Karla's Cottage

Peeps Day

We had a little get together for a Peeps craft day at the cottage.  Angie brought a cookie display that was so pretty, it had to immediately become the center piece for our luncheon.

Sadly, three people had other things come up and couldn’t make it.  Beth offered to bring a salad at the last minute so I wouldn’t have find a side dish for the quiche and homemade bread I’d prepared, which was very helpful of her.

She always makes the best salads, too.

I’d tried my hand at making brioche bread, and while it’s a lot of extra work compared to the kind I typically whip up, I think it is way worth it.  But- there is almost a whole stick of butter in it opposed to the tablespoon of heart healthy oil I usually use, so maybe I won’t make a habit of this decadent bread that feels more like a pastry than a slice of bread.

The remainder of the loaf home was sent with the gal pals, thinking I would save myself from all that butter.  But then, Nora left some of her cream pie tarts, Angie left cookies, and well, here I am having both for breakfast and feeling pretty happy to have them.

Lunch was only a little part of the day, the main event for me is always the projects.

We had vintage album mats and little girls images to make Easter wall hangings.  This one is mine, and since I’d previously made a yellow daffodil one, I wanted a different style, but this might be too dark to be springy.  I also don’t like the green pattern in the brown wallpaper and might peel up the girl to add another layer beneath her.  Maybe some blue ledger paper…

This one is Nora’s next to her cute picnic basket that came full of tarts and fruity, sparkly wine. 

(It did not leave full)

Everyone got a hand drawn placemat.  Well, since only half of the group could come, they each got two.

I might make a habit of these.  When I host real events, not just get togethers, I usually draw on tablecloths.  But lately, instead of plastic table cloths that tickle your legs, and are pretty flimsy anyway, I’ve been covering my work tables in poster board and using large scrap book paper as place markers.

While these quick cartoons aren’t exactly major pieces of art, they are a little different.  Plus, I really like drawing, so, yep, I think it might become something I’ll be doing more of.

Although the square size isn’t ideal for dining room placemats, a rectangle would be better.  

Once we finished our Easter pictures, everyone had something else they’d brought to do.  I made some little people to use on something else some day.  Just because I love making little people.  It reminds me of all the hours of playing I spent with paper dolls as a kid.

After the last couple of years that we have had, days like this mean more to me than ever.  It was the best!

 

 

 

More fun from St Augustine and the Guncles

Our five week, meandering trip included 2 single and one four day visit to Guncleland, where the family pitched in and rebuilt some of the fencing.  While guys were busy sawing and hammering, I took some time to clean up the pathways, reset stepping stones, and spread mulch.

They replaced two gates and one length of fence, then added a privacy fence for trash cans and storage.

After a dozen years or so, the garden stones had all sunken down under the earth.  So I un-earthed them and reset the pathways along one side of the house and the garbage can storage area too.

 Which is where I found these!  I felt like an archeologist, digging up ancient ruins.  Apparently, they had been on the ground there, and like the stones, had worked their way deep down under the dirt.

But I preferred to think of them as from an earlier inhabitant of the land.

Our evenings were spent relaxing in the Guncles’ unique home with all eight of our combine canine family having some cousin time.

Oh and eating! There was lots of eating!  That’s what you do when you go to Jax and visit the Gunks.  They feed you endless, yummy, seafood.  I thanked them with a pie.

But it wasn’t all manual labor and big meals.  Randy and I took a mini road trip down to St Augustine to meet up with my sister, Bobbie who was visiting elsewhere in the state.

Where we met some interesting new friends.

In some cool places.

See what I mean? This steam punk  store is a cool addition to George Street.

My favorite thing I saw downtown was this wallpaper in a shop.

Or was it this wallpaper?

No, my FAVORITE thing from the day was this.  I love those two so much!

 

Reusing old album mats for some springtime pretties

These are pretty beat up, but I think they could be used to make some lovely Easter collages.

Don’t you?

 

 

How to make folded paper Christmas balls

These layered balls ended up being pretty easy to make once I figured it out.  My first ones didn’t come out as nicely, but they got better as I made a few.

My first mistake?  Using only vintage papers, and not being careful to find ones that aren’t brittle.

I discovered that the ideal paper is scrapbooking card stock, but since I love the old stuff so much, I tried using some book pages and wallpaper too.  Plus, a mix looks pretty together.

Vintage flocked wallpaper is ideal, and some more sturdy wallpapers are too.  But most of the antique ones disintegrate when folded.  

I used some Xmas wrapping paper also.  

If you have a fragile paper you just love, and really want to use, maybe try backing it with card stock first.

These were some that worked for me, as well as some book pages. To test it, fold the paper a few times and see if it cracks.  If not, it should work okay.  

Cut and fold all of the pages ahead of time, so you have a pile to work with and not have to pause while gluing.

