Karla's Cottage

New manicures and last minute inking projects don't mix well

I am almost ready for my trip. This evening was spent ruining the manicure I treated myself to this afternoon.  By the way, walnut ink doesn't look very good on newly manicured nails.

I used Glimmer Mist to spritz a turquoise gift bag for some glitz.  Then, I took a piece of vintage stationery and made a gift tag to glue onto the front of it.  It's a good sized bag, and it will be full to the brim with these 100 plus, fantastic,  handmade cards!

Then, I decided I needed some little gifties to take to my sisses and to my brothers-in-law. 

We are all fairy fans, so I whipped up some bottle fairies. I've been wanting to make some for so long, and was glad to have an excuse to finally make a few.   And I knew I was going to miss being in my studio, so it was also good to have an excuse to hang out here for an hour or so.

Each one is tied up with vintage ribbon, a personalized tag, a gnome charm, and a guardian fairy note. 

I chose the notes at random, rolled them up and tied them on, so they will  be surprises to me too.

I just hope the glue is set enough for them to travel well.  Maybe I shouldn't have waited till the last minute....

Like packing. I still have laundry to do! I'd better get to it! Edit- I just learned the hard way that if you are packing things that have glitter on them, don't do it on your bed, unless you have plently of time allotted for changing the linens!  Or unless you don't mind sleeping in glass.

Remember, you can leave a comment to be entered into the June Garage Sailing Giveaway Prize Pack.

I'll announce prizes for that and for the gifts for my card donators when I get back. 

I will reprint the guardian fairy list that Beth and I came up with, in case you didn't see it before and had no idea what I was talking about when I said I was tying one to each bottle:

·      “Pinkie Sugar Fly” will guard your windows from bugs flying in through tears in the screens

·      “Kitty Flitter Flower” watches over you during cat naps to bring you sweet dreams

·      “Tootsie Twinkle Tulip” is always ready to touch up your toe nail polish before you even notice it was chipped.

·      “Blue Bird Buttercup” sprinkles cookie crumbs for a trail to lead the blue bird of happiness to your door

·      “May Belle Lina” watches out for smudged mascara under your eyes.

·      “Flossy Flutterby” picks spinach or other goobers out of your teeth after meals.

·      “Pearly Pear” keeps an eye out for an earring that is about to slip off your ear, then tucks it back before it drops.

·      “Splenderina” This sparkling little yellow fairy touches your coffee with her magic wand to make it sweet and tasty without any calories

·      “Sweet Pea Tee Pea” checks the bottom of your shoes for trailing toilet paper when you walk out of a public stall.

·      “Blissa Expressa ” will speed you through the checkout stands at the grocery stores by magically opening up an extra cashier line for you to be first in.

·      “Dee Essella Delight” always keeps your Internet connection fast.

·      “Zippy Zooma Zella” will watch out for radar speed traps and whisper to your toes to lighten up on the gas pedal before you are caught speeding

“Spamicka Sparkle Sparrow” keeps al of  the junk cleaned out of your email inbox and full of sweet messages from people you love to hear from instead.

Twinkle's new dress

Today I took 3 dogs and a baby to the vet's office. The Dr. said I was the bravest person since the lady who brought 4 dogs and 3 cats in at the same time. 

Actually, they were all very well behaved.  Sugarwings insisted that Twinkle wear her new dress and that the  naked baby doll came along too, which seemed a little backwards to me. We were quite the site as we came in.

Twinkle seems happy with the new dress, of course, anything that involves her Sugarwings is fine with her.   If you'd like to see a video of Sugarwings and Twinkle, go HERE, but please ignore my messy flower beds and weeds in the driveway.

Twinks doesn't quite get the idea of being a lady when she wears a dress, though.  She was in and out of the wading pool most of the day with it on.

While the fairy grand baby spent time pushing her dolly around in the toy stroller, I did a little yard work and redecorating.

This area is the back door of my studio, and I added the big,antique, metal grate (found leaning by a dumpster in an alley) as a welcome mat to the entrance. 

Then I set out a couple of folding chairs that I picked up while junking. They are metal, but have a caning pattern to their backs, and are nice, old solid and HEAVY chairs.  I got them for $12 each.

I am a fan of white on white, but I think next summer I will repaint this set a cheerful color. You know, I thought the area looked cute this afternoon, but in the photos it seems blah.

This sign I painted is hanging by the door, that helps a bit. Maybe if the chairs and table were the rosey pink of the flowers?   

