Karla's Cottage

The secret to having it all

My finds from the fantastic flea mkt yesterday still aren't unpacked yet.  But I did pull a couple hats from the bags to play with.

 

Some how, today got away from me I had a lot of errands to run before picking up the fairy grand baby from school. Then, Sugarwings and I baked brownies and invited some friends over to hold puppies.  Playing with all the babies seemed much more fun than getting all my stuff unpacked, cleaned, photographed and listed for sale.

I'm pretty lucky to have the flexibility to spend a day like this, aren't I???

 

Not a lot of real work got done today.  I did squeeze in time to make some more wallpaper folder/bag things to pack stuff in.  Every package that I dropped at the PO was packed up in a pretty little pouch today.    The little pink flocked wallpaper one in front contains April's Giveaway and is all ready to mail as soon as I draw a name on May 1st. You can still enter to win it by leaving a comment today.

Next to the pouches are some of the hats that I scored yesterday. 

I really can't believe that tomorrow is May already!  In a few days, I turn FIFTY TWO.

Birthdays make me think about life.  I really am very lucky to have the life I do. When I was in my 20s, if you had tried to tell me that I'd be where I am now at this age, I wouldn't have believed it.

Of course, if you'd told me that I would have posted a photo of myself with no makeup, uncombed hair, and wearing gym clothes on the internet, I would have been shocked. Then, I might have said, "what is an internet?" 

Of course, in my 20s, I never left the house without makeup, and would have screamed at anyone who tried to photograph me that way.  But now I know that being comfortable with who I am and liking my own skin, no matter how saggy it might be getting, is a key to a happy life.  I don't take myself or my looks (or lack there of) very seriously.

Enjoying and excepting what I have and what I am, and being more aware of the world around me than of myself is something that I wish I'd learned when I was younger. 

Last week, I won a giveaway from Myrna and had a choice of her gifts. When I saw this phrase on her tag, I had to chose the little book it was on. 

What great words to live by.  Happiness is what you make of it.  There are many ways of looking at your everyday life, and I chose to look at mine through what a friend used to call my "Karla Goggles", which meant rose colored lenses, I think.  Well, you can look at the gloomy side of things and never be satisfied with what you have. Or you can look at the good stuff with a smile on your face and feel like the luckiest person on the planet. 

Life goes by so quickly. Just a couple weeks ago, these guys were tiny as mice and all piled in their nest.  Their world is expanding by the moment as they start to explore and experience life.

Yes, that is dust on my floor in this photo. Just like those were wrinkles on my face in the earlier photo.   But that is just a part of life and I'd rather focus on the the joy of seeing the pups take their very first steps out of their nest and of the happiness on my face when I hold Sugarwings.

I have a feeling that in the next 50 years of my life, I'll be a LOT more wrinkly than I am now, and my house will not be much cleaner.  But I sure am excited about seeing all the good things those years bring, dust, wrinkles, and all.

Buried Treasure in a Ghost Town

We had a GREAT day at the flea market!  I bought tons of sparkly rhinestone bits and about 15 floral hats.  A few other odds and ends too. I'll show you some photos after I unpack. This is the tub in the back of the car with some of my hats in it.

Sparks and White Cloud, KS have the most unique flea markets ever.  I really can't figure out what the towns are about, it looks to me like they are ghost towns that only are used twice a year for this market. But then, I did see a few houses that looked occupied too. 

Sparks is mostly a big field with some old buildings scattered around, and lots of tents and trailers filled with treasures.

About 10 minutes down the road, is White Cloud, a downtown area filled with empty buildings. Some of the stores are filled up for the weekend, the rest of the dealers set up in fields and on the street. Every time I go, I see the same 3 legged dog running around town, no owner in sight. 

You never know what you'll find there, and I sure would never miss it.  To me, its not just shopping, its an Event. With a capital E.

It was a wonderful day, it always is for us up there, rain or shine. And today, we had lots of sunshine!

But its good to be home with all the babies.

Floral Fantasy Floor

We are just falling in love with this little guy.  His unique coloring is getting him a lot of attention, especially from Sugarwings.  She wanted to snuggled him while we watched movies, I have to remind her that all of the puppies need some cuddle time. 

