The benefits of creating art

Life is busy, isn't it?

 Work takes a big chunk of the day or week. Yes, I create artworks, but I also have a busy and demanding part time job and some of the preparation time is after hours. Then, there is the house ... helping to raise two bouncy boys (as well as my husband) and ensuring that they are fed, clean, have clothes and cuddled also takes time. Add onto this housework ... well, trying to ensure that the house is clean and clutter isn't piling up everywhere. Even with my creative works, there is time taken to take photos, edit them, email, blog, etc.

It is busy and I think that it is life.

When I took along my crafty items to markets and people found out that I made them, a popular question would be, 'Where do you find the time?' Good question! I simply make time. For me, art is my passion and my outlet to relaxation. When I create, pressures of life, worries and stresses are momentarily boxed away and creativity, imagination, colour and problem solving reign. I find that if I get too swept up with life and I go too long without sitting down and creating, I begin to get restless. It is like I seek that time to sit still and simply create. Art does not solve my problems or stresses but it helps me to manage them.

Here are a few photos of 'work in progress' pieces that I have been working on lately ...

I hope that life isn't too busy for you and that you have a chance to unwind and relax.

~ 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 ...

Introducing Fellow Madeit Seller - Andrea - from 'AZ Pictured'

This month I introduce to you Andrea, from 'AZ Pictured'. 

Andrea is a talented photographer, which I found on Madeit. She creates the most gorgeous dog silhouettes!

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

Enjoy!

Tell us a bit about az pictured.

az pictured is me. Andrea. Married to my soul mate and Mum to two boys who are well on their way to outgrow me. Our house is perched between beautiful Lake Macquarie and the ocean. We have a dog, Lilly, and her and I stick together, being the only girls in the house and all.

az pictured was born a bit over four years ago when I found myself doing a lot of portrait photography and digital restorations for family, and friends, and friends of friends, and mates of friend’s cousins. Things took over in such a way that it became apparent that it all needed to be done ‘properly’.

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

I have always been a visual person. Drawing and painting and creating got me through my childhood and teens and has stuck with me always. I sold my artwork at markets and art fairs and had the fortune to also exhibit my work. Creating and thinking in colour calms me down and has altogether a meditative effect on me. I feel I forget to breathe when I haven’t created something, anything in a while.

Why did you choose photography?

I’m not sure I chose photography. Probably rather the other way around: photography chose me. My parents had insisted on a solid education and after finishing business school I spent all my money travelling. That’s when photography began. It was just there. And it never let me go.

The digital age was a revelation. Film photography was great but the freedom and ease of digital photography is just wonderful.

My photography is diverse, I guess the rebel in me doesn’t want to be pinned down on one area alone.

Apart from documenting people’s lives and creating memories for them, and digitally restorating old or damaged photographs (my great, great passion) I find myself more and more using photography and  digital post-production to achieve a vision I have in my head.

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

When I spent many days as a stall holder at local markets, promoting az pictured, I realized that showing off photobooks with my photography and digital restoration work whilst selling my services was not enough to draw people in. I needed products.

Being involved with the local dog club, the dog silhouettes were almost a natural progression. I pride myself of having created all my silhouettes from a real-life dog, no online downloads here. My collection is constantly expanding, and I’m always on the lookout for that missing breed.

Madeit came into my life just at the right time. I like that it’s big enough but not ginormous, and that it’s focusing on Australia. Setting up my store helped me enormously to wrap my head around the whole concept of having to have products, how to go about producing them, and how to hopefully be able to find my own little niche. Previous custom orders, like acrylic blocks and greeting cards, have now permanently made it into my product catalogue.

A totally new product is in its last testing phase and shall be revealed soon.

The support from Madeit headquarters and fellow Madeit sellers has been great, and it is just wonderful that Jen from Tupsy Turvy Designs has chosen my little world to be featured on her blog. Thank you Jen. 

... and a big thank you to Andrea, for kindly answering my questions.

To visit AZ Pictured's store, please click 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 ...

Monday in the making

Here is a photo or two of my newest creation...

Made with pale blue soft tulle and teal soft tulle with a teal satin bow. This tutu will fit most 2-4 year olds. This is another favourite colour combination of mine as it reminds me of cascading water.