I got the prettiest gift in the mail today, from Jeanne. Just in time for my trip! I like to keep a little notebook in my purse on vacation, to jot down thoughts here and there, or keep track of places I particularly liked.

This palm sized journal will be just perfect, and so stylish!

Thanks, Jeanne!!

In the very few minutes I had today without a fairy grand baby in my arms or at my feet, I listed a few things on Etsy.

This sold right away!  I certainly appreciate all of you who shop with me.  I will be away for a few days and all purchases made while I am gone, will go out next Tuesday the 31st.

Thanks for your patience!

I doubt if I will get a chance to post again before next Tuesday.  I still have things to do before my trip. 

When I get back, I will announce the winner of my June Garage Sailing Giveaway Prize Pack, after hopefully adding to it this week in Florida. My brother-in-law is an antique dealer and knows all the best places to shop in Jacksonville.

So far, the prize pack includes all of this...

plus these.  Leave a comment on any post if you want to enter.

I will also have photos of my Great Aunt Caroline's 100th birthday party!  I will give the 100 cards to her in a pretty bag (that I have yet to make). I don't know if she will open them all at the party, or take her time and go through them once everyone is gone for the day.  But I will take a photo of her receiving them, and I will make up copies of the flickr address to pass out to all of the guests at the party who might want to look at the photos of the creations there.

I will also draw names for gifts to send out to some of the people who created the cards for Caroline.

All of the cards are on our flickr group page and the names of the artists are listed there.

If you don't see your name by your card on the flickr site, please, please add it or any other info you would like to have there.  Just leave a comment under your card.

I will leave you with a few cards to look at here.  When I took the pictures, I tried to use a different vintage wallpaper under each one.  They were all so special, they deserved special treatment, and of course, to me, vintage wallpaper is about as special as it gets!  See you next week!

Pretty packages and hand dyed feet

My little fairy dolls are flying out of here!  I will miss them, but I just bought a big bag full of Nancy Anns that have fairy wings in their future!

One thing that is fun for me about my Etsy shop is wrapping up the purchases. I try to put some time and creativity into each package.

This little sprite is going out in a tulle bag topped off with a hand dyed vintage rose.

I'd bought a hat filled with yellow roses, which aren't my fave, so I thought I'd try getting them wet and spritzing them with dye to see how it turned out. I'm pretty happy with the results.

Whille I had the dye out, I thought I'd try it out on these shoes.

I found them at a garage sale for 50 cents yesterday. My feet are so fat it is hard to find shoes and I love to find some already broken in!! These were comfy as can be, but an ugly orange. I thought I'd be happy wearing them around the studio, but then decided to try the dye on them.

The dye has some gold sparkle to it, very shiny and glinty in the sunlight!  I added some more glitz with a few charms, and now I think these might be my vacation sandals for my trip to Florida this week to see my Aunt Caroline and take her the big old bag of 100 (plus!) cards.

Will my feet turn colors from the dye?  Maybe....

One of last week's garage sailing purchases was a stack of folders for 5 cents each. They are perfect for packaging my Cottage Collage Kits on Etsy. 

Also, I think that the person who buys the papers will be happy to receive a storage folder for them, as  a surprise.

Although it looks like I am finding plenty of goodies on garage sailing days, I feel like I am losing my mojo. 

Besides toys, and clothes for Sugarwings, I am finding very little lately compared to my past shopping. Maybe I am more selective?

I do like this 25 cent chandelier drop bowl.  Its not old, but has the 'look' anyway.

And I can't wait to serve something tasty from the $1 green compote at my next tea party!

This compote is a pretty one too, I paid a bit more for it, not typical of me, it was $4.

The cute kitschy kitchen utensils will be included in my June Garage Sailing Giveaways Prize pack.  They will look pretty with the green and white theme I have going on in the gifts.

I am still receiving cards for Aunt Caroline's 100th birthday.  This one is from Kathy at Kathyscottage.blogspot.com, how cute!!

Hopefully ALL the cards are photographed and loaded on Flickr.  I chose a diefferent vintage wallpaper background for each card, to set them off.

I would hate to leave any out, they are so thoughtful and unique!! 

If you sent a card, please check out the Flickr site and add any comment to your card, more info, such as blog address, home state or country, or anything at all will be appreciated. Also, some have no names, so if you see one that doesn't and know whose it is, or if it is yours, please do leave a comment under the photo on Flickr and let everyone know!

Another fun thing to look at is a doll gallery that Bethany is hosting on the 25th.  I entered this one, oh, and she is for sale, of course!  $15 if you are interested.

