Silver Bella 2008 Tees!

This is for all your lovely ladies I can't wait to meet in Omaha at Silver Bella! The official Silver Bella 2008 tees are now available for pre-order right here on the sidebar to the right.

Orders need to be placed by OCTOBER 21ST to allow time for manufacturing/printing.

They will be light pink in colour, similar to that pictured, with my prom gown illustration on the front, and Silver Bella ~2008~ A Paper Arts Event on the back.

There's a short sleeve option.....available in sizes XS - 2XL

And a long sleeve option in sizes S - 3XL
Both options are made of 100% "ultra" cotton and printed in black.

The printing company have suggested the sizing is very close to regular sizing, but we would recommend if you are unsure, to go up a size from the usual size you buy.

Cost is US$20 each, any size, any style.

Your tee will be available for collection at Silver Bella Welcome Night, Thurs 13th November at 7pm in the ballroom, before our group workshop. Oh and if are still deciding if you will come along, there are still fantastic classes available! You can find out more here.

I'm so excited and honoured to have been able to design the front for you! The fab text image on the back is courtesy of Teresa herself. Thank you Miss T for the opportunity!

Enjoy!

Natasha : )

PS. I've had some people email me asking how do they get a tee if they aren't going to Silver Bella. Sorry they're just for the event, and I can't ship them because they are being printed in Omaha, the first time I will get my own hands on them is November 13th. And sorry, I know I definitely won't have room in my suitcase to bring them home for you and then ship them! BUT don't despair!!!!!

I am working on a range of fun clothing and other goodies with artwork featuring on them, so I'll let you know when that is all up and running!!!

Getting there...and having fun along the way!!!

Wow I've been missing for over a week, LOL! It's school holiday time here, so the days are filled even more than usual with some fun activity of some sort. Zoo, Scienceworks, Planetarium, Farm, Animal Sanctuary, visiting the oldest working passenger ship in the world, playing with new ducks, music classes, spending time with family and little friends..... phew it's exhausting being a kid!

Isn't that the cutest little duckling? And of course I think it's the cutest little boy holding it!

Spring weather has meant we're outside a lot more! Yay! Daddy and some cousins taking little man on his first skate board ride.....

Down at the pier in Geelong (an hour from Melbourne), there are fabulous painted bollards. All sorts of characters down there, they are so unique!

Today's activity was a trip to Serendip Sanctuary on the outskirts of Geelong, where we saw kangaroos and other native Australian animals. Leroy was particularly impressed with this feather and brought it home to add to his special feather collection. Hmmm where does he get his feather obsession from I wonder...

The other day the fun was had at Scienceworks and the Planetarium. Wow, if you are in Melbourne and have kids, it's fantastic! Educational too, and to top it off, kids under 16 are free to get in, adults are only $6. Definitely going back!

The upside down room made Leroy do a double-take!

I received a beautiful surprise package in the mail the other day from my sweet friend Jenn! I happened to mention that I love Reese's peanut butter cups and that we don't get them in Australia, so she sent me a jumbo bag of them! LOVE these but don't worry, if you are thinking they'll go straight to my hips, they're the mini ones and I can have ONE of them for ONE weight watchers point. I allow myself 3 a week.... for now!!!

And all those other beautiful creations and gifts, Jenn was so generous! I can't wait to meet her in 5 weeks!

Of course, my favourite that made me squeal out loud was this doll head brooch!!! I adore her! Jenn created her in my fave colours of pink and green and the bling.... I am so lucky, these absolutely bolted out the door when she had them available for sale! Thank you so much Jenn!!!

Remember the bathroom back here? Well the reno is moving along, sloooooooowwwwly, but surely. Dad is so busy with other things, he only gets a chance to come and work on it a few hours a day here and there. But I'm thankful it's happening at all! Tiles are almost all up!!!

As well as all the fun family activities, I've been managing to get a mountain of work done. This, because I have been staying away from the computer as much as I can because I love it and it distracts me!!! So you haven't seen me visiting blogs - I do catch up with what you are doing on my google reader but have stopped myself from going further - I'm really on a tight deadline at the moment... hope you don't hate me for it, I'm not ignoring you, just trying to cope with the small time I have left before my trip.

Along with my custom orders that I have almost totally completed, we've been busy creating at Sweet Six Studio. It's such a blast!!! I had no idea what fun it would be and what a kick it is to see people create stuff that you teach! The pic above is my second project I taught the other day. I provided the images of my paintings for download and I love the way people are putting their own style to the collages.


In between waiting for paint to dry I made up one of Heather's projects she taught - this was so easy and quick and I love it! It's hanky bunting and I was able to use my grandmother's special lace handmade hankies and not keep them hidden in a drawer any longer!

My little guy snapped this shot of me sanding a sign the other day - all that mess out there is from me, my packing supplies, and mostly Dad's tools and equipment where he saws tiles and things. It's a dustbomb out there!!! Here's some of what I've been working on very recently...



A bunny sign to go with his buddy from back here. Jayne loved her sign so much she wanted another for the back door, it is super fun working with Jayne!!!

A sign for a special little girl....

A custom sign for a beautiful lady....

And a portion of a rather large order that has kept me super busy!!!

Oh!! And another thing I've been working on that I can now tell you about!!! If you read the Silver Bella Blog you might have seen Teresa's post today about the prom. I'm so excited to let you know I'm designing the exclusive Silver Bella 2008 Tees! The pic above is indicative of what it will look like (not exact!), tying up some loose ends and details still but these will be available for pre-order soon.... they WILL be pink, and featuring my prom gown illustration on the front. They will be available for collection at Silver Bella. I'll keep you posted....

PHEW are you still there?

Before I go!!! I forgot to give my weigh-in result last week - eh... an average week, I lost a tiny bit again, and this week I stayed the same. I lost focus a few days there and it showed on the scales.
I'm going to get over this plateau by actually drinking water like we all know we should.... Next week will be better news!!!

Catch you later!

Natasha xo

TV Junkie!

Hello. My name is Natasha and I am a TV addict.

Don't get me wrong. Watching TV means I am working! My workspace IS the coffee table. It's in front of the TV. So I might as well have something on there to keep me company while I work into the wee hours!

I am on a Project Runway Australia high! My fave, Juli, just won! YEAH!!! Check out her wedding dress design she did for one of the challenges, click HERE. Talk about super pretty, feminine, girly, vintage and pink! Perfection! Watching this ALMOST made me miss the fashion industry. I did say ALMOST!

And all the good shows start again soon! Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, Lost, Ugly Betty... oh how I have had withdrawals!!!! I've been working watching reruns of Law and Order of every variety, Judge Judy and The People's Court. This is all after 10.30pm by the way!

And now, we're in the thick of the new season of Australian Idol! This is the best bunch of talent ever! I even VOTED last night. Here's some of my faves and their performances last night. Each so different and so good! I'm going to be in the US for the finals of this, so I'm gonna need someone to tape it all for me!

Ok so you get the point.

Here's a tiny bit of what I have been working on lately, while feeding my TV addiction. Photo boards that Holly has taught us to make at Sweet Six Studio. I used the GOOD stuff, the really beautiful old precious wallpapers and roses, and I'm keeping them!

I've been working away at a mammoth TO DO list. Just writing the TO DO list is a mammoth task... all the stuff I need to ship by early October, the stuff I need to do, make and pack... before my trip. YIKES did someone say today is September 15th??? That means it is only 6 weeks until I leave... somebody pick me up off the floor please... I'm fainting...!

Ok so I am also a slacker - I've been given quite a few lovely awards but haven't passed them along as yet. I do hope I will remember to do so but if I don't, please forgive me! And I do love visiting everyone's blogs but probably won't get a lot of visiting done before I go away - don't think I am ignoring you please! Just imagine me running around like a chicken with my head cut off, while fainting at the same time and not knowing where to begin... while Australian Idol plays in the background!

Bye for now!

Natasha ox

Two little fleas - 33

Yesterday I turned "two little fleas" - that's bingo speak for 33. I had a great fun day.

Had a lovely sponge cake with passion fruit cream (I was good and scraped out most of the cream from my serve!)
Leroy wanted to drink a tiny bit of tea, just because the teacup was pretty...
Went out for dinner with hubby, the little guy and my parents to Melbourne's own Little Italy, Lygon Street Carlton. If you're in Melbourne, there's a place called La Notte - take it from a very fussy family, this is about the best pasta sauce you will find that is not in an Italian person's home. Very authentic and doesn't taste like someone just poured it out of a can. Delicious!


And I behaved - ordered as healthy an option as I could, and when I was satisfied, I stopped. I didn't try to force it all down! So proud of myself because that is so hard to do when the food tastes so good!!

Well.... how's that for a knockout dress???!!! Out walking yesterday with Mum and came across it in a boutique we stopped in at. They were having 20% off all week, so that swung it for me! And could I have found a more perfect match for my shoes that I wore as a bridesmaid in March???!!! Fits me snug at the waist (there's a LOT of excess dress pinned in at the back of this mannequin!) so will be perfect for me when I am a few kilos less.
Check out the fabulous detail!!! Reminds me of something Juli would create on Project Runway Australia (go Juli!!!!). Jenn and I are going to HAVE to go for cocktails in NYC so I can have somewhere to wear this totally impractical beautiful creation. Hubby bought it for me for my b/day present.


Oh and I wanted to show you I managed to squeeze in making a Sweet Six Studio project the other night! This one is Analise's flower brooch. I curled up the petals, for fun. I also wore it in my hair and not just as a brooch! Next I will make Heather's lanterns.... can't wait!

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes so far (Jenn told!)!

Oh and I can't go without giving this week's weight report....

Weighed in this morning and had a little loss this week. Considering I ate cake last night, I think I did pretty well. I lost 0.3kg this week - a tiny bit - something like 3/4 of a pound - I'll work on doing better next week. Still, a loss is a loss and better than a gain. This is like losing a jar of jam I guess!!!

Catch you next time,

Natasha xo

Happy Father's Day

For a cute little giggle for 20 seconds, please click on the play triangle.

It's Father's Day today here in Australia. Leroy's daddy can't take a trick it seems, and he has been called in to work :( Always working SO hard to give us the best, and we love him so much for it. I wish he'd stop a minute and rest!

We did get to have breakfast together though. And Leroy wanted to make a surprise video for Daddy. He wanted to hold the mug he chose for Daddy, and also play with one of those mini little game things he has, at the same time of course.

If you couldn't watch it, or are having trouble with the accent (LOL) here's what he says:

"I love you Daddy, you're the greatest Daddy in the universe. I love you lots, and, umm, you love Ernie too (our dog). And, ummm, you watch football. Ok? So.... watch the game! Hee hee"

Cheery pink thank you!

Wow thank you so much for all the wonderful words of encouragement on my last post! I seriously did not expect to find so many people who have been in the same situation - funny how we females, no matter what size we are, will always find faults in ourselves!!! Why do we do this?!

And I wanted to assure you that I am not doing any crazy fad dieting or cutting out food groups - it's got to be total lifestyle changes for LIFE not just for 7 weeks.

If the price I had to pay for losing weight was going without pasta, bread, rice or potatoes, then I'd rather be.... hmmm "dead" is too strong a word, but I don't think I could live without these foods! Weight CAN be lost eating those foods. It's all moderation, and exercise. Simple, but it works. I lost weight eating pasta for dinner most nights, and sandwiches for lunch most days, so I know it works.

I only put some of it back on because I started adding in the things I used to have minimal amounts of - things with lots of butter and fat like sweets, and some fried foods and not going to the gym as regularly.

But it is all good and now I don't feel so stupid for putting that last post "out there". I'm still embarrassed about the photo, but it's good incentive to make me work on showing you a new and improved version of it in 7 weeks time!

Anyway, enough of the boring stuff, so sorry to drag anyone down....

I'll leave you with something fun and whimsical and show you a painting I completed recently as a special order, which I will be selling prints of on my site very soon!!! I think it's really cute myself!!!

Enjoy your weekend,

Natasha xo

No more hiding

I've been hiding behind winter clothes..... I'm about to share something with you that I can't believe I am going to share. In the scheme of things in the world, this is a non-issue. It's fluffy nonsense, and a lot of it is in my mind. But if you are like me, and many females - you might have issues with your own body image.

I'm sharing this with you because there's nothing like being honest in a public forum to act as a spur and a motivator - and that's what I'm going to use this for.

You see, all my life, I've had weight problems. I was always an overweight child. Never obese, just really well fed. I was always the biggest kid in my primary/grade school class. I was the first to develop a chest, first to get that horrid monthly visitor at a young age, first to wear a bra and be teased by all around me. The boys used to flick the back of it. I even stopped wearing one so they wouldn't do it. Then of course, well you know what that no-bra effect would have had. More reason for them to make fun of me.

I come from an Italian family on one side. My Nonna used to look after me after school. I'd have a full meal when I got home from school, then when I got home to my parents, I'd have dinner. No wonder I was overweight.

I was really bad at sport. I always came last in running races. As a 6 year old I remember trying out at little athletics and balling my eyes out when I ran and was so far behind the rest. I gave up and never went back. I figured, I was good at art and was one of the good ones in the class so at least I had something. And I was good at Math and English too, so I wasn't a total loser at everything I tried. I was good at music. So I had something to keep me going and give me slight confidence.

When I got to secondary/high school, at least I felt a bit more "normal". I went to an all girls Catholic school so there were suddenly 900 girls around me, and I didn't stand out any more. There were girls bigger, smaller, shorter, taller. I was super average. And no longer one of the best in Math, English, Art or Music... I just blended in with the crowd.

Still I had two dinners a day...

So... fast forward to me being 29-30 years of age. Continually putting on weight over the years, no exercise and eating anything. I did actually become obese. I carried way too much weight for my little feet and my petite frame.

So I did something about it, changed my whole lifestyle. I mean my WHOLE lifestyle. I lost 32kg (70 pounds), got down to a small size and even extra small in some stuff, joined a gym, could do 65 push-ups on my toes, got fit, had my weight loss story printed in Woman's Day magazine and the Weight Watchers magazine too.

But it is SO hard to keep it off. That's the HARDEST part. Such a struggle. Here I am three years later, having put back about a third of the weight I lost. And it's harder for me, I have a condition that makes me susceptible to putting on weight easily unless I am super careful. ARGH!

THERE i said it. No more hiding. I didn't just put on a few pounds. I'm back to about 15 pounds ABOVE the top end of my healthy weight range. And I feel like a total loser for allowing myself to do this again.

But you know, you see pics of yourself and they might be flattering, or you look in the mirror and don't see what's really there.... I'm not saying I'm obese - I'm not - and some people would probably say to me, I'm an idiot and I am small and what am I talking about. I know I do have a small waist, I'm a true pear shape. I am not going to sit here fishing for compliments. It's my thighs that are my problem. They rub when I walk. UGH! When I can't buy ONE pair of boots that actually goes over my calves, there is a problem. My bottom half is just awful. I buy wide leg jeans and they fit me like bootlegs....

I hide it in photos. I doubt I've ever shared it here, unless it was a flattering photo.

So now.... I'm using this public ...whatever you want to call it.... forum - to make sure I DO go through with it and get it all OFF again.

I lost over 2kg (5 lb) this week - and I'm going to keep a track and let you know weekly how I went. I'm going to make myself accountable. And I need your support if I don't share it one week - please ASK me, MAKE me do it!!!

I'm using my US trip as a time I want to get to goal. I've got just under 8 weeks to lose 6.2kg (14 lb). Please cheer me on!!! I'm DETERMINED!

And you know what's funny? I hate looking at thin women in magazines - who make me feel huge - I think women look fabulous with curves and a bit of meat on them - they say Jennifer Lopez has a big behind yet I think she is fabulous and too thin! Marilyn Monroe was probably two sizes larger than me yet I think she looked gorgeous, how women should look. I think that women who are larger than me look wonderful, I really do. I have friends who I think look so beautiful and they are confident and hold themselves up high and don't care what the world things. I admire their beauty and strength... and yet I can't seem to apply those values to myself....feeling less than human if I am not tiny. It's something I need to work on... and think about... while working out at the gym...

Ok so here goes. Here's a pic of my disproportionate thighs.... gosh I hate this.... I can't show you the photo without changing the contrast so you don't see it properly... it's something I'll work on but for now, this is about as exposed as I can handle....

Sorry for the long babbling post. I feel like deleting it already... let's see if I am strong enough to keep it here or not....

You know, I don't want for a minute to offend anyone who might be larger than me. I really don't. I don't see other people's flaws. I see my own with a magnifying glass. Isn't that the downfall of most of us?

Natasha xo

The door is open, come inside....

I'm so excited, Sweet Six Studio is officially open to all who have registered. The six of us have been busy preparing for your visit, making sure everything is set out nicely and prettily ~ the way it should be when special guests come by.

Tea and biscuits (cookies) are served. Flowers were freshly cut for our table. The pretty china is out.

Come have a cup of tea with us and start on the first project which is up and running. There will also be giveaways and lots of helpful tips, fun blog posts and of course, 12 lovely projects to create with us!

And of course, we'll be there to help you out if you have any questions.There's still time to join up - you can find more info here. We'd love to have you!

Hope to see you there,

Natasha xo