Karla's Cottage

Happy Memorial Weekend!

Have a lovely Memorial Day weekend! We started celebrating early by taking today off to play with Sugarwings and take the box-o-pups to her school for all the kids to see. 

We plan on movies, boating, and BBQs for the rest of the weekend.  I hope yours is a fun one too!

My new Flip Camera has been a blast! So easy to use, and I think I've figured out how to add a video to my blog. If you can't see it here, you can go to Youtube to watch it. Its of the pups and the fairy grand baby playing in the Fairy Tree house.

Sugarwings is wearing a Cinderella gown that I bought at a garage sale for 50 cents Saturday morning.  She is snacking on mulberries that grow along the Fairy Berry Trail, so by the time we were done playing in the woods, her dress was purple polka dotted.

She is also asking me if "they came back" when I said ALL the puppies came.  I didn't realize what she was asking me until I watched it back.  She is worried about the two pups that went to a new home.

Peonies and puppies

Here are a couple of little videos of the pups on You Tube.  Each is a minute or so, really short.

Springtime is my favorite time of year.  I love seeing the ground wake up and turn green, and plants take off blooming.  While I don't have the greenest thumb around (sometimes, I think I should just plant dollar bills, I wouldn't be any worse off) I have learned about gardening by experience.

And after 19 years at this old farmstead, my yard has come to be a place  that I look forward to spending time in every Spring.  After all these years, most of the big, hard labor jobs are done.  I've moved tons of rock with wheelbarrows, I've planted dozens of trees, hundreds of flowers, built sidewalks with stones I've dug up from the side of the road.

This is the year to really enjoy all the previous years of hard work. There is still a lot of maintenance to do, and weeds to pull, but the major projects are finished and now I can take time to sit in the garden swing with my little buddies and soak up Spring.

Nothing around here is very polished or perfect. Its homey. Its home.

When something really insists on growing somewhere, like the violets in this planter, I just let them go.   Instead of weeding them out, I just added a couple of coleus for color.

I've learned that this big old yard will never be well manicured, that some plants live and some plants don't.  That a favorite area one year might not do well ever again, and to enjoy that area while it is thriving.

And that any garden looks better with puppies playing in it!

The little guys have taken over our world here, they are underfoot every step I take.  We've been spending a lot of time outdoors lately.  But tiny pups need naps, so while they sleep, I've gotten a little work done. I've added wings to the Charlotte on my bird house.

And now have got all these Charlotte fairy projects done and ready to mail to Somerset Life.

This is the bottom of the pocket watch with the fairy in it.  Its one of the images from Mary's class. She has tons of images that she has included for the glue books, and I just had to use this one somewhere.

During the dorkies' nap time yesterday, I made up a couple of these little books (less than 4" square).  They are filled with watercolor paper and the inside of the covers are lined with rose wallpaper. 

I've added one of the books, and some of these fun vintage doggies to my Boutique.

Sounds like nap time is over and there is a basket full of furry babies calling out to me. I'd better get them outside to potty!

In the land of Ahhhs

The puppies have names now, thanks for all of your suggestions. It was a tough job, but since Sugarwings is such an Oz fan, can you guess which ones we went with?

The little girl is now Glinda.

And of course, Sugarwings already named her favorite, Dorothy.
 

The third little girl is already living at her new home. She is the one I had been calling Bella, because she was on her way to go live with Teresa , creator and hostess of Silver Bella.  On her blog, she mentions that the little sweetie might be called Lilly.

I look forward to seeing the pup in November up in Omaha at the event.  I hear she will be the mascot! I hope she has a tiny crown to wear...

 

How could we not have a Toto?

And Jenn suggested naming one boy after the farm hands on Uncle Henry's farm. So, meet Zeke.

This guy is going by Oz, or Ozzie.

Winners are of the 'dog tags" are:

Jenn

Freda

And Deborah Woodrow

I'll leave you with some photos of what is new in the shop.  These are the test tubes filled with buttons that were in Somerset Life. The magazine was done with them, so sent them back. I thought I'd get them listed in the shop.

 

Craft-a-thon

Thank you for all the puppy names you suggested! There were some GREAT ones, and it was hard to chose. But one theme stood out and I went with it. I know I said I'd announce winners today, but  I don't have photos ready yet, so it will have to wait. 

But this photo is a hint.

Also, thanks for all your well wishes for Twinkle's health. She is not happy about being taken from her pups, but the Dr. says no more nursing.  The babies are old enough to eat puppy food, but I do have to get up during the night to give them fresh food, they need to be fed every few hours.