She is painted with crackle paint, and decked out in vintage wallpaper, flowers, rhinestones and ribbons, with fairy wings sprouting on her back.

I think I am about caught up on things I need to do before my trip.  This week I:

painted a pole on a business downtown

listed things on Etsy

photographed and posted over 100 cards on flickr

repainted my bedroom and rearranged my living and dining room

bought new shorts to wear to FL (ugh, not fun, after 50 years old)

I still have to paint two shutters, go through a HUGE stack of bills, and pack. 

I should have done some of that earlier, since Sugarwings will be staying with me tonight. Oops. I'm sure she'd love to help paint those shutters!

The store owner was happy with her pole.  She had at first wanted red flowers, but I tried that and from across the street they looked like blobs.  The flowers needed more depth and red is hard to get that with. So, I changed them to shades of pink with red centers, which stands out nice on the color she chose for the background.

I used lots of blue undertones in the leaves so they would pop against the peachy color.  Contrast is important with big, outdoor art projects. I feel so good about getting all this done before my trip, it is a relief to have those cards on the site, they are so precious, I want everyone to see them!

I won't be able to mail any more packages after Monday, till next week when I get back, but there are a couple of dolls still on Etsy if you are interested.

Using what you have

ur Those two talented sisses are asking us to show our mantels.  Well, that is right up my alley right now, and I am so happy with my bedroom do over that I'd love to show my mantel again.

I usually don't keep anything on it, just the mirror above it, and sometimes a stack of books or magazines. 

I promised to show some other corners of my room, here is the doorway. Well, I guess that is pretty self explanatory, sorry.

See the pretty alarm clock? A gift from Beth, that was so pretty, I just had to paint the room to match.  Even though the clock is merely ornamental, isn't a cute little ornament?

The table it is on is from a whole set I bought an auction,  2 twin beds, dresser, mirror, and two tables. I repainted them all and sold them, but had to keep this one table for myself.

This recliner, which is a concession to my husband, is the inspiration for the bronze/sepia vines on the ceiling. I wanted a soft blue room, but had to tie in this chair that sits smack dab in front of the TV.

In the alcove above it, I have my screen from the Birds and Bonnets Swap.  I've used little birdies around the room, I thought they went with the garden feel of the space.

Beyond the chair is my sink area. I painted it a slightly darker shade of the same blue, and used a warm carmel-ly brown on the ceili ng.

The carmel brown color matches the Shabby Chic (from Target) shower curtain in the connecting bathroom.  I always try to give my rooms a flow from one to another.

By redoing the bedroom, I ended up redoing the rest of the house too! Not repainted, but switched around and knick knacks traded back and forth.

These metal salvage pieces were in 3 different areas, but I really like the affect of having all four of them lined up together.

After an evening of "use what you have decorating", I had given three rooms a new look just by shuffling my junk around.  The drawing of the goddess now in the living room, used to be in the bedroom, and it was replaced by a picture that was previously in the dining room.

All the things on top of the entertainment center (except the goddess statue I just repainted a couple of posts back) used to be in the bedroom.  Now the little birdies are in their place there.

The large print on the wall in the dining room used to be in the guest room. 

So, for simply repainting one room and getting a new (vintage) bedspread, one goddess statue and an alarm clock, I feel like I have a whole new look! 

But then today, I went to some garage sales, and look what I found to replace the too small, too old lady looking, too brown little chair that was there before!

A  THRONE!  A Leopard print covered throne!

In garage sailing dollars it was kind of pricey, but in antiquing money, it was a bargain. I paid $60 for it, and it is solid as a rock, and very old, with brand new fabric.

I do think it could use some paint. Something like the way I painted the banister, but not exactly, I don't want it too matchy matchy. A little darker and with some glimmer, maybe?

yes, yes, yes, I know it is solid oak and the wood is in perfect condition!

It was a quick garage sailing morning, that one stop used up my cash supplies. I did get a couple of trinkets here and there, and added some treats to the June Garage Sailing Giveaway Prize Pack.

Can you spot the new additions? green lace ribbon, a bag of old buttons, and an old green plastic cup.

I'm going with a green and white theme for garden season, it looks like!

Remember, all comments are entered, every one, every month counts towards my drawings.

As usual, I have run on long enough, (too long, actually) but I wanted to mention that I listed a couple of my fairy dolls on Etsy and also have reduced some prices, so please check out the sales!

I did finish my article for the fall issue of Romantic Country, thank you to those who were asking how I was doing.

