Tales from Nat's Nest

Where have you gone, dear mice?

2011-11-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Oh dear, since Nat has been having one crazy mad year, the dear mice and bunnies of Nat's Nest have been having a very long break. They will be back, I promise, but for now they are having a bit of a hibernate.

I'm still being a little creative bunny though, so it seems a shame not to update this blog with some of my other work. A while ago Nat's Nest made embroidery's and prints, and luckily I've found an absolutely fabulous local print company, so some of my prints will hopefully be online soon.

My latest work is a painting called 'The Fairy Ball' and I promise to publish my sketches soon! Here is my inspiration ...

Aren't they beautiful Autumn pictures? Watch this space...

I've also discovered a beautiful writer called Kahlil Gibran, who wrote some very inspirational words back in the 1920's. I've always loved poetry and language, and I've always wanted to produce images linked to words... perhaps that will be my next project! This is taken from a writing entitled 'Joy and Sorrow'

''Some of you say ''Joy is greater than sorrow''
and others say ''Nay, sorrow is the greater''
But I say unto you, they are inseparable
Together they come,
and when one sits alone with you at your board,
Remember the other is asleep on your bed''

This year I have had a fair amount of sorrow, I am in hope for the joy.

We Love...Tempest Apparel!

2010-09-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I'd love to introduce my new favourite fashion label today to you all ...

''T E M P E S T A P P A R E L ''

Maybe you know and maybe you don't - previously I studied a fashion design degree in Winchester, and while I was there I lived with Daisy, who is just this amazingly talented, creative girly. She has set up her own design label 'Tempest Apparel' which features her absolutely fab print designs - they are both vintagy but modern looking and oh so, so unique and individual.

In her own words.......

''The signature of the company is to liven up the plain white tee; like a blank canvas cries out to be painted, a white tee craves to be embellished, decorated and printed on''

My favs are the 'Bowie-Tee' (Here in the nest we are secret David Bowie fans - and we like vinyl, not CDs, teehee)

And this lovely 'Alice in Wonderland' Tee

Gorgeous, aren't they? And by buying from Tempest Apparel not only will you have a very unique T-Shirt, but you are supporting British and Handmade! Yay! (Whats not to like about that?)

For you Londonites you can catch Daisy on Sundays at the Sunday Upmarket (The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane)...or if you live out in the country, like me, you can pop over to her website to browse.

I recommend you pop over to Daisy's website anyway actually - she has the most fantastic, inspiring blog full of wonderful images and she really deserves some more followers .

Heehee...heres something Daisy might not thank me for, here we both are grooving at the Lattitude Festival but we do both have Tempest Apparel T-shirts on so I think its justified! Just look at that blue sky - where has summer gone hey?

Ooo, and I've been working on some more embroideries (its lions and foxes at the moment!) ...stay tuned for a peek next time :)

Bunnify Your Life!

2010-08-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks! Have you seen this new website yet?

A little while ago I was approached by Anna from Widget & Friends. Being a bunny lover, she had this fab idea to help real - life rabbits, by raising money for the The Rabbit Welfare Association.

To do this she decided to make a completely non - profit website promoting fantastic bunnified handmade things. All the sellers featured on the website make a donation to the Rabbit Welfare Fund rather than pay a membership fee.

Of course I had to support such a wonderful idea!

Go check out all the fab bunny things featured on

THE HANDMADE BUNNY!

Over there you can find my curious carrots....

Anna's gorgeous sock bunnies ... ( I have two now - have to restrain myself from buying more!)

Bunny artwork ...

This is by Mimilove on Folksy

And lots of general animal loveliness...

This is by Sarah Birt Jewellry on Etsy (Yes I still have a thing for foxes too!)

So get yourself over there now! And follow the Bunny Blog!

Well done to Anna - she has already raised £277.00 for the RWF, yay!

Love, Love, Love!

2010-08-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to my cousins wedding. It was absolutely fantastic - my cousin and his wife have known each other since childhood! I created some wedding mice for them - the groom is a bit of a surfer dude so the little groom mouse has a little Hawaiian print waistcoat.

I thought you might also like to see the cake - it was made by the bride's aunt so it was a complete surprise to both of them - look at the little icing hearts all over it! Such a shame to cut it up really!

Anyway this got me thinking about the nature of love. I know everyone talks about love as something that you find - but I guess its the other way round - when your ready and open to it, love finds you. And we need love in our lives - as much as its good to be alone, its the best to know that you are loved and there are people that you can turn to when the going gets tough.

As I like giving you things to watch too, here are two of my favourite love songs. The videos are very amazing too - so sweet and inspiring. This one I love for all the little glances the people involved give eachother -

And this one would not let me embed it but go and watch it on youtube if you fancy - you need to watch until the ending!

I think love is like that - like a release, if you hold yourself back, you can't fall in love - you can't hear the music or see the colour. Love never dies - even if that person we love is no longer around, we still keep on loving them - its such a strong emotion. The world would lack colour without love.

