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Gravestones and notebooks

 

I'll begin with photos of gravestones.  Yup, gravestones.  Why?  Just 'cause I was taking a shortcut through a cemetery this morning and these old stones are so beautifully made.  All the little glimpses of past lives you get as you wander by.  
The grass was being mown, and the scent rising up from it was lovely.  Apparently grass releases the scent as a stress reaction to being cut.  According to the all-knowing Google, the scent's made up of chemicals called GLVs (green leaf volatiles), a mixture of oxygenated hydrocarbons.  The things you learn from a casual internet search.  
My photos aren't the best, are they?  I mean, you can see my trainers in this one!  I'll have to go back when I've more time and take some decent shots.  But this inscription's interesting as Ann Robinson, the blacksmith's wife, lived until a ripe old age.  82 was pretty good going in the 1800s, wasn't it?  
During my walk into town today I was forced - forced I tell you!!! - to nip into the charity shop and acquire a few more odds & ends.  A couple of skirts, one in a nice tweedy material and the other in a black velvet-like fabric, both fully lined.  As are the white dresses, both pristine and one even had the original shop tag on it.  The skirts were £1.49 each and the dresses £2.00 each.  The jeans were two quid, and all of these clothes will be cut up for the fabric.  50p for the book, 25p for the kitchen utensil, 99p for a pack of sewing needles and 99p for the roll of clear self adhesive film.  Not sure what I'll use that for, but I don't doubt it'll come in handy sooner or later.  
When it comes to crafty stuff, I've been making notebooks.  I added ribbon fastenings to some of them, and spruced them up with washi tape too.  
The covers are cardboard diverted from the recycling bin, and covered in gell prints.  
If you're wondering what I aim to do with them all, I want to get into the regular habit of creating art journal pages.  Not that I'm any good at making beautiful or inventive art journal pages.  In fact I annoy myself and get frustrated because I can't produce anything that makes me particularly proud of it.  I know I need to practise and if I do then I'll get better.  However, I'm impatient and want to get better now!  I want to make the kind of perfect journal pages I see on Instagram.  I think we get inspired but also intimidated by what's on Instagram and similar sites.  We want to emulate the perfection we see, but also lack the confidence to try and fail, try and fail, and gradually improve, learn and find our own style.  I've been watching YouTube videos by Megan Quinlan which I've felt very helpful in that respect.  There's this one, 'How to Begin Art Journaling' that's worth watching.  Also, 'How to Find your Artistic Style'.  
So, I'm making a start.  I painted and stenciled and collaged on these pages, added a flower and a magpie, and while I'm not thrilled with this layout, it's a beginning.  Onward and upward! 
I'll finish with a stitchy something, namely my 'Creation' wallhanging.  It's getting nearer completion, and looks much better now I've got a border around it.  
I even sewed teeny tiny bees buzzing around in the sky.  

Hope your week's going well, and thanks for stopping by.  


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