Karla's Cottage

A Bridgerton Art Event!

I am sooooooooo excited to announce this tidbit of wonderful news.

 I’ve known about it for a few weeks and felt like Lady Whistledown hanging on to a juicy morsel.  No wait, she doesn’t keep secrets does she?  She is the opposite.  

Recently hearing that the second season of Bridgerton was coming in the not too distant future, I was already pumped.  Then this news? Woo hool!

The first season of this racy, period piece had to be the very most beautiful show on tv.  I could watch it over and over just for the fabrics alone.  Then, the scenery? Masterfully done, mesmerizing sets that are so lovely, who cares that there is a plot?

But then again, there is a plot, and such a fun one that I immediately read every book in the series including the prequels. Did you know that each novel was amended to add a chapter that visits the couple years after the story?  I loved that part.

Having seen the series first, I could picture the beauty of the gowns and houses as I read the books. The visuals in the show were pure perfection.  And who else do we know that can accomplish that level of gorgeousness?  My beautiful buddy, Jenn Hayslip, who leaves a trail of beauty in her wake every where she goes.  Like King Midas and the gold, her touch magically turns anything into scrumptiousness.  If anyone can bring a Bridgerton event into fruition and do it justice, it is her.

I cannot wait to see what she does.  And I am so honored to be a part of it!  If I wasn’t teaching, I’d have been the first to buy a ticket.  

It will be October 6th – 9th, 2022 in Charleston, SC (And what a beautiful city to spend time in.)

The event will be smaller and more intimate in size. It will take place in Jenn Hayslip’s home,

The Chantilly Rose House

(And oh my gosh, I can’t wait to see that palace!)

Jenn says-

“A full weekend event will include workshop classes, tea luncheon, shopping, formal dress evening soiree kick off party, giveaways, and much more!

I have two incredible artist Karla Nathan, and Lori Oles whom will be teaching beautiful elegant

regency themed projects.

Details and registration coming very soon!

Who is ready to dress up, sip tea, create, and discuss Lady Whistledown’s latest social gossip?

All the wonderful fanciful details and registration will be shared very soon!

Happy Creating Friends!”

 

 

 

Bluebird's Song sign up and details

Join us in Kansas, somewhere over the rainbow, where happy little bluebirds fly, and beautiful dreams come true, for classes with Lesa Dailey and myself.  Our time will include 2 lunches, lots of treats, and a happy hour party. 

This class is limited in size to the amount of  vintage albums I have to craft into art journals.  No two books are alike, so the selecting of covers will be chosen by guests in the order of class sign ups. 

We will be using The Good Stuff, lots of lovely ephemera to create a personalized, one of a kind book.

  Lesa will be leading us in making one of her delightful birds.   Here are photos of birds I have gotten from her, not the pictures of what she will be teaching.  I will let you know as soon as she gets a sample to me.

I do not tell Lesa what to make, she is a designing genius and I leave it up to her!

This will be my project for Sunday.  Although I have to warn you, all will differ, as I am using old books to build the kits.

I will provide a very, very vintage album, disassembled, painted, waxed, and buffed, ready for you to craft into a book. I have many old albums, in different styles, and choice of the books will be in order of sign ups. 

Also, if you would rather have a book cover as is, no paint, please request that ahead of time, so I can leave some plain.

Each kit will be of equal value and style, but they will vary according to the book itself.

Lesa's class will be most of the day Saturday, with a break for lunch.

Then in the later part of the afternoon, we will have some fairy fun, with happy hour crafting.  There will be a special Bluebird Sangria, and blue fairies with some tasty snacks.  

If you prefer to make a fairy from a picture of someone you love or of yourself, I can edit a photo for you. Or you can choose from a collage sheet that I will provide.  Your fairy can hang, or be used in your book.

Your art journal kit will include pre-folded and prepped pages, ready to tie in, and vintage mats to use for collage or to frame a picture. I'm doing the boring part ahead for you, so you will have all the pieces ready to assemble, and have time left over to decorate interior pages.

