Pale Blue Flowers

Where I live, September is the beginning of Spring. I find Spring such an uplifting time - the weather begins to warm from the coolness of Winter, trees begin to grow back leaves and there is a splash of colour as new flowers bloom. Mind you, my hayfever does not always agree with my enthusiasm and raises its head a little during this time. 

My youngest boy is a bit of a nature lover. Every time we walk from the car and across the carpark at Kindergarten, he pulls me to a halt at the small garden edge as he looks for snails, different leaves or flowers.

Lately, I have noticed pretty little purple/blue bell shaped flowers that have appeared in amongst the other flowers and greenery. They are so delicate looking and neatly cascade down a green stem. My little one managed to spy them as well and also appreciated their beauty. He doesn't seem to worry about time or schedules, rather, he stops, gazes and appreciates the loveliness around him...

I have recently completed and released a series of pale blue, tiny canvases in the Tupsy Turvy Designs Madeit shop. Each canvas depicts a pale blue daisy, with brown middle, on a mixture of brown background. To me, the combination of light blue and chocolate brown evokes a quiet strength, therefore words such as 'Peace' and 'Be Strong' feature on these canvases. I wanted to make these canvases a source of encouragement when gazed upon. Their little size makes it the perfect height to sit on a window sill, shelf or office table (each canvas has its own wooden easel).

To view what is currently in store, please click here.

Thanks for viewing!
~ Jen.

Good friends and a princess canvas

As the saying goes "It takes all kinds of people to make up the world". I am a classic introvert - I enjoy time by myself to read or to craft. I am quite comfortable with being in a room all by myself and to tell you the truth, I know that this time recharges me and helps me to relax.

When it comes to the issue of friendship, I know that they are harder for me to develop and maintain due to my introvert nature. There have been some magical moments though, when I have met a truly wonderful person that I just seem to 'click' with. We seem to share the same interests, hobbies, beliefs and feel happy and relaxed in each others' company. I treasure these people. They seem to pull me away from my introvertness and revel in the joy with being with someone else.

With that being said, time moves on and with that, friends move away. Part of me grieves as I lose that close contact - the spontaneous words of encouragement, the chance to debrief, the unexpected helping hand. On the other side, it makes the wonderful moments of meeting these beautiful people once again, so much more precious.

Recently, I got the absolute honour to create one of my 'princess' canvases for a wonderful friend who has since moved away. I enjoyed trying to make the princess figure look like her daughter. This canvas was created using bright yellow and blue/purple hues. I love working on these special creations.

I am happy to work on custom orders of canvases, if you have a particular quote or colour in mind. Simply send me an email and I can let you know of costs as some alterations may have extra costs due to work involved. To send me an email, please click.here.

Thanks for viewing!
~ Jen.

Lemon and Light Blue Princess Mixed Media Canvas

I look back to my high school years with dread. If I could erase and redo a part of my life, it would be those years. It was the desire to fit in and the fear that if I couldn't, then others would ridicule and ostracise me like they did with others. Friendships were fickle rather than a complete acceptance of the other person.

 I think that it is also the nature of that time of life - the contradiction of perceived individuality versus the need to be part of the accepted group. Mistakes of the past make one wiser and stronger, and when I meet a teenage girl who has no fear to be the young woman who she wants to be and boldly speaks what she believes (even when it is not what the 'crowd' thinks) I feel shame.

'True beauty' is not what is paraded on the outside, rather, it is the kindness, grace and love for others that cannot be contained and oozes out from within. I have been very blessed to have such women enter my life and with it, the refreshment of being accepted for who I am in their presence.

As years pass these valued friendships, my strengthening faith and the drive to learn from past mistakes has reminded me of the need to treat others with the same kindness and acceptance.

I am nearing the end of this colour combination - aqua blue/light blue and yellow. As mentioned before, this combination evokes happiness, therefore I wanted to create a canvas that depicts a carefree 'princess' and a quote that speaks of this lady's inner beauty and laughter. A lady figure that is inspired by the kind friends that have graced my later life...

She is beautiful in her own right, with her long, loose, wind swept hair and simple dress. Coupled with the quote, "Happiness bubbles over in her smiles and giggles", she is a lady that is positive and happy and I can imagine time spent with her would be filled with laughter, not at the expense of others, rather due to joy in time spent with each other.

