Karla's Cottage

How to make folded paper Christmas balls

These layered balls ended up being pretty easy to make once I figured it out.  My first ones didn’t come out as nicely, but they got better as I made a few.

My first mistake?  Using only vintage papers, and not being careful to find ones that aren’t brittle.

I discovered that the ideal paper is scrapbooking card stock, but since I love the old stuff so much, I tried using some book pages and wallpaper too.  Plus, a mix looks pretty together.

Vintage flocked wallpaper is ideal, and some more sturdy wallpapers are too.  But most of the antique ones disintegrate when folded.  

I used some Xmas wrapping paper also.  

If you have a fragile paper you just love, and really want to use, maybe try backing it with card stock first.

These were some that worked for me, as well as some book pages. To test it, fold the paper a few times and see if it cracks.  If not, it should work okay.  

Cut and fold all of the pages ahead of time, so you have a pile to work with and not have to pause while gluing.

Fold each piece with the most interesting side inwards, so you are gluing the outsides to each other.  

Glue one folded piece to the next until you have a stack that looks like this.

Another discovery that I made is that it’s a good idea to glue all of the folded circles together and set them aside to dry.  If you try to make the orb while the glue is wet, the paper is more fragile and will easily tear.

While still folded, you can ink the edges.

Add some strong glue (I like The Ultimate) along the folded edge.

Cut ribbon or string, and fold it in half with a loop at the end.

 (I used pipe cleaners down the center of some, and it did work, but for me, it was too easy to poke through the papers with it, string or ribbon is better).

Then stick the ribbon into the glue, with the loop at the top and the two ends hanging out of the bottom.  

Open the pages.

Apply glue to both half circle sides, then press them together to make the orb.  Smoosh them together and there it is!  You might need to carefully pick each layer apart, gently manipulate them, and form the circle.

If you get a tear when opening it up, just attach an extra circle over that segment.

You can use the two trailing ends or your ribbon or string to tie a bundle of netting and ribbons to the bottom.

Or use them to tie on charms.  Or do both! (I liked the idea of book charms with the old book pages).

How many circles did I use?  Well, they are all different.  The thinner the paper, the more you need.  The heavier papers fill out nicely without as many. And because they are thick, too many makes the stack so high that when you put them together you have a huge gap in the center.

So, about 20 for thin papers, half that much for heavy ones. 

 

Thankful

Our Thanksgiving day was chilly, but we got to get outside the day before.

And I was very thankful for a pretty day in November.

In Kansas, you just never know what the day’s weather will bring.

So when you get a good one, you should celebrate it!

Especially if you are surrounded by loved ones (and dogs) who love to be outdoors too.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you are having a day full of gratitude and blessings.

And a tummy full of pie!

 

 

 

 

An elfin makeover

This is the after from my mini redo.  I had the cottage halls decked and thought I was done, but decided this area wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be.

This is the before.  Cute stuff, but for my home, there might have been a tad too much red.  And it’s was too busy with lots of small things lined up.  


So I fetched this hunk of gorgeous-ness from the studio, glittered up some elves, and moved a few of the guys to another location.

This cabinet was a gift from a Peep, and it is such a lovely piece.  It was just what I needed to take away the cluttery feeling of so many tiny figurines together.

The glue is still wet on this fella’s rhinestone buttons.  Aren’t these sprites sweet in silver and gold glitter?

I used cream chalk paint over the high gloss red glaze, and sprinkled glitter or mica onto the paint before it dried.

The red felt pants on the other gnomes had a wash of white paint over the bright fabric to made it look pink as it dried. 

I had debated whether or not to mess with this, since all the decorating was done, but decided that I’d enjoy it more if I made a few little changes.  

And I do!

Prairie Fires

Kansas scenery might not have a reputation for being very interesting, but I find it pretty.  When the prairie fires are lit, it becomes striking.  But I rarely see that, so I was happy to catch a field at the dog park being cleared.

