Karla's Cottage

My Mosaic Group Friends and a New Adventure for Seashell Fairies

My buddy, Shanna, has hosted a mosaic group in her home studio for years.  Its always nice to bring a project and visit with friends.

Not too long ago, she switched it up and rented a studio with our pal, Mary.  The group continues in this new location and we have the same members plus a few others joining in.

As artists, we are often working alone. So, an opportunity to hang out with friends while creating, catch up on each others lives, chat about books, restaurants, travel, hear some funny stores, or commiserate over problems, well, that is something I feel lucky to have.  

Seeing what’s up with others’ work is inspiring too.

Even though I’m not a mosaic artist, I love the medium.  Every once in a while I take on a glass project, but typically, I bring some other, small portable job I’m in the middle of.

This summer it’s been a lot of mushrooms, or beading.  I really wish I could attend the group more weeks, but I am pretty sporadic about attending.  It’s on a Friday, and that seems to be a hard one for me.  Not just First Fridays each month at Juju, but other weekends for travel, or who knows what.  Fridays just are a busy day for me.

So, when I get a shot at being there, I make my best effort to pack up a tub of supplies (typically only forgetting a few things I’ll need for the afternoon) and skeedaddling across town to see what everyone is working on and hear about what’s up with who.

Technically, I guess this is a mosaic craft.  I decided to make some sea shell fairies that aren’t washed away by the waves, so I took a basket of shells to work on last week.  (Oops, after taking the photo, I realized the right wing wasn’t right, so I flipped it around while thinset was still goopy).

These little sprites are something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.  On one of my sister trips with Bobbie and Sissy, when I was feeling really bad due to a concussion, along with the anniversary of Ryan’s death, we explored Passe Grille Beach after a walk through the Don Caesar Pink Palace.

 The beach we were staying at was low on shells.  When I visit Indian Rocks, I always scrounge to find enough to make just one little fairy to leave on the sand.

But this spot? Holy Moly! 

Now, the shells I found aren’t what most beach goers are looking for.  I like odd shapes and broken pieces, and this place was ankle deep in those.  I filled bags with heads, wings, arms, I was in a fairy makers dream location.  The terrain was rocky and the beach itself wasn’t as inviting, the parking was awful, but it wasn't crowded and the views were spectacular.  My sisters patiently hung out while I climbed around boulders and searched for just the right bits and pieces.

So here I am, a few years later with these baggies full of memories of a special day when my family went out of the way to big sister me, using one of our limited vacation afternoons to take me someplace to gather art supplies.  Sis had brought her post cataract surgery sunglasses to help with my concussion headache and Bobbie, who had some mobility issues, hung out with me while we walked this rocky shoreline that wasn’t easy to get around on.

I’m still experimenting with the right technique to transform my fairies into a permanent piece of art. And thanks to my sissies, I have plenty of shells to work with.  Each one I create will hold special feelings from our day on the beach. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mistakes made while planning for Disney World (I should know better)

Florida was chilly and our evening at Magic Kingdom was downright cold!

But did we care? Well honestly, yes we did, we were shivering.

More important- did we let it stop us?

No!

We mortgaged our entire future and hit the stores to buy some layers, and stayed on into the night.  I’d packed what I thought were plenty of warm items, but had soon discovered they weren’t enough.   Sugarwings needed warm, heavy sweat pants over their jeans, I needed one more cozy sweatshirt.

I never go to Disney without scarves/shawls.  They keep the sun off you on hot days and prevent cool air conditioning from giving you goosebumps when inside.  For our below average temp day, I packed a fuzzy, cuddly, shawl, some gloves and a hoodie.  It’s just hard to know for sure what you’ll need for the entire day, no matter how prepared you think you are.

On our second day, we were joined by Dewdrop and my boy for time at Epcot and of course I preached and nagged ahead of time about broken in shoes, layers, and warm socks.  Did people listen?  Well, a little bit.

At Epcot, your car is much more accessible than at Magic Kingdom, so I brought extras to leave in the parking lot, and besides for a few issues, we did fine.

Once again, the weather was not ideal, but the company was.  But if you are prepared, it doesn’t stop you.  

And sometimes it means crowds are lighter.  I’ll take lighter crowds with a light drizzle any day.

We stayed at the Coronado for the first time, I booked one of the poolside rooms in the auxiliary buildings, not in the tower.   And surprisingly, we used the adjacent pool as well as the main pool quite a bit.  Florida cold is different than Kansas cold, and the temps fluctuate so much that you can squeeze in a swim at the heated pools even if the weather is subpar for the south.

