner, and even though I was already swamped, we said yes.

Ounce again, worth stretching out my time to add some extra fun.  It was a great night out.

Plus, I’ve had First Friday weekend at Good Juju which was two long days of excitement that felt like a party itself.

We’re  barely into December and I’ve been blessed with so many glittery get togethers, that I’d  consider myself lucky and fulfilled if these were all the festivities that I got to experience.

But lucky me- I’ve got a craft date with friends this week, our Book Club dinner and gift exchange coming up, and I’m trying to find a good time to have some friends over.  Not to mention my cocoa parties in front of the tree with my grand fairy, and the way that sprite makes every day feel like it’s special.

Yep, beyond blessed.

And maybe a tiny bit tired.

Nellie Faye’s in Pendleton

Pendleton, IN has changed since I grew up there in the 60’s and 70’s when it was a simple, but ordinary little town.   It’s always been friendly and quaint, but has grown into a place that should be a destination for someone who enjoys unique shops and specialty dining.

And this shop?

OMG!

It certainly deserves a road trip to go see.

There is a cozy, overflowing room full of vintage pretties and handmade goods, with a sunny greenhouse/garden space attached.

Shelli lives in Pendleton, but had never been inside, but Sissy is a regular.  She took us to this darling, old, cottage tucked away from downtown across from the park.  When I stepped in the door, I felt like I was in some upscale shop in a tourist area.

Not in the sleepy, little town that I’ve known all my life.

While it might have felt like I was in some nationally known California shop, it still had those good ol midwestern prices.

The displays were delightful and the arty stuff was all things I wished I’d made myself.  Right up my alley.

If you are ever in central Indiana, driving along I69, you should stop in.

And please tell them that Sharon’s sister says hi.

 

 

 

First Friday Weekend in December at Juju

Good Juju First Friday Weekend is coming up! 

I got my booth all spiffed up and ready to roll before I left for Indiana to visit my sisters.

I’m still visiting family as I write this.

So I’ll leave you with the rest of the photos and get back to sister time.

 

 

 

Mosaics with genuine stones and some beading

While visiting sisters in Indiana, we of course, did some crafting.  These are mosaic pendants made with genuine stones. The top photo is freshwater pearls and crushed opals.

Sissy made this one.  Emerald, garnet, labradorite, Ruby, sapphire, citrine, and smoky quartz, I think. We top each with a mix of crushed opals and moonstone.

This one is mine.  It has rainbow sparkle from some of the bigger chunks I left when I was hitting opals with a hammer.

When I ran out of bezels to mosaic in, we turned to beading bracelets.  They still need the knots trimmed, glued, then tucked into the spacers.  I have enough beads left to make a couple more.  

When I get back to Kansas, I’ll be delving into my beads and gems to keep crafting, I do love making both styles of jewelry.  In the past, I have used memory wire or wove beads on to leather cords, the stretch cords are new to me.  Yep, I know, I’m rather late to this game, huh?  They’ve been around a while.  But it’s a brand new addiction for me!

(Like I needed another one!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

For me, Thanksgiving is just a speed bump on the way to Christmas.

It’s my husband’s favorite holiday, though. So over the years, Sugarwings’ and I would say, “We must respect the bird” and not go full on sparkle, tinsel explosion over the house til after the turkey is served.

For various reasons, I’ve had to decorate early any way, like a Snowbird Song event or a Holiday Home Tour and once that floodgate was open, I didn’t even pretend to have any tiny bit of respect for that dang turkey dinner.

I love my decorations and trees and want them up for the whole season, so I start the first week of November and enjoy it for as long as I can.

Our new chant? “We must respect the pumpkin!”

Also, being in retail, it’s smart to get a really early start on making stuff.  This year, I’m way behind due to my studio make over and a few other things going on.  I had big, big plans to fill my Boutique, but, oops.  That didn’t work out.  I made some goodies for Juju though, and am sure there will be things left.  But it might be too late to market them for this December.

 

Another Santa Redo and a possible mink hunt

I rescued another Santa Claus, this one only one foot, instead of four feet high.  So he was a bit easier to redo.  I’d love to restyle more little St Nicks, but I’m nearing the end of my white mink stash.  I’ve been using it for tiny collars on the dolls I remake into angels too.  A little bit goes a long way, and I’ve been tearing up that same tattered stole for years, but now, it’s time to either start hunting minks or find another craft.

For the Santas, I always start with ripping off the ugly patch of white fuzz that passes as a beard and replacing it with curly goat’s hair.  I cut away the hat, reshape it more to my liking (or make a new one) the replace it’s fake fur trim with mink.
 Now, I’m not against fake fur at all.  The problem is that on these dolls, it’s usually the cheapest, ugliest fake fur that the manufacturer could get away with.  There are some types that would be perfectly nice, but this stuff usually is so bad that it couldn’t even be good enough for carnival prize stuffed animals.

The jacket trim needs to go next, as well as the plastic belt.  For this guy, I added a panel of very old lace down his front and cut a strip of creamy suede to wrap around his bowl full of jelly, I mean, belly.  It fastens with a mother of pearl buckle glued into place.

Sometimes I use fur around the cuffs too, but since my supply is low, and also because it was pretty, I made cuffs of tattered velvet.  I was lucky with the jacket he wore, it was white brocade with silver thread and I kinda liked it, so left it as is.  Some stains and bad spots got covered up with the lace then velvet and the coat looked good as new.

He got a bleached tree to hold.  Its base is tied with a velvet ribbon so there was something stable to hold the glue when I put it in his hand.  Plus it’s a nice touch.

Since I am not a sewer, the Santas, like all of my fairies and angels, are glued into place.  I would be kicked off of Project Runway for sure, but it seems to be okay for these dolls, they have no complaints.  And I hate sewing, but love designing clothes for dolls from bits of vintage scraps.  So this is what works for me.