As mentioned yesterday, over the weekend I bought and washed a pile of pre-loved t-shirts. My newest design idea is to pull apart and chop t-shirts to make new tops. Some will be t-shirts or singlets with a new design, others will become totally new tops...maybe skirts. I am working on a little boy's top at the moment, but I have an idea for a sweet little girls top. I also have some women's and teens tops in mind. I am looking forward to playing around with a few ideas...hopefully photos to follow soon!

Weekend Wonders

It's Sunday evening already and time to wrap up another weekend...

I purchased metres and metres of beautiful, soft tulle in pink, white, yellow/cream and red, all set for tutu making. I can't wait to transform the tulle as tutu making is very relaxing. I made up a two tone blue tutu (in a bigger size) which reminds me of a waterfall. Photos of this tomorrow.

I also made up a few beaded bracelets and I am very close to finishing my girl doll. I know that I have said that a few times in my blog, but the poor thing has been placed on the back burner as I have been more focused on making up some more products for the markets that I am going to be at. It begins next weekend at the 'Populars Baby and Children's Market' at Tenison Woods College in Mt Gambier. The weekend after is the 'Sheepvention Street Market' in Hamilton, Victoria and then on the 18th August I am attending the inaugural 'Bubs2Teens Market and Fashion Parade' (also in Hamilton). Three big markets, hence I am making goodies at any opportunity.

I also purchased some pre-loved t-shirts for another craft that has lured my attention. They are set to be destroyed and put back together, with some Tupsy Turvy Designs creativity. I'll chat more about this new idea tomorrow.

Besides crafting and shopping I have been out in the garden with Mr T, planting some snow peas. It has been wet on occasions this weekend, however, the sun came out enough today to lure us outside for some fresh air. With the gaps filled in with work and cleaning, the weekend has gone. Now for an exciting week...

Hope you had a great weekend!

Wonderful Wednesday - Sailing inspiration

I am looking forward to an upcoming break. My upcoming holiday has inspired me...

Quirky Boat by 'Quirky Kids'

Isn't this boat gorgeous (not to mention the gorgeous photograph of it). This little decoration would add charm to a boat or beach inspired room. I like the mix of media - fabric, wood and string. Very nautical! Quirky Kids has more gorgeous boat designs in their Madeit store.

Name badges by 'Badge Bliss'

This would make a great party favour for a little boy's party. The bright colours are perfect for children. Badge Bliss offers three different size options.

Boat picture by 'Big Ted Little Ted'

What a clever picture! It uses pieces of fabric, pieced together to make this picture. Very intricate work. It would provide colour in a boy's room or nursery.

I hope that these items have inspired you also!

Thursday Catch Up - Blue Inspirations

Sorry that I didn't post my 'Wonderful Wednesday' yesterday. I simply ran out of time to blog. However, I am catching up today...

One of my favourite colours is blue. It doesn't matter what shade of blue, I love it. I must say, I do have a special hankering for a royal blue and azure as it reminds me of the sky on a bright, clear, sunny day in Australia. I also love aqua or teal as it reminds me of crystal clear water, like in the pictures of beaches in the tropics. For my wedding, I chose a royal blue for the bridesmaids dresses and teamed it up with a bright yellow and gold for decorations and flowers. Lovely 'blue' memories.

I happily scoured the lovely creations in 'Madeit' and found these inspirational blue creations...

Crochet Bag by 'Lollipops and Love'

Isn't this the sweetest little girl's accessory. I love crocheted and knitted creations! The stitches look so neat and I love the powdery blue colour of the yarn, teamed with the pink and white flower.

Dog Collars by 'The Crafty Possum'

I know that there are other colours here, but there is a blue collar in the picture. I love 'The Crafty Possum's dog collars. I bought one for my little dog. Not only do they look great, but they are well made and very sturdy. I particularly like the clip that makes it easy to take the collar on and off when you want to give pooch a bath. 'The Crafty Possum' makes a range of stylish collars.

Button Brooch by 'Monkey and Bee'

Some fabrics have the most beautiful patterns! I love the aqua blue flowers on this fabric, teamed with green and orange - super contrasting colours. 'Monkey and Bee' have used this fabric to make a button brooch, to wear this gorgeous design all the time.

I hope that these items have also inspired you!

Friday thoughts - We built this city

Over the past few weeks, we have been focusing on 'People in the community' with the children that I work with. We have had a number of parents share about their occupations, why they chose that occupation and what they use as part of their job. We have had a linesman, a traffic officer and a travel consultant share about their work. We have a police officer and a doctor to share a little later.