You will get:

• Prepped covers from a vintage album
• Prepped pages and ribbons cut to tie them in 
• Lovely laces to trim and embellish the cover
• Buttons, rhinestones, and velvet ribbon
• A soft, old millinery bloom
• A painted key
• Seam binding, netting, and other trims
• An ephemera pack
• Vintage wallpaper
• An old photo
• Bird images

I am cutting apart a treasured, hand pieced tablecloth of netting and old lace, everyone will get a section of this to use.

As well as gorgeous bridal lace with sparkling sequins and beads.

Cost will be $350 and can be split into two payments completed by May 1.

I will keep track of the order in which you respond, and that will determine who gets which album to work with.

Please email at 

[email protected] 

to ask for a paypal invoice or an address to mail a check.

Refund policy- Kits will be sent to you at a cost of $65 for Lesa's, $80 for the book, and $25 for the fairy plus postage, and the rest refunded in full.  I know that many are worried about upcoming travel restrictions and wanted to make sure you were covered if that occurs. If you can't come to the class, you will at least have a project mailed to you to work on at home.

Our gathering is held during KCMO’s First Friday weekends, so you might want to treat yourself to shopping at the fabulous Old West Bottoms Antique District on Friday while in the area.

 PS- I will be having surgery on Friday March 6, so please understand if I don't get back to you right away.  Emails will be answered in the order they come in for sign ups. Thank you!!

Here are some of the albums I have that are in the original condition.

There are various colors and styles, all quite lovely.  Some are velvet, some celluloid, some leather.

When I paint the red velvet ones, they turn a pretty color of pink.

This is Lesa's project from A Snowbird's Song last November.

I will leave you with some close ups of the album covers.

Here is one that I turned into an updated photo album that was left as is.

And this one was painted.

All are slightly damaged and tattered due to age. I look at that as an opportunity to use more lace on them!

A peek inside my Parisian Travel Journal

No, my camping trip wasn’t to Paris...but I still worked on pages in my Paris themed  journal.

The books themselves are what I will be making for my class at a Midnight in Paris.

I don’t know if there will be time to work on the interiors of the books during class, but I wanted to have some examples of what it could possibly be used for.

It will be more of an art journal than travel journal for me.  

But of course, they can be used in anyway the students would like.

I simply enjoy working on pages, no matter what the theme or use of the book will be.  


But day dreaming of a trip to Paris is always fun to do.

A “Charming” Make and Take

My southern belle friend, Miss Lulu Kellog, is doing a make and take for Randy’s Parisian arty weekend.

Ooh La La, Lulu!

I have spent the last week building kits for the event and am pleased as punch to say they are complete.  We are pulling the teensy camper filled with giant dogs to Florida for a couple of weeks, so I shoe horned a big ole box of kits in there to drop off with the Guncles.

Not only does it feel good to be done early, it is great to avoid shipping costs. 

And even better? Guncle time!  See you soon, bros!

Jenn Hayslip’s project at Midnight in Paris

Delightful, isn’t it?  Yet another gorgeous bit of sweet whimsy from Jenn.

Please contact me if you would like more info about how to join us.

Randy has arranged $79 hotel suites with free breakfast.  Two lunches, two evening parties with lots of fancy deliciousness, two days of classes, all with a French flair are included with the event cost of $375. 

 

Karen Hillman’s class at Midnight in Paris

My friend, Karen Hillman, makes lovely things.

And oh my goodness!  This project is quite something!

I cannot wait to make one at Guncle Randy’s event. 

If you want to also, contact me for more info.

A Parisian Travel Journal

I am very happy to be teaching at Randy Nathan’s first event!

The theme is A Midnight in Paris, so I have crafted a travel journal that is all frenchied up for us to make there.

And of course, it comes with a collage sheet of French images so you can personalize your book by choosing which pictures you want to use.

I have used Toile de Joie wallpaper, Fleur de lis charms, silk ribbon, and a metal spine inspired by the Eiffel Tower.

