Tiny Little Bowl of Tiny Little...

Fruit!

My second medium (which I love to use even more than the first) is modelling clay. I first discovered the love of it when I had to repair my church's nativity scene, in which a lot of the characters had lost their noses/fingers/etc, and I had to rebuild them and then repaint them. They turned out great, but I didn't take any photos. Next christmas when it's all out I'll go take a picture to show you.

But check this out...




I am beaming with pride about this one. This was my first try with making a set from the clay that actually hardens and then you can keep it rather than the stuff you just muck around with (or blue tac). I only finished it yesterday (painting and spraying each piece with varnish to protect them), and I love love love the finished product, so excuse me while I bore you to death with too many photos of them.

The banana...

The orange...

The pear...

The apple...

Aren't they adorable? Or am I biased due to them being my creation? I don't know and I don't care because I am nuts for them. My husband has already claimed this one to go on his desk at work (the man never eats fruit so I don't quite get it). I will be trying things like tiny cupcakes and lollies and a tea set soon, and I have so many other ideas too, like christmas decorations and a little tiny basket with little tiny easter eggs. I seriously could make this bowl of fruit a million times, so if you want one please let me know and I'll be more than happy to make one for you, it is so much fun!

Here it is in my hand to give you an idea of how tiny they are! It makes my hand look huge...actually it's causing me to develop a bit of a complex about my hands being too big. But it's so CUTE! Tee hee! If I was a barbie doll I would totally have that as a centrepiece on my kitchen table, and I would totally want to take a bite out of that apple.

Here it is again in a very artistically lit photo. It looks like it should be an oil painting doesn't it? Very old school still life portait-y.

I'm now going to go and fantasize about making other very tiny things...

xnata

A Pretty Little Dragonfly...

I am finally putting on my first few creations! I know, I procrastinate.

Making jewellery is so much fun, and has given me such a wide selection of jewellery at relatively little cost, some even tailor made for a particular outfit. However, sometimes while making jewellery my mind would wander and all of a sudden I'd look down to see I'd made something like this...

Wow, where did that come from? Okay it's not as accidental as I'm making it. This isn't so much a miniature of a dragonfly as a life size interpretation of one. I made this about...a few years ago I'd guess, and as you can see I often have it hanging from a piece of fishing line by a window, so that it's wings catch the light. Very pretty and serene.

I've made lots of other things like this over the years, a lot of which I've ended up giving it away because friends/family have spotted it and liked it and so I've given it to them. Butterflies, dragonflies, other winged things, flowers and little tiny men. I have a bunch of bead flowers that I'll post another time and one of the little men as well.

I'll be back shortly to show you another medium I like to make tiny things out of.

xnata

My Work Space!

Before I begin the revealing of my various creations (and perhaps before I make some more to be more accurate), I thought I should show you what I've been up to for the last week. I am currently writing this on a laptop, the only computer I have, and have been writing this blog on this laptop for my whole blogging life. And frankly, the novelty of the portable computer has worn off. It's great sometimes, like when you are busy and want to be on the computer at the same time as watching television or doing crafty things, or when you go on holidays, but as the only option it loses its appeal for me.

The main reason I haven't had a PC despite having a computer man for a husband is because I haven't had a desk to put it on, and the room this theoretical desk would be in was stacked high with boxes of STUFF. Stuff to give away, stuff to throw away, and stuff to actually go in the room once it had furniture. Here it is as it was last Monday (try to stifle your screams in horror)-

Before:


Yes, what a dump. This was the room we hid by closing the door pretty much all of the time. It severely let down the rest of the house and was the project I had been avoiding for months. But, last weekend after a tantrum thanks to the slowness of this laptop, I decided I was going to get a desk and a bookcase and sort that room out and then my computer tech man could build me a great pc and I wouldn't have to deal with the aching neck/back and slow laptop anymore. After searching and searching and checking prices and searching some more, we found the right pair and bought them:

Ah, flat packed furniture. What a joy; furniture and a puzzle all in one. So last monday and tuesday I emptied the room of all the junk, and then opened the boxes and built the bookcase and desk ALL BY MYSELF, using the terribly unhelpful instructions, wood glue and my intuition. Wednesday was spent putting things into the room and taking old clothes and other unwanted stuff to lifeline, and filling the bin with rubbish. It was therapeutic and tiring. I could not be prouder of the finished project:

After:

TA DA! Isn't it great? Look at the bookcase:

There's just two or three things left to be done in here that taking the photos made obvious to me - the trim, the lack of curtains, and a second chair. The chair is low priority, seeing as it's just to put on the other side of the desk so that should my freelance editing career take off I can have the client come in and chat with me about the work to be edited across my desk. The curtains aren't so much to keep out light or for privacy (there are blinds already as you can see), it is a purely decorative thing. I'm thinking something sheer and either teal or purple. But before I go doing that, the trim is the first issue to attack.