 Our local dog park was pretty nice as is, but it is now getting a makeover.  I’ve excitedly watched the process and look forward to the summer’s blooms.  We tried something similar by our bee hives, but skipped a couple of steps, including the burn. For a few months after tilling and planting wildflower seeds, it looked so-so, but nothing like I’d hoped.  And soon, the weeds and grass took back over.

Plus, I got systemic poison ivy from all of that horrid vine in the air from the field being tilled.  Ugh.

Our house is right on I70, so I’d be nervous about doing a burn off.  With that smoke rolling through the sky, visibility on the turnpike could get bad.

So, I’ll enjoy the native plants at the dog park, since it doesn’t look like we will be getting a field of them at the cottage.

With so much smoke around while the fields were being burnt, my asthma was acting up, so we didn’t watch the fiery show for long.  Instead, we headed down to the Kaw River at the backside of the dog run.

Molly enjoyed the change of pace.  But she loves everything.  That happy girl doesn’t care where we take her, she is just glad to be there.

Dorothy was glad to go too.

There are many times when I wish I lived by the beach or in the mountains, places where there is always a beautiful place to explore.

But honestly?  I’m pretty happy right here.  Beauty can be found just about anywhere if you look for it.  

 

A Day at Good Juju was Good for my Soul

My friends have spaces at Good Juju, in the Old West Bottoms, and some times I get very jealous.

The years that I spent immersed in the junking world and selling painted furniture represent some of my favorite times.  

The estate sales!

Auctions!

Getting up early every weekend so I never missed a garage sale, and filling my van so full that I had to make a pit stop to unload in my garage and go back for more!

I loved the redos, the styling and arranging, the treasure hunts, even the sanding!

I loved every second of it all!

It has been ages since I moved onto selling smaller items online, or having a Birdsong shopping experience set up in my garage instead of renting booth space .  And honestly, I love doing those too.
But I haven’t had workshops or even managed my online Boutique since 2019.  So, when Beth and Angie invite me to hang out on Good Juju work days, I am happy to go in and soak up the atmosphere.

They know I miss the junker’s life and always encourage me to join in.

Beth even gives me a few areas in her booth that I can arrange however I like.

It’s always a wonderful day, with a picnic, lots of interesting things to unpack and set up, and laughs with friends.

Plus, I get to wander around the empty mall and explore some of the other luscious displays.

It’s even better at the holidays and puts me in a festive mood.

Why don’t I get a booth? Or update my shop? Or host another Birdsong?

I’m just kinda- eh, right now, I guess.

Between my husband retiring, losing my son, a knee surgery that was more stressful than expected and well, COVID, and quarentine, family issues, and travels, I just haven’t built up enough gumption to get back into working again.  

I would not say I am depressed, though of course I will be forever sad about Ryan.

I can’t imagine not falling apart inside when something strikes out of the blue to bring on that “oh my god, he is gone” feeling as if it is all just now happening.  The pain that sometimes dims but at others returns  and with a vengeance.

But I also don’t have an ongoing, overall depression.  I’m just sad and mourning.

I miss him.

So, I accept every invitation from friends, and invite people to get togethers myself.  I paint, I embroider, I do things for myself, for others, and for my home.  I write in my journal (blog) and putz around the studio, I bake, spend time with Sugarwings, walk with my husband and dogs, and travel.

I’m just not ready to go back to work yet.  Even if I miss the hustley, bustley fun and the treasures.

A day helping at Good Juju makes me feel like I am still part of that world, and not getting too rusty with my junker skills.  Will I go back to buying, collecting, selling, and then buying, buying, buying, and collecting with a bit more selling, again?

I’d like to think so.

In the meantime, I am lucky to have friends that include me.  And that I can take my time until I am ready to face working again.  I am still stockpiling goods for my Boutique, and will eventually have a clearance sale there to clean up before restocking.  I have kept it open and and also lucky that I sell enough past online tutorials to pay all of my blog and website fees, so that I don’t feel pressure to shut them down.  

