Karla's Cottage

My watercolor bluebird class for our workshop

Having never taught watercolors before and being extremely overworked, overwrought, and tired, recently- I was worried about this bluebird class.

But I shouldn't have been! The attendees did a wonderful job. I was so proud of them and very impressed.  They each got a hand drawn page to paint after we used a big, blank page to get some practice done on.

Everyone's turned out just lovely.  And after painting them, they popped the pictures into mini frames to embellish with a rhinestone cluster.

Nora even "branched out" and painted this sweet bluebird.

Honestly, it was one of my favorite classes.  I had a wonderful time showing some painting tricks to friends.  And it made me wish I had more time to paint.  It was a lot of fun.

I'll leave you with some photos of the studio, all spiffed up and ready for company.

 

By the way, if you would like to see puppy pictures, please check them out here:  https://karlascottage.typepad.com/cottage_doodles/

 

Karen's Classes at the Cottage

After our trip up north to the fleas and the deer hunters' camp, we had a workshop at the cottage. Karen taught a class to craft this darling flower fairy, in warm, fall tones. (mine has a moonstone on the end of her magic wand)

Here is her example in pink.

All of the ladies made really cute ones.  If you get wonderful supplies, and are shown a wonderful idea, it is easy to come up with something wonderful, right?

Karen really came through with this one.

We had a smaller group, a couple of people couldn't come due to illnesses.  So we cozied up on one side of the room with an intimate sized group, relaxed and casual.

Having puppies to hold is a plus for any gathering too.

I hope the guests had as much fun as I did.  For me, it was the best!

Now, I just can't wait till A Snowbirds' Song, I love having friends in my studio. This little get together whetted my appetite for more.

 

By the way, if you would like to see more puppy pictures, please check them out here:  https://karlascottage.typepad.com/cottage_doodles/

And if you need a small to medium goldendoodle to snuggle yourself? They are for sale, just contact me.

 

A snowy, canvas mural

I painted one last canvas drop cloth.

The others were old murals that I touched up.

This one is brand new.

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I bought  a $15, 9x6’ drop cloth from Walmart  and a cheap gallon of gray blue paint to start it.

This will be used for a backdrop at A Snowbird’s Song.

 It is meant to be a photo op for our Peeps.

I kept it pretty simple, a snowy background for people to stand in front of, with the tree and birds to the sides and above their heads.

I will just have to figure out a good place to hang it.

For now, it is in the garage behind the junk, like the other one.

While I was working in the garage, dressed in paint clothes, I cleaned the space up.  Everything got carried out to the driveway, the walls repainted (as well as the garage door).  I even moved the fridge!

 Then, I put everything back in what I sure hope, is a less cluttered manner.

Maybe it won’t be nearly as much work to get the room ready in November for Snowbird?  I use the spot as a store, and it is always a chore to prepare it.

Heck, I can just drape the messes in painted drop cloths!  No work at all...

 

 

 

 

 

Squeezing in a bit more Christmas in July

My dear Peep, Tamil, often hosts a girlfriends' craft day, and provides an interesting project for us all to do.  I recently attended one of her fun days, but didn't have a chance to make the theme for the day, a Mermaid Bottle.

Which was pretty cool.  All of her ideas are.

Instead, I needed to concentrate on A Snowbird's Song, and I finished the cards for the swap I joined.

These ladies are all a part of the collage sheet I will be giving to the ladies as one of my kits.  They will only need one photo for the project, but will have a pageful to use as they wish on other pieces.

And this one is made from trees cut from old gift wrap and layered over snowy hills of vintage paper on top of glittered card stock.

This girl (also on the collage sheet) was the last one I made.  I didn't pack well for the craft day at Tami's house, and ran out of lace and dyed coffee filters, so had to chop up and fit bits and pieces together to make her skirt.

Which I think was a happy thing, this is my favorite one! Sometimes, making do, means being extra creative, huh?

Thanks for the (as always) GREAT day, Tami!

Christmas in July?

Things are moving along with preparations for A Snowbird’s Song in November.  I am working on kits (two are complete!), swap hostesses have come up with delectable ideas for exchanging lovelies, and menus are swirling about in my head.

Mostly of cookies and treats.

Probably because my head is often filled up with daydreams about cookies and treats.

I am so pumped for the party that I just had to get in on a swap.  Terry, my dear sis, is hosting a card one, and I was happy to hear it because that is right up my alley.  I propped myself down at my work table and whipped up a few while I was feeling the Christmas spirit.

(in this pic, one of the stars had slipped off because the glue was still wet, it has since been returned to her waist band)

This one featured the front of a vintage card with a circle opening, so I glued it to another card and cut a coordinating circle from that.

