Karla's Cottage

A little sparkle, a little nature, a new look for January

My Christmas decorations go up early, and every single morning, starting in November, I flip the switch on every power strip the lights plug into, before I have even let dogs out or made coffee.

At night, after the doggies have been tucked in, the lights are regrettably turned off.  If it was feasible, they’d be on 24 hours a day around here.  

Once the season of cheer ends, I can’t face the long cold winter without some extra lighting, so I leave icy style garlands with mini twinkle bulbs above some windows and add lamps to the previously used power strips for some ambient glow to help me get through the insidious, dark, and and awful month of January.

Natural elements and plants are good aids in surviving winter, too.  

And I like the sparkle of glass this time of year.  

The mercury glass stays for the rest of the winter, with some pink roses and hearts added for February.

There is also something to be said for cleared spaces and clean lines, after the clutter of Christmas.  Filling my cottage with multiple collections and trees for November and December might be just what I need for that time, but by about 12/26, I am ready for simplicity.

Well, my idea of simplicity, at least!  I still love my stuff.

Just a little less stuff than normal.  And in neutral tones.

There are a few hints of color peeking out here and there, mostly muted.  And who can trash their poinsettias just because their holiday passed?  I always have a mixed feeling about them, because those flowers really shout “CHRISTMAS” to me.  But it feels like murder to get rid of them in January.  I’ve never been able to keep them alive too long, so it’s not a big problem.   But this year might be different, the two I bought months ago still are thriving and lovely.

There is a big splash of color from this glass art a friend made.  It makes me feel like sunshine is pouring in the room.

Actually, as far as January, we have had more bright light than we typically get.  Enough bright light to show every muddy dog foot print on the floor!  Oh well, be careful what you wish for, right?

The sunlight has been cheery, almost to the point that I forget it’s snowy and cold out there.  

 

 

 

A Gingerbread Cottage Christmas

One thing we look forward to at the holidays is Family Gingerbread Night. I buy the houses at the after Christmas clearance sale stacking them up to use for the next season, and we save up sugary decorations for years.

Literally, years.  No one is even tempted to taste any of it, the candies have been around so long.  We like to mention as we are using the pieces that some are older than Dewdrop.

Especially the bright colored, hard, coated pieces.  Those never die.

This was the year that Sugarwings’ house design grew up.  We started making them together back when the kiddo was about two, and would work on the house throughout the month of December, glopping layers upon layers of goo and goodies over it until you’d never know there was a structure underneath.

 That continued every Christmas, with the goal being to get as much stuff on the house as you could.

But this season?  The grand fairy really put some thought into the styling, and even added a snowman party to the creation, with a tub filled with soda pop as refreshments.

Avahni’s was a crazy cat lady’s house.

And we had a Pokémon hospital.

My favorite might be my son, the carpenter’s.  His is the one on the left corner.  A pile of lumber waiting for the the house to be built.

We leave the supplies out so the work can continue as needed, I put them on a light weight folding table that we can shove out of the way if we have to.

But maybe pushing the table in front of the stairs wasn’t the best idea?  It became a doggie buffet.  

oops 

Gingerbread wasn’t our only edible art. (Well, technically, we do not ever eat the gingerbread, but as far as media goes, I think the houses are in the “edible art” category, right?)

Thia brought over supplies to craft fruit and chocolate bouquets that were delicious, vegan, and lovely. Plus, the shape cutters and other items needed were gifted to me, so I can make my own bouquets in the future!  Thanks, Thia!

And then there is this cottage creation.  We started work on transforming my husband’s office.  Fresh paint, new floors, blinds, light fixtures, and furniture are all in the works.  Photos to come, for sure.  

Simple Treasures and Dealing with Grief at the Holidays

2020 was such a wreck I almost didn’t decorate for the holidays.  But with a grand fairy around, one whose year was as bad as mine, I needed to.  

And the twinkle of lights during a dark winter is very uplifting. 

So I did some holiday foofing, and was glad that I did.  But when I found the bag of pinecones that Ryan and I gathered on a walk, the recollections of that day wrenched my soul.

We’d had Sugar with us, and we were in an area we called The Danger Zone, because there were so many squirrels.  Balancing a squirrel crazed dog on a leash while trying to fill our pockets with pinecones, and having them fall out every time we bent over made us laugh til I cried.

