Tulkinghorn Page, Austen Love, Rebound Disney & a Knitted Journal

I've been watching re-runs of the fantastic adaptation of Bleak House (by the even more fantastic Andrew Davies) & here is a page because horrid Tulkinghorn, played by the wonderful Charles Dance, reminded me of something I need to do in circumstances that are out of my control.

In my large A3 sized journal due to the urge to get messy with mica

I've never talked about my love for classical novels & period dramas on this blog before, though I may have mentioned I'm a history geek, but it's what I threw myself into as a teenage girl. Still to this day my prized possession is a 30p copy of Pride and Prejudice that I brought at a small antiques shop when I was eleven, on a rather boring family camping holiday, but guess what??? I survived the holiday!!!

Later that year Andrew Davies' version of P&P came out & I, along with all the ladies that were much older than me at the time, swooned at the sight of Colin Firth. Soon I'd read all her novels, novellas & letters (which survived) and since then I've followed Jane Austen's footsteps EVERYWHERE, even to all the places that are not even connected with herself, but where her novels have been filmed (beautiful houses, villages etc). I decided to go to Winchester to study, not because of the university standard but because it's where she lived and is buried (and as she is buried in the Cathedral I graduated in front of her). When I was 22 I brought myself a second (but another vintage) copy of Pride and Prejudice from the small bookshop at her house in Chawton, the first having fallen to into at least 3 pieces, and vow to buy myself a new (to me, but old) copy every 11 years from a special connected place.

Perhaps this is where my love of vintage ephemera comes from? I dunno but I recently found a bunch of old vintage Disney books that are in much need of love - having been subject to kiddies & crayons etc - so I'm transforming them into useable journals, with a variety of papers inside but also with the whole book still preserved in the original reading order.

The binding is a simple spiral bound and it is a easy, practical way to keep something old and precious in a required modern item. This book is available in my shop, but why not give it a go yourself if you have any damaged or unloved old books around?

Finally I want to show you this journal, which I've been hinting at when I've shown you a couple of completed pages within, and that I have made with my Grandmother's knitting & a ton of old beads:

I know some of you lovelies have already seen it as it has been uploaded nearly a week now but here is a video I have made of this journal, so you can see it yourselves and how it was made, as I talk about the stitching and give my tips for bookbinding with soft fabrics etc and also the second half is a speed process of creating the first art journal page within it.

Wow what a long post, I'm very sorry I'm not usually this bad, that's what happens when I don't post when I say I will (yesterday in this case) something builds up like a science lab experiment till I'm bubbling over lol. Linking with Paint Party Friday & Studio Sneak Peek, come join some of the most awesome artists in blogland :) Much Love, Jennibellie xx