Karla's Cottage

A big blob of black

We adore this dog.  I can't believe I almost didn't keep her when the other puppies were leaving for their new homes.

Even though we didn't realize she would end up quite this big back when she was the tiny runt of the litter.

She weighs about the same as Sugarwings now.  

But luckily, she is a well mannered pup.  We say she is an old soul, she acts more like a 5 year old dog than a baby.  She learns fast, and listens well.  

But she might need a haircut...

Sugar likes to curl up on the bench at the foot of the bed and when she does, it is hard to see where one end starts and the other begins.

The grand fairies styled her hair so that we can see her eyes.  Well, kinda.  There is a LOT of hair for those eyes to hide behind.

Sometimes you want to make an art journal, other times you just need to get some pictures into a scrap book

There are times when I want to create a beautiful book.  Other times, I want to display family photos in an arty way, and spend some time being creative.  

Then, there are the days that I just have to get some pics slapped into a book and get on with it!  

It is important to me to save momentos throughout the year and add them to albums with family photos, but I don't always have the opportunity to spend a lot of time on it.  This book, is one of those kinds.  It is a "git 'er done" book, that  I will enjoy looking through over the years, but didn't take much time to put together.

It is made with a vintage album, some of the pages were fragile, and there weren't enough of them. So, I've added scrapbooking cardstock to most, covering tears and weak spots for reinforcement.  Folded pages of cardstock are taped in, randomly to add more space for photos.

Here, I've used the old paper as is, and simply glued down pictures in various sizes.  At the bottom, I cut out a grouping of family members for contrast.  

I print out pictures on matt photo paper, and don't use standard sizes.  Instead of doing wallet, 3 x5, 4x6, I insert the photos I want to use into a document, and fill a page with many shapes and sizes.   

The grand fairies love taking photo booth shots, so I save those from places we visit throughout the year, some I glue in as a strip, some I cut up and sprinkle around the page like here.

And when you get tired of gluing things in, a pocket to fill up is a good idea!

Another way to make more space is to adhere cards.  They are fun as is, but also open up and have room for photos inside.

This section also has a narrow flap created with folded cardstock, to add more pictures too. 

There is a shelf in the studio where I stack up saved bits and pieces throughout the year.  One of the things I saved was a bracket a nephew drew up for the big ping pong match at last summer's family reunion.  The landscapes are from paintings I'd done about the trip, made into cards, so are filled with more photos.  

The photo of my two sons and husband wasn't fitting, so I cut our legs off, made the picture into a strip and turned it vertical.  At the bottom, I cut out Sugarwings and her mommy.  This isn't exactly an arty layout, but it is filled with things that mean something to me and is more interesting than a simple row of photos all the same size and shape.

Well, that is gaudy, isn't it?

But fun, and suits the subject, the grand fairies at Valentines season.

The edges are trimmed out in ruffled crepe paper, and topped with scattered hearts.

 

I've tried coordinating scrapbook paper to the photos I've chosen, but haven't been too matchy matchy. It is mostly background. 

On this page, I added a hand made card from Beth, and cut out a message from another card I'd gotten and added it as a banner.  Beth's artwork has a picture added to the backside too.  The edges of the page are trimmed in velvet and sparkly ribbons for contrast.

Here is a selection of vacation pics, topped off with a series of sample passport photos.  The maillady who took them had trouble getting them right, and I was at the post office, applying for the passport for over an hour. She gave me some of the trashed ones and I kept them, to add to the book.

The background is a map of the city we stayed in, with Puerto Vallarta cut out, made into a banner, and added over the top.  I really like to save hotel receipts, maps, brochures, and other larger pieces to use as backdrops to travel pages.

On this one, I've outlined the photos with a blue marker.  And not perfectly either.  

These two pages are an example of layering lots and lots and lots of memorabilia and photos.

The background is a map from one music festival, and it covers both pages.  Over that, I've glued down a booklet from another festival and filled up all of the pages with pictures, including the cover.  I saved a couple pairs of eclipse glasses that we'd worn at one of the festivals, one intact, the other with the lenses filled with pictures like a frame.

Then, I started laying out pictures from both events, and lots of them. Some cut into shapes, some with the people cut out, and glued them down overlapping.  To make them stand out, I drew around them with metallic marker.