'Supose I keep on singing love songs - Just to break my own fall'

'Dance Like Nobody's Watching'

2010-08-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this quote from Mark Twain - the full quote goes like this:

“Sing like no one's listening,
love like you've never been hurt,
dance like nobody's watching,
and live like its heaven on earth.”

I guess it inspires me to take each day one step at a time without worrying about the past or future. It reminds me that each day is precious, limited and unique, that I need to make the most of each moment. Something, that when I feel all stressed about bills or work - is easy to forget.

My fabulous friend Daisy sent me this little video -
Its a film called

'How to be Alone'

by video and filmaker, Andrea Dorfman, and poet/singer/songwriter, Tanya Davis.
The poem has the line 'Dance like nobody is watching' too.
I found this so inspirational - because often I find myself alone - and wonder if it's a bad thing. We all need time alone, I think. We need to figure out who we are and be happy with our own company. The video also has some pretty little illustrations of birds, I had to share it with you all.

Other people can put it better than I can - Brett Dennen sings...

''I wish to sing as if no ones listening
I wish to dance as if no one is watching
And i, give thanks for my dreams
You can rob me of my sight
And you can poison my blood stream
But as long as I can dream then life is worth living ''

Sometimes I feel like giving up - and sometimes I feel lost, but this reminds me to always have hope.

Illustration : 'Lost in the Forest'

Festival Fun & Folics!

2010-07-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

A week ago I left the Bunnies and Mice in charge of Nat's Nest - knowing that generally they are a very responsible bunch - and went off to Latitude Festival .

Its a music festival a little like Glastonbury - only a bit posher - and is near my original hometown in Sunny Suffolk. Along with all the fun and folics and blurry photos of Florence and the Machine, I actually managed to take some rather arty pictures too, which I thought would be good to share.

Sign Post Tree

Fashion by Central Saint Martins Graduates - this was actually really amazing - on a runway over the river!

Peace Tree

Brolly Tree

A rather spooky lamp in the middle of the woods....feeling a bit like Alice down the rabbit hole...

An NSDF production of Wind in the Willows - Toad at the top, he was fantastic.

The moon - reminds me of the Mighty Boosh!

And men with guitars -these were rather a lot of these!

Hmm...I did find some little festival mice at Latitude too - the rest of the nest are rather wary of their bohemian ways, but I'm sure they will fit right in.

Hope you enjoyed them!

After retuning from the festival, I was exhausted, but finally have recoved now after almost a week and am feeling ready for some creativity again :)

Wedding Bells Ring!

2010-07-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

Today the Mice and Bunnies have been all excited, as the first ever Wedding took place in Carrotby ! The pirate mice supplied all the food (cheese and carrot cake mostly!) and were very nearly late as their boat hit a small whirlpool and almost capsized - but Captain Jack being the experienced pirate he is managed to navigate through it and thankfully they still arrived on time (the cheese being just the tiniest bit soggy). Here are the blushing Bride and Groom, available now in my Folksy Store...

And the rabbits of course decided they would like some Bunny - themed stationary for their wedding, and stealing the laptop, went undercover to browse through Folksy. They loved this fabulous card by Under the Stairs Studios...

And also found these rather wonderful Fortune Cookie Wedding Favours by 2 Green Monkeys

Isn't that a lovely idea?

Little bridesmaids and pageboy bunnies will be hopping their way into the nest shortly. And the mice want to get in on the wedding action too...

Nat's Nest blog will be moving shortly...please watch this space!

Normal Service to Resume Shortly....

2010-06-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Nat's Nest completely disapeared for a little while, and we are very sorry about that. The Buns and Mice were getting very disgruntled and needed a summer holiday so we took a short break - and took some time to reorganise the Nest - but we are back now and promise to start blogging again and reading all your blogs too!

We'll show you all what we've been up too shortly....

Marie Curie Cancer Care Charity Auction!

2010-03-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie post today -

the auction for Marie Curie is being held online tomorrow - as well as my Marie Bunny there are many lovely items up for auction, some handmade by Folksy sellers and some donated by celebrities!

A lovely lady called Angie Heaney has organised the auction - you can read her story HERE

And if you click HERE - you will go straight to the auction (not live till tomorrow!)

So please visit the auction tomorrow and bid if you can - this is a charity close to my heart and I'm hoping lots of money will be raised :)

Yellow Bunnies!

2010-03-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

What have I been up to lately?! Well, as it is nearing Easter, I've been busy designing some Easter Bunnies using some gorgeous new fur I bought on my recent trip to London, and some yellow velvet : ) ! These bunnies are ment to have chocolate with them, but someone keeps eating it all up...I wonder who ?

Pascal the Easter Bunny

Flora Bunny

Marie Bunny

Marie has been donated to an auction for Marie Curie Cancer Care, which is why she is holding a daffodil. I'll let you know more details when I find them out!

And Flora can be Won ... yes thats right Won , by entering the Folksy Treasure Hunt

More details can be found HERE - on the Folksy Blog

The task is to find 11 eggs of the same colour ( the words 'treasure' and 'easter' may help!)

Ooo, and I have been doing some painting again, only of a picture I drew ages ago...