The only good thing that came of the terrifying 45 minute trip to the vet's office, while Twinkle was near death, was that we decided to keep a puppy.  It was just too frightening to think about breeding her again someday, so we thought we should have one of her babies live with us forever.  

Each of us have our favorite.  So, I'm not sure which one yet.  Sugarwings' vote is for Dorothy, but I have a feeling that she can be swayed.  There are two that I don't think I could live without.... But we already have three dogs, we don't need 5. And that really would just be heading towards the sheriff knocking on the door wearing a gas mask to deal with the stench, and telling me that the county is confiscating my 50 animals that have taken over the home and made it smell so bad that neighbors have complained. (Or so my husband thinks.)

This tiny girl is one of my choices. The other is the spotted guy. He is just too perfect to let go.  We all have a soft spot for him. 

When I came across this dress in the studio, Suzanne and I were giggling like kids and having such fun playing dress up with the pup and taking her photos.  Both of us were  just howling with laughter.  Which describes quite a bit of our Creative Cottage Girls Weekend.  It was a joy to have Suzanne stay here with me, she is an excellent house guest, we never ran out of conversation.

 

I'd made up scrap packets for everyone, then sat out lots of other supplies on one of the dining room tables in the front of my studio.  Beth generously brought boxes of fun stuff from her stash too.

First, we all covered bird houses in vintage papers.  This one is mine, but I think its not quite done yet. Don't you think that Charlotte needs fairy wings?

In February '08, I did a tutorial on blinging out a birdhouse. If you'd like to read it, and try one, I've added it to the list of free tutorials on my side bar. Just click on the "tutorial" flower button to the right and it will take you there.

Before everyone came, I warned them that I don't craft in a sassy sundress, and that the weekend was just casual and relaxing, we were all there to chat while we made things and just hang out. No classes or group things, everyone was on their own to rifle through supplies and come up with their own creations. 

It seems like every time I see an arty gathering on other blogs, everyone looks like they are going to a wedding instead of a craft-a-thon.  And the tables look too pretty to work at.  Not here, these tables looked like work stations. And I think it was successful because we were all still cutting and gluing and talking long after dinner was over.

 

There is so much crap good stuff in my studio, that I told everyone not to bring anything, I'd supply it all.

But my pal Angie brought jewels and Beth brought lots of old pictures and papers.  I was glad, because its so much more inspiring to play with other people's supplies and I had a good time going through what they brought.

We ended up making not only birdhouses, but tags, and cabinet card note books. Beth had a big box full of the old cabinet cards and showed us how she takes out the photo, adds watercolor paper, then sews it up into a book and embellishes it.

This one is Debbie's.

And this one is Suzanne's.

Of course, a big part of the day was playing with the little guys.

The weather was beautiful, we worked with the doors open all day, and were able to have dinner outside. Debbie brought Pearl, who seemed to enjoy wandering in and out, but she wasn't so sure about the pups.

Pearl liked to keep her distance as much as possible.  But she warmed up to me and I think we might be friends now.

After all the running around, the babies were plain old worn out!

I have more pictures of our lunch at Carol's amazing farmhouse, (I felt like I was stepping into the pages of a magazine at her 1860s dreamhouse!!) and shopping at the Curious Sofa.   But for now, I need to go and watch the last episode of Lost before I accidentally hear any details from someone.  I didn't have a chance to see it last night, but its taped and waiting for me. I hear it calling out to me and can't resist another minute.

ps- Hi, Wanda!! It was nice to meet you!!

Creative Cottage Getaway

Our Creative Cottage Girls Weekend is so much fun! Thankfully, Twinkle's vet appointment this morning gave her the all clear and she is doing well. The pups are handling being taken away from her much better than I expected. But they were getting plenty of attention from all the guests!

We made bird cottages.  I had piles of supplies and a big basket of bird houses to work with. Beth brought goodies to  add too.

I'll have some more photos later, right now its time to go play, we are on our way to Carol's renovated 1800s farmhouse for lunch. 

A near tragedy

The studio is all cleaned up and I am ready for the guests. And really looking forward to it! We had a rough night, poor Twinkle almost died! We had to rush her to the ER vet in Kansas City, then just picked her up this morning.

She is fine now, but goes back to her own vet tomorrow.

We'll have to keep her away from her pups, she can't nurse any longer!  They are just too big and fat and have depleted all of her calcium, which caused convulsions.   After a night of calcium by IV, she is doing fine.  But we can't let her feed the babies, just in case.

Her babies are crying for her, so I'm glad I'll have a studio full of guests to help me keep them entertained and comforted.

Okay, I'm off to the airport to get Suzanne!  Gotta run.