I lined that with printed vellum and put a colorful bird image behind the transparent vellum.  

Backing the vellum, is a Christmas card envelope from the 50’s that I glued to the inside of the card.  I saved the stamp from it and added that, along with a little girl, velvet ribbon, and a flower to the front.

Another sparkly, gold card was used for this as a backdrop, then was layered with neutral wallpaper (old), and a Victorian post card.  I trimmed the postcard around the roses and glued it down to form a pocket.  

The girl was glued down behind the roses with her arm outside the roses and she is holding a bouquet.

A note from a vintage card was cut out and slipped into the pocket.

Often I work with whatever was last left on my desk.  All of the stars and sequins on some of these cards were from kit building.  So are the pink ruffles on the first card, making the sugarplum fairy’s skirt, and on the edges of this vintage wallpaper.

The girl’s Santa hat is the same (it might need more fluff), all are trimmings from the hand dyed coffee filters I was using for some other kits.

We don’t have the number of cards needed until the swap is full, but I wanted to get a head start  and figured that if I made too many, they wouldn’t go to waste.  

 

 

 

Angelique The Aviary Queen

 

Thank you all so much for the interest in A Snowbird’s Song!  It filled exceptionally fast. 

There is a waiting list, since there is always the possibility of changes.  If you would like to be contacted in case of a spot opening up, please stay in touch.

Here are photos of my first project.   I had a little contest to name her, and the suggestions were so clever, I decided that I should never name another of my own pieces again, I should always have the Peeps come up with the class titles!

It was hard to chose, but I have to say that  my fave was “Angelique the Aviary Queen.”  It was suggested by Jane Hart, and fits the theme of an angel watching over a bird nest full of eggs just perfectly.  

As I often try to do, this kit will come with choices.  I will provide a collage sheet with multiple photos to make Angelique a personal guardian angel for each Peep.  

She will be offered in pink or cream, plus, as a little Nightmare Before Christmas twist, also as a witch.

Yes, that is a surprise, huh?  We have some menfolk attending the craft fest, and they might not be into the frilly, girly-ness of this lady.  

The witchy version might need a less angelic name... although, wasn’t the witch on Dark Shadows named Angelique?  

 

 

 

Registration for A Snowbird's Song, Birdsong 7

Our previous, holiday themed Birdsong was so much fun, I just have to do it again!  What could be more fun  than mingling and jingling with creative friends at the prettiest, most magical time of the year? We will be getting an early start on holiday decor by kicking off the season during Veteran's Day weekend, and you will go home bubbling over with cheer and ready to display your festive creations and get the holidays rolling in your own home.

This year, we are doing something a little different.  "Birdsong Eve" has always been a bonus to the event, not technically included. But since so many of our "Peeps" enjoy participating, we will add the evening as part of the party.

Here is what our line up will include:

Friday, November 8 (6:30-9:30pm) Birdsong Eve Welcome Night, with Swaps, Sangria, and Pizza

We will meet at my cottage to greet old and new friends, sip some sangria and trade our festive swaps.  Jennifer Hayslip will lead us in a make and take and you know that with her charming style, she will be starting off our weekend with whimsical, lighthearted flare!

Saturday, November 9 (All day and into the evening) Classes/Vendor Night

We will begin the day by crafting with Lesa Dailey

Beverages, treats, and lunch are included. After dining, we will take a bit more time to work with Lesa, to give everyone a chance to finish up their sweet tweet of a project.  The afternoon will also feature a project from me. (Photos and details of the class to come).

Saturday evening, join us for vendor night shopping, along with wine, dinner, and dessert.

Sunday, November 10 (all day) Ornament Day

Sunday brings us a full day  filled with ornaments to hang on your tree, add to a banner, or use as a wall hanging once you place them in your own home.  The morning will begin with mini classes by Lori Oles and Beth Leintz

Beverages, treats, and lunch are included. After our luncheon, I will lead more mini classes in ornament making, and will provide a plethora of ephemera and sparkling Christmas goodies for you to embellish and create with.  We will have a relaxed, informal afternoon of creating together.

At 6, we will wrap up and give hugs good-bye til next time.  For many people, Monday is a day off work (Veteran's Day), so if you are free Sunday night, please make sure you join in on our group dinner, where quite a few of the Peeps get together for one last meal (Dutch Treat) at a tasty, Lawrence restaurant after our gathering ends.

The Classes

Kits with full instructions, and all of the supplies you require will be included for each project.  You will be asked to bring tools, glues, etc.  Personal items can also be brought to change your piece up a bit, but are not necessary if you'd like to finish the kit as the instructor has finished hers.

