Karla's Cottage

A giant jewelry box

Recently I had a mini redo of the bedroom.  (It felt like a huge redo, that was a lot of painting, and I keep forgetting that I’m a senior citizen now). Some things were moved around and we had a nice, big open space by the door.

hahahahaha

That open space didn’t last long!

But I don’t think it is over crowded now with this new cabinet there.  Plus, I really needed it. Really, really!

I might’ve been a bit rude to Rich when he complained, I told him that his office and the hearth room were both filled with nice and open spaces, he should go enjoy those.

It could be that as I get deeper into my senior years, I get crankier.  Plus I feel like I know what I am doing, and have a good concept of design.  I knew it would fit just fine.  He needed to trust me.

But yes, before it was painted it did seem to take up more space than after I lightened it up.  

I chose a few neutral wallpapers to line the interior, and used a French vanilla paint on the rest.

The top half holds my jewelry.  I have so many pieces that don’t get worn, because they were packed away in a dark chest.  Now that they are out in the open, I’ll bet I wear them more.

These jewelry store display boxes started out black.  

I dry brushed them white and added lace across the front before filling and stacking them up.  I might make pretty labels too.

The lower shelves have my lacy sweaters, scarves, and tops.  I’m thinking that having them where they can be seen will also remind me to wear them more often.

And it might remind me not to buy any more cream colored lace pieces of clothing because apparently I have quite a few.

A craft from the past

Years ago, I supplemented our income by selling hand painted tee and sweat shirts.  I remember lots of angels, fairies, heart shaped wreaths with ribbon, and my fave at the time- iris.

Last week, I got a new cabinet and that set off a domino effect of cleaning out drawers and closets to move things around.  I saw this decades old sweatshirt and slipped it on.  It still fits and I thought I might want to wear it, but I’m kinda bothered by necklines that high. my saggy throat prefers scoop or ve necks.

(I’ll show more about the cabinet later on).  You can see the shirt in the mirror.

So for now, it went right back in the drawer.  I should donate it, or find someone who’d wear it.  

Or possibly turn it into a pillow?  Would that be weird?

 

 

Genuine gemstone mosaic

This mosaic backsplash felt like a huge job, but actually was completed in bits and spurts over the course of a week.

The boards were set out on my table like a jigsaw puzzle that I pieced together whenever I had a spare hour of time.  

First, I measured the spot, then I had Masonite cut to fit the area.  I drilled holes where I wanted to screw it into the wall, and left those spots blank while adding stones.

Then, I used a sharpie to draw a design that I promptly ignored and started placing stones in posy shapes.

I started with the largest flowers, working out from the center of the board, where the faucet of the sink would be.  Then spaced large flowers throughout the Masonite.  

Next came medium flowers, then small ones, and finally the darker pearls, petals, and leaves.

The stones are glued down with silicone.  After the adhesive dried I brought the mosaic in to see how it was going to look and decide on grout color.  I had been proud of myself for having a continuous design in the corner from piece to piece, but didn’t allow for the thickness of the beads.

oops

When I first measured the materials, the boards butted up against each other, now with grout and beads, they don’t.  Oh well, caulking fixed the crack, and it doesn’t really bother me too much that the backsplash is about a 1/2” longer than the vanity top. 

Grouting was HARD.  Really hard, because of the different heights of the stones.

 I worked on 6” sections at a time so I could get each bit polished up nice before it dried too hard.

The grout is Bone, and I used a matching caulk to seal the Masonite, trim out the edges, and cover the screw holes.  Honestly, I think the flowers would’ve stood out better with a darker grout, more like the color of the board they were on, but I needed it lighter to flow with the rest of the room.  And that was important.

Grout can be such a mystery to me.  I don’t do enough mosaics to know exactly how the added background color will affect the piece.  No matter what color though, it sure makes it look finished and professional.  Adding grout to a mosaic is the equivalent of adding mulch to a flower bed.  It just makes it look more pulled together. 

My sis, Terry, has recently moved and cleared out her craft supplies before going.  She gifted me with an amazing stack of jewel filled boxes, that inspired this creation.  I had many of the beads myself, but getting her largesse gave me the idea to make a project with it instead of necklaces. 