Visits

Thanks for all the puppy names! There are some good ones coming in... its going to be fun to make choices.  I'll really need good prizes for the winners! I love the names coming in.  If you haven't entered yet, you can leave some suggested names on this previous post.

I'll announce the winners on Monday.

This year, I laid out bales of hay around the garden veggies to help keep weeds out.  Since the garden is fenced to keep out deer and bunnies, I thought it was the perfect place to turn puppies loose for a while to get some fresh air and sunshine.  It kept them contained so they could play and run without getting lost.

 

The little guys had a blast wrestling and hiding in the hay.  Here is a photo of the front of the garden, with the wisteria in bloom.    The fence was just right for keeping pups in while we worked in the yard for the afternoon.  Sugarwings, her daddy and his beloved came by to help get the yard spiffed up for my Creative Cottage Girls Weekend.  The wisteria, iris, and peonies are in full bloom and looking pretty, but all of my annuals are still skimpy and not flowering much.  The clematis is on its way out, I think the last petals might be on the ground by Friday when my guests arrive. 

And it has rained too much to get any mowing done yet.  I've warned my friends not to expect perfection, this will be relaxed and comfortable and very homey, not an over the top weekend. My plan is to enjoy it as much as they do, and not exhaust myself and my budget by thinking it all has to be perfect.

In my mind, the secret to entertaining is to enjoy your guests.  I keep it comfy and welcoming but if there are a few toys left out, or some weeds in the flower bed, I don't think that will ruin anyone's visit.  Now, I do love things pretty of course, but I try to keep that in mind for every day living, not just special occasions.  I think that if a home looks loved and is filled with love, you are always ready for guests.

 

But I will clean up the studio mess before I invite anyone out there to have a craft day!   That is my plan for the next couple of hours. 

It looks a lot worse than it really is.  I'll zip through and stash things away and the room will be ready to go in no time.

 

I had kind of thought that I'd get the studio cleaned up yesterday, but I was too busy having fun in the afternoon working in the yard and even more fun in the morning with some pals.  A Silver Bella buddy, Cheryl was driving from California to New York and stopped for a visit. 

Before visiting Curious Sofa and Mission Road Antique Mall, for shopping and lunch with Carol, Deb, and Beth, Carol invited us to her glorious farmhouse- its so beautiful, I think I might still be glowing green with envy today.

She  is hosting a lunch for everyone coming to the girl's weekend too.  Ooooh, that will be so pretty, I'll really have to watch my manners.  Not act too jealous, and not stare too much and forget to talk to everyone at the table because I am mesmerized by the house.

I took Carol a little planter made from ceiling tins and filled with purple flowers as a house warming gift.

Cheryl had the prettiest hand made bags with fabric flowers for Carol and I.

Inside the bag was a fluffy, gray scarf. Instead of wearing it, I am using it as a table runner, the colors and textures were just too right for this room I just redid.

See what I mean? What a lovely gift.  But Cheryl is a lovely lady and we had such a nice visit.  Her family was kind enough to take a break in their cross country drive to hang out in KC for a bit. 

Thanks, Cheryl!

Name the puppies

Ready to name some pups?  We've got 4 that need names, the largest girl and smallest girl are already called Dorothy and Bella.  If you'd like to play along and send in some names, I'll have a drawing and make up a special prize for the winner.  Please leave your name choices on THIS post.

These little guys are posing in some new hats I picked up yesterday for only 2 bucks each!

 

Puppy # 1- The bigger boy.

 

#2- The smaller boy.

  #3- The middle sized girl.

#4- Our runt, the little spotted guy.

I'll draw a winner Monday the 24th on their 6th week birthday, and will announce a prize as soon as I get one made. 

By the way, for those who were wondering, the litter box training is going extremely well!  I have not had to mop up dog pee once today, they are all using the litter.  I'm impressed.

This week, I am still on my wallpaper folder kick.  I've made up a few to fill with ephemera for a little something special I have in mind. I also plan on listing some in my shop, filled with goodies. but for now, I need to get to work on cleaning the studio up for my party next weekend.

Only 4 more days, I just can't wait!!

PS- thanks for all your input about the lamp. I painted it.  Not the frames on the wall behind it though.  I kind of like the mix.  For me, it was looking too formal with all that gold.

I'll have photos of the whole room as soon as its cleaned up for the party.

Double Dorothys

So much for cleaning my studio and getting stuff listed. Instead, I have been playing with Sugarwings and the pups.  Or shall I say, with my Double Dorothys. 

