Karla's Cottage

Carmel Apple Cake, and a little dinner party

 

Last week when our friend, Mary, came from VA to visit and haul pups across country to deliver for us, we threw a little dinner party.

And invited the pups of course!

Between kids and dogs and toys and all the rest, I don't know that my house will ever be cleaned up all the way again.  The floor is covered with all the critter stuff. And probably will be for a while. But, its nice to have the babies indoors again. They started out in a small crate in the living room, then moved to a child's wading pool there.  Soon, they were too big, and needed an enclosed area in the garage.

Then, that wasn't enough, and they ended up with about 75% of the garage.  Today, I took it all down, fences, panels, tables, chairs, all of the white trash bits of this and that I built the cage out of since our two pups are officially our own dogs and live in the house.  They wouldn't stand to be put in a pen out in the garage, Albie would have something very loud to say about that.

Its sad to have the rest of the babies gone, but I'm lucky to still have a couple left here with me.   In the past, I have raised pups and not kept any.  After this experience with Sugarwings, that will never happen again! It was heartbreaking for both of us and we were left sad and empty armed when the last pup was gone.

Three dogs went with Mary last Monday night. One to my sissy and he will always be family. One to Mary, who works with my husband, so that little guy will be around too. And Mary was kind enough to deliver one to my Bella friend, Heather.

 
The house seems pretty quiet without everyone, but the dogs we do have are keeping me busy.  How did I ever keep up with 9??? These were small pups, but man, could they fill up a potty pad.  At least they used them!  That was really nice, these babies were all really good about being paper trained fast. Now, the transistioin from paper to grass is the hard part. Especially with cold weather coming.  

I always said I'd never have a winter pup,  spring is so much easier for training.

But I'm glad I have Dorothy Rosebud and Albie Strong and Brave (Sugarwings kind of renamed him, she is also the one who named our cat, Sweet Sweet Sweety)

I am going to miss my Halloween decorations too.  This year, I really went over board, that isn't something I usually do. But having the family reunion and Romantic Gothic Ghosts was a good excuse to go all out.

While the place was spookily foofed up, I was happy for an opportunity to have a little dinner party.

My husband broke out the good wine for the night.  And we were given a bottle of Silver Oak as a gift from Mary thanking us for the puppy too!   We had given her a tiny girl a couple years ago and she was happy to get a baby brother for her little Lola.   But she did us such a big favor in delivering the babies across country, that was thanks enough. Plus, a free puppy really isn't all that cheap when you fly out to get it and rent a car to drive home!

It was so sweet of her to go to so much trouble for one of our babies.  We should have bought her a bottle of wine instead of her buying us one.

For dessert, I baked a carmel apple cake.  Easy to do, I used a yellow cake mix, subbed applesauce for the oil and added two large, chopped up, Honeycrisp apples.

I didn't know how to make carmel icing, so I winged it.

A whole bag of Kraft Carmels got melted in about 1/4 cup of milk, then I added a 1/4 stick of butter and started beating in powdered sugar till it turned to icing. It was almost fudgy, it was so thick.  Maybe less powdered sugar next time?  But while being very rich, it was also very tasty.

Over that, I sprinkled pecans, and drizzled melted dark and white chocolate, because the best carmel apples are those kinds with all the good toppings, not just carmel!

Happiest Halloween

We had a Halloween party that kind of morphed into a multi-layered event.

At first it was going to be just our Gypsy and I making some masks.

But for  most holidays, I try to have a kid's craft day with my friends, so I decided to invite all of them too.

And we decided that maybe it would be fun to have a bonfire also, and invite husbands to hang out there while we made things. 

We figured that while we were all together that we should do a pitch in dinner and make a whole evening of it.

Complete with a late night, impromptu tea party in the gazebo with the little girls.

And of course, some puppy cuddling too!

So, I picked up a bunch of supplies for the kiddos.

And found these paper mache masks at Target for only $2 each.

Michaels had these wooden ones for $1.

After dinner, we worked out in the studio off and on between visits to the bonfire for s'mores, or having a game of flash light tag.

I'm always impressed at how hard the kids work when we have these craft parties.

