That was my inspiration to create this little book, I call it my Vintage Junk Book.  It’s nothing in particular.  Just a collection of odds and ends.  Junk.  Lace, ribbon, buttons.  Arty stuff.  Mica, crackle paste, gesso, glimmer mist.  All housed together in one little inspirational book, not much bigger than an ATC.

If taught this project recently and we had a ball putting all the little bits and pieces together, creating little pockets for bits of ephemera, getting messy with glimmer mists and mica flakes.  Now it’s your turn!  I have today released the project in kit form complete with very detailed instructions with step by step photos.  All of this for just $35 and you’ll learn loads of techniques and tips for creating this style of project.

If you are interested in purchasing one simply visit our website here …… and let the creativity begin!

Be happy
Natalie x

But so much has happened, there have been so many changes and I have barely been able to keep up until now.

March 31st of this year was the last day my beloved Scraptivate, the store I started up in 2006, traded for the last time.  I said goodbye to 5 and a half years of selling Scrapbooking and Art supplies from our shopfront at Joondanna.  But it’s not goodbye from me at all ….

In April my new online store Artability was launched!  Artability houses an eclectic mix of art and craft supplies and it is my mission to continue to bring you all the products I know you love, and the items that are harder to find, the vintage, the eclectic, the unique.  I am working full time operating the website and teaching classes from our home studio and also from a local community centre.  I am only just now getting in to the swing of this new life, there are still some things to organise, some things to finalise and a lot of change to get used to.

What hasn’t changed is my love of art.  In fact if anything it has blossomed and become deeper than ever before.  I now have more time to develop classes and workshops and I have ideas swimming around in my mind keeping me awake at night.  I even downloaded an app on my iPad which I keep by my bed – so when an idea comes to me at 2am I can sketch it and visit it again later.  That’s the theory!

Whilst on this quest to simplify my life I will only now maintain the one blog – A Piece of Sky – so if I have updates on new classes and products for Artability I shall post them here also.

Before I sign off for the night I’ll share with you my latest project …. inchies, an old love, adorned with Faux Enamel embellishments which have been created using the new Vintaj Patinas, a new favourite of mine!

More soon!
Natalie x

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

Natalie xoxo

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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