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

The Blue Book

For the better part of a few days I experimented with some mixed media techniques I used for a book back in February. This time I repurposed a cover of the book A Pocketful of Years which seemed like a great title for a journal that could possibly contain memoirs, or serve as a guestbook or wedding book. For now I'm just calling it the blue book. It was fun tea staining paper, lace and other ephemera to embellish the torn edge pages. I'm also really pleased with the buttons, charms and ribbons I found for the cover, which are a mixture of modern and vintage pieces.

- Sam

Viva la Frida. Teal & Floral Frida Journal.

Occasionally, someone will ask me who my favourite artist is.

It's difficult to pick one, but a name that usually springs to mind first is Frida Kahlo's. 

A picture of Frida taken fifty years before I was born.

One day I hope to travel to Mexico and walk the same streets she did.

To me, she inspires strength, unapologetic passion, and unconventional beauty.

When I found this Coyoacán themed floral fabric, I immediately thought of Frida. 

I finished putting the journal together today and listed it in our Etsy store. 

If I do get to go to Mexico one day I will take a journal like this one with me!

Pages from Frida's journals:

Happy creating!

- Sam