Bookmark Adventure and stationery pleasures...

There is a beautiful blue sky which I've been able to see from my bedroom window every day this week, consequently I've not been able to enjoy that same blue sky outdoors much because the heat is just completely unbearable. Being that I've stayed in doors a great deal then I've taken to crafting to pass the time rather than sulking at the fact that I might wilt should I attempt to be outdoors more than a few minutes (my poor herb plants were suffering that very same fate today and they are now in the coolness of my room by my window enjoying the sun but safe from the heat).

Inspired in part by reading Jane Eyre and by watching through Emma, Sense and Sensibility and tonight's Mansfield Park with my parents my crafts have been focused on representing that era somewhat. A couple of weekends ago I saw some really nifty mixed media collaged bookmarks and had the idea that I might make my own bookmarks as well so I did! Here is my first one:

My prototype which I am keeping for myself...
I cannot part with it...sigh!

Also, inspired by all the penpalling I've been doing lately I have printed my own postcards and stationery and there really is nothing more satisfying. Almost two years ago when the BBC broadcast their 2009 version of Emma I played around with some screenshots from the movie and edited them with photoshop. Yesterday I added one of those images and a couple of other stock images to some stationery *for personal use only* and love the way they came out. I think I may buy less stationery and make more of my own...

Jane Austen stationery and Oriental Lily postcards printed by me with my Epson.
the photo on the postcards is my very own from a trip to Venezuela last year.

And lastly, here are the next two bookmarks I have been working on today:

Mixed-media bookmarks in their first stage...
my previous bookmark was covered in scrapbooking paper.

To see more pictures of the progress of my original bookmark you can go to the blog's facebook page and click on the album titled Bookmark Adventure. I can't wait to share some more of the progress with you all! 

Cheers!

Fantastic Friday: Jane Austen and the latest BBC Version of Emma

I've decided that in order to keep the blog up to date I must give each day of the week a specific function and as such have decided that this blog will be maintained Monday through Friday, with the occasional weekend special! In short, Fridays are now called Fantastic Fridays and will feature things such as what I am reading, watching and enjoying during each week. To kick of the first Fantastic Friday we will talk about the latest BBC version of Emma. Jane Austen, as many know, has been delighting us for nearly 200 years and it is no wonder these classic heroines are still causing us to go back to our bookshelves and re-read those beloved books which seem to me as dear as my own friends.

This latest BBC version of the classic tale of Emma Woodhouse is rapidly gaining popularity among Austenites and introducing many younger generations to Jane's thought provoking characters. Romola Garai as Miss Woodhouse is fun and energetic and according to those who know "physically...fits the part perfectly" (Deconstructing Miss Emma Woodhouse, by Laurel Ann of the Austenprose blog). There have been several Emma's but I think that by far Romola Garai is my favorite Emma. There is a uniqueness about her that just makes her endearing even when you are exasperated with her schemes! Jonny Lee Miller is Mr. George Knightley and what a Knightley he is! He fits the character like a charm. I've been watching Emma on PBS' Masterpiece Classics and am eager to see the last installment of the mini series which will air on PBS this Sunday. If you have not already watched it and are in the US you can go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/watch.html to catch up.

Episode 3 of the PBS showing will air online beginning on Monday. So, for all you Jane Austen fans who might be reading this blog, do not miss Emma. It is very entertaining and delightful! I look forward to hearing from those of you who are viewing and hope you will let me know what you think of this latest version of the classic. Before I forget, if you are going to watch on Sunday please join the Emma Twitter Party, don't forget to use the hash tag #emma_pbs when posting during the party! For more info see: Emma Twitter Party. 

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." -Emma

Cheers!