Karla's Cottage

I had so much fun teaching at Karen’s that I invited her to teach here!

I just adored my time at the Cozy Castle with Karen Hillman and her guests!  So much so, that I needed more time with this fabulous, stylish lady and I invited here to come to see me and teach a class here.  

If you’ve spent any time with her, you will understand why I wanted more of her company.  

Good idea, huh?  She will be creating Felicia theFlower Fairy here on Saturday, April 20th, along with a tutorial on these delectable, sugared violets.

You will be going home with sweet, edible flowers and mint leaves just in time to enhance your holiday goodies on Easter Day.

She is a darling sprite, isn’t she?   Here is what Karen has to say about her:

 

Welcome Spring with Felicity the Flower Fairy! 

 

Mounted on a vintage shaker and posed in a shimmering rose bloom with her flower wand, Felicity will now work her Spring magic making all of the flowers in the world bloom! 

All pieces including vintage bisque baby are supplied for you! Just bring anything special of your own if you wish to use such as any small rhinestone bling.

 

 

 

 

The day will include lunch lunch and treats, as well as a class from me also- details to come.  I’m working on prototypes today, but wanted to get the news out as soon as I can since this date is quickly approaching and the classes occur on a holiday weekend.

 

Class size is very limited, please contact me for more info:

 

[email protected]

Another February Foof, small change to beat mid-winter drearies

 

A while back, one of my old, wallpaper covered cabinets  apart.  This one was meant for shoes, it had slanted shelves with a bar on them that held the heels in place.   The outer shell became a case to stack paper in, out in the studio. And I saved the shelf pieces, knowing they were too pretty to toss. 

Now, they are picture holders. 

I’d hoped that bar would be enough to lean a small frame on, but it wasn’t.  I had to add a nail above it to hang to pictures on for stability. But they still rest on the little bar. 

This picture is a vintage metal coaster with a circle of wallpaper and a diecut centered in it. I glued the ribbon onto the back. 

This frame has been stashed away forever, waiting for me to find just the right place for it. It is wonderfully gaudy, isn’t it?

While the wallpaper is a different tone than the sofa pillows, I’m still happy with the rosy-ness of it all.  The Euro shams are from Pottery Barn, and meant to be used as bedding.   They were on deep clearance, and I thought they were just what I needed to spruce up the couch. 

I like to have an assortment of pillow cases and shams to change the look of my room.  The couch has a loose pillow back, and one large seat cushion.  Sometimes I slip the seat into a duvet cover and tuck the excess underneath. Sometimes, I sew (blech!) covers.

I purchased the matching duvet in king size, on sale for $58. (Pretty cheap for that much material!) It’s too much to use the duvet with all of the pillows on the sofa at the same time. But there is so much fabric to it, that I can cut it up to make seat covers for the recliners and still have plenty for the seat of the couch.  

Then, I’ll spread the pillows around the room and break up the pattern with some plain pillows. 

But that involved more work than I was interested in doing for a quick changeover.  Slipping on some fresh shams and hanging pictures was plenty for this February!  

The bargain fabric is packed away til I get the nagging need for another change up.

More February Foofing, another small change

When I bought new recliners for the living room, I opened a Pottery Barn charge card that gave me cash back to spend in the store.  

Pottery Barn isn’t my typical shopping venue.  I’m pretty cheap on the frugal side, and usually go for second hand or discount stores.  But those chairs,  were the exact perfect pieces, because I do not care for recliners, but they are all my husband wants.  

These were ideal, cottage seats that secretly reclined. 

So, I splurged. 

 

And happily poured through the online catalog, planning my bonus purchase.  

When isaw this quilt, in colors that would warm up a drab February, I knew it was just right for my room.

First of all- roses and birds? 

With old fashioned, faded looking squares?

 Yep, perfect! I’m a sucker for cottage quilts, my mom was a quilter, and I’ve got a soft spot for them. Plus, I like the way they feel, layered on my bed. 

It came in the mail the same day that my Sissy sent this robe to me as  a gift. I felt like I was meant to be wrapped in those warm, rich, flowery tones when I found both boxes on the front step in the middle of that awful, polar vortex of cold that had settled over much of the Midwest. 

They both made me feel pretty happy, and knocked the mid-winter blues away. 