Next I think I want to make some new animals...I'm taking part in Spoilt Pigs Cat Swap so I think a cat is on the cards, although what sort of cat I don't know yet , a lion maybe, or a leopard? Or just a cute little kitty? Time to get thinking!

Here comes the Sun...

2010-03-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

''Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves''
James M. Barrie

Many, many appologies for posting this late! I was awarded a Sunshine blog award from Marices World and Hotdog and Me! Thank you so much you lovely people - I was very happy to recieve this award as its fantastic to know my blog gets read occassionally :)

These are the rules of accepting this award -

Sunshine Award Rules

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world.
To accept the award:

Place this award on your blog or in a post

Pass the award on to 12 bloggers

Link the nominiees within the post

Let the nominiees know they have received the award by commenting on their blog

Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

It nice to feel the sunshine in these soggy times!

So without further ado here are my nominated blogs -

1. Alexandra's Wishes
2. Amelie's House
3. Antii Sullivan
4. Cherish Me
5. Cole and Josephine
6. Dawn Bevan's Design
7. No Fen Just Ned
8. Hazel Fisher Creations
9. Moonlight & Hares
10. Noodlebubble
11. Niche Handmade
12. Tea, Babies & Beads

Please click on the links for some good reading! Many thanks for writing such good blogs ladies!

(oo, I must add I was really spoilt for choice among all the good blogs I follow! Please don't be offended if I didn't choose yours - next time , teehee :)

The Best Ever Banoffee Pie Recipe - Gluten/Wheat Free

2010-03-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be nice to share this recipe with you today - it was given to me by one of my friends at uni. It makes the most delicious banoffee pie, can easily be adapted for coelics (like me!) is simple to make and very, very sweet!

Equiptment:

Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Saucepan
Pie Dish ( approx. 30cm across 5cm deep )

Ingredients:

1 Pack Digestive Biccies
(For Gluten Free version use gluten free biscuits - Morrisons do nice fudge shortbread ones that work well, or you can use another gluten free variety)
2 - 3 medium size bananas

Small amount of butter (about a spoonfull)
1 Carton of Double Cream
A few Squares of Chocolate
1 Tin Condensed Milk

To Make:

1. First place the tin of condensed milk into a saucepan of gently simmering water (1 - 2 temp. on the hob) - fill the water just to the top of the tin - but NOT covering the tin completely. You need to simmer the tin for about 3 hours - this turns the condensed milk into toffee.

IMPORTANT : Do not let the tin boil dry - it may need topping up every 40 minutes or so. Do not let the water boil. Do Not pierce the tin as the condensed milk will not turn into toffee. ( Be careful as there is a danger of the tin exploding - this has never happened to me and I've made this recipe many times - just follow these instructions and you will be fine. However I think you can buy Condensed milk toffee now if you are nervous!)

2. While the milk is simmering , you can make the base. Bash up the pack of biscuits so they resemble breadcrumbs - its easy to put the biscuits in a sandwich bag or mixing bowl and bash with a rolling pin. Melt the nob of butter then mix the biscuit crumbs and butter together. Press this mixture into the bottom of your pie dish.

3. Slice up the bananas to about 5mm thick and place on top of the biscuits. (Do this just before the milk is ready otherwise the bananas will go brown).

4. After 3 hours, take the condensed milk tin out of the saucepan and open it carefully. (It should feel heavier - be careful the toffee is hot and sometimes it squirts!) Pour toffee into a bowl and give a quick mix - some bits thicker than others and this just makes the consistancy more even. Pour this mixture over the bananas and biscuits.

5. Leave in fridge until the toffee is cool and set. ( Probably about an hour but I usually leave overnight) .

6. Pour double cream into mixing bowl and whisk till thick.

7. Place cream over the toffee (making sure toffee is cold).

8. Grate a small amount of chocolate over the cream.

9. En Volia! Your banoffee pie is now ready to enjoy!

Please let me know if you make this up what you think!

PS. The fab poloroid pics in this post are thanks to the excellent Cole and Josephine's Blog - check out this post to get some for yourself! Thank you Nicole, I love it!

Front Page Excitement!

2010-02-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

I very proud to announce my little Bunny was on the Folksy front page! Can you spot him among all the other lovely stuff?

He is the White Rabbit - my tribute to the Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland which is out on the 5th March. I based him on this illustraton by John Tenniel -

I love these gorgeous illustrations and am in the process of making a Sleepy Dormouse and Mad March Hare too.

I'm thinking about a more typical White Rabbit with a little waistcoat and watch too - but unsure how best to make a watch from fabric at the moment - any ideas!?

I love Tim Burton movies and am very excited about this one.

Have you seen the trailer yet....

Popcorn and flask of tea ready for the cinema!

'We are the music makers & we are the dreamers of the dream.
Wandering by lone sea breakers & sitting by desolate streams.
World losers & world forsakers for whom the pale moon gleams.
Yet we are the movers & shakers of the world forever, it seems''.
Arthur O'Shaughnessy

Shhh…Can you keep a secret?