There is a wide range of creativity, and you never know what they will come up with.

There were mini pumpkins for the kids to decorate too. The younger the kid, the more projects you need to have. Older kids and adults can spend all evening on one thing, but the more petite artists like to move from one piece to the next pretty quickly.

We had perfect weather for the night.  Wow, what luck!  It was nice enough to dine outside, but just chilly enough to enjoy the bonfire too.

And while I preach anti orange and purple for the holiday, its still fun to have some more obvious decor for the kids.

  I had plenty of traditional colors in the ribbons and stickers too.  As a matter of fact, I had more than enough, so I bagged up leftover stickers and took them to Sugarwing's kindergarten class to use.

I think the little ones had a good time.

I know I did!

 

Bath time!

Before  the babies left, I gave them their first real bath. They'd been washed up and tidied plenty of times, but this was the first time they'd been tossed in the tub together.

And they weren't quite sure if they liked it!

Mom jumped in with them, she loves baths.  And they decided to climb up on top of her to escape.

They just weren't quite big enough to scamper out, no matter how hard they tried.

It took a while to get everyone cleaned up, since there was a whole hoard of them to get through, and they weren't exactly patient with me.  I got a lot of accusatory stares from the group.

Afterwards, they were treated to bedding warm from the dryer and bowls of yogurt mixed up with hot water.  Kind of a puppy version of hot cocoa.

I discovered that my sweet little, Dorothy Rosebud, might be a grudge holder. She refused to even look at me after the experience.

The other guys soon forgave me. Maybe they will enjoy baths as much as Twinkle does.  She was such a good mama during the scrubbing. She jumped in and out of the tub with each pup as I took it out to dry it off.  Of course, my bathroom floor was swamped.

Tiny little Dorothy Rosebud is healing, thanks for your concern. And since Beth offered to dog sit both pups when we travel, we are thrilled to be keeping her big brother, Albie.  How could we give up a puppy that taught himself to ride a toy rocking horse?? (photos to come, its pretty cute)

I'll leave you with some photos of what's new in the Boutique.

(There is more too, this is just a few. Mostly vintage jewels and old booklets)

Poor Dorothy Rosebud! and bye bye little puppies

Poor Dorothy Rosebud had a horrible Tuesday!  She and the rest of the pups still here played out in the front yard in the fence with Aunt Sandy's two Yorkies while Twinkle and I were in the studio.

I've heard in the past, that female dogs in a household would try to kill another female's pups, but Daisy and Dixie are such tiny little, mild mannered dogs, it never occurred to me that they could hurt our babies. I figured that the pups were old enough now that all would have fun wrassling and playing together. Stupid me.

See the huge bruise on her tummy? It goes all the way across her back too.

This wasn't their first time together, but it was the first time unsupervised. And 3 pound Dixie decided she didn't like 1-1/2 lb Dorothy Rosebud.

I found the baby under the porch, covered in mud and vomit, and not moving. I rushed her to the vet, she was crying softly, nonstop and was very listless.

He said she didn't seem to have any internal bleeding and the only thing we could do is keep her comfortable, quiet, and medicated and watch her. Xrays wouldn't show intestinal damage and that is what worried him. If she came down with a fever or her gums turned pale, he said he would recommend surgery.

So, Aunt Sandy the RN, listened to her bowel sounds throughout the evening, and the baby slept on my lap, she was still very still, and crying.

I took her to my son, the massage therapist and energy healer, and he said her bowels were fine, the problem was some tendon damage in her thigh and her hip was out of alignment. After working on her for a bit, she started to feel better, was looking around and stopped crying! She could even walk again.

That guy has some major skills. His fix was a lot better than the surgery the vet suggested for this morning.

Last week, I had tendinitis in my right arm and couldn't do a thing. It even hurt to use my finger to turn pages on my Ipad books. So, Mr. Zen worked on my arm, and I felt a little relief. Then, a couple hours later, I realized that there was no more pain.  The repairs kind of sneak up on you, they aren't immediate. 

That is what happened with the puppy. She felt a little better right away, after he helped her hip. Soon after, she was looking around and interested in the world again. She is still hurt, but not listless and crying. I'm certain she is recovering.