These pages are busy too.  And are tied together with a simple background color. Some of the photos are glued to contrasting paper, and then cut out so they are framed.  Others are cut out with round or scalloped punches.  

In my opinion, a variety of shapes makes an interesting lay out.

There was some bird's nest scrapbook paper that I put a cut out pic of Guncle Randy and I onto, and I added a couple of little feathers to our shoulders.

Last summer, the grand fairies painted with shaving cream and food coloring.  I saved some of their artwork to use as a backdrop here too.  I thought the colors were ideal for Halloween. Over the painted paper, I drew some scrolls and vines, this page got a little more attention than some of the other ones.  I also added some old millinery blooms.

The adjoining page is a simple background, and is layered with two cut out Dewdrops over the other photos.

Here is more of the paper the grand fairies painted.    I tore strips of it to make borders, then used a scallop punch to make smaller pictures to paste around the border.

 

Now, time to start collecting for next year's book!

We never outgrow Crown Center and Kaleidoscope

I've been taking Sugarwings to Crown Center for 8 years now.

Our first time she was barely past being a toddler.  They have the coolest, most artistic, interactive play area and it changes themes periodically.  We've seen the Fairytale village three times, have been to a recycling workshop, visited Oz, and many,  many more. adventures that Hallmark has sponsored there. 

Right now, it is set up as "Funville," a career fair. 

You can work in an ER...

Be a surfer...

A baker...

Be on a TV news show...

Or teach...

There are also opportunities to be a fireman, astronaut, president, rodeo bull rider, or a bumble bee bear.

A bumble bee bear?

Hmmm.  Don't really get this one.

You could even crawl into a tunnel and mine for gems.  Or be a magician and pull a rabbit out of a hat. Both are not top professions in today's world, but real jobs none the less.   

Bumble Bee Bear, though.  Seriously? 

There is a lot to do and see at Crown Center, including Sealife and Legoland, as well as the free activities like the Funville career center we went to and Kaleidoscope.

Hallmark owns it and I can't say enough about how much we appreciate what they do for the kids that come here.

Never ending art supplies, colorful, exciting rooms to explore, and as much creating as you can jam pack into 45 minutes of fun.

We try to go a couple of times a year.  I don't know why we don't go more often. It is great on cold, blustery days when we are tired of being cooped up.  

And ideal for birthday parties too. There is even free parking.  We go to see plays at the Coterie Theater for kids, eat at the Crayola cafe, draw and color in the Crayola shop, and basically make a big day out of it.

I know I don't outgrow the experience. I sure hope that the grandfairies will still go with me for at least a few more years.

 

Problems with pups

Albie hasn't been happy for a while.  He felt displaced when Honey came to live with us as a baby 2-1/2 years ago.  They had some major problems, as did Dorothy and Honey. Little Dorothy went to stay with Auntie Beth for a few months till Honey was old enough to know her own strength and have some control.  When the tiny girl returned, she had lost all fear of the big dog and both seem to be friends.

But Albie didn't leave, and they had some MAJOR issues.  The kind where he had to go to the emergency vet at 1am.   

Honey grew up, she had some training to avoid "resource guarding" and was judged by trainers and vets as non aggressive, not dangerous. She is not a problem, she is a sweet girl, and very smart. We had to train her that she couldn't snap at little dogs who tried to get near her food, and all has been fine.

At least from her point of view and from ours.

Not from Albie's.

It has been great to have Dorothy back in our lives, and she gets along just fine with the big dogs, will even sit under Honey and steal bites of food as Honey eats.

Albie shakes in fear when he sees Honey. Or he attacks her like one of those fighter planes going after King Kong.  He became much worse when the puppies were born, and when we decided to keep Sugar, it went downhill from there.

We aren't quite sure what to do.  I have a vet appointment for him, to talk about calming drugs.  We had a personal dog trainer to the house who says he needs a diaper (he knows to pee outside, but goes on anything the big dogs have been near or that they use, so bad that if they have been sleeping under the dining table, he will jump up and PEE ON THE TABLE.  Ooops, I will probably never have a dinner guest again after sharing that bit of news no matter how much bleach I use).

The trainer suggested a diaper and meds or a new home with NO other pets.   She says the marking isn't a housebreaking issue, it is nerves and fear.

