Karla's Cottage

Traveling, again??? How can she afford that???

If you were interested in doing my Paper Doll tutorial from Artist Class but didn't have time to sign up for all 12 classes, Mary is now offering individual classes for sale. You can purchase one, two, or more tutorials HERE.

Years ago, I used to have a sign by my front door that read,

"Creative Minds are Seldom Tidy"

Maybe I should dig that out and hang it back up... Lately, I've been going from one complete mess to another.

One end of my studio is still torn up from moving furniture around, and redoing the Treat Cabinet for Thanksgiving.  The Silver Bella goodies have not all be unpacked and I am still trying to get ready for Miss Frenchie's.

I have wallpaper to iron, cut, and sell, (people are waiting for me and asking about my pretty new (old) papers!!), I seem to be knee deep in bottle brush trees, and I am leaving to go out of town again!

I do seem to travel a LOT.  Almost as much as my friend, Jessi, she amazes me with all of her trips. Thing is, even though each trip I took this year was wonderful and I wouldn't give any of them up, I am such a homebody,that I hate to leave.

Once I get where I am going, I'm fine. Its the leaving that hurts.

(this is my journal project from Rebecca Sower's class at Silver Bella)

Here is where I've been this year:

4 trips to DC (including one for Beth's birthday to meet up with blogfriends)

1 trip to Florida with my sisses and to go to Aunt Caroline's funeral the day after her 101st birthday

1 trip to Florida to play with Sugarwings on the beach and go to Aunt Caroline's home one last time

Macon to Jenn Hayslip's home for En Le Jardin ( She is the ultitmate in Southern hospitality!!!  There are spots still available for her next event, too.)

Indiana for my sister's 60th birthday party

Chicago to see Lucinda Williams and eat at Art Smith's restaurant

2 trips to Omaha to take Sugarwings to the fantastic zoo there and to hang out at the Holiday Inn's indoor water park

Sioux City to see Grandma Joan

Outer Banks for a mini getaway on the beach

Charlotte for a nephew's wedding

Omaha for Silver Bella

Geesh, I'm tired just writing these!!

(this is my project from Anna  Corba's class)

And now, another trip out to Virginia, just for the weekend. No, I am NOT independently wealthy!  My husband travels all the time, and racks up lots of points. He flew on Southwest so much this year that I received a Buddy Pass and could fly free any place that he was going.

When I travel with him, its usually business and he already has a room booked, so I just have to pay for own meals.  And often breakfast is free at many hotels, if not, I keep granola bars in my suitcase.

Other times, we use Holiday Inn Priority Club points for buy a night get a night free, or other deals, and I have shared rooms with my sisses or friends to save on costs.

(here is my project from Denise Sharp's class)

Another trick for cheap travel is my Southwest Airlines Visa card. I get free flights from using it for everything I buy. I mean everything. Any where that takes a credit card, I pay with Visa.  We get about 6 free flights a year that way, on top of all the other free flights.

If you do that, just make sure that you pay your bill in total at the end of every month, or your interest rates will beat out the savings you'd get in free tickets.

This bird is one of the hardest things I 've ever had to make at Silver Bella. I'm not much of a pattern follower, and this came with a gazillion steps to follow, and dozens of little tiny pieces to cut out.

Even though it was HARD to do, I'm glad I made myself do it, and got it done.  I'm thrilled with the outcome.  (and got a very nice compliment from Anna Corba on it!!)

I've named her Rosamund and she lives in my china cabinet now.  Safe behind glass from tiny little Sugarwing fingers.

As I've looked around my house, I see a lot of neglect, since I've traveled so much this last year.  Normally, I spend time on lots of little redos, or big redos, too.  This year, its all been ignored, including touch ups that need attending.

 

My plan, after this last trip of the year, is to dedicate some time to pulling my home back together.  I miss puttering and fixing and repainting.  So hope to get some decor repairs done, and deck the halls big time for the Holidays.

I'm ready to settle into my nest for the winter and be cozy!

You still have plenty of time to enter the November Giveaway by leaving a comment. I'm sorry if I'm not responding to all comments that have been left, life has been a bit hectic lately, but I do read and enjoy each and every single one.

When I am not on the go, and Sugarwings is not here, I'm often alone for days on end, since my husband travels. Your comments are great company for me, and I treasure getting them. Thanks for being my buddies!

(this was pre-posted before I left)

Meet Mr. Wonderful

We have a new little friend here at the cottage. 

Twinks is fascinated by him.

