Shabby Fabric Journal

I've finally finished my first journal from the class I'm taking with Carole in New Zealand - see side bar. It's ended up a kind of shabby chic meets pre-raphaelite affair.

It's fairly thick so I used ties to keep it in order


The outer fabric is from a Laura Ashley remnant squirreled away many years ago and the inner fabric has raised velveteen on it, sorry don't know the technical term, and I bought that as a curtain sample.

I had fun with napkins, I love using them as they don't add any bulk to the journal and I've had some great ones given to me in a swap.


Out came my Tim Holtz stamps as well. The pages still smell vaguely of coffee which I used to stain them.


The pages were sewn in the brown waxed linen thread.

I edged the pages with distress ink, I like the effect but for some reason it took days, and I do mean days to dry. No idea why.


I've left plenty of room to journal in my journal, the first thing will be about the exhibition I went to in London on Friday which featured a lot of pre-raphelites.

I'm now working on my second journal which has an indian theme and as I've got a very messy desk I think it's fair to say I'm enjoying myself, lol.

Day Trip to Birmingham

I had a great day out earlier in the week. I took a coach trip to Birmingham, only an hour away, and went to the Museum and Art Gallery. These statues are in Victoria Square, so as soon as I saw them I knew I wasn't far from my destination.


This is when I knew I'd reached the right place as I'd come to see the pre-raphelite collection and this Rossetti image beckoned me in.

Unfortunately I can't show you any photos of the inside as I had to sign a waiver prohibiting me from publishing my photos in order for me to be allowed to take photos in the first place. This is a real shame as I can't show you some wonderful paintings and artifacts which would publicise the place. You'll just have to take my word for it that it is well worth a visit if you love pre-raphelites with works by Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Maddox Brown to name but a few. Really famous works at each turn. I will definately return, the edwardian tea rooms there are also a must.

Trip to the Big Smoke 1

Went down to London for the day on Friday with a friend. We both wanted to see Postmans Park after having read about it in Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. It's a memorial in a little park, surrounded by office blocks and flats just around the corner from St Pauls Cathedral. It's a tranquil little oasis which used to be used by the workers of the GPO, (General Post Office) when it was next door, hence it's name. Reading up on it, it used to be a graveyard where instead of burying the bodies they just put soil over them, hence there are mounds in the park that are higher than the surrounding land. There are no bodies there now, and all the gravestones line the edges of the park.

The memorial is in the form of tiles, for unsung heroes, ordinary men and women who in saving someone else have lost their own lifes. It was really quite moving. So many of the heroes were children. There were lots of jobs that are not done anymore and some wording that is just not used anymore. It's well worth a visit if you ever get to London.


The man behind the memorial, George Frederick Watts, was also involved with our next port of call - Leighton House. Now a musuem, Leighton House was the home to Lord Leighton, a pre-raphelite painter, as was G F Watts and one of his paintings was hanging in the house, but more of my travels in another post