As I took photos I was reminded of the bewildering colour scheme of my house (done by the previous owner). Beige. Beige walls, beige trim, just beige. Bleeeeuuuch. See:

Now why they though it was a good idea to camoflage the doors and trim into the wall is beyond me. It looks horrid. This picture doesn't quite depict how bad it is, but just trust me on it. So, I have bought some nice white paint to repaint the trim and doors with, and while I'm at it I'll be replacing the brassy old lady door handles too.

So get ready for more before/after photos once I've painted.

xnata

So Far so good...

Well, how's the new look working?

I like it. I will post my first bunch of pics of my tiny little creations when I have the time.

but for now I have to tell you that the lovely Rosey has given me an award!

Rosey tells me that this award was created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee. In Bella's own words "this is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds it's way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak, giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns..."

Thank you for thinking of me Rosey, and thank you for my first award!

xnata

Changes To Come

Well I've redefined this page a few times now, and as yet none have brought in any more readers. I was chatting with the lovely and talented Rosey yesterday about this issue, and she confirmed what had occured to me many times in the past. These days everyone makes jewellery and so who would buy it when they can do it themselves?

Some people are very successful with the jewellery making, but I think you have to have a unique style that people realise they can't replicate for that to actually work. So looking over all of my jewellery, I see it is rather simple and could be done by pretty much anyone once they find themselves a bead shop.

But all is not lost, there is still hope for me and this blog and my sad and unused etsy shop. I do create some stuff that is quite unique and cute that people do show interest in that might be the right way to go. It isn't jewellery perse, but it does involve beads...

I like to make little things. little tiny things. that are cute. Animals, objects, food, little people, all sorts of stuff. Out of wire and beads, out of that coloured moulding clay, all sorts of stuff.

And so my tiny band of dedicated readers, take a good look at this site while you can, because soon it will look very different...

xnata

ps- I realise you may be reading this after the changes have already taken place. Oh well. If so, please let me know what you think of the new look.

Tea House, Hair and a new Pretty

I have a new Tea house! no, I don't mean a place where I go and drink tea, I mean this:

Tee hee! I love it, isn't it so cute? You just put your tea leaves inside, and it's got a little chain attached to the top with a hook on the end, so you hook that over the side of your cup and away you go! Mmm...


I haven't had any form of dye in my hair for about 8 years, that is until yesterday! I got highlights put in, blondish ones! Click on the photo for a better look. My husband loves them, I'm still getting used to it though.

You can see them better there. And yes I am taking the photo myself, so it's off-centre. Oh well.

And finally, today I made myself a new pretty! Years ago my mummy went overseas with my aunty, and while she was there she bought me some venician glass in Venice (obviously), and I've been stuck on how to use them for a while, but yesterday I went to my bead supplier and discovered these springy little links, and instantly knew just what to do. so here it is! Apart from the purple bead and the blue love heart the beads are the ones from venice. I bought the other two myself, and have plenty more of them. The rest are one of a kinds though, so I can't replicate this exactly. I could do something like it though.

-nata

More Jewellery

I said I'd put more of the jewellery that I make on, so here it is. If you see anything you like, let me know and I'll get my Etsy shop organised so that you can get 'made to order' jewellery, you can order a certain style in a certain colour combo and everything :D

For a better look just click on the photos.


This set is called "Wish", and here it is in the colour scheme of 'Delight'.

These are in the style 'Diva', and colour scheme 'sparkle'.

The necklace is in 'lady' style, the earrings in the small 'dangly', the colour scheme of both is 'romance'.

Now I bought these earrings from Target, and I loved them but I couldn't find any necklace to go with it, so I made this choker to match. it is czech glass, and beads of the semi precious stone hematite. I really love this one.

If you have any earrings or a necklace that you can't find a match to, I can, so let me know.

This necklace is in the style 'Stellar', the earrings are in 'mini', and the colour scheme 'Magic'. Take a close look at the pendant when you click on it, it is sterling silver wire with a cluster of swarovskis inside.

This Necklace is in the style 'Joy', colour scheme 'party'. It's all swarovski, including the pendant, and I can get the pendant in any colour and match the rest to your liking.

Style is 'dance', colour scheme is 'pretty in'.

Mmm, chocolate...oh sorry. lost my train of thought. Necklace style is 'Float' and the earrings are in 'poise', colour scheme 'Chocolate'.

style is the medium 'dangly', in the colour scheme 'glamour'.

:)

nata

I've been tagged!

