Karla's Cottage

My Treacherous Journey

Before our January sale at Good Juju, I made some Sweetheart Fairies.

I’d found a boxful of vintage, handmade heads a few years ago and had just been waiting for inspiration to figure out what to do with them.

I had absolutely loved making angels from old dolls at Christmas, but was out of the vintage dolls, so couldn’t make more.  Then I remembered the big glass bowl of doll heads in my studio.

Since I have been vending at an antique mall, I’ve started collecting furniture to fix up.  Which meant I needed storage.  I had to give up a corner of my studio to stack the pieces until needed, and to camouflage the area, I cordoned it off with hinged together doors.

 Well, I hate it. But it was needed. And worked out okay, even though it ruins the natural light from the big window and is an eyesore.  I have covered the doors with gowns, but it kinda feels even bulkier this way.  I should take these down and paint or wallpaper the doors to make the room feel less crowded.

The cluster of tables and dressers behind the barricade also blocks everything back in the corner behind the stacked junk furniture.  

And that is where the heads were.

 Getting to them was quite the scramble, and I could only squeeze through and grab a handful at a time.

Making the Sweetheart Fairies has become a slight obsession, so I find myself navigating the maze and reaching my way too short arm through a gap to snag another handful of heads on a regular basis.  I should just move some furniture, get the bowlful of doll parts and keep them in a more convenient place.

But that would be too easy.

The bodies are wire and wool roving, and I dress them up in bits and pieces of vintagey goodness.  Most of these sold at the last sale, but I braved the treacherous trail through mountains of precarious piles and snatched another handful of heads.  

More to come! 

 

 

 

Sweetheart Gnomes

I learned a new cell phone trick!  I’m still not quite sure how to use it, but somehow or another you can cut the background out of a photo while texting.  Why while texting?  That seems odd, why not just in  edit photos?  

I plan on playing with the function a bit more, even though I am not sure I need it.  It’s fun to manipulate pictures, so I guess I do need it? One more toy?

Speaking of toys, these little guys look playful, don’t they?  I’ve been on a gnome kick.

Sweetheart Gnomes, for Valentine’s.  

Although I am not sure about this one’s vintage earring nose.  I go back and forth between thinking it’s cute or that he has a medical condition.

I have always been a gnome fan.  I figure they are probably good friends with fairies, even if they can act a little gruff, they are probably very loving toward the little sprites.  

Any any friend of a fairy is a friend of mine.

 

 

 

The elves are drunk

Some of these elves are from my childhood, others have been collected over time. I’ve always loved the little sprites and one of my favorite memories at the holidays was being allowed to play with the three mouse head elves on the tree.  

Why were the elves mice? That wasn’t a question that I ever thought of back then.

When the Elf on a Shelf craze started a few years back, I bought the grand fairies a couple new ones.  We didn’t really play the spy game with them, they were mostly cuddled, loved, and included in holiday activities.  Like a favorite stuffy.

Now that Sugarwings is a teenager, the elves are getting into trouble  that kid surprises me with various drunken elf scenes and messes.

I bought some of those chocolate liqueur candies and the elves think I purchased those just for them.

I never know where I’ll find a drunken elf getting into trouble.

One seems to be the instigator.

They try to make up for it by doing something sweet.

Sugarplum Fairies

I have been a busy little elf.

Not just making more Sugarplum Fairies, but also making some tiny, itty bitty, snow globes for some of them to hold.

Seriously, I cannot get enough of them!

Well, I just love fairies and angels of all kinds.  Anyone with wings is special to me.

Throw in vintage bits of fabric, lace, and baubles, and I never want to stop crafting.

Slowly but surely, I am restocking my Boutique.  But there are issues with changes in the programs that I use that have made it more slowly than surely.

I’m a big girl, I’ll figure it out.  It’s just annoying and takes more time than it used to.  A few steps have been added to my process, but it works fine.  At my age learning new steps slows me down more than it should.

If you’ve seen my Sugarplum Fairies or Witchy girls before, you might recognize some faces.  I do reuse the old photos that I have scanned and printed, but I can promise that no two ever turn out exactly  the same.

Because, what fun would that be?  

 

Beachy Blessings

My time in Siesta Key was way too short.  It always is.  But it seemed even more so since I had four days while my sissies stayed on for a full two weeks!  After I got home, I could see all of their fun without me  in photos on FB.

I could’ve used a couple more days there. Between arriving in the afternoon, getting food and supplies, then settling in, and then needing more supplies that we missed the next day, first days are typically hectic when staying at a condo.