There is nothing in the world better than holding Sugarwings while she holds  puppies and we snuggle up to watch a movie together.  Its the best!  We hold two at a time, for about 15  minutes, until Twinkle gets antsy and wants them back. She will let us trade out two more when we return the two we had. She has some sort of inner stop watch and we aren't allowed to hold them for too long, or she'll start pacing and crying.

As they get bigger, she is spending a bit more time away from them and with me again. I've got my buddy back!  She is right back to sneaking into my photos just like she used to.

Last week, I painted the bathroom in what I thought was soothing gray and mushroom with whites and cream accents.  I thought I would love simple. 

But, the floor just wasn't quite right for me.  The soft taupey mushroom color was just too blah. So, I washed it with a sepia glaze. That wasn't quite enough either, so I added a border of flowers.  Then, I sanded the whole floor for an aged effect and covered it with a water based clear coat.

Water based products are the only way to go, for me. I change things so much, that I have to use paints that are easy to cover. This floor has been a dozen different styles and colors since we moved in and I like the way I can sand through and pick up colors from under neath the fresh paint. It gives it some dimension. 

Now that the floor is more to my taste, I am really liking the simple gray walls.  Simple is great, in small doses!  

Before painting the floor yesterday, and before running what felt like a million errands, I pulled out the sewing machine for something I wanted to experiment with. You know how nice and thick flocked wallpaper can be? Almost like fabric?  I thought it would make a nice pouch, and sewed one up to see if it would work- it did!

Its fastened at the top with ribbon through hole punches and just stitched up the sides, so was really easy to make.  I'm always on the look out for interesting presentations for things I send out from my shop, and love the way this looks as a wrapping.  This one is going to Somerset Life and my altered book that I showed here is inside!  Its always an honor to have something appear on their pages.  A selection of my Peat Pot Pretty Fairies is going there too. (by the way there are still a couple of fairy pots in the Boutique as well as 2 kits left to make your own)

While I have the sewing machine out, I want to stitch up a few more bags. 

And I have more Charlottes in!! I got a big boxful from Germany in a variety of sizes.

By the way, you still have time to enter the April Giveaway. I think I'll sew up a little flocked wallpaper pouch to send it to you in too...

I'll leave you with a reminder photo of the pansy pendant I am giving away, and also some pictures of what is new in the shop today.

 

How to paint and distress furniture

Twinkle's babies are still all curled up in their nest. Even with their eyes opened now, they aren't ready to explore or do much but sleep and eat.

They are still living in a box in my bathroom at night, and come out to the studio with me during the day.  As soon as they are big enough to need more space, the studio will become their full time home.

I haven't had a heck of a lot of time in the studio lately, with or without pups.  I've been working on some indoor projects, plus celebrated Earth Day by buying 6 fruit trees to plant in the yard. 

After that, I went with some friends to an Earth Day fashion show, where all the clothes were 2nd hand, redesigned or re-purposed.   To my surprise, Sugarwing's Hippy Chic Mommy was in the show with her hula hoop group of performers.   The whole show was more performance than fashion, really fun to watch, and kind of funky.  

My big indoor project has taken a big chunk of the weekend, but now is done.  I've repainted my dining table and chairs, along with a buffet to match (kind of).  Its been something I've wanted to do for a long time, but hadn't had a chance to get around to it.

Of course, if I could just snap my fingers and have all the projects done at once, what kind of fun would that be?  Its the journey of redoing and tweaking, and finding just the right piece or color that makes me do it, not really the finished product.  

The buffet (hardware and all) got painted with bonding primer tinted gray.  Then white washed with ivory glaze, and that was wiped off with a soft, damp cloth.

Then, I took the cloth with the white glaze on it, wadded it up, and patted the buffet, to make a marbled look.  When dry, I sanded a bit here and there, not much, and clear coated it for protection.

Here is a little tutorial on how to paint distressed looking furniture:

Please note that the trick to doing this technique is to NOT BE PERFECT.  All the little imperfections are what make the finish interesting.

I started with this factory finish from the 60's.  Not bad, but not exactly to my taste.  I wanted an older look and thought this dining set looked dated.

The first step was to brush on tinted gray bonding primer. I used Glidden Gripper. It came already tinted gray.

I used a cheapo, flat brush about 2 inches wide.  Kind of bristly and rough. 