Fold each piece with the most interesting side inwards, so you are gluing the outsides to each other.  

Glue one folded piece to the next until you have a stack that looks like this.

Another discovery that I made is that it’s a good idea to glue all of the folded circles together and set them aside to dry.  If you try to make the orb while the glue is wet, the paper is more fragile and will easily tear.

While still folded, you can ink the edges.

Add some strong glue (I like The Ultimate) along the folded edge.

Cut ribbon or string, and fold it in half with a loop at the end.

 (I used pipe cleaners down the center of some, and it did work, but for me, it was too easy to poke through the papers with it, string or ribbon is better).

Then stick the ribbon into the glue, with the loop at the top and the two ends hanging out of the bottom.  

Open the pages.

Apply glue to both half circle sides, then press them together to make the orb.  Smoosh them together and there it is!  You might need to carefully pick each layer apart, gently manipulate them, and form the circle.

If you get a tear when opening it up, just attach an extra circle over that segment.

You can use the two trailing ends or your ribbon or string to tie a bundle of netting and ribbons to the bottom.

Or use them to tie on charms.  Or do both! (I liked the idea of book charms with the old book pages).

How many circles did I use?  Well, they are all different.  The thinner the paper, the more you need.  The heavier papers fill out nicely without as many. And because they are thick, too many makes the stack so high that when you put them together you have a huge gap in the center.

So, about 20 for thin papers, half that much for heavy ones. 

 

A memory book

When Ryan died, I cut up a canvas that hung on a wall of his apartment and turned it into a book cover.  Filling the pages of that book meant weeks of happy memories as I sorted through photos and wrote down stories.

There were also many slow tears dropped onto the paper.

And other times when the sobbing was so hard, I found myself needing to lay down on the cement floor of the studio, in the bits and pieces of fallen scraps and trimmings.

That photo album has become a treasured piece for me.

 Since crafting his book, two close friends lost family members too, and I made books for them.

And this week, I put together this album for another friend’s birthday.  

She lost her mom a couple years ago.  At that time, I wasn’t making these memorials, but after seeing their meaningfulness, I wanted her to have one.

Each book that I build is a mix of photos (usually taken from Facebook), blank pages to add more pictures later, note paper to write on, with pockets and envelopes to store tokens and trinkets.

I try to use colors and styles of paper that I know my friend will like.  



And each has some doodling type artwork inside.

Mostly simple flowers, vines, or other small sketches.

And each becomes, almost a meditation for me as I assemble it.

I take time to think about the people in the photos, and feel their happiness and their loss.

Constructing these books has been good for me, an exercise in caring and time to lose myself in being creative.

Sadly, I have one more to make, and wish that there wasn’t a reason to need another one.

But since there is, I hope that the art journal can bring some comfort.

 

 

 

An altered doll wardrobe, everything is better with wallpaper!

Beth gave me a doll wardrobe that definitely showed it’s age.  She knew I needed a challenge.

See what I mean?  
It needed a few minor repairs where the joints had pulled apart, but mostly just some pretty papers.

Keeping with the theme, I glued vintage paper with pictures of children’s clothes patterns to the inside.

I used two wallpapers on the outside.

Then I added clusters of flowers on the ribbons that tie the top and bottom together. I sanded the edges a little, so it didn’t look too fresh and new, then hung a nicely tattered, old doll dress on the hook inside.

Most likely, I’ll just use it as a storage box on my desk, not for doll clothes.  But it was cute to see it with the dress hanging in it, as it was meant to be.  

 

More mini redos

Sometimes, all you need is a little change.

Like the mini overhaul of this, already pretty bottle of bath salts from TJMaxx.

I just glued a bit of wallpaper around it and glued a silk rose to the neck.  It took a matter of moments for a new look.

The Bath and Bodyworks bottle got a makeover too.  The labels were kind of vinyl-ish and peeled off easily. Once they were off, I glued some wallpaper flowers and a bird onto it.

While I was at it, I slapped a flower on the dish soap bottle too.

Making something prettier doesn’t  have to be complicated. Sometimes, just a simple little bit can make a big difference.

Since they are soap bottles and get wet, the paper doesn’t always last.  I have glued other ephemera to the same dish soap bottle in the past.  So, there is no reason to spend a lot of time on the project and making an arty collage label.

Have you used the foaming soaps before? I really like them.  I didn’t realize at first, that the foam was made by the pumper, not by the type of soap. Instead of replacing the empty bottle, I now refill it.

My mix?

Fill one third of the way with a plain, liquid soap like Ivory, or another inexpensive brand.

Fill the rest of the way with water.

Add a drop or two of essential oil.  I used grapefruit and rosemary.   Sounds like an odd mix, but it smells great.  

 

 

 

Christmas in July?

