Saturday, September 05, 2015

A stinky smelly goblin pod

We used to have a troll who lived beneath our hanging tree. He was a lovely, quiet fellow, who enjoyed a good cup of tea and collecting odd socks. Last summer his hole was overrun by a bully snake who chased him off. We were so saddened by his departure that we vowed we would not maintain the troll hole beneath the hanging tree.

Stinky smelly baby goblin pod - Nichola Battilana

Summer has very nearly come to its end, it's time to start cleaning the remains of the garden. Mr. Pixie decided it was time to clean up the weeds in the overgrown spot that once belonged to the dear old Troll. He soon shouted over to me, and I ran to see what the hullabaloo was all about. "Just look at that thing!" he exclaimed, pointing to a spot on the ground near a largish rock.


Stinky smelly baby goblin pod - Nichola Battilana

There, nestled in the ground and bundled in rags, was a very ugly little 'thing'. From the slight snorting noises and bubbling drool running down it's chin we surmise that it is sleeping. From the stink and green of his skin we suspect it is a goblin pod.

Stinky smelly baby goblin pod - Nichola Battilana

We have goblins a-plently living near our stream and are offering this pod to anyone who might be in short supply of the smelly things. The listing for this foul fellow is HERE.

Stinky smelly baby goblin pod - Nichola Battilana

We trust that the purchaser is educated on the care and maintenance of garden goblins.

Stinky smelly baby goblin pod - Nichola Battilana

We cannot be held responsible for the inevitable shenanigans and mischief caused by the creature.

Friday, September 04, 2015

Old Bird ATC Pocket Letter with tutorial

It's the first Friday of September (already!) which means it's my turn to share a tutorial using magnifique products from Gina's Designs Lasercuts. Woo hoo! This month I thought we'd do some nitty gritty paper crafting and create a sort of pocket letter.

ATC Pocket Letter for GinasDesigns.net - Nichola Battilana

I've been seeing these pop up all over my timeline and wanted to give it a try. 

What is a pocket letter, you ask? Janette Lane, the creator of Pocket Letters™, explains on her site:

"Basically, you fill all the pockets of a 9 Pocket Trading Card Protector and send the whole page to someone who wants to swap with you... You fill the pockets with anything you like (stickers, tea bags, a note, washi tape samples, pictures, etc.) A short note or letter is included and tucked into one of the pockets. Then the Pocket Letter is folded up and sent in a standard 10 size envelope."**


ATC Pocket Letter for GinasDesigns.net - Nichola Battilana

I am a huge fan of ATC's (Artist Trading Card: miniature works of art measuring 2.5" x 3.5") so I've created a cohesive set of birdy themed cards to fill those little pockets with. You can source your own public domain images, or purchase a collage sheet with all of those vintage birds and sentiments available HERE.

ATC Pocket Letter for GinasDesigns.net - Nichola Battilana

When creating your own piece, consider other little bits and pieces to tuck into those sleeves. Stamps, ephemera, feathers... little bits that match the theme or look of your cards.

ATC Pocket Letter for GinasDesigns.net - Nichola Battilana

Also consider the sleeves themselves. I've added clear stickers to the exterior.


Of course you could just create these pretty ATC's and trade/give them separately. There's nothing wrong with spreading the crafty love around.

ATC Pocket Letter for GinasDesigns.net - Nichola Battilana

If you're not keen on making these little bits of art, you may want to check out the tutorial anyway as it includes creating the textured background seen below.

ATC Pocket Letter Tutorial for GinasDesigns.net - Nichola Battilana

But enough blabble! HERE is the video tutorial. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give me a shout. I'm happy to lend a hand or answer any questions you have. Seriously. Don't be shy ;)

ATC Pocket Letter Tutorial for GinasDesigns.net - Nichola Battilana


THE SUPPLY LIST
From Gina's:
Cardstock Doily Set 1
Cardstock Doily Set Intricates
Steampunk Fan
Ornamental Birdcages Shape Set
Pen & Ink Shape Set
Faux Metal Number Plates
Herringbone Stencil (available soon!)