That boy has amazing intuition in knowing how to find where the pain is and he is pretty good about helping the pain leave. Sugarwings says her daddy is magic.

I no longer have problems with arthritis in my thumb and he can make a migraine disappear too. I was glad to find that he was able to help animals as well.  It was heartbreaking to see such a tiny dog in such pain.

I feel awful about letting it happen.  From now on, no pups around Dixie and Daisy.  And Dorothy can't play with anyone else for a few days, so she is isolated. And Twinkle hates Sandy's dogs, so they are kept separated.

We almost need a chart to figure out who can go to where and when.

Since we have to spend so much time taking care of Dorothy Rosebud, we decided to send the other pups to their new homes.  One went to St. Joe, MO to my antiquing friend, Pat.  Another went to our next door neighbors! And the night before, 1 left for Indiana and 2 to Virginia.

It will be nice to have one of the puppies right in our own backyard, in the house behind our shed.  You know they must be nice people if they can put up with this view and not complain.

So, now we are down to two.  Dorothy Rosebud, my poor, hurt baby, and sweet faced Albie, otherwise known as Big Head. He is the one who stopped up the whole works and sent Twinkle to the hospital in the first place, due to his huge size. (named for my husband's grandparents, Dorothy and Albert)

The trouble now, that we made choices and fell in love, is that we found out that my husband will have to be living part time in the DC area again.  Since I will be travelling back and forth with him, I worry about taking care of two pups. I'm sure Beth will help with one baby sometimes, but I hate to ask anyone to take on two.

It would be hard to give him up now, but we might have to. I probably wouldn't have even let Twinkle have pups at all if I'd known we'd have such a rough year ahead of us. I'll think on it a few more days.  But there might be one more darling pup available soon if we decide we can't keep two.  ugh, this is sooo hard- I want them ALL.

Isn't this blankey cute? My SIL, Terry, who was here for Romantic Gothic Ghosts, made a blanket for each puppy to take with them when they left.    I made sure the throws were covered in Twinkle's scent before they left with it, hopefully that comforted them after they were in their new homes.

We are now out of blankets from Terry, so that means I might just have to keep this last little boy....

This photo is of Frodo, who went to live at Sissy's house. As hard as it is to see the babies leave, its wonderful to know how loved they are with their new families.

ps- there are new things in the Boutique!!

A puppy dilema and some holiday Shine

Before the babies started to leave us, Aunt Sandy and I took them all outside on a pretty day to get some last pictures of them all together.

She bought them each a colorful, embellished tee shirt from the Dollar Store to pose in.

The trouble was, they wiggled out of the shirts as fast as we wiggled them in.

And corralling them in one spot wasn't easy either. The swing was a good place to hold them captive for a bit.

But we still couldn't get all 9 to look at us at the same time. Even with Aunt Sandy holding their mom above my head as I kneeled in front of them.

At first, they were just too excited. But of course, that means, that soon, they all tuckered themselves out with the excitement. 

So, we took advantage of their exhaustion and got some close ups.

Not everyone was worn out, these guys are little bundles of curiousity. 

And snuggles.

This is our forever baby.  The New Agnes Rosebud, as Sugarwings insists on calling her.  I keep reminding her that the name is Dorothy Rosebud, but she likes T.N.A.R.

I have a major decision to make on pup #2

First of all, I don't know if I am up to the task of taking on two.

Second, if I do, how can I chose? These little boys are as sweet as can be.

One baby might be all I can properly tend.  Of course, after weeks of bottle feeding and care-taking 9, 2 or 3 should seem like a piece of cake!

Twinkle still is tending to them too, so she'd be a help.  But Aunt Sandy is back to work as an RN and has some long days, so I can't count on her for puppy wrangling with me as much as she did when they were tiny. She was a huge help.  I don't think one person could have raised all nine and gotten any sleep at all.

While Sandy lives with us, we have her two Yorkies too.  We can not convince them to use the doggy door, so I'll be taking them out for potty breaks while Sandy is gone on her long 12-14 hour nursing shifts.  Maybe I should take advantage of that and haul pups out at the same time. (yes, we'd be a FIVE dorkie household if I kept two!)

