Karla's Cottage

January Decorating

After all of the glorious, gaudiness of the Christmas decor at my house, I kind of like my Januaries to be low key. It is a good time to dust, and shuffle things around, and to leave some things simply put away, not even used.

And to add some natural elements to remind me that spring and growing things will have to return someday, and that winter won't last forever.

Even if the icy cold feels like it is a life sentence...

Last fall, I bought some succulents at a garden center clearance for 99 cents a pot. After stashing them in my husband's office for the holidays, I was happy to see the cheerful greenery and bring it back into the house to brighten up a cold winter day.

This is where we spend way too much time since my husband retired and it has gotten so cold out.  He builds a fire, we pile dogs on our laps and drink coffee every morning in front of the fire before we get on with our days.  

Part of my move for simplicity, is leaving this table bare and functional for books and newspapers.

The mantle is kinda halfway simple, well for me at least.  It seems full, but usually is has a lot more going on.  I leave the angel wings up through Valentine's Day and keep the colors mostly muted. But I did add one little, oval painting that reminds me that springtime is real, and that I will get through this freezing season.

Winter is just not my deal. I make up all sorts of excuses to not leave the house and keep errands to a minimum.  Now that I have a house husband, it is even more tempting to sit by a fire and ignore the rest of the world.  I might even be growing to like winter.

Well, maybe just this cozy aspect of winter. Not the howling Kansas winds and ice.  I will never, ever be able to enjoy that.

Hope you are staying warm and coping too!

Taking a break to paint

Do you ever just make something for the pure joy of making it? In the past, I’ve operated that way, made what I wanted, then found a purpose for it, or not.    
But it seems like my life as an artist had mostly dissolved into taking care of the house, the family, the dogs, upcoming classes, or gathering things to sell.  

Then, the other day, I decided to paint some flowers.

For no reason, and I had other things to do, too.

It was a nice reminder to stay in contact with my inner artist.  So I framed and hung it where it would keep reminding me to take breaks from too much to do, and just create for the plain, old love of creating.

Sometimes it’s the little things

Our local grocery store sells marked down bundles of flowers every Monday.  They are $1.99, no matter the size.

This time the bunch of blooms was extra large.

I spread them out into four vases and they brought me so much more than $2 worth of pleasure!

 

 

 

And another redone mural

While I was redoing a canvas for the Guncles, I thought I would touch this one up too.  I don’t have a before, because I hadn’t planned on painting it, I just kinda started in on it while working on the other one (previous post).

It didn’t get a big overhaul.   I changed the sign to my blog name, brightened and sharpened up some details.

Added a rosemary plant and some roses.

This hangs over the fuse box in my garage, because, well, what else do you do with giant 6’ paintings?

Updates to repurpose a canvas

Years ago, I had painted a canvas with a French market scene to use as a backdrop/divider for a booth at a show.  It was a quickie, and not meant to be too detailed.

Here is the original.  I have had it hanging in my garage, but have never really liked it.  When Guncle Randy needed a French themed mural, I offered to give it to him.

But of course, that meant that I wouldn’t like it any better when I saw it at his house.

So, I spent an afternoon brightening it and adding details.

Including his Bichon, Bella, peeking out of the window.

And his address in French, on the wall.

(the sign isn’t really crooked, the canvas has a few billows, here and there that throw off the perspective in photos)

I like it better now.  I think he will use it in his patio tent for a French themed dinner party  or maybe to hang on the garden fence?  

It is canvas and acrylic, so would be fine outdoors.  But over time, could cause moisture to be trapped behind it and the fence would rot, so that couldn’t be permanent.

More from our cottage gardens

I tend to junk up my yard and home with old stuff.

And that makes me happy!

 

 

 

 

 

May Showers Bring June Flowers?

Quite a bit of May and into June, it rained.

And rained.

Then rained some more.

I dug some trenches to have the water run away from the house in a few places, but this river was created by the dogs running back and forth to bark at people walking on the other side of the fence.  I needed to dig out a tunnel under the fence for it to drain, and then, this raging river became ideal for redirecting the water away from our home.  

But just imagine the mud we have had to deal with from all of the dog’s hard work in crafting this trail!

We are so lucky it has only been mud.  So many places are flooded or damaged by the tornados.

I hate to even admit this, but the rain hasn’t been all bad at the cottage.   We seem to have decent run off, and haven’t had problems with it, once the torrents streaming across the yard subside and drain away.

We have been gifted with  lush, overflowing flower beds as an after effect.

Our yard has never been better.

We have also put a ton of work into trimming, planting, and cleaning up too.

And my studio redo made me so happy that I wanted some changes outside too.   This swing got a fresh coat of paint, and moved from the big yard that has been taken over by Honey and Sugar, to a cozy spot where it is  getting used again.

This corner got  a big refresh, I added two rose bushes, a viburnum, some other shrub (whose name I have forgotten), and ten bags of mulch.

I also planted this little perennial that will bloom in pink.  My husband said that we should support a local farm/nursery that had tornado damage.   He loaded up his chainsaw and gator to spend an afternoon cleaning up there, then picked me up to go shop at their garden center. 

We have always loved that farm, in the fall it is a pumpkin patch and we have had many happy memories of tiny grand fairies playing there.

If buying a few pots and flats of plants could help them out, I was in.  We even bought a few for our son’s home.  

I am very proud of my handsome husband for volunteering his time.  He is a nice guy to not only go to help but to also suggest supporting their business. 

 

Crafting the Bunny's Chapeau

Although Easter has passed, I still have more to show you from the holiday.  I thought I'd tell you how we created Guncle Randy's bunny hat.