Other things you'll need:
For the Birds Collage Sheet
Cardstock
Paper (I used pages from an old book)
Decorative scrapbook paper
Glue
White acrylic paint
Watercolour paint
Stamp pad
Clear stickers
Tim Holtz Long Mini Brads
Foam spacers
Ultra fine glitter
Jute twine

Washi tape
Buttons, stamps and other small embellishments and trinkets
ATC Pocket Pages

**For more information on Pocket Letters you can visit Janette Lane's YouTube Channel or join the Pocket Letter Pals Network



Thursday, September 03, 2015

Check out my fancy pants in American Miniaturist

I've been sitting on this news for a while and can now jump up and down and sing it from the tree tops...


My "Abandoned House" project from a couple of years ago is getting some love from American Miniaturist in their spooky October issue.


Here are the original blog posts about this project:

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

For the Birds Collage Sheet


For the Birds Collage Sheet - Nichola Battilana

AND I have a project and tutorial using these cuties lined up for this Friday's blog post.

I think you'll like it :)


Old Timey Tuesday: Something new

I thought I'd try something new with a weekly feature sharing old grungy pictures from my personal collection.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado...

Free image for altered art from Pixie Hill


You can absolutely use this photo in your art and craft projects. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

You may NOT sell, give or distribute the images, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group.

Violators will be turned into toads... I mean it... It won't be pretty.

Friday, August 28, 2015

I'm going to my happy place

So, I sort of lost my mind the other week when I walked past a piece of torn wallpaper.

I'd walked past it a million times before but for some reason this time was the last straw. I started stripping wallpaper, washing walls, plastering, climbing ladders. All this led to painting trim, sewing curtains... basically trying to catch up on things that have been left undone for years. (Still not done BTW)

Why all the fuss?

In a few weeks I have an influx of family visiting. We'll have a very full house including a cousin from the UK, an uncle I haven't seen since I was a kidlet (the brother of the father I have no contact with), perhaps my father in-law, and all of this takes place the same weekend I'm hosting a workshop for 6 awesome kidddos. If I'm ever going to have a nervous breakdown it will be that weekend.

I decided it was probably a good idea to go to my happy place for a while. It so happens that my happy place is a pretty productive atmosphere with happy moons and mossy cottages.

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

Handmade paper clay moon, cottages, mushrooms and ladybugs.

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

A sentiment from a vintage children's book. And THOSE FEET! They're called Demon Box Feet* but I think they're far more like helpful gargoyles.

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

And another... 

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

I love this moons smooshy face :)

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

And some small ones for good measure.

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

I feel much better after my romp with glue and glitter and glad to have such a happy, happy place to retreat to.

Moon Shrine - Nichola Battilana
Currently listed HERE

Hope you're all well and good. I miss you.

______________________________________________


Thursday, August 20, 2015

Wallpaper, tea cups and wagons

It has been sweltering here. The hottest days of summer. The heat must have affected my brain because I thought this would be an ideal time to paint. Painting doesn't just mean painting... it's stripping wallpaper, cleaning wallpaper paste from the walls, repairing plaster, sanding, cleaning dust, moving furniture... then there's the painty bit at the end. 

The results? I won't bore you with them because they're just clean white walls... a VAST improvement over the peeling and ripped wallpaper I've been living with, but a little dull.

Instead I'll show you some of the pretty bits I've been working on for a custom order.

Tea cup gardens - Nichola Battilana

A slew of tea cup towns/fairy gardens. HERE is the link to the little flowers available from Alpha Stamps.

Paper Wagon - Nichola Battilana

And here is one of several wee paper wagons I've also been working on. The paper is from Graphic 45, the leaves are Prima and the amazing wheels are from Gina's (the link goes to the straight cut spokes).

Hope you're keeping well. I'll be back and properly into the swing of things quick as can be. xoxo