Little changes can give me a big lift

There is something about this time of year that makes me want to redo and spruce up my home.

 Is it just that I miss the sparkle of Christmas?  

Or that everything is so gray and dingy outside, and I crave some color inside?  

Or am I just cooped up and tired of seeing the same things over and over?

On the other hand, there are some things that I never tire of and still very much enjoy having around, like the hand painted mirror and vanity in my bathroom. 

But It still needed a freshening up. I satisfied the urge for a redo, by doing a deep cleaning and emptied the drawers, threw away expired items, regrouped others.  

I added the larger, white set of mini drawers from the studio, and stacked it with the others already there in the corner.  Then, I put cotton swabs and pads into the little, aqua tin from another room.  I’d had the Qtips in a glass jar, which was fine, but like I said, I needed changes.

These are all little switches that I’d probably be the only one to notice.  But they did the trick, and I felt pleased.

The necklaces and bracelets even got cleaned and resorted.

Making the most of a getaway

 

I’m using my mini work trip to teach a couple of pretty projects at the Cozy Castle as the perfect excuse for a Florida vacation.  Sugarwings and her Pop Pop are joining me tonight for a trip down the coast to stay on the beach a few days.

After sunning and swimming, we are headed back to Orlando to drop off my Handsome Husband for a golfing weekend with his buddies. 

Then, the grandfairy and I are free to run amuck at the Magic Kingdom til it is time to meet up and fly back to Kansas.  

Well why not?  I was already going to be in Florida anyway... with airline points and companion passes, all flights were free. Hotel points went a long way too, not quite covering the beach stay but helpful.  I have a Disney Credit card that racks up points for discounts.  

I love wringing as much as I can out of a getaway, and putting the week together like puzzle pieces to see just how much I can squeeze into one flight. And of course, how could I not try to wrangle a trip to Disney in while I’m sooo close to the Happiest Place on Earth?  

Thank you, dear Peeps!

The ladies who came to A Lovebird’s Song were generous in gifting each other and me, too. 

My pal, Carol made this holiday banner and it is ideal above my work table. 

There were so many caring and kind, gifts, flowers, and treats!

Thank you all, for coming to spend a day with me and for being such nice people to hang out with. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

As I was petting Twinkle recently, a torn, dried up leaf, in the shape of a heart, fell off of her.  

I love finding unexpected, accidental hearts.   Thank you, Tinks!  Of course I’ll be your Valentine. 

Valentines on the Mantle

After spending so much time on spiffing up the studio for  A Lovebird's Song, I kind of called it in for the rest of the house.

I added vintage candy boxes to white flower pots that were already on the mantle and hung a bit of lace with some old Valentines clipped to it.

The lace had hearts on it, and the cards were the 3-D, folding kind.  

Those are so pretty, simply hanging them up made it all look special.

I did a bit more for the guest bathroom, it got some rosy curtains that used to hang in the studio at one point, and some new towels.

Well, I guess that isn't a whole lot, is it? But it was a refreshing change to get me out of a mid-winter, post Christmas, decor slump.  A small change can do big things for a room when you are cooped up inside on cold days.

 

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Great news for Good Juju lovers!

And who wouldn’t love shopping there?  

Beth, The Other Karla, and I went to the Old West Bottoms to shop during the February show. 

As we’d expected, there were valentines galore. 

With a mix of hand crafted items, salvage, restored furniture, and vintage decor. 

I always like the variety. 

And the display inspiration. 

But as great as the place is, it is about to get even better....

Beth has joined the team of fabulous vendors!  You can find her on the first floor starting on the first Friday of March.   You’ll know what booth it is, by the crowd of thrilled bargain hunters filling their arms with cool vintage goodies!

Good luck, Beth!   I’m excited for you. 

https://www.goodjujukc.com/

Valentine shopping bags by Maggie

My talented pal, Maggie Raguse (and Birdsong Peep), has once again, designed some adorable shopping bags for Kroger.   In our area, Dillons stores are the local Kroger franchise.  If you are looking for one of these cuties, look up what the chain is called in your area. 

Then, you’d better rush to get one, because they sell out quickly!  They are very sturdy too, I used the Christmas versions in place of paper gift bags for presents.