Karla's Cottage

Another Giveaway, Another Charm

I'm no longer confused by my charm swap, the kind hostess, Mary, http://mymothersdaughter-maryb.blogspot.com/2007/04/anyone-up-for-charm-swap.html explained that we still need to make 22 charms even though she hasn't heard from everyone. If there are extras, she'll send them back. 

So this afternoon, I painted 25 thumbnail size roses on watercolor paper, (and added 3 teeny fairies too, wonder what that is for??).

I am so bummed by the charm pieces I ordered to put them on.  When I ordered them online, I thought I was getting a solid piece, but they are two pieces, the centers come out and swing free in the frame.

And of course, I ordered about a million of them at once, thinking that the photo of them was perfect and I'd want to make a TON of these things, and just ought to order them all at once to save postage.  Now I have all these charms and don't like working with them.

There are a lot of extra steps involved since I can't simply pop the paintings into the tiny frames and cover them with diamond glaze.  I have to take the pieces all apart first, and now will have to reassemble them.  But- I think I like them better WITHOUT the dangling frame.  What do you think?

I have the diamond glaze coat on them and sprinkled a hint of glitter over it.  The glaze is still wet in the photo here, it looks cloudy yet.  I am always too impatient to wait for things to dry.

I've never been in a charm swap before, I want these to look nice.  So here's an idea, give me your advice and have a chance to win one!! 

Here is a close up, still cloudy, because it is wet- but what do you think?  Should I hang them in their frame or leave them as is?  Vote or leave a comment this week and I'll enter you in a drawing to win one of the extra ones I made today!

Someone always ends up being a fairy

I'm in a fairyswap !!!!!!! I am so excited about it, I am a fairy-aholic.  I was disappointed to see all the fairy jar swap people, knowing I had missed it and was too late to get in. Taking pity on me, (or maybe wanting to stop my whining?) Natasha Burns http://natashaburns.blogspot.com/ set up a mini swap with some talented bloggers, Heather http://prettypetalsboutique.blogspot.com/, and Holly http://hollydoodledesigns.com/WordPress/.

This will be my 3rd swap, and I am glad it is a small one, the charm one I am in is a doozy.  I need to make somewhere between 15- 22- 33?? I need a final count, I am confused.  I also need to start making them.......

I've spent the last two days making scrapbooks of my trip to give as thank yous to the people we stayed with.  For my sister-in-law, Sandy, I found a clearance journal for 50 cents and foofed up the cover with vintage goodies and scrapbook paper.  Hers has no photos yet, I need to finish it tonight so I can think about doing some charms......

For my brother-in-law, I bought one of those mini,ready to go scrapbooks, this one is from Studio K, love that line!!

I added more papers, copies of my paintings, some hand drawn doodles and writing, stickers, then the photos.  I like to make pockets to slide the pictures into.  I make the pockets from card stock so they are sturdy.

The ready to go books are so nice, since the background is already printed, they make simple gifts, just with a few personal touches and pictures, they are ready to go.

And of course, in every book I make, someone always ends up being a fairy.  This is Emily, she is a tiny, dainty little 15 year old who has a natural fairy quality about her.  She makes a lovely sprite.

Oh- I have been having inquiries about my hand painted charms.  If anyone wants one, here are few to look at, I can send close ups, or photos of more.  They are $18 each plus $2 shipping. Thanks!!

Sisters Junking Day in Indy and MORE $1.99 roses!

  What's one good thing about being back a day early from vacation? Being at the local grocery store for the Monday markdowns on flowers! $1.99 bundles of roses are almost enough to come home early for.  (But I also got a day with Sugarwings!)

I bought the roses in a lavender pink color, and got a $1.99 bundle of snap dragons to match. Then it just so happened that the color of the flowers looked so beautiful with the mail I happened to be opening- look at my presents!!  I received a bundle of pretty cards and papers from Vickie at Stampin' Up and a dainty little rose scented candle that came all the way from Norway and http://brittarnhildshouseinthewoods.typepad.com/brittarnhilds_house_in_th/.  She gave the candle as a prize for her Caring Bloggers Rose Day and I was lucky enough to win it.  But, I think I have mentioned before that I am a lucky person.  Thanks to you both for the pretties!!

