XOXO

Natalie Wolfe — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:06:53 +0000

I have a few cards to share that I have done using Unity Stamps which are fast becoming my favourite stamp company!

I hope these give you some inspiration to go and create something!

Natalie xoxo

My Sanctuary

Natalie Wolfe — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:39:32 +0000

My sanctuary is my art …
It’s my safe place …
Where I can just be me.

Take an 8″ x 8″ canvas, Caran D’ache Watersoluble Crayons, Gesso, Impasto Medium, Glimmer Mists, Glimmer Glazes and stamps ….
and you get
this

and a whole heap of relaxtion, satisfaction and happiness.

Natalie
xx

Almost my bedtime ….

Natalie Wolfe — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:59:15 +0000

It is 11.48pm on a Monday night. Here I sit. In my artroom. This is my favourite room in the house. I have the music playing, I have my little baby bird on my shoulder and my hands are messy with paint. And gesso. And ink. I don’t like to wash it off. I would just leave them like that all the time if I could. It feels creative. Washing them feels like I am washing away the creativity …..

So before I take myself off to bed and call it a day I wanted to share with you tonight’s creation while it is still fresh in my mind. It will actually be the sample for my Mixed Media 101 class on at Scraptivate this Wednesday and Saturday …..

I did take a full shot of the page but I can’t share it with you tonight. Poor lighting and me being lazy meant the photo came out blurry …..

There are layers of collage here, book text, magazine images …. layered with stamping, acrylic paint washes, more stamping, masking, a touch of gesso and so on ….

I have a canvas to share with you too, and some photos of this awesome spider that was in my backyard last night …. but my eyes are getting sleepy ….

So
Goodnight my lovelies
Go create something. While I sleep.

xxx

There was a whole world out there, waiting to be discovered, and she was eager to be a part of it.

Off to an exciting start!

Natalie Wolfe — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:37:48 +0000

I am so excited to be able to share with you all my news – I have been accepted to join the Design Team for 2Crafty! Since I love working with chipboard so much and I love 2Crafty’s designs I am very excited about this and hugely honoured to join the very talented ladies also on the team. Thank you Vanessa!

Check out the list of girls who have made the team on 2Crafty’s blog here …..

My first Design Team pack of goodies is on it’s way to me (hurry up Mr Postman!) so I will have some 2Crafty goodness to share with you very soon.

What a wonderful start to the New Year!

Natalie
xx

Playing with plaster

Natalie Wolfe — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:34:24 +0000

This week’s Mixed Media 101 class is set to be a fun one as we will be playing with plaster of Paris! I love working with plaster and the rustic finish it creates really resonates with me. I’ll be teaching how to create an archway with it (based on the Collections arches) and place it on a background done with pan pastels – another favourite of mine due to their fantastic soft matt finish. Awesome!

Here are some pics of the class sample page …

So if you like what you see and you want to learn more about plaster of Paris and pan pastels – call us at the Scraptivate on 9444 6626 and book in! Class is just $25, this Wednesday 10.30am – 12.30pm and Saturday 1.30pm – 3.30pm.

See you there!

Natalie x

A New Journal for a New Year

Natalie Wolfe — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:45:15 +0000

And so here it is.

2012.

Wow.

I am actually fairly happy to see in a New Year and put the last one behind me. Very happy in fact. I thought it would be fitting also to do start a brand new journal for the new year and so on New Year’s Eve that’s exactly what I did. I took a basic black hardbound A4 journal and turned it into this:

The book is done with a combination of gesso, pan pastels, crackle paint and moulded resin. I love the softness of the colour. You may like to join me and decorate a journal of your own ….. I will be teaching this one at Scraptivate in February, click on My Classes page or go to www.scraptivate.com.au for more information!

Happy New Year to all of you
Natalie x

The Quail’s Egg

Natalie Wolfe — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:09:45 +0000

I have a fascination with birds. Their beauty, their grace, their intelligence and what they represent – freedom. The freedom to just be. For me the bird is a natural metaphor of life. Which is probably why I also have a love of eggs – I mean not to eat (well, I like to eat them too) but more so what the egg represents. No matter whether it’s a tiny finch egg, or a large ostrich egg – I find beauty in their perfect shape, the different colours and patterns of the shell – and what they hold inside. A single egg that is able to sustain a growing being until it is ready to break open the shell and start life. It’s the miracle that is life.