I'm torn, thinking I've made this poor little guy's life a hellish nightmare of terror. Even though the golden retriever hasn't bitten  him in over a year, he is still overwhelmed by it.  PTSD?  but, when I see him with his baby sis, being  hugged by a grand fairy, running out in the woods, swimming in the lake, or resting by a fire, I know he has a pretty good life. 

 It can't be all bad for him, right?

Five dogs are a lot, especially when they are mostly in the house.  We kept the bigs and littles separate for a long time unless I was working with them on the resource guarding problem.  But they can't live apart forever.  They are part of this house and have to get along.

Which they do at times. Albie and Honey often pair up down by the creek to go after a creature that the just know lives in a sneaky hole under a log and they are sure that if they try hard enough, they will get him someday.  

Funny, though, after teaming up to hunt, they become adversaries as soon as  they get back to the house. Honey dismisses him like a pesky fly, he acts like he wants her dead, or at least gone.

So, I'm not sure.  How miserable is he?  Does he need a loving lap of a person with no other dog? I've tried smothering  him with attention and he just becomes more worried looking. Does he need Rescue Remedy or another natural treatment like hemp oil?  Or something stronger from the vet? Doggie Prozac? Or even Xanax?

Anyone have a problem like this, and how did you handle it? Will meds just mask the problem he feels or actually help him handle it?  I'm up for finding the perfect home for him, if there is one. But will feel very guilty about letting him go.  Of course, I already feel pretty guilty about the situation now.  

 

 

EDIT-Update on Albie’s anxiety issues: he is wearing a “belly band” which is kind of like a Velcro fastened ace bandage around his middle to keep him from lifting his leg on things. He actually seems calmer. Someone asked me, if it was like a thunder shirt, and you know, I just have to wonder if it has worked for him in that way?

He has been affectionate and less worried, not flinching and hiding or shaking. And of course, he can't pee on anything, so that is a plus. He actually walks over to me to  have it put on, as if he knows he feels better while wearing it.  

And more Galentines!

 

Our Galentine's party was such fun, I threw a second one!  Some friends came by to hang out and create with me.  At Snowbird's Song, I didn't have time to work on my bird from Lesa's class, and pulled out the kit to get started with a Valentine's point of view.

I like her on the dining table as centerpieces with the gifts Randy sent to me.  But I think I will add some feathers to her arms and turn them into wings. That is not Lesa's style to do that, but that is the fun of creating rom a kit, right? You get the knowledge and info from the artist, the supplies to put the piece together, and also the opportunity to make it your own with a spin or two.

For my first workshop in February, I'd bought fresh roses for the table. Then, though I planned to replace them, I'd had some issues (lots of issues, really) with back pain and never made it to the store to buy more.  So, I let these dry as is and I think I'll just enjoy them this way for a while.

Valentine's Day has been almost like Christmas for me! The table runner is a cut velvet scarf from my SIL, the candy box and card are from Randy. 

Here are more of the dried roses, next to a candle gifted to me by my pal, Nora.

And Beth created this rug, knitted from fabric!

It is a lovely touch for my pink and glitter walled bathroom. I've been thinking about adding some pink roses to the hand painted floor too. Right now the floor is neutral flowers, so the walls can be changed at any whim, but I sure am wanting some pink roses..... For now, those back problems I mentioned are stopping me.  Painting a floor isn't easy even when your back is feeling wonderful.

This lil cupid was captured in this glass heart by Tami.

She also treated me to a vintage honey pot that I am storing our jar of home grown honey in upside down.

Aren't the bees on it super cute? 

Thanks for the thoughtful gifts, everyone!!

And thank you to Lesa for the great kit to build!

Galentine's Day Workshop

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm still relishing rosy thoughts from my party last week.

It was a seriously, lovely day for me.

We had two projects to do and the rest of the day was spent on freestyle crafting with a table full of supplies.  Back in  November, at my Snowbird's Song event, I provided free time and it seemed really popular, so I thought I'd give it another shot. 

When you have creative people together, they simply want to create.  Kits are important, and so is learning a few tricks, but it is also good to nurture and explore individual tastes. 

Just being in a room with other artsy types and having lots of new (vintage) supplies to play with can spark some great ideas.

Here are a couple of pretties that Alice-Anne made up.

With the kits, I included some variations so my guests could personalize their projects, with a choice of words and photos to use on the pieces, and some options for the ruffles.