2010-02-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

I have a confession.

I have suspected for some time now that I have an addiction.

Well, several.

I also suspect these things are not quite normal to become addicted to but here I am…

This is the first…

1.Tea

This is the tea wall.

Hmm. The tea wall is becoming a slight safety hazard, it needs one of those bright yellow warning stickers. You see the tea wall usually lives in the cupboard (it only came out today for the photo shoot) and tends to fall on all those who dare to open the cupboard. The only way to get round this is to go for the

a) grab and run approach ( quickly open cupboard and select random box while closing cupboard as quickly as possible) or

b) don’t open the cupboard at all - buy new tea when necessary.

Neither of these options are really a solution. The problem is I’ve never met a type of tea I didn’t like. My absolute favourites are Yumchaa and Yogi. Yogi tea even send me emails but unfortunately only send free tea samples to people living in America. (PS. Since taking this photo I have bought more tea -help!)

2. Fabric

This tiny (almost) organised corner of my fabric collection is a ruse to hide the larger, messy, disorganised collection of fabric in boxes, in drawers and underneath the bed. I pretend to be buying fabric for crafting purposes when I just really love a pattern or design. I love fabric a little too much, I feel.

3.Vinyl Records

I know I can buy any single I want on amazon or I-tunes for about 70p. I know that these are bulky, unreliable, outdated, have a tendency to skip and need turning over about every 20 minutes ( or less) yet I love them. I have far, far too many for someone with a small amount of space to call my own. I also love them for the artwork on the covers. I have a pile of these outside the bedroom door which I trip over and that one day are going to be listed on ebay...I can't bare to part with them, just yet!

Now I’ve confessed I feel I might be able to get down to the task of organising these things. Then again, maybe not…

All You Need is Love...

2010-02-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

''Please know I love you more than anything else in the world. Being with you makes me feel so happy. Ever since I met you, things are looking pretty good''

'Love Bear' Notebook by Artbox

How was your Valentines ? I had a fantablous Valentines day - I went to visit some friends in London and saw lots of culture, bought lots of fabric and drunk rather too much wine. (More of that later!)

I recieved some lovely things in the post - I took part in a Valentines 'Heart Swop' on Folksy - organised by the rather fantastic Noodlebubble (check out the vast swop list on her blog!)
I got this beautiful heart from Little House -

Check out this tiny mousie stitched onto the back of it ...

This heart is absolutely beautifully stitched and has been hanging up in my bedroom! Aww!

Also I won a giveaway from the beautiful 'Alexandra's Wishes' blog...and got this little heart brooch in the post too...

As well as a crochet hair bow and tiny needle case - so cute! This talented lady sells through Folksy - check out her store by clicking here!

Here is Rose Bunny trying to steal the Hairclip - Rose, bring that back - it's too big for you!

And I got a beautiful turquoise-y top, necklace & gloves in the post from a special lady, and this cutie from my housemates (pictured making friends with Milly Mouse)....

So lots of post - love this weekend! Thank you all for the parcels - I love them :) (much better than bank statements or bills!)

Oh - for the swap I sent out Peach

See how she got on at Pink Milks blog...

Lots of Love xxx

New Arrivals!

2010-02-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

Look what arrived in my in-box recently...

I want one! Isn't that just the cutest thing? I feel some hedgehog related art coming on...

Speaking of new arrivals, I'm very proud because I have finally, finally got round to creating a new animal for Nat's Nest, introducing: Russell, the Fox Bandit...

When I lived in London I saw a lot of urban foxes prowling around at night, so Russell is based on them. He is actually a Vegetarian Fox though, because otherwise the little mice would be all eaten up by now! I'm not sure if I'm going to create any more foxes just yet. Squirrels are next on the list, then Easter Bunnies (I've got some yellow velvet and beautiful printed cotton just for them) . And some painting , and , and...

Sometimes I feel I have so many ideas I just don't know which one to start on first - I'm sure you feel the same way sometimes too (but of couse this is preferable to those days when you feel so uninspired and want to lie in bed watching TV and eating cereal). Heres to all the creative days to come - lets hope they are good ones!

Folksy Friday : Eggs!

2010-01-29T04:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, now I know its not Easter yet but recently I've been reading Bill Oddies 'Little Black Bird Book' (I'm not a birdwatcher - I just found it in a charity store and loved the little illustrations) Its quite a funny read - even if you don't understand the bird terminology (which I don't) , but Bill talks about how he used to collect eggs as a child and of course this is very rightly illegal now.

So I thought it would be good to celebrate the beauty of eggs in this collection of work from some very talented Folksy sellers.... (and not a sticky chocolate in sight!)

Egg Box Frame by Amanda Mercer

This sweet house decoration reminds me of Joseph Cornell's boxes, I like to think the little bird has just flown away (but will be on her way back) - and don't worry the egg is not a real one!

Bird Nest Ring by All Beauteous Things

This unusal ring can be customised to include an 'egg' for each of the recipients children, awww!

The Secret Language of Eggs - Love Silkscreen Print - Champignons

I'm convinced eggs do have a secret language and chat away between themselves when our backs are turned...

Chunky Knitted Egg Cosy - Handmaid

For a stylish dippy egg and soldiers....

Three Eggs Print - Miss Eliot Books

These two birds are rightly protective of their special blue eggs.

Nest Egg Necklace - All Those Threes

Simply stunning recycled silver necklace. Each one handcrafted and slightly different...

You may also like these other selections....

Fairly Girly - Blue Niche - Birds & Bees

Pipistrelle Crochet - Tartan Folksy Weddings - Bits & Pieces

Behind the Scenes....

2010-01-27T06:36:00.000-08:00

''Hope is like a bird that senses the dawn and carefully starts to sing while it is still dark''
Author Unknown

I'm a nosy person...I love a little peek at other peoples studios now and then! I love Etsy's Open Studio Tours and Handmade Video Portraits because you get to see behind the scenes of other artist's creations. Very often I get studio envy as my studio is little more than a desk! *sigh* If you have never watched them before I advise you to check them out, but I warn you in advance - it is entirely possible to become addicted and waste many, many hours!

So anyway here is a little peek at my ~~desk~~ studio!

It is a little messy but I have to say that is about as organised as I get ! The lovely knitted blanket in the foreground is for my cousin's (soon to be born) baby and I may just do another blog post on how I made it. I'm so excited about the baby - I haven't had a little person to cuddle since my sister was born 9 years ago!

Here is my lovely inspiration wall ....

And some sketchbook pages...

Hope you enjoyed that - and liked the little quote at the top - I'm a big collector of quotes as they all get written down in my diary and I thought it would be nice to share some in my blog posts!

I just wanted to say a big thankyou to my followers as I've had a few new ones lately... and especially those of you who comment, its reassuring to know I'm not chatting away to myself :)

Folksy Friday : Lost in the Forest!

2010-01-22T05:10:00.000-08:00

When Fion and little John the archer mice came to the Nest, they brought tales of the forest, of unicorns and wolves, tree spirits and little creatures that live inside trees and bubbling streams...

Little John was feeling a little sad as he missed home today, and found a picture that reminded him of his forest. On some other crafty blogs we have seen a Folksy Friday feature; of some fantastic arty and crafty work by Folksy sellers, so little John decided to make his own feature up today, all based around the forest theme...

'In the Forest of Deep Sleep' by Ed Boxall

John loves this picture, it reminds him of home. The colours are so dreamy.

'Old Entish Wisdom' Bracelet by Chain of Daisies

This bracelet is stunning. Nat added this because she wants it!

'The Woods' by Marmalime

John said that the white forest ponies are quite shy. The artist was lucky this one chose to pose for so long.

'Butterfly Meadows' Soy Wax Melts by Sweet Scented Soy

These pretty little melts have the scent of summer dandelion, lily of the valley, weeping willows and sweet pea blossoms among others, they sound amazing and the mice have been pestering me to buy them!

'Woodland Pearl' Necklace by Rose and Raven.

John loved this. He said woodland pearls were particully rare and valuble.

'Mysterious Night Owl' Coaster by Superfumi

John is a little scared of owls. (Only a little, he is generally a very brave mouse) But he thinks this one looks very wise and friendly. I think that if you are going to drink tea (and I do, lots and lots of tea!) you may as well drink tea in style on some pretty coasters. And I love owls!

Hope you all like the Forest Picks!

You may also like some other Folksy Featured work :

Fairly Girly - Green Handcrafted - Gifts for Men

Beady Pool - Brooches Haptree -Watches

Ellie's Treasures - Round Pipistrelle Crochet -Foxes

Top Floor Treasures - Kawaii Niche - Print & Pattern

Linziloop - Light Minifelts - Buttons
Cinnamon Jewellery - Amigurumi
Cake Knits & Cosies - Furry Friends

Magic Animations

2010-01-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas I was chatting on Folksy to Lilyvanilli (who has a fantastic Folksy store - check it out!) who gave me an idea to create some mice stop - motion animations. I have some ideas for this and I’m very excited about it as I’m a very big fan of animation… I’m not entirely sure when I will get round to it though as I have so many ideas buzzing around in my head right now!

Sometimes I feel like movies can be too close to reality, and depressing, like movies about illness or missing children, which is why I love children’s films or animations…

Animation gives us a chance to escape reality, to go back to childhood, to imagine and to dream. I love all the bright colours and detail….

Recently I saw ‘Up’ , which my friends mum brought back from the US (its not released on DVD here yet). And I loved it , its sweet and sad and funny and is very pretty visually. Oh and it has cute taking dogs :)

Anyway, after taking to Lily I was looking around on you tube for cute animations. I found this one called ‘Draw with me’ that I want to share … its very sweet and sad. I love the drawings and the starlights around them. Its by the very talented Mike Inel and you can see more of his work on deviantART here.

Oh and the Valentines mice are having some finishing touches sewn onto them... due to be unveiled soon!

Whats New Pussycat...

2010-01-11T16:10:00.001-08:00

A new year should be the start of some new things! Like the new banner I designed recently for my Folksy Store ...