Here is the first paragraph if you'd like a sneak peak:

When the air starts to develop a slight nip and rich reds and golds begin to tint the leaves, it is a perfect time to savor the outdoors by dining al fresco.  While summer is known for picnics, fall is much more suited to the venue.  The heat has eased up, and most of the summertime bugs have flown away.  In this Mid-Western town of Kansas City, artist and antique dealer, Carol Spinski took advantage of autumn’s agreeable afternoon weather and created a garden party under the trees to welcome the season.

Elphie

  Meet Elphie, who seems to like vintage hats as much as I do. Now I know why I buy so many of these, they make great cat toys!

Little Elphaba (named after the witch from Wicked- she is Kansas kitty, after all!) is only 5 weeks old and is nothing but a teeny little puff of fur.  

She hides under furniture in my studio and comes out covered in dust bunnies bigger than she is.  She walks across my keyboard and doesn't have enough weight to push any of the keys.

Elphie was meant to be Sugarwing's kitty, but I discovered that Sugarwings is not a cat person, at least so far. She has no interest at all in this little cutey.  She did tell her some long meandering story that involved lots of mentions of "Yeenkle" (Twinkle), so she might have been telling the new cat that she already had a pet.

Twinkle also doesn't care much for Elphie. I hope I haven't done the wrong thing by getting a new pet. Hopefully, they will all come to terms with each other and be friends. 

My advance copy of Somerset Life came  in the mail and I was sweetly surprised to see my magic wands in the issue, as well as the magnet board that I knew was going to be included.  In the back, is a photo I took of some (what else??) millinery flowers. 

I had last heard that the wands weren't chosen to be used, it was nice to see them there.

Also, Dawn let me know that the new romantic Country was out and that my article was right next to one about her lovely pincushion. 

Both of our projects have how-to instructions if you are interested in making your own.

I always hear that this  magazine can be hard to find.  And I had to go to two stores to get a copy yesterday too, so was very glad to see the new subscription cards! I plan on filling one out and getting it into the mail right away.

I'm going for the 8 issues at $29.97, that is a bargain, and I'm all about bargains!

Speaking of bargains, don't forget about my June Garage Sale Goodies Giveaway! 

Every comment is entered and I am adding more prizes after going garage sailing this weekend. And who knows, you might open your prize box and have a kitten pop out if I can't teach her not to walk across my keyboard while I am trying to write an article.

Karla and Twinkle's VINE COVERED Cottage

My bedroom is all redone and put back together, and today I finished the connecting sink/nook-type area.

I used the same shade as on the walls of the bedroom, but slightly darker.  And the ceiling is a warm caramel with the door faux finished in the same color.

Peaceful, tranquil, romantic, and cottagey was what I was going for, and I am so happy with the color!  The name is "nurture" and it is a Behr paint, my favorite to work with. 

Behr is affordable and has fantastic coverage, usually one coat plus touch ups.

The ceiling was actually a pretty simple project, sepia and bronze glaze, swirled around with a one inch flat brush that I turned sideways for a thinner line for the vines.

Speaking of vines, I noticed a theme in my home.  I do love flowers, but I seem to be drawn even more to the vines that flowers grow on. I know I am always scribbling little vines and swirls on collage pieces I make, and painting vines on furniture.

Do you ever have a theme that meanders through your home without you really thinking about it or planning it that way?

So, I'll show more photos of the bedroom redo later, right now I thought I'd take a tour of the twisting vines around my cottage.

This closet door has been color washed in bronze over ivory with bronze vines painted with glaze.

The ceiling of my dining room is bordered in hand painted acanthus looking vines.

And of course, I have the vintage wallpaper vining roses going up my stairs.

The stairs lead to Sugarwing's room, where I have a hand painted sign above her bed, with --what else-- on it? Vining roses.

By the linen closet upstairs, I've painted vining leaves on the wall to mimic wallpaper. 

The same look is on the bench that I keep out in the breezeway.

The guest bath has a hand painted floor that green vines wind around.

And while the cement was still wet, I took a stick and drew in the concrete. You should have seen the look on the face of the contractor, he was horrified!

Ceramic roses vine around the bathtub.

And wooden roses vine themselves around this $4 garage sale mirror in my bedroom.

In my entry way, the steps have a mosaic of marbles and Venetian glass tiles that are in an organic, viney design. 

In keeping with my vining theme, I wrapped some roses and ribbons around this garage sale watering can I had painted white.

It will be part of my June Garage Sailing Giveaway prize pack, and every comment for the month is entered to win.

Included will be this Victorian scrap ephemera, a crocheted doily,  and some vintage gold trim.