Here is a pile of the loot I found on my Sisters Junking Day in Indy. 

Southport Antique Mall was HUGE, it had wings, upstairs, downstairs, back alleys, hidden rooms, and felt like a maze that went on forever.  Why aren't all antique malls built that way????

I accidentally left with the clothespin that was used to mark my pile of purchases. It said "Carolina" on it, and I had just been in N. Carolina a couple days ago, seemed fitting.  My niece was given a clothes pin that said Loo Loo, but she insisted it was 007 007.  Bobbie Sue had one that was just a number 3, so I asked if they would trade it in for a pretty name. She got "Peace" in place of #3, much better!

A favorite find was the cute jar with the pink lid, that was full of rhinestone buttons for $6.

I found 2 of these albums, for $12 each.  Both in decent shape, but one a bit better than the other. I will probably make one into an art journal and use the 2nd for parts.

The dish with pink flowers is actually tin!  very pretty. I also got a big bundle of china flowers for $12. I never really like the plastic stems on these things, and often just use the buds in mosaics.  Not sure what this bunch will be yet.

We had a mini shopping trip the day before, a stop at Goodwill and a spin through TJMaxx.  I found new towels at the Maxx, Sissy found the new sheets and the chocolate bars wrapped in pretty papers, as well as the 3 sisters mug. 

She found the blue skirt with pink roses (a Ralph Lauren) at the Goodwill along with the pink basket.  I got the soap dish at the thrift and plan on painting it ivory to use in my kitchen to hold the sponge by the sink.

I'm jealous about the basket Sissy bought, it was just the right size to fit 3 Dorkies in. I loved the skirt too, but my sis is about a size minus zero and that skirt would have ripped in half just holding it up to my hips.

Tonight I started working on my vacation scrapbook.  (Walgreens has a special now for 15 cent prints by email, ready in an hour).  I thought I'd turn some little nieces into fairies, this first one is Hannah. I was lucky enough to be in Indiana while she was having her nursery school graduation and got to attend. Hannah and her friends sang and danced for the crowd and it was so cute, I laughed till I cried.

Her cousin, Mikaela is a couple years older and loves pink and princesses and fairies.  She makes an elegant little flying sprite.  Their grandparent's last name is Valentine, so I added some hearts in the pictures.

Home again Home again, Jiggitty Jog- I ate too much on vacation and now I'm a fat hog

It feels so good to be back in Kansas!! The trip was great, but of course, when you live here, there is no place like home!

Twinkle was worn out by the end of the trip, so many new toes to nibble and new yards to explore.

I'll miss having my morning coffee on Sissy's porch.  She has such unique features in her garden. The morning sun sparkled through the crystals she draped over this candle holder  hanging by the deck.

This white flower at the corner of the deck would open up wide every morning, then close throughout the middle of the day. It would reopen in the evenings while we were outside sipping our wine.  Does anyone know what kind of flower it might be???  She says it just came up, she didn't plant it, but that if it is a weed, she doesn't care.

Last time I visited her, I brought one of my "Magic Mirrors".  It is an old frame (whitewashed) that held a curved glass.  I had a mirror cut and placed under the glass for a magical effect.

Reflected is one of her many angel collections on top of an antique wardrobe.  You can also see a fairy watercolor I did for her a few years ago.

Here is a close up of the watercolor.  I guess it would be more accurate to call it a mixed media piece, I used a shimmering, white metallic acrylic paint to make the fairies glow and there is glitter sprinkled over the page too.

My sister also had a copy of a watercolor I did of the barn my grandparents owned.

I am always flattered when I go to visit and see my work hanging on the walls of relatives.  It is nice to know they have enjoyed the gifts.  (unless they only hang them while I am visiting, and take them down as soon as I leave??)

This monochromatic watercolor is hanging in my brother-in-law's home up in the North Carolina hills.  It is a painting I did of the home his dad grew up in.

And at my sister-in-law's home on the river in Tennessee, she had this yellow iris hanging in her kitchen.  Both of these were done so many years ago, I had completely forgotten them. 