The old one was looking a bit dark I felt, so I wanted to lighten it up a little. I also liked the idea of little cut out silhouettes of the animals. I may play around with it a bit more and change it again when I have the time. I also want to pretty up this blog a little too, with maybe a new banner and new colours, hmmm....

I'm not so sure about resolutions, but possibly I have made one ...1. Have an Adventure.

I want to explore somewhere, and now I've written it down I'm more likely to make it happen!

Also I wanted to show you lovely people the gorgous fabric I bought from Ebay recently...its for Valentine Mice which should be ready by the weekend...

I've also got a lovely bird - heart fabric which I may use! (Slight addiction to fabric buying!)

And I want to attempt to make some Squirrels and Foxes : )

Watch this space....

When it Snows my Toes get Cold...

2010-01-02T05:39:00.000-08:00

‘’Welcome back winter once again
Put on your warm fuzzy sweater
Cause you’ll feel much better when

The snowflakes fall gently to the ground
The temperature drops and your shivers
Freeze all the rivers around
But I keep you warm’’

Owl City - The Tip of the Iceberg

I was snowed in this morning, again, big, thick flurries greeted through the window as I put the kettle on for morning tea. (I’m sluggish and find it very hard to move without morning tea)

The view from my attic window looked like this… the sky all moody with the light trying to break through…

Why does everything look so much better when it snows? Its like fairy dust over the earth.

I ~~slipped~~ ~~slid~~ walked to the supermarket to get supplies but finding the queues huge decided against food for the moment. I think there are tins of random things in the cupboards… must investigate (also I think its possible to survive on Christmas chocolate) !

The boiler has broken in the house at the moment so its freezing and I think the hamster has gone into hibernation along with the mice…

Still, the snow is ever so pretty…

And The Winner IS ...

2009-12-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

Lady Sophia, who was one of the very first mice to come to Briesberry and Bret, who came to Briesberry and promptly fell in love with her, decided to pick this one...

They used the cat teapot, which scared them at first until they realised the cats were just painted on...

All the names were written on little labels which were then folded up and placed in

the cup... ( they made a mess at this point)

Then the names were placed in the teapot, which had a good shake...

Bret poured out the labels...

And Lady Sophia choose the winner....

JO FROM GIRAFFE CRAFTS ...

Congratulations!

Please let me know which Bunny or Mouse you would like to win and I'll get them all sent off to you!

Oooo... A BIG, BIG THANK YOU for all your entries...

The mice, bunnies and I loved reading all your comments and it has given us a big boost for 2010.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!

Christmas Giveaway!!

2009-12-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

Oooo, I'm all excited and feeling in a very festive mood!! December is not only the month of christmas but the month of my birthday too! So I decided to do my First Ever Blog Giveaway! The prize is one Festive Bunny or Mouse (Large or small) of your choice ... from my Store http://www.natsnest.folksy.com/ also a set of 4 Mouse Themed Xmas Cards! Which can be seen at my other store http://www.natnat.folksy.com/ ! Phew! These cute little santa bunnies with detatchable beards are up for grabs!

Entering is easy...

TO ENTER:

1. Follow my blog and leave a comment on the wall! (1 entry)

2. If you are on twitter and tweet about my Giveaway you recieve a bonus entry (please post the twitter link on the wall) !

A maximum of 2 entries per person!

Sorry but this Giveaway is only open to those living in the UK. I'll do another giveaway next year for everyone, promise!

The Winner will be announced on the 19th December 2009 ! The bunny or mouse and christmas cards will also be sent out on the 19th to arrive in time for xmas! Let me know which Festive Bunny or Mouse you would like to Win!

Included in the Giveaway: Santa Bunnys, Reindeer Bunny and Mousies, Holly Bunny, Angel Bunny and Mouse, and Mini Angels, Mini Twin Bunnies, Mini Bellringer Bunny.

A Very Festive Post!

2009-12-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

This is my last post before Cambridge Handmade Craft Fair tomorrow! Eek! I think everything is organised now though and next time it will be easier as I'll know more what I'm doing!

The Reindeers have arrived! Originally I planned to make eight reindeers, (Dascher, Dancer,Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donna and Blitzen) But due to time constraints I only managed to make four. So Dascher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen are coming along to Cambridge Handmade with me tomorrow. I made them little detatchable reindeer antler headbands and gave them a little gold bell each! Also coming along are many bunny and mousie angels and some Father Xmas bunnies.

As I live so close to Nottingham I also decided to make these little mice as a tribute to one very famous resident...

I'm so nervous! Fingers crossed everything goes well.

Okay, I'll sign off now but I'll leave you with this picture of a beautiful batik I bought at a car boot fair this summer for a bargin £2.00 (When I get a studio it will take pride of place on one of the walls)

Cambridge Handmade! (So much to do, So little time!)

2009-11-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

As you may already know, on the 5th December I'm going to be exhibiting at Handmade Cambridge craft fair. Its my first ever craft fair, so to say I'm nervous is a bit of an understatement! I've been busy sewing christmas mice, and have designed some new cards to go with them....