Plus, with being gone ten days I was feeling the pressure of not getting any work done, so I brought supplies.  In the first few days, I made four dozen Sugarplum Fairies.  

I was a bit resentful that I had to work so hard on vacation, but I reminded myself that creating at a table over looking the Gulf, and taking breaks to go on the beach, while talking to my sissies as I worked did not suck.

Overall, I am blessed that my job consists of making pretty things.  And making pretty things while at the beach makes me feel even more blessed.

Adding a sunset over the water to my day?  It is hard to count that many blessings.  They just keep racking up.

For a moment, I complained that I finished my work just in time to go home.  Then I reminded myself that as a slightly, over reaching, workaholic, I probably would’ve just started another project.

I mean, hey, I still had supplies with me, didn’t I?

 

A Blessings Angel fund raiser for Florida’s hurricane victims.

My trip to Florida was short but so,so, very nice.  We were in Siesta Key, our favorite city and were relieved to see so little sign of damage from the storm.  

Many places weren’t so lucky.  To help out, (in a small way, but every bit helps, right?) I decided to craft one of my sea shell fairies into this spectacular shell that I bought.  Oh my, it’s so pretty!  I had thought about using a shadow box, but when I saw this, I knew it would be the ideal home for my little Blessings Angel.

Here she is in her iridescent shell at the beach.  

While still in Florida, I posted about her on FB.  I am asking for bids to raise money for the official disaster relief fund set up by the state.

If you are interested in making an offer, please contact me at:

[email protected]

I will announce the person with the highest donation Tuesday evening, send their donation to

https://www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf/

and mail the Angel to them.

 

 

Seashell fairies at Indian Rocks

 I had a restful, and much needed vacation with my sisters at the beach.

Indian Rocks is not my favorite beach, mostly because of the lack of shells.  But the ocean was beautiful, the sunsets were colorful, and the company was the best.  Plus, I managed to find just enough shells to make two fairies.

And I am being very precise with my words telling you that, there honestly were not many shells.  

I was pleased to be able to make one fairy and felt very lucky to have scrambled enough shells together for her, then told myself on the last day that I wanted to find a heart and create an Angel for my Ryan before I left.  The wind was rough that day so I decided to walk into it for the first part of the stroll, knowing it’s always easier to return with the wind at your back, not in your face.

These bits and pieces came my way on that last, windy walk and I was able to construct this for Ryan, just as I’d hoped to.  I sprinkled a few more of his ashes, listened to his song again, and told him that I love him.

But he knows that.

Here is the first sprite I made.  Her hair looks like she was battling the wind as much as I was, doesn’t it? 

I consider her more of a fairy, and the second one is an Angel.  But I guess it is all in the eyes of who sees them and what they think of them.  

That is, if anyone actually sees them.  But that isn’t the point of making them.  

The beach fairies are a blessing and a thank you to nature that I make for the pure pleasure of crafting them.

My sissies took me to another beach, where I also gathered some shells to bring home.  I’m hoping to craft some shellfolk in epoxy with those, so will have some to share that aren’t just memories that wash away in the surf.

 

St Augustine Seashell Fairies and Gnomes

You have to love the beaches of St Augustine, and well, just everything about that city.  

Technically, I guess it was Butler Beach, a tad south of town.  The dogs needed to be on leashes, which wasn’t quite as much fun for them, but the place is soooo pretty, we adore being there.

Shelling for fairies wasn’t as easy as our previous stop, but I managed to wrangle a few sprites into shape to place on the beach our last day.

Tide was coming in soon after these were made.  My husband asked to see the fairies, and as we walked over to them, they slipped out into the waves.

He said he’d always been confused by why I spend so much time hunting for the shells to make something that has no permanence, but now got it.  That it was the joy of creation, not the creation itself.  I don’t think those were his exact words, but it was a sweet conversation, however he phrased it.

It has been pointed out to me, that this gal has three boobs.

hmmm

Not what I was going for, but I sure see it now.  I just thought it was a pretty gown with a ruffled bodice. Her striped socks are my favorite part, they look like pieces of the same shell but were found at opposite ends of the shoreline.

One thing I appreciate about this area is the long, flat stretches of sand.  Ideal for walking.  And there is a “road” along the back where you can drive, so we bring our truck with all of our paraphernalia for the day.  We can easily haul a tent, chairs, and coolers to settle in and spend an afternoon.

And I have never seen it too busy.  The weather wasn’t perfect, but even when it is, it hasn’t been crowded when we have visited.  