My sister-in-law, Sandy has a fantastic home too! She lives out in the middle of nowhere, in a home nestled into a valley. It is built on the river and has a wrap around porch where we spent much of our time.

I could have sat and watched the river from her porch all week.  But we did take time to eat loads of fresh veggies right from their garden, go into town to antique, visit a local winery and do some mega wine tasting, visit a Mennonite farmer's market, and then race around on their 4 wheeler through the woods.

Sparkle enjoyed the view off the deck too, but didn't care for the 4 wheeler.

The town that Sandy lived in was full of cute shops, but I just didn't have much luck in shopping that day.  Some days are good for shopping, others are made for just going "feeling" (as my mother used to call it when she went shopping but didn't buy anything.)

Sandy has a doll collection that her son has always hated, he says that they 'freak him out'.  She was kind enough to start to pack them up before he arrived for the weekend from Charlotte where he is starting a new job.

I told her she couldn't pack them up, he's a grown man and if he was scared of dolls, then that was just a good excuse for us to mess with him. I arranged all the dolls on top of the cabinet and had them staring down at his bed in the guest room.  That wasn't quite enough, so I gave them some knives.  One doll was hidden under the pillows of the bed, and another stared up from underneath the bed on the floor.  He was properly freaked, I think.  And Sandy and I giggled like little girls. 

The entire trip was fun. In N. Carolina we hiked in the Grandfather Mountain area.  Notice how far back I am with my camera taking this shot?  That is as close as I ever get to the edge of anything up that high! I hate heights. I was comfortable back on the trail looking out through the trees at the view, but wouldn't venture out any closer.

My brother-in-law has a house he built himself up on a mountainside.  It was a house full of happy kids, animals, and laughter. Our time there was rustic and beautiful and full of life.

I can't imagine a better trip.  It was like a sampling of 3 different styles of B&Bs. First, Sandy's river side ranch in the valley with its grand porches. Then, Mark's cabin up on the mountain with its rustic charm.  After that was Sissy's magical cottage full of glitter and flowers.  But best of all, was that these weren't really B&Bs, but family homes full of our loved ones.  It was a special treat to be able to go and stay with all of them.  

But as wonderful as it all was, we had to cut the trip short a day to get home and see Sugarwings.  We missed her too much. 

There is just no place like home.  Especially when you have a tiny little fairy girl waiting there for you!

And The Winner Is........

Just a quick note to announce the Cottage Charm Giveaway WINNER- I've been busy smooshing as much as I can into my last day of vacation, and here it is almost midnight and I want to get the winner named before the next day begins. So, congratulations to:

Niki at http://nostalgiaatthestonehouse.blogspot.com/

Thank you everyone for all the kind comments and for entering. I promise to  have many more give aways, these have been a lot of fun for me, and I make a lot of crap (I mean arty stuff) so will always have something to give as a present!!  So keep checking back, I'll start another contest soon.

Today is the last day of my trip, tomorrow will be spent in the car all day. Hopefully, not too much of it will be spent stuck in Indy 500 traffic as we try to leave this town.....  My day started with  a special brunch by Sissy.

Fresh fruit salad, homemade bread, cherry jam that I bought in the mountains, vanilla yogurt, and wait, what is in the chickie?

A boiled egg!

We'll all miss staying at Sis's enchanted cottage. Sparkle and the other dorkies were treated like treasured family members and were spoiled rotten.  But, that is how every guest is treated here. 

(Even though Twinkle pooped on Sis's rug and it had to be taken outside to be washed. That is why it is on the ground behind Sparkle)

Well, I'm off to pack, then get a bit of sleep before we fight the race crowd traffic tomorrow and head home!

Last Chance to enter the Drawing, Peacocks, and Petunias

Twinks is enjoying her vacation too, and has been playing with her Aunt Sissy's petunias.

We're off to a big old antique mall south of Indy to shop.  Hopefully, I'll have photos when I get back.

In the meantime, I wanted to remind everyone that it is not too late to enter the COTTAGE CHARM GIVEAWAY.

