Art of the Book

Lately I've been cleaning out my studio. In the process, I've uncovered some long-forgotten items, including these three pieces I made in a workshop with Cathy Taylor. The starting point for each one was an old book.

 

This one is timely with the start of a new school year.

 

I was fortunate to have an old receipt from Birds Nest, Virginia for this one.

 

This one includes part of an old book, a key hole and a page from an old cabinet card photo album.

If you want to make your own, The Paper Flea Market stocks similar supplies:

Old books

Book covers

Flash cards

Vintage documents

Ledger pages

Cabinet card pages

Photo shoot with Daisy

When you have an online store, the challenge is to come up with clever ways to showcase your products. I have a selection of large body part word flash cards and I decided Daisy would be a better model than me. Here are a few out takes from our photo shoot this morning. PS the cards are available online now!

Reviewing the basics

There's something about children's artwork that pulls me in ... perhaps it's their ability to see life so clearly and simply. I found these in a box of old school papers from the 1950s. I'm holding onto these, but the other school papers are available for sale at the store. 

So, with the advent of the new school year, it seemed like a good time to review the basics ...

 

 

Back from the Beach sale!

The Paper Flea Market is having a sale! (gotta make room for paper goods I found on my summer travels) Get great deals on select paper, fabric and other assorted treasures, most up to 50% off! Go to the sale page to see what’s included. Like summer, this sale won’t last forever!

Drawing inspiration

When my drawing sessions need a little kick start or I just want to add a little doodle to my journal, I've been turning to these fabulous little books. Line drawing love!

Uppercase Magazine

Have you seen this magazine? Its motto is  "for the creative and curious" and is filled with inspiration. Beautifully designed by Janine Vangool (who is also the editor and publisher), it's a must if you're a paper enthusiast like me! www.uppercasemagazine.com

London travel journal

So 3 weeks after returning from London, I finally finished my travel journal. Here's a glimpse ...

Made the journal while I was at the beach before the London trip. Cover was made with cardboard I had on hand that I then painted.

Interior covers were made with beautiful Japanese papers I picked up at a thrift shop!

Beautiful map of London plus skyline tape that I got at the Tate Modern

Old umbrella flash card is a must for a London journal.

Picture of lovely fabric from a Cath Kidston catalog.

Ticket stubs and picture postcards.

Binding using bits of fabric scraps

Pardon the interruption...

I'm going to interrupt the London travel diary for just a minute because ...

I haven't talked about it on the blog, but we are redoing a house. It's a long process. A really long process. A lot of work has been done on the kitchen, bedrooms, baths, etc. But today, the really important work finally started ... The foundation walls for my new studio were poured. Eeeeeeee!

London: Day 5

Day 5. Trip outside the city to the Cotswolds. Went to Oxford (saw the obligatory Harry Potter dining hall). Learned Lewis Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland here. Stopped for lunch in a small town and discovered they were filming a JK Rowling movie (apparently she had hoped to write something anonymously and see if it would be a success without her name attached, but the press found out) Saw little churches built in the 1300s. Then off to Blenheim Palace which has a long history, including the birthplace of Churchill. I've never encountered something like this...the size of it was beyond what I could imagine. And the furnishings and tapestries...jaw-dropping. A duke and his family still live here (in fact they own the entire village). I asked and was told the Downton Abbey house is a fraction of this place.

 

Oxford University

 

The Harry Potter dining hall...much smaller in person. It was set up for dinner for non-magical students

 

Could live on this...

 

Darling houses all over the Cotswolds

 

Gates at Bleiheim Palace

 

One side of Bleinheim

 

So much beauty in one room

London: Day 4

Began the day at The Tower of London. This year is the centennial of the start of WWI and they are placing 80,000 ceramic poppies in the moat as a memorial to lives lost. Also visited St. Paul's. The moment we got to the ticket counter, the fire alarm went off! We eventually got back in and made the 500+ step climb to the top of the dome. Crossed the Millennium Bridge (or wibbley-wobbley as it's called) to the Tate Modern for a visit before attending Julius Caesar at the Globe Theatre...a moving experience that I can't adequately express in words...

   

The Tower of London with the poppies installation

 

Loving all the signage 

 

St. Paul's

 

 Graffiti from 1732!

 

Millennium Bridge

 

Love Charlie and Lola!

London: Day 3

Day 3. We started the day with mass at a lovely little old church. Later, high tea at the Savoy. Biked around Hyde Park with my lovely new Cath Kidston tote in tow, and saw Kensington Palace and the Princess Diana memorials. The Eye had the best view of London. On our way, we walked past Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament. That night, we walked around Piccadilly Circus. After all that walking, I had to pop into the chemist for a box of plasters... Pip, pip!

 

Tea, scones, clotted cream and jam ... heavenly!

 

You can rent a bike for any length of time ... it's a great way to see the city. Just remember to ride on the left!

 

Fabulous views from the top of the London Eye

 

I was surprised how close the major sites were to each other.

 

Maybe I should consider a paint job for my Mini?