Full photos of the classes will be available soon.  Sorry they are not ready yet. I have been redoing my studio with fresh paint and a new look, and while working on that, I was overcome with the idea that I just had to invite Peeps to the new studio to play in it with me! So, while I have ideas on what the classes will be, I do not have finished examples. And the teachers also have had no notice to make their examples.  But I wanted to let all of you know that the classes are coming and open registration now instead of waiting a month to give the teachers time to make their plans.

Thank you for understanding.

I can assure you that I will be using "The Good Stuff" as I build my kits, and take pride in pulling together pretty items for you to work with.

 

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Registration

You can email me at:

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karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

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for a PayPal invoice, or set up payments by check

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Cost

$475 

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Refund Policy:

If there is someone on the waiting list to take your place when you need to drop out, I will refund all but 10% of your payment up till four weeks before the party. If a replacement cannot be found, you will be charged $65 per large class kit and $25 for the mini kits (which will be mailed to you) plus postage and refunded the rest of your payment. After October 11th (the four week point), no refunds can be offered. At that point, you will receive your kits, but no partial refunds if you can’t attend. But please, don’t cancel!! We love our peeps!!

 

Payment schedule:

To hold your spot for Birdsong, a $150 down payment is due at signups.

A second payment of $162.50 is due Wednesday July 31st.

Wednesday October 11, the remainder of $162.50 is due.

Please help me out by alerting me if a check has been mailed, so I will be expecting it.    And by following this timeline.   Thanks! I appreciate it.

Upcoming Class Announcements, Autumn Glory and A Snowbird's Song

She is a darling sprite, isn’t she?   Here is what Karen has to say about her:

 

Welcome Fall with Felicity the Flower Fairy! 

 

Mounted on a vintage shaker and posed in a shimmering rose bloom with her flower wand, Felicity will now work her Autumnal magic- making all of the flowers in the world bloom one last time before winter steals away all of their petals! 

All pieces including vintage bisque baby are supplied for you. Just bring anything special of your own that you wish to use; such as any small rhinestone bling.

 

 

This class and a watercolor lesson will be offered in my studio at the Cottage on Saturday, August 31st.

You will have a choice of Autumn Ecru or Soft Pink for Karen Hillman's project.

 

My class will be a watercolor lesson on how to paint a bluebird.  You will receive a hand drawn bird, instructions, and watercolor markers to complete your own painting. Once painted, we will cut out the image and pop it into this sweet, little frame and embellish it with lace, ribbons, and vintage rhinestones.

 

Included will be a watercolor journal covered in a painted cover (by me). 

Inside the back pocket is a print out of watercolor tips and tricks to help you fill the book with future paintings

 

The day will include lunch, beverages, and treats. Also a sweet treat presentation on making Apple Cider Cake Pops from Karen, Hospitality Queen of the Cozy Castle.

 

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Class size is very limited, please contact me for more info:

 

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

Date:

Saturday, August 31st

Place:

Karla’s Cottage- Lawrence, KS

Cost:

$115

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Includes:

Lunch, beverages, goodies

Karen’s kit for making Felicia the Flower Fairy

A set of watercolor markers, a hand done drawing for you to paint, a watercolor notebook, painted frame with embellishments, and an instructional chart  for my project.

I hope we will see you there! The class size is limited to the amount of antique dolls Karen has on hand.   This is a makeup class for the one we had to postpone in April, so priority will go to previously signed up guests.

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To register, please  email me at:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

 

ps- If you are coming in from out of town, this is also Sparks Flea Market weekend, one hour and 20 minutes from my house, up north a ways. It is a fun, and funky place to shop, and is open Thursday- Sunday. I plan on being there on Thursday, myself, but I promise not to buy it all, there will still be some vintage goodies left to shop for!

And guess what???

Birdsong is BACK!

Registration will be open soon, I am working on details now.  

I hope to be welcoming you to the Cottage for both workshops, I love filling the room with my Peeps!

Hand painted book covers for the watercolor class

Between getting ready for Once Upon An Easter and prepping the kits to send to Georgia, I’ve taken some breaks to work on the watercolor journals for the class at the cottage on Saturday, April 20th. 

Each is a small, watercolor notebook with 140lb paper.  I have enveloped them in a deconstructed pour paint canvas, then embellished them and added a ribbon tie. 

On the inside of the back cover, I’ve added a pocket.

The pockets are designed to hold the watercolor tips and tricks page that I made.

It gives steps on how to paint the little bluebird that I will hand draw on the front page of each notebook.

You also will receive a pack of watercolor pens to keep so you can practice in your new book.

