Hello Summer? Are you out there? Cause it really feels like you've given up on sunny days and let Autumn take over with wind 'n' rain and dodging the puddles and trying to avoid being splashed by cars driving through potholes in the road filled with muddy water.
Oh well, at least it makes ideal weather for staying indoors, for reading and all things crafty. As today's Wednesday, it's book review day. I thought I'd pick this one, 'Vintage Craft Workshop' by Cathy Callahan, a.k.a. Cathy of California. The book's subtitled 'Fresh Takes on Twenty-Four Classic Projects from the '60s and '70s', and if you like those decades for their style, you'll find lots to like in this book. The contents are divided into sections. There's burlap (hessian) and felt, raffia and yarn, crewelwork, applique, paper-crafts, and that crafty classic - macrame.
The 24 'makes' featured in the book are each inspired by an original vintage item.
It's not that the modern version is a copycat of the original, but a fresh take on it. I particularly love the fishy shopping bag. So quirky.
What I love best about this book are the details about the women who, back in the sixties and seventies, made craft their business. Whether it's Enid Collins and her bags and brooches or Aleene Jackson, she of Aleene's Tacky Glue fame. Not to forget Jean Ray Laury with her beautiful applique or Gemma Taccogna and her stunning papier mache.
Overall, it's a thumbs up for this book, and ideal for any crafter who's into all things retro. Though there's one drawback, and that's the print size. It is quite a small font that's used throughout. Of course, that does mean a heck of a lot's packed into the 130+ pages. but it might be an annoyance for anyone who struggles with small print.
Okay, so what's next? Well, I made the first of what might be several notebooks today, having watched a short video about creating junk journals. (Video posted on Facebook by Renee Luitjes.)
I'd had the idea in mind of using gelli prints for notebook covers, and putting together junk journals fitted nicely with that intention. I also have a box full of vintage birthday cards from when I and my brothers were little, and could finally use those for something. Plus an old atlas that could be cut up, a glossy Sarah Raven seed catalogue, some pages from Selvedge magazine. Here's the result.
Recognise the bubble wrap pattern on the cover? And below, here's a pretty picture from that seed catalogue.
What else did I include? A boy's birthday card from, I suspect, the seventies.
And ...
Also ...
There are several blank pages in the notebook as I wanted it to be practical as well as - hopefully - fun. I've already assembled the inside pages for more notebooks, but need to get my printing stuff out again and create more gelli prints for the covers. I've unearthed suitable pieces of card to print on, rather than thin paper, so the covers won't be flimsy. I'm on the look-out for anything else I can include inside my junk journals too. Old envelopes, theatre flyers, whatever catches my eye.
Okay, that's my blog post done for today. But I'll leave you with this image from a birthday card sent to me when I was a mere five years old.
It's Red Riding Hood, of course, but get a load of the wolf! How predatory is he? Miss Hood deserves to end up as Mr Wolf's dinner if she's so daft she can't see she's on the menu. Though I have to say, I do love the red cloak with that fetching pixie hood. Very stylish.
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