Sexy Super Natural

Field Journal: Nancy and the Nikon

I've always envied people with a talent for photography. All these years as a magazine designer meant that getting the perfect shot meant providing the perfect description... to a real photographer! And then being as helpful as possible at the photoshoot. I resigned myself to prop-styling and finger-crossing as I waited for the files to land on my desk, ready for me to work my digital magic. I figured that learning my way around a camera would take far too much time and patience – two concepts I struggle with!

As I started to explain in this post, I've undergone some pretty major changes lately. I still have no patience or time (haha!) so I'll try to break it down. First, I've given up all animal products (that means I'm V-E-G-A-N) and I've quit sugar. It's been nearly 5 months since a single grain of sugar has passed these lips! And, in short, I feel... AH-mazing! Also, most people mistake me for 25-ish when I'm almost 32... so I'm sticking to it!

Being a Sugar-Free Vegan is... challenging. But in a totally good way! So far, it has been a really exciting journey full of wonderful discoveries, adventures and creativity. I would have to say, I honestly L-O-V-E being a Sugar-Free Vegan. And, I have lots (and lots!) of amazing kitchen stories and recipes to share with you. That's why, over December, I'm planning to post a menu a day until Christmas. I'm calling it something along the lines of: The Sexy Sugar Free Vegan Project. Original, I know. But it does the job. You can either join in, or collect all the recipes and give it a shot in January – let's call it a New Year's Resolution!

So... getting back to the photography. Well, although instagram has been fun, to do this project justice, I need really gorgeous photos. So I've dusted off my old Nikon DSLR and set up in the kitchen, where I can practice until I get it right.

Sure, I've taken photos before (like these ones when I was still a sugar addict), but what I'm hoping to capture this time around is this – the moodiness of summer evenings in my Melbourne kitchen, the feel of my local farmer's market in morning drizzle, the decaying romance of my mis-matched dinnerware and tarnished spoons, and the raw imperfection of whole organic ingredients. So, something more rustic and organic and real, I guess. Here are some of my first attempts... how do you think I went?

Field Journal: Detoxing... yup, even my dirty dishes!

It's been a long time coming, but i think it's finally time I cleaned my dirty dishes (and not just metaphorically!). I've been on what you might call a "journey of self-discovery" over the past two years, and it's been mighty bumpy, let me tell you. I won't be revealing every detail of the mountains and valleys I've climbed, the rights and wrongs of my journey, for all the world to see on my blog, but, in the spirit of shared experience and feeling connected, i'm going to be writing about... well, some more meaningful stuff from now on.

There's no real start or finish to this, so i guess i'll start with today's discovery, which is all about detoxing. Everything. Your whole life. Body, mind, spirit... even your sink!

About 3 months ago, I quit sugar. Fructose to be precise. It was easily the best thing I've ever done for my health. Ever. I'll share more about this later.... but, last week, I took things a step further. I stayed at Fivelements in Bali. It was a pretty life-changing experience. Set amongst the lush rainforests of Ubud, alongside the sacred Ayung River, this amazing healing centre with its organic raw vegan food and lovely people, helped me begin to cleanse my body... and, quite unexpectedly, my emotions! I returned feeling like my "inner voice" was telling me to make some changes.

Back home in Melbourne, I'm committed to eating cleaner, living simpler, making changes and being more... authentic. To listening. I'm experimenting with delicious raw vegan, or fructose free, organic recipes, which I'll try to post about or share on instagram, purifying my water, slowing down... and bikram yoga tonight.

One final thing I thought I'd comment on, as its something I've really never experienced before, is the emotional side of detoxing. Maybe you've experienced this too? Suddenly, all the negative emotions (you know, the ones that us bubbly, glass-half-full types are so good at repressing) are just pouring out of me! I'm talking about some serious waterworks here. Yup, crying. At the gym, walking down the street, in the kitchen. Ridiculous! Especially, I'm feeling a deep sense of regret for mistakes of the past. Things I didn't face up to at the time. And grief. A whole lot of grief.