I'm always happy to see the different ways my kits become art in the hands of the attendees.

But the best part?  The atmosphere in the room, with all the happy gluing, cutting, chatting, and creating.

It did my heart good to see ladies who had just met here in November, back together and hanging out as friends.  

There were 8 of us, an ideal size group for getting to know each other while making pretty things.

Thanks to everyone who attended and to those who bought kits to make at home!

I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with love and friendship.

A visit through my mural photo album

While cleaning up a bit in the studio, I came across my old photo album of murals and painted furniture. I'd forgotten I had it and enjoyed looking back over the years as I flipped through it.

Which is why we do scrap books and albums right?

I apologize for the blurriness of most of these pics, they are photographed through the plastic covers on the pages.

And taking a photo of a picture isn't always the best (or smartest) way to do a blog post, huh?  

But please forgive me as I indulge myself in showing some of these old pics.  They were glued down, and if I had to remove and scan each one, it wouldn't have happened.

So, instead, you get a quick and crappy trip down memory lane with me and my smeary pictures.

Some are from antique mall booths, and of painted furniture.

This is from a baby's room.

This as well.

And here is a master bedroom  painted a deep color that I was asked to paint blooming flowers all the way around the baseboards.

The iris "bloomed" all around the room.

This was for a boy's room, with all walls done in a planetary theme.

His sister's room got dolphins.

Extra blurriness for this one, it is in a dining room and is part of a scene that filled all four walls.

I can't even remember painting this one.  

But back in the day, I did do a lot of pets on walls. Often, the furry little guys would pose for me in person.

This is a Velveteen Rabbit scene for a niece.

And some frogs for another little girl who had actually saved up her own money to hire an artist to come and paint her bedroom. She loved frogs.

 

I painted this landscape in my mud room, hated it, and painted over it.  My home is layers upon layers of painted over murals.  My son's rooms changed every couple of years as they were growing up.

A friend had me do this for her, and the best part was hanging out and laughing together as I did the work.

I did public spaces too.  Here is a basement laundry room at an apartment building near the KU campus.

And a bar in Louisiana. This was huge, the whole thing was 20x60'

The sunset was done with spray paint.  I'm trying to remember why there was a desert in Louisiana, but I just can't. It was a cowboy bar, and the guy roping the moon was the logo.

The little guy in the beer bottle was the logo for another bar, and I painted a wall of him in various poses all over the place. A larger version of him is holding the bottle. It was like a big, drunken hallucination and was such fun to come up with.

I painted this restaurant wall to brighten up a narrow space. (I did the faux finish too)

And I was hired to paint tropical plants at a country club in Florida. 

Funny, years and years later, my husband is working for this company now and is actually a VP.  He wouldn't ever have hired me, that would've been nepotism, so I'm glad he got the job later on. This was one of the most fun paintings I've done, I had a week to stay at their private hotel at the club, order room service, and sit by the pool contemplating what to paint next.  I had free reign in the dining room and snack bar to create on the walls. 

Guncle Randy always gave me free space to decorate his walls too.  Everytime I visited we would paint together and add more to his art room.

I was lucky enough to get to do some Design Showhouses too.  This was in a music room of a very old, wonderful home. The walls are bronze, gold, and copper. The piano bench is covered in sheet music and is used in front of the bench my son built and that I now have in my studio. 

 

Some of these, I really enjoyed seeing again, others are slightly cringe-worthy.  I always painted fast, most walls were done in less than a day, and at the time, I kept pretty busy with daycares, hotels, and so many other spaces. It makes me a bit sad that digital cameras weren't around and I don't have better photos of most of the work.  Painting murals was quite an interesting job and I got to travel, experiment, and really loved the work.  

 

Valentine's Decor at the Cottage

Our Galentine's Day workshop was the best!  What a fun day, with fun ladies.  

And how nice to have a reason to decorate for Valentine's Day. It is easy for me to overlook this holiday, so a little nudge doesn't hurt.

Plus- CANDY!

The yummiest of decor.

Speaking of candy, I found some sugar cookie flavored Peeps to give out to each guest.  Since my main workshop is called "Birdsong", I have nicknamed all of my guests, my Peeps. 

I also made hearts from cherry tomatoes and baked individual chicken pot pies with heart shaped puff pastry on top. Which I forgot to photograph, but I'm sure you get the idea.

