Karla's Cottage

Our Christmas

It's hard to say goodbye to Christmas this year, but on the other hand, on the 26th, I was itching to take down the tree.  I wasn't able to, due to other goings on, but I was ready to see it go. I think its because the lights all went out on the tree the minute the last gift was opened! That was some sort of sign. Plus, I feel like a dark tree is a bit sad. So, into the closet it goes, and I'll deal with the kaput lights next year.  

We had an extended Christmas celebration, with all the kids over on the 24th for brunch and gifts, with a hot cocoa and cookie party afterwards. 

Dewdrop came over with her parents on Christmas morning to see what Santa left under Grammie's tree while all the rest of the family visited other relatives. I think it was special for the youngest of 7 to have a whole morning of being the center of it all and opening gifts just for her. She was pretty excited, and a joy to watch.

We spent a lazy day, watching our littlest fairy play.  My son, Mr. Zen and his Gypsy cooked a great meal for us all.  Broiled lobster with seafood pasta.

YUM!  The only thing better than having someone cook a meal for you, is if the meal is lobster.

Sugarwings had a sleepover on Christmas night, so Santa could bring some gifts to Grammie's tree for her too.  She loves the whole spectacle of Santa, Christmas, and the arrival of gifts, but I think the stories and ambiance are what she appreciates even more than the presents. We decided that if we didn't buy a thing for her, and told her that the Grinch had come and taken everything out from under the tree, she would have been so excited, she would have popped.

That kid lives for fantasies and her imaginary world.  She'd love to be plopped into the middle of the Grinch story and wouldn't think twice about not getting a present.

On the other hand, she was in heaven with the magic of everyone's gifts.

Many of the photos I tried to take look like this.  She is darting about from one person to the next, excited to see what is under the wrappings.  When I'd snap the picture, I'd get a blurry image of Sugarwings racing in to check out the latest, greatest gift her siblings got to open.

Yet, in the middle of all the gifting frenzy, she did the sweetest thing ever.  We had 14 people squeezed into this little living room, along with three Christmas trees.  So, Aunt Sandy made herself comfortable on the stairs.

When Sandy got a gift, Sugarwings would take it to her and sit to watch while she opened it.  And finally, took her by the hand and led her to the center of the room and told her that she was "part of the group" and shouldn't be sitting by herself. 

I was so proud of our little angel, who was caring about her great aunt during all of the hullabaloo, and not wanting her to feel left out of all the joy.

And joy there was.  Plenty of it!

I think the dogs had a good time too. With so many kids around, there were plenty of crumbs.  Twinkle tends to park herself under the highchair at most gatherings.

We kept the meal simple, honey baked ham, French toast and hashbrown casseroles made the night before, sweet corn frozen from last summer's farmer's market with some peas added for color, and scrambled eggs straight from the hen house, with chopped spinach and red peppers to be festive.

Paper plates, plastic forks, and foil pans made it all even easier.  There was minimal clean up time, so we could get right to the fun stuff and gather around the tree!  For some of us, it was hard to wait for that part.

I'll leave you with some photos of our day and I hope that yours was joyful as well.

The Merriest!

We had the BEST Christmas!  This is a little video of our gift from our littlest fairy, Dewdrop. She practiced a dance and gave us a performance.  The non-stop giggling you hear is me, she had me laughing through the whole show. 

The video is pretty short, because she kept slipping and falling since her tights were slippery on the wood floor.  A lot of the video was filled with mooning. Her little bottom was the star of the show. While I think itsy bitsy baby bottoms are adorable, maybe the internet is not the best place for them, so here is the edited version.

Our whole holiday was filled with laughter.

And a few tears too. I got a hand made stocking from our Gypsy and it was filled to the brim with sweet notes from all of the kids. I grinned and cried as I read each one.

We are a sentimental bunch. The calendar that the Hippy Chick and Sugarwings filled with family photos was a hit too.

Sweet is a good word for our
Christmas.  Very, very, very sweet.

Merry Christmas!

Visions of Sugarplums

I hope you and your loved ones are having a beautiful time together!

And I hope that you have been very, very good, because you know who is coming tonight!

Let the sugarplums begin their dancing!

