Winter gardening and a fabric pendant design

Winter is knocking on the door...

 It is not just the cooler weather, the extra showers of rain, the gusty winds and the muddier boys’ clothes that give it away. It is the greenness and lushness that seems to grow in boldness and be more evident.

We are blessed with room for a garden that we enjoy growing flowers, fruit trees and vegetables in. On the weekend (usually Sunday afternoon) hubby, myself and the boys, all get out into the garden and weed, plant, pick or prune. It is very rewarding to receive delicious, home grown produce for our efforts, whilst the boys are learning a lot about plants and how they grow.

The only drawback, at this time of year, are … the nettles. We know that it is getting cooler and wetter when the nettles seem to pop up and thrive. It also sees us with trousers, jumpers and gloves, making sure that we don’t have any skin exposure so that we don’t get stung by the nasty weeds. All part of gardening, I suppose …

My latest creation uses greens, but more of a spearmint green, rather than leaf green, teamed with bursts of purple. Here is the result …

I had the idea to use my hand painted creations, but rather than use canvas or paper to paint on, instead use fabric. I have managed to turn my paint into fabric paint, by adding a special textile medium to the colours. This makes it more waterproof (but not recommended to swim or bathe in). I like the idea of using reclaimed materials in what I create, hence a lot of the beads and the fabric are reclaimed. I am not totally happy with the top part of this prototype pendant, as it bunches rather a lot. I am making alterations to the design which will hopefully fix this problem. I loved creating this design and will definitely make more.

Thank you 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 ...

Getting organised and greeting cards

A couple of weekends ago, we celebrated Mother's Day... 

Twelve months ago, I celebrated my first Mother's Day after what seemed like an epic age of heartache. Then, finally, I became a mother of two (very!) bouncy boys through adoption and my world changed. I now experience a different heartache: a heart aching with love my boys, a heartache when they are sick or upset, a heart aching with worry about problems, a heart aching with pride as I witness their amazing growth. It was a special day for me.

Mother's Day is also a time where I like to remind my mother and mother-in-law how much we all love them. I like researching easy, yet beautiful crafts that the boys and I can create together. However, there is only one problem with this ... I always leave the creation part to the last minute. I don't know how it happens ... I make up my mind what to create early enough and have everything ready, but the 'doing' part seems to happen days before it is due for giving. As it is, our creations are still drying and will be late in the post.

I often feel the temptation to 'pop into the shops', however, my creative streak is strong and the determination to make something personal overrides this. That is why I love handmade items and gifts - they are personal and created with love, whether you have made them yourself or bought from someone who enjoys creating. I love that I can have the help from my boys in creating these gifts and this year they have their hand prints (purposely) stamped with paint on them as a record of their growth in a year. Now, if I can only get myself more organised with birthday gift giving ...

Welcome to my new range of mixed media cards! I wanted a new design - something a bit more abstract and eclectic, however, I wanted to maintain the recycled/reclaimed material element. That is why every card uses a background consisting of a used book page. I initially wanted to add words to the card design, however, it just didn't look right, hence they are created without them. This has become a plus, as these cards are now free to be used for any occasion. Handmade cards are a wonderful way to convey personal greetings, particularly when each card incorporates a unique design.

These cards will soon be added to the store. To view what is currently in store, please click here.

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 Caravan and the Journey of Life

Since meeting my husband, I've seen many new places ...

My husband is originally form the Eastern states of Australia. He moved numerous times in his childhood and it was the nature of his family to travel long distances for holidays and to visit family. My family were very different. Most of our family lived in the same state as ours and we pretty well stayed in South Australia for holidays or visited family within South Australia.

It is quite funny that now that my brother and myself are adults, we both travel a fair bit. My brother, has acquired a job that requires him to travel to various places around Australia and overseas and he is rarely in the one spot. As for me, though my work does not require me to travel, my husband, my boys and myself travel quite a few kilometres to visit family and love exploring new places in Australia and overseas. I, personally, enjoy seeing new sights, new people, new cultures, but also enjoy being back home.

I often relate to life being an adventure - one amazing journey. A journey where we meet new people - people that enrich our lives, pull us up back on our feet, people that change our lives. A journey where events are celebrated and milestones reached. A journey that feels a bit like a roller coaster - with moments of exhilaration and moments that drag us through low valleys of difficulties. 

No matter who we are, we all experience the rise and the fall of life on our journey. These times give us wisdom and a new outlook. It gives an understanding that we all have times when we trudge through dark times and valleys. It gives a realisation that we are needed to support each other, especially through these difficult moments.

I wanted to create a new canvas design that has a 'travelling along life's way' feel, hence the caravan motif. Once again, this canvas uses upcycled materials - old book pages as a base for the background and the caravan and lace for the curtains. It displays an encouraging quote, to remind us to enjoy all the moments of our lives. Of course, each canvas is uniquely and individually crafted where you receive an original product, not a reproduction.With the caravan motif, this canvas would be ideal for travellers, but would also be suitable for a nursery, encouraging the little one to enjoy life's journey.

Thanks for stopping by.

 I would love to hear about a wonderful adventure you have been on or an amazing holiday. Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Enjoy the adventure!

~ 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 ...