Unique Paper Mache Christmas Baubles

There are 24 hours in everyday, but as I am getting older, it seems like time is flying by ...

Recently, we enjoyed two weeks break from school and that time seemed to pass by like we had only days. Stores are already promoting Christmas decorations, October is nearing an end and countdowns to Christmas are beginning. Christmas is definitely looming!

As thoughts about Christmas began swamping my head, I wanted to create something for Christmas. Amongst my mixed media art creations, I have been enjoying creating with paper mache. I thought that this would be the perfect medium to create a special decoration.

I wanted to create a Christmas bauble that stood out from traditional Christmas baubles. Each bauble is spherical, however, the middle of each bauble cascades reclaimed fabric to add a splash of colour against the white outside. I still wanted each bauble to portray a key feature about Christmas, hence the words: joy and love; the letters cut out of newspaper and adhered to a scroll made from old book pages. I also wanted to retain Christmas colours, but put a modern twist on them, therefore I used red, white and silver.

These baubles have been designed for the person who loves Christmas and decorating, but wants a splash of originality and a modern feel.

Soon available in store. To view what is 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 ...

Give some encouragement with a paper mache heart!

Did you miss out on the last 'Snail Mail Surprise Challenge'? Well ... good news!

Everything is set and ready to launch! ‘Snail Mail Surprise #2’ is about to proceed.

For this ‘Snail Mail Surprise’ challenge, you are required to surprise someone that is a friend, particularly one that might be going through a tough time.

I’m very excited about this. This is NOT a competition or a giveaway, rather it is a way a way in which we can do something little, yet wonderful to encourage others – to simply show them that someone cares. I’m calling on you and others to join with me to help out.

It’s simple to join! Here are the steps:

• ·         You can now visit the sign up page. To do so, please click here. There are limited places available.

• ·         If you are successful, you will be sent one of the above Tupsy Turvy Designs mixed media decorations and tags (for free!).

• ·         Use this pack to surprise a friend, particularly if they are going through a tough time. As an extra idea, you could team this pack with a cooked meal or a bunch of flowers, or any other idea.

• ·         Take a photo of it – the pack with your gift, or the decoration and tag on your table as you are about to write in it, or as you put the pack in the letterbox, or any other idea. Please do not photograph any names or photograph the recipient as I will post these photos on social media.

• ·         Send me your photo – either by email or post it on Instagram or on my Tupsy Turvy Designs Facebook page and tag me (@tupsyturvydesigns) and add the #ttdsnailmailsurprise2

• ·         Please note: By sending in your photo to me you are giving me permission to use it on social media, my blog and newsletter.

• ·         Make sure you complete all these steps by: 14th October 2016

I will participate in this challenge as well and will follow the above procedure. As a special surprise and as a random act of kindness, I will surprise one of the registered participants with a little gift from me.

You don’t necessarily need to live in Australia to register, as long as you receive post I will send you the pack (still for free) in order for you to participate. By registering, you are prepared to receive the pack and undertake the challenge.

Want to join in the fun? Click here to register.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Jen.

P.S - If you want to know more about Tupsy Turvy Designs and receive special offers, 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 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 ...

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 ...

Paper mache - Little Babushka Dolls

Lately, I have had a fascination with paper mache, as I wanted a way that I can move my mixed media art from being two dimensional to three dimensional. I have been so inspired to give it a go that studied up on it. This is despite my knowledge that it could all get a little messy, be time consuming and could all be a waste of time in the end. However, I came up with a Babushka doll design - complete with the addition of fabric to highlight her headscarf. 

With this particular group of dolls I painted faces on, however I am unsure about this as I like my faceless ladies that I create on my canvases. I thought, to link to the two, this may be needed on my three dimensional art. In the next sense, I do like their cute little faces that makes each doll more individual. Do I necessarily need to link the two? I think I will also add some more of the black lines, squiggles,etc that I use in my mixed media art on my three dimensional art to add some more detail and spark to my dolls.

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Overall, I am very happy with the result. I have a little group of rustic, simple, unique ornaments.Yes, they were a little messy to make, but they were fun to create and were not all that time consuming. I am just hoping that I have dried them enough so that they don't fall in a heap. I am giving them a little test to see how they go. If all is good, they will become a new line in store.

Of course, I can't stop at one! I also have more ideas in the pipeline for this type of art, including boats for boys and apples for teachers.

I would love to know what you think.

~ Jen.

Monday in the making

A couple of weeks ago, I made up a mini canvas for a very special showcase. I enjoyed using up-cycled t-shirt material and reclaimed material to create a decorative feature. I also enjoyed the chance to do some hand stitching. I had so much fun that I designed another mini canvas, this time,  one for the girls...

This canvas is made up of a large, red heart, that is hand stitched to a pink, floral fabric. It also contains three buttons, stitched up the top of the heart.

I have also been playing around with paper mache...

I had a bit of Christmas in mind when I made this. A paper base, covered in red and sealed, with black lettering spelling 'JOY'. It is decorated with three fabric flowers, with button embellishments, two made with satin, one with tulle. The flowers have rough, frayed seams to add to the rustic charm of the piece. A lacy bow is tied onto the handle.

What do you think?

Thanks for viewing!

Monday in the making

Getting back into the swing of designing, creating (and blogging about it) after some hectic life moments...

Inspiration can emerge from a variety of sources. I was reading through a craft book which showed a talented crafter that made paper mache and decoupage birds. I had an idea to create a heart decoration using paper mache and decoupage. This is the final result...

I wanted a shabby chic look and I also wanted a touch of fabric and lace. I can't wait to make similar hearts and I also have an idea for a more hollow heart decoration...

Thanks for viewing!