Karla's Cottage

Florida Friends with Flowing Paint and eating from field to fork

While Karen, Regina, and Randy were here from Florida, we got together at the Cottage for some flow painting.  I showed them how to make an ocean scene.

And we made some book covers.

They all got messy with me, and we poured paints in the garage.

This is a "swipe" technique. The colors go on over black paint, then more black paint is drizzled over it, and swiped across to make a pretty design. The paint needs to dry for a while, when it is done, I'll assemble the books, and show you how it turned out.

Here is Guncle Randy's other painting.

WOW.

I love it. 

I wonder if he will notice if it isn't in the box I am mailing to him when the paint dries....

I'd planned a lunch for us and was happy to have a chance to use the fall tablecloth that I found at the flea market we all shopped at.

We had beef pot pie with puff pastry, salad, and rosemary garlic bread fresh from the oven.

With "paint pour" cupcakes for dessert.

But that wasn't it for the day...

Karen started her morning at 4am, dove hunting at the camp we had been visiting.

She brought them along to clean and gifted us with a whole flock.

It is not something I've ever done before, but intriguing.  There is definitely a bonus to a meal that you have hand crafted, whether from garden to table or from field to fork.

And well worth it, those doves were tender and delicious!  We soaked them in salt water for 24 hours, before marinating in Italian dressing.

While the dove breasts soaked up the flavors, we took a Labor Day spin out on the lake.

After boating, I wrapped the breasts in bacon, and my husband slow cooked them on the grill. We served it with a cauliflower mash, asparagus, fresh made bread, and a salad featuring tomatoes just picked from the garden.

Thanks, for being such a great shot, Karen! And for sharing your bounty!

 

 

A Woodland Fairy Themed Birthday Party

Sugarwings hosted her 12th birthday party at her family's Kismet Farm.  She, her sister, and I set up the cake table, and I brought a few of my things to use, as well as a stack of paper butterflies I'd gotten at an estate sale for a couple of bucks.

(I wish I'd gotten a photo of the cake her mom made, it was really something special! That lady has a magic touch with cake decor)

To go along with the woodland theme, the kids and I walked to the treeline and we gathered grapevine hanging from the trees, to craft fairy crowns and dream catchers from them.

There was a nature walk and scavenger hunt, time to play on a swing, then a picnic.

The kids got to do a circus workshop and learn some tricks.

And of course, we had marshmallows to roast for s'mores!

Our Hippy Chick brought a pile of hula hoops too.

But in my opinion, the best part of a party is to just let the kids play outside and have all the fun they can make for themselves.

There was camping for those who wanted to sleep overnight in tents, so the party favors were LED glow sticks and flashlights to play with after dark.

Walmart has these mini lights for $1 each.

We also gave out necklaces that Sugarwings and I made, using paint pours.

The cake table was outside against the covered patio wall, and we hung odds and ends of fabric remnants and curtains behind it, then layered old tablecloths and burlap onto it.  The butterflies were pinned to the fabric and it was a pretty simple set up to create and to take down.  I brought serving pieces that I already had, along with the $2 pack of butterflies, so we didn't put any money into the decor at all.

I didn't get a photo of the table with the cake or punch on it, but the cake was so cute.  And the punch was berry juice mixed with lemonade.  Sugarwings and I sliced up fruit and froze it into bowls of lemonade to make pretty ice that wouldn't dilute the punch as it melted.

What a nice evening!!

 

A Woodland Scavenger Hunt for a Birthday Party

My son and his family now have a 13 acre home in the woods, and I think Sugarwings loves it out there more than anyone. So, when it was time to plan a party for her 12th birthday, this is where she wanted to have it. She suggested a nature walk as part of the activities and I made up a scavenger hunt list (spelling her name) for the kids to take on the walk.

Her dad mowed the trails ahead of time, and we walked along them to explore the woods.

It is a pretty time of year and there was a lot to see along the way.

Sugarwings stapled the list to sandwich bags for the participants to fill with their finds.

I was struck by how beautiful the trails were, and what a wonderful piece of property he'd found. He has been working on cleaning it up and making it a retreat for yoga, permaculture, and other workshops in the future and I'm looking forward to seeing this land become a growing business as well as a home. 

And to watch the grand fairies grow up in the woods.   

Even more so, after seeing how some of the "city kids" who came to the party reacted to being there.  Many seemed unsure of how to handle themselves walking along a trail and few were able to find the items on the list. 

All of my family spends so much time connecting to nature that it didn't occur to me that some kids were uncomfortable in it and happier on their iPhones than running through the trees.

One thing I noticed that made me happy, was that every kid did find a "TREASURE" from the list on the bags.  They might not be used to woodland walks and seeing the details in nature, but they could still connect enough to know that an acorn, a rock with sparkles on it, or an empty snail shell was truly a treasure to find and keep.

And it made me so happy to know that our grand fairies, while they love screens and devices, like most of us in this world, still love being in the woods and the magic of finding a leaf with a hole in it and peeking through that peephole.

Pretty Poured Paint Pendants for a Party

Sugarwings wanted some gifts to give to her birthday party attendees, and I wanted to make something special for a gathering I am attending this week, so we saved the drippings from our last day of painting to make some necklaces.

This is how it starts.

Ugly, huh?

She laid a piece of parchment paper under her work area to catch drips, then spread the paint with a spatula so it would be thin enough to use in a pendant tray.

The name for this is ugly too. These are called "skins".  

Bleck!

But once you start looking up close, you find some lovely, little areas that are ideal for jewels.

A generous dusting of glitter went over the wet paint, then we let it dry a week.