Along with those goodies, is the baby dress I found last week at a sale, a white ceramic teapot/flower vase, a pretty yellow flowered plate, a white pottery urn (old) that I added flowers to, a Lucky Day button card (don't we all deserve a LUCKY DAY?), and filling the flowered plate is some bits of old jewelry.

If you enjoy mixed bags of free and vintage goods, you should also enter Beth's giveaway.  She has a big pile of cool auction finds to share!

A dark and stormy day, but a bright and cheerful redo

Slight change of plans.... Sorry, I wasn't able to get the flickr photos of the 100 birthday cards for Caroline's 100th birthday done today.

It stormed all day and the light simply wasn't good enough to take decent photos of the cards.

So, instead, I painted my bedroom that soft, dreamy grey/blue/green color that I bought to match my new vintage-ish bedspread.

I painted the ceiling the same color, then accented it with free hand vines, swirls and leaves done in sepia and bronze.

Tomorrow  I'll take more photos of the space when the light is better and the room is put back.

This photo was taken when I layed on the floor and looked up. This will be my view when I lay in my bed at night.  The paint is a bit metalic, so when light hits it, it has a nice sparkle. I think I will like it.

There wasn't quite enough paint to coat the bath area too, so I'll need to go back to Home Depot tomorrow before I can complete the room. Drat it. I hate to leave a project over night. 

While I had the metallic paint and sepia colored glazes left over on my palette, I decided to glaze the goddess statue I bought at the flea market the other day.

She was already base coated with spray primer in white.  I then painted the dark glazes into the crevices and covered the entire piece.

Normally, I use a torn cotton tee shirt for glazes, but all I had handy was paper towels and I was too impatient to go in the house and find a shirt to cut up.

I don't recommend using paper towels to wipe up wet glaze, it gets a bit shreddy.  But it worked.

I wiped off the glaze, leaving it in the deeper places.

The goddess was pretty good at that point, but I decided I wanted her more stone like.

So, I put some moss, mink brown, and ivory on my plate and dabbed it onto the statue.

I was using the same shredded paper towel to do the dabbing, and mixing the paint on the statue as I went along.

I dipped the disintegrating paper towel into all three colors at once and dabbed and smooshed it on the raised surfaces, leaving the previous dark glaze down in the crevices.

Isn't she pretty? All she needs now is a crown, and to be placed in my newly painted room.

I'm afraid I missed my window of opportunity to take pictures of the birthday cards for a few days.  I heard from Fifi and she needs the article I am supposed to write for Romantic Country.

So, I need to take care of some business and get that article done in the next day or two, plus put my bedroom back together. I'll get the photos done soon, and tell you when the flickr site is updated. 

Happy Birthday Beth

How's this for some GREEN? Sadie Olive's seeing Red posts were such fun, now she is hosting some greens.

The lovely lady prancing down the stairs is my BFF, Beth.  She's feeling light hearted because we went out to celebrate her birthday today.  This photo was taken at Nell Hills (Mary Carol Garrity's shop) in North Kansas City.

The main Nell Hills is in Atchinson, and I have to tell you it is soooo much better than this one.  One thing (I thought) you could count on from Miss Nell is affordable and wonderful things. But her new shop has a different type of theme, and knick knacks were priced at HUNDREDS of dollars! Ouch.

It was really a fun stop, though and we enjoyed going there as sight seers, just not shoppers.  As my mom used to call shopping with out buying, "feeling".

Thankfully, Nell Hills wasn't our only stop.  We started out at estate sales about 8:30am, hit a couple of good scrap booking stores, went to lunch at Pei Wei.

We went "feeling" at some hoity toity antique shops, and worked on Beth's antique mall booth too.  Whew, that  was a full day.  And full of laughs too. 

Once upon a time, I had a booth at the same antique mall, and used to get free rent by painting murals around the store.  Many are still there, some have been lost to renovations and remodeling.

This faux finished wall and painted columns is one of my favorites.

I'm glad we had such fun today, because Beth has had a really tough week.  Her Kramer-haired sweet heart, Milo passed away this week from liver failure.

He was a good dog, and always greeted me with affection when I visited, I will miss him.

I did this portrait of him on a liquorish (Beth's favorite) Altoid tin, and added vintage velvet trim to the sides, flocked wallpaper to the bottom, and a bone shaped charm to the side.

I also made a wallpaper journal for her  with my BEST wallpapers. Notice the date on the old ledger paper? (the paper is from Rhonda)

I can't believe I cut into a piece to make a tag and right on it was "June 13"- her birthday! What a co-inky-dink. I keep a file of these type of things, this one is going right on the list!

