We will, we will, shock you!

 I signed up for another online journal course a couple of nights ago - one that is based in the US and is just the sort of journalling that I wanted to try but the course in the UK sold out the day the lists came out.  I will still continue with my other story journal and make more of those - but I just fancied something completely different - and I have made a start!  This one is more of a collaging way of making a journal and with your own thoughts inside it.

There are two journal styles on this course so you really get your money's worth!

First you make the book cover, then you make the pages.

I haven't fully finished the front cover yet

I am not adding the embellishments until I have finished the inside pages.

Once you get your head around the idea of just being 'free' then it gets easier!

Be prepared to be shocked - I am!

The inside cover and some stamped fabric. 

I am going for red hot colours - something completely different for me!

This first journal is the 'Book of Intentions'.

I think it is designed to get you in the right mindset.

It is a in zig-zag style.  I think I 'broke the rules' by sloshing the pages with ink - but I just couldn't help myself.  It is supposed to be a collage working to a template - but I kinda missed the plot!  I don't have any magazines - threw them all out - and yes you' ve guessed - now I need them!

So - I have gone from being all neat and tidy and muted in my first journal to being loud and outlandish in this one.  These above are the first two pages.

I still have to fill the gaps in this page with my intentions.

The next page I attempt I will stick to one one of the designs - rather than just messing about as I went along.  The idea is to collage the pages then write in them.  We have been given lots of prompts to get our brains working!

The Zola mystery is solved

Zola Buddy Bantam has been missing for a while - in all the heatwave and the occasional storm in the night.   She appeared now and again - then disappeared  - but didn't go into Peckingham Palace at all - but drank from the pond or one of the many watering holes around the garden.

I have searched high and low, and in all her favourite hiding places - to no avail - until this evening!  I was absolutely determined to find her.

We have lots of foliage in our garden - very dense too - but Eureka - look!

She was in the centre of a huge clump of day lilies which were in the centre of a big highly packed flower bed.

She had covered herself with dried leaf stems which were in turn covered by a tall and bushy plant with lots of stems of day lilies in flower.  Can you see all the eggs?  She has flattened herself to cover them.

I was convinced they were laying their eggs somewhere apart from their usual hiding places.

Patrick said that the heatwave had put them off.

We had a heavy downpour in the night and these have muddy footprints on them.

But

I did the 'float test' and none of them floated - so I gave them a scrub and dry, tomorrow they will be turned into cakes!

'Reds and Gold'

I don't want to give this one away!

I bought a scarf from a charity shop and cut it up to make this

The rose I made out of a tea bag, and netting which I coloured to match the fabric

Another of my favourite stamps. 

The scarf had tassles on it - and so I cut the triangle to include one.

This was an absolute joy to make. 

I did have a few goes at it before this one turned out just right.

I am glad that it was a big scarf!

'Blue, purple, silver''

Do you find that the simplest of ideas sometimes turn out the hardest to achieve? 

This needed to be masculine - so I sewed on the very shiny silver scrap of ribbon at a 'rackish' angle, a bit like a man might wear a hat.

I wanted it to look solid and strong

The colour looks more maroon than purple in this photo!

It took an amazing amount of trial and error - but I really enjoyed it.

And to combine metal, with material.

Did I achieve my aim?

I hope so!

'Under the sea kind of colours' - Edited

Excuse any stray threads  you might see in the close ups, these will be removed!

This is made on vintage style patterned material with big swirls embroidered in the same colour blue.

Which does mean that it looks rather nice on the reverse.

I do love this stamped image.

I might make another to keep for my banner!

Edited to say that I have inked more blue onto the banner

I washed some blues inks over my mermaid

I think it looks more 'sea like' and accentuates her face as it is paler blue

'Oranges and Yellows - like hot summer colours'

Those were the colours asked for the next banner flag I have made

I bought some curtain material with shades of sunflower colours.
I made the little 'rose' which just glistens and glows.

I couldn't resist another image transfer and a lovely bright yellow vintage button to finish it off

 

It's been a hot day in Rome

Another 'first' for me.

I am quite surprised how adventurous I am getting of late - first the journal course and now a banner swap on UK Stampers Forum.  Talk about jumping in without dipping a toe in first!  The themes are colours chosen by each entrant - yikes - and so many combinations - each one will be totally individual.

I have spent the afternoon doing this one.

This took me hours to make - I hope I get quicker as I get used to making them.

Firstly I had to cut out a template.  Then I had to rummage through my drawers for colours to match the criteria.  I decided to go with a French theme - I wonder why - in vintage colours - of thosen given which were green, pink, and turquoise in fabrics.

I have cut - oh the joy of using scissors again - but only because these have to be of a uniform size.

The banner backing is a lovely woven vintage piece of thick silk type material with an embossed classically vintage pattern.  I tore some dusty pink fabric and stamped upon it some French script.  I did an image transfer onto cotton and coloured it with Promarkers to enhance the colours. 

