Sadie @ InsideMyNest

Hi 👋, I’m Sadie—wife to a super supportive husband (also my business partner) and busy mum of two young children (the biggest miracles of my life). Every illustration you see here has been hand-illustrated by me (with several hours spent on some of them… yes, think I’m still a bit old-school), and all images are original photos that I have taken myself or of my own handmade creations. But I’m no expert, or have had any specialised training—just someone who is learning and would like to share that learning journey with like-minded individuals who are on the same boat as me :)

From Flowers to Skies: The Subtle Presence Of Mauve Colour in Nature

Mauve is a muted, cool shade of purple that has many distinct and appealing uses. In nature, it appears largely as a gentle shade of pale violet, through the petals of wildflowers and the colouration of feathers, being more frequent in nature than other shades of purple, which it is famously difficult to find naturally-occurring pigments of. This is because it contains more blue and grey than more saturated reds, colours that are far more … Read more

Best Habits For Keeping A Kitchen Clean & Smelling Fresh All The Time

Keeping a clean kitchen isn’t just a matter of neatness – it’s a health consideration. A messy kitchen can serve as an invitation for pests, fungus, and harmful bacteria. While cooking, eating, and simply going through the daily tasks in and around the kitchen, it can be difficult to notice small messes piling up into larger ones until you have to take sometimes an entire day, simply to clean through everything. With this in mind, … Read more

Water Soluble Oil Paint Mediums & Painting Surfaces: A Quick Introduction

There are many water soluble oil paint mediums and painting surfaces, each with their own finish and durability. While some mediums are designed to thin paint and reduce drying time, others are designed to increase longevity and give a glossier finish. Water-soluble oil paints (also known as water-mixable or water-miscible oil paints) are a particular subset of oil paint that are less toxic and easier to clean. To make regular oil paints, pigments are suspended … Read more

Easy Canvas Painting: 10 Reasons To Paint On Canvas

Canvas has long been a favoured choice by artists for oil and acrylic painting. Since the 1700s, oil and acrylic painting on canvas in particular has been widely favoured as a painting surface over wood panel painting because of its affordability and ease of use. Canvas The word ‘canvas’ is derived from the Anglo-French word ‘canevaz’, a canvas for needlework, which is believed to have originated from the Greek word ‘cannabis’ meaning ‘made of hemp’. … Read more

Mastering the Art Of Oil Painting: An Introduction To Capturing The Beauty Of Roses

As with most things to do with oil paint, of course, this is easier written down than it is to execute. While on paper, I can say that variety is especially important when painting singular-coloured flowers. This information is useless without going over what variety is when it comes to oil paint, and how to apply it when layering. The first step in painting a rose in oil is to find a natural rose in … Read more

Should I Choose Wood Or Canvas For My Painting Project? The Differences Explored

There is a huge variety of surfaces that are suitable for your art painting project. The two most common options are painting on wood and painting on canvas, but some other less popular alternatives include metal, glass, leather, ceramic, paper, plastic and cardboard. Painting On Canvas The word “canvas” comes from the 13th century Anglo-French word ‘canevaz’, which is thought to have originated from the Greek word κάνναβις (cannabis) meaning ‘made of hemp’. Nowadays … Read more

10 Embroidery Needles & Their Uses

Embroidery is the process of using a needle and thread to decorate fabric. It’s used to embellish many different types of items, including hats, dresses, blankets, shirts and denim. There are endless types of embroidery, each of them requiring a different type of needle. Defining Features of Embroidery Needles There are generally four defining features of an embroidery needle: the eye, shaft length, point and shaft thickness. Eye The eye of the needle is the hole at one end. The primary purpose of the eye is to keep the thread attached to the … Read more

8 Uses for Graphic Markers

Graphic markers (also known as art markers) are an art medium preferred by many for uses such as illustrating, sketching and calligraphy. They are typically a large brush-tip pen, with a large internal tubing to hold the ink. Art markers come in three different forms: alcohol-based, solvent-based and water-based. Alcohol-based markers use ink that has been combined with alcohol. While these markers have a great durability and are waterproof, they dry out relatively quickly and … Read more

4 Ways to Limit Embroidery Thread Bleeding

Embroidery thread is yarn that is manufactured for the purpose of embroidering. There are many different types of embroidery thread, including crewel yarn, rayon thread (embroidery floss), matte embroidery cotton, and tapestry yarn. In the world of embroidery, rayon thread is generally the most popular embroidery thread due to the fact that it is inexpensive and has a high sheen. However, polyester embroidery thread is increasing in popularity because it tends to bleed slightly less … Read more

Can Embroidery Be Removed? 5 Steps To Removing Embroidery

Embroidery is the process of decorating and embellishing a piece of fabric or clothing garment using a needle and thread. Historically, embroidered garments were seen as a sign of great wealth and power, particularly as religions across the world gained popularity. Religious scenes were often depicted on elaborate tablecloths and wall-hangings, and the rich in society would commission embroidered clothing as a display of their wealth. While beautiful, there may be a few reasons why … Read more