Beth had presents for me, she always finds junk for me at auctions and has gifts when I come to visit.

This time, it was a set of this old (made in Japan) but sturdy, doll furniture for Sugarwings.  I will paint it to match her doll house.

The saucy little dancer is from Carol. She had a bagful of them for me, and I (of course) will fairy them up.  Right now, I have a spray coat of white primer on them.

And how adorable is this??  A gift for me from my pal, Lori. 

When I saw this  curly feathered little fellow on her Etsy shop, I had to have him, and when the box arrived, she included the fairy tag and a roll of nice papers tied up beautifully with ribbons and a buckle.

Have you ever been to see Sandy Mastroni?  Her blog is so funny, and her art is full of personality and charm.  I was lucky enough to win this cupcake set of cards featuring her work.

Yep, I am pretty lucky.

   

Here are some of the bargains I found this week, out junking with Carol and with Beth.

The wallpaper is from Beth.  So we don't get jealous of each other's finds, we have a pact.  Whenever one of us gets a good roll of wallpaper, we cut off a hunk for the other one.  It keeps our friendship safe.

Show and Tell Sunday this week is about flea market finds.  Between garage sailing and flea markets and estate sales, I got the table top full, plus a few other things that didn't squeeze into  the photo.  Its been a good week for bargain hunting around here!

If you want to see  what others have found at fleas, Heidi is guest hostessing this week's show and tell.

Don't forget that I am assembling a good prize pack of June Junking Finds for my giveaway.  If you want to win some garage sale swag, just leave a comment and you are entered.

Here they are!

Thanks to everyone who sent in a birthday card for my Great Aunt Caroline's 100th birthday!

Earlier, I was posting cards as they came in, but with 100, it simply got away from me.

Today, I photographed all the ones that were not on Flickr yet, and will load them onto that site over the weekend.

In the meantime, I thought you'd appreciate a sneak peek at the creativity and generosity that came Aunt Caroline's way.

Really something, huh?

They aren't all in yet, but we are approaching 100.

The cards are coming from all over the world, like this one from Lili in the Netherlands.

And the styles are all so different. From hand painted by Meredith to an altered journal by

Jen Rizzo.

Liam Tatum's has printed cloth.

And Joy's uses Caroline's photo and some gorgeous sequin trim.

Some are sweetly old fashioned and sentimental looking like Lea Star's and Amy Wald's pink pretties.

Maria Elena sent in a cross stitch all the way from Chile.

And Barb Burkard has machine stitched hers, and added padding!

This is the inside of Kelly's, her blog is "Junky Gal" and she junked this one up just PERFECTLY! Lot of lovely layers  inside and outside.

Here is the link to the flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/679216@N25/  I will be loading photos off and on this weekend.  I hope to have all up by Monday, and would appreciate any corrections you can give me.  A few don't have names, and there were a lot of Kathy's with a K and I don't know who is who, sorry.  Just look for your card, and please leave a comment on the photo to correct any stupid mistakes I have made.  Because I tend to do that a lot.  Again, sorry. I try, but my mind doesn't work in a very organized way. 

Here is the list of sign ups and hopefully it  is updated to include everyone.  I need to have all the cards here by the 20th, if you still want to send one and haven't yet.  I will then draw winners for prizes as a thank you for all of your help to make this elegant and kind woman's 100th birthday even more special!

Prizes will include a collaged clutch, and some vintage jewelry as well as some other little fun tidbits here and there. I'll see what I have made that I think you  might like.

Thanks again, to all you wonderfully talented people who have sent in your art!