I thought I’d feature a few flowers and use mosaic glass as a background. But once I got going, I loved the gemstones so much, that I made the entire piece with just those.  I found bags of real pearls and some other extras at an antique store nearby, and that was just what I needed to complete it.  I would hate to know what these gems would cost retail!  Terry and I had both shopped wholesale markets and catalogs for the ones we had.  Still, this would’ve cost me a pretty penny if I hadn’t been gifted with such pretty beads.  Thanks, Terry!

Here is a list of what I used:

• labradorite
• opal
• moonstone
• mother of pearl
• pearl
• larimar
• herkimer diamond
• quartz
• agate
• amazonite
• topaz
• aquamarine
• shell
• flourite
• abilone

An AirBnB gone wrong, way wrong

We had plans for a Florida adventure, but hadn’t quite packed yet when our boy (in North Carolina) asked if we wanted to meet somewhere near Chattanooga on our way down. 


Then we heard that a big snowstorm was headed toward Kansas, and we’d be dealing with that across a couple states as we drove.  So, we threw whatever we could remember to take into the camper and snuck out before the roads got bad.

We found a “riverfront log cabin” online and made plans to meet our son.  

Well, the first glimpse of the rundown neighborhood didn’t scare us too much, but maybe it should’ve?  



The cabin itself was clean, had a place for the dogs to run, a view of the river, and a nice trail to walk on, so basically, it suited our purposes so I am not going to complain too much.  For a spur of the moment find, and a bonus night with our son, we took what we could get.

But the place was weird and slightly creepy.

Like, why are there so many bolts on the door that had been repaired with duct tape?

And the disturbingly dark and dismal artwork.

These paintings could possibly have been cool in another setting, but man, they implied a sense of doom here.

The listing noted that there was a great showers with plenty of hot water.  He neglected to say that the on demand hot water heater was the size of a laptop, and would go from boiling hot to icy cold in about one minute flat.  If you could play a game of hopscotch in the shower, you could manage to dart in and out to catch the seconds when the temps were just right.

The owner also mentioned that we shouldn’t go in the “attic”.  Don’t worry, mister, I was not tempted.

I was very, very concerned about that branch though…..

Was it a perch?

And for what?!?!?  

Did I mention that this perch was over the bed?  Did something LIVE in that attic and crawl out onto the branch to hang over us as we slept?

I can see this place as a fisherman’s camp, maybe.  My husband didn’t think it was nearly as bad as I thought it was.  (He is wrong, it was bad.)

The view was nice, but the riverbank was full of trash plus some unnerving abandoned homeless camps, so I was not all that comfortable going out at night to take the dogs out.  And the porch had a motion detector light that only was set off coming up, not going down the steps. The side without a railing had a big drop off that you could not see in the blackness of night.

And did anyone live in that hornet’s nest?

That said, we had a great afternoon with our boy, and a wonderful hike on Lookout Mountain.

We had planned to stay two nights but just couldn’t. Plus it was going to rain and I could not picture myself stuck in that storage shed, I mean cabin, with four muddy dogs in a thunderstorm.

So we drove to Jax and the Guncles took us in. And while I always love staying with the Guncles, I appreciated their beautiful home and welcome even more than than ever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday, Mom

In a recent post, I reminisced about my mom’s pie dough goodies.  The same day that I was writing it, I cleaned out a closet and came across this dress that mom had made for me.  She has been on my mind a lot lately, after finding this.

Well, she is often on my mind, just like Ryan. Sometimes the worst part about losing a person is not being able to let them about something that you know would’ve brought them a smile.  And she really would’ve enjoyed hearing about me trying this on after years of it being tucked away.

Today would’ve been her birthday.


The dress was a collaboration.  I hand painted some fabric with peachy irises and she stitched a full skirted dress from it.

The best part is this gorgeous, hand crafted belt.  She even covered a buckle in the fabric.  Seeing how pretty this is, really makes me miss having a waistline!

The dress itself has an elastic waist and still fits.  But it isn’t the same without this lovely belt, which would need another a few more holes punched in it to fit.

Oooh, the buttons!  All are vintage glass.  Green like emeralds, my birthstone.