Things are moving along with preparations for A Snowbird’s Song in November.  I am working on kits (two are complete!), swap hostesses have come up with delectable ideas for exchanging lovelies, and menus are swirling about in my head.

Mostly of cookies and treats.

Probably because my head is often filled up with daydreams about cookies and treats.

I am so pumped for the party that I just had to get in on a swap.  Terry, my dear sis, is hosting a card one, and I was happy to hear it because that is right up my alley.  I propped myself down at my work table and whipped up a few while I was feeling the Christmas spirit.

(in this pic, one of the stars had slipped off because the glue was still wet, it has since been returned to her waist band)

This one featured the front of a vintage card with a circle opening, so I glued it to another card and cut a coordinating circle from that.

I lined that with printed vellum and put a colorful bird image behind the transparent vellum.  

Backing the vellum, is a Christmas card envelope from the 50’s that I glued to the inside of the card.  I saved the stamp from it and added that, along with a little girl, velvet ribbon, and a flower to the front.

Another sparkly, gold card was used for this as a backdrop, then was layered with neutral wallpaper (old), and a Victorian post card.  I trimmed the postcard around the roses and glued it down to form a pocket.  

The girl was glued down behind the roses with her arm outside the roses and she is holding a bouquet.

A note from a vintage card was cut out and slipped into the pocket.

Often I work with whatever was last left on my desk.  All of the stars and sequins on some of these cards were from kit building.  So are the pink ruffles on the first card, making the sugarplum fairy’s skirt, and on the edges of this vintage wallpaper.

The girl’s Santa hat is the same (it might need more fluff), all are trimmings from the hand dyed coffee filters I was using for some other kits.

We don’t have the number of cards needed until the swap is full, but I wanted to get a head start  and figured that if I made too many, they wouldn’t go to waste.  

 

 

 

Filling my Suitcase with Eastery Foof

The art event I will be going to next week is Easter themed. 

So, along with the tiny baskets and fluffy critters decked in pastel posies, I have made some seasonal banners too. 

This one is for springtime.

But most are made special just for the holiday.

I don’t know what it is about banners that draws me in like it does.

I could get lost in making one after another, after another!

Kind of like crafting art journals, I am every bit as wrapped up in those.

Did I mention that I made so many books to sell that I couldn’t possibly take them all with me?  

Yes, I get a bit obsessive when I am left alone in the studio with some time to create... I tend to prolifically keep going until I run out of those specific supplies or the world interferes and I need to move on.

Which means that when I return, I should have plenty of books to add to my Boutique.  I’ll show you some pictures soon.  

I am slightly in love with them. 

 

Christmas tag books in the Boutique and a sweet wedding, at the BEST weekend

I'm still enjoying the bounty of paint pours from my creative binge this summer and am now using the pieces to make holiday tag books.

You can purchase them HERE, in the Boutique.

I seriously adore the technique and the look of the swirled paints.  Acrylic flow painting is the BEST!

I'd gone with Beth to attend the wedding of The Other Karla's son in St Paul and brought crafty goods (including these painted tags) with me to play with in the hotel room, then found a bounty of beauties at a flea market on the way there. 

Once I got started on making these, I couldn't stop. I was a bad friend and sent Beth out on her own to have lunch with her Minnesota nieces while I stayed in my jammies and made book after book after book that day, till it was time to get ready for the wedding.

Because- WOW- look at this paper I'd found!!!!!  How could I leave it uncut, when I had all of these pretty, painted tags to make things with????

I'd also bought 1928-29 women's magazines from December with lots of helpful Christmas tips, along with an old book of hymms that included Christmas carols.

And stacks of holiday ephemera.

And did I mention that it was 13 degrees outside? And I'd driven through mini blizzards to get there.  Yes, I was content to do hotel crafting in my jim jams and had a beautiful, wonderful, magical day.

It was the BEST.

Not only did I have a fab night with friends, then a day at a flea market on the way to the wedding, I had an entire day with the most magical of vintage supplies, topped off with a night of dancing and laughing til my sides hurt at the wedding.

Or did my sides hurt because I was way to old to dance that hard and that long?

Either way, it was a perfect weekend.  Laughter, road trips, making things, attending a lovely wedding.  Yep, the BEST.

I had never met Karla's son, but soon realized he was a catch.  His wife won my heart quickly too, when she told us about the family tradition of using this vintage cake topper.

Karla made ribbon wands that were waved in the air when the couple entered the reception, and soon we were all dancing and waving them around out on the floor.  Not only were they pretty to see flying about, but they had magical properties.

When we twirled them about, we were FANTASTIC  dancers. We were the BEST.

And personally, I can't dance and have less rhythm than, well, I can't actually think of anything or anyone with less skill on the dance floor than I have.

Between the laughing and the ribbon wands, my dancing skills suddenly became amazing.  Everyone's did. 

Yep, it was the BEST.