100 cards

1. Karin http://madrekarin.blogspot.com
2. Michelle http://www.ginghamworld.blogspot.com
3. Pam http://blogcabinfever.typepad.com
4. Lesa Farmer
5. Robin~ [email protected]
6. Robin Foster
7. Lori http://faeriewindow.blogspot.com
8. Kathy http://www.kathyscottage.blogspot.com:80/
9. http://oodlesandoodles.typepad.com/
10. Carol Spinsky [email protected]
11. http://soinspired.blogspot.com
12. Lori http://pinkfadedroses.blogspot.com:80/ 
13. Janine http://angelgurl.wordpress.com/
14. http://emmaspaperpatch.blogspot.com:80/
15. Liane Tatum
16. http://bluemuf.blogspot.com:80/ Karen
17. http://simplysage.blogspot.com\ Mahala
18. Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com:80/
19. Debbie Doughty http://queendebbee.blogspot.com/
20. Alice Wingerden http://www.paintedwhite.com:80/
21. Karoline http://www.cherishedvintage.blogspot.com
22. Joyce Rodli
23. Lili http://lilimsadventures.blogspot.com:80/
24. Mandy Blake
25. *Heidi* http://journals.aol.com/hwoodred/everyday-cookies/
26. http://www.bonoramamama.blogspot.com:80/
27. Kirstie http://adelinecountrycottage.blogspot.com
28. Phyllis http://shabbyinthecity.blogspot.com
29. Sherry (Edie Marie's Attic)
30. Pinkie Denise
31. Marilyn http://marilynbutler.blogspot.com:80/
32. Melissa http://melissaburford.typepad.com:80/burford_designs/
33. Lisa Russell http://www.violetsandsnapdragons.blogspot.com/
34. Crystal http://www.fariebees.blogspot.com
35. Janice Rehmeyer
36. Meredith http://www.thevictorianlady.blogspot.com
37. Nancy ~ Fete et Fleur http://feteetfleur.blogspot.com
38. Jessi http://www.scrappyjessi.blogspot.com:80/
39. Donell
40. Jenn~ http://whinenroses.blogspot.com/
41. Lolly http://lollysnestegg.blogspot.com
42. Gail   Sell
43. Kathy http://www.vintagesnapsandscraps.com
44. Barbara http://smith411.typepad.com
45. [email protected]
46. Edie Marie http://ediemariesattic.blogspot.com
47. María Elena
48. Kelley  http://www.junqueygal.blogspot.com/
49. Kelley: http://teacupmosaics.blogspot.com
50. Carlene http://carlenefederer.blogspot.com/
51. Barb http://www.123lavenderlollipoplane.blogspot.com:80/
52. Louisa http://beachyscapecodcupboard.blogspot.com

53. Jen http://Sanctuaryarts.blogspot.com
54. Sandy Babb
55. Colleen Cavanaugh http://cc-creativeramblings.blogspot.com
56. Rachael http://theroseroomnz.blogspot.com/
57. Valerie http://Queenschocolate.blogspot.com
58. Joy http://www.thejoyof.blogspot.com
59. Sheri Ingrande http://www.pawshpoodle.com
60. Mary Isabella http://daisybouquet.blogspot.com
61. Natasha Burns http://www.natashaburns.blogspot.com
62. Di Ann Sheps
63. Pat
64. Cami http://www.camillefano.typepad.com
65. 3rdEyeMuse http://3rdEyeMuse.blogspot.com
66. M.Kate http://www.melialissa.blogspot.com
67. DELIA  http://brooksidecottage.blogspot.com/
68. Kathy
69. Samantha 
70. Karen http://karenharveycox.blogspot.com:80/
71. Sarah Lee (Adelaide’s Country  Cottage)
72. Louise http://pinkgate.blogspot.com/
73. Betty http://shessewpretty.typepad.com/
74. Amy Wald
75. Tera http://Stampqueen.blogspot.com
76. Kari and Kijsa http://www.kariandkijsa.blogspot.com
77. Kathy Jacobson  kathyjacobson.typepad.com
78. Vickie http://www.whisperofinspiration.blogspot.net
79. Amy P http://www.rubymoonart.blogspot.com
80. Shannon J  http://www.faithandchocolate.blogspot.com:80/
81. Gail http://boutiqueginabeana.blogspot.com/
82. Cindy http://yappingcatstudio.typepad.com/my_weblog
83. Rhonda http://rhondamum.blogspot.com
84. Irma http://irmasrosecottage.blogspot.com
85. Alison Gibbs
86. Paula Kay
87. Jeanette http://scrapnchick-keepmeinstitches.blogspot.com/
88. Lisa http://reflectionsinagazingball.blogspot.com/
89. Jeanie http://www.themarmeladegypsy.blogspot.com
90. Whitney Johnson http://www.kindredjoy.blogspot.com
91. Corina http://corinaj.wordpress.com
92. Lisa Lee [email protected]
93. Sammy  [email protected] http://sammystuff.blogspot.com/
94. Rachael’s Princess
95. Rachael’s Mum
96. Sissy
97. sonya http://www.loveofyellowroses.blogspot.com
98. Beverly http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/
99. Holly Abston >http://www.hollydoodledesigns.com
100. Adla http://www.vintagedelights.blogspot.com
101. Anja http://newclassichome.blogspot.com
102. Angelina http://beautifulcards.typepad.com/angelinascards/
103. Maxine [email protected]
104. Jennifer 
105. Heather R. Kowalski http://www.prettypetalsboutique.blogspot.com/
106. Barbara York http://panhandlesuequiltingspot.blogspot.com
107. Joanne [email protected]

I promised to show my paint color for the bedroom, it is a barely there blue/aqua.  And what a perfect name, "Nurture".  I'd paint all my walls that color just because I love the title of it so much!  I have enjoyed the grey-green color I have now, I just wanted a softer, sweeter shade.  This blueish green is very similar to what I already have, just a tad prettier.