She could sew anything for me with just a description, no pattern. As a child, I used to point to outfits in a magazine and she’d whip them up, with Barbie clothes to match.

Sadly, I went through a snobbery stage as a teen and would not wear home sewn clothes.  What a jerk!

But as I got older, I appreciated all of the sundresses, lined jackets, winter coats, and shorts she would make for me all through the 80s.  Not to mention the clothes she made for my kids, and the quilts covering all of our beds.  And the perfectly tailored slipcovers for my couch.

Her ability to create something beautiful and functional from rolls of fabric by designing her own patterns was quite a skill.  The math that went into that, along with the vision is impressive.

Plus, I always knew that as she made a piece, she thought of the person it was for.  I keep that in mind now myself, as I craft my own projects for people I care about. They are in my heart as I create for them.

As I know that I was in hers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Key to My Heart

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Don’t forget that the 15th of February is one of the most magical days of the year- 50-75% off chocolates!

 

 

A Bridgerton Art Event!

I am sooooooooo excited to announce this tidbit of wonderful news.

 I’ve known about it for a few weeks and felt like Lady Whistledown hanging on to a juicy morsel.  No wait, she doesn’t keep secrets does she?  She is the opposite.  

Recently hearing that the second season of Bridgerton was coming in the not too distant future, I was already pumped.  Then this news? Woo hool!

The first season of this racy, period piece had to be the very most beautiful show on tv.  I could watch it over and over just for the fabrics alone.  Then, the scenery? Masterfully done, mesmerizing sets that are so lovely, who cares that there is a plot?

But then again, there is a plot, and such a fun one that I immediately read every book in the series including the prequels. Did you know that each novel was amended to add a chapter that visits the couple years after the story?  I loved that part.

Having seen the series first, I could picture the beauty of the gowns and houses as I read the books. The visuals in the show were pure perfection.  And who else do we know that can accomplish that level of gorgeousness?  My beautiful buddy, Jenn Hayslip, who leaves a trail of beauty in her wake every where she goes.  Like King Midas and the gold, her touch magically turns anything into scrumptiousness.  If anyone can bring a Bridgerton event into fruition and do it justice, it is her.

I cannot wait to see what she does.  And I am so honored to be a part of it!  If I wasn’t teaching, I’d have been the first to buy a ticket.  

It will be October 6th – 9th, 2022 in Charleston, SC (And what a beautiful city to spend time in.)

The event will be smaller and more intimate in size. It will take place in Jenn Hayslip’s home,

The Chantilly Rose House

(And oh my gosh, I can’t wait to see that palace!)

Jenn says-

“A full weekend event will include workshop classes, tea luncheon, shopping, formal dress evening soiree kick off party, giveaways, and much more!

I have two incredible artist Karla Nathan, and Lori Oles whom will be teaching beautiful elegant

regency themed projects.

Details and registration coming very soon!

Who is ready to dress up, sip tea, create, and discuss Lady Whistledown’s latest social gossip?

All the wonderful fanciful details and registration will be shared very soon!

Happy Creating Friends!”

 

 

 

Pie Art

Crust has always been my favorite part of a pie.  My mom used to take the leftover bits, spread with cinnamon and sugar, roll up, slice and bake them.  Growing up, I thought these were what cinnamon rolls actually were, not the big, fluffy pastry goods.

Her version of cinnamon rolls were crispy and delicious, and I loved them even more than the pies she made.  And she made good pies.  (Especially the lemon meringue that she was famous for) Since she was using the trimmed remnants of the crust, there were usually just two or three bite sized tidbits for us to share.  

That made them even more special.  They were best warm from the oven!

Her crusts were always home made.  If I remember correctly, with lard from my uncle’s farm.  My crusts are the premade kind.  

I’m big on saving time when I can, and you can buy a delicious ready to go crust.  My favorite one is from Sprouts, it has a lot of flavor.  I like most things from Aldi’s but I do not care for their crust.  It seems dry and too thick.  Kroger’s has a great one in their store’s organic brand and after Xmas, they were on clearance for 75 cents each, so I filled a corner of my freezer with a stack of them.

I see a lot of pies in our future!

These two were made with a frozen crust that came in a pan for the bottom, (not the best) and a refrigerated  rolled dough in a box for the top.  I prefer the box kind for both.