And if a good day of good junkin is just what you need too?  There is a bonus day for Good Juju to be open for the holidays, this Saturday.  I highly recommend a shopping trip there (and to the other cool shops in the area on first Fridays each month).

I did get a photo

On an earlier post I showed this shirt in progress and said I didn’t have a finish of it completed.  But then, I saw this one and realized I was sorta wrong.  There is more to the design, with leaves and embellishments on the other side of the shirt too.   But at least I did have a picture of this flower finished.

A Dinner Party with an Autumn Glow

This time of year makes me light candles, simmer some soups, and spend evenings entertaining.

Maybe because summer offers so much outdoor fun and the sun shines so late into the day that by the time I’m ready to settle in for the evening, my day is done?

With dark filling up around me early I am not ready for the day to be over and am looking for ways to prolong them, and not succumb to sitting in my chair and watching tv too early.

And there is something about turning off the overheads and turning on ambient lighting that feels cozy and welcoming.  This time of year, I can do that at dinner time.  In the summer, by the time it’s dark enough to enjoy any twinkle lights, it’s too late for me, I am done for the night. 

To change my table from summer to fall for a party, I chose my plates with the warmest tone of pink flowers and layered them with these amber glass plates, then added some fall leaf paper napkins.  I had a good excuse to use my light up, glass pumpkins from Homegoods too. (I’d buy dozens of those if I could get away with it, they are so pretty!)  

I don’t go full on autumn around here.  I keep using my pink rose items, and just warm them up here and there, like with the dried hydrangeas.

Fall Decor on the Cheap

While autumn isn’t exactly my favorite season, and I don’t do much in the way of decor, mostly just thinking of it as a countdown to Christmas splendor, I do slightly get into the tones of fall.

We were away in Florida for much of October, so I didn’t get to make Jack-o-lanterns and missed visiting the pumpkin patch, so my yard was gourd-less this year.

While planning a small bonfire gathering with friends, I thought I’d pick up a few mums to replace my dying summer blooms and brighten the place up. Instead, I saw a bin of pumpkins marked down to a quarter each!  I bought  all but the smooshiest of them and filled pots and tables with those in place of chrysanthemums.  Along with a few strands of lights and a couple of trimmed oak branches, the empty pots started to look festive on a pretty much non-existing budget.  

Christmas decorating is coming on quick for me, this is just a little side trip, so I was glad to not spend too much on it.  

It ends up being pretty cheap hen feed too.  Once I’m done with all of the pumpkins, I’ll be tossing them over the fence to the ladies.  

Win Win!

 

 

 

 

 

Always remembering my boy

When Ryan died, people were so generous with their gifts and responses.  I was moved by each and every card, present, memento, story, etc.  Each was cherished, each meant that Ryan wasn’t forgotten.  

Maybe because he was a guy who was shy, hesitant to stand out, and often overlooked, knowing that people cared about him and reached out helped.  

I cried over armfuls of envelopes when I carried in the mail.  I read and reread the notes.  I planted the trees, hung the wind chimes, and overall, cherished all of the gifts.

Many people sent flowers, and I kept the blooms going as long as I could. I shared some with family to take to their homes, and spread the rest around ours.  I trimmed the stems and changed the water daily to make the flowers last.  Then, when the freshness was past saving, I dried what I could, and filled a cabinet with the vases.

But I did not want them to become a forgotten stash of unwanted glassware to eventually be donated to Goodwill.  Instead, I decided to do something special with them, and on a few, I am attempting mosaics. (I don’t have good grouting skills, though, I will have to work on cleaning a bit more off of this one).

Others, I have decorated and filled with garden flowers and given away on special occasions. I’d like to  take an embellished vase filled with iris that Ryan planted into the nursing home he worked at, on the anniversary of his death next spring.  


Thank you to everyone who offered hope to me with kind words and thoughtful expressions of care.  I was moved and heartened by your gestures.