We started with a magnificent, pink, wool top hat.  Which would have been great as is!

But we wanted it to be even more bunnified.  So I tucked Easter grass under the band.

Over the band, I wrapped a white velvet ribbon and pinned it in place, then glued one end of the white ribbon to the other end of the ribbon, overlapping a bit.  Our issue was, that we didn't know if the hat would need to be returned to its original glory. I don't sew, I am a die hard glue-er.  But- we were not sure if we should let any glue touch the already pretty pink hat.

The white velvet ribbon became the new hat band, placed over the existing band and everything was glued to the white one.

Including the wired ears.

Using The Ultimate Glue, I layered vintage millinery flowers to the  ribbon, then to each other, building a full bouquet to add more grass, eggs, and bugs to.

My plan had been to use brighter, less tattered flowers....

But the ones I had packed were lost on the flight, due to a broken zipper on my suitcase!!!! (Along with a crop-o-dile, lace, ribbons, rhinestones, Tim Holtz scissors, more flowers, gel pens, and a bottle of glue)

Well, at least it was a good excuse to buy a new suitcase for the trip home! And a much prettier one at that.

Funny, for a person who lost most of her flowers, I seemed to have plenty left.  These were packed elsewhere for me to use in the classes I was going to take at the event.  I had forgotten that I had a ton of vintage floral packets with me that I had planned on selling on Vendor Night, so there was no shortage of flowers that weekend.  I just didn't get to use the ones I had planned on using on the hat.

But I like the way these look, so it all turned out fine.

The sides and back were decorated too.  But less heavily than the front.

It was clumsy to try to glue things to the new band and to each other, not to the hat itself, and it is all put together like a house of cards.  But this way, if Randy ever wants to wear a plain, pink top hat, all he needs to do is pull off that white ribbon. Everything will come off in a big bundle.

Luckily, this wire and bead posy was not lost in the luggage fiasco, because it fit perfectly into this old knife handle transformed into a boutonniere holder.

My baby bro and I had a blast making these together.  Our collaborated projects are always so much fun!

A Song of Spring, sign ups are open

Registration is open for our Springtime class at the cottage, with Karen Hillman and myself. 

I will be showing you how to use watercolor markers to create sweet, little images in your art journals or to frame. And speaking of framing, everyone gets a small frame to embellish and pop your finished painting into.

Also included is a set of watercolor paint markers, a watercolor notebook to practice your techniques, and I will draw a little bluebird for each guest to use as a guideline.  (Or you can ‘wing it’ and draw your own.)

My talented friend, Karen, will be making “Felicity the Flower Fairy” with us.  Everything pictured is provided, (including the darling, bisque dolly) you will need only your glue, tools, and any personal bits you would like to add.

Karen will also walk us through sugaring violets and mint leaves to enhance your holiday baking.  You will need to bring a food safe paint brush and will go home with a prettily wrapped, vintage plate to hold your scrumptious flowers.

 

Date:

Saturday, April 20

Place:

Karla’s Cottage- Lawrence, KS

Cost:

$115

Includes:

Lunch, beverages, goodies

Karen’s kit for making Felicia the Flower Fairy

Fresh cut violets and mint leaves, and the ingredients to transform them

A set of watercolor markers, a hand done drawing, a watercolor notebook, frame and embellishments, and an instructional chart 

 

I hope we will see you there! The class size is limited to the amount of antique dolls Karen has on hand. Anyone who has contacted me already will be given first priority, in the order that I heard from them.

 Please  email me at:

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

to join in on the fun we will be having Easter weekend in the studio!

as before, return guests, (Peeps) get a ten percent discount)

 

Food full of love, with a room full of hearts and roses

 As always, I got a bit carried away with the theme for the party....

Hearts, EVERYWHERE!

The freshly baked rolls  were baked in heart shaped muffin tins.

As were the cupcakes. But it wasn't all that clear unless you looked at the bottom of them.

Rainbow carrots were even cut into hearts. 

(That might have been the moment when I realized it had gone over the top, it took longer than I thought it would, even with Kia helping.  But it was kind of fun, even if it probably was not a good use of my time)

Of course, there were cookies cut out as hearts.

The Dove chocolates and Cadbury eggs aren't hearts, but they are "lovebird" themed.

The treat cabinet was strewn with hearts and roses from top to bottom.

Red isn't typically my color, but I do enjoy pops of it at Christmas and Valentines.

Especially when the red is rosey.

And while this calendar page on the Treat Cabinet door isn't purely Valentine's themed, it is from Jan.-Feb. and seemed to fit in perfectly.

Hearts made by Beth are hanging on the other door.

And LuWanda is dolled up in rhinestone birds on lace with a flocked wallpaper heart.

We had fruity iced tea in the Treat Cabinet, and in the kitchen, I set up a hot cocoa and hot tea station.

But to be honest, this is always here.  We like to have the ingredients we need for tea or cocoa ready to roll. And the lace hearts? Those are year round too.  I  hung them up for Valentines Day a couple years ago and couldn't bring myself to take them down.

The chair covers were a very lucky find. I was at an estate sale for a closed catering business, and these brand new, never used, pink, pretties were only $1.50 each!

I almost didn't buy them, then came to my senses.

They were exactly what I needed, right?

Beth had just given me the pink napkins that match them, and the Guncles gifted me with the plates.  Lots of sharing and love went into the table top.

Including flowers from our newest Peep, Amy.

Now that our day full  of Peeps has passed, I think I need to throw a Valentine dinner party to enjoy all the decor some more. 

I do love Holidays and all the pretty things that come with them.