Pool snack bars are our favorite places to eat when we get a chance. And at Disney, the food at them is usually better than at some of the resort food courts.  

Another mistake I made was not bringing food to keep in the room.  My son and Dewdrop had to cancel joining us (or so we thought) plus Sugarwings and I mostly share meals.  I had a few drinks in the room for us, and we were fine.  


Then we got the happy surprise that the other half of our group was coming after all!  A grown man and a teen require more food than I’d planned on. Seriously, even if it was just two of us, I should’ve had fruit, yogurt, and other snacks in the hotel fridge.  

We had a late night at Epcot and realized we were hungry after getting back to the room.  I had not packed a scrap or tiny tidbit of anything to eat.  We all went to bed a little hungry, so I got up early, walked the trail over to the main building, took out a second mortgage on my house and filled up a bag with pastries, juice, and fruit to surprise everyone with breakfast in bed when they woke up.

The pink sprinkled donuts as big as your head were as good as they looked, but for under ten bucks, we could’ve eaten much healthier if I’d simply thrown some groceries in the cooler before driving to Orlando.

Even though I hadn’t planned as well as I should’ve, the weather wasn’t close to ideal, the trip was short, and half our group could only make it half the time- I treasure the time we had there.  

We found Hidden Mickies (This is the back of a koala’s head in Small World), explored, laughed, and just hung out together.

With my husband retired, and our budget tightened, I know what a splurge going to these parks is.  Rich doesn’t like being there himself, so it is very generous of him to send me off on my own or with family while he does other things.  
Sometimes I feel very selfish about my obsession with this place.  I tell myself that I am done with it, I’ve been enough.  And I’m fine with that.

For a while.

Then, thoughts of Mickey shaped food start popping into my head. And I’ll find myself reading recaps of other’s trips and travel hints online. Next, I’m looking at calendars to see what dates kids are out of school that can mesh with a quick trip that direction, or sneaking an extra vacation day onto another planned trip to somewhere sorta nearby to slide in “just a little visit” while I am so close.

Mickey, I have tried, but I can’t quit you.  I’m a Disney magic junkie.

3 Seashell fairies, 1 hag stone, 10 hearts, and even a piece of seaglass

We were blessed with plentiful Seashells at the beaches we walked the dogs on.  And very large ones at Walton Rocks, this fairy is at least a foot tall. 

Some that I found there were huge.

And one afternoon, Jupiter beach was carpeted with shells.

Most were full, little round ones, but within the mix, I could find plenty of broken shapes to make a sprite.

She is a larger one too, with her long, elegant oyster shell skirt.

This is a rare find for me- Sea glass!  I hope to drill a tiny hole in it to make a necklace.

There were multiple hearts scattered across the sand.

This one was tucked into a nest of seaweed.

Most of the hearts I found were rocks, not shells.

This heart rock looks like it is camouflaged and hiding in the shell pile.

Tiny Dorothy even found one for me.  Thanks, Dot!  It’s as sweet as you are.

There was a funny rock that caught my eye, I thought it looked like a full body.  She is very different than most of the beach fay I leave on the shore, but I thought she was cute.

Not all hearts are solid bits, this floral-y sprig of seaweed is a lovely shaped one.

And some are a little wonky, but still count.

Most are left where I see them, but every once in a while, one goes into my pocket  I kept this one.

Typically, the ones I find are flatter, this puffy heart was a special one too.

Walton Rocks was a great beach for finding hag stones. This one not only kinda looks like it has a face, its “eye” was extra large.  A good one to look through for spotting mermaids out in the surf.

Both of these beaches had unique personalities.  I love the way various shorelines offer differing loot.  Even along the stretch of a single beach you can find variety.  I studied one patch of Jupiter where many of the shell fragments were worn as smooth as worry stones.  My guess is that there were rocky areas off shore where they tumbled themselves smoother than other parts of the beach.  

Each step is the possibility of a new discovery that I never tire of.  I’ll miss my walks in the sand, it has been a beautiful break from the iciness we left behind.

 

Escaping the cold

There has been some biting cold and downright dangerous weather all over the country.  Between hurriedly packing up and zooming out of town earlier than we planned then driving through snow anyway, family members missing Disney time due to storms, and shuffling flights around for Sugarwings, we have been on the edge of succumbing to the horrid cold ourselves.

We have been so lucky to get to our destinations and avoid the worst of the chill.  Jackets on the beach? Who cares? I’m at the beach!  And thrilled to be here. 