Mr. Wonderful isn't quite as infatuated with her.

He has decided that as long as Twinkle is near by, the best place to be is out of reach.

But they are working on the relationship.

Today was a great day for getting acquainted, its sunny, bright, and beautiful. 

While the two new "frenemies" explored each other's boundaries, I harvested tomatoes for the last time, again.  This is the 4th time I cleared out late tomatoes, thinking it was the end of the line for the plants.  Vine fresh tomatoes aren't a typical side dish for Thanksgiving in Kansas. But it sure will be this year!

I might even be picking flowers from the garden for the table!

(I am out of town a few days, this was pre-posted on Friday)

Treating the Treat Cabinet to a redo

There was a little detour on my way to getting the wallpaper ironed, cut, and sold... I decided to spiff up my studio for Thanksgiving dinner. The treat cabinet was treated to new (old) wallpaper in one of my favorite toile rose patterns.  I thought about indulging myself and using one of the glorious new papers that I bought at Wallpaper Heaven, but decided to go with this, since it was more neutral.  I can change the colors of table clothes, and decor inside this much easier with this background. 

Plus, this goes well with my hand painted roses on the outside of the doors.

Years ago, I got this cabinet by trading $20 piece from a garage sale. Its been a lot of colors and styles since then!

My son helped me rearrange the furniture so that the cabinet was in a location near an outlet and now all the goodies will be illuminated! The room is much more functional this way too, more space to set up tables for dining or for crafting!

This is a before shot, with all my Silver Bella inventory spread out waiting to be transformed into Miss Frenchie inventory.  I gave up and shoved it all in the garage for now and will deal with it after Thanksgiving.

(see the pile of wallpapers, waiting for me to get them ironed and cut?)

The treat cabinet is on the far left, in this picture.

I don't have a completely done After shot for you, but here is one mid-way.   Even with all the clutter spread out, the room seems more stream lined with the furniture moved around, doesn't it?

I've always loved this big china cabinet, but it was facing the front door and was never really that noticeable in the room.  Now, it is front and center.

Actually, that "I've always loved it" is a lie. When I bought it, I freaked out. It was one of those auction moments of pure panic when I realized that I bought a giant monstrosity that was too heavy for me to move, needed a complete makeover, was too big to fit in my van, and I was in trouble.

During the bidding fever, I was so excited to get this for under $50, that I wasn't thinking about what I'd do with it. After trying to remove the glass shelves and scratching the window in the door, and not being able to budge the giant, heavy thing by myself, I actually started to cry right there at Gold River Auction hall. 

Luckily my sons bailed me out with the old farm truck. And luckily the old farm truck made it all the way to Kansas City and back.

Now, I love it!

 
The top shelf of the treat shelf just holds a set of dishes from the same auction ($22). I really should get rid of them, there is no space in the kitchen for them and I could use storage space in the studio for MORE WALLPAPER!

The jar of pink M&Ms with the crown topper was a gift from fellow Bella, Suzanne.  She was the Frozen Charlotte Fairy at Silver Bella and was passing out these sweet dolls on tags all around! (not only was Suzanne generous, she is one of the funniest people you'll meet, and hanging out with her was a highlight of my trip)

The cottage print fan was a gift from Beth. She knows I collect pictures with a cottage and flower garden.  I daydream about living in a home like that, and strive for that meandering, overfilled garden look here at my own farmhouse style cottage.

Beth also knew I'd love this print and brought it to me.  So, I thought I'd share it with you.  Its saturated colors will be beautiful in a project, so feel free to download and print it!  If you get a chance, tell Beth thanks.

My plan for it, is to frame and hang it in the treat cabinet, the colors compliment the old picture of the little girl already hanging there.

Notice that I didn't finish the wallpaper inside the cabinet?  I got close to the corner... I have to admit that I didn't match up my repeat either.  I don't need perfection, sometimes good enough is plenty good for me.  

The painting is a vintage watercolor that didn't have a frame. I taped it to a white framed mirror.

This project from last year's Silver Bella is hung over a mirror in another part of the studio. I love the reflection and light of having lots of mirrors, but get sick of seeing myself in them. This is a good solution!

Back to work for me. But remember, all comments count toward the November Giveaway bundle of trims.

Far from Wallpaper Heaven

Ahhhhh, wallpaper heaven!

Here is a small selection of what I bought there. I might have gotten carried away....

But honestly, I'm pretty impressed with my restraint! 