And I cry now, just thinking about it.

But it was a fun memory, one to hold on to.  So, last year, I put out just the trees with lights and pinecones in honor of him and how much we laughed that day while picking those up.

I will always have a tree decorated with pinecones for Ryan now, and use them throughout the house.  

Every day is hard when you lose a child.  But little things, like a pinecone, that can bring back flashes of a very happy day, are treasures that can help.

I have added his picture to one of the pinecone trees, and I love this one because it shows his caring and kindness.

I have used a bit more red around the house too.  It was his favorite color.

And I have done mosaic glass on vases that flowers were delivered in after he died.  They have flickering candles inside and make me think of how many ways he lit up my life.

This is our second Christmas without him.  Sometimes I am shocked that so much time has gone by.

Other days, it feels like he has been gone forever.

I look at Molly, watching her grow from a wriggly little pup into a lovely dog, and realize that Ryan never even met her.  She is a living symbol of my time without him.

I can just hear his voice if he knew we kept this pup from the litter.  He’d probably say just what his brother did- are you crazy!? You do not need another dog!

But he’d have loved her to pieces.

She and I go for long walks on the sidewalks Ryan and I followed and some days we stop at the Danger Zone where all the pinecones fall and I tell her about him.  She is a good listener.

There are so many happy stories to share.  And so many pinecones covering the ground.  Each is a reminder that nature renews itself, life goes on.  That the little, simple things are what is important.

 

 

Another party!

It’s the season for celebration, right?

I have been making the most of it and doing every activity, party, gathering, fun thing I can think of.

And I was lucky to have some fun, local Peeps who could join me for a craft day.  My studio could use the laughter, it’s been a quiet place lately.

We had a luncheon, lots of snacks, and lots of fun.

I’d made up some little kits to work on.

And had a few other bits and pieces for projects.

And people brought their own things to make too.

Glue was flowing, scissors were snipping and it was so nice to have guests to share my space.

A book club party with bookish party favors

The annual holiday party for our book club was at my house, well, I have to admit that it always is at my house.  I tend to hog the date because I love parties so much.

And I love party favors!  I decorated the table with the book page/paper ornies that I’d made and sent one home with each person.  You can’t see it in this pic, but each ball has a tiny, book charm dangling from it.

Here is the table before my friends arrived.

I have been collecting 49 cent Christmas plates from Goodwill all year, there are a few different patterns, but I like the mix.  


It’s all a bit of a mix match.  The water glasses almost all are the same, but the silverware, wine glasses, napkins, and plates are all over the place.  The placemats are pages from the Grand fairies’ outgrown Christmas books.

Here is what I have learned about hosting a party:

NO ONE CARES IF IT MATCHES!

But they do appreciate an effort to make things pretty for them.  I doubt if they cared that the plates were only 49 cents each and were various patterns. Or that to have enough wine glasses, I had to use a very non traditional, purple one.

They might have cared that the pie was a little dry.

Durn it.  I used frozen blueberries, but made it the same as I usually do with fresh ones.  That just isn’t the same, I love the juiciness of the fresh ones.  Frozen requires more sugar, liquid and some lemon, I think.  

The peach pie was better.  I used pecan flour, eggs, some juice from the canned peaches, cinnamon and brown sugar in it.

This was my first time using Aldi’s crust (I never make my own crust).  It was so-so.  Not very flakey, and a little dry.  I’ll stick with Sprouts, their crust is always ideal.  Plus it is vegan, which is good when I am feeding my family.

Also, this might not be the prettiest place to set out desserts, but it worked.

I found some “Vintage Tinsel Sprinkles” at Homegoods and happily glittered all the treats.  I love them so much that I had some glittery, festive-ness on my peanut butter toast today.  Using my holiday plates.  

One very nice thing about my big stack of thrift store plates is that I don’t have to be gentle with them.  They are special, but they aren’t worth anything, so we have been using them daily since Thanksgiving.  

Dishes are breakable, so I never want to own any that I am afraid of using.  I like plates that I can enjoy.

 

 

 

Why yes, that is a white, Halloween pumpkin and glittered Easter egg on my Christmas wreath

This wreath stays up on my door with some switcheroos throughout the year.  I never attach any thing permanently, picks are just stuck through the grapevine for quick changes.

