Karla's Cottage

A Summer Solstice Costume Ball

My husband’s amazing sister (and my BFF/fellow Disney lover/Birdsong assistant extraordinaire) threw a party.

And not just any party, this was a Summer Solstice costume ball for 150 friends and family that was really and truly a formal  ball, not a party.  

Oh, and she crafted about a third of the costumes herself, including these two that have twinkle lights embedded in the capes.

Not only was there a fancy, over the top, real life BALL, she had a kids’ party across the hall for the little ones.

With tables full of craft supplies.

Along with multiple door prizes for each kiddo.  There were movies, pizza, cookies, games, dancing, and more. 

Terry raffled off the big screen TV the movies were shown on as well as the centerpieces for the ball.

We had a photo booth too.

Sugarwings was a butterfly fairy and she made the headdresses for herself and Dewdrop.

Who went as a monarch fairy.

Terry created Guncle Randy’s costume and I helped with the crown he made himself.

She made Guncle Kevin’s too.  But our dashing host, Dale, pulled his own together.

Terry not only whipped up this cutey’s penguin suit, she made sure there were stuffed penguins on the prize table for him to snuggle with.

This costume was my fave, not just because I am a fan of the Goblin King from Labyrinth.  I loved all of the hand sewn gems and the stolen baby accessory.

She did not make the baby.

Of course, I loved these costumes too!

And the fairies inside the butterfly costumes.

There was magic everywhere that night.

And dancing!

Lots of dancing!

It was a wonderful event.  

Thank you, Terry and Dale!

I’ll leave you with some more photos of the fun.

 

 

Zionsville

While in Indiana, my sissies and I had a shopping day in Zionsville, and hit the Noblesville Antique Mall on the way.  

Where I found these dresses!

Oh my!

We had lunch in a cute, old house that was transformed into a tea shop.

All three of us were stumped by these flowers.  They seem to have the body of a carnation and petals of a begonia.   

My grand fairies would swoon over the teacup selection!

The town was more boutiquey than antiquey, but lots of fun.

It doesn’t matter what the shopping is, it is the Sister time that counts.

But when a sister matches the shop, that is pretty cool too.
 

My home town

Since we started taking annual Sister Trips to Florida a few years ago, I haven't been visiting Indiana as much as I used to.  So I made sure to detour through Pendleton on my way to meet up with Dewdrop in Kentucky.

Sadly, the town was hit by a tornado, the first in almost two hundred years.   And apparently, they didn’t think a siren was needed because tornados just don’t hit there...

Luckily, there were no tragedies.  I was glad to see the Falls Park lighthouse was still standing, even though it now had a tilted top.  Lots of trees were down, you can see an example of the mess in the right side of this photo.

There were tons of big, old trees fallen throughout the town.

The twister’s path damaged one of my sister’s and a niece’s homes, trees, and fences. But on the other side of town, my niece, Shelli, had no issues at all.  Her beautifully painted fence was looking great!

Cool, isn’t it?

She says she got the stencils off of Amazon.  It is a unique look, I really liked it.

I also really liked Kevin, Shelli’s grand dog.  He is doodle-riffic, and every bit as cute as his cousin, Sugar.  

While in Indy, I had a chance to catch up with family I don’t see often enough. And to make plans for the next Sister Trip.  This time, we are including my sister’s daughters, and making it a Big Girl/Little Girl Trip.

We are going the week after A Snowbird’s Song, and November just cannot get here soon enough for me!

 

 

Lovelies from Lori

Dewdrop has come to spend some summer with us.  My pal, Lori was kind to offer to have me stay over in her  Kentucky home as a half way spot to pick up our grand fairy, who was coming from NC.

Not only did I get some precious time to reconnect with an old friend, I got to meet her family for the first time.  And yep, they were as wonderful as she is. 

And her home?  I was probably too full of seething jealousy to take photos...

Seriously, what was wrong with me?  Why didn’t I take pics?

Every inch of her home is a delight.  I snapped this of some of her artwork on display in her studio, but it doesn’t represent her home, which is more neutral toned and filled with vintage and farmhouse glam design.  

Plus, the most important part of any home, comfort and hospitality.  There wasn’t a single area in that house that didn’t call out, “Hey, sink into this comfy chair and relax a bit!”  

Lori will be teaching at A Snowbird’s Song, and she sent her finished examples home with me (photos soon.)

That isn’t all she sent home with me...

She filled my car with this load of vintage glory!

(Maybe she was afraid that I would steal her sweet, little  Lucy, and wanted to make sure there was no space in the car to squeeze her into?  I did fall for her girls, and that littlest one really grabbed my heart.   I wanted to keep her.) 

Recently, I had redone my studio and had everything rearranged and streamlined.  But all of the wonders Lori sent home with me went seamlessly into the room and made it even better.  Probably because all of it was stuff I loved.

If you decorate with things you love, they always mix and match well together, right?

This prom gown and stack of boxes from her look like they were supposed to be here, don’t they?

Thank you, Lori, for your generosity in sharing your home, family, and pretties with me.

I'm glad I didn’t kidnap your daughter, that would not have been a very nice thing to do to repay you for your kindness (although, I would have enjoyed having her around!)

More from our cottage gardens

I tend to junk up my yard and home with old stuff.

And that makes me happy!

 

 

 

 

 

May Showers Bring June Flowers?

Quite a bit of May and into June, it rained.

And rained.

Then rained some more.

I dug some trenches to have the water run away from the house in a few places, but this river was created by the dogs running back and forth to bark at people walking on the other side of the fence.  I needed to dig out a tunnel under the fence for it to drain, and then, this raging river became ideal for redirecting the water away from our home.  

But just imagine the mud we have had to deal with from all of the dog’s hard work in crafting this trail!

We are so lucky it has only been mud.  So many places are flooded or damaged by the tornados.

I hate to even admit this, but the rain hasn’t been all bad at the cottage.   We seem to have decent run off, and haven’t had problems with it, once the torrents streaming across the yard subside and drain away.

We have been gifted with  lush, overflowing flower beds as an after effect.

Our yard has never been better.

We have also put a ton of work into trimming, planting, and cleaning up too.

And my studio redo made me so happy that I wanted some changes outside too.   This swing got a fresh coat of paint, and moved from the big yard that has been taken over by Honey and Sugar, to a cozy spot where it is  getting used again.

This corner got  a big refresh, I added two rose bushes, a viburnum, some other shrub (whose name I have forgotten), and ten bags of mulch.

I also planted this little perennial that will bloom in pink.  My husband said that we should support a local farm/nursery that had tornado damage.   He loaded up his chainsaw and gator to spend an afternoon cleaning up there, then picked me up to go shop at their garden center. 

We have always loved that farm, in the fall it is a pumpkin patch and we have had many happy memories of tiny grand fairies playing there.

If buying a few pots and flats of plants could help them out, I was in.  We even bought a few for our son’s home.  

I am very proud of my handsome husband for volunteering his time.  He is a nice guy to not only go to help but to also suggest supporting their business. 

 

My Studio Redo (part 6- odds and ends)

Some of the spaces in my studio are blessedly simple.  This cabinet holds very little. A stack of cake plates topped with tiaras, is all it needs. 

On the bottom shelf, is an assortment of boxes.  Some are even empty!!!! I will either fill and label them as needed, or sell them later.

Very few things were hung on the walls.  I'd found an old watercolor in a drawer and put it up by the doorway.

It is really nice to have the office area all spiffed up too. The walls used to be brown. 

Do not ask me why.

I don't remember, all I know is that it was a bad choice, and that space was too dreary, even with the blue bird painting in there.  

I also don't know how long it had been since the Mac had been unhooked, and dusted under.  Having a clean office desk has been a big perk of this redo. I even bundled up all of the trailing cords and tucked them away.

My office isn't as pretty as some of the room, but it is slightly hidden behind barriers and I don't mind.  I could add curtains to the glass doors of the corner cabinet to hide my supplies and throw something over the pink tub.  

Maybe I will.

But for now?

I am going to enjoy every corner of this space I have custom crafted just for me.  

My Studio Redo (Part 5- small changes)

So far, I've been very happy with my redo. While it was a big job, with all the heavy lifting, cleaning, and painting, pausing to do little projects helped break up the job.  Like cutting up an embroidered runner to make a curtain for this cabinet, and adding flowers to it.

And tucking millinery  into this chalk wall pocket.

And re-hanging some banners in the window.

Sorting hats by color was so entertaining. I could have played with them all day.

Odds and ends that I care about from around the room were gathered together on this vision board that features a gorgeous needlework piece by Beth.

And I looked through old scrapbooks and albums as I sorted out the bookshelves.

Some things I liked as they were, and rehung similar to the grouping they used to be in, just on a different wall.

I even slowed down and plucked some old hats to refill a couple of the jars that had been dipped into for projects.

In this punch bowl, I placed a stack of rose covered hats and sat it on a mirror, whose frame I broke while moving it.  The mirror makes a pretty tray.

Over all, I am very happy with all of the small changes as much as I am the big ones.

My Studio Redo (part 4, what is behind that door?)

One thing that came out exceptionally well and was a bigger change for the room, is the sink area.

See that stained glass door with the iris on it? That is where the sink is. The door itself was the original kitchen door of our farmhouse, and the "stained glass" is actually a painting that I did onto the window.

Here is what is hiding behind the door.  It is still a messy, studio sink, but it is much more organized and tidier than before. And it has lighting! That was a dark hole back there, and now is well lit. With extra shelving.

The door keeps it hidden away from the room, and the window lets in some light. Plus, I added two lamps.

Cute shelving!

There is a cabinet that faces the sink, and I have arranged supplies in old drawers and pretty boxes. (The fabric in the foreground is my apron, hanging on the door)

The biggest improvement was sorting through dozens of old cans of paint stored below the sink.  Now, only necessary colors are kept there, and they are stacked neatly. 

And when I need to rinse out a brush or wash my hands, I can see what I am doing, the lights were a major improvement! 

My Studio Redo (Part Three, things I didn't change)

When I began my redo, I thought I was going to move every single piece of furniture into a new location for a complete do over.

But sometimes, moving it around just for the sake of moving it, isn't the best idea.  Some things belong where they are for a reason.

The Treat Cabinet was one of those.  I moved it, took everything out, washed it down. After painting behind it, put it right back where it had always been.  The spot it sits in just makes sense.

I did treat it to new (old) wallpaper, though. And am glad I did!

My jewelry cabinet also stayed in the same spot.  I wanted to sort the rhinestones but did not get to that chore.  But compared to all of the other projects that got done, this one was pretty low on the list, and I am not too upset about not completing that small task. 

And you know how life is, if you don't do something at the time, you tend to just live with it as is, right?

There is a large, glass doored hutch, that forms a wall that creates my office space behind it.  I didn't move it but I did take all of the displays out, and cover the back wall with wallpaper, then replaced the goodies onto different shelves.

After so many big jobs and painting the walls, I was happy to have a fun little decorating endeavor to tackle.

I had planned on getting rid of some clutter but ended up not needing to.  The plan was to use this space as more storage, and cover the glass with curtains to hide it all.

But redoing the rest of the room and the base of the hutch helped with the storage issues quite a lot.  So, I changed my plan and didn't give up my glass shelves to storage.

Reorganizing the contents of these shelves went a long way in making them feel less cluttered.

Well, to me at least. I am sure that there are people who look at this and are horrified at the sheer volume of doodads I have accumulated.

As I get older, I like things more streamlined, but I still like layers of stuff.  Having it purposely placed has made me happy.   Over the years, these shelves had become stacks and piles of things added as I got them, not coordinated as they should have been.

And many of the pieces I have on display are sentimental, or things from classes I have taught or attended.  They deserved a special place to enjoy them.

The closet wall by the door also stayed as it was.  While I wanted to brighten the room and have the walls the same, light pink, I wasn't ready to cover up my hand painted roses.   Some things don't need changing.