Changing Hats - Introducing "Nirvana Soap"

Well it's certainly been a while since I have posted here on my blog. I have been busy with my photography and been discovering a new journey.

I thought I might share with you my new venture now that I have some spare time and have decided to start creating soap again, this time I am selling my creations online.

Firstly I have created a store for sales in Australia for the moment, however should you wish to purchase some and you are overseas please send me a message. I'll be happy to ship you some if you are prepared to pay the shipping.

So here is my little etsy store called Nirvana Soap Shop where you can buy my soaps online. For those of you who know me I am happy to sell my soap from my place in Darch and if you want to collect it if you are local you can save on shipping. 

Over the next few months I will be adding more and more interesting and creative bars to my range. At the moment I have a "Naturals" range which only includes essential oils and natural colourants and botanicals. All of my soap have shea butter included and I also use sustainable palm oils. 

So I hope you will enjoy looking around in the store for something for yourself or perhaps something as a gift. The soap is well priced at $5.50 and $6.60 for the slightly larger bar.

I love packaging and every bar that I sell is wrapped in paper that I have designed and tied with some lovely twine and a kraft label. Perfect for giving right away or putting on display in your bathroom. Please don't store it in your drawer, keep it out and use it, I know you will love the smooth creamy lather and bubbly texture.

This Month In My World

This month has been a very busy and productive month for me. I've been out and about town and have been at home making lots of nice things including food! This past week or so I have had lots of photo opportunities around Perth. Carine Swamp has some wonderful Rainbow Bee Eaters nesting and they make for great bird action shots, but they are super fast birds and this one above had just caught a bee and about to feed it's partner - how sweet. I especially love the colouring and the wings on these beautiful birds.

Here are a couple of shots taken in the city of Perth last week on my Night Photography Walk in the that I guided with a group I belong to. Yes the infamous cactus and some light painting at the Bell Tower near the jetty, that's me in the ball spinning the lights!

Recently I held a "Girls Day" at my place with all things girly, high tea and some lovely bath products made with some luscious body lotion spray, some wonderful foot scrubs and melt an pour soap-making. It was so much fun spending time with the twins and lots of lovely friends.

Lauren made some beautiful cakes that not only tasted fantastic but looked like they came out of a foodie magazine, even the teddy bear was hand sewn for this event. I did the flower arrangement from lavender and rosemary as we had foot scrubs using essential oils of lavender and rosemary.

 

Here are some of those luscious cakes. These are the heart shape passion ones that only lasted minutes! Below are the body lotions sprays that we made and scented with White Tea & Ginger and Black Raspberry scents - so lovely after your shower to spray a light lotion on for light moisturising.

 

Last night with my niece we made some lovely gifts for Christmas giving, scented soy candles bath salts and foot scrubs and lovely lotion sprays.... lucky recipients !!!

Some more of my recent photography, a selfie in the city and one of my neighbours twins, how cute are they and so full of beans!

This shot of a group I hosted in a "Street" photography day in the city - we loved this back drop of Grand Theatre Lane just off Murray Street. Yes we were portraying bad attitude!

Two more shots, one of the Pinnacles about 2 hours north of my place and the shot below of a weed flower (macro) which I took on Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo walk and won a copy of his Lightroom 4's ebook - insert happy dance here. Well so long for now and thanks for looking :)



Spring in Perth catchup!

It's been ages since I have blogged so I do apologise! I have been busy and getting out and about with my photography and popping down south for a nice trip away... He's what I have been up to:

Above is one of the project that I taught in June at the Brisbane Expo, lots of Collections White Vintage in the mini printers tray - easy and a great project to create using all of the Collections elements!

Whilst I have been out and about during late winter and early spring, I have managed to photograph many Western Australian Native Orchids and Wildflowers during my travels. We are so spoilt here with more than 12,000 different kinds each having particular months in which they appear. It's such a treat when you see a new species that you haven't seen before. Some plants will continue to flower until December.

Last weekend I had a wonderful time with my daughter Dani, and her handsome horse Leoakee on a photo shoot. He was being very still in this shot as he had his eye on another horse in the distance. I took so many shots that afternoon and it was such a lovely day.

A great catch up with all of my brother and sisters kids/partners and their children recently, there was only one nephew missing, such a great day to see everyone and get this lovely pic of all of them which is not easy to get them all in the one place as one of my nieces lives in Esperance.

My nephews son Levi, who has the brightest smile and he lights up the room with his gorgeous face, and he kept all the adults well exercised that day!

From one of my trips down south, the black and white is of the Harvey Estuary and the sunrise, which actually looks like a sunset is of Meelup Beach at Yallingup, Cape Naturalise. I used a filter on my lens to create this look!

Photograph Update

collectionselements' photostream on Flickr.

I've been getting out and about lately so I thought I might share some of my recent photographs from my flickr page, hope you like them

Catch up Post - Brisbane Expo

Wow its been a while since I have posted, got caught up with lots of life and busy with work! Last month I had a wonderful trip to Brisbane for the papercraft expo, with thanks to Nicole from Craft Queen for sponsoring me.

It was so busy at the show and so many people there you could almost not see the show from people. Here's a pic of the Craft Queen booth on opening as any later you would not have been able to see the booth!

Met some lovely girls that were travelling together and that were in my class!

Some chicky babes one from Perth cheering me on when I did my talks at the show, clapping in the background in the audience - great booster for me!

Timmy was kind enough to grace us with his presence during one of the classes and signed a few autographs and some shots with his followers.

Had a lovely dinner with some friends from Brissy, Robyn and her partner Paul. And thanks Paul for taking me down to the foreshore to get a lovely pic of southbank and the ferris wheel.

Inside the main entry hall of the show it's so big in there, pic courtesy of my iphone and camera+ app.

Here's a pic of the classes that I taught in Brisbane, we did two session a day for 3 days, one class was the "Creative Folder, with 2 cards using all Collections products.

The second class was the mini printer tray in an antique dark brown and white look. Everyone had a great time as well as me, it was great to be out sharing ideas and techniques with like minded people. Thanks for looking, Julie xxx