The primer was brushed on in a messy way, not covering up the whole surface.

I'd recommend taping off the edges and covering fabric if you don't have a steady hand.  

Second step same as the first, but with creamy white paint ( I use eggshell finish).  Messy, uneven coverage is the trick!

Next, rough it up with sandpaper, as soon as it is dry to the touch.  If you wait too long, you have to sand harder and it takes the paint off to the bare wood. I wanted the original colors of ivory and gold as well as my gray layer to show through.  

After sanding here and there, cover with a top coat. I like Minwax Polycrylic. Its water based and goes on easy for a durable finish.

The table was done the exact same way, with one addition. Before putting on the top coat, I brushed it with a heavy coat of porcelain crackle glaze.  Not the entire table top, just random strokes here and there.

I'll be on the look out for new accessories for the room and will have some after pictures to show you once I've finished.  My favorite flea market is this week, so the timing is just right!

Here are some of the supplies that I used. 

Some Art Therapy

How funny is this!?  I love looking for messages in these word verifications, but usually they are 'almost' words, not real ones.

Thanks for your well wishes for my little snipping.  It went well, and was done in the ENT's office with local Novocaine.  I've had sleep studies done and was told I don't have apnea, but I have such horrendous snoring, my poor husband can't sleep at all.

The Dr. seemed to think that the little dingle dangle in the back of my throat was too long, and that trimming it might cure the chain saw noises that come from me all night long.

Typically, this wasn't covered by insurance!  It is considered cosmetic.  It was about $500 cash upfront, and if it works, will be totally worth it. 

At first, I felt perfectly fine. And the next morning too.  I went to the gym, out to coffee with friends, and shopping to replace our dishwasher AND microwave. 

I have a theory that if you spend any money on an appliance, other appliances get jealous and demand that you spend some on them too.  I never have just one break, its always in twos or threes.

When I got home, I was worn out and spent the rest of the day watching movies and laying around sipping my liquids. 

Today, I feel worse!  I thought all was completely fine. But I have a feeling that this is not from the mini surgery, its from poison Sugarwing kisses. She is in the middle of another snot-fest and I probably have picked up a cold from her.

She will be here this afternoon when she gets out of school and if both of us are still not feeling our best, I'll probably rent some more movies and we'll lay around together and hold puppies while we watch TV.

She isn't allowed to watch TV on school days, but since its Friday and I've got a sore throat, I'll make an exception.  Because I watch her so much,  I have to be careful to respect her parent's wishes and be part of raising her the way they want, and not just be a spoiling Grammy.  But there are days when I have to just be Grammy and not day care, so we will break a few rules just because its Grandma's house.

This is a book I started on my all night vigil while Twinks was trying to have her pups.  I thought it was all done, but it seemed to lack something.  I figured out that it needed a purpose. It started out just as vintage images of women.  But I wanted it to be useful too. So, I've added pockets, notes, pages, and envelopes all throughout.

It seems more complete this way.  It would make a nice art journal or diary now that there are spaces for additional materials and text.

Too bad I didn't think of that before, because I had to go back and try to pull things up, cut around them or move them to add some things.  Some pages were easier to change than others. This one was already a layered transparency, all I did was lift up the lady's picture and glue a folded piece of old stationary underneath it, so there is a hidden space for writing.

Some pages are still just decorative, not functional. I've tried to make sure that at least half the pages have a purpose. 

It has been a good project for me to get lost in, first when I was worried about Twinkle, and then today when I am not feeling quite myself.   It wasn't anything on my list to get done, but it is something that I really enjoyed working on and was a wonderful distraction. Sometimes, you just need to MAKE something, for the joy of making it.

Pansy Pendant Prize and getting my snorer-snipped

Did I mention that I LOST the pendant that I told you was going to be the giveaway for April?  Well, maybe misplaced, not totally lost.  Its somewhere in my studio.  Who knows when it will turn up. So, I'm subbing this one.  In the Mid West, pansies are one of the first things you can plant, and I'm always excited when they start showing up in front of the grocery store and in the parking lots of hardware stores. 

So, to replace the previous pendant, here is a pansy shard necklace to welcome spring. Its from a really nice English bone china bowl that I was sad to see break.