I will pick a winner tonight after I bask in the glory of playing all the treasures I find on my junking day today.  My sis is going to help with the drawing tonight, so keep entering, you have the rest of the day to EMAIL OR LEAVE A COMMENT to win.

One more photo from Sissy's magical cottage.  Here is a table with a blue mirrored top that I painted and gave to her.  On it, sits a Goodwill vase and Capademonte angels she also scoured from Goodwill.

Our Grandma did the needlepoint peacock  picture in the back, and the peacock feathers in the vase were from Percy, my pet peacock. 

I know, I know, I already said, One More Picture- but while I was talking about peacock, I had to show you what we found yesterday, so here is another One More Picture.

Sis bought this pretty  peacock purse at Goodwill yesterday, along with the etched wine glass. (yes, I know it is a clutch, not a purse, but I was in the mood for alliteration).  The purple perfume is vanilla violet, and I splurged on that for myself at Sephora.  My sisters, niece and I were all spritzed in multiple vanilla scents and I tried on every single color of eye shadow in the store. One was accidentally a lip gloss, so my eyelids got a bit goopy.

Underneath the peacock purse is a gaudy, frilly, bathing suit with sequins that I found at TJMaxx for myself.  It was supposed to have a skirt, but that was missing, so they sold it to me for less.  And I will keep a pair of shorts over my big butt the whole time unless I am under water any way. The skirt wouldn't have covered enough, so I was happy with the discount and leaving the skirt behind, where ever it is lurking at TJMax.

Vacationing

Hello, from Indiana! I am at my sister's house, enjoying the last couple days of my trip.  Part of the fun, is wandering around her house and looking at all the pretties she has collected.  As much as I enjoyed the mountains of N. Carolina, the views here in Sissy's house are every bit as pretty to me!

Sissy's house is filled with winged creatures and sparkles and glitter.

These angels, birds and orchids are the view while washing dishes at her kitchen sink.  Makes cleaning up after one of our many family feasts this weekend, a pleasant chore.

She has added extra crystals to the chandelier she had installed in the kitchen to make it doubley sparkly.

  And I was touched to see that she has a sign I had painted for her hung up in the kitchen too.

I also spied a hand painted box I had made for her years ago, with two teddy bear sisters on it.

I LOVE the wall color she has used throughout the house, such a peaceful blue. A perfect backdrop to all the fairies and angels that live in her home.

Everywhere I look, she has added sparkles.  Whether it is a bowl of gems, a vial of fairy dust sprinkled across her sidewalks, or crystals hanging in the windows to catch the sun and make light birdies that dance across the room.

And if anyone loves fairies more than I do, it is Sis. 

Staying here is magical. Everywhere I look, a fairy or angel is smiling back at me. 

So far, not much in the junking department.  My husband talks big about letting me stop wherever I want while driving across country, but never seems to see the places I point out in time to turn.  Then he says "Do you actually want me to TURN AROUND????"   And he says it in the same tone he might say "Do you actually want me to jab a fork in my eye????" Or "do you actually want me to drive off that cliff????"  So, we missed all the cute roadside places in N. Carolina.  I get my junk  day tomorrow with my sisters and niece while he plays golf.  Wish me luck!!

On the Road

We're leaving on our trip, driving from KS to North Carolina with a stop in Tennessee on the way there and Indiana on the way back. Family visits, hiking, rafting and junking are what we have planned (well, my husband didn't hear about the junking part yet!). 

My bags are packed and I am ready to go. Now, if I could just get Twinkle to throw her toys in the bag, we're set.

I will try to check email from the road, so go ahead and keep entering for the Cottage Charm giveaway! Here is the charm that will be the gift from me.  If you have trouble leaving a comment, just Email me, and that will count too. I don't know why it can be hard to comment sometimes.

I have to extend the deadline for my part of the contest, I am afraid.  More chances to enter!! I will be back Memorial Day. See you then, and please don't forget about me, I'll be back soon and posting ridiculously long and meandering things like I usually do.

Accomplishments

I got done all the things I needed to today!

1-My partner in faux finishing and I worked on the bid for the HUGE job that starts after my trip.