I found a lovely piece of almost pearlescent wired ribbon from my flower arranging days which was just the right size to fold over the hem.  It really catches the light and glistens in shades of turquoise to a rich deep blue.

The embroidered lace on the header is so sweet, it's the palest turquoise vintage which I cut off a small piece of netting - ouch that did hurt - and the 'Bonjour' is stamped on a scrap of lovely yellowing book paper.  It is finished off with a copper letter.

Journal -The first signature

Well I have almost finished the first signature - and have sewn it in, which fits in very nicely with this weeks Lots to Do Challenge, which is 'stitches' - take your pick they are all stitched!

I have never spent so long making something arty crafty!

Inside cover/first page

 A scrap of old curtain material from a charity shop years ago, bits of torn paper, and material sewn on top - note not a straight line in sight and lots of scraggly bits.

There is a transferred french postcard image onto a bit of old pillowcase (ripped) all held together with some buttons.

Next page - there is lace between the two

A bit of old net curtain cut around the shapes to make a pattern

Lucinda's embroiderd vintage handkerchief from Kate in France

Its tucked into a pocket at the start of the story - which it typed onto paper, and I have painted and stamped on it, the sewn it onto cardboard to make a pocket for the hankie.

You can see that the next page of Lucinda's thatched cottage has changed somewhat!

The ghost is still there!

These pages look a bit more severe , with Lucinda staring out into the distance as Kate's ship sails off to France.  The pouch for the vintage map on the right is flamboyant

As  you would expect from France at the time.

The first page of this signature centre is in a posting below (the ornate letter from Kate) together with some previous pages made.

And the above is the other - where she spent a weekend with French aristocracy in one of their Chateaux

Sadly the story is too long to make a page for each part of it, so I am going to type that up when I have finished and include it in the journal as a little booklet.

More scraps of pages salvaged from a fire - one of Lucinda's this time, and one of her paintings for Kate, together with a painting of where she sat to write her letters

She loves to illustrate her writing paper too - just as I used to years ago when we used to write letters!

Phew only 28 pages to go, plus the cover.

But I have other more pressing things to do unfortunately

All the fabulous lace came from Very Mary the wonder Mary's Etsy shops has to be seen to be believed!

 

Scissors were banned, so too any other colour than black thread - and no measuring with a ruler either - you should try it - it's liberating!

I have been using all my 'skills' new and old, improvising, inking, painting, experimenting, transferring, printing, lots of tearing, sploshing, gluing, and a fair bit of head scratching - and it's amazing what you make with a stash of 'junk'.  And I got to rediscover my old sewing machine - and once I worked out how to thread it and use it again - we have become quite good friends.  I doubt I could sew a straight line - but those were banned too - so it suited me down to the ground.

The leaf print above on the watercolour page - that was a bit of fern that was hanging in the way of my craft shed door - so I snapped it off and laid it on my desk.  The next day I picked it up to throw away and there was a perfect layer of brown dust - must have been from the seeds - so I dabbed ink on the fern, and just lay it on the page overnight -and hey presto - an perfect print!

I am taking a break from this for a week or so - I also need to get some supplies of French 'pretties' to go in it!  And I want to track down some paper serviettes to use in it too.

28 pages and the front cover yet to do - that's 2 signatures.  Lots of adventures to 'travel' on - great places to visit, and there's going to be a bit of romance too of course - and a tragedy - every good story needs a bit of both - not quite sure about a happy ending - who knows - I don't!

Thank you so much for looking

Earlier pages in the posts below.

Kate has arrived safely at her destination

She was met by her cousins who whisked her away to meet their friends, but she did manage to make some time to write to Lucinda.

I wonder where she is - look at that notepaper!

It's gilded!  Lucinda has never seen paper like that before and her eyes are wide with amazement and wonder

'Oh this is so exciting', she thinks,

and can't help but sit and try to imagine herself in Kate's place.

'Well well, her poor country cousins have friends in high places, and she has been whisked away to a Chateau just outside Paris!  I must arrange to see Mrs Ellingham and talk to her French maid to find out what it is like in France.  Perhaps she can teach me the language.' 

Lucinda muses, beginning to feel rather envious of her friend. 

Oh my goodness, the chateau looks rather grand, no wonder she gets gilded paper to write on!

I think that we are only going to get an edited version of her adventures as there are not enough pages in one book for her to write about them all!

I have got rid of my blockage!

/I had a mental blockage regarding how my journal would progress, and didn't really have a 'theme' - and did not know how on earth I was going to fill all the pages.

Mowing the lawns must have done something to me, because this afternoon, working in a very hot garden studio - I suddenly worked out what to do.

It will all take place in the 1800/1900's

It is going to be based on a story which I will write 'around' the pages as they unfold.

A story about two friends

A tragedy

And it features Kate - and a french man, and someone else!

So far that is!