The pups love it as much as I do.  They have ran full speed into the waves, rolled in the sand, and happily trotted alongside us for hours.

Our first day was windbreaker over jacket type weather, and a bit gray, but the second? Up in the 70s and the water gleamed in a tropical aqua blue.  

Both days were uncrowded.   January in Florida might not be the most popular, sun drenched, time of year to be vacationing in.  But to me? I love the low crowds.

And being away from MINUS TWELVE DEGREES in Kansas.  

And having to wearing a windbreaker while dining outside with a view of the ocean is not something I will complain about.  We spent our first morning at Walton Rocks dog beach, then took a meandering drive down the coast to find a place to eat on the beach, then headed to Jupiter dog beach for a couple more hours.

I gather shells, look for heart shapes and chat with the dogs as I walk, and couldn’t ask for much more.  

In the evenings, we grill a piece of fish back at the camper, then watch Netflix or whatever sounds good on streaming while I craft and the dogs fill the floor of our 19’ rv space.

At this point the dogs are more sand than fur, and don’t quite get all the way dry, and of course the floor of the camper is as sandy as the dogs.

We have blown some fuses, still can’t get hot water to work, and our spot is a little too close to the highway.  Not a perfect trip, but a very good one none the less.

Are vacations ever perfect?  They don’t have to be, to still be perfectly nice.

 

While I was with Mickey

While I was exploring the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and visiting the Evil Queen with her nemisis, Snow White at the enchanted forest, the guys were wrangling 8 dogs while ripping out the Guncles’ back fence wall and rebuilding it.

We have a tradition of staying with our bros during part of our camping adventures in Florida and helping with a project.

One year it was redoing a deck, then another was the other side of the fence. 
I might have been a little more helpful with those than I was this time.  I skeedaddled my way to Orlando to meet up with two grand fairies and my boy for some Disney fun.  It was MLK weekend, so the kiddos had an extra day off.  

Sugarwings flew in (Barely. With the country wide weather problems, this was an iffy enterprise and some flight shuffling was required).  Dewdrop rode down from NC with her daddy.  They were delayed due to weather, but made it eventually.

The guys were nice about letting me off the hook for the big job, but I did come straight back from Epcot to help with finishing touches while the kids had some time together with their dad to go meandering in Daytona Beach.

I was happy to give the kids time together while I arranged flower pots and garden furniture. Look at how we are fed while working in the yard!  Never ending fresh seafood prepared by first class cooks  - those  Guncles both are experts in the kitchen.

The only trouble is that we have completed most of the rebuild at this point.  Only one more side of the fence to go.  If we want to be invited back to the paradise of Guncleness seafood dinners, my husband is going to have to learn a few new building skills beyond patios and fences!

Heck for the special treatment they show us, maybe I’ll learn how to build something.

Blessed by A Year of Sea Shell Fairies in 2023

2023 was a light year for sea shell fairies, at least compared to other ones.   I was very lucky to have lots of trips and family visits, but only a couple were beachy. This sprite is from my impromptu visit to see my sissies on the gulf coast.

 Over the years, my sisters and I have gotten into the groove of planning an annual trip to the seaside each fall.  Then, they started sneaking in an extra visit in the spring.  Which I’ve partially joined in on, but have not been able to stay the full amount of time they’ve gone.  For this one, I knew I was just too busy.  After bonking my head again, I’d taken a lot of time off work and needed to catch up.

Then, the day they left, I decided to go anyway.  I just packed up, got a Southwest ticket (free with points, but still more points than I’d have used if I planned ahead) and told them I was on my way.

What a fantastic idea!  And I loved every single moment of the trip, even with post concussion syndrome, and being behind on work.  Looking back, I wish I’d just said screw work and stayed the whole week instead of a few days.

And for such a home body, I LOVE travel.  But taking on this booth at Good Juju has stolen some of my flexibility in getting away.  6 weeks in an RV full of dogs to get away from winter and do some beach hopping didn’t happen last year. 

Funny, the sale is only two days a month, so it sounds easy to get away.  But I have to put so much time into shopping, cleaning, repairing, tagging old stuff, then crafting new things, plus setting up displays, that I am constantly working.

We’ve managed to get around that by taking smaller trips in the middle of the month.  Where I can be at First Friday weekend, then flip the space in the next few days.  

So we were able to visit our North Carolina family and spend some time in the mountains.  And I’ve had a couple of trips to Indiana to see my family there.

Then October our sister trip was even more special with nieces and aunties. I saw the Guncles, and snuck in a Disney adventure with Terry, all in one, tight week.