All comments all month are entered into the drawing for the pansy pendant.  All sign ups on Google Friend Connect are entered into the Peat Pot Pretty drawings (multiple pots are being given away).  

Look at how big our cuddlepups are getting! Their eyes are not open yet, but we've hidden the markers for now. Sugarwings is still pretty worried that they can't see.  I guess I should hide her package of googly eyes and glue too.  We don't need the pups to turn into art projects.

 

These guys are getting big fast. Next week, they'll need a bigger box.  I'll have to dig out the puppy pond.  We use a kid's wading pool as a play pen when the pups are big enough to run around. Its easy to wipe out and keep cleaned up, and keeps the kids contained, yet gives them space to run and play.

 

We had a mini craft day yesterday, only Beth and Mary could come.  Beth had just returned from her Grandmother's funeral, so I picked some lilacs and made a little arrangement for her.  I rarely order flowers from a florist, I'd rather do something personal when someone passes.

This was a simple arrangement.  I wrapped lilacs in a wet paper towel, then in plastic wrap, and next in ephemera.  To the ephemera, I glued an old button (Beth is a button person) and a small banner with her Grandma's name written in purple glitter ink.

Then, I dropped it into the jar onto some moss and added a glittered bird.

 

The jar is from a garage sale, I'd found two of them over the weekend for $4.50 each. She'll be able to empty the stuff out of it and use it for storage in her studio later on.

The pin that I clipped to the gross grain ribbon (taken from an old hat- when I take apart a hat, I use ALL the pieces!) is a pair of bird scissors! I'd found it in a jar of junk jewels and had been saving it for Beth, because I know she loves sewing supplies.  Too bad it was such a sad occasion for me to finally get to use it. 

She can take it off the ribbon and wear it on a jacket if she'd like.

In case you were wondering, my husband lived through the tree trimming above the house.  You can see from this angle why I was worried about both him and the roof! And the air conditioning unit that sits right below the limb. 

From this photo, I noticed that the storm window in the attic guest room is up.  I have to wonder if it was up all winter.  No one opens that window... Geez, no wonder we pay such huge propane bills.

This afternoon, I'm having a minor surgery.  My snoring has gotten so loud, no one in the house can sleep and I have decided to have something done about it.   From what I've been told, I'm louder than the chainsaw.

  I'm crossing my fingers that it works! But I may be away from the computer for a few days, so please forgive me if I don't have a chance to respond to emails or comments.

I'll get all orders from the Boutique filled and mailed before I go in for the snipping.  Anything that is ordered after won't be mailed till Saturday or Monday depending on how big of a wimp I am.

New dogs, old dogs, the sheriff, and some fairies, its been a good day so far

Today, I made a get well card with a fairy portrait for a little girl who is having spinal surgery this week.  I wrapped up one of my Grumpy Fairy books as a gift for her too.  She's 10, but I think she still likes fairies. Heck, I'm almost 52, and I sure like them.

Here is your obligatory puppy pic for the day. Twinkle is still all snuggled up with her cuddlepups and they are getting fatter and starting to grow.

Their eyes aren't open yet and that worries Sugarwings. I caught her taking a blue marker, preparing to draw eyes on one of the pups to help them out. 

Sparkle has been hanging out with me a bit more than usual since Twinkle has her paws full.  Normally, Sparkle spends her time on a pillow with Bookie, both are elderly. She is blind and mostly deaf, so isn't too adventurous, but this time of year makes her feel young again, and she's happy to be outdoors sniffing around while I do yard work.

Spring makes me feel younger too, until AFTER I'm done with the yard work. My aches and pains let me know that the youthful feeling was just an illusion. About now, I'm wishing I could crawl up on that pillow with the old dogs.

We've had some drama today.  We hired (and gave a down payment to) some tree trimmers.  Well, weeks later, no work was done.

They finally showed up last week, and trimmed this tree down to one limb. Trouble is, that is the limb that hangs precariously over our roof, the one branch we wanted gone before the next storm did it for us.

They have not been back, but the sheriff and the guy who owns the equipment they left here came to see us today.

It all ended OK (so far), with my husband (on the left) hiring the lift's owner to help him finish that branch the tree guys left.   My husband loves to play with his chain saw.  This is new though, he's never taken out a branch over our cottage, normally, he cuts firewood out in the Fairy Forest.  I'm terrified of the whole process, heights and chain saws both are big on my list of things to avoid at all costs.

