Green Goddess, Absinthe Boudoir journal

How we do we capture the essence of the Green Goddess? ,As you can see, in this Vintage Absinthe Boudoir journal, I'm trying to capture her in a Victorian terrarium or bell jar.
In this journal, I incorporated papers, materials, ephemera, flowers pigment inks and techniques from Graphic 45, 7 Gypsies, Tim Holtz, Prima, K&Company, and Recollections.

The cover and back of this mini journal and album are Engraved Garden from K&Company.  Accented with an altered vintage image from a painting by Sir, Edward Burne Jones.  I though if anyone could represent the dreams of a Victorian, capturing the Green Goddess this might be the image.
I'm a huge fan of Burn-Jones because of his choice of models and how delicately he draws or paints the human form. 
In keeping with the turn of the century in England, and it's fascination with botany due to the many exciting new botanical discoveries, The Green Goddess as a lunar moth might be Botanist, who imbibed absinthe, might use of capturing such an alluring and allusive specimen. 

And now to the impact of absinthe on our botanist - inside there are vintage labels, bottles and art from the heyday of the Parisian art scene for where else would a cultured person from England go to find such a rare thing than the cafe's in Montmarte, where Picasso, Modigliani and so many other artists were viewing the nude in a whole new way.
  
The First page has a graphic 45 image in the corner on a piece of open stock paper and a pocket made with 7 Gypsies paper, embellished with a bottle of vintage Pernod, and in the pocket a painting by Picasso during his blue period, titled "The Absinthe Drinker." painted 1903.  Another tag is also in the pocket which is embossed with a Sizzix die and accented with Ranger Ink and Perfect Pearls.  

So as an amateur botanist, and after finding the gorgeous K&Company Engraved Garden paper pad, I decided to create this vintage Absinthe mini journal with a blend of Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Fin de siècle, influences from the Parisian scene during the turn of the 18th to 19th centuries.

On the second and third pages, I used a piece of one of Brenda Waltons 4X6 paper pads which resemeb a botanists's notebook. 
 On the third page is a another scrap of open stock paper with a pocket made of colored cardstock and a painting by Van Gogh of an absinthe-filled glass and the bottle of water to create the louche. Tcked inside the pocket is a cubist piece by Picasso's, "A Table in a Cafe (Pernod Bottle)" 1912. 

This chock-full journal has a place for everything related to your fascination with absinthe, from a place to schedule tastings, record favorite brands, list your favorite bistros, cafes and pubs which offer Absinthe brands from around the world and right at home, to your favorite absinthe art.

On the fifth page is a Smash journaling tag which states, "Yes" and a pocket showing an advertising painting of The Green fairy on a table in a meadow waiting for the absinthe drinkers.  A cardstock tag stamped with a Graphic 45 stamp is of a dancer in a petaled skirt who could be yet another version of The Green Fairy. 
On the  six page is another journaling spot accented with black flowers and a metallic copper cardstock pocket embellished with a vintage absinthe label. Inside is an embossed copper cardstock art nouvea photomat, accented with Perfect Pearls. And a realism figure painting of a man who looks like Baudelaire titled, "Absinthe Drinker" by Edwourd Manet,1867.
 

This is a compact, ribbon-tied mini journal and photo album where you can record dreams, jot down memories, keep lists, contacts and quotes, save notes on tastings and write your experiences while visiting with The Green Fairy. There are plenty of pockets and envelopes where you can tuck away small trinkets or love letters, lots of tags and photo mats for photos.

The Seventh page is off open stock paper and an absinthe label is added at the top.  In the pocket from K&Company's Once Upon a Time paper stack depicts a dreamy landscape.  Inside the seventh and eight pages is a tag pocket envelop which opens up.  On the cover flap and back page flap are papers from the Engraved Garden paper stack. 

The inside is a large photo mat or two smaller photomats made with a combo of  papers from the Julieanna paper stack and the Once3 Upon a Time paperstack, both by K&Company.

The ninth page contains a large envelope made from Engraved Garden paper kept together with green sealing wax stamped with a Griffin. Inside is another painting tag  from the 1900's.
Beneath the envelope is another vintage absinthe label. 

And the final page is made with open stock papers. Includes a tag pocket made with Julianne paper on and inside the lower border is the painting, "The Muse" by Albert Maignon, 1895. 


I made this boudoir journal using the instructions offered by Steffogal1 on her expert you tube video for her "super cute and fast journal."
The 7 1/2 by 3/12 boudoir journal is the perfect size to take with you to tastings or keep on a bedside table so as to remember all those brilliant ideas, story lines, plans and fantasies that are part of the absinthe drinker's experience. As with everything mysterious, you know you may forget them if too much times passes by. As with most of my other mini journals, this one is available on My Etsy.

Vintage Writer's mini album, journal, portfolio

 As a writer, I always need a notebook to jot down my ideas. plot strategies and sometimes entire paragraph's and every writer likes something really special to put their hopefully future published ideas.
So I chose to make a sort of vintage writer's portfolio which can serve as both journal and photo album. The cover using a brown and ivory paper sports the perfect typewriter magnet up oin the corner and a Graphic 45 typewriter tag is attached as well. To the side is a fussy cut vintage fountain pen and a mini mini book I made. I couldn't find any small books so decided to make one. the title says pages de journal (journal pages) and it has a a cover that looks like leather but is really handmade mulberry paper over a metallic copper card stock used as book board. and inside there are 12 small ivory linen pages. the book opens and can be written in, and closes with a metal wire clasp, as does the portfolio although the metal wire is twisted steel and bronze wire.
I made this journal using the instructions offered by Steffogal1 on her expert you tube video for her "super cute and fast journal. I used papers, materials, ephemera, pigment inks and techniques from Graphic 45, 7 Gypsies, Tim Holtz, Prima, K&Company, and Recollections.
Inside the 12 pages of this 7 by 3 inch portfolio, you'll find to do lists, many pockets, envelopes and a library card holder, and tucked inside are lots of photomats and tags to use for notes, even a handmade bookmarker.

On the first inside page, I added a smash to do list over a brown cardstock background. A lower border of metallic copper card stock which I embossed with my Tim Holtz cogs and gears folder and then cut with the Tim Holtz pennant edge die. Inside the border I tucked a tag I made with vintage vellum newspaper with news and advertising for London events.  Every writer, needs to keep up with the news!  How many novels are written just at the inspiration of some headline or even tiny footnote?
On the third page, I attached an enveloiped and tag I made from K&Company julianne paper stack.  the handwritten paper was perfect.  I then added a seal of a griffin with some deep red sealing wax. and a jaunty top hat in the corner shