Karla's Cottage

An Entryway Redo in Response to Corona Clutter

Does anyone else deal with Corona Clutter? At first, it seemed temporary, and we were adjusting to figuring out what paraphernalia we needed as we came in and out of the house.

But after a few weeks of seeing this jumble of gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, bags, and more filling up the table by the breezeway door, I needed to find a better solution.

Not to mention the big, plastic folding table we had set up for home schooling in the other room.

So, this gate leg table was sent to replace the one in the homework spot, with the lamp along with it.  

The large white box is what I use to sort mail, and this isn’t the door we usually bring the mail in through.  So it also left the area and is in a more convenient place near the front door of the house that we typically use when checking the mail or getting the newspaper.

This is the door we use when going to the car, so I waned everything we might need for gearing up to face the virus laden public, all here in an organized way.

This little cabinet that used to be in the studio before last year’s redo seemed to be just what I was looking for.  (Shopping for something new would have been more fun, but then- if that was an option, I would not have needed a Corona Corner, would I?)

The white, wooden basket was full of supplies in the studio, but was better suited here, so those items are currently dumped out and waiting for me to figure out what to stash them into instead.

While this was all practical, it still wasn’t quite right.  It served the purpose, but didn’t lift my spirits as much as I had hoped.

So I whipped out some white paint, vintage wallpaper, and decoupage medium.

Ahhh, much better!  Lighter and happier.

The doors and drawer are there for larger items like leashes and bags. The cookie jar of dog treats sits on the pedestal. There is a chair for changing shoes.

A flower pot for sunglasses and items that need to be taken care of on errands, like checks, coupons, etc.  I sat it on a small, wallpaper box just to add a little more color.

The lidless depression glass canister that matches the one the  dog treats are in, was where I had previously stashed supplies.  But it wasn’t big enough and didn’t hide the messiness. Or the ugly, orange gloves.

It is much nicer filled with flowers picked in our ditch.

The wooden basket was ideal to fit a box of masks, a stash of gloves, and the hand sanitizer.

I am thrilled to own a box of masks and gloves.  I found the XXLg gloves on Amazon and the box of masks at the hardware store.  The hand sanitizer is home made.  I took glycerin from a soap making project, then added lavender oil and alcohol to it.
And the surface wipes are too, sorta. I took a package of wash wipes from the studio, put them into ziplock bags and poured alcohol over them.  

This pattern is one of my favorite old wallpapers and I will love having a bit of it in my house.  

To add it, I rough cut a piece with the bouquet centered, and pressed it into decoupage glue on the door,  then,I used my fingernail to crease the paper and cut it out inside the frame of the door.  This paper is delicate, so I did not worry too much about trying to get small bubbles out, they don’t bother me.

White chalk paint was applied in a dry brush style for a distressed look.  I painted right over knobs as is, and didn’t take time to paint the interior or give it a clear coat of poly or wax.  

I was in the mood for a quick and pretty fix.  And this simple project of moving things around, slapping on some paint and paper took me under two hours from the point when I was sitting in the kitchen, staring at the clutter and needing a new view, til it was done.

We might all be needing a fresh view after so much time in our homes. This little change perked me up. 

Wrapping things up

Wow, did I actually do something creative? Yes, I did!

I had a dear friend who turned 60, and I wanted to make something special for her.

She teaches yoga, so I thought I'd whip up a wrap bracelet with a chakra theme.

I looked up the meanings of each stone for her and added the list to the gift bag. 

While I was at it, I made a few more. This one is for me, labradorite, aquamarine, and some other clear, blue stone.

The pic doesn't show it well, but these stones reflect light  with a gorgeous, blue flash.

This one is rose quartz, moonstone, pearl, and opal.

Ryan got some genuine stone bracelets too.

After my surgery, then with the virus lockdown, I wasn't at my most productive.  I had a small cleaning or crafty project every day while recovering, but have not spent much time in my studio.  Working on jewelry has been something that I have turned to over the years after a surgery or illness. I bring in piles of beads and relax at the dining table, working on making things as I feel up to it. 

I enjoy having the supplies convenient to use, without needing to hobble out to the studio.  

I can always tell when I start to feel better, the studio begins to call me back, and my small, busy work projects become something larger. It is probably time to wrap up my convalescence and head back out there.  Although, this time of year, the garden has its own siren song. I might segue back into real life by doing some digging before hitting the studio.

My doctor and physical therapist have not had encouraging news about the knee. The Dr. tells me to count on 5-6 months of recovery now, not the TWO WEEKS,  that he had forecast before the procedure.  I still need a cane to walk far and a handrail to go up stairs. But- I luckily picked up a nasty case of poison ivy that required steroids.

I woke up the next morning after the first dose to find this.  The swelling had gone waaaayyy down! I could bend it again!

But, doesn't it look like a deflated balloon?

Or a tummy after giving birth? 

Man, that thing was swollen.  It feels so much better without that inflammation. 

 

 

The Grandfather Tree Resin River and Rock Table

I don’t think that I ever followed up on my story about our Grandfather Table.  I shared the process of creating it, and there have been photos of it in the background here and there.

But I haven’t shown you the complete finished product.

Last fall was a full, and emotional time for me.  With my son’s family splitting up, trying to get their house (that we owned) fixed up and listed before the real estate market hit its winter doldrums.

 (There is not a day that goes by, that I am not thanking my lucky stars and feeling blessed that we sold it before winter, because this spring’s selling period? Oh, I think you know how the corona virus has affected that!).

A lot was going on, throughout the heartache of the family readjusting to its new arrangements and relationships. My husband retired, we had family trips, I hurt my shoulder, had a concussion, hosted A Snowbird’s Song, and well, just kind of hung in as best as I could.  

But now?  Life is on a much more laid back course for us here at the cottage.  And the problems that I thought were so huge last fall seem petty now.

All of that stress about my husband quitting his job?  Gone.  Even though our savings sure took a deep dive now, with the suffering so many are going through without jobs, I have nothing to complain about.  

We have a home we won’t lose.  

We have food.  

We have each other.

Having my husband home, by my side while we go through this together has made me love the fact that he retired so early. 

Who knows what might happen with our retirement savings, we might both need to find jobs when possible, but it is something we will face as a couple.

Sitting together at this table, each morning, drinking coffee, looking at the wildflowers he picked for me in the woods, I am comforted. 

The history of this table, and my husband’s sweet, sentimental reasons for having it built mean even more.  
(You can read the background HERE)

To my husband, the tree reminds him of telling stories to the grand fairies under the old oak it was built from.  Family stories of his grandfather.

To me?  I was fearing that it was going to always remind me of that rough time last Fall, when I was heartsick and injured, worried and tired.  Facing much bigger problems in my life now, and not just in mine, but world wide devastation from this insidious virus, this table has come to represent something else to me.

A solid relationship, as strong as the oak.

And hope for the time ahead, when family can once again gather around this table together. 

Thank you to all of the essential workers who take care of business, so old ladies with asthma, like me, can stay home!

Nurses and other essential workers are putting themselves in danger for us and sometimes, the risk is too big.

My good friend, and sister-in-law is one of the many whose selfless hard work and service caused her to become ill.  She is far away, and I didn’t feel as if there was anything I could do to help.  So, I did this digital painting for her, and kept good thoughts vibing her way as I worked on it.

“Thoughts and Prayers” Has almost become a cliche in today’s world. But when heartfelt, the term is very real.  I am focusing on sending mine to Sharon.

 

My Favorite Tree

When I planted this tree as a little baby, I had no idea it was two trees in one.

Half pink, half white in the spring, and in the fall, it produces two tones of berries.  The leaves are even different shades of green.

At this point, I can’t remember if I thought I was buying white or pink.  But I am happy to get a bonus color that I didn’t expect.

 

Around the Cottage in April

Because of my knee surgery, I have spent very little time in the studio.  When I finally went out there, I was greeted by my pile of blues, ready to build kits for the Texas event, Beauty in Blue, that had to be cancelled.

My creativity level has been on low, so the busywork of packing it all up was a welcome job.  I daydreamed about how much more appreciative I will be to attend this next year, after missing so many social events now.

While I am not making many things, I am keeping busy.  I am trying to do a project a day, even if it as is simple as freshening the slipcovers and filling vases with blooms.

There have been plenty to pick!  Spring has sprung in my yard.

I have been more than grateful for the days of beautiful weather.  Spring is always uplifting for me and being outside doing yard work has helped me a great deal.

Planting seeds, clearing flowers, planning a garden, are all ways of looking to the future and a brighter tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Easter Blessings

Our family cannot all be together for Easter.

As many families cannot.

We will get to be with Ryan who lives with us, and hopefully with Sugarwings and her two moms, if all goes well.  We are two separate households, but since we have Sugarwings while her mom works at the hospital, we figure that it is not breaking the distancing rules to be with the three of them.

Since our Hippie Chick works in Labor and Delivery, and Ryan cooks for a nursing home, we feel like every decision we make in gatherings or outings can affect a new mother and baby or someone’s grandparent.

So, we weigh our moves carefully.

We will do our best to stay away from as many people as we can, and appreciate what we can do, and keep the people we cannot be near, close in our hearts.

We are blessed with what we have, and that our family is healthy, if not in hugging range.

Having a grand fairy around part time has kept us active and involved.  She has home school and martial arts online for some of the day, but that leaves plenty of time for crafting.

 In preparation for the holiday, she made these hatching chick jars to fill with treats.  I love seeing what she comes up with. And I love that she is still able to keep us company and be part of our world during this.

My sacrifices have been small during this time. I refuse to be sad that I do not get to be with the whole family for one holiday.

 Oh, yes, I miss them.

I miss them all, tremendously.

But if each of us can think about that unknown person that might be saved by our own sacrifices, that is how we can make this work.

In my mind, it is that new mother and baby that our Hippie Chick is caring for.  Or the grandma that Ryan makes a meal for.

Thoughts of them, having an Easter dinner next year, is what makes this present, quieter Easter bearable.

 

 

A springtime walk with a surprise heart

Ryan and I walk along this pond as often as we can.  For the first time, we noticed that the fountain forms a heart shaped splatter.  Is it new, or had we never paid attention?  

It isn’t from the wind, as I first thought, because it has been like this all week.

Our property has a couple of fields that border I70. My husband keeps bees out there, and while walking up the hill to walk across the bridge, we had a nice view of his set up through the blooming redbuds.

He has a chair nearby and likes to spend time watching them at work.

Only one chair, I’m afraid that I am not a bee watcher.

This view was less pleasant.

We reached the top of the overpass bridge, and were disturbed by the lack of traffic. It was a reminder that our country is not itself right now.  

Strangely quiet.

My walk was emotionally charged, with a flow of feelings from the sad reminder of the empty roads to the hopeful heart in the pond.  

Of course, these days, our emotions are on high alert.  I am trying to stay balanced, while acknowledging the difficulties and fears, still enjoying all of the happy moments of hope that I find.

 

Little bunnies hopping away

This afternoon, I bundled up some bunnies and dropped them off at the post office.

I had snipped quite a few of this critters out of foam.  It felt a little bit like whittling.

Well, I think it did, I have never actually whittled before...

Anyway, they were a fun craft for me, when I wasn’t feeling up to spending time in the studio.  I was glad to have something to work on, and even happier to share them with some kiddos I know.

After writing out some instructions for painting, and for making their own with some foam included in a few packaged, I added some flowers and tidbits for decorating and got them all boxed up in time for Easter.

One went to Angela and another to Gail, from giveaways on FB and IG.  I kept this one, that I had painted for my own Easter decor.  

Our holiday display is pretty low key so far, but if Sugarwings has anything to say about it, our home will be strewn with rabbits and eggs from one end to the other.  

Actually, that sounds kind of cheerful.  I hadn’t really planned on doing much besides gifting these squishies, but I am liking the idea of having the grand fairy decorate for me. 

How to make and paint memory foam Squishies

My creative efforts have been kinda low key lately.  Because of knee surgery which was harder to recover from than I had expected, I haven’t gone to the studio.

So, I did a little busywork, and some simple things to keep my hands busy.

And to take my mind off of the world wide crisis we are in the middle of.  I don’t think I have the mental focus to start a big project, and these little bits of cuteness were just what I needed.

Sugarwings is hooked on watching Squishy makeovers on Youtube, and I told her we could probably make our own little critters.  When I went on the long camping trip to Florida, we trimmed up some memory foam pads to fit our camper bed and I saved the remnants.

They were not perfect for this craft because they are not as thick as I’d like and they have a grid pattern cut into the backside.  But for our purposes, they were fine.

First step is to draw the design on the foam with a marker, then roughly cut it out.

At first, the cuts are larger, but as I get the shape to come out, they become teeny snips.

When my fairy girl started making hers, she was chunking them up too much and got frustrated.  Once I showed her the trick of making itty bitty cuts, she got the hang of it.  And soon, my home looked like the scene in Edward Scissorhands where Johnny Depp made snow from paper and created a blizzard.

I use fabric glue to seal the grid cuts that I mentioned, and to add pieces, like a wing or something to them.  I try not to do many add ons, I like the challenge of cutting 3D shapes.  But Sugarwings enjoys making hers in pieces and then attaching them with glue like they do in the videos she watches.

The kitty has a glued on mouth and nose, but the puppy is all one piece.  They can be done either way.

Mine were all made to give to kids to play with and paint themselves.  But I wanted to try out the paint myself first to see how it went, so I could offer some advice.

The paint has to be pliable so that when the foam is squeezed, the paint moves with it.  You can use puffy paint, or fabric paint.  Or make your own fabric paint by adding textile medium to acrylic craft paint.  I have heard that you can make your own by using glycerin, but I had used all of my glycerin to make hand sanitizer.

Here is what I discovered: These are SPONGES, so they take a lot of paint!

It soaks right in and makes them hard to decorate.  I decided that my best move was to cover them in a solid coat and leave it over night to dry.

Once dry, it was much easier to add other colors and details.

In the scheme of things, these are not anything that were worth much.  But, they gave me joy and in my mind, creativity is good for the soul, whether you are making something simple and cute, or a spectacular masterpiece.