I would love to have you join us!

In case you are running low on fairies, I know where you can find some. And here is some info on upcoming classes

There are plans in the works to do more tutorials, foof up and add to existing ones, and get my Boutique filled to the brim once again.

But I can't quite get to it yet.

For now, there are more fairies and books in the Boutique.

Because I simply could not help myself, I love making them too much.

But before I go restocking even more, I have a list a mile long of things to do, plus we are filling up our camper with three of the dogs, the two of us and heading to Florida for a 3 week trip.

The Boutique will be closed while I am away, but when I get back? I will be restocking and let you know when it is filled up.

A couple of things on my to do list before heading south, are: making kits for Karen Hillan's get together in Deland, "Listen to Your Heart".  Spaces are still available for that party.

I also need to get samples ready for a class at the Guncles in April. 

  He has a few spots left. And there are also a couple of seats available for Karen's other gathering in Texas, "Beauty in Blue."

I am excited to have three upcoming teaching gigs coming up, and with some of my favorite people!

And I would love to see you at them too. 

Here is how to find out more about all three:

Randy's "I Lourve Jacksonville"- https://www.facebook.com/randyspups  Contact Randy for info, you can reach him here.

"Listen to Your Heart" in Deland, FL just in time for Valentine's Day- https://www.facebook.com/events/509270499709448/

"Beauty in Blue" celebrating the Texas bluebells- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2445165192414985/

And here is where you can find some fairies- http://www.karlascottage.com/category_15/All-items.htm

Listen to Your Heart, a class in Deland, FL

My dear, Special K, the divine hostess, Karen Hillman has invited me to teach a Valentine class on Saturday, Feb.8th at her Cozy Castle.  

Whenever she comes to my home, she comments on some hearts I have hanging in my dining room.  They were made during a girlfriends’ craft day at my good friend,Tami’s house. 

So we will be making a version of those.  Which makes it even more special to me. Craft projects made together with people you care about, already are infused with love, right?  

Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

My kits will include a collage sheet printed onto linen, so everyone can choose their favorite photo to add.  And faded, old, millinery blooms will in in the kit along with soft, pure silk ribbon to hang the lace covered hearts from. 

Oooh, and the lace! YUMMY!

Yes, this is the Good Stuff, all the way.  Class size and extra kits to sell will be limited due to the amount of this decadent lace that I have.  There are two vintage gowns that I am taking apart to use, and I think the previous owners were pretty petite. 

We will also be learning a quick and easy beading trick. 

I’ve salvaged some vintage curtains that used to hang in my kitchen to make tiny, little tokens to hang from the knot of silk ribbon.

Your sewing skill level can be any level for this class.  You can blow us away with your needlework, or get out a bottle of Fabric-Tac to assemble it.

I am not much of a sewer myself...

My Mom, who was a highly skilled seamstress, would be shocked to know that I am attempting to teach a class that involves needle and thread. But the main focus on this isn't the actual stitching of it, it is the foofing and decorating that is the best part.

Well, for me, the best part will be a day at the Cozy Castle with friends.  Karen is an extraordinary hostess and has a beautiful home.  I was lucky enough to teach with her there last year, and am thrilled to have a chance to say farewell.

She has sold her historic home, and will be moving this spring.  It is a such a beautiful place, I will miss it and am honored to get one last visit.

Please contact me if you’d like more info, I would love to see you there.

Beauty in Blue

It is exciting to announce that I will be teaching at Karen Hillman’s Beauty in Blue event at Stacy Seely’s ranch in Texas!

Crafting these birdcage angels for the holiday themed Snowbird’s Song has been so much fun, that I thought I’d use the idea to make a springtime, fairy version in shades of blue for Karen’s gathering.

She is now “Blue Bonnet Belle”.

A few years ago, my Sissy, Randy, and I were lucky enough to be invited to an event  at Stacy’s with Karen.  Oh my, what a lovely spot!  And amazing food!  It is a big slumber party, with gourmet food and lots of special attention, plus shopping at the Canton Flea AND crafting?