Anyway, as with all detox effects, I'm sure this will soon pass... and with it, bring a new sense of clarity and rightness and peace. Back to glass half full for me, please! I'll keep you posted.

Oh... and I hope you're all looking forward to reading about my fructose-free, raw, organic, vegan adventures. See you all soon xx

Latest Loves: Instagram, glitter and 3 kinds of butter...

ten things i am currently pretty obsessed with:
1. bath bombs { i mix these with brown sugar for a delicious body scrub }
2. roost blog { oh, the poetry and pictures! }
3. glitter polish { it's like my hands are having a disco! }
4. coconut butter { like, giant spoonfuls of it! ...sugar-free chocolate, lip gloss, hair masks... it's heavenly! }
5. smith journal and kinfolk { well-designed mags with intelligent content, oh yeah}
6. sarah wilson { from icaria to iceland, i'm loving her adventures on instagram }
7. bjørg necklaces { norwegian style... check out the eerie film clip }
8. we are handsome bikinis { wish i could afford a pair for bali }
9. hand-churned butter { yes, more butter!! it comes in flavours like smoked salt... um, yum! }
10. geology rings { don't be fooled by the rocks that i got }

A Pretty Mess: Pink Beet Truffles

Well, it's my 12th week without sugar and I've been having lots of fun in the kitchen trying (and sometimes succeeding!) to create something to satisfy my sinister little sweet tooth. I've had some amazing success and some tragic failures... but this was by far the prettiest disaster to date!

I was hoping to invent a red velvety, chocolate truffle-y type creation with these beautiful stripey beets I picked up from a Farmer's Market. Sounds good in theory, right? Alas, the roasting process rendered them too hard and golden brown to whip into the smooth, sweet pink goo that I'd so wistfully imagined... ideas?

Creative Collective: Handmade Christmas Card Swap

Hi lovelies! Now, I know it's a little early to be talking about Christmas already, but I'm so excited about December's Creative Collective activity that I had to share it right away.It's a good ol' fashioned handmade Christmas Card swap - yay! The focus is on handmade, of course, so you can make them yourself (maybe with some pretty retro paper from Toffee?) or buy them from your favorite indie paper goods shop. Simply join the swap, get paired up and post your cards. Easy-peasy! More details after the jump...

Peachy Prints: Wolf and Willow Print Shop

So... many of you have been asking if my illustrations (spotted in my portfolio and field journal) are available as prints, and I've always hesitated... I guess because I'm a little shy about showing them, and never considered that anyone would ever love them like I do. Nevertheless, I have deferred to popular demand and opened up a little print shop where you can buy prints from my 'Dreaming' series. It comes at a really nice time, I suppose, because I'm working on a piece for 'Nursery Rhymes', a joint exhibition at the Urban Cow Gallery next year. The rhyme I have chosen to illustrate is 'Star Light, Star Bright', but more on that later. For now, I hope you'll enjoy my flower garden dreamers.

Field Journal: Bicycle Dreams

Yesterday afternoon, as the sun was setting on another busy day and I was feeling a little lost for inspiration, my friend Jess came to the rescue with this simple suggestion: "post about what you might do this Christmas". Why, of course! You see, I'm dreaming of finding a vintage bicycle under my tree. I've been pedalling around my neighbourhood quite a bit lately. Why, just today I delivered a parcel of second-hand clothes to Clothing for Correspondence for their fabulous work on Toffee. Anyway, my bike is falling apart and this Christmas, I'm hoping Santa will bring me one just like this! Isn't she a beauty?

Field Journal: A Note to my Heroes

I was digging through some old family albums on the weekend and I found these photos of my two biggest heroes, Mum and Dad, in the late 70s. My parents look so young; younger than me now. You can see those classic Australian icons in the summer haze of our backyard; the 'Hill's Hoist' clothesline, the Jacaranda tree and the Black-eyed Susans as orange as Fanta. Dad made that chair by hand (he's handy like that) and I'll bet you five bucks Mum made those clothes. They both stop by my blog from time to time, so here's a quick note for them...