With a selection like this, I could have mortgaged my house and still not gotten all that I wanted!  Sadly, my husband doesn't agree with me on the value of old papers, so I had to stick with my budget...  Its a good thing Marilyn doesn't have an ATM handy, I'd be like those sad and twisted gamblers in Vegas, draining their bank accounts to the very last drop.

Look at this gorgeous one that Tiffany found!!  Can you imagine the home that one might have gone in?  Often, I look at old wallpapers and think they'd be a bit much in a room, but this one would be a room I'd love to live in.

One of the best parts about going there is the looks on the faces of vintage paper lovers when they first walk in. Since I'd visited there before, I went in first to capture the expressions of my pals.  Lori, Jenn, and Suzanne were as overwhelmed with Wallpaper Joy as I knew they'd be!

Look at Robin's grin as Marilyn tells her about the paper.  Marilyn is so knowledgeable about her inventory, I wished I had more time to talk paper with her.   Some day, I'd like to drive up to Iowa to take her out to lunch and just sit and talk all about old papers.  She seems like a very interesting person. I'm betting I can get Beth to take a road trip with me....

Luncheon talk with people who have similar interests is always fascinating.  A group of us went out to lunch before leaving Omaha on Sunday and a topic I brought up was movies you watch just for the houses and decor in them.  Its something I think about a lot, and I was so happy to hear everyone chiming in with their favorites and to know that I am not the only one who watches wallpaper and upholstery fabric instead of the actors sometimes!

Here are some of the favorites from my list:

1.  Far from Heaven (Julianne Moore's bedroom is beautiful, but in this movie, all of the scenes have gorgeous furnishings)
2.  Practical Magic!!!  (every detail of that house is over the top, perfect) 
3. Atonement (the cabbage rose fabric and the genteel, faded elegance- wow!)
4.  This one I just saw a couple days ago- Revolutionary Road- but only the neighbor's bedroom, not Kate Winslet's home.
5. What Lies Beneath (if your husband is going to drown you, don't you want it to be in that bathroom?)

Oh, there are plenty more, of course. Amy Powers says she likes old Doris Day movies just for the backgrounds and the clothes. And who can forget Mad Men?  I'd watch that just for Betty's dresses. 

The best dresses ever were in Wicked!  I wanted to dance away in every single thing that Glinda the Good wore.  Of course, at my age, it wouldn't have quite the same look on me...

Sugarwing's mommy and I went to see this last night and I can't get my mind off of those glittering gowns and the glorious visuals.   Plus, I wouldn't mind a bubble to travel around in either.

I'd never been to Kansas City's revamped Power and Light District and was so impressed with the whole area.  And also with how many people were out and about on a Wednesday night, too.  Kansas City has a lot to offer and at much better prices than other cities I've been to recently. On our trip to Chicago, we spent $40 in parking for one night! $20 for the restaurant, and $20 for the concert! Guess what it was in KC?

 

Take that, Chicago!

I just wish I could have taken Sugarwings with me to see the Wicked Witch.  She'd have loved the show.

Between taking my husband to KC to the airport in the morning (almost an hour there, then an hour back) then going to BACK to KC for dinner and the play, I managed to get some photos taken and things listed in the shop.

I will be ironing and cutting the wallpaper, thanks for all your inquiries! Today is my day for that and for glittering more trees.  I'll announce when they are listed. In the meantime, here are a few photos of my recent additions.

 

The Vendor Faire, more bella-ness

What was the highlight of Vendor night for me at Silver Bella? Baby Bella coming to help! Here she is trying on my apron that I foofed up for the Night of 100 Aprons.

She might have gotten a little bit of attention that night.  And loved it! She was telling everyone she saw "Hello Bella!" even Pop Pop Bella and Daddy Bella who were also there to help.

Having my family drive 3 hours to come and help was just amazing, and so sweet.  Have I mentioned lately that I am about as lucky as anyone can be?

The evening was a great success and such fun. Well, dur.  Everything about the entire weekend was nothing but fun.

  Carol was my neighbor again this year, but the way our booths  were facing, I didn't get to talk to her as much as last year.!

My booth looked even better with Jessi in it, she brightens up everything she goes near!

My best bud, Beth was just on the other side of the curtain from me, but we were too busy to hang out during the sale. I was so glad that she came up a day early so we could spend some time together.

 I think that my son, the massage therapist could have made more money than all of us put together if he'd had a chair set up! 