But, I'm lucky they don't frighten him, this tree needs to be fixed and we are already out a few hundred bucks.  But a little fear wouldn't hurt him, he worries me up there. I over heard the lift operator call him a mad man. 

 

I own a small hedge trimmer that is battery powered and can hack away at shrubs and small branches with that myself, but always feel like I am in danger while doing it.  There is no way I'd pick up a chain saw.   I've been known to cut through the cord of my trimmer more than once.  Imagine the damage I could do with a real weapon like a chain saw!

Around town, lilacs are blooming in a magnificent way.  This is the best year I can remember for them.  My own plants are bursting, for the first time in the 20 some years we have lived here.  I kind of thought our old bush was done for, but this year it surprised me.

Its been a productive day, I've wrapped packages of purchases from the Boutique, done a little fairy picture, some yard work, and dealt the sheriff.  Not only that, I got some new items listed in the shop too.

  

There are a few Peat Pot Fairies in there, as well as some kits to make your own. 

Or you could just sign up as a follower on Google Friend Connect and be entered to win one...

Right now, I'm going to go out and make sure my husband and his chain saw are still doing well.  And the roof of my house.

If all is safe, I'm going to get a few more things listed, that is unless I've curled up on that pillow with the old dogs to recuperate from the yard work.

I'll leave you with some pictures of what's new.

A little Zero Dollar decorating, a cute puppy, a give away, and an adorable baby in a flowered hat

Its been kind of lonely around here for me, Twinks hasn't left her babies for more than a minute or two. I'm used to having her at my feet all day.  Right now, she has a few little guys at her feet instead!  She's  a happy mama, and honestly seems to enjoy her pups. I've had dogs that are good mothers, but for them it was all business. Twinkle likes the company of her babies.

Luckily, I still have this buddy to keep me company. I scored a bumble bee and a lady bug costume at garage sales today for $2.50 each (both still were in the packages and marked $34!).  So we dressed up and went for a walk in the woods. I got to be the lady bug.  The dress didn't quite fit, so I had to go with just wings and antenna.

(and my clothes, of course, that didn't sound quite the way I meant it. No one wants to see a Lady Bug Grammy naked in the woods)

 

Does blog surfing inspire you to make changes? I had a colorful, pastel, faux finished guest bathroom that was perfectly fine. But every time I saw photos of gray or white rooms on someone's blog, I'd sigh and wish it was mine.  The guest bath seemed to be the easiest place to make a big change with just a few adjustments and very little cash.

 

So, I mixed up a dove gray for the walls, and a mushroom color for the floor.  Then I took down the floral shower curtain and put up some dumpster drapes after repainting the room.  I dug these out of a dumpster a few years back and have used them over and over in different areas. There had been 12 panels at one time, and I sold most of them. These are the last three and I'm glad I kept them, they were just what I needed to finish this room on a budget.  Since they are lace, and were a bit too long, I just folded them over on the top to shorten them and looped the curtain ring right through the lace.

(they are pretty old and kind of tattered, but I like that look)

 

After painting the floor that mushroom shade, I realized it would always look filthy. So I splattered some dark flecks around to camouflage any dirt we track in. I might distress it with sand paper a bit too. 

The ceiling stayed a soft purple, the door is painted gray like the walls, and the trim is bright, shiny white.  I found a rusty ceiling tin piece in the shed  and sat it on top of the built in cabinet.  It could use some thing else up there, but I'm in no hurry. I redid the room for the cost of the paint, so far, and really don't want or need to spend much more on it.  Maybe I'll find something cheap but fabulous at garage sales. 

I guess I'm in the spring cleaning mood and ready for some more Zero Dollar Decorating like I was into right after the holidays.

I'll leave you with a few photos from our Cupcake Tea Party, that turned into a walk down the Fairy Berry Trail and to the creek.  It was such a beautiful spring day! 

Please don't forget that we have the regular monthly giveaway going, a china shard necklace is the prize. Its open to anyone who leaves a comment.

If you want to win a Peat Pot Pretty, please sign up as a Google Friend Connect follower.

 

 

Twinkle's shameful secret???