I know my dreams will be full tonight.

Sometimes I just babble on too much about things no one wants to hear

House breaking puppies in the winter is NOT easy.  Especially when they think that the corner behind the Christmas tree is the best place in the whole house to poo.  Much better than braving the winter chill outside and much sneakier than leaving their "gifts" to me in an easy to get to place.  So, I found some old wire fencing in my shed and wrapped it around the tree a few times. 

They sure look sweet and innocent, don't they? Its shocking just how much poop two puppies can produce.  Normally, they use the pads I have laying around the house (yes, its not very attractive, but better than them using the floor), but they are drawn to the white cloth that I used as a tree skirt too.

The little puppesh still like to climb into the bowl that Twinkle slept in while she was pregnant and that all nine used to sleep together in.  I guess its home to them.  There are pillows and other softer spots for them to lay down, but they love that bowl.

Someone needs to tell these guys that they might be getting too big to pile in together.

I've had winter puppies before and always told myself, never again.  They are slow to learn how to go outside and not on the pads because I am too cold to take them out as much as I should. Just shoving them out the door doesn't do the job, they need to be told that they are good dogs at the moment they squat, not when they come in. 

I need to be strong and face the cold, or that Albie will soon be lifting his leg and hitting the furniture, not the pee pads!

But why am I even talking about all of this? Does anyone peruse blogs to hear about dog pee?

Probably not.

But you never know what you'll be hearing about here.

Maybe I'll just shut up and show you some pretty pictures.

Breakfast with Santa

We had the best time at our breakfast with Santa at Lion's Gate Coutnry Club. The club is part of the company my husband works for so we have a membership, but if you know me at all, you will know that we are not a "clubby" sort of family.    My Handsome Husband takes a chance every time he invites us in to see how his side of the world operates.  We are all kind of arty and down to earth. He travels with the club set.

It was fun to have a reason to get dressed up, and have a fancy place to go, that was still kid friendly. I think its important for the little grand fairies to see both sides and experience some more formal places.

On the drive there, the kids told us how they had been practicing their manners.  And there was a lot of talk about Santa and just how old  he might be, if he was strong enough to chase down reindeer to catch them, and a few other curious aspects of the jolly old elf's life.

Fin was wondering if Santa lived there at the club, or did he just work there. And if Pop Pop worked there too, did that make him an elf?

Dewdrop didn't get the whole part about asking for presents, but she has been very good, so I'm sure he will bring her some ponies.

Everyone was at their country club best, manners were ideal and we all had fun. The only hitch in the whole day of us pretending that we fit in, was when my husband carried the baby around, accidentally bunching up her dress over his arm, as her little panties slid down, so that she mooned the whole dining room.

Her teensy weensy little baby butt was paraded all across the restaurant.

Aren't their dress up clothes cute? I found the girl's clothes at Salvation Army, for $2 each.

I'm quite happy to let someone else pay 50 bucks for a dress that gets worn for only one occasion, then donate it for me to buy cheap. Plus, my girls will wear them over and over as dress up clothes in their play closet. 

I can just picture them all as winter fairies in their velvet and lace.

I wasn't so lucky finding something there for Mr. Fin, but he had this outfit already and looked extra cute.  They did all get brand new shoes for the party, but that I don't mind spending on, since that is such a practical thing.

We were very proud of the kiddos, and they all said thank you to the manager and to Santa as they left.

The food was amazing.  For Christmas Eve dinner, we are doing brunch instead of a big evening meal because Ryan has to work at 4pm. So, I was inspired by some of the tasty brunchy items on the buffet.

How are the plans for your holiday meals going?

  It can be a lot of work, but when we all sit down together to eat, talk and be together, its worth every bit of the  trouble of pulling it together.  Moms and grammies tend to be overworked during the season with a heavy load of shopping, wrapping, grocery buying and cooking.  So, days out like this are especially appreciated by me amidst all the rush and work of putting a holiday together.

 

I will be away from my computer till Sat. the 22nd.  Sorry, I can't get new orders from the Boutique or Etsy out in time for Christmas.  Next shipping date is Dec. 27th.  Wishing the happiest of holidays to you!!

Holiday parties galore!

