A French Proposal...

I'll write in any language…. just tell me the words!

Wedding Table Names fit for a Princess!

Not everyone wants numbers on their tables do they? 

But if they did, a little bit of calligraphy can go a long way to making something 

that is often quite plain, look special...

Table numbers on book pages are not only for the literary lovers with a literary or bookish themed wedding. They can add a a bit of a vintage feel… 

or 'shabby chic' seems to be the description of the moment for those that watch the trends! 

I usually have a fair eye for fitting words into spaces, but when a collection are going to be displayed together, it's worthwhile being a little more prudent! 

A typed & centred list of names clearly shows which is longest & how long they each are in relation to each other. So long as the longest will fit, the rest should follow!

I wrote my list with a page above as a guide to begin with, then folded my paper over name by name…. lining each one up & making minor adjustments to spacing as I went.

As well as being Princess for a day, this bride was sharing her day with Disney princesses too!

 These dictionary pages were a perfect fit to be displayed in 5 x 7 inch frames. 

Hymn Book Pages

A teeny hymn book, only 2.75 x 4.25 inches (7 x 10.5 cm) ...

with pages almost transparent and so lightweight,

 that feel so gorgeous with text visible from the reverse giving such an interesting texture...

all packed in bundles of 50, ready for crafty folk to work their magic… to tear or cut, to glue or stitch,

in mixed media, altered books, collage, scrapbooking & other such creative endeavours.

 I love to see or hear about the things that people make, but not everyone is willing to share photos with the world. If any followers of my blog would like a selection of book pages to sample, and are prepared to send me photographs of your creations that I can post (and link back to you of course!) 

do get in touch…. the first 3 people to email

 suziscribbles [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk 

can have a bundle  of pages to play with. 

 Book pages available to purchase at  torn edge paper on etsy

Old French Book Pages

Works by Madame A Daudet & poems by Anatole France landed in my hands a while ago. They were a matching pair from the same publisher…. both with delightful drawings next to the title pages.

I love the way the publishing date is written; 

the twenty fifth of march eighteen hundred and ninety two. 

The typeface also, is beautiful… so elegant...

and the texture of the paper…. a delight to hold & turn the pages, 

despite the water damage & broken spines

It's many years since I attempted to speak french, but I could understand some tantalising 

glimpses of text, such as " the light smile through the dark shadow", 

that could be a delight to express calligraphically.

...n'oublie pas, ceux que vous en fait chercher longtemps ou que l'on n'a pas bien compris. On dirait que le mystere ou ils etaient enveloppes les imprisonne tout au fond de la memoire, comme un cocon impenetrable et fragile brise seulement a son heure par l'aile vivante et ouverte de l'idee enfin éveillée.

…don't forget that those you have long searched for or don't understand. 

Then something about the mystery that is imprisoned deep within the memory, like an impenetrable cocoon that a gentle breeze will awaken when the time is right, and the idea will take flight…

[or something along those lines… anyone is welcome to give a better translation, lol]

I do find myself reading the french & gradually taking in more of the sense of the words rather than a direct translation. It will be great to eventually create some pieces of work from these.

A Christmas Proposal

I get a steady stream of marriage proposals these days.... not for me personally (perish the thought!)... but from romantic young, & not so young, men enlisting my help to gain the "yes" that they want to hear. In this last few weeks there have been quite a few aiming for a Christmas Proposal. 

Let's start another chapter.... proposal of marriage

Some, bless them, have written poems or songs to their beloved, others have chosen more well known poems or passages on the subject of love to calligraphed into a scroll or onto canvas. I find myself taking an almost maternal interest as these hopeful fellas tell me about how they met or why those words mean so much... and I'm often left waiting with bated breath, hoping that they remember to let me know the outcome! 

handmade gift envelope/wallet

By the way.... 'bated' breath was first coined as a phrase by Shakespeare in 'The Merchant of Venice'. Shylock says to Antonio, 

"Shall I bend low and, in a bondman's key,

With bated breath and whisp'ring humbleness,

Say this..."

Bated here is a contraction of abated through loss of the unstressed vowel (a process called aphesis); it means "reduced, lessened, lowered in force". So bated breath refers to a state in which you almost stop breathing as a result of some strong emotion such as terror or awe

[Thank you to Michael Quinion at World Wide Words for these snippets of information]

Let's turn another page.... with presentation wallet

The book pages with either "Let's start another chapter..." or "Lets turn another page..."

have proved to be a popular way to 'pop the question'. They've been framed, collaged into another piece of work & bound into a book amongst other things!

I've only just got as far as making this simple little envelope style wallet to present them in. Kraft paper & brown ribbon set the scene.... then the inside flaps are lined with vintage book pages. A tiny little tag of the same, just finishes it off nicely, I think.

will you marry me? with presentation wallet

Romance is far from dead... and some men do still ask permission from the father of their intended! So far though, I've had no ladies proposing to their men.... surely it's just a matter of time?

Does anyone have any 'Proposal Stories' to share?

The Lamplighter ~ Old Book Pages

There's something about old books... 

I know I've said it before, but I really can't resist them.

I've never handled a book with pages so deeply browned with age as these. Perhaps it is something to do with the type of paper used, which feels really soft. It's a book called 'The Lamplighter", written by  Miss Maria S Cummins & the publishing date was somewhere between 1880 & 1910. I suspect this edition was one of the earlier editions but there is no date printed inside.... it just feels old.