 I made this fairy on Venice beach while we were shark tooth hunting.  I feel very blessed for the getaways I’ve managed to tease out of my time.

And after a year and a half of getting back into the swing of being a dealer and building up some inventory, I’m feeling like I can squeak out even more time.  I have plenty of small crafty items to work on while on the road, too.  We are planning a January camping trip right now, where I’ll be away most of the month.  Taking off right after the Juju sale and just scooting back in time for the next.

My business income would suffer if I made this a regular practice, but for a couple of longer stretches I can pretend to be retired like my husband is and head to the shoreline.  I think it’s doable.

I need more beach fairies in my life!  Thank you, 2023 for the loving family visits, and the beautiful views.

A holiday surprise

Yesterday I returned from another quick trip to Indiana.

 This time it was to surprise my family at their annual ornament exchange party.

It has been too long since I’ve been to one.  The last Christmas I remember being there was when it was held at my mom’s.  And that was before Sugarwings was born.

Holidays with grand babies took over any free time I would have during busy Decembers.  I had lots of weekend craft fairs to set up back then too.

Then not too much later, my sisters and started our Sister Trip traditions and we’d typically get time in Florida together each fall. My drives to Indiana came to be made for other occasions, not the holiday party.

I’d missed Christmas time with my extended family and was so glad I made this trip.  The weather was ideal for driving, and for making lots of antiquing stops along the way, I got to see Sissy’s new house all prettied up for the season, and had a week  full of hugs from people I love.

Also, I’d hoped to be of help in getting Bobbie to some of her medical appointments while I was there.

Bobbie’s health had some hiccups and instead of helping with the drives, I was keeping her company in the ER and ICU.  Since I’d driven, I was able to have my car filled with craft supplies, and I could bead and sit quietly while she slept.  I didn’t want her to make efforts to talk, she needed her rest, so I sat with her and made bracelets.

Lots of bracelets.  With mostly genuine stones, along with vintage crystals. With only two visitors allowed at a time, I also  made a work station for myself in the lounge and crafted there while others had their turns in her room. 
All of us wanted to be there for her, she is so loved.

During her Thanksgiving hospital stay, doctors would always be surprised to see such a large entourage in the room.  She was in a different (and closer to Pendleton) hospital this time and that made it even easier for guests, two of her kiddos work at this one and could drop in throughout the day.  

But we mostly had to gather in the waiting rooms because of the two at a time limit.

Overall, it was such a pleasant hospital to spend time at.  Great people, excellent care, comfortable surroundings, tasty food.  I liked the spacious rooms they put Bobbie in, and how attentive they were to her.

Is it wrong to say how much I enjoyed being there with her, even though she felt so miserable?  That sounds wrong.

Of course, I’d rather be anywhere else with her, healthy and strong, anywhere at all! 

 I guess I mean that even though I’m devastated, worried, and terrified about her health, I loved my time there with family and being able to be part of their holiday tradition, and to sit with everyone while Bobbie was getting the treatments she needed to feel more comfortable.

 Instead of flying, I drove out, leaving my time open ended.  Once she was moved out of ICU, I needed to force myself to head back to my own holiday traditions and be with my grandfairies, no matter how much I hated to tear away.  Oh my gosh, it was so hard to leave.  I wish I wasn’t so far away, and could be one of those daily visitors that pop in to hold her hand and ask her about her appetite or tell her a story about their day.

She has a big crew of loving people around her.  I also wish I could be helping them out, with all of the extra jobs they have taken on to be of service and get our Bobbie feeling better.

Now, I am hitting the ground running, getting things ready for our own Kansas Christmas, looking forward to seeing the grandfairies open gifts, play reindeer games, and decorate cookies.

But I’ve left a chunk of my heart back home in Indiana.

Pretty Pendleton for Thanksgiving

Last year my home town, Pendleton, IN, had a fun FB trend of people photographing their cars, tractors, mowers, etc in the lights of this beautifully lit bridge.  The joke started as serious pics of cool cars shining under the lights and turned into photoshopping weird, silly things.

I enjoyed every post and had to drive by and see this pretty backdrop in person when I visited over Thanksgiving.  Maybe (if I ever get a free moment) I’ll do some photo magic with it myself.

We had hospital cafeteria food in the guest lounge for Thanksgiving dinner.  While I felt bad leaving my  husband and out of town guests back at my house to turkey wrangle, and the reason for my visit was not a happy one, I still had a wonderful time with my sister’s family while eating grilled cheese instead of a more traditional meal.