The next step is isolate the pretty areas and place 1" glass nuggets over them.

They are glued to the paint covered parchment, cut out after the glue dries, then the parchment paper is peeled off the back and the domes are glued into pendant trays.

I use a decent sized dollop of glue, press the dome into the tray tightly, then clean off the excess glue that oozes out.

This one had a surprise heart show up.

After drying, I slide them onto a leather cord and tie slip knots onto it to make the length adjustable.

I've also tried just dipping the bottom of the glass into the paint, but I don't think it is as solid of a hold as gluing the paint skin to the nugget then gluing that to the tray. Plus you get more control over the paint this way, you can pick and chose where you want to glue the glass down.

Sugarwings also made this painting  to give as a grand prize to the scavenger hunt winner. I was proud of her work, she knew exactly what she wanted to pour and how to do it.  This is done with the end of a water bottle! We cut off the curved bottom of the bottle and placed it in the center of the canvas. Then, she slowly and carefully poured one color after another onto the bottle piece, and let the paint flow across the canvas to create petals of a flower.

This kiddo is growing up.  She is attending Jr High, taking martial arts, and has a whole new sense of self confidence to go along with her joyful, zest for life.  I'm impressed with her as well as her paintings.

 

Favorites

Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary! 

Van Go

Our town is lucky to have an organization like Van Go.  Here is a snippet from their website that will explain them better than I can:

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS.

Our Mission

---

Our Mission: To improve the lives of high-needs youth using art as the vehicle for self-expression, self-confidence, and hope for the future.

Van Go is an arts-based, social service agency that employs at-risk youth ages 14-24, to make public works of art that are sold in the community. It’s holistic, year-round programming uses the ARTS to deliver in-depth mental health support, job training, health nutrition education, and life skills lessons. Van Go’s nationally recognized programming gives troubled teens a job, real world skills and opportunity to succeed.

Our KiKi is a talented artist and she was one of the kids hired for the summer to paint a bench.  The unveiling was last week, and it was a moving ceremony with heart felt speeches that showed just how much a program like this can mean for people.

There were 20 benches debuted that day, to the sound of drum rolls and lots of oohs and ahhs.

Her client/sponsor was the Lawrence Buskerfest, which was right up her alley, since she is a participant in that event too.  She did a beautiful job encorporating portraits of some of the performers with Kansas sunflowers and the skyline of downtown Lawrence. I thought it was well planned and had a dynamic design.  

 

I'm very proud of this little grandfairy!

Happy Fourth of July!

Did you choose the weekend before or after the 4th for your celebration?

Whether you picked a weekend, had just the 4th itself, or were able to use the entire week to be on vaca/celebration mode, I hope your holiday is the

BEST!

My husband had a birthday too.

While I have been celebrating my 60th from early April to mid June, my poor husband only got one day of partying for his. 

He made up for it by mentioning his age (57) from the time I turned 60, until he turned 58 a month later.  Hmm, yes, I heard that, Rich!! 

 I wanted to do something special for him, since he put up with all of my celebrating of my own holiday.  

We spend a lot of time out on Lake Clinton, near our home.  And we have a favorite area, a quiet cove that is ideal for swimming and picnicking. So, I took dozens of photos the last time we were there, and did this painting from them.

At first, I framed it.  Then, took a look at it on the wall and thought it looked like a little old lady painted it. (which I realized that I am)

Once I popped it out of the frame, I liked it better.  

Here is our cove from another angle.  We are often the only people there when we go.  Lake Clinton is a beautiful spot and I am always surprised at how quiet it is.

Although, we do our best to liven up that cove!

We have even convinced our son, Ryan to come out on the lake with us this season.  He hasn't been as fond of the place as the rest of us, over the years.  

For Rich's birthday, we packed a picnic and headed out to our cove to have dinner.  It was only one party for him, as opposed to the 7 or so I had.... But I think he liked it.  And I hope that he will enjoy the painting. 

Around here, there are a lot of paintings, but I tried to make this one special for him. 

And you thought I was done celebrating? Ha!

My husband is becoming overwhelmed by the length of my birthday celebrations.  His birthday has come and gone, while I am still living mine up.

Seriously, I thought I was done too, then my Birdsong pal, Tami, included me in her own birthday party.  She, Nora, and I are all turning 60 this year and at her recent craft day gathering, she toasted the three of us, plus others' special days too.

Not only that, she created these lovely crowns for our trio of 60 year olds.  (Mine is too far back on my head to show in this, but you can see it in the close up, above.  Gorgeousness, huh????)

Tami supplied projects for the day too.  There was an assortment of lids to turn into note holders, and clip boards to foof up. 

As it always is, her craft day was filled with laughter and creativity.  Thanks, Tami!!

When your friends know you well

Back in May, I threw myself a birthday dinner party and invited some of my long time, good friends.   We'd met through our love of art, and even though our art endeavors have gone different directions over the last 20 years or so, we still have a love of each other.

They collaborated on a charm bracelet for my 60th, with pieces charmingly filled with memories of our times together and of my favorite things.

There is sea glass (one of my obsessions), a heart signifying family, diacrylic glass from a group project we did, birthstones for my kids, and see the bakery stand? I love to serve cupcakes on a tiered stand, not just on a plate.

A vine for my garden, a bird for Birdsong, a mermaid for my love of the ocean, and even charms for my doggies.

My friends found  yorkie, doodle, and golden retriever charms for the bracelet.  And a Disney castle!!

It was a thoughtful gift from friends who know me well and who I am lucky to have.

Thank you, guys!!

I'll leave you with a few photos of the table before the group arrived.