I read it... a gentle tale of love & loss, hurt & forgiveness... an overall lesson in good old-fashioned christian charity, love, forgiveness & benevolence. Of course, in three instances where the story held a bit of excitement, were where pages were missing. I never did find out how a dastardly deed was done or how the misunderstandings between prospective lovers were resolved.... *sigh* never mind...

pages from 'The Lamplighter' 

are available here

 One thing I've noticed since starting to pick up these old books, is how language has changed over the last 100 years or so. Maybe not drastically, but I find myself reading more slowly due to more complex sentence construction & slightly archaic phrasing. I have been known to mutter about 'text speak' creeping into everyday usage, but really it's no greater change than the way we use language has relaxed over the years anyway.

 Believe in the power of your dreams

These scans show the true page colour better than the photographs... 

isn't it yummy?

 Everything happens for a reason

(this is actually one of the most popular quotations 

I am asked to write on canvas!)

I played around with printing over them, & thought the chocolate browns of these canvasses worked pretty well. For me, it's more about the textures than the legibility, though the smaller text on the prints is legible if you enlarge the photographs.

 Friends are the family we choose for ourselves

I really like the idea of modern, loose artwork, in combination with old, structured pages of text. Quite a contrast in style, but harmonised by the colour.

Lovers do not finally meet,

they knew each other all along

Which reminds me of being taught about using contrasts in calligraphy: that they could be striking with a bold visual impact, or subtle & harmonious. But either way they should look as if you meant it... the viewer shouldn't be left asking the question, 'Did she mean to do that or is it a mistake?'

Just thought I'd share that while I thought about it!

to love and be loved is the greatest happiness

To begin with, I had thought about adding more layers, but the more I looked at these the more I liked them as they are. It's funny, I love the layered collages that other people create, & really admire them, but I struggle to make myself add more!

I have listed them in suziscribbles shop, here

... need to sort out the wonky heart on the last one tho'!!

What the Postman Brought!

They're old & battered...

...they have broken spines & their covers are stained.

They are literally falling apart with loose & missing pages....

But just look at the colours & textures of the pages in these old french books...

*swoon*

They will be finding their way into the shop after I have had time to savour them a while... most likely packed as bundles of vintage french book pages. If anyone would like a book or two just give me a shout!

These however, have been in my hands for a while...

I am now offering mixed packs of old french dictionary pages 

& pages from a french literature school study book.

 I thought the combination of words with studies of authors 

& poets would complement each other.

You can find them over here

Ocean Loving Bookworm...

Did you know that "bookworm" in Finnish is "kirjatoukka"? or that in French it is "rat de biblioteque" ie library rat? Well now you do... It's written here on an old dictionary page that includes the  french/english translation

And did you know "merisielu" in Finnish translates as "ocean soul"... someone who has a deep affinity for the sea & is at home there. The french/english translation for 'ocean' is on this page. I like the idea of there being a word on the printed page that relates to what I may write.

I get led on some fascinating journeys of discovery as I follow clues in the requests I get. As I double checked the definitions I'd been given I found these lyrics... 

Merisielu

Yksi yö lisää

Sietää tämä painajainen

Mitä muuta minun täytyy sanoa

Itku vuokseni ei koskaan ollu kyyneleen arvoinen

Yksinäinen sieluni on ainoastaa pelolla täytetty

Pitkät tunnit yksinäisyyden

Välissä minun ja meren

Tunteen kadotus

Antaumuksen löytäminen

Tulisiko minun puketua valkoiseen ja etsiä merta

Kuten olen aina toivonut - Yhtä aaltojen kanssa

Merisielu

Kulkien vuorovesilinjaa

Kuulen nimesi

Enkelitkö kuiskailevat

Jotain niin kaunista joka satuttaa

Toivoin ainoastaan tulevani joksikin kauniiksi

Lävitse musiikkini, lävitse hiljaisen antaumukseni.

Ocean Soul

One more night

To bear this nightmare

What more do I have to say

Crying for me was never worth a tear

My lonely soul is only filled with fear

Long hours of loneliness

Between me and the sea

Losing emotion

Finding devotion

Should I dress in white and search the sea

As I always wished to be - one with the waves

Ocean Soul

Walking the tideline

I hear your name

Is angels wispering

Something so beautiful it hurts

I only wished to become something beautiful

Through my music, through my silent devotion

One day I will just have to do a full piece with these.... especially after reading more about Tuomas Holopainen who wrote them...

~ tuomas holopainen ~ 

sorry for that little distraction *sigh*

back to book pages...

The first drafts were with watercolour: I like the muted tones with my photograph of old book spines... I think it conjures up the image of an old library or study, walls lined with bookshelves...& the unique scent as you turn ancient pages...

I was just looking back at the title & thought..

 Ocean loving bookworm, gsoh, wltm... 

there's my lonely hearts ad started if I ever need one!

How would your ad go?

Vintage Book Pages for Collage

 There's something almost sacrilegious about tearing up old books...

 even though they are battered i feel like i'm committing a crime...

but it would be more of a crime, i think, if they were to be tipped in a skip, or to lie in a box in some dark attic, or to gather dust on a shelf.... untouched, unread, unloved...

i checked they weren't valuable... in monetary terms....

their value is in the oldness, their feel & smell, the memories that someone else, perhaps long gone, has of receiving them... of turning their pages...

(now available in the shop)

But even if they did turn out to be a rarity, i argue with myself, that this way, they bring joy to many people, not just one collector who has the means to keep such things for their eyes only...

No, this way, people can play with...

doing what they....

Lisa~ Mudhound Studio

in many other ways...

Cat~ La Dolce Vita

Sam~ Surfacing

I remember watching with a sense of fascination as Fiona began "the burning" which led to this display...

Fiona~ Paper Ponderings

Yes, in this way, the words on the pages become something much more than the original author or publisher could have ever envisioned... mini masterpieces of texture & sentiment, filled with the love & passion of the artists who create them (and no doubt some anguish at times too). Things of beauty that bring joy, not only to the creatrix/creator, but to all of us who view & swoon over them....