~Jen.

A white flower on a stormy, grey background {mixed media}

I love storms - the ferociousness and power of them, but I dislike being in the midst of them. In fact, to be brutally honest, I am quite a 'scaredy cat' when thunder rolls and claps nearby. I think it all stems from learning about weather in my teens. I had (and still do) a fascination with storms, tornadoes and clouds and read all about them from books from the library. From then on, I developed a healthy respect of the power or storms and the knowledge of what exactly lightning is and what strong winds can do.

It didn't help things when we had a powerful storm rip through my home area one Summer. I have never heard wind so loud before and the violence of the wind ended up bending TV antennas and uprooting some trees. This was coupled with pelting rain.

I would not have thought about this colour combination if it weren't for a custom order that I filled a little while ago. I fell in love with the stormy grey hues with the touch of navy blue. I knew that I wanted to create a set of flowers on tiny canvasses and the colour that I chose for the flower... white.

The next decision was working out words to place on these canvasses. The first word that I thought of was 'hope'. No matter what 'storms' are thrown at us, hope shines through, similar to the stark, white flower brightly blooming on the stormy, grey background.

I also thought about the word 'beautiful' - the purity and simplicity of the colour white being simply 'beautiful'. Words of encouragement and strength.

If you would like to view these canvasses in store, click here.

~Jen.

New greeting cards - Lemon Yellow and Blue

Blue and yellow are one of my favourite colour combinations. To me, it evokes happiness, hence this colour combination is ideal for greeting cards. These cards are the newest out of the studio...

These cards are created using mixed media techniques (that include paint, texture work, fabric and drawing) that have been applied on collector cards. Every card is different and unique - no exact copies! Each card has a blank insert added, ready to add personal sentiments.

To view the range of cards that are currently in store, click here.

** Special Price: Choose any three cards in store for $12 **

To view more information about this special deal, click here.

~Jen.

Behind the scenes - lemon yellow and aqua blue cards

These card features are currently on my studio table. They need 'rub ons' added to them and then they only need to be adhered to greeting cards. 

A card insert is finally added, to top each card off (as every Tupsy Turvy Designs card has an insert added).

If you wish to currently view cards that are currently in stock (and/or take advantage of our three greeting card discount), click here.

~Jen.

Lemon yellow and Aqua blue tiny mixed media canvas

Last Christmas, I decided to treat myself. As I was buying little gifts to fill Christmas stockings, I found these tiny canvases in a shop. I thought that I would buy one and I would figure out what I would create later on. Well, I am glad that I made that purchase as this is the result and it is my favourite canvas to date...

I managed to add splashes of lemon yellow and aqua blue over the tiny canvas. The canvas is just big enough to place a daisy-like flower on the top, painted on a a book page and outlined/detailed with pen. With the combination of yellow and blue and the brightness that it creates, there couldn't be anything but happiness... hence the word 'Happiness'.

The great part about this canvas is that it comes with its own little easel, therefore it can be easily placed on a shelf, desktop, window sill, coffee table, etc. There are a few lovely ladies in my life that a tiny canvas like this would make the perfect gift.

I must admit, there are more of these little canvases on the studio table... I couldn't resist!

This item is currently in store. To view it, please click here.

~ Jen

My new colour combination - Lemon and Blue

(source: http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/lemony-hues)

After spending a glorious time creating items using a red and grey colour combination, I felt it was time to move to another. Looking through pictures of the items that I have created, I realised that I didn't have a lot of yellow based items, hence I have a bit of a hankering for 'yellow'.I spotted this colour combination - lemon yellow and blue/grey hues... warmth and coolness colliding. 

I must admit, I have already started creating a tiny canvas using these colours...

Now to add my feature motif...
 What do these colours remind you of?
I have started a list of items that I link with particular colours. As my feature colour is yellow (with a cool colour background), my ideas for a motif include:

• a duck (for a child's canvas)
• flower
• beach items
• butterfly
• bird

 Now to make a decision...
 I am also looking forward to creating larger canvases and jewellery items with this colour combination.

~Jen.

Monday in the Making

I have been determined to begin creating Christmas cards earlier, giving me a more relaxed and achieveable time frame to complete them in. In the past, it has been a little more stressful as I have left it until mid December before starting. This time round, though, I have started.