The nice thing is, if no - one buys the cards I can give them all out to my family and friends for Christmas as I'm sure they will appreciate them ( good old family and friends : ) As I work part time too, I've only really got two days to finish making stuff (eek!) My plan is to have some little mice and bunnies with detatchable reindeer ears ...

So, the other nice thing is that I will get to meet some other sellers and hopefully get some Christmas present shopping done too! So everyone, please come along and say hello! Here ~~is my shopping list~~ are some of the other lovely things that will be on sale .....

This gorgous little purse is by 'The Print Tree' who make fantastic purses, brooches and earrings. I love colour and they use just the most fastastic printed fabrics for their creations.

'See the World' - Letterpress Notecards by 'Bread of Many'. Another of my loves is illustration and these are just perfect.

Bunny Solar Lantern by 'Glowbox' . Bunnies? In lantern form? No batteries required?! How could I resist! And made by a fellow folksy seller too.

Awww, what a cutie! This little robbin by Claire Hurd Design would make a perfect tree decoration, I feel.

There are many, many other lovely artists, craftspeople and designers exhibiting! Should be a date for your diary :)

In other exciting news, I recently purchased some knitting needles as I wanted to make some animals from this book.

I love Donna Wilson and have a soft spot for her quirky knitted creatures! If you haven't heard of her, please check out her website. She also makes lovely cushions and rugs...I want it all! But can't afford it, so I'm going to make my own...I'll keep you updated to how its going!

Fancy Tea Swap!

2009-11-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

Laura of She Draws on Folksy decided to do a fancy tea bag swap! I was very excited about this as I have many, many tea bags in the cuboard! (Actually my tea bags have been breeding and taking over the cuboards and annoying my housemates!) So a perfect swap for me actually...

Isn't this necklace stunning? Its from She Draws Folksy Store . My swap partner was Debbie of Dinky Daisy who has a lovely store on Folksy, with cute embroidered purses, coasters and pictures. So today I opened the mail and was very excited to find this little package...

Ooo, two little mini Green & Black chocolate bars, Lady Grey, Nettle and Lemon & Ginger tea and this beautiful purse! Its absolutely wonderfully made and so, so cute! I completely recommend Dinky Daisy for gift ideas. I am debating whether to give the purse to one of my tea loving friends for christmas or keep it myself. (probably I will keep it myself, I love it!) And I am drinking the Lady Grey tea while writing this, its very nice, slightly more sweeter than Earl Grey. Thank you Debbie for a lovely surprise in the mail!

Here is what I posted, a little card of the Teacup /Tigar Embroidery from my store...

Hmm, time to put the kettle on again, I think!

Beautiful Song Lyrics

2009-11-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

Somehow I managed to download this song by Brett Dennen and I didn't realise I had it. As I was walking to work it came on my ipod (well my sony music walkman mp3 thing - i have no idea what they are ment to be called so its an ipod to me : ) and the words were so good, although they did make me cry! Not such a good look for work.

The other day I was having a discussion with my brother about music being a form of poetry ... and I'm sure this song qualifies as beautiful poetry... Its called 'When I'm Gone' by Brett Dennen. Please have a listen, its absolutely beauiful, for anyone who has lost someone very dear to them.

''the first time my heart collided with yours

I know I felt the ocean tickle the Earth's sandy shores

but changes come and we all know that we can't, we can't stop them

but I hold these memories and I will never drop them''

''oh the thought of death has yet to make me afraid

'cause I will march right off this world into the next like its a grand parade

but if you feel lonely just like you want to run and hide

then I'll wrap my wings around you and give you strength and I wont leave your side''

Vincent goes to the U.S.A!!

2009-10-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

This week the other mice have been very jealous as Vincent was bought by a lady from the U.S! He happily scampered into his parcel with his cheese and is now slightly nervous about the journey across the ocean. The other mice have been asking lots of questions about what the U.S.A is like. I couldn't really answer them properly as I've only ever been to New York, which was amazing! I told them I went in Febuary and it was so cold it snowed and we made snow angels in Central Park. I remember falling in love with Kandinsky too when I saw his work in the Guggenheim. I just wanted to touch all the paintings, they are so hypnotic (of course I wouldn't though) but I did recieve some funny looks from security!

Wassily Kandinsky, Yellow, Red and Blue

Apparently Kandinsky had synestesia, a condiction where you percieve sound / numbers / letters as colour. His paintings combine colour, sound, touch and smell. In the Guggenheim there were some beautiful ones where he has made paintings from coloured sand. There is nothing like seeing art in real life, it is a completely different experience to seeing it in a book or on the screen.

So anyway, Vincent is off, ...and we had a new arrival ... Wol Sock Bunny from Wiget & Friends on

Folksy! I was very excited when I opened the mail the other morning and recieved him.

I love this little bunny with Owls on his belly! He has been making friends with all the bunnies here and eating all the carrots from the fridge! Please visit http://www.folksy.com/shops/thewarren get your very own bunny too!