My pal and SIL surprised me with this cut velvet scarf, which I used as a runner.  It was just what the table needed.

While it is still wintery here, and we have snow to prove it, I was ready for my spring time slip covers that are blooming with roses.  I figured that Valentine's Day was a good time to get all rosy and cozy on the sofa.

And I added handmade hearts gifted to me from some of my favorite artists, Beth Leintz, Lori Oles, and Andrea Singarella to my chandelier.

Beth asked me if my bathroom was pinker than usual, but the only difference was a hand towel.  Maybe it was just the rosy mood we were all in that made the powder room seem pinker?

I did add some pink liquid soap too.

Because if you can't indulge in extra pinkiness at Galentine's, when can you????

 

Quick, cute, and easy ways to decorate with vintage Valentines

After Christmas, I decided to leave my lace angel wings up through Valentine's Day, and wanted another little sumpthin that would add to the lovin theme for the mantel.   But it had to be quick and easy because I was.... well, I guess I was lazy. 

After all of the taking up and putting away of the Christmas foofery, I might have been slightly burnt out on decorating.

Previously, I'd cut up some holiday heart and polka dot drinking straws and slid them onto a string as an example for a banner class years ago. I tucked the ends of this pre-made banner string under stuff sitting on the mantel, and clipped vintage cards to the string with curtain hooks.

(You could use any pretty cards, or wouldn't it be adorable with cards that kids had made? And wooden clothes pins, or other clips would work as well. I used those old, metal German ones)

Of course, special, old Valentine cards are always lovely as can be.  This only took a few moments, and as a bonus, will take even less time to take down again later. 

I thought about adding some roses to the white vases on the mantel, but remember, I was feeling lazy.  It would have looked nice, thou.

I took the rest of the stack of Victorian Valentines and stuck pins through inconspicuous spots to add them onto my dress form. She was still wearing her Christmas angel wings and layered aprons.  A couple cards went into her pocket and the others were stuck on in a semi pattern.

Not much time, very little trouble and (I think) pretty dang cute.

(The wings are from Victorian Trading Company's outlet store, and I spritzed them with blue Glimmer Mist)

A Redo for Ryan

My son, Ryan turned 40 last weekend.  We celebrated by remodeling his apartment on the side of our house.  When he moved in, he was younger, and shall we say....less careful... with his surroundings.  The combo of not cleaning the bathroom enough and our hard, well water left the shower more than slightly, well, hideous.  

He is a different person now, and has taken a lot of pride in the new space, working along with  his brother to gut it and helping me repaint it.  I have a feeling that this room will stay nice now.

Here is a mid rip out picture, I didn't get a before because those two guys dug right in before I got a chance.

There had been a kitchenette area that Ry never used, and he wanted it out so he could make better use of the space.

For the resale value of our home, I didn't want to eliminate the plumbing. There might be a use of the sink hookups later on. So, Adam figured out a way to cover them up by building an entertainment center for his brother.

Ry got a custom built cabinet to house his electronics!

When we first built the addition, 13 years ago, we went bare bones, cheap as we could.  This time around, we gave it an upgrade because we discovered that you get what you paid for. The vanity was in bad shape and the laminate floor was coming apart.  

A new floor was put in the living and bedroom areas, and tile was added in the bathroom.

The shower, potty, and vanity were replaced with better quality pieces.  I especially love that sink top! Black quartz with a coppery vein through it.

Nice!

I'm so happy with how it all turned out for him, and he can't stop gushing. We are lucky to have a talented handyman, Adam, to do the work for us and in what seemed like no time at all.  It took about a week total, which is pretty impressive.

Living through a redo like this isn't easy, but when the family chips in to help, it goes quicker than you'd think.  And I loved seeing my boys working together, getting this done.  Well, "working together" most of the time. There were a few arguments that reminded me of the good old days when they were much younger.

It was pretty nice to have the two grand fairies staying here all week while their daddy did the job too.  

With the work done, it seems too quiet around here with no hammering, and kids playing.  I even miss the little spats between the guys. 

But I do NOT miss this awful shower.  We tried everything under the sun to clean it, but no way.  It had to go!  Thanks to Adam and all of his skills, the place looks great.  And thanks to Ryan for his design choices and good ideas as well as all of the work he did to keep this job rolling.

We came in under budget too!