Karla's Cottage

A Summer Solstice Costume Ball

My husband’s amazing sister (and my BFF/fellow Disney lover/Birdsong assistant extraordinaire) threw a party.

And not just any party, this was a Summer Solstice costume ball for 150 friends and family that was really and truly a formal  ball, not a party.  

Oh, and she crafted about a third of the costumes herself, including these two that have twinkle lights embedded in the capes.

Not only was there a fancy, over the top, real life BALL, she had a kids’ party across the hall for the little ones.

With tables full of craft supplies.

Along with multiple door prizes for each kiddo.  There were movies, pizza, cookies, games, dancing, and more. 

Terry raffled off the big screen TV the movies were shown on as well as the centerpieces for the ball.

We had a photo booth too.

Sugarwings was a butterfly fairy and she made the headdresses for herself and Dewdrop.

Who went as a monarch fairy.

Terry created Guncle Randy’s costume and I helped with the crown he made himself.

She made Guncle Kevin’s too.  But our dashing host, Dale, pulled his own together.

Terry not only whipped up this cutey’s penguin suit, she made sure there were stuffed penguins on the prize table for him to snuggle with.

This costume was my fave, not just because I am a fan of the Goblin King from Labyrinth.  I loved all of the hand sewn gems and the stolen baby accessory.

She did not make the baby.

Of course, I loved these costumes too!

And the fairies inside the butterfly costumes.

There was magic everywhere that night.

And dancing!

Lots of dancing!

It was a wonderful event.  

Thank you, Terry and Dale!

I’ll leave you with some more photos of the fun.

 

 

Hoppy Easter!

While in Jekyll Island, Georgia, Guncle Randy and I made a quick trip to the beach on our way back to Jax and Guncleland.   The Easter workshop had been so jam packed with fun activities that we hadn’t had a chance to see the Atlantic til it was over.

It goes against every fiber of my being to be so close to the water and not get to visit it, so my baby bro made sure I had a walk on the beach to gather shells.

We found mostly broken ones, and just enough to make this bunny.  The bits and pieces seemed to come together just right to develop a shell rabbit.  At first, I was sad that the biggest broke as I picked it up, but once I assembled them, the break looked like the bunny was wearing a waistcoat!  Even better than I had planned.

I hope your holiday is a happy one.  When we take turns at the dinner table to tell everyone what we are “hoppy” about, I will have many things to share, including my trip to this beautiful beautiful island. 

Once Upon an Easter

Jenn Hayslip’s bunny bash was every bit as special as I knew it would be.

It was great to catch up with old friends...

Meet some new friends...

  Learn some entertaining tricks..

Attend a tea party with my baby bro...

Make Eastery foofiness in fun classes...

Eat wonderful food in fancy settings with fun people...

Teach a class...

Go to an Easter egg hunt...

Play dress up...

Eat more great food...

And more...

And more...

I even got to decorate an Easter tree and do some other sprucing up before things started.

Thank you, Jenn, it was lovely!

 

 

 

Disney bound!

If you have ever seen my blog, you know that I kinda like Disneyworld.....  And that if I am anywhere near it, I try to weasel my way into a visit.

So yep, while I am in Florida visiting Guncles after my Georgia workshop, I am heading to see my pal Mickey.  How could I not go??? My trip luckily coincided with my mouse loving sis, Terry, being there too. So she and I are spending a day together at our favorite place.

When Sugarwings and I were there in February (yes, I know, I WAS JUST THERE), we were impressed by this happy couple's new party clothes.  So, I added some confetti nail polish to my previously Valentine themed magic band for this trip.

 

Happy spring!

What a perfect way to welcome springtime!  I made pastel, floral, Easter banners all morning.

This one has a Charlotte bunny.

And some sparkly jewels.  Lots of Good Stuff was put to good use on it.  

Afterwards, Ryan and I had a nice, long dog walk. Then Sugarwings and I had a meandering bike ride.