Once painted, the bird will be ready to pop into a little frame that can be foofed up with a selection of vintage jewels, ribbons, and lace.

I have had a lot of interest in the classes (Karen Hillman will be doing two pretty lessons that day too). 

But- it is Easter weekend.  

Not the best date to plan an event, huh?  Well, my buddy happens to be visiting at that time and we are happy to have the day to play together, hoping a few people could join us. 

 

And luckily, a handful of Peeps are able to attend.  

But many have said it is an action packed family time or Easter dinner prep day. 

At first I was only offering the classes and luncheon as a package deal. But since people are so busy, I thought I’d modify that to say that if you would like to come in the morning and stay for lunch to do Karen’s two projects, or come for lunch and stay for my afternoon project that would be an option.  

You could play with pretties for just half a day, then still have time to get that cake baked and those eggs dyed.

If you are interested:

Morning session with lunch is $60

Afternoon session with lunch is $60

No time to relax over a meal?  A session alone is $50

 (But don’t think you will leave hungry, I’ll pack up some treats to go for you!)

Email me at:

Karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

Living like a Queen at the Cozy Castle, plus Kit and Class info

This is my buddy from my weekend at the Cozy Castle.

Queen Satine, is as gentle and sweet as she is glamorous.

I felt as queenly as Satine looks the whole time I was with Karen.

From the very first night, walking up to her welcoming home, I was wrapped up in comfort, caring, and luxury.

It was heavenly!!!!!

These wings are painted on an alley wall in Deland, FL.  Karen took me out for a night of exploration of the cute downtown and we stopped to check out the artwork.

The workshops that I taught were hosted at her event space nearby, and she has it every bit as pretty as her home.

We had a group of fun ladies there to make angel wings and a memory book with me, and they came bearing gifts. 

After this leg of my journey, I was meeting Sugarwings and my husband, and they were very happy to see me the chocolate when I picked them up at the airport.

The wings were the same kits from the class that I had at the cottage for Valentine's Day, A Lovebird's Song.

But we put a Karen style spin on it, and had frozen Charlottes and bisque babies available for purchase to add to the  wings. (Karen will be teaching a class using the sweet bisque babes here at the cottage if you'd like to join us on April 20th)

You can read more about the class here.

The kits I provided were neutral with soft pink, but I always enjoy seeing what goodies people bring to add some extra touches to their own projects. My friend, Becky gave her wings some Florida Flair.

We had two rooms set up for the students, and I was busy flittering about between the two.  It almost made the teaching go a little easier than the same amount of people in just one room, because when they are at separate tables in the same space, I still have to repeat the instructions to each table, but this way, I didn't feel like I was bothering one table to say my spiel to another table.  

After the morning's class, we were lucky enough to be guided to the Cozy Castle for a lunch break, to dine at a beautifully appointed table Karen had prepared for us.

And to be treated to the world's best cake!

Last year, Karen baked one for my birthday, and gave it to me on a surprise visit.  I was quite happy to get another taste of one of her specialties.

After our schmancy luncheon of deliciousness and beauty, we went back to the workspace for round two, and made these memory, or autograph books.

There are some extra kits, (I always make plenty) I just haven't had a chance to get them listed in the Boutique because I am in the middle of BLECK! taxes BLECK! and in getting kits made for the Once Upon and Easter event that Jenn Hayslip is hosting on Jekyll Island. (I am making extra for those too)

I will have more time when I return in April, after the OTHER CLASS that I am also prepping for here at the cottage with Karen.

Whew! That is a lot of classes in a row!

You can inquire about the wings and autograph book kits now, ($40 each) or wait until all are listed in mid April. Sorry I'm not on the ball for the kits yet.  But soon, there will be a slew of them. You can be crafting away up to your knees is kits if you feel like it.  (ha)

Or maybe I will be seeing you at A Song of Spring and you can be treated like a queen by Karen too?  She brings light and love and happiness and glamour and style and sincerity and beauty everywhere she goes, and I think you'll enjoy the classes.

Her only free time, while in Kansas visiting, is Easter weekend. Soooo......  it is not an easy time for people to get away for a workshop. Looks like it will be a smaller class, which means we have plenty of space available if you'd like to join us?

Lunch, treats, 3 classes, and lots of laughing, foofiness, and fun.

Sorry, I wish I could offer poodle hugs, but Queen Satine will not be attending. She must have an appointment with the Easter Bunny too.  

email me at:

Karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

if you are interested in one of the kits from my past workshops or attending a future one.  

 

I will leave you with a couple more photos from  my royal weekend with Satine and Karen.  It was the BEST! She even took me to Mt Dora's famous flea market.

Yep, it was the BEST.