Aren't they sweet?  Yorkies are always born black with tan, like an itty bitty Doberman. You don't know until they shed their puppy hair and their adult coat grows in if they will be silver or black.  Those are the only accepted colors for this breed.  Sometimes as babies, they have a little white patch on their chest, but it turns tan or blond as they get older.  There is not supposed to be any white on a full grown Yorky.

So, imagine our surprise when we saw this! My first thought was, "Twinkle, you dirty girl, what have you been doing? Sneaking out the windows at night after your family is asleep???"

This pup does NOT look like a Yorkshire Terrier at all!  I've heard that a litter of pups can have different fathers for each baby, but she was not unsupervised at all, and Teddy is her only man.

After checking with Teddy's family to be sure they didn't have a beagle or some other spotted male hanging around, I surfed the web and read about Parti Colored Yorkies.  These colored dogs are controversial and not very common.  Looks like some people are purposely breeding them as designer dogs, but I don't think they are recognized by the AKC even though they are full blooded Yorkshire Terriers, they don't meed the breed standards.

They can turn up in a litter if both parents have the recessive gene for this abnormal color.

 

Here is a picture I snagged from one of the Parti-colored dog breeder's sites.  I think they are just cute as a bug, and am excited to have one of these little "special" guys! 

Yorkies have the funniest, goofiest, sweetest personalities. And there is something about the way they look at me with that silly expression on their face when they want to tell me something, that first made me tell one of our dogs that she was acting like a dork. Since then, I've always called them Dorkies.

I raise well loved, socialized, cuddled and nurtured babies. They aren't show dogs, they are pet quality dogs, and I do my best to give them a head start on being a wonderful pet. Lots of attention, lots of varied experiences. They play outside, they play with kids, they play with cats, they spend every day with me in the studio while I work, and are about as social and ready to face the world as any pup can be.

(Another pic from that breeder's site)

So, I don't mind that our parti boy isn't to breed standards on color.   I don't expect any of my dogs to win any trophies.  But I do expect them to adore their new owners and be great companions. 

I have a feeling that this parti boy will get tons of extra attention and cuddles and be an even better dog than most of my babies.   And I sure hope Twinkle forgives me for calling her a dirty girl. 

Plus, we LOVE parties around here. So a parti pup is right up my ally. And we don't mind showing some individuality.  He'll fit right in here at the Cottage!!

Our Cupcake and Tea Party was a blast yesterday.  As soon as the pups are big enough for company, I'm going to throw another one, and make sure all the puppies get held and played with by the kids.

 

Sugarwings had a good time at the party. Since we were in the studio, she slipped over to her art table and did a little painting before coming to the table to create her cupcake. Funny, she worked so hard on making it beautiful, she didn't care a bit about eating it.  A true artist!!

I'll have more party pictures and more puppy ones too, later on. For now, I need to go see who was voted off on Idol.  That show is getting better, I'm glad I didn't give up on it earlier in the season. 

Before I run, I wanted to let you know that Peat Pot Pretty Charlotte Fairy kits are available in the Boutique now.  As well as a new shipment of Charlottes!

Celebrating!

Time to celebrate! I'm so glad Twinkle and the babies are home safe and settled.  She is a happy little mama and won't let them out of her sight.   I'm having a party today and will probably keep the babies away from everyone, Twinks is feeling a bit worried since we moved the pups around so much yesterday.

She actually tried to hide them under the porch this morning.  So, I am giving her a lot of attention and have her in a quiet spot so she feels like the pups are protected, hopefully she won't run off with them again.

During the all night labor marathon, I stayed up with her and worked in the studio.  I don't even know how many of these Peat Pot Pretties with Frozen Charlotte fairies that I made. (as well as 12 kits for you to make your own-6 are spoken for)

Some are going to Somerset Life (yippee!), some to the shop to sell, and a couple I will be giving away as prizes for people who sign up to follow me (Google Friend Connect on my side bar)

But for today, they are centerpieces for a Cup Cake and Tea Party that I am having.

The treat cabinet is filled with everything a kid will need to decorate a mini cupcake (or two).

Since Twinkle is being very nurturing today, I thought I'd try to leave her alone as much as I can, but I knew she wouldn't mind me taking one picture.

  cute, huh!? 

She is such a pretty girl.  I'll have more pictures soon, probably more than you want to see!