2-I painted this baby shirt for my niece's baby shower, since I will miss the party while on my trip.  The tiny shirt is painted with an "N" for Nebraska, but with flowers added since she is expecting a girl.

3- I painted this "simplify" sign for a reader, Kathy, who saw another one I had done and asked me to paint one for her.

Notice, the sock on the table? I didn't have a rag handy and had to pull a sock off my foot real quick for a wipe up.  It happens in art sometimes.

4- I wrote a submission for an article with the photos we worked on this week. 

5- I made a cute package to send the submission in to the editor.

6- I got all the water sprinklers in place for my son to water our new plantings while we are out of town.

7- I bought a bunch of groceries for my son to eat while we're gone.  But he doesn't eat much, he has lost 100 pounds in the last year. The guy lives on turkey sandwiches.

8- I had a BBQ with Sugarwings and her parents, and got lots of good cuddles, even though she was making green snot bubbles most of the time. I think I might be guaranteed to have a runny nose about half way through my vacation.

9-I worked on my art journal to take with me so I would have pictures of Sugarwings that I could stare at while I was missing her. This photo uses a tag I bought from Beth's Etsy shop.http://bethleintz.typepad.com/

10- I mailed my May Bucket prizes and took care of some Ebay stuff.

11- I planted all my veggies and got my garden ready for the season. The sun was going down as I finished in the garden, and the wild flowers I planted earlier at the edge of the woods were looking so pretty against the darkness of the trees behind them.

Wild roses grow up the trees and the air was filled with their scent.  Geez, now I am homesick again. It is hard to leave my flowers behind for ten days.

Tomorrow I pack, mail Ebay stuff, rent a ton of books on tape, suds up the 3 dogs and throw them all in the car once they are clean.  Even the puppy who gets carsick.  Nothing makes a trip go faster than a good book on tape and the smell of dog barf coming from the back seat.  I think I'll need a few rolls of paper towels for the trip too.

Homesick before I even leave

I am leaving on vacation tomorrow and need to work my butt off today to get ready. First of all, I need to mail the May Bucket prizes.

I should be kicking up my heels with excitement over my vacation, but I am more worried about being ready to go.

I have a baby shower gift and a sign to paint and ebay boxes to pack and a magazine article synopsis to write and send off too.  Did I mention that I have 2 painting jobs that need bids and a garden to plant and sprinklers to set up and PACKING  before I leave tomorrow too????

Here is one thing that needs mailed today.  I chose a 2nd place gift for Michelle Ward for the May Bucket drawing. Her style isn't as pretty-foo-foo as mine, so  I made her a special gift, something a little funkier. This necklace is made from an old piece of hardware I picked up at the flea market a couple weeks ago. I love the old green paint clinging to it.

Well, I should be starting on my mile long list for getting ready for my trip.  I am such a homebody, I hate to travel or think about leaving. I miss my flowers, my pretty house, my wonderful studio, MY COMPUTER. But I always have a great time once I get where I am going. 

I will have to pack up my flowers that are still looking fresh and give them away before I leave.  How could I just leave all these pretty roses from the party last week to die alone while I am gone??? I'll have to find someone to take them home and enjoy their last days.  That is the kind of thing that I worry about before a trip, I can't leave my pretty flower arrangements!! 

And Sugarwings!! How can I leave Sugarwings for TEN DAYS???? I've never been away from her for that long in her entire life!!

She is coming over today to say goodbye.  And I am going to finish a few more pages in my art journal about her, to keep with me in the car, so I can stare at her pictures.

My roses have started to bloom, finally,after the terrible freeze that I thought had ruined them. 

I will miss them, and every inch of my fairy cottage.  I love my home down to the smallest details like the vines I drew in the cement as the new sidewalk was poured.

And I will miss all my bloggie friends. What if you all forget about me in the 10 long days I am gone??? What if people get out of the habit of coming here to look because there is nothing new for sooooo long???

I won't even think about that. 

Off to work, I have more to do today than humanly possible and here I am playing with Typepad.  Geez, sometimes I wonder about myself.  But, I know I'll be back today to write more... can't help it.