We had a big weekend, with lots of holiday fun.  Friday night, our Hippy Chick and the two little grand fairies went with us to dinner and to see "Rise of the Guardians".  Dewdrop loved it, because the "night mares" that the Boogey Man created were horses.  She is a huge pony fan, and yelled out "go Honies!!" every time she saw one of these spooky creatures in the movie. To her, they were the heros.

Afterwards, we drove around to look at Christmas lights. One home here in Lawrence had an elaborate display set to music, complete with a video of a life size Santa eating milk and cookies in the upstairs window.  At first, we thought they actually had  Santa up there, it was realistic as can be.  Then, the video started to loop and we started to clue in on what was going on.  All of a sudden, the size of the picture changed and his whole head filled the window, that part was a bit creepy and unexpected.

Then, on Saturday, we had a holiday pitch in dinner and craft party. And on Sunday, we had breakfast with Santa at one of the clubs my husband works at.

For the craft party, a friend had a bagful of clear glass balls she wanted to use up and we were challenged to find ways to create with them. So, I experimented with a few ideas, and filled a couple of tabletops with supplies for everyone to play with.

Some became snowmen, some had fairies or family member's photos inside.

I also had boxes that everyone could decorate and either top with a snowman head, or leave as is. 

Another friend brought clothespins for the kids to make into toy soldiers.

Here is a snowman that Addie made.

Everyone's projects turned out quite different, which is one of the fun things about these kinds of parties.

Dinner was great too, pitch ins are my favorite. Every time I look into a pot or bowl someone else brought, it's like a little surprise party for my tummy. I love food that I didn't fix myself!

My studio didn't get much in the way of decor for the holidays this year.  I set out some of the things that I'd made for sale, which is an excellent way to decorate, because hopefully, when the season is over, the stuff is gone and there is nothing to put away.

Well, that is if things go as planned. But, these wings will still be in vogue for Valentine's Day, so I'm not worried if I have a couple left.

Our weather is once again freakishly un-winterlike this year.  So after making their projects, most of the kids played outside. Sugarwings soon turned her princess gown into something that looked like it had been dipped in Hershey's syrup, she had so much wet, gooey mud on herself. 

After she and her little friend got cleaned up, we settled them in front of Frosty the Snowman on TV and gave them some hot chocolate to warm themselves up. It might have been warm outside for winter, but not really warm enough to play in the water and mud.

The husbands watched the KU game and played pool, we made things in the studio, and kids divided up their evening by crafting and playing outdoors.  I think they even explored the Fairy Berry Trail in the dark.

Yep, it was a good weekend!  I even managed to get about 75% of my Christmas shopping done.

But please, don't mention wrapping. ugh.

 

I will be away from my computer till Sat. the 22nd.  Sorry, I can't get new orders from the Boutique or Etsy out in time for Christmas.  Next shipping date is Dec. 27th.  Wishing the happiest of holidays to you!!

Looking away, but always remembering

My heart is with all the families who lost their loved ones in the unimaginable school shooting.

I don't need to know the details, and I am respecting the privacy and grief that the people involved are facing by not watching the endless TV coverage.  The media is so invasive and I hate that something like this becomes a spectacle for the country to watch.

I don't need to hear the shooter's story to know that our mental health services are lacking. 

I don't have to watch interviews with people who knew these children to know that a tiny little grade school child is adorable, full of life, and adorable to be around, or that the parents and siblings are crushed.

I don't have to hear about the death of the adults who gave their lives to know that our schools are full of amazing people who take excellent care of our little ones.

What can I personally do?  Not be one of those people craning their neck to see a  traffic accident along the road, and look away from the circus the media wants us to watch for ratings.  Donate to a local mental health facility.  Use my vote to support any legislation that can help prevent future events like this.  Treat the people around me with love and caring, and appreciate them, knowing that life is precious and our time here is fleeting.

Say a prayer, and remember.  

Making a woodland sprite

My home at Christmas makes me so happy!

Joy, Merry, and Happy are words that I have all around the house.

The decor is warm white with hints of pretty, soft colors.

I even have some red, but it's a faded tone.