I let the top piece of dough come to room temp, and open it up on a cutting board, then start cutting out shapes with a knife, and placing them onto my filled pie.  I discovered that you have to place chunky fruit, like apple slices in a very uniform design so there aren’t sink holes that the shapes fall down into and ruin the design.

I also found that roses made out of dough get pretty heavy.  You’re better off with thin layers of petals, like daisies or sunflowers.

And that you should save a few little remnants to create some of Mom’s tasty cinnamon rolls.  That’s the best part!

 

 

 

 

A seashell framed mirror

After repainting my bedroom, I also moved artwork and mirrors around.  This was a mirror that hung in the studio, and it had a carved shell at the top, so it fit in nicely with my beach paintings.

But it was a little blah and a dull tan color.

So I gaudied it up a bit!

I used shells collected on our last vacation, mother of pearl and pearl beads, and Beth gave me a huge box of seashells she’d gotten from an estate sale.

My first move was to lay them out in a pattern to accentuate the carving at the top.

Then removed a few shells and  I spread tile adhesive in about 6” areas.  Kind of like icing a cake, not the way you’d lay tile on the floor.

It went on nice and thick, so I could smoosh the shells down into it.  While it was still wet, I pushed pearls and smaller shells into the adhesive that wasn’t covered by the main shells.

I worked my way around the frame, in those 6” patches at a time.

After it dried, I filled in bare looking spots with the Diamond Glaze and sprinkled crystal quarts chips into it.

It may look like a jumble, but there was a plan.  Big shells at the top, then black and gray ones down the sides, starting with darker at the top and going lighter towards the bottom.  The very bottom is all cream and white.

I go back and forth, wondering if it is glorious or just too gaudy.  But since I do enjoy some over the top foof, I think I like it.

Being cheap but not looking cheap with a redo

This isn’t exactly a beautiful corner of my home, but it sure is better than it was before!

The ceiling here is two stories, to repaint the walls, I’d need to hire someone with scaffolding- I don’t do heights.

It’s a dark area, so I wanted to keep the paint light but the lower walls were constantly a mess because we stupidly used flat paint on the original job and every mark showed.  And I was out of the original paint. It was something I’d mixed myself to save money, I’d bought multiple gallons of oops paint and other clearance paints from the Habitat store, dumped them all into a giant bucket together and sprayed the ceiling and walls with the conglomerated color.  So, touching up was a gamble, I tried so many shades of white and never got close.

And to add to the screw up?  Yep, it was flat paint and every mark made by every hand that touched the wall waved at me for years.

NEVER USE FLAT PAINT ON STAIRWAY WALLS IF HUMANS (or dogs) GO UP THOSE STAIRS! 

Saving money is wonderful.  My mistake was in not saving any of that mix to match up later on.  And in using a flat sheen.  Big oops.

The compromise was to add trim about 4-1/2 feet up, and paint the lower portion to match the room upstairs.  This color and sheen will be easier to care for.  If I get marks that don’t wipe off, I can open the leftover paint and touch up.  And I can easily reach to do the touch up, no ladders would be needed on the stairs.

(Eeeek, a horrid thought! I’m dizzy just contemplating ladders on stairs!)

I am so relieved to have an inexpensive solution to this problem. After doing a big redo, I was ready for a budget friendly fix!

Here is another do it yourself, easy on the wallet fix from when we first built the addition.  To save money, I decided to tile the entryway myself.  The area was concrete, so no backing was needed.

My issue was that I couldn’t use a saw, or didn’t even have the right kind of saw.  So, I bought different sizes of tiles plus those little flat rocks that coordinate with them and put the floor together like a puzzle.  

No cutting needed!

We had discussed changing the stairs when laying the new floor upstairs, but the carpet was in good shape and seemed safer than slippery steps.  It’s an industrial carpet and held up pretty good on the stairs.

 And along the lines of trying to be budget prudent, if it is okay, you do not have to change it.

For now, the wall and door colors in the entry way are from a previous redo and also seem fine.  For now.  But I’d like to repaint the walls to match the freshly done ones and give that door a pop of color.  Maybe like a deep, but grayed down turquoise?