Sugarwings had a sleepover here last night, and I don't think all 6 pups were ever in their nest at the same time. One had to be held at all times. (Most often, her favorite one, Dorothy)

Even while she was helping me re-caulk the bath tub.  Which isn't an easy job to do anyway, but try adding a 3-1/2 year old and a puppy to the experience...

 

The pups are extremely tolerant of her and actually run to the side of their puppy pond to greet her when they hear her coming.  I think they like the attention.  This one didn't seem thrilled with a doll dress, but on the other hand,  is such a laid back baby, I doubt that much could upset her.  This big gal has a name, thanks to Sugarwings. This is the pup she calls Dorothy.  And is her favorite of the group.

If you read my blog last year, you might remember Millie. She was our big, cuddly pup from that litter and I am already worrying about the heartbreak from the day Millie left  reoccurring with Dorothy.

So, I try to encourage her to play with all the tiny dorkies, not just Dorothy. Its going to be hard enough for me to say goodbye, I don't like the idea of breaking Sugarwing's heart too.

Of course, she'll still have her best bud, Twinks.  But I can already see pain ahead for us all when the babies leave.  We are just enjoying them way too much!! No way we can keep any, since we already have 3 dogs. And one of those dogs is elderly and incontinent.  Which keeps me mopping.

Remember I mentioned litter box training these guys? It is sure going well!  I'd say they use the box 75% of the time, and that is only after a couple of days with it.  Now, if I could just teach an old dog new tricks and get that 16 year old Bookie, who is peeing on the floor to try a litter box.

So, out of the 4, two have names.  Dorothy and Bella.  I'll be having a contest, with prizes for you (that I have yet to make) to name the 3 boys and the other girl.  There will be pictures posted of them when I get the contest ready to go, so be thinking about it, but don't send your names in yet if you want to enter.

OKay, now I really need to get some work done.  I'm hosting a Creative Cottage Girls Weekend next Friday and my studio looks like a 3 year old has been painting and cutting in here. 

To paint or not to paint, that is my decor dilemma

Pixie Pie came by this morning with her mom to borrow some teapots and cups for a party they are having. I couldn't resist playing with the teacups as I got them out... (don't worry, I washed it after!)

This little girl is spoken for, and I have been calling her Bella for now because she is going to a friend that I met up in Omaha at Silver Bella.  She is a sweety. Well, they all are. Now, they come running to me when I yell "Puppies!!!! Puppies!!!" in a high squealy voice. Yes, it is probably annoying to any humans who might be around, but the babies love it.

I'm wondering if we should do a Name the Puppy contest again?  So far, I call them all Puppy, except for Bella.  I'll get some photos of each and tell you a little about each one's personality and you can help me name them.  I'll find some prizes too!

This weekend, I am cleaning up my studio and listing things in the Boutique.  I want to get some space made and get the room ready for a party next weekend.  I'm hosting a Creative Cottage Getaway for some arty friends and figured it was a good time to clear some clutter before they come. 

Today is a Sugarwings day, but after she leaves, I'll be working away in the studio getting stuff organized and making space for FUN.

My guest room is getting re-vamped (photos soon) and I've kind of finished lightening up the dining room.

At first, I wondered if the creamy golds and grays would work together, then I realized that they were Dorkie colors!  No wonder I redid the room that way, I love Twinkle's pretty fur. They say that people and their dogs grow to look alike, has anyone ever mentioned that a home will start to look like the dog too?

This great, old picture was in here before, and I thought it was too heavy and dark, so I took it down and hung mirrors there instead. Then, when I redid the furniture and brought the buffet back in, I thought the space could use something more substantial, so I brought it back.

Plus, it sets the theme of "lovely ladies" that the basket is filled with.

This is where the Queen Fairy from my previous post has gone to live.  In the basket of lovely ladies.

This is my dilemma, right here.  The lamp.  Great lamp, and I have a ton of crystals to add to it, along with those big crystal pears.   I was shopping at a friend's store when someone came in trying to sell it to her, she didn't want it and I asked if I could buy it.  It was $40 which is a bit high for me, but its so ideal I had to get it!

Normally, I paint most everything. White or cream.  But you'll notice that I've never painted the frame of this old picture, and that is because the finish is so perfect as it is.  Every once in a while, I'll stand in front of it and day dream about grabbing a brush, but so far, I've refrained.

So, I think the lamp looks good with the other metals on the buffet, but yet, I am still thinking.. white... white.. white...

Is it just my natural desire to paint all things white, or is it an honest design instinct that this should be white?  Well, creamy white and distressed, not bright white.

I'm thinking I should ignore the call of the paint brush and leave it for now.  What do you think?

And don't forget to be thinking up some puppy names!