The walls are prepped, the wallpaper border is removed and sanded away, all of the furniture that can be moved is out of the room.

I promise that I  am not going to do any more to this bedroom until all of the birthday cards are loaded onto Flickr!  I'll be camping on the mattress on the floor in the living room until then.   After all you card makers have done, I at least owe you some good photos to enjoy!

And PS- a friend asked me to let you know about her giveaway:
http://connie-livingbeautifully.blogspot.com

And PPSS- (remember writing that on notes as a kid? I don't think that is used in texting)- don't forget about MY giveaway, with garage sale goodies I find this month! Leave a comment to enter.

A NON-virtual Blogger's Tea Party in the Garden

We had a sweet little Blogger's Tea Party in my garden yesterday in honor of Becca who was driving across Kansas and stopped to visit.

Since her blog is called "bluebirds and roses" I used that theme in my table decor.  See the blue bird nesting in the etched glass compote with chocolate eggs?

I decorated bottles to give out as party favors, and used lots of roses and birds on the labels that I made.

This is Becca, myself, and Marilyn. It is so nice to meet blog friends in person, I have never been disappointed when I do.

Since it was mid afternoon, I kept the refreshments light, mostly snacks and goodies.

Instead of sitting down around the table, we pulled up chairs to the patio table and took our plates outside to enjoy one of the loveliest days of the whole season.  What luck, to have a garden party on such a pretty day.

Especially when so many people across the country are battling terrible weather conditions. 

My pal, Barb in Wisconsin is really having a stretch of bad luck, with family health problems, and now floods on top of it.  I am sending her a package of crafty goods to create with, because her craft room flooded and she lost so much.  With all the bad stuff going on, I knew that she could use a break from it all to be creative and rest her mind from her worries a bit.

I don't like to take my good luck for granted, days like this should be appreciated because not everyone ends up like this.  Not only the weather, but the friends who came by to visit, plus the fact that I am lucky enough to have a great life where I am able to take a sunny day and turn it into a porch party.

Becca made a "Twinkle" stuffed dog for Sugarwings, who loves presents more than anything. She is at that age where she thinks that everything is for her anyway. 

Isn't this just the cutest? Thanks, Becca!!

And thanks to Beth, Carla, Marylin, and Shawn for coming out to party on the porch with me and meet Becca. 

Carol is also a Kansas City area blogger, but couldn't make it yesterday to the garden party.

I needed to interview her for the article I am writing for Fifi for Romantic Country.  So, we went junking in St. Joe, MO for the day, and then at the very end of the trip, we did a 3 minute interview in the parking lot! 

I'll have to email some more questions to her as they come up, but this was a great excuse to get out and play while pretending to work!

I might have bought a few hats today........ I don't know how many.  I don't want to know.  But look at these!!  Doesn't the green one look like a mossy nest? It has birds and butterflies in it too.

And that pin cushion doll looks like she might have some fairy wings in her future if she hangs around me for very long.

And see the beautiful blue spread??? Twenty bucks and exactly what I was looking for to redo my bedroom! 

It is vintage-ish, kind of older, but not old-old. And in perfect shape, plus the exact blue I wanted. On the way home, I bought two gallons of paint to match it to repaint the walls.

I am going to STOP myself from painting quite yet.  It is hard. Very hard. Every cell in my body is telling me to stay up all night and paint the room.  I have little elves dancing on my shoulder and whispering in my ear, "open the can, dip in your brush!! It will be sooooo pretty"

But- now that I am 50, maybe I have developed  a bit of common sense and discipline??? I need to photograph all the cards for my Great Aunt's 100th birthday and get that flickr site filled! Plus count them up and draw a prize winner.  Or a few prize winners from all the kind people who made a card for her. I also have a mural to do on a business downtown and a commision paint job for a freind. So, no new wall color for me till I get my work done.  I have to have my priories straight.

That painting job will be waiting for me as a reward for getting my work done.  How is that for a grown up attitude?? Oh, but first, one more junking day, tomorrow is Beth's birthday party, and we have a day out!