Rest In Peace Jenny

Hubby's birthday yesterday and while getting ready to go out for dinner we received news our best man's mother was taken to hospital, she had cancer, and was dying. This morning she passed away. Rest In Peace Jenny, a wonderful warm woman with the funniest and driest sense of humour who ALWAYS had a place for us in her home. We were always welcomed there, so much so, that we would visit almost every Christmas day and have morning tea with hubby's 'Second Mother'. She has no pain now... Love to her husband, sons, daughter and their families xoxoxo

Yay I found them!!!

I thought I had lost my little box of tiny treasures! But after a big clean-up of my totally disorganised wardrobe I found this box in amongst, of all things, t-shirts (how on earth did it get there?!!!)

It's a box of cute little trinkets, mostly antique & some are very vintage.

Don't know what it is with these but they hold sentimental value for me.... The box was a lovely little hat box given to me by my mother's friend. The little porcelain dolls were the only things I could afford to buy at Portobello Road market 12 years ago as a student watching every penny on her overseas trip! They aren't worth anything but I think they are so sweet, hence the few pounds and no more!

When I started collecting little antique things, I used to go for pill boxes or little trinket things because I was living with my parents and didn't have a home of my own to decorate. This was my first antique purchase, it's from the 1800s and I think it is a snuff box. It's got the tiniest wire coils you've ever seen and I think it is copper. Just so sweet and I have never seen anything like it since.

This gorgeous little item was a gift from one of my old friends Lizzie from University. Lizzie always gives fabulous thoughtful gifts. This is no exception, it's a lovely little old rouge box still with rouge inside and mini applicator, even the tissue paper! So pretty! Lizzie gave us lovely china trios for our wedding, so unique and I still adore them.

From my mother, this totally different tape measure! it winds up inside the apple, how cute is this??!!!

I'll leave you with a quote from one of my sweet customers Wendy (thanks Wendy!) Enjoy!

"Today is the Tomorrow
That we worried about Yesterday"

Blasts from my Art Past!

Firstly thanks everyone for your concern, hubby is doing better now. This is the first chance I've had to get on here and post again.

Dad has been asking me to sort through the many cupboards full of STUFF at their place (note, most of it is MY STUFF, old school work or junk from my old room that I didn't want to throw out!). So last week I finally did....

Found some things I forgot I ever did and some things I was looking for years for!!

So here's a bit of a history of my work, starting in 1984 when I was about 8 years old...

Noddy, my favourite book, trust me to turn a book report into a poster and spend more time on the drawing than on the report!! I still like this though! (Now my son likes Noddy!)

Then we jump ahead to Uni/College (couldn't post the secondary school stuff as most of those drawings were nude and I don't want to offend anyone even though they aren't offensive drawings)

I was surprised to find this mood board, all pretty and very feminine. It's stuff that I love NOW, and yet I didn't love girly stuff back then as a 19 year old! I was into BLACK and BLACK!

And a couple of Fashion Illustrations... the first was a gouache painting I did of (supposedly!) Helena Christensen in a magazine shot and the second, what was I thinking???? This is one of the ones I only vaguely remember doing.... rather bold and bright, maybe I had been drinking that day?! Perhaps the model was wearing those clothes, I sure hope so!!! It was done in a life drawing class, that I do remember at least!

A few people have asked me if I paint or draw shoes, and I have always remembered I did ONCE but haven't for a very long time. These were done in 1994 and are a great way to remember what daggy shoes I owned at the time! Don't know that I would have the confidence to draw in ink again like that!

Now I DO remember this cool guy we had model for us again in 94, how could I forget?!!! Lesson to learn though, don't put blutack on your drawings, it ruins them!!! Can't get it off and besides it has stained through the paper....

And the drawings I was looking for... I remember having to draw a series of different 'drapes'. Being a Fashion Design course, we had to learn how to draw the way fabric fell, a one-point drape, two-point drape, gathering etc. These I am fond of even if they aren't exciting subject-wise. I remember spending a lot of time on them to get them just how I wanted and anyone who paints or draws can tell you that they are never completely happy with what they have just done. The two handkerchief shots are my favourites and I doubt I could do them ever again!!

LUCKY ESCAPE ~ Miracles do happen

Some of my friends know this already, some do not so I thought I'd post here in case you might wonder why it might take me a while to get back to you or why my emails are shorter than usual.

My husband was in a terrible accident on Thursday, I just found out Friday morning when he called me from hospital to tell me his truck had run over him.... long story but the hydraulics went while he was out of the truck, it started to roll down the hill, he tried valiantly to get into the truck so it wouldn't a) hurt anyone and b) cause damage. But he was thrown when his pants caught somewhere and tried to crawl away as the tyres came near, unfortunately it was all too quick and he was run over at his ankles by a 14 ton truck. This was on concrete not soft dirt or grass. Here's where the miracle comes in.... not a broken bone or fracture, nothing! Lots of bad bruising and muscle damage, scrapes and swelling but no breaks at all. The doctors at the Emergency Dept couldn't believe the X-Rays when they saw them, needed three opinions just to confirm it!

So we are very lucky indeed, it could have not only broken bones but if he landed the other way he most likely wouldn't be here today. I am thanking my lucky stars and know that there's someone up there watching over us, who decided it wasn't his time yet.

Thanks to everyone who has written the last day too. I've been reading the emails to hubby and he really appreciates it and says thank you.

Thanks and goodbye for now,
Natasha

International Tea Party!

Artsysmama is hosting an International Tea Party right now!

I've brought along my favourite silver spoons shown above. Please join me in having some guilt free faux sweet treats ~ faux cupcakes, slices and cake, and take in the tea themed decor ~ cupcake painting and teacups & roses prints, everything hand made or hand painted by me!

Also please visit Artysmama's blog to see everyone who is attending the tea party and visit all the lovely parties going on around the world!

Thank you for visiting and enjoy the party!

Natasha xo

Easter Came Early Today!

Our Shabby Pink Easter came early today.... I got some cute pink Easter sweets together for some pics and let's just say the choc bunnies are no longer with us!

Leroy was itching to sink his teeth into the adorable pink sugared marsh mallow bunny, but found he didn't really like it after all!

Poor bunny ended up looking a fright!

Here's some choc bunnies I bought because they were pink of course!

And I remembered that some time last year I bought these cute little fluffy mini pom pom chicks, planning to do something with them for this Easter. Except I think I am too late now!!! I thought of putting them on some cute cupcakes but they might have to wait another year now!

They look so cute and sad at the same time don't they?

That's it for me for today, have a great day and:

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today"

Gowns on Mannequins

I can't wait to get started on sinking my teeth back into some gown paintings! Here's a couple of prints from originals I did late last year, I've just listed these prints on my website. My arts background is based in Fashion, and when I started painting gown and tutus a few years ago for my eBay listings, little did I realise they would become my signature thing! Funny how it just happens that way!

I am often doing commissioned pieces for people, painting their wedding gowns or special dresses ~ usually they have paid a fortune for their special dress so they want to have it immortalised! The gown with the mauve roses is actually a wedding gown but I think it is such a beautiful style that it could be for any posh occasion!

I'll be putting some new items on my website soon, and will get back on eBay very soon too, for sure with a gown in there somewhere!!!

Today's quote:

"Success is getting what you want - happiness is wanting what you get"

How lovely!!! xo Natasha xo

New Cupcakes

One of my customers asked me if I would make up a special order for her of cupcakes for her friend Tara, at first she was thinking of them spelling Happy Birthday, but that would be a heck of a lot of cupcakes! Not to mention they wouldn't be the best words to display all year around. So she thought it would be a lovely gift to get Tara's name on cupcakes, what a great idea!!!

I made this shabby coloured girly set today, I think I'll have to add this as a product line, personalised cupcakes and cakes!!!!

Thanks for the inspiration Vicki!

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves"

I love that quote, isn't it great!!!!!

Newest painting

Hello again! Yesterday I shared a photo of a work in progress with you, a blank board on an easel, well here it is painted up! I hope my customer likes it! She's a real sweety, I am so lucky to have met such wonderful customers and also sellers alike!!!

And here it is framed

Bye for now!!!

Oh ~ today's quote:

"One week of neglect could mean one month of repair" (soooooo true when it is applied to eating badly like I have this week, how ironic that this is what came up on my calendar today!!!)

Bye again,

Natasha xo

Work In Progress

Here's where my painting gets done, until my studio gets set up outside the windows in this photo (which I believe would be about 2 years away!), my painting gets done in the lounge room. LUCKY we have leather couches because I have so many paint flicks that are easy to wipe away!!! This particular project is going to be a painting of a tutu for a special order, I'll update tomorrow once it's finished, I am part way there now.

Here's some old boards that I love ~ they are chippy and my favourite combination of white and green underneath. They still need to be sanded, so we'll see how much of the white layer comes off to work out whether it needs a few new coats of paint or if the chippiness isn't too 'chippy'. I use these for my handpainted signs.

A portion of an order just completed, I love the way the faux cupcakes look when they are 'en masse', they make a real statement!!!

Sitting on top of my favourite cupboard, it's that cupboard that is in the background of most of my photos I use on my website.

Well that's it for today, three posts in one day, I might take a few days off now!!!

I'll leave you with today's quote:

"The greatest value in life is not what you get ~ the greatest value is what you become"

Bye for now and have a great day!
Natasha xo

Favourite things around our home

My favourite reflection, in this lovely old mirror in our bedroom, I love how it shows the painting above our bed and my absolute favourite chandelier! The mirror frame is going to get the white paint treatment as is the painting frame, one day! Always the jobs for yourself are the last to get done aren't they?

My favourite favourite favourite chandelier above our bed. I could stare at this for ages!!!

Leroy's Bunny soap that only he is allowed to use, LOL, it's so sweet, I love it. Sitting in a cute vintage soap dish I bought on eBay from the States a while ago.

Ernie on Greg's couch (yes we get one each!) I love love love the handmade quilt on the back, it was custom made for me by my super talented friend Kathy of www.shabbyrosesboutique.com , in all my favourite pink and green shades.

Another Kathy creation, I think I have used this bag once because I love it so much hanging from our bedroom door I don't want to get it dirty! It's just gorgeous, really makes me smile!!

My favourite NOOK in our lounge room, there's a sweet story that's way too long to tell about this rocker but let's just say my hubby was so thoughtful and organised it as a surprise for me one day, it's so comfortable! Then one birthday he got me one of those magnificent chair massage pads that gives you a Shiatsu massage, like someone really is behind you digging their fists/knuckles into your back! It is black so I have covered it with a vintage linen tablecloth and you would never know it was there! Best of both worlds!!!!

Our bedroom with a bed full of Kathy's handmade cushions and my painting on the wall. I know ~ the paint colour is awful, the blue paint strip is really SCARY and the bottom half wallpaper a remnant of the 80s... it is all going to be painted WHITE one day (soon I hope!), I was into country and bright colours 9 years ago and hubby & my parents can't understand why I hate the colours through the house now, they say "But YOU chose them!" And I say, "Yes and I was younger and didn't know what Shabby Chic was then!!!"

Leroy had a "haircut"

(BEFORE)

Our little man Leroy has such gorgeous curly hair but it becomes so knotty when it gets longer and because it's still fine hair it's hard to manage. So after a 5 month gap between cuts, I took him for a haircut today and wanted to share the before and after shots with you. The before was taken this morning.... Breaks my heart cutting those curls but I know it will grow back thank goodness!!!

(AFTER!!)

Flowers

Those who know me, know that I definitely don't have a green thumb! I would love a green thumb, or two for that matter, it should be in my genes but there just aren't enough hours in the day!!!

BUT, one thing I can do is grow pelargoniums (some people call these geraniums but they really aren't geraniums!) from cuttings. I know, I know, it's dead easy right? Well it's quite an achievement for me, as mine are full of flowers, so many more than my mother's and she really has green thumbs!!! Thought I would share my pink ones with you, I love these! They are maybe 6 months old, grown from cuttings which were grown from other cuttings, third generation cuttings!!!

Also included is a pic of my half wine barrel, which USED to house a divine smelling gardenia, which sadly died in the Summer as we went away to the beach and the people watering our garden didn't have access to the back porch, so a month of no water and very hot Summer spells death to the gardenia sadly.... Anyway the wine barrel was just planted a couple of days ago with some cuttings of the most unusual pelargoniums from my Aunty's garden (the one with the red roses) that I have ever seen! So I will be sure to keep up a 'progress diary' and see how quickly they grow and if they do at all!!! An interesting experiment as these are watered with grey water from the bucket in the shower, or buckets of bath water, or buckets from the washing machine.... My climing Pierre de Ronsard Rose pictured with the pink & red pelargoniums (which I only planted 6 months ago and look how much it is growing!) just loves the grey water so these should grow well!

Have a great day and I think I will from now on end on a 'quote' from my little Weight Watchers inspirational quotes calender, today's quote is:

"Life is like a boomerang - what you give out comes back only multiplied"

Family Portrait

I just thought I would share a little drawing with you that Leroy did a few hours ago just before going to bed, it's so sweet, a family portrait!!

And of course our little man...

And of course, our dear little man here at the beach taken this Summer. I can't believe it's Autumn already, I love the Summer sunshine and heat. But we need the weather to cool and need lots of rain with the horrible drought we have here right now.

Have a great day,

Natasha xo

Here's Ernie

Here's our sweetie Ernie, he's adorable but not the brightest dog in the world. We love him to bits though!!!