For past Christmasses, I’ve put ornaments in the little nest.  Or vintage birds.  But I kind of like the glittered eggs that were in there for Easter, so left them.

I also left one of the velvet pumpkins from fall decorating, and most of the pastel, autumn blooms.  Some glittery poinsettias and frosted greenery were tucked in around them and I was done.

Lazy and easy, but I’m happy with it.

The rest of the entry way was quick too.  Of course a sweet, little Dorothy straight from the groomers adds a pop of prettiness!

All I did was pull up the dead flowers and stick mini trees into the pots.  Very lazy.  But better than dead flowers, right?

I can be very lazy when I know I am roofing up something just for show, not to sell or to keep for reuse.  Like this teensy, flocked tree from Walmart in the flimsy, plastic pot.

For a fast makeover so that it would look nice in my guest bathroom, I covered the pot in sheet music topped with some wrapping paper and added a  ribbon and buckle to the rim.  Quick, easy, not a lot of thought went into it, but it brightened the pot up.  

I’ll probably pop the rhinestone buckle off for future use when the rest get thrown away after the tree is done.  I don’t know about you, but I have never been able to keep these things alive to plant outside for spring.

My philosophy is that a small, creative touch improves most things.  But doesn’t have to be a big, overwhelming project.  Especially at the holidays when we are stressed.  

Do what you can and enjoy what you do.

 

 

 

 

 

How to refresh your tile floor for under a dollar

This is the after photo.  I am sooo happy with it!

This is the before.  Years of wear had discolored the grout.  I’d tried peroxide, bleach, scrubbing with a tooth brush, every kind of soap and cleanser I could try.

I even hired a company to steam clean the floor.  No luck, the grout was turning black in the heavily trafficked areas.

I cannot speak for the longevity of this solution- yet.  But as someone who works with paint a lot and understands the properties of it, I’m not too worried.  

And even if I only get a year or two out of it, it is a fast, cheap solution.  I could spring for another 79 cent bottle of acrylic craft paint and an hour of my time to redo it.

Here are the tricks I learned- 

• Using a brush that fits the grout line, apply the paint full strength, not watered down.
• Keep a wet towel handy for mopping up big smears on the tile.
• Don't fret the small smears.  Grout is porous and it’s “tooth” will hold acrylic paint.  Smooth, porcelain tile will not.  So, paint the lines and if you get a bit on the squares, just wait till it’s all dry, and wet mop.  The lines will stay painted, the tiles will come clean.  But very important- don’t wait too long or you might need some elbow grease to remove it.  It will come off, but will be harder if you leave it more than a few hours.  
  
  

 

 

 

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!

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.

Another thing from the flea market dollar table and a $16 mini redo

Surprisingly, this oval, floral print was only $1.   The frame was beat up, but a coat of paint made it look charmingly beat up instead of just messy.

Sissy had given me her Waverly curtains, and I’d made pillows for the sofa with some, but decided to use those in the breezeway instead and cut up another panel to make curtains in there too.

The oil painting of the girl was a gift from the Guncles, it is vintage and came with a grand frame that I’ll be repurposing.

Aren’t the curtains cozy for fall? Previously, there had been white sheers.  These floral ones make the room seem more finished.

 The large oval picture is a gift from Sissy too.  It had a gold frame, which I changed to white with an umber glaze to fit in more with my stuff.   And I am liking the way the new rounded pictures go well with the two smaller ones I already had.  

All of the new-to-me pretties in the space made me want to do some fall updates on the exterior too, so I added warmer, autumn tones to my door wreath with about $15 worth of blooms from Michaels. 

This wreath gets random, seasonal makeovers by simply switching out flowers.  I don’t attach the stems, they are simply poked into the grapevine and  stay pretty good.  The wreath is in a slightly protected area, and isn’t fully exposed to wind, but some flowers blow a bit loose here and there.  No problem, I just tuck them back in again.

My Sissy also gave me this print (the three sisters).  I always admired it at her house.  She is building a new home and making some changes, and I was lucky to be visiting during the early part of the process and could bring the items home with me.

Very lucky, because I love her style and she has been a major influence on me developing my own sense of design. 

You can tell just how pretty the fabric is in this close up.  I had enough panels to make curtains around the grand fairies’ bunk beds in the camper too.  I am in the middle of a redo of it, and will have more pics when I am done.