I've Been Featured!! Again!!

2009-10-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

I've been selected as a featured seller on the cambridge handmade blog!

This is because in December I'm going to do the Cambridge handmade Craft fair, which will be held at Cambridge Guildhall on the 5th Dec between 11am -5pm.

Actually this will be my first craft fair and I'm terrified! Hmm ,hopefully I'll have enough stock to display, I've been sewing mice and rabbits like crazy and hoping to make up xmas cards and things (embroideries probably!) too. If you would like to read a little more about me and the other sellers please follow this link http://handmadecambridge.blogspot.com/

Roger the pirate mouse has his picture on the handmade Cambridge blog and is being very smug about it. Captain Jack is not very impressed because he says as he is the Captain he should have been pictured. Sorry Jack, okay I'll put you up here....

He is a bit happier now! Find both of them on Folksy here www.folksy.com/shops/natsnest

I thought you might like to see Amber and Ash, two little mice that are being very naughty and distracting me from making by playing about on the sewing machine (They are being quite cute about it so I can't be too angry) In the background you can see the general chaos of my workspace : )

I've Been Featured!!

2009-10-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hello! I was so excited the other day to find I had won a feature spot and advertising space on Haptree's Blog! Which you can view here - www.haptreeandme.blogspot.com .

This is very exciting, each month Haptree will feature a different artist / craftsperson on her blog...all you have to do is leave a comment after the featured article and you will be in with a chance of winning next months ad space.

So, with all this excitment I thought it was about time I turned this in to a proper blog, (where I actually write about stuff) as apose to a blog where I randomly post pictures of my work then ring my friends and say...'oh have you seen this on my blog...what do you think?'

I think my main reason for using the blog in this way in the past is because I'm absolutely rubish with technology and I'm not very good at spelling so it was just too complicated to write stuff (and I was too lazy :)

So hopefully I can post lots of lovely stuff that inspires me and it may inspire you too! So thank you to Haptree! Check out her Folksy store here - http://www.folksy.com/shops/haptree .I've got my eye on these gorgous bead kit purses, my little sister would love this as a christmas present ... (who am I kidding, so
would I! )

I Love This...

2009-10-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Last night while panic sewing mice for xmas I discovered this artist and I absolutely love it I had to share

see more of her work at www.juliapott.com

Charity Store Finds!!

2009-09-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Oh, I love charity stores! After recieving my first wage I decided to have a rummage around some of my local ones, and as well as finding a pink and purple leaf print dress originally form Warehouse, I found some amazing books at bargin prices.

'Rainforest' by Thomas Marent for £1.25! Which is literally full of stunning brightly coloured images of rainforest plants & wildlife ...

And a book full of film shots from 'Memoirs of a Geshia' and concept drawings for £5.

I love beautiful costume and sets which take you away from reality and the ones in this film are capable of transporing you to another world...
Earlier this week I was feeling very uninspired so these should help!

I absolutely love books with interesting illustrations too and found a hardback 'Dragon Rider' by Cornelia Funke which looks very pretty (yes, its a childrens book but they are so much more imaginative and inventive than adult fiction sometimes!!) And 'Anansi Boys' By Neil Gaiman just because I'm beginning to love Neil Gaiman.

Anyone who is into fantasy should try The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. I read it a few weeks ago and could not put it down. The plot centres around Anton, a member of the Night Watch who operate in Moscow.

The Night Watch are 'others' with extraordinary powers, capable of entering the twilight, a shadowy world which exists in parallel to our own. The Night Watch are esentially good, protecting humanity from 'others' of questionable moral (think vampires/ dark wizards and you're nearly there) . The Day Watch exist as their rivals, 'bad' dark wizards and witches. Although nothing is black and white in this book as it shows many, many shades of grey and has so many clever plot twists. The three parts of this book have plot twists at the end which frustratingly I couldn't work out at all! Apparently there are another two sequals to this book so I'm off to hunt them down...

Momiji Couture Contest

2009-09-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

Momiji Couture Contest! Here is my lovely doll...she needs a name!

Mice & Bunnies

2009-07-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

Treasure and Dancers

2009-07-13T10:13:00.001-07:00

Bunnies, Fish, Deer & Birds

2009-07-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

2009-06-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

Please visit my folksy store for cards, embroideries and soon to come fabric animals...pictures to follow soon! www.folksy.com/shops/natnat

Print Designs

2009-04-01T10:40:00.001-07:00

Buttons, button, birds and rosettes...what more could a girl ask for?

More Fashion Pieces

2009-03-25T04:24:00.000-07:00

Owls

2009-02-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

Butterfly Moth

2009-01-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

Machine embroidery

Pastels

Fashion Illustrations

2009-01-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

Flowers

2009-01-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

Hand Embroidery

Pastel & Pencils

Under the Sea

2009-01-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Machine Embroidery & Batik

Gouche & Tissue Paper

Yellow Coat

2009-01-12T06:40:00.001-08:00

Final Collection Pieces

2009-01-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

Coat design, Final Collection

2009-01-11T15:56:00.000-08:00