Don't worry,  I'm coming to visit you soon. We'll chase Eden around the backyard, make broccoli parcels and tomato sandwiches for lunch, and play Patience on the porch, if you like. Missing you both like crazy. Love, Buncie Tree.

Field Journal: Meet Me at Mikes Book Club

I'm ever so excited about joining the Meet Me at Mikes book club. I just couldn't resist posting about how much I'm enjoying the first book, Anne of Green Gables. I can't believe I haven't read it until now - it's positively delightful! The wild imaginings and incessant chatter of Anne Shirley (sorry, Cordelia!) just makes me giggle. It reminds me of a certain someone and her school report cards, which so often read:

"Nancy Alice has a vivid imagination, is excellent at Art and English, but talks far too much for a little girl"

Creative Collective: Spring Craft Project

Hello lovelies! Today, I've chosen this beautiful photo by Jessica Torres to inspire you for this month's art / craft project, brought to you by Creative Collective - a group of creative bloggers (including yours truly!) whose aim is to bring fun, interactive projects to our readers. Periodically, we'll be posting the latest project and inviting you to take part. This month, the theme is Spring!  All you need to do is join our Flickr Group and/or Facebook Page, create something with a Spring theme and post a photo. It's that easy! We'll all post about our favourite projects at the end of the month. How exciting!

Field Journal: Home, Sweet Home

Hello lovelies! Well, I'm home again after a wonderful holiday in New Zealand and, as you may have noticed, Wolf and Willow has a fresh new look to welcome me home - yay! A big thank you to Yee Von Chan for her beautiful illustration work (you might remember her from this little post). I hope you've enjoyed all the fabulous guest posts over the past two weeks. I know I have! For the rest of this week and all of the next, I'll be featuring some of the many talented artists and designers that I discovered on my trip. So, stay tuned for "Kisses for Kiwis Week" here on Wolf and Willow - you're sure to be inspired and delighted by the creative style of The Land of the Long White Cloud!

Field Journal: I Miss You, Harvey!

Well, it's week two of my holiday and whilst I'm having an amazing time with the beautiful scenery in New Zealand, there's just one thing I really miss... cuddles from my dog, Harvey. Isn't he beautiful? I miss the way he throws his little paws around my neck, squeezes me tight and wiggles with delight each time I walk in the door. And, if I tap my finger on my cheek and say the word "kisses" he'll even give me a smooch! How lucky am I to have a best friend like him? That's him sitting on my Louis XIV butterfly armchair (a wedding gift from mum). He's really not supposed to be up there... but how could you say "no" to a face like that?

Field Journal: The Land of the Long White Cloud

Hello sweet peas! As some of you may have heard, today I'm flying off to the Land of the Long White Cloud... New Zealand, that is! Yes, in the middle of winter. Scary!
I have packed several outfits made entirely of wool, including dresses, socks, stockings, scarves, mittens and quite a few thermals, thank you very much! However, much to
Mr. Wolf's dismay, I refuse to wear ugly shoes that match the ground (i.e. hiking boots). So, unless I'm on my snowboard, I'll still be wearing heels or ballerina flats.
I sure hope it doesn't rain too much...

I'll be stopping by, whenever and wherever I can, and reporting back on all the wonderful Kiwi artists and designers I'm sure to find. In the meantime, I've asked some very talented bloggers to take care of you while I'm away, so you can expect the next two weeks on Wolf and Willow to be as magical and inspiring as ever. Bye, bye sweets!

Image via We Heart It

Field Journal: Rainy Day

It's the middle of winter here in Melbourne, so I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite things to do on rainy days (we've had quite a few lately!) Sipping hot tea, making porridge, twirling my umbrella, finding rainbows, watching old movies and knitting. What do you love to do on rainy days?