We topped off the afternoon with froyo, I refuse to eat icey desserts in winter.  And I’m extra happy that spring is here, and along with it, ice creamy delightfulness!

Yay, Spring!

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.

 

Uhm, is your hair purple?

Last fall, when I visited Disney World with my sisters, I was surprised to bump into my husband’s uncle and his family.  

This year, we had a similar co-inky-dink, by finding out through FB posts that a nephew was there at the same time for his Princess’ 4th birthday!

Does this mean that our family magically comes together in strange ways?  Or simply that we are bad at communicating and the only way we will see each other is to accidentally bump into relatives in large, public places?

Whatever the reason we met up, I was thrilled. 

We were at the end of our trip, and only had a few hours of overlap time where we could visit before our afternoon flight.

Then fate stepped in again.  

Our flight was CANCELLED.

Which caused Sugarwings to miss a day of school, and my husband to miss prep for a big call he needed to be on, but me?

Did I use the word thrilled already?

Yep, that is how I felt!  These guys live far away and we rarely see them.  My husband has been able to watch the baby grow up, because he had to make business trips to their city  

I’ve only had a few visits with her, so she barely knows me.

I crafted this scrapbook for her, in hopes that a birthday at Disney was a memorable event for her, and we’d be associated with those memories.  

Their family was staying at....

The FOUR SEASONS.

A bit of an upgrade from the Carribean Beach Resort where we were.

Not that I ever would complain about Carribean Beach, we have had some wonderful trips staying there, Sugarwings and I were in heaven with our girls weekend,and consider it a favorite hotel.

But there aren’t many places that compare with the Four Seasons. 

We joined them for the afternoon by the pool (many pools), and ended up being gifted with a gorgeous suite.  The only problem with it, was that we had to get up at 4am to fly home, and that wasn’t nearly enough time to revel in the luxury.

From the balcony, you can see fireworks from three Disney parks.

The pool area was ideal for kids, there was also a lazy river and some big slides. 

I made the mistake of wearing my tie dye, hippy hat into the lazy river, and proved that riff raff like myself doesn’t  belong at fancy places. 

Pink and purple dye ran down my face and shoulders, ruining multiple towels before I realized that I was leaking color everywhere.

If anyone asked where I got purple highlights, I’ll just say they are from the Four Seasons Spa.

Thank you, Damon, for the special day, and to Sully for spending her birthday with us!

We 

Disney Magic

During my many segmented trip to Florida, Sugarwings and I spent some time at Disney while my husband took off with  buddies for a Guys’ Golfing Getaway.

And we made the most of every moment. 

We were up extra early to spend time at the park while it was quiet.  I love the atmosphere before the herds of mouse eared tourists arrive. 

Speaking of mouse ears, these are what Sugarwings bought with our little bonus for turning down Mousekeeping. 

If you decline having your room cleaned, and set your own trash outside the door, calling for extra towels as needed, you get a gift card.

She bought the Purple Potion ears with the card, so she was responsible for helping with the room. They were cute and sparkly, but I don’t know how many times those sequins scratched my face when I was getting a hug.

And I got lots of hugs!  That was one happy kid. 

We splurged one night for the fireworks dessert buffet, and we were both pretty dang happy when we were led to the never ending treat buffet!

I don’t know if I’d pay extra to do it again, but I was glad we treated ourselves on this trip. The park was crowded due to a Princess 5K, and we probably wouldn’t have had such a good viewing point without the special seating. 

While the parks were pretty crowded, I felt like we were blessed with some sort of magical pixie dust that luckily led us through our days with no hiccups 

Somehow, we stumbled into being at the front of dance parties,

And with up front, personal seating for the parade.  

We just happened to be at the beginning of lines to see characters, not even realizing that they were setting up for a line to form. 

We also seemed to end up in places where crowds were not. Maybe because we like to linger over decor and details.  

We took time to enjoy the little things, like shining a flashlight over your hand on the sidewalks in Pandora to leave a glowing pattern behind. 