After living in a 19’ RV with four dogs for a few weeks, we decided to find an Airbnb while our boy, Dewdrop, and her mother came to see us.  It was sorta last minute, so we took what we could get.  And we got pretty lucky with this spacious, new house.

I was sold when I saw photos of the fence.  What a luxury to just open a door to let dogs out, after being in an RV park and needing leashes!

Oh, and the pool was a bonus.

I already mentioned that our weather was less than perfect, but the grand fairies still spent time out there.  Then they’d run to the hot shower and I’d have warm towels waiting for them in the dryer.  So the pool wasn’t wasted, even if we couldn’t enjoy it as much as we’d like.

Renting the house was a good move, I cannot imagine what our trip would’ve been like in hotels or another, smaller rental we’d looked at.  This one had spacious areas and a covered porch.  We sat on the patio while it rained to drink our coffee in the mornings, and it felt very vacationy.

The house was around the corner from some cool, but swampy walking trails.  I doubt if I’d take dogs over there on warmer days when gators are active.  

We were right down the street from the beach access too.  Now, would I have preferred a home with the surf as a backyard?

Well, dur.

But- this one was close.  We could zip down quickly between rain spurts if we wanted.  And that fence for the dogs?  Such a pleasant thing to have when you are crazy enough to travel for five weeks with four mutts.

Most of the trip, we avoided big crowds.  Except that rainy Saturday when we, like the rest of the spring breakers thought they’d put on raincoats and go visit the historic downtown.  But even then, we avoided the biggest rush of them by looking for a place to eat on side alleys, not the main road, George St.   We also took a drive north to Vilano Beach to go to a place that didn’t have a two hour wait like most places in town.  I guess I’ve spent enough time in the area to know the ins and outs and avoid the most touristy spots.

You never know when you plan a trip what weather you’ll get.  All you can do is hope for the best and be flexible, look for fun where you can.  We had planned a big day kayaking out on a crystal spring, but had to cancel.  We even scoured the weather map looking for a break in the clouds within a couple hours of driving time.

Nope, no weather break for us.  We hunkered down and made the most of our time.

Enjoyed the beach when we could, went to the seafood market and cooked, played games, and just enjoyed each other.

Fresh, local food to cook together, lots of long walks and giggles.  It was a great visit, even if I was wearing a raincoat.

Seashell fairies and hearts at Walton Rocks Dog Beach

Our first beach stop on the never ending zig zag of a trip was Ft Pierce, which I’d never been to.

I will have to admit that Ft Pierce isn’t high on my list of cities that I love in Florida.  But- this trip was about the dogs, and the dog beach there was off leash, which  isn’t always  easy to find (Jupiter and Ft De Soto also have off leash beaches, and those are spectacular, but we couldn’t get reservations nearby).  

The KOA we stayed at was new and quite nice.  So, yes, I guess this city was a good place to be.  

And while the beach wasn’t the powder sugar of Siesta Key, that I love so much, the shelling was just my style.  HEARTS  galore!

And so many broken bits and bobs to make into fairies and a mermaid.  These are not the typical shapes of shells that most people look for on the beach, there weren’t a lot of perfectly pretty shells.  Because the shore was a bit rocky, the waves beat up stones and shells to create the ideal pieces for the kind of things I like to find on beaches.

I did happy dances up and down the shore, finding hearts everywhere I went.  On many beaches, my main hold up in piecing together a fairy is often the head.  I look for smoothed out, oval shapes and they usually are the last part to find.  Some fairies take an entire week of shelling in certain cities, others come together quickly, like the three that I made in Ft Pierce.

There were hearts up by the parking lot too.

While I say that Ft Pierce isn’t my favorite city to go to, I reckon I should weigh my needs.  For that week, and what we wanted, it was ideal.  Lots of space for dogs to run and play, heart shapes and fairy pieces everywhere, plus a clean new campground to park our tiny home on wheels.

So yep, maybe I do love Ft Pierce?  The town itself is a bit on the low end of the tourist scale, but there are nearby cities to run to if I needed to pick anything up.  This is not a place I’d go to stay at a hotel on the shore with family, but for what we wanted, it couldn’t be better.

We could walk forever and be mostly alone with the dogs.  

And an ocean view, is always a precious thing to have.

Other cities might have softer sand and less rocks, but being able to let four dogs run and play in the surf, to walk for miles without crowds, and to have a view of the crashing waves as we strolled?

Priceless.

 

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!