Introducing Fellow Madeit Seller - Ari - from 'Honeysuckle and Lime'

This month I introduce to you Ari - from 'Honeysuckle and Lime'. 

Ari creates beautiful homecrafts including beanbag covers, cushions and bags. They are totally gorgeous! She is one of many talented crafters on 'Madeit'.

Here, Ari shares about her craft and her work on Madeit.

Enjoy!

 

 

Tell us a bit about 'Honeysuckle and Lime'

Honeysuckle and Lime is my "slow food". It is my attempt to make something wholesome, durable, beautiful and personal that will stand the test of time. My background in bedlinen design and product development (pre children) gave me many opportunities to travel and see amazing mills in China and India and work with some incredibly skilled people but the one element that I really had trouble with as the huge amounts of waste involved in bulk production. I really wanted to try to cut down on the waste and make individual special items uniquely for someone which could be valued and treasured. In order to do this I bought myself a beginners screen printing kit and from the very first screen I was hooked! I love the way the different ink colours all have a slightly different consistency, smell and characteristics. It might be a little crazy but I think of them all a little like people.... I have the high maintenance ones and the easy going ones and the super cool dudes.

 

 

What do you like most about being a handmade designer/creator?

I love the flexibility and the fact that I can make to order and customise designs to customers tastes. There is something so special and rewarding about making something especially for someone! I also think it is great for my kids to see that you can make your own clothes, bags, toys etc, My daughter is my biggest fan :)

 

 

Why do you choose to create with fabric?

My mother taught me to sew from an early age and I have such great memories of all her wonderful fabrics. I have a degree in Archeology but it did not take me long after leaving uni to realise that that was not my calling. Hence I ended up in textiles working with bedlinen brands for almost 20 years. Textiles are my happy place!

 

 

What is next? Do you have any new products/designs/ideas planned?

Over the past few years I have used the proceeds of my sales to buy new machinery and this year I have added a lovely new embroidery machine and a heat press which is making life much easier and opening up creative opportunities to combine the screen printing and embroidery on a bigger scale. My latest product addition has been a range of bean bags which my kids are crazy about and I have a new Christmas range which is almost ready. I always have a million ideas but I have to keep things in check because my kids are still little and time with them is really precious so I need to do my best to find a balance.

 

 

Thank you Ari for sharing about your beautiful designs!

To visit Honeysuckle and Lime's Madeit store, please click here. 

You can also view Honeysuckle and Lime's creations on Facebook, here.

Thanks again,

~ Jen.

P.S - If you have enjoyed reading about other handcrafters and want to know more about Tupsy Turvy Designs, why not become a 'Golden Ticket Member'? It is FREE and membership entitles you to regular updates, exclusive sales, discounts and opportunities. Simply click here and enter your email address. Easy! I look forward to sharing more ideas with you soon ...

 

Paper mache hot air balloon

Are you the type of person that loves to scale heights? I'm not and I think that I am fearing heights more and more as I am getting older.

 I am the person that is clinging to the handrail of a lookout that incorporates beautiful views of a scenic place, not daring to look at the view, let alone look down. Contrast this dilemma to my two fun loving boys, that will scale any tree or gladly look over any handrail, so much so, that often they need to be encouraged not to climb up so high.

Which got me thinking about the hot air balloon that I have been working on. Would I ever ride in a hot air balloon? Hmm ... as the balloon gently soars higher in the air and the items below shrink smaller and smaller, I can see myself flattening myself on the floor of the basket underneath the balloon. Hence the answer would be a resounding 'no'.

Luckily for me, this balloon is only small scale. This little beauty is made out of paper mache and painted up in a similar style to the backgrounds of my canvases. I made up matching flags to circle the balloon and a hessian basket underneath. This balloon still needs a few adjustments, but essentially it is finished.

I am very happy with the results, although I did accidentally knock it as it was drying and I realise that this mishap has caused a slight split down the bottom of the balloon. It is only my prototype, so I will fix it up and send it on a trial run as I want to be completely happy with the design. I would love to hear your feedback - is this something that you would use/purchase? Would you like to see more the same size in a variety of colours or smaller? Do you like the general look - what do you like the most or least? I would love to hear from you as I can change some of these features before making a new batch.

Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy whatever you are doing - particularly if you are scaling new heights. As for me, my feet are firmly planted on the ground!

~ Jen.

P.S - If you have enjoyed reading about the story behind Tupsy Turvy Designs' products, why not become a 'Golden Ticket Member'? It is FREE and membership entitles you to regular updates, exclusive sales, discounts and opportunities. Simply click here and enter your email address. Easy! I look forward to sharing more ideas with you soon ...

