Two Linen Journals

I recently made two journals with some vintage linen fabric, one coptic stitch and the other long stitch. One of the pieces of fabric was quite plain so I stained it with tea. When I pressed it with a hot iron some interesting colour changes and marks happened. When I made the cover, I took the fabric right to the edge but not right around, so it has a lovely raw border. The other piece of linen fabric had a beautiful, symmetrical floral print that looked great without staining, so I let it be. The tea stained journal will be listed in our Etsy store soon.

The inside cover of this journal is lined with a vintage inspired map 

showing parts of North America, Europe and Africa. 

The journal could make a nice bon voyage gift!

Kraft paper pages, I love torn edges!

And now for the second journal ...

Those torn edges again!

The hot pink/red paper is by Zizania Paper Products and it is GORGEOUS.

^^ Magic happened when I decided to drop pigment 

ink onto the pages while they were still wet with tea! 

- Sam

Journeying in to 2014

I like to keep a journal and sometimes, when I let my thoughts flow quickly onto the page, I learn something about myself, somewhere around several pages in!

I've always known stories are important to me, and that certain types of stories hold more appeal to me than others. 

Then, a few days ago, six words appeared, heavily underlined, on the page in front of me: journeys, adventure, mystery, wonder, magic, love. I quickly recognised them as elements within the stories I enjoy the most. 

At the same time, I arrived at the realisation that I want these elements to be incorporated in my work. 

So, in 2014, expect to see more of these ingredients in my work, starting with this repurposed journal I finished yesterday, now available on Etsy.

- Sam