It follows then that I often use images of birds and eggs in my artwork and am drawn to papers and image sheets of the like. For quite a while now we have also had plastic craft eggs available at Scraptivate in a few different sizes. Very cool. But of course, how cool would it be if I had my own supply of REAL spotted eggs to use? I already had an aviary …. so a beautiful little pair of Japanese Quail soon moved in. They are really quite adorable (in my opinion) and full of character, very easy to look after …. and they produce almost an egg a day! Their eggs are pictured above, they are small and spotted and each egg is adorned with it’s own unique pattern – no two eggs are exactly the same.

I have finally mastered the technique of safely emptying the contents using a needle and syringe and disinfecting inside. And voila – I have ready to use real quail eggs!

So I combined the egg, a representation of young budding new life, with an old book – a juxtapositioning of old with new. I’m pretty happy with the results ….

The book doesn’t open – it is now purely ornamental, with the archway carved out through the pages to house the little egg. I will be running this project as a workshop at Scraptivate in January … click here for details!

I hope you can join me!

Natalie x

Clearly Resin

Natalie Wolfe — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:21:08 +0000

I thought I would share one of my latest creations ……

Click to view slideshow.

This is an 8″ x 8″ double thick canvas which I have painted using a combination of my favourite Caran d’Ache watersoluble crayons with gesso, glimmer mists and glimmer glazes. The effect of glimmer mist over the top of watercolour is simply awesome – in my humble opinion lol. The “flowers” are created using an impasto medium which once set has been coloured with the mists and finished with Gilder’s Paste.

I then added a layer of Ice Resin to the top of the flowers which really makes them pop off the canvas. I’m in love with the effect and will be creating more of these little beauties for sure.

This canvas is for sale in my Etsy store – you can see the link on the right of my blog – however if you are interested in creating something similar leave a comment and I’ll organise a class!

Smiles
Natalie x

Owl-licious

Natalie Wolfe — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:21:34 +0000

I was teaching my regular card class the other day and one of the ladies requested I incorporate owls into the next one, as she loves them so much, like many of us do. I knew straight away I would use the little Collections owls (available here) as I love the simplicity of this owl shape which allows you to do anything with it. So I pulled out my Tim Holtz dies, embossing folders, Martha Stewart punches, papers, UTEE, Metallic Waxes, calico …. and came up with these ….

I will be teaching these cards as part of our Cardmaking Double Class on New Years Eve at Scraptivate (see below for full details) …. I do hope you are happy with the owls Judith! On that day I will be running a morning card session as per normal with the owl cards, followed immediately by a second session featuring the black and white cards. You can book into the first or second session, but if you do both you can stay after the second class and continue making your own cards all afternoon in our studio with free use of our Cuttlebug machines, dies and embossing folders.

There is loads to learn in both classes so I do hope you can join us!

Saturday 31st December 2011
Session 1 9.30am – 11.30pm $25
Session 2 11.30am – 1.30pm $25

If you would like to book in give the shop a call on 9444 6626.

Natalie x

I’ve moved!

Natalie Wolfe — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:31:54 +0000

Since I have been having some issues with Typepad I have taken the plunge and moved over here to WordPress! Please update your links and spread the word ….

It’s been a little while since my last post and since my blog was feeling a little neglected and sorry for itself it is probably fairly good timing to move here and start a fresh. I get SO busy running the shop and everything that entails plus general family life – children, animals, fiance’s, more animals …..

So I recently decided to take another plunge and open an Etsy store. There isn’t a lot in there at the moment – it will take a few weeks for me to upload pics in my spare moments. But I would like to start by sharing with you a couple of mini canvases I have done which will make their way into the Etsy store this week ….

These are created using my all time favourite medium – gesso – combined with my Caran D’ache watersolubles for the background effect. Impasto medium and glimmer mists are used to create the hearts, which wrap around the sides of the little canvases. I have more of these underway, with various sayings on them ….

I actually have quite a few projects to share with you all, but since it is 1am in the morning and I need to be at work bright eyed in the morning, I shall leave my first WordPress post here …. and we can chat again very soon I promise!!

Take care of YOU
Natalie x