Of course, there is a TON of stuff left over!  I've started, slowly but surely to list some things in the shop.  There are a  few bottles of vintage Diamond Dust in the Boutique right now. 

And I am in the middle of hand dying and glittering more Christmas trees to list on Etsy.  The few trees that I had left from Silver Bella are in there now, but there will be another bunch coming soon. 

I'll leave you with some photos of the booth.  Its not as pretty as I'd like, there was an awful lot jammed into a small space!

So many people commented during the sale that this little vintage doll with dark hair looked like Jenn, that I had a friend sneak it into her room and place it on her pillow to surprise her.

Do you see the similarity?

Welcome to the Glitter Lounge!

Carol, her niece, Shelly, and I hosted the Glitter Lounge again this year, and I was so happy to see so many Bellas join us!  Do you ever throw a party and fret that no one will show up? Its a big fear of mine, to be sitting all alone with a mountain of cupcakes (well, having all the cupcakes to myself doesn't sound so bad, I could probably handle that part) and no one coming to celebrate with me. 

Luckily, it wasn't a problem, I was happy as could be when Bellas started piling in! We had adjoining rooms this year, so could double the fun instead of squeezing everyone into one room.

 

My silver table cloth was a curtain from a garage sale, and the floral topper was a throw that fell apart. The velvet lining had ripped loose from it, so it made a perfect sheer topper over the metallic piece.  The disco ball-look "vase" was a plastic bottle cover from a thrift shop that I filled with china roses (also from a thrift shop) then topped with a crown and a fairy ballerina.

The deep pink disco ball is from the garden section of Hobby Lobby at clearance time. Hopefully, the decor looked deluxe, but all of it was thrown together with pennies.  My favorite way to decorate!

The best deal in town for tossable wine glasses was Hobby Lobby with their 40% off coupon.  Much cheaper than the party stores or even Costco.  Then, I found packs of mini disco ball key chains at the dollar store to add to the stems as souveniers.

It was so festive to see the table all set up and ready to pour pink champagne and sparkling pink cranberry juice for our Bella guests!

(I mixed my two pink drinks, that was a sweet combo!)

Miss Sugarwings helped me decorate cupcakes the night before. She held each in the palm of her hand while I piped on the icing from a bag.  She was  giggly and happy while doing it, and was so impressed with the icing bag, having never seen one before.  She kept saying, "Its so full of squishy pretties!"  And her father said that she was developing a vocabulary like mine.

It was also her job to help me with the pink sprinkles and edible glitter.   Can you see how the cupcakes sparkle?  The lighting was too soft for it to show up much, so I kept telling guests to go and look at their treats under a light before they ate them, so they could enjoy the glitter.

Because what good is glitter if you can't get the full enjoyment of it??

For a swap page that I did with the En Le Jardin girls, I drew a Glitter Lounge cartoon, then framed it for the table top. 

My fears of having no one turn up were groundless, thank goodness!  We had two rooms full of fun.

Its hard to know how many will come and who will show. I sent invites to people whose email addresses I had, and told them to bring friends and roomies along.  Then it gets complicated, because we don't know until I checked in at 4pm where the party was going to be at 5pm!  So, no one knows what rooms to come to.

I hope that no one who wanted to come, missed us.  

Carol is the one to thank for  the pink champagne, she treated us all!  Of course, she has one of the most generous hearts around.  And between her and Tiffany, the laughing never stops.

Of course, Suzanne is a pretty funny lady too.  Did I mention that my cheeks were sore from smiling so much???

I was happy to finally get to meet Kana, with her sweet, Southern drawl too.  Its great to put faces with the names in emails!  

And my buddy Beth came up from Kansas City a day early for her Vendor Booth, just in time for the Glitter Lounge, and to stay up half the night listening to all of Shelly's funny stories.

When I made up inventory to pack for the Vendor Faire, I purposely made more than I could ever need for the event, so I would have a lot left to sell online. So, I'm off to get busy photographing and listing some goodies.

Then, I'll tell you all about wallpaper heaven and the lovely loot that overspent on indulged in there. I went a bit over the top.... But- I have the most BEAUTIFUL florals ever, and will be ironing and cutting and making up packs to list soon. Because no on in their right mind could ever need the amount of wallpaper I have!  And its all too wonderful to not be used.

For now, I have some 8 packs of flocked paper in the Boutique. They are gorgeous for Holiday projects!

For now, I'll leave you with scenes from the Glitter Lounge.  I'll have more Silver Bella highlights all week, until you are all Bell-ed out!