The children and myself have been practicing construction techniques so that we can build our own community - our own city next week. We practiced making doors, making windows and verandahs with cardboard and cardboard boxes so that we can get into our 'city making' next week.

Boxes are wonderful to fuel imaginative play and to practice construction techniques. I showed the children how to make a simple door by cutting into the box with an upside down 'L' shape and folding it, so it opens and closes. Similarly, cutting out rectangles out of card, folding over one of the edges and taping it to the box with masking tape creates 'opening' doors and windows.

Providing children with empty boxes and card and teaching them how to make doors, windows, wheels, etc, can 'turn' the box into anything that the imagination creates, let alone a shop.

Have fun creating!

Friday thoughts - Lured by smocking

Today, I thought I would show a photo of something inspirational...

Mr T and I went to the library during the week and loved perusing the craft books. We are blessed to have so many craft books and magazines on just about every craft in our library, which are a wonderful source of inspiration. Lately I have been intrigued by 'smocking'. I found a couple of books on smocking and am tempted to give it a little try. I particularly like the smocking that uses the patterns and checks on fabric and am thinking that using these types of fabrics may make my beginning attempts easier (?).

However, traditional smocking also looks completely stunning...

 'April Rose' Smocked Gown by 'Heavenly Designs Christening Gowns'

This gown is made by Sabina at 'Heavenly Designs Christening Gowns'. I do like the fullness and gathering of the gown. I like the sweet embroidered pink rose buds and the classic white stitching of the smocking. A beautiful heirloom piece for a baptism.

Enjoy your crafting over the weekend. I'm busy preparing for a market so I am crafting away already.

Have fun!

Friday thoughts - In an octopus' garden

On Monday I visited the beach. There is nothing like the smell of the salty air, however, when I was there it was very breezy! There were lots of things washed up on the beach: shells, various types of seaweed, sea urchins, cuttlefish (the white inside bit)...there is always something interested to find.

As part of my work I have been busy drawing and researching sea creatures. It has been interesting to find out their size and put it into perspective. One of the smallest whales that I researched was six metres long. When I actually measured out six metres and looked at it, I was amazed at how big that is, and that was only one of the smallest whales let alone a Blue Whale! The children that I work with were also amazed at the size of these creatures and can't wait to have pictures of these creatures displayed.

People use this 'theme' element in decorating rooms, especially a child's bedroom or a bathroom. Blue is usually the colour of choice with sea elements created by quilts, curtains and cushions featuring sea creatures. Mobiles and wall decorations can also depict shells, sea creatures or nautical elements. I thought this would be the ultimate sea themed bedroom...

This bedroom was displayed on www.cool-kids-rooms.com and designed by Diane Snider.

Even the bed is part of the theme as it is in the shape of a boat. I also like the 'jetty pegs' that are near the boat, next to the steps to help little one to board their boat bed, ready to drift off to sleep.

Do you use a theme element in decorating?

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Wonderful Wednesday - Where it all starts

Sometimes it is hard to choose what to do next...

Weekend Wonders - Taming the tiger

I must admit I was a little nervous...

I hadn't 'unleashed' my sewing machine in a little while. As you can tell by reading the description of my products, they are hand sewn. However, my latest project called on me to set up my sewing machine and give it a whirl.

It's not fancy and can't do fancy things, but it sews. After spending a little time with it, I was quite pleased with the work that we produced. I will show the final product in my blog post tomorrow (if you visit my facebook page, you will get a sneak peak). I look forward to unleashing this 'tiger' a little more to sew up the final stage of my cushions, as I plan to make more.

I had a quite a busy weekend as Mr T was away and I had to keep the household running. It did mean that I spent a little more time than usual on my craft last night as I really wanted my cushion finished. Today was spent at church in the morning and lunch with friends in the afternoon. I do have some work to do tonight but hopefully I can get another project started as well, if I can squeeze in some time.

I hope that you had a lovely weekend!

Oohh... just had to add...

I enjoyed reading a blog post from 'Red Elephant Creative' about sewing machines. You may want to check this out as well (below is the link)...

red elephant creative social paperware for special affairs: The day vintage saved my life....: Lately I have been dreaming up a blog post called...'a slave to vintage'...every time I try to jam shut my old antique wardrobe, every time ... 

Friday thoughts - Colour - choice, balance and association

When you see a colour, does it remind you of anything in particular? Do you naturally decorate anything for a girl with pink and anything for a boy in blue? It is funny how this association with colour and gender has occurred.