But its not the housebreaking that worries me.  Even though that is a concern.

Its the attention.   I want to be able to nurture the babies and spend lots of time with them.  I'm not sure that I want to divide up my time between two pups at once.  Will I be able to raise two at a time to be wonderful companions? 

On the other hand, these might be the last puppies we ever have! And I have to admit, without bragging, that I raise good pups!  I've only kept two dogs from previous litters and they were the best dogs ever.  Attention from the minute they are born, lots of cuddling and exposure to various experiences makes for a confident and good natured adult dog.

So, I hate to miss out on keeping another one like that! 

Well, I still have some time to think.

Not everyone is gone yet.  And not all are spoken for.  Maybe once the herd is thinned down a bit, and I'm left with a couple of babies, I'll find it impossible to part with the last little boy. 

I've bonded with this little snippet, and am just afraid that I won't be able to give enough of myself to one of her brothers too.  And these guys are all sooooo special, that I want them to have the very best home. 

And this might not be the best home for him, if I give my time to his sister first.

But, if my husband bonds with one, then it could be his dog, that could work... 

Thanks for listening to me muse out loud about my dilema.  Its a small problem to have, and I shouldn't even call it a problem, how many people would be complaining about whether or not they should adopt one or two of the worlds cutest puppies?  I'm pretty lucky if this is all I have to ponder and worry about!

I know how lucky I am, and I am so thankful that good things have come my way.

I've already gushed about how excited I am to be one of Kim's Fairytale instructors at the Enchanted Affaire in April, and you'll probably for sure hear more gushing about how much I am looking forward to that as the months go by.

Now, I've got something equally wonderful to tide me over  a bit- Carol Spinski

and I had lunch last week and she was brainstorming some ideas about a get together at her home for the holidays.

I'm so glad the details worked out for her and its a go, and I get to be a part of it along with Amy Barrickman and Debbie Dousenberry. 

These three are in the latest issue of Matthew Mead's Holiday magazine together in a Christmas spread shot at Carol's farmhouse. If you'd like to see her magnificent home in person, and get tips from these three pros, as well as make a sparkly tree ornament with me, here is the info:

 

Contact  Carol Spinski for reservations.

This will be a one day, interactive workshop for entrepreneurs, business and creative types filled with ideas and inspiration provided by our featured guests, all with amazing backgrounds and talents. 

Hurry! Only 15 openings available.  $125 for the day

Schedule:

9 - 9:30 am   Morning coffee, muffins and introductions.
9:30 - 11:00   Carol Spinski: Tips and resources to help your creative business sparkle.
11 - 12:00   Karla Nathan:  Make and take ornament. Topic: Blogging and how to do online classes/tutorials.
12 - 1:00   Lunch
1 - 2:30   Amy Barickman- Expanding your creative business.
2:30 - 4:00   Deb Dusenberry- Making your brand shine; display, graphics, store front, web presence.
4:00- 5:00   Carol Spinski- Photography tips for marketing and web. Stylized photo shoot using the make and take ornament from Karla and other props.

Simple Pleasures

I could go to the Pumpkin Patch a dozen times and not get tired of it.  Sugarwings agrees I think.

We usually hit it a few times a year, since she was barely big enough  to toddle around.

Oh my, she has grown so much!

But she loves the maze, and the fields of pumpkins every bit as much as she did when she was tiny.

Of course, she has fun wherever she goes.  That kid is as happy sitting in a pile of dirt as she is going to a movie, boating on the lake, or any other activity.

That is a sunny, happy outlook  that will do her well in life.  Finding pleasure in the little things is a lesson we could all use.

Family Mega Craft Day

My family and I had so much fun in Beth's class at Romantic Gothic Ghosts that we continued working on our books all evening and all the next day. Here is a page that Sissy did.

And one from Guncle Randy.

He bought the earrings at the Victorian Trading Company outlet store in KC, and used one with his costume and one in his book.

We'd had big plans for the Renfest on Sunday, but the weather was chilly. 

So, instead we had a mega craft day and some of us put on costumes.