Over the week I have completed around 15 cards, however, I also added some general greetings to make some everyday greeting cards with the same colour scheme.

These cards will be added to the store very soon. To check out what is in store, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday in the Making

I simply love making my mixed media cards...however, I have been itching (for a little while now) to create a bigger canvas. I felt that it needed a tree...

This is a sneak peak at what has been created so far... The background is pretty well complete and consists of a blue and red based colour combination. I am now working on the tree, using a variety of recycyled materials. They are not necessary going to look like these original materials by the time I finish with them. After that stage is complete, it will be a matter of drawing in some details and adding my phrase.

Other completed mixed media products, including canvases and cards are in currently available in my store (click here)

Thanks for viewing!

Wonderful Wednesday - What caught my eye...

This week, I decided to search for some blue coloured items on madeit.com.au and this gorgeous item appeared...

Blue snowflake teardrop pendant by 'Glass Rainbows'

This item is stunning! I love the teardrop shape and I love the tiny snowflakes that are captured in the blue resin. A gorgeous, wintery accessory...

Thanks for viewing!

Monday in the Making

I have finally finished my latest set of greeting cards...

I wanted to create a set of cards with a yellow base. I love the vibrant yellow, mixed with bright blue and grey.

Created on an upcycled collector card, each card uses paint, fabric, drawing, decoupage and textural techniques. Even though they use the same techniques, each card is unique, to make greetings personal. 

This set is currently available in store (click here).

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday in the Making

This weekend was quite full with sorting assessment items for work, however, I did manage to peck at my latest project during the week and a little over the weekend...

I thought that I would create another card set, this time using yellow as a springboard. I am loving this colour combination and hope to soon add the fabric and words, to complete them. The end is in sight for these little art works...

Thanks for stopping by!

Wonderful Wednesday - Cool

Last Wednesday I wrote a blog post about craving warm, sunny weather... Well, let's just say that I have warmth now in abundance, in fact, maybe a little too much warmth. As I am typing, the temperature read out on my phone states that it is 41.5oC, a little higher than what was forecast for today. The next few days are going to be exactly the same. We live in a lovely, stone home (no airconditioning) that stays cool for a little while, but I gather, by the end of this heatwave, the house would have warmed up considerably.

However, that is the land where I live and I am very grateful for the beauty and peace that it brings. At times, this land experiences scorching heat, but can also have snow on the mountains. It has dry heat down south, whereas up north it is more humid. Sometimes it rains and rains, however at times, rain is sparse.

I suppose that is why I enjoy living in this area. It may experience some pretty cold and wet winters, however, the summer sun is usually not intense. A little coolness would be nice, though...

Hence, this week's inspiration is... cool, using colours that reflect this notion (blue, purple, green)...

Bracelet by 'Escape Jewellery'

This bracelet is gorgeous! Just looking at it reminds me of a tropical beach as the gemstones remind me of the beautiful aqua water. A lovely colour combination, highlighted by the sterling silver.

Crochet Flower Headband by 'Fibre Frenz'

What a sweet headband! I love crochet and I love how the different green tones all work together to create a gorgeous flower headband. A sweet apple button embellishment, as well. Beautiful!

Dyed Wood Bracelet by 'Gumdrop and Drift'

What a unique accessory! I love the hue of blue of these beads. They remind me of cool water drops. Lovely!

Are you feeling cooler?

Thanks for viewing!

Monday in the Making

It has been a little while since I made headbands, so I whipped one up one evening...

I used up-cycled denim for the base flower and then some blue and white floral, reclaimed material for the inner flower. A blue button is stitched into the centre of the flower and the flower is stitched onto a shiny, white stretchy band. This item is currently in store (click here for more information).

I have also been scrambling and matching up t-shirts in my stash for my new projects. I have developed patterns for each. Just need to get going, cutting out the materials and sewing them up. I would love to spend a big chunk of time on these...

My new order of yarn arrived during the week. Some of the yarn will be used for a new project and there is some yarn to finish off a project. Hopefully I will finish it off this week...

Thanks for viewing!

Red, Blue and White

Things have been a bit quiet on the technology front as I have entertained my parents for a week. It was sad to say goodbye to them, but then something exciting was going to happen.