My sweet boy hadn’t seen his aunt Bobbie in a while and hadn’t been able to drive all the way to Kansas from North Carolina for the holiday, so he took the opportunity to meet me in Indianapolis.  Much closer!

I rarely get time with my son, this was precious to me.  It’s been a good year for spending days with him.  In August, Rich and I saw Adam in NC and I got to go rock and mushroom hunting with him.  Then in September, he came to KS to put in a studio floor for me. Now, an Indy trip too.

And soon, he will bring Dewdrop for Christmas!


He and I weren’t Bobbie’s only visitors, by far.  Every time a doctor came into the room, he’d do a double take at the size of her entourage.

The room was always so full, that seating was scarce.  You know that Netflix show, “Is it Cake?” I was always playing, “Is it a Chair?” in the hospital room.  We sat on many non seats for seating.  Bobbie one time mentioned we could use the beeping from her machinery to switch seats in a musical chair game.

My witty, kind hearted sister is keeping good spirits through her illness.   I admire her for that, just as I have always looked up to her and learned so much from her all of my life.

 

I adore my sissies, what wonderful friends they are to me.

 

 

 

Magic time with family

My Florida trip was a week long, divided into three separate adventures that each went by too quickly.

After a spectacular Guncle evening, Terry and Holly picked me up in Jax to drive to Orlando.  And you know what happens there, right?  

Disney Magic!

They treated me to the Grand Floridian, and its reputation is well deserved.  So many subtle, understated and sweet nods to Disney classic movies while keeping its Grand and classy ambiance.  

A grown up trip to the parks can be very laid back and comfy.  I had two mornings on the balcony with my coffee to relax and simply enjoy being there. Very different than my typical trip, trying to squeeze in as much as I possibly can from the crack of dawn til I fall in bed after midnight.

Although, our first night did go pretty late, but we didn’t get started til evening, and once arriving at Mickey’s Halloween party, we ambled about and took our time.  We managed to eat some of the special goodies, do some trick or treating, and practically walk on to every ride we wanted to go on.  Lines were minimal, the weather was perfect, friends were delightful, it could the most ideal night at Disney that I could have.  (Even though I missed the grandfairies.)

We had discussed Halloween costumes, but that frizzled out, Terry was moving into a new home, I was redoing my studio.  Then I thought I’d order Sleeping Beauty Fairy shirts with our names, but instead of Merriweather, Terryweather.

Ran out of time, though.  So I looked around town the day before leaving to find Hocus Pocus matching shirts, no luck.

When Terry arrived, I was happily surprised to see that she’d found a trio of cute Sanderson shirts for us!

Terry and Holly are ideal partners at the parks, both love the place as much as I do.  They’ve been multiple (zillions) of times, so aren’t rushed, or worried about missing anything. We can check out attractions we’d like to see, or just snack at Epcot Food and Wine and chill out.

I got to see the new, Moana area, and can’t wait to take Sugarwings to it.  

And we lucked into a walk up reservation at the new space station restaurant.

We were seated in the lounge, which I discover was another lucky break.  There, you have a view of the entire room, and the astronauts working outside the windows.  Plus the menu options are better, no set choices.  


Holly and I were able to split a meal.  And look- a Mickey shaped fillet!

Our time together was as wonderful as the dessert.  Thank you, Terryweather and Holly for such a treat of a visit.  You guys bring the magic with you!

Venice Beach seashell fairy

My trip to Florida was just the best.  It was broken up into segments, a Guncle visit with crafting, Disney with Terry and Holly, then beach time with Sissies, Aunties, and sweet nieces.

We stayed at Turtle Beach on Siesta Key, and while I loved the company, I wasn’t thrilled with the beach, my shelling was limited until we took a day trip to Venice to hunt for shark teeth.

Hey, I do not mean to sound down on Turtle Beach, it is a lovely spot.  I had just never stayed there, and expected a similar experience from further north on the island where we usually stay.  It was so nice to be directly on the water and to walk right out on the sand.

Venice just happened to have more shells.  And Shark Teeth, too!  I found a couple but was more interested in making my beach fairy there.

And I found a treasure trove of broken shells to use.  I think the wings are some of the nicest I have ever found.  I was tempted to pocket them, but I like to leave my Faye behind as a thank you to nature, and pulling off her wings did not feel right at all.

Lots of shells do come home with me, but those haven’t been used to create my little friends yet.  I did gather up a lot of potential fairy shells last year to make resin shell fairies at home, but they are still packed away, waiting their turn to get Pinocchio-ed into being.