Everyone worked on their own projects.  4.0 student, the Hippy Chick, did homework.

Calliope decorated some shoes.

Terry did jewelry. She creates her own chain.

My son worked on some resin and crystal jewels.

While his Gypsy Beloved made wire wrapped fairies.

Beth came over and did needlework and the little girls smeared glitter glue on anything they could while the big girls worked on more pages from the class Beth had taught the day before.

As sad as we were to miss the Renfest, it was nice to have a laid back, easy going, work at your own speed kind of day.

But most of all, it was nice to just be together!

Romantic Gothic Ghost Weekend part Boo, I mean Two

Have you seen those cute little velvet pumpkins every where this season?  I'm not a sewer, but I thought I'd give it a try. This one is cut from a skirt of a vintage black velvet dress.  Its tiny, and the black doesn't show up as well as the other colors I've seen. If I make another one, I think I'd do it a little differently.  But this one satisfied my urge to own one and I didn't spend $25 on it, I used what was around the studio.

Hmm, looks a bit like an apple, though, doesn't it?

My studio seems lonely now that Romantic Gothic Ghost workshop is over!

I'm enjoying all the decorations and will leave those up for a while. 

They remind me of all the fun we had.

Too bad I can't have a roomful of friends and family more often!  What a great way to spend a day.

The pups were extra needy after everyone left, they had gotten lots of attention for a few days while we had company, then all of a sudden, they were left with just me trying to keep 9 babies attended to!

Laurie has a world record set in holding all 9 at once!

I usually balance one at a time.

 Sissy made votives for everyone, with images printed on velum.  I found the spider web bags full of gummy candies at Victorian Trading Co.

There were lots of gifties to go around.

For the door prizes, I drew names and let each person come up to the table to chose a pressie. 

I think that worked out well, hopefully everyone got something they liked.

I hope they enjoyed the classes too. I know I did. Beth's class was one of those where you could just keep going and going on the pages. I ended up working on mine for days, adding more and more to it.

That is kind of what my wishes for the class at Kim's to turn out like. Students will make a basic book, and I'll be giving them directions, plus Good Stuff to work with, and they can be as creative and inventive as they like with it.  Books are perfect for exploration.

I liked the variations on my Raven class too.

By the way, I have a few extra kits.  Please email me:

[email protected]

if you'd like one for $25 plus postage.

Dewdrop's mommy, our Gypsy, came to the classes, and also volunteered to give readings. She is skilled with the Tarot cards, and it fit right in with our theme for the day. 

The room was decorated in past projects I'd done for demos for the Romantic Gothic Ghost online class.

I used the free images provided in that class for the Ghosts hanging around the room too.

They are printed on transparency, then blotted and cut out and hung with cheesecloth and tulle.

I've used them here, there and everywhere, from the ceiling as well as in apothecary jars and frames.

Something tells me that it was more fun getting all this stuff set up in the studio than it will be to put it all away...

So, I'm going to enjoy it while its here! I'll tell myself not to grumble as I pack it up after Halloween, and try to just remember how much I loved having everyone here with me instead.

Maybe I should have a box of Xmas goodies out and ready to swap when I take the Ghostly decor down.  I might just skip over Thanksgiving.

Or maybe I'll do a big short cut and tell everyone that those are not ghosts, they are angels. Pull them out of the jars, slap some wings on them and put them back...

Tie a jingle bell around the black cat's neck and  slip a halo on the devil...

Oh, my, I think I'm more tired than I realized!  I should go snuggle some puppies and take a nap. 

I'll leave you with some photos of the weekend.  I wish I had taken more!  Beth has some on her blog too.

And I wish I'd had more time to mingle!

There just wasn't enough time to visit. A two day workshop is better for hanging out.

But on the other hand, this one was such fun, and so much easier to pull off. I could probably juggle more workshops if they were one day only. 

What do you think?

An Enchanted Affaire

Its such an honor to be a part of Kim's spring time event in California!  Her parties are intricately planned and gorgeous down to the smallest of details.