My lovely aunty Rosie has tagged me, it is my first tagging so bare with me. Aparently I have to put the fourth photo from my fourth photo folder on my blog, and then choose four other people to tag as well. I don't know many bloggers yet so this has been quite a challenge, and so I apologise to the two bloggers I have tagged that don't really know me, but I think your blogs are great, and that everyone who reads this should go and check them out.

So, here are my four selections, made after much deliberation:

1. Linda from Lilly Cottage

2. Melissa (my beautiful mummy) from Everyday Miracles

3. Lucy from Lucy Bloom

4. Agapanthus (my gorgeous aunty) from Mad Cow Moments

Now for my photo:

I can't believe the weirdness that this is the fourth photo in my fourth photo folder. From left to right, we have My mum (tagged person number two), Mama, my great grandmother, me when I was about four I think, and Agapanthus (tagged person number four)! Isn't that weird??? I apologise if the two of you find this photo in any way embarassing, but rules are rules. This is from Christmas day, I don't remember it perfectly but I seem to remember it being a really great day full of laughter, and how can you not laugh when you're wearing one of those silly paper hats?

so there you have it, I was tagged.

:)

nata

Jewellery Making Fun

Noticed the change of title for my blog? No? Well it's different okay.

The reason I started this blog was to have somewhere to showcase my crafty stuff, in particular jewellery and all things beady.

Jewellery is not my best seller, but I do love making it and occasionally come up with a winner, so let me know if you like something. I give people jewellery as gifts a lot, a lot of which I wish I had taken photos of (oh well). But here are the things I've made that are a part of my jewellery collection.

Let's start with my two favourite pairs of earrings:

I call this style 'Darling' in the colour combo 'Denim Rose'. They are part of my favourite set, but unfortunately the necklace got damaged in a vacuuming incident, so I need to re make it. I'll upload a picture when I've fixed it.

These are in the 'Truly' style, in the colour combo called 'Grace'. I haven't made a matching necklace because these are so pretty and delicate that I actually prefer to wear them on their own.

'Sweetie pie' in the colour combo 'champagne kiss'. I have the stuff to make a necklace for this but I haven't made the time to actually do it. The photo doesn't show the colour too well, its a soft pink crystal on the top, a champagne coloured crystal in the middle, and a white pearl at the bottom.

So there are a few items to start with, this is a bit of a to be continued. All of these are made with sterling silver hooks and crimps, and all of the pearls and crystals are swarovski. You may notice that all the earrings in my personal collection have hooks, this is because I like them and I find studs really uncomfortable (I must have fat earlobes), but trust that I can easily make these in studs for you, and in pretty much any colour.

I'll leave you with one of my sets, there are lots but I'm short of time, I'll add the rest another day.

The necklace is in the style of 'Wild Child', and the colour combo is 'Oceania'. The earrings are in 'droplet' style.

To be continued...

x nata.

*since writing this post, I've ditched the cutsey names for my jewellery pieces and colourings. It's too lame and confusing. But I'm leaving this up because the jewellery is nice and I love making it. Jewellery may or may not at any given time (ie, depending on whether I've posted recently or they've sold off), be available on my madeit shop, so check it out if you like what you see.*

Farewell '08

The new year is here everyone, and before moving on to the exciting year ahead, I just want to close 2008 with a review of the year gone by, the final shots of Christmas, and a few pics of the great gifts I recieved from various loved ones.

Well lets see, in 2008 I turned 22, left my job of three years to persue the advancement of my career, did temp work in a few interesting places, got married to my love of over six years, and many other fun adventures. I have to say with all of the ups and downs the year brought, it was a pretty damn good year.

And Christmas 08 was wonderful, one of the best I've ever had. Our first Christmas as a married couple was spent with the extended family on my mother's side on Christmas Eve, Christmas day was spent with my husband's extended family, and Boxing Day was spent in Toowoomba with my family and my dad's parents, my beloved Gran and Pop.

From my husband, along with a 12 month subscription to Writer's Digest magazine:

And I must say, what wonderful, generous people my husband and I are lucky enough to have as family. Just look at some of the amazing gifts we recieved:

My wonderful mother in law made all of this for me, truly beautiful stuff, she's very talented. My favourite is the table weights, aren't they cute?!

From my lovely mum, dad and little brothers we got wii music, some very generous bunnings gift vouchers, along with some personal stuff to each of us (jewellery for me, barbeque apron and recipe book for him) and this ornament for our tree:

I got some cupcake candles from my beautiful sister in law:

(so cute!)

And this tree ornament from my lovely aunty Rosie , which I believe she bought for me from Lilly Cottage , which is a beautiful shop:

So many other things were given by so many wonderful people, we are very lucky.

And before I end this post I must update you on our manger, which is now full and looking very cute.

The shepard looks a lot less lonely now doesn't he?

So goodbye to 2008, it was a great year, and here's to many more. Happy New Years everyone.