What a week, but these paper mache hearts are taking shape ...

I suppose I have always been one to have a 'schedule'. My part time work requires me to follow a timetable and even at home, I have certain times and certain days for different activities. Everything fits neatly in its box and everything has its allocated time. It gives me guidance and I know what is going to happen next. I like it when things are predictable ...

However, life is not so easy to contain into schedules or timetables and last week was a perfect example. It was like a 'perfect storm' - all male members of the household just happened to fall ill at the same time. There were pick ups from school, attempts to enforce rest, doctors appointments and medication administered. In all of this was the difficulty in watching precious people in pain as they battled their sickness. Pre-planned schedules and timetables went out the window while nursing duties were undertaken. That is life and that is motherhood and despite the difficulties and the weariness, particularly in these moments, it is indeed a precious gift. I am happy to say that all are well on the mend and are feeling considerably better.

It also meant that my creative time was very limited last week, however, I did get these hearts started. The base layers have been administered and are busy drying. They will have a white top coat applied, some sparkle and some encouraging words added. They will then become part of the surprise packages for my next 'Snail Mail Surprise Challenge'. More details will be released soon about this.

In the meantime, I hope that you stay well. I have been enjoying some beautiful, sunny days and a breath of warmer weather which is so uplifting (and will hopefully get rid of all the sicky germs!)

Thanks for viewing!

~ Jen.

P.S - If you have enjoyed reading about the story behind Tupsy Turvy Designs' products, why not become a 'Golden Ticket Member'? It is FREE and membership entitles you to regular updates, exclusive sales, discounts and opportunities. Simply click here and enter your email address. Easy! I look forward to sharing more ideas with you soon ...

A story and a balloon

The other night I read one of my son's library books to him. It was a fascinating recount of a historical story of a teenage, American inventor that was caught up in the hysteria about 'flying machines'. He had a dream of building a 'sky cycle' - a cross between a bicycle and a hydrogen balloon and ended up creating one that won awards in flying machine competitions.

This story and an urge to get back into paper mache has led to my newest project - a paper mache hot air balloon. This balloon has been carefully created out of paper mache which has then been painted red with splatterings of turquoise, in a mixed media style. I am now applying sealer and varnish and then I will add a knotted net over the top. Of course, it will have a basket for travellers underneath.

I am still working out whether this balloon will become one of my products. They do take quite a lot of time to create (and I LOVE the creation process), but that will also effect the product cost (added labour). The time spent on my paper mache also takes time away from my canvas and jewellery creation, therefore I either need to find a balance with time or work out whether time spent on these bigger projects are worth it. I will also need to test the balloon out myself or have a volunteer trial it to ensure that this creation is sturdy.

I would love to know your initial thoughts. I tend to generate a lot of ideas - but I do need to be realistic as well. Feel free to leave a comment or email me your thoughts (see email address in the 'Contact' tab).

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Jen.

P.S - If you have enjoyed reading about the story behind Tupsy Turvy Designs' products, why not become a 'Golden Ticket Member'? It is FREE and membership entitles you to regular updates, exclusive sales, discounts and opportunities. Simply click here and enter your email address. Easy! I look forward to sharing more ideas with you soon ...

The result of sending some encouragement via handmade

I finally achieved what I set out to do ...

I wanted to help people to encourage others in some way, using what I make as a springboard. Hence, the 'Snail Mail Surprise' challenge was created.

Well, the deadline for completion has arrived. And the result? A small group of us (including myself) signed up for the challenge to encourage someone who was sick or has been sick, and I posted out packs. I have received photos/feedback from a couple of participants, showing how these cards have been used to write encouraging messages, particularly for those who have been in hospital.

Despite the small number of participants and feedback, I would still call it a success. Why? Because if this exercise brought just one smile and one realisation that someone cares, then it was all worth it. Am I going to organise another challenge? You bet! Not only was it fun creating items to be placed in surprise packs, but I firmly believe that sharing words of encouragement, love and compassion can be powerful in the midst of despair and hopelessness.

Therefore, I'll keep in touch with the details of the next challenge. I already have ideas for new items to be placed in surprise packs. As for my special surprise that I am sending to one of my participants, that will be sent out very soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Jen.

P.S - If you don't want to miss out on the next Snail Mail Challenge, why not become a 'Golden Ticket Member'? It is FREE and membership entitles you to regular updates, exclusive sales, discounts and opportunities. Simply click here and enter your email address. Easy! I look forward to sharing more ideas with you soon ...