And what a great theme!! Snow White is a lifetime fave of mine.  When I was little, I re-read Snow White and Rose Red over and over.  And of course, Sugarwings and I love the Disney version, we often re-enact the apple poisoning part of the story. She is always the heroine, I am the cackling witch.  The dogs play the part of all the dwarfs, because they rush to her side and circle around her when she lays on the floor.  Whoever is the first to lick her face is the handsome prince who awakens her.

When she was three or four, we could play this game for hours on end.(oh my gosh, i can't believe she is SIX now!! The time has flown!!)

We love the story so much, I made a magic mirror for her room.  I have a tutorial for it here.

The last year in media was filled with Snow White fun too.  Two movies that I adored, plus a TV show that I can't get enough of.  I'd have to say that this is my favorite fairy tale character.   Maybe its the house she moves into in the woods?  That little cottage is my dream home. 

So, I was beyond thrilled when Kim asked me to paint a portrait of the fairest of them all for her button to advertise the Enchanted party she was throwing.

Then, later when she asked me to be a teacher?!? Woo hoo!  I was dancing a jig and singing around the room like my favorite dwarf, Dopey. (yes, I know, he is silent in the movie, but I am sure he whoops it up when the cameras aren't on him)

For the class, we will be making a book of enchantments, filled to the brim with the old wallpapers that I love best.  I've been buying tons of OLD, OLD fairy tale books to (eeks) rip apart to use the pages of too.  If you are a librarian, please avert your eyes, because I am about to confess to chopping up a beautiful book more than 120 years old.

Ooooh, but it was so fun to tear up!! There is something about old papers that you can't replicate with the new stuff. It just feels better.  Even when its crumbling.

Since my papers are all vintage, and not just something I can order more of, my kits will all be individual and unique. We will be using lots of millinery blooms too. 

Only The Good Stuff. 

And did I mention that the classes would be at the Happiest Place on Earth? I am such a fan of Disneyland. I went for the first time last spring, and fell hard for it. I've always enjoyed Disneyworld down in Orlando, but there was something more intimate about the original California park that drew me in.

Sign ups begin Monday for her past guest list and Wednesday for newcomers. The other teachers are people I greatly admire, and can't wait to spend time with. 

Kim's events are always the most fun. I've been to a few and loved every one.  Great times, great friends, great projects, oh, I could go on and on. Please just tell me to shut up if I gush too much as I make plans over the next few months.

I hope to see you there!

 

Believe it or not, there is new stuff in the Boutique! And a puppy stampede

It feels like ages since I've added to my Boutique.  Between summer trips, 9 pups, the Faery Book Swap, and Romantic Gothic Ghosts, I'm lucky to have gotten anything at all done. 

But when Stampington returned the cuff bracelets used in Jewelry Affaire, I thought it was a sign that I should get some photos and get listing.

So, I snapped a few pics of the cuffs as well as some of the jewels and flowers I'd been accumulating and hadn't had time to market.

Plus a zombie bride that I'd ghouled up for the party here in the studio.  I'll probably have more spooky props to list, but seriously doubt if I will get it done in time for the Halloween holiday.

Oh well, its a start. I'm just impressed with myself for getting back to business.

There is a ton of stuff waiting for my attention. I seriously doubt if I will have time to get a swap together for Christmas.  I'd love to, and thanks for the enquiries. But I've noticed that as I get older, my time gets shorter.

So, I'm trying to not over schedule myself. Tough lesson to learn for me, I'm not good at being reasonable about my time.

Maybe I can do a Valentine swap instead.... By then, maybe I'll be caught up. Sadly, the little fuzzballs will be off to new homes soon.

The babies have taken over the garage as their den, we turned the whole room into a play pen for them. But that isn't enough. They needed to get some fresh air and sunshine, so I made a fence around the back door to my studio too.  And leave the studio door open so they can run in and out while I am working.

Its so cute that they still want to sleep in a pile together, in a little dog bed, no matter how big they are getting.

I tried to get a photo of them all together, but as soon as they heard me step outside, they all started to stampede right at my feet.

It went quickly from 9 to-

7 to-

5 to-

3 to-

just one little guy waiting for me to come and pick him up as the others swarmed my toes.