Reading material

One of the things I really missed when we lived in France was the library. True enough we joined the library in Limoges which is apparently the largest library in France outside of Paris and which was an amazing place with thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, a glassed over area with trees and plants and benches, where you could sit and read as if you were in a park, along with dozens of screens for watching DVDs and so on but of course all but a very few of the books were in French (naturally!). I did take out some of the sort of books I show below and I could at least look at the pictures but reading was always going to be difficult and longwinded for me.

Now I am back in UK I make good use of the library and also request books (it costs just 65p each) which are not available at my local branch and these are some of what I am reading at the moment. I said recently that my craft work seems to take its own route and I just follow and I seem to have become interested in journals - perhaps since Jill at Third Age Musings suggest joining her in making a journal back here.

I didn't join Jill - I never seemed to have the right paper, gesso (whatever that was - now I know) and so on but it got me interested.

Then along came Lesley at Printed Material making books and recycling old papers into such lovely little notebooks here that I wanted to do it too but again I wasn't sure how.

I also enjoy anything to do with Textiles so the idea of mixed media and of incorporating book making and journaling with my textiles seemed a good idea.

I know I should be able to link these books to Amazon or to The Book Depository (which I used a lot when in France since they will post anywhere in the world free of charge) but I am sorry I don't know how to do that.

I love this one and its clever fastening don't you?

This one has lovely quotes sprinked throughout as well and ideas for making notebooks of all things natural such as we used to collect and put on the nature table at school - do they still do that I wonder?

Again it incorporates threads and textiles so appealed to me.

This one seemed like a good idea - making little sample sized pieces but on reflection I think it is too intricate for me and I do better with a larger canvas as it were. Probably because of my rather slapdash attitude!

Though the illustrations do make my mouth water and there is no reason why I shouldn't make a few 2 inchies or even 6 inchies using the techniques is there?! These blue colours call out to me - I love them.

This one turned out to be more embroidery but it's not embroidery as I knew it all crinoline ladies and flowers on tablecoths at all but really wonderful pieces in vivid colours which I love.


Thank you all so very much for your birthday wishes and kind comments on my last post - my birthday was most enjoyable and I am speeding towards the next one now! Each and every comment was and is much appreciated and I thank you all for visiting me and letting me know you've been and enjoyed your visit. Pity I couldn't do tea and cakes for you isn't it?!!