Yee haw, what a shindig! (Hopefully that sounded Texan?)

If you would like to join us in April, here is Karen’s info about the party.  See you there?

ABOUT THIS all inclusive Art Retreat gathering FOR creative women

Karen Hillman of Cozy Castle Events invites you to join her, deep in the heart of Texas for this all-inclusive, creative, and inspiring weekend. This will be the third “Beauty in Blue” retreat presented by Karen at Whitworth Ranch Retreat. It is a celebration of Spring themed in shades of blue, inspired by the Texas state flower, the Bluebonnet. Karen strives to make each class or event a beautiful, detailed, and unforgettable experience.

Our home for the weekend is The Whitworth Ranch Retreat, a full service shabby chic art retreat located about 45 minutes outside of Dallas. (book your air travel into Dallas Fort Worth Airport). Stacy Seely is our chef and hostess at this wonderful retreat, which is a working Texas cattle ranch! Visit Whitworth Ranch Retreat to learn more about this exclusive retreat.

This event includes your accommodations, ten meals, three gorgeous art projects, Champagne party and personal portrait in the bluebonnets, Canton Flea market and Mineola shopping adventures, and more.

This is a weekend escape for creative-minded women who enjoy and thrive being in a group setting. The only rules are to leave the real world behind you and relax, escape, and create in this positive and upbeat atmosphere. The meals have been chosen according to the theme of this weekend, and we will have salad options available, but food selections have been pre planned therefore we can not accommodate dietary restrictions.

Registration Information

This is an all-inclusive event, and the cost covers your accommodations, meals, and instructed art projects.

The total cost is $775; at least half must be paid to reserve your spot with the remaining balance due by March 1st, 2020. PLEASE NOTE: A deposit secures your spot for this event and is NON-REFUNDABLE. Should you need to cancel, an effort will be made to find a replacement to fill your spot, but we cannot guarantee this. Once you are registered, you will receive paperwork to complete and return to Karen by email.

Click here to register on-line!

If you wish to pay by check, make checks payable to Karen Hillman Designs and mail to:
233 West Rich Avenue
DeLand, FL 32720

Beauty In Blue Art Retreat
Scurry, Texas (near Dallas)
April 1-5th 2020
$775—all Inclusive!

Look what we’ve got planned! Attendees will
receive a detailed itinerary and supply list
once registered.

Wednesday, April 1st Arrival 4 PM
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Hand Coloring Portrait Demonstration
with Karen Hillman

Thursday, April 2nd
Continental Breakfast
Canton Flea Market Shopping Adventure
Dinner
Chambray Shirt Design Class with Karen Hillman

Friday, April 3rd
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the retreat
Happy Hour Champagne Party in the
bluebonnet field and portraits
with Jennifer Hayslip
Completion of Chambray Shirt
“All that Glitters” embellished picture frame
with Karen Hillman

Saturday, April 4th
Breakfast
Town of Minneola shopping day
Lunch at Southern Fried Restaurant
Dinner
“Blue Bonnet Belle “Class with Karla Nathan

Sunday, April 5th
Farewell Breakfast

Three published artists will lead you in creating special keepsake projects

Karen Paige Hillman will give a demonstration of the timeless art of hand-colored black and white portraits. Also, bring along a blue chambray shirt, and Karen will help you design and embellish it into a whole new creation using lace, trims, and unique textiles. Each attendee will also create an “All That Glitters” 5x7 picture frame using rhinestone findings, vintage bling, and Swarovski crystals. Learn more about Karen’s art, classes, and events on her website, thecozycastle.com

Published photographer and artist Jennifer Hayslip will work her portrait magic among the Texas Bluebonnets! Bring along a special outfit for your personal photo. Check out Jennifer’s fanciful website, jenniferhayslip.com

And the amazing Karla Nathan of Karla’s Cottage will help you bring to life your own beautiful Bluebonnet Belle in shades of blue and white! View Karla’s incredible studio and art on her website, karlascottage.typepad.com