Karla's Cottage

New in the Boutique, Christmas pretties!!

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving? Mine was quiet, but that was nice, I had time to create, photograph a variety of Christmassy goodies, and get things listed in the Boutique!

(I do have kits from the birdcage angel available. Please contact me if interested, they are not in the Boutique yet)

I am pretty proud of myself, even though I am bordering on being too late for holiday sales.

Most of the creations are examples for A Snowbird Song. 

Class samples, as well as ideas for using the supply table to make things during free time.

I also made some collages and ornies using the images from the collage sheets for the classes. 

Those images were so lovely, I was happy to have a few pages of them to work with.

Not everything is adorned with a hand made Sugarplum Fairy or an angel, tho.

There are a few other ornies too. 

And yet to come? Sugarplum Fairy Banners, always a favorite of mine.

There is more to list, and I hope to get to it soon.  I've had a ton of fun making things. You can find these festive, holiday creations here:

CHRISTMAS IN THE BOUTIQUE

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

As years pass and circumstances change, so do family holidays.  I did not expect to have a big Thanksgiving dinner this year, but was happily surprised when we could get everyone together the Sunday before.

After getting back late Friday night from my Florida Sister Trip, I woke up to Dewdrop and her dad here for  visit. 

We celebrated with a breakfast cocoa party in front of a Christmas program. Then started whipping up and prepping for a family dinner on Sunday.

We only had a few days with her, so got as much squeezed into that time as we could.  We weren’t together on her birthday, so took a trip to Target for her to choose a gift.

We snuck in as many cuddles as we could, went to see Frozen 2, had a couple of dance parties, and crafted.  The poor kid got sick while here, so much of the time she was napping and watching movies.  

They are headed back east today, and it might be a while til I see her again.  I feel thankful that she was here, no matter how long.

At the airport Friday night, this tree was available to add a leaf with your thankful messages to it.  I wrote one that said, “people I love”

And I wasn’t surprised to find that many of the leaves expressed similar sentiments.   Family was repeated many times.  I hope that all of those travelers writing about their family were on their way to see them and be together. 

Thanksgiving Day itself will be a quiet one this year for us, but the date on the calendar isn’t what counts.  I am lucky I had a family day, and some time with my little one.

 I will take that any day of the year.

 

 

 

An Abundance of Thoughtfulness

The Peeps visiting me for a Snowbird’s Song, came bearing gifts.  Lori Oles created this gem for me from rough cut garnets and vintage treasures.

For the tweets and gifts , I hand dyed fabric bags, and placed them out on the seats the night before the party like hanging stockings on the mantel on Christmas Eve.

Just like dozens of jolly St Nicks working their magic, the joyful Peeps over-stuffed the bags with delightful gifts.

There was an array of hand made gifts, treats, mini kits, art supplies and more.  Generosity times ten.

Gail made these itsy bitsy stocking brooches.

Terri made multiple versions of this cottage tree ornament for everyone.  This is the one I received.

Our Southern belle friend, Lulu gifted everyone with jewels and beautiful baubles.

This is the special one she made for me.

My Sis, Terry also brought jewelry.  Hers was sterling with genuine stones, Nora chose moonstone earrings that matched a necklace she had brought with her.

Terry brought a special gift for me, my favorite chocolates, from See’s.

She also brought a gift for my husband, a wooden golf cart handcrafted by her husband, Dale.  The tiny wheels actually turn, this is adorable.

I was blessed to get many special treats myself.  Like this nest filled with felted eggs from Kim.

There was so much generosity flowing my way that I wanted to savor the packages, and waited to open them after everyone had left. This sachet and bird are from Maggie.

 When the guests were gone, the house was feeling empty and lonely.  I cheered myself up by going through the thoughtful gifts and finding the perfect spots to use them in my home.  This pearl encrusted nest from Suzanne went with my nature inspired tree.

The chocolate bar shaped Oklahoma was a perfect fit for my belly... and the ornie that Teresa gave to me with it went on the tree in my studio.

Jeannie gave me this hat that fits like a warm glove, ideal for cold, Kansas winters.  

Jane knows my love of hats, and brought a bag filled with vintagey floral ones to play with.

Carol gave me luscious supplies to play with too.  And European chocolates.

Connie and Nancy brought a pumpkin festival of bath products that I am working my way through and enjoying this autumn.  

Linda gifted me with lavender honey products that look really pretty in my guest bath, but I think I will set them aside to use in late February when I need to remember that winter is not forever.

And was gifted with vanilla scented creams to brighten the holidays.

Tami crafted this pink reindeer diorama that now sits on the table next to my cozy chair that I watch tv from.

Across from me on the coffee table, I keep this creation from Lesa.

Seriously, the generosity the group showed to each other and to me was over the top.  I did not get photos of everything, and hope that I don’t offend anyone by not posting photos of the bounty they provided.

But after seeing the warm hearted sharing, I do not think that they are the types who would be upset.  These gifts were given for  heartfelt reasons, not done to show off.

Nora hand wove this bracelet, and every time I wear it, it will feel like an embrace from my friends.  

All of the presents, for the group, for the door prizes, and the personal ones for myself were greatly appreciated. 

We had enough door prize donations for everyone to get one, plus grand prizes, and a few more rounds of gifts from the prize table, so that some people got more than one.

Beth’s traditional needlework apron is always a coveted prize.

The excitement from the Peeps who give the presents is equal to those who get them.  I love the ones they give to me, but the biggest gift of all is the generosity I see them sharing with each other.  I am quite appreciative with the jovial atmosphere and happy gift giving between them.

Thank you, all!

 

 

 

 

The rest of the Snowbird projects

After our lesson from Lesa with the magnificent swan, we were ready for something more laid back.  Her class was 4 hours, with a lunch break, and my Angelique the Aviary Queen was a simple task to fill the rest of the day.

Here is one in progress.

The Peeps made some very pretty angels, ready for the holidays.

Sunday was an ornament day. 

We had three, one hour classes.

Lori Oles crafted beauty from pipe cleaners and scraps of fabric. By the way, people raved to me about her clear cut, no nonsense teaching style.

And she is a powerhouse.  That lady pitched in and helped me above and beyond anything I would ever ask of her!  

My 2nd class was an updated take on the old fashioned styrofoam ball ornaments from the 60-70s.

And Beth’s was a needlework ornie.

The three classes were called, Snow Blossom, Snowball, and Snowdrop.

Twinkle joined us for some of the classes, but preferred napping on Susie’s bag to getting any real work done. She spent some time lap hopping too and got plenty of cuddle time.

There were lots of different takes on all of the projects, that is always my favorite part.

I love seeing how each artist makes the project to suit themselves.

We spent the afternoon delving into piles of supplies to foof up what we started on, finish the swan, or craft something one of a kind.

Examples of what could be done with the provided supplies were hung to view, and advice or help was offered.  But mostly people just puttered and played.

For those who wanted more structure, bottle brush tree/tart tin kits were available too.

After seeing all of the lovely ways that the teacher’s kits were made up, I look forward to studio time where I get to create my own versions, they looked fun.

Thanks to my fabulous teachers, Beth Leintz, Lori Oles, Jenn Hayslip, and Lesa Dailey!

And to Guncle Randy along with honorary guncle, Jason, for all of the heavy lifting, laughter, and good food.

Terry deserves a huge thank you for her magical cupcakes, generosity, and kitchen/vendor night help.

My long time friend, Angie, made use of her extensive shopkeeping skills on vendor night too.

And what would Birdsong be without a room full of peeps!?

We had a creative, excited, laughing, talented, friendly flock of no drama buddies grace the studio with their loveliness.

And I appreciated each and every one of them.

 

 

 

 

 

Seven Swans A Swimming

This is Lori Oles’ take on our first class of the weekend, Lesa Dailey’s “Seven Swans A Swimming”.  And as With all of her projects, it has her own spin on it.  

Here is how Lisa Phillipi finished hers, it is tucked away with her other completed projects and they all look so pretty together!

This swan was not easy.  I did see some struggles in the early stages, but it looked like everyone got through it, at least to the point where the decorating could be finished at home.

As I watched them work, I was struck with what a feat of engineering this was for Lesa to create.  It was not top heavy, it stood up nice and tall, and there were many steps to get through.

Seriously, that woman goes beyond artist, to designer, and creative engineer. 

I find her extremely impressive.

Thank you for the challenging, gorgeous class, Lesa!  

Snowbird Song2019- Parties

A Snowbird’s Song isn’t all gluing and foofing.  

We had a couple of parties too.

The first night, we gathered for homemade, French bread pizza, cupcakes and caramel apple sangria.

Terry made the cupcakes and people were still talking about them days later, they were so good.

Jenn Hayslip led us in an adorable make and take.

Darling!

Terry and Lori made up some appetizer trays while I baked Brie.

Good friends who help out over and above what was asked for are a rare blessing, aren’t they?

After eating and make’n take’n, we had a diorama Swap hosted by Tami.

We even had Randy play Santa so the Peeps could whisper what they wanted for Christmas into his ear.

Saturday night was dinner, shopping, and sparkly wine.

Dessert was cake truffle eggs and white chocolate, coconut nests.

After that was some shopping.

My garage got a makeover for that night.

It was festive and full of good deals, pretty things, and vintagey wonderfulness.

I will miss having the room this pretty.

No worries about that yet, for now it is still set up...

Which maybe was not the best thing on a snowy day when my car probably would’ve enjoyed being tucked into a warm garage.

Oh well, sooner or later, the carriage will turn back into a pumpkin.  

Next time, I will have photos from the classes.

 

 

A Snowbird’s Song 2019- ready for friends

Our gathering last weekend was so much fun.  I hope the Peeps enjoyed it as much as I did!

My studio was all gussied up in advance, happily awaiting everyone’s arrival.

Instead of tablecloths, this year I use brown paper and painted on swirls of blizzardly snow with white birds.

I don’t do centerpieces, the tables are full enough with lamps and supplies.  I did add some birdies wherever I could and tucked the washy wipes into pretty containers.

The name tags were hung on a straw wreath, wrapped in batting and lace.  It was hung on the treat cabinet door and did double duty, as a way to hand out the tags and a decoration.

The tags themselves were a two-fer.  Once the event was over, the name could be removed and the wreath brooch could be worn as a festive lapel pin during the holidays.  It was made from a 1950s tinsel garland, a bit of the “good stuff”.

While the end of October is pretty early to decorate for Christmas, I was happy I had done it early.

I have never been a procrastinator, but this year I was even more on the ball than usual.

Which was very lucky because I was hit with a stomach bug that knocked m flat on my back before the event.  Maybe it was more like a bug hitting a windshield and I was the bug.

Knowing that the rooms were ready, the food was prepped, Randy and Terry were on the way, I told myself to not worry, just sleep it off and quarantine myself for 24 hours.  I made all sorts of plans for the worst case scenario.

 If I didn’t get better in time, my friends could teach my classes, my family could feed everyone, I could go to a hotel to keep anyone else from getting sick.

I was able to relax and rest knowing that not only was I prepared for guests, I had the world’s best helpers to take over for me if needed!

The rest helped, I was out of bed and back to myself in no time.  No one else caught it, so it must have been something I ate.

Building my kits and making examples early in the summer was a blessing too. With all that happened to our family in the last few months, I could never have been ready in time if all of that was still waiting to be done.

My world is much more serene if I plan ahead and am ready before scheduled.  I was able to not only have the unexpected recovery time that I needed, I was able to look forward to welcoming everyone instead of running myself ragged until they got here.

Also, I owe a big thanks to my teachers and helpers who I knew I could count on to be wonderful!

And they were, I was thrilled with the whole weekend.  With their help, it was the best!

Also, a big thanks to my Peeps, It was lovely to have them come to visit me in Kansas. I’ll have more photos of the event itself next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Failed Attempt at being a Fairy God Mother

This is who I was going for as my Halloween party costume, Merryweather, the blue fairy godmother.  We were “Disney Bounding” which meant I only needed a suggestion of the fairy.  I had a blue dress to wear, as well as a blue scarf that could replace the cape Merryweather has.

 Disneybounding is a subtler, more fashion-forward way for fans to show their love for Disney. Instead of wearing full-on costumes as cosplayers do, Disneybounders dress up in stylish, everyday outfits (known as Disneybounds) that are simply inspired by a particular character.

At the last minute, I decided a hat would be nice.  I found this headband style witch’s hat at Michael’s for 50% off, and our flight didn’t leave til afternoon, so I had plenty of time to transform it.  

Because, who doesn’t whip up craft projects right before heading to the airport?  

The black hat was a gamble, I bought it hoping that the black netting could be cut off and I could go with the silver fabric underneath as a base.  And yup, it worked! I pulled off all the existing trims to replace with my own, more god motherly like ones. 

I added sparkly tulle, a velvet ribbon and blue millinery rose to cover any black threads or remnants.

What possibly ruined the look was my black eye...  And the fact that my dress and hat were sorta vintagey.   People thought I was a Haunted Mansion ghost, not a fairy. By adding make up and glitter over the black eye, it probably looked fake.  

Although, Merryweather is the bossiest of the three fairies and I am sure there were times when Flora and Fauna thought of smacking her.

I ended up tearing the rose offer toss in my bag (of course I would save that rose!) and putting the hat in the trash after being at Magic Kingdom for an hour or so.  Rides were more comfy without the hat and it was just too bulky to carry.  

 

A sea shell gnome

It may have been October when we were at the beach, but my mind was already headed to Christmas because I am hosting A Snowbird’s Song, with a winter, holiday theme.  

I saw this curved shell and of course, my mind went right to ELF HAT.

But then, I saw the beard shell, and knew this had to be a gnome.

 

Seashell fairies in Clearwater Beach

Our trip to Florida was extra special with the four grand fairies along.  It has been a very rough time for us lately and we wanted to have a big celebration for Khya’s 18th birthday to let the kids know how much we care.

Although it ended up being a bigger “bash” than I thought it would be...

We’d had the balcony doors open to enjoy the ocean, and beautiful weather, and I didn’t realize that the housekeeper had just shut it right before I ran out onto the patio.  Oops.

Instead of going out the door, I bounced off of it. I spent the rest of the week pretending it didn’t hurt, so I could enjoy the wonderful trip with my sweet girls.

Due to my carelessness, I didn’t swim much.  But I enjoyed lounging by the pool or ocean and watching the kids play from my one good eye.  

And even with my sad, uneven vision, I had some gorgeous views!

When my son married Khya and Avahni’s mother, we took the girls to Florida as a welcome to the family trip.  

Now that the marriage has ended, we wanted those two to know that they are our grand daughters forever, and we flew them off to Florida again to show them we are still family, no matter what.

I also wanted Dewdrop to have some happy memories of her last weeks with us.

She has moved back to North Carolina now, and will not be living with us in Kansas every other year.  Her daddy wanted a new beginning and left to live in the mountains.  

This trip was my attempt to hold on to those that I loved, but I think my heart may be more beat up than my face.