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 ...

 

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 ...

Introducing Fellow Madeit Seller - Lauren - from 'Ayana Jewellery'

As I love encouraging others, particularly those that handcraft items, I thought I would dedicate a blogpost once a month, sharing some information about other handcrafters that I have met.

This month I have great pleasure to introduce to you, Lauren from 'Ayana Jewellery'.

 Lauren is a very skilled jewellery maker that handcrafts rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. I met Lauren through the handmade market site, Madeit. I asked Lauren a few questions about her craft. Grab a cup of tea and enjoy reading about her journey ...

Tell us a bit about 'Ayana Jewellery'.

Behind Ayana Jewellery is myself and my partner Vincent. While I develop, design and handmake each item, Vincent supports me with the business side of things from marketing to bouncing ideas.

After studying as a silversmith in New Zealand, I moved to London where I met Vincent. Together
the journey of Ayana Jewellery began. I spend long evenings in my bedroom apartment making and designing jewellery. Vincent helping where he could.
We re-located to Sydney in early 2015 and re-launched Ayana Jewellery. We now design and make contemporary fashion accessories from our creative home studio in Neutral Bay (Sydney).
The artistic inspiration for our products comes from our travels. The ones ‘desire’ to see, feel, taste and yearn.

Resonating from cultural motifs to architectural shapes and forms.

Each jewellery item in our range is handcrafted with love from start to finish, with each piece not quite the same as the one before. We design and make with the fun loving women in mind and the idea that jewellery is to be worn and enjoyed every day. 

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

I predominately work with sterling silver (925) so popping on my apron and taking to the bench with saws, hammers and solder to bend, curve and form shapes making the jewellery come to life has to be my favourite part of being a creator. On the other side, I just love when I sell something and get awesome feedback from the customer - you never stop getting that little buzz!

Why did you choose to create jewellery?

I never really know how to answer this question - I just love jewellery and it fascinated me that I could create my own from a few lengths of wire, some sheets of silver and a soldering torch. After doing a night course I was hooked and went on to do a full-time course.

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

We have just started doing markets in Sydney which are awesome and a great way to interact with customers, so we'll be doing more of those in the next few months. We also have a new range of Drop Designs which we have tested at the markets, they will be going up online in the next few weeks.

Our plan for the next few months is to get our jewellery into a few more shops and get more locally handmade items out there whilst educating the customers so they can understand and appreciate "handmade". We are already stocked with Bonty in Canberra, Boxable Gift Boxes and will soon be in Manly Gallery.

Thank you Lauren for sharing about your handcrafting journey and your beautiful products. I love the simplistic, modern design of your jewellery and I wish you all the best in your endeavours.

If you would like to view more Ayana Jewellery products, simply click here to view what is in store.

Thank you for viewing!

~ 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 ...