Image via We Heart It

Beautiful Blogging: 10 Things About Me

Why, hello there lovelies! This morning, I received a very nice surprise from my friend Bonnie over at Going Home to Roost. She bestowed upon me a gleaming Beautiful Blogger Award. Isn't she sweet? So today I'm going to share 10 things about me, and pass the Beautiful Blogger Award on to five other bloggers to do the same! I choose...

1. Laura from Lolalina 2. Jutta from Kootut Murut 3. Allison from The Lark 4. Shannon from Happiness Is... 5. Esme from Esme and the Laneway. Now it's your turn, ladies!

Field Journal: Moving House

You may have noticed that Wolf and Willow is in the process of moving house - to a new web address that is! Yes, I'm packing my little suitcase full of prettiness and posts and, over the next few days, will be moving to my new url wolfandwillowblog.com - it's easier to remember, huh? You might notice a few little changes about the place as I clean out the cobwebs and iron out a few kinks. Don't worry, I'll still be here if you come looking, but please do update your bookmarks and links. That rhymes... cute!

Thank you to Cassia from Lola's Room for this gorgeous photo. Aren't the shoes just peachy? And to the fabulous Ez from Creature Comforts for giving me a little push!

Field Journal: An Australian Art Mystery Solved

Like a real-life Nancy Drew adventure, the mystery of Rupert Bunny's stolen painting, the Girl in the Sunlight, has finally been solved - right here in my hometown! Unsolved for over twenty years, the case was cracked just a few days ago, after a recent exhibition inspired a secret tip-off. Painted during the Belle Epoque, Girl in the Sunlight depicts a woman reading in a garden under a white parasol. The original owners are delighted to have found her again. Known for his beautiful impressionist scenes of ladies at leisure and nymphs at play in the Australian landscape, Bunny is one of my favourite Australian artists. Here are two of his best, A Summer Morning and Pastoral.

Field Journal: Checking the Post

Dearest friends of Wolf and Willow. For my latest Field Journal assignment, I'd like to ask you all a question or two... and to spoil you all for contributing, I will randomly pick a winner from the comments to receive a little gift. I'd like to know what are your favourite posts here at Wolf and Willow, and what would you like to see more of? Do you like reading about my Fashion Fancies or Vintage Icons? Or would you like more free patterns and inspiration boards? I'll be checking my post box just like Holly Hobbie here until the end of the fortnight. Can't wait to hear from you!

Field Journal: Lara's Student Profile

This week, my Field Journal assignment was to interview a customer or friend, asking what they love about my work. And it just so happens that my gorgeous teacher Lara Davies from Harvest Textiles posted a rather nice response to that very question on her blog this morning. How handy is that?

Lara teaches screen printing in a well-loved and paint-splattered textile studio (above) right here in artsy Melbourne. Of meeting me for the first time at her March workshop she kindly writes, "when Nancy bounded into the [studio] 
I had no idea about the amazing blog she keeps or her many other creative ventures! I have pretty limited time on the computer, with my 1 year old not being very sympathetic to my blogging". 

"So, it's the first morning of the workshop and as we are all introducing ourselves, Nancy says something along the lines of, "I work full time as a graphic designer for a boutique stationery and lifestyle brand. I also write a blog, design vintage patterns for children's clothes, and do freelance children's book reviews". The alarm bells started ringing that this was one incredibly busy lady and over the course of the weekend we were treated to the lovely buzz of energy, excitement and creativity that Nancy brews up while she is working." Aww, thanks Lara!

Field Journal: Bonnie's Girly Getaway

Hello darlings! Guess what? Gorgeous Bonnie of Going Home to Roost is away this week on a girly getaway, and she's invited a number of guest bloggers to post for her, including yours truly! In my guest post, I introduce Roost readers to some of my favourite crafty Australians and write about what makes them laugh. So, be sure to visit my post and leave a nice comment for me! And, inspired by the thought of painting my nails, drinking cocktails and lazing about on the beach with my best friends, I too am planning a vacation with the girls. Enjoy your holiday, Bonnie x