 I travelled to the big city to pick up Mr T from the airport. It is great to have him home. He was in Cambodia for a fortnight, helping out with an organisation that provides support to those who do it tough in this country. It has been great to hear about his experience, the culture and the interesting places that he visited. Red, blue and white are the colours that are on the flag of Cambodia. This week I chose some hand crafted goodies from the new madeit.com.au website that share the same colour combination...

Headband by 'Little Angel Card Creations'

I thought that the flower on this headband looks dainty and sweet. I love the alternating red, white and blue layers and the pearl embellishment in the middle. Gorgeous!

Pinafore by 'Pebbles Children's Clothing'

I love this cute, little dress! I love the floral lining, buttons and the stunning flower applique. I love the retro feel that this item has. So sweet!

Boat picture by 'Red Loves Green'

What a lovely piece to have in a boy's bedroom or on a wall in a cottage by the sea! I love the wash type of background and the cute, but detailed sailing boats and bunting. Lovely!

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration!

Wonderful Wednesday - Blue

We have been studying 'water' at work with the little ones, in particular, we have been looking at how water is such a precious resource. We have been researching how water enters our taps - where it comes from and where does it go...

 Today, I took my littlies on a little excursion to our town's water source for a tour and to find out some of this information. Even though it was a wet and dreary day, the children enjoyed the chance to hop on a bus and get out and about. Hence the inspiration for the week is ... blue!

Felt dog brooch by 'Inspired by Charlotte'

This felt pooch is absolutely adorable! I love the blanket stitch around the outside, his cute beady eye and red ribbon. A perfect little something for a dog lover...

Blue necklace by 'Bababeads'

Blue is a great colour for accessories and jewellery, particularly teamed with a white shirt. I love this necklace! I love the variety of beads and their shapes and textures. I love the different shades of blue. Lovely!

Tea Cosy by 'Knitter's Knot'

I find it hard to go past blue yarn! I love this cute tea cosy. I love the shades of blue and I love the stripey look that it has. If you brew tea in a pot, this little item could be for you.

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration!

Monday in the making

I have been busy making up orders. Here is another one...

I haven't tired of making these necklaces and I plan to make more. This is the last week of taking orders until I close up shop for a little break over Christmas. It will give me a chance to refresh and re-energise so that I can get designing and creating in the New Year. Already I have lots of ideas, I can't wait to spend some time working on them.

In the meantime, I am in production mode, making lots of handmade goodies for family and friends. I hope to share photos of these items soon.

Thanks for viewing :)

Monday in the making

Necklaces have been my focus in the studio of late...

...I have already made some out of 'Sunset Red' and 'Dark Grey'. The latest colour is 'Royal Blue'...

This colour has a silvery grey pattern added to it. Like the other necklaces, this one has five, randomly placed, weeping roses stitched to the strands. These roses have one royal blue bead stitched in the middle. Another colour to add to the collection, however, 'Sunset Red' is currently sold out as I only have limited amounts of each colour.

On the list:

• Making a tutu (finally sourced some material).
• More necklaces.
• A variety of handmade Christmas presents.

Thanks for viewing!

Wonderful Wednesday - Blue & White

I love to experiment...

... with colours, fabrics and textures. I am very close to finishing an experimental scarf that has knitted and fabric elements. It is on my list to complete this weekend. The only hint, so far, is that it has a lovely blue and white fabric element. Hence my inspiration for this week...blue and white...

Beaded necklace by 'Beads63'

The pattern on the beads in this necklace caught my eye. They look beautiful. These beads are made out of polymer clay and are quite unique. At the moment I am on the look out for interesting beads for embellishing necklaces and hair pieces that I am creating. These beads are lovely!

Post It Note Holder by 'Leah's Paper Passion'

This is a marvellous gift idea. A beautiful, decorative case that houses a 'Post It' note pad. It comes with a little pocket that you could place notes, vouchers or a gift card for a special person in. This is one of many of the beautiful designs available.

Heart mobile by '1000 Pretty Things'

I love the use of the same colour scheme (blue and white) using various fabric patterns.  I also love the look of the same shape, repeated - very effective. This would add a decorative touch to a country kitchen or lounge. It could also be given as a gift for a baby shower.

Hand knitted blanket by 'Plushka'

I love knitted products and I appreciate the time and effort put into them. I love the different hues of blue, combined with the white and the use of various stitches in this blanket. A lovely gift for a new baby.

 I hope that it provides you with some inspiration :)