Every year, when I buy a pink poinsettia, I cut the flowers and make bouquets of them with roses to pop into vases instead of leaving them on the plant. But this year, I had made this planter at a ceramic class and was excited to have something to put in it. 

I might buy another pink poinsettia to cut flowers from, they are usually only $3 or so for a small one at Walmart.

Some friends were taking a class from a local artist and invited me to come along.  I really didn't have time, and have no background in ceramics, but it sounded like such fun, and I'm glad I made time, it really, really was!

It was an interesting class, and was much easier to do than I expected. Our instructor, Jan, had the clay rolled out and ready to go, we took the slab, wrapped it around either a paint can, jar, or cylinder, and then embellished and added to it as we wished.

Jan is also a painter, and had a lovely gallery of her work in the studio.

It was a cheery place to spend the afternoon with good friends.

All of us went for completely different looks.  Shanna had taken ceramics at KU, and showed me how she did her great textures, by rolling lace and other odds and ends onto the clay.

I went with a woodland fairy look, so I stepped outside to pick leaves to roll onto the clay like we did the lace.

For the holidays, I'm calling her and elf, not a fairy.

We came back a week later to glaze, and that sure can be a crap shoot, can't it? I was going for "white velvet" on the base with metallic gold on the textures. 

The gold was more espresso than metallic.

So, I added some Rub'n Buff with my fingertip to accent the veins in the leaves and some of the other areas.  I used bronze, silver, and gold. Those helped quite a bit.  I've used it on furniture before, but wouldn't have thought of doing it on a clay pot. Jan had a selection of colors of it for us to try.

Jan is offering the class again next spring. I plan on being one of the first to sign up to make another head!

How to hand dye ribbon

The angel wings tutorial that Dawn is selling are still inspiring me to create some wings of my own!  Her instructions are a bit different than what I do, if I am creating something I like to make sure it looks like I did it, not like someone else's design.    But the original idea is all Dawn.

So, I draw my own pattern, and no two pair are exactly the same, each is cut out differently.  I also used dyed crepe paper for the ruffles and added vintage millinery (of course!!)

The backs are covered with sheet music and then lace cut from old curtains, so that it peeks out from behind. 

This pair is in the Boutique, the other two sold as a custom order.  I made up three pair for her to chose from and she picked two of them, that was a nice feeling!

The dangling silk ribbons are hand dyed, the same way I did the crepe paper. Here is how I did it:

The ribbon pictured on the wreath is silk, and was dipped in coffee and then spritzed with Glimmer Mist in a dark brown color. This ribbon is satin, and I dyed it rosey in a similar manner.

First, I cut off a length from the roll, and to get the edges even, I wrapped it around a small bottle.

I pulled it off the bottle, and dipped it into water.  The white ribbon is a little pink at the moment because I am a slob, and my hands were all dye-ey and a mess, some red from my hands leached into the water.  But that was okay since I was dying it anyway.

(some snowy cotton trim for a Santa hat that I was working with later, should have been treated more carefully. Pink snow isn't what I was going for)

The wet ribbon gets dipped into the dye about half way or so. I dipped it a little deeper this time, I wanted more color than white for the final result.

I used paste food coloring heavily added to hot water, which means its not washable.  If you are coloring ribbon for sewing clothing or something else that will be washed, use Rit or fiber reactive dye.

(ugh, this looks more like a Halloween photo than a Christmas one, that dye is gorey!!)

Next, I dipped the other side. 

The hard part is to let the ribbon set for a couple of days till it dries. It needs to be left alone till all the moisture is gone.

Now, the outside of the roll is all dyed , but the interior is a nice variegated color, where the dye doesn't seep all the way to the center.

You can see the principle in practice more clearly in the crepe paper, since I dipped my ribbon so deeply into the rose colored dye.  For the crepe paper, I just dipped the edges in.  Since the rolls are wet to start with, the moisture pulls the dye toward the center.  The deeper you dip the roll into the color, and the longer you leave it in, the stronger and wider the result will be.

I've added angel wings to the Boutique.

Along with stockings made from vintage sockies.

Stuffed and filled with vintage pretties.

This one has mica flakes, the others do not. If you order one and would like mica flakes added, I'd be happy to at no extra charge. Its a quick little thing to do.