Then there are cool and warm colours. Warm (yellow, orange, red) colours are generally more bold and dazzling, whereas cool colours (blue, green, purple) are more calm and settling. I must say, I do prefer the cooler colours. I seem to choose them over the warmer colours concerning clothes, furnishings and even in craft/fabric patterns. Whereas, there are other people that I know that warmer colours look awesome on.

You could even argue that there is even a pecking order with the brightness of hues. When decorating or making items for children, I tend to use bright and bold colours, rather than pastel colours. To me, bright and bold colours remind me of the energy and bounce that children have. In my latest project, I am using bold and bright colours for the main picture/decoration which is placed upon a pastel blue background. The aim of this item will be a decoration for a girl's (yes...I am using pink) bedroom/nursery.

What colours work well? I often look for great colour combinations in fabric patterns, but only choose three colours! If the fabric that inspires me has a lot of different colours or hues I only pick three, any more and it can look too 'busy'. I often choose one main colour, and the other two colours are used to add some contrast or highlight. This adds more balance.

 An example of this is with 'Rosie'. I chose the flowery patterned fabric. I then used pink from the fabric as the main colour and used purple and green (in the same hues as the fabric) to add some highlights to the ears, face, tummy and paws.This principle can be used in a lot of ways - in making craft items, card making/scrapbooking and even in decorating rooms.

Have a colourful weekend! I hope to finish the 'project' soon to show you all.

Weekend Wonders - Ideas vs Products

Holidays are wonderful!

Not only are they the perfect opportunity to unwind physically but they are also a great opportunity to unwind mentally.

I have enjoyed my summer break and as mentioned before, I have now entered back into the 'real' world and started another year of work. I love creating anytime of the year, however, I find that I have my creative thoughts and ideas during holiday time. Maybe this is because my mind isn't flooded by other things that need to be completed, allowing creativity to rise to the surface.

The only problem with that, is that now I have lots of lovely, creative thoughts but what do I do with them? Sure, I could make them all (and that would be fine) but is there a need to extend an existing line and add variety to it? For example, I have created a bunny, cat and teddy design, but at the moment there is only one colour to choose from. Maybe there is a need to make more of the same design but in different colours. Also, I recently asked about what other bag buddies customers would like to see and was given some wonderful ideas on Tupsy Turvy Designs facebook page. I would love to get into making these designs, but do I add variety to the designs that I have developed at the moment. I would be interested to know your thoughts...do you make 'one of a kinds' or do you make multiples of the same design, but in various colours or with some variations?

Don't worry though... I have recorded down these ideas, ready to launch at a later time. I hope that you have had a lovely weekend!

What I love...buttons and bands

Friday thoughts - What's my theme?

I have been browsing through the MadeIt stores, not only looking for super gift ideas but I have been given the opportunity to add a blog entry to the MadeIt blog. So to prepare, I have jotted down a few ideas and picked out items to support a Christmas theme. Here are a few of the wonderful items that I have picked:

Onesie set by Little Poppet by Ali

Jumbo crayons by Stitch Ville

Bunting by Run Wild Horses

Can you work out the theme that I have chosen? You will need to wait until Monday to find out for sure. In the meantime, view other blog entries and gift guides at the MadeIt blog.

Weekend Wonders - Me??Design??

There is nothing like a market. So much talent and creativity in the one area. As a crafter, you can't help but be inspired by the work of others. Your eyes are opened to new colour combinations, uses of fabric and the difference of items.

In saying that, I visited a market today and I couldn't help but feel a little cheated. I spyed a stall that had copies (and I mean, identical design) of goods of a favourite designer of mine. To be fair to the stall owner, I don't know the full story. She may have sought permission to use the designs for her own profit, but it does promote the thought of design.

I never thought that I could be a 'designer'. I am a very structured person - I mean I have even created a structure for this blog! When it came to crafts, I had to find a pattern and follow it to a tee. What inspired me to create was looking at a toy pattern, finding out the cost of it and thinking 'I could design something similar' (mind you, not identical). I gave it a go and added my own creative spin and have been pleased with the results and the positive feedback of others. It does take some refining and the development of some prototypes, but the feeling of accomplishment and 'I thought of this myself' is well worth it.

So designing...who me?? You might just suprise yourself.

Happy crafting (and designing).