We took our time as we liked, but then hurried onto the next activity, used the ap to schedule fast passes on the go, and do mobile food ordering. 

Some of our timing was planning, some was luck.  Often, we came around a corner just as something fun was happening and joined right in.

We didn’t realize we’d be able to see Epcot fireworks from our hotel, that was a pleasant surprise!

A fun photo op was never passed up, either. 

Maybe because it was just two of us, it was easier to maneuver the park?

And the fact that we preferred playing with statues to standing in lines made the day easier. We didn’t care about the big name rides.  We enjoyed our fast passes, then only went to attractions with no or little waits. 

Instead of waiting two hours to be frightened by a Yetti, we joined the Wilderness Explorers and earned badges while walking along shady trails.   We always took time to talk to the Cast Members (employees), and got lots of tips about where to go and when. 

And when we got back to the hotel too late to suit up and swim, I let her jump in, as is for a few minutes the pool was still open.

I’ve been to Disney World many times, and it doesn’t always go this smoothly. It was one of the higher crowd days, and should’ve been harder than it was.  

But our theory of zigging when others zag, taking our time, enjoying what was right in front of us, and planning out what we could, sure made this a perfect visit!

Or was it pixie dust, after all? Possibly, Tinkerbell recognized a fellow fairy and shared her magic to make our days go smoothly?  

Making the most of a getaway

 

I’m using my mini work trip to teach a couple of pretty projects at the Cozy Castle as the perfect excuse for a Florida vacation.  Sugarwings and her Pop Pop are joining me tonight for a trip down the coast to stay on the beach a few days.

After sunning and swimming, we are headed back to Orlando to drop off my Handsome Husband for a golfing weekend with his buddies. 

Then, the grandfairy and I are free to run amuck at the Magic Kingdom til it is time to meet up and fly back to Kansas.  

Well why not?  I was already going to be in Florida anyway... with airline points and companion passes, all flights were free. Hotel points went a long way too, not quite covering the beach stay but helpful.  I have a Disney Credit card that racks up points for discounts.  

I love wringing as much as I can out of a getaway, and putting the week together like puzzle pieces to see just how much I can squeeze into one flight. And of course, how could I not try to wrangle a trip to Disney in while I’m sooo close to the Happiest Place on Earth?  

Our Cottage Christmas

Our Dewdrop was home for the holiday and we made the most of the time with her. Lots of snuggles happened, lots of fun too.

Christmas was a repeat of Thanksgiving. It was such a good day, why not do it again? We made gingerbread houses, walked in the woods, laughed, and ate together. 

A perfect family day- plus presents!

Ki Ki made this house from graham crackers. 

Yes, she is skilled in everything she does. Give her a bit of fabric and you get a custom pair of shorts, made without a pattern and fit perfectly. Give her a box of cookies and you get a Victorian mansion.

This is just the beginning of the mansion, it turned out just wonderful.

Just like our Thanksgiving, we had ideal weather.

Just right for enjoying some time outdoors and working up an appetite for homemade pot pie. We had vegan and chicken varieties, and I was smart enough to make them up a couple of days early so I could pop them into the oven and enjoy our time together instead of being stuck in the kitchen.

Because no one wants to feel trapped at Christmas...

Well, most people wouldn't.

Our gingerbread homes made a pretty centerpiece for the dinner.

We had more than we could even fit onto the table.  Now that the parties are over, we will load them up, and take them out to the woods as a gift to the fairies.  

We have enough of them to set up whole communities for the fey.  

And we are up for any excuse to go for a walk in the woods together.

 

 

PS- I am thrilled to announce that I will be teaching a class in Florida at Karen Hillman's Cozy Castle!!!!!!!!! 

Details here  

I'll be posting photos and more info soon.  I hope to see you in sunny Florida for a day of friendship, creativity, and fun with my ruffly wings and romantically inspired autograph book projects