Karla's Cottage

Angels and pups in the Guncle's Garden

While I was down in Jax, we took a break from creating, crafting, and eating delicious seafood, to hang out in the garden with my furry niece and nephews. Yes, those are angel wings on that little white fur ball. And they suit her perfectly, she is a sweet heart. And she wasn't the only one to play dress up....

 
This is the newest member of the family, Perry the Party Pup. Or Zippy the Circus Poodle. He's got some wild jumping skills and I think he could have a great career in the circus if he decided to join one.

And here is beautiful Bella.  She's still just a pup too, so between the two of these guys, its pretty lively around the guncle's house.

I was glad to see that she was no longer "Yella Bella" and that the yellow marker that Sugarwings decorated her with last January didn't leave a permanent stain.

Darling, serious Zackie, who loves to pose. 

And here is the whole, handsome family, all together.

Sadly, it happened to be mosquito mayhem in the garden that weekend, so we weren't able to stay out there long and enjoy all the hidden treats and gorgeous blooms.

But we did spritz some bug spray on and play out there a little while.

Randy indulged me in posing as a sweet angel in the paradise of his backyard.  He looks every bit as good as Bella did in the wings, huh?

There is nothing like having family that you can be silly with and have endless fun doing silly things with.

Aren't I lucky to have married his brother and have him as part of my family now? And then he married the sweet, Kevin and I have two of the best brothers-in-law that anyone can ask for.

Kevin is the one who bought me a plane ticket to bring me down to visit. What a sweet thing. Thanks guys, it was the best!!

Another redo with the guncles, a mini greenhouse with "aged" pots

 
Randy and I worked on a lot of different things while I visited.  One thing he wanted to do was arrange his new terrarium, and pot some flowers to put in it.

We had an idea to decorate the terra cotta pots with some old paper and photos. The smaller pots are covered with pages from old books then rubbed with aging inks, and the largest got covered in photos and paint.

 

After Randy glued vintage pictures all the way around the pot, I dabbed at the terra cotta with three different Tim Holtz crackle paints,  in mossy green, white and cream onto the areas between the photos. 

It is a haphazard, messy process, where I didn't try to be too precise about where the paint went. Some areas of the pot are left bare, some of the paint is heavier than in other spots, and some of it got on the photos.

When that dried, I rubbed the paint and the pictures with a dark ink pad, a mossy one, and an ivory one, and blotted it with a baby wipe to blend the inks.

 
Of course, the mini green house was so cool anything would have looked good in it! But I think that the aged pots added a nice touch.  (he bought it at Pottery Barn)

When we were done, I thought it needed just a little bit more, so I made this little caged fairy to nestle down in the moss.  Its really tiny, about 3" tall.

The little girl in the photo I cut up, is holding a puppy, which was appropriate for Randy and Kevin's house, they are quite the dog lovers.

Gosh, I wish I had one of these, nice, huh?  (Randy is pretty cute too) It looks great in their sun-room.  I think the plants will thrive in it.

Please leave a comment if you want a chance to win one of my Mini Dress Form online workshops

If you have already purchased the $15 class, and you win, I'll send you a kit of vintage materials to make your dolled up dress form.

A whimsical mantel redo

My Guncle weekend was just wonderful, as I knew it would be.  Kevin bought my plane ticket as a birthday gift to Randy, lucky, lucky me! 

It all went by too fast, we played all weekend, and got sillier as the days passed by.

Jacksonville is great, but we were having too much fun to get out and explore. We stayed in the craft room, garden or kitchen except for a quick run to pick up more seafood to cook or craft supplies to work with.

We got a bunch of these little wooden birds at Michaels and foofed them up for part of a redecorating project we wanted to do.  This one is perched on a grapevine wreath that we turned into a nest for the display.

When I arrived, the guys mentioned that they were ready for a mantel makeover.  Here is a Before shot of that corner.

And Ta-da! Here is the whimsical after.  We turned the fireplace into a magical fairy land, by shopping around the house, arranging some silk flowers, and making a few little tidbits to add here and there.

After taking everything down, so we could start from scratch, we decided to remove the fireplace screen too. The logs are wrapped in mini lights, and we perched fairies with red glass wings, and some other fun creatures inside, then tucked lots of greenery all around.

Out in the garage, I found a couple of large, metal bread racks, one in this great red, the other with chippy white paint. We leaned these up against the ornate mirror that was hanging over the mantel, then started tucking things behind the racks and hanging other stuff on them.

 

Kevin just happened to find a big bagful of marble eggs at a garage sale that morning, and we nestled them all around, in mossy nests.  (we were pretending they were fairy eggs)

He also found two of these old bird books, one we used for display, the other we greedily tore apart and made things out of in the craft room.

The guys had lots of fairies, elves, and sparkly creatures around the house and in the garden for us to add.

I'd brought them a Nest banner that I'd made, and we hung it right in the center.

At Christmas, Randy had made a glittering nest in this top hat, and for summer, we redid it with the little Fairy Frog Prince that I'd brought to him for his birthday.

And this magnicficent art deco piece is a light fixture that Kevin found along the road in the trash!! Randy arranged some flowers in it, since it neede rewiring before we could turn it on.

Yes, we know that its busy, and there is a lot going on. But to us, that just made it all that much more fun. More treasures to discover each time you looked through the display, more magic to enjoy.

Neither one of us really get "editing".

For me, it was such a blast to get to shop his house for all the goodies we used. And to do something so bright and playful, since my house is all pastels and creams.  Plus, I got to play with my baby bro, and there isn't much better than that!

 

Frog Princes and Guncles

Have you seen the little papermache creatures at Michael's in the dollar bins?

That is where I picked up this frog.  All he needed was a kiss to be turned into a Froggy Fairy Prince!  (well that, and some ephemera, glitter, glue, and a crown)

The best part about him, though, is his eyes.  I had a vintage Easter bunny that Agnes Rosebud thought was hers to play with, so it was missing a couple of its not-so-lucky rabbit's feet. I popped the eyes out of it and added them to this frog after decoupaging it in old text. (I'll be watching out for trashed dolls at flea markets and garage sales just to harvest the eyes from.  Kind of creepy, but worth it, these eyeballs really made the whole project)

Next, I used pink chalk to make blush for his cheeks, and rosy up his tummy, and drew his grin with a brown marker.

Over that, he got a generous helping of clear glitter.

I made his wings with the patterns I drew for the Mini Dress Form tutorial. (see, there are LOTS of things in the class that you will use for other stuff too, not just the dress forms!!)

To get the wings shaped the way I wanted them, I made two pair, back to back and sandwiched wire in between.  That way, I could bend them around like this.  I inked the edges of them and added glitter to the rims.  For dimension, I cut the top half of the set of wings off of the bottom half, then layered them on top of each other.

I also used a brown ink pad to accent the frog's body. Probably should have thought of that before the glitter instead of after, but it was still ok.

His crown is a snip of screen that I cut to fit, and added sparklies and millinery to, then glued on.

This lil froggy guy will be winging his way to the Guncle's house with me.  I'm off to Florida to celebrate Guncle Randy's birthday. Sugarwings wanted to go too, but I told her I didn't have a plane ticket for her.

She said, that we could go to the movie theater, they sell tickets! Then she could come too. She loves visiting her Guncles (gay uncles) and the beautiful beach they live near.  Plus, she knows how fun those guys are.  I'll miss her, but this weekend is all planned for grown ups.  I promised to take her to the beach and to see the Guncles another time.

I'll be in heaven this weekend-

• great food (they are the BEST cooks, and always have fresh seafood)
• a weekend long craft-a-thon
• champagne!
• show tunes to sing along with
• non-stop laughter
• and the most beautiful fairy garden to sit in

(this was pre-posted, I am away from my computer right now, and all orders from my Boutique will be shipped out on Wed. the 29th.  I'll be reading comments, but might not get to answer them all. )

Umbrellas-ellas-ellas

Now that my computer is back, she is still not quite feeling right.  She is functional and in good working order, she's just feeling confused and a bit lost. So many files are hidden away somewhere deep, and we can't seem to coax them out.

Like the last 6 months of our financial records.  And ALL of my Paper Cowgirls getaway pictures. Many of my files are all dumped into one big, lump, not broken down into files like they were before. I've spent about 6 hours just today trying to get organized.

Its all been frustrating, and I am sure you are sick of hearing about it. Sorry. But you know, a computer really does become more than just an appliance in the home. It contains so much, that when things go wrong, its traumatic!

But, I'll stop whining and complaining. I think I'm pretty lucky that my stuff is still on it, just scrambled into new and unusual places.  I'll try to think of it as a treasure hunt as I find little tid bits of my life hidden away here and there.

At Paper Cowgirls (which I am still hunting for pictures of) I had this wonderful drink at the Polka Dot Prom and have made it every day since I've been home.  Its club soda with lemon, a sprig of mint, and fresh strawberries. I've got a giant patch of mint growing right outside of my studio and its good to have a delicious use for it.

Cindy had made this drink for us in Texas, and I was so over heated and tired, that I just couldn't stop pounding them down. This concoction is so simple and refreshing!

I made another version of it for company too- with fruit tea instead of soda.

We were going to have the boys over for Father's Day and the party blossomed to 23 people.  And it was such a pretty day, we all sat outside in the courtyard.  This little dumpling is so fun to watch eat.  I've never seen a baby who just eats 'real' food like she does.  Her parents have been feeding her what they eat themselves for months now, and she is happy with it all.  The other day, I saw her chomping on a radish.  At 7 mths old?

She likes peppers, and cucumbers, and anything else that is handed to her.  She is not picky and doesn't even eat baby food, or has anything chopped up for her.  I've learned a lot from watching these two parent her.  Most of what we think we have to do with our little ones is pure marketing from big companies.  A baby doesn't really need all the equipment and specialty items that we think we have to buy for them. 

Before everyone came over to the dinner party, I foofed up this umbrella. I'd painted it years ago, and the paint faded. So I took a sharpie and outlined the flowers and leaves to make them stand out again. This umbrella used to be a dark, dark green, but I've had it 15 years and bought it used at a garage sale. Its faded out to a nice, soft no-color shade and  is holding up fine.  Newer ones that I bought aren't made as sturdy and have broken in some of our  harsh Kansas winds.

 Of course, if I were they type to remember to put them away for the winter, that could help.

The pink umbrella in the previous photo is from an estate sale this summer ($20), I hope it holds up. Its such a cheerful burst of color in the center of my courtyard.

I hope your Father's Day was a good one too!

This was pre-posted while I am visiting the Guncles in Florida.  I'll be answering emails and if you sign up for the Mini Dress form tutorials, I will send you the password.  I'm sorry I won't be able to answer all comments, though, and all orders from the Boutique will be sent out on Wed. the 29th.

Charming flocks

While my computer was being worked on and reworked on and worked on again by the Geek Squad for two weeks, I sure missed having access to photo editing and to my blog!  I know that there is a way to do it all from my marvelous, beloved, Ipad, but I sure don't know how.

  $3.50 each

After showing you the glittered charms for the Bird Swap tag book swap, I had a lot of requests for them, and sold quite a few in the Boutique. Enough that I needed to order a few more for the swaps! So, being me, instead of ordering what I needed, I ordered another 100 or so.  And painted them.

The ones I did before were meant for decorative use and people were asking me about using them as jewelry. Since the glue I used for the glitter was water based, that wasn't such a good idea. So I made some of these up, non-glittered and top coated with poly.

They should be durable for normal use, and would be so cute on a charm bracelet!

$3.50 each, sold as a set for $14

There are a bunch in the Boutique now if you are interested. But I'm off to see the Guncles in Jacksonville, so can't mail them till I get back.  All orders will be shipped on Wed. the 29th. 

 

While I was in Texas, Beth was flipping through this magazine I'd brought along and she saw a kid that looked like Sugarwings. It WAS her. I didn't even notice that article was in there!  What a lovely surprise. Beth notices things better than I do.

Beth also noticed that the link to my publication page, with a few of my magazines on it was not working and I just now emailed Hope about it. That lady fixed it within moments. I swear, if you ever need to hire a blog redo-er, Paper Relics is the one  to pick. Thanks, Hope!!

By the way, Hope as a redo at her blog, and its really cool, very unique. Plus, she is giving away free images, check it out here.

 

  

The winner of an online dress form tutorial is:

Amy Carver

And I'll be drawing another name next week.  If you already have signed up for the class you can win a kit with everything you need to make the dress form.

This was pre-posted while I am visiting the Guncles in Florida. I'll be checking emails on my Ipad (or pink princess computer, as Sugarwings calls it), but will be busy swilling champagne and singing show tunes with my baby brother, so might not have a chance to answer comments.

If you sign up for the Mini Dress form tutorials, I will send you the password.  All orders from the Boutique will be sent out on Wed. the 29th. 

Holding Space

Old Blue is actually my husband's truck, but it spends more time at my son's house than at home.  He's had some major gardening projects this year and Blue has been hanging out with him since spring, and always seems to be full of dirt, or mulch, or some other fun pile for the kids to play with. Kind of like a sand box on wheels.

When we pull into their drive way, we usually see kids climbing all over Blue, like he is some sort of jungle gym.  It will break their hearts when we finally pick up that pick up and bring it home.

Now, the truck is being used to haul stuff to Sugarwing's Daddy's new business!  "Holding Space" is a massage therapy, energy work, and healing center.

I've been helping them get it ready, the place was not so nice to start with.  He has been cleaning and patching and soundproofing for weeks.   We've just started painting, you can see the two rooms behind him, they are the ones that are done.  The white walls will soon be looking like a fiery sunset.

Here is a close up of the massage room wall.  We painted  the base deep blue (I am in LOVE with Behr's new paint and prime together.  It covers in one coat, even with deep colors!!!!!!), and after the blue, I glazed it in darker blue, raspberry, purple and red.

Over all of the glazes, I flecked white from my brush, and while it was wet, swirled some of it with a rag. The room is going to be kept dark, and restful. We thought this would be a calming finish for the walls in there.

This room is the entrance, where they will have some small tables and chairs.  We painted it sand colored, and glazed over it in all metallics.  Bronze, pewter, gold, and copper.  I think it makes a dramatic entrance for the guests, don't you?

I used to do faux finishes and murals for a living, and travelled around quite a bit doing walls for hotels, day care centers, and what felt like billions of other places.  I love to see what a rag and some color can turn a plain room into, but honestly don't miss the hard work. 

It was fun to hang out with my boy and spiff up his new workspace, but I am glad that I no longer have to haul ladders, buckets and all the other stuff around like I used to. Painting itself is fun. Its the prep, set up and clean up that is so awful. 

And it tends to make me achy. But, painting at a healing center is ideal! After I climbed down from the ladder for the last time, with my shoulders tight and my arm in pain, my son worked on it for about an hour and I felt better than before I started. That kid can even take the arthritis from my right  thumb.

I have a feeling that his new space will be a success.  He has some amazing skills.

They have a nice, big space, with high ceilings and a sky light.  The far wall butts up to a restaurant kitchen, and the room was loud before. So my son hung rolls of old carpet over it, and covered that with bamboo. It deadened the sound, but is not done yet, he'll be doing a clay/plaster treatment over the top of that too.  All very green and cheap.

If you are local and want to attend a workshop on how it is done, please let me know.

And if your thumb hurts, come to see Adam!

This was pre-posted while I am visiting the Guncles in Florida.  I'll be answering emails and if you sign up for the Mini Dress form tutorials, I will send you the password.  I'm sorry I won't be able to answer all comments, though, and all orders from the Boutique will be sent out on Wed. the 29th.

Gilding

  

My computer is home safe and seems to be working.  Even though it was all backed up, the Geeks had some trouble finding where all the stuff was hiding. And a lot of it, they restored in weird places.  I'm hunting and gathering and finding odds and ends as I go along. My email files are a wreck, all jumbled and not in files anymore, just years of saved things smooshed together.

But it still feels GREAT to have her back.

While my computer was out of commission, I was kind of on a forced vacation from work.  While I kept up with emails on my Ipad and still worked in the studio, I also did some puttering around, reading, entertaining, and playing with grandies. 

It was good to have some extra cuddle time with this dumpling.

And I hitch hiked along on Sugarwing's class field trip to a farm.

But it wasn't all play time. A huge start was made on the tag book covers too. I did a little painting of a bird, on a page torn from an old book about birds.  Then I had it copied onto premium card stock and I really like the way they came out, very vibrant.

In the original, all the bars of the cage are black. So, I am going over each cage, slowly but surely, with metallic inks or glitters, gilding the black lines. I get bored easily and keep changing  up how I do it.

If I am ever When I am done with this part, I'll cover the backs with pretty wallpaper, cut them out, trim 'em up with lace, add a charm and that is it. They'll be ready to put together.

Which reminds me-

If you are in the swap, all the details, including my address, can be found on the swap info page. You can get to it by clicking on the button on my side bar.

Also, I'm taking a trip to see family in Utah on July 14th, so I'll be extending the date from the 15th  till the 18th.  But please do go ahead and mail your tags by the 15th, they will be here in time for me to start assembly.

But, even though I just told you my address and the fact that I will be out of town, don't think you can come and rob me. My son lives here and he is a weight lifter, very strong. His weightlifting friends hang out with him here too.

 I also have 3 attack dogs.  And an alarm system.  So don't even try to come by and raid my hat collection while I'm away, its well protected.

Kind of back in action

Well, my computer is back.  And it works.  But- many of the things I paid to have backed up before it was wiped clean to get it running again are GONE. This is the only Paper Cowgirl photo I seem  to have (its one that Lisa emailed to me), but am hoping to find most lost photos in the history file of picnik.

I guess if I only have one photo, this one is a fun one to keep. It kind of sums up the great weekend we had, there was plenty of laughing the whole time.

Not that I feel like laughing now.... all of my email files are gone. What a mess. I'm hoping that the Geek Squad has hidden them someplace where I was too dumb to look.  So, back to Best Buy I go, trip #15 in 13 days. Good thing its here in town.  

Wish me luck!

Oh, and if you are waiting to hear back from me on whether or not I have you on the swap list, sorry. This has been so confusing for me. I've tried to keep up with my Ipad, but didn't have my files on it, and now my files are missing any way. So, if you HAVE NOT heard back from me, consider yourself in, but please send me a note letting me know so I can pretend to keep track of who is in it.  I have a printed record of up to #120, but we are closer to 135, so I might be missing a few of you...  But please only contact me if I didn't return your email in the last 2 weeks. If you signed up earlier than that, I have you on my printed list.

Same thing with the dress form classes. I sure hope I didn't miss anyone!! If you  have paid for the classes, and have not heard back from me with the passwords, please contact me.

Thanks for your patience!

And I have not drawn a name for the giveaway yet, do to this malfunction in my life. So, I'll extend the contest.  You will either win a free online class, or, if you're already in it, a kit to make the dress forms.  Heck, I'll do two winners. 

 

 

Visiting hours

My poor computer is still ill. After only a few hours of having her at home with me, she started feeling bad again and had to be rushed back to the specialist. Every day I go visit her at the Geek Squad with high hopes of bringing her home. They always say she is ready to go, but she never is. I don't give up, I keep hoping that someday soon, she'll perk up and be ready to come home to me. Three times today I was called to pick her up, three times I went to get her. Three times she had relapses and wasnt able to leave with me, but at least I got to hold her and spend a few precious moments with her. Her memories of me and all of our favorite times together are now gone. The Geeks say that she is strong and healthy and we can build new memories together. For now, they are trying to help her recover as much as they can. I have lots of Paper Cowgirls photos to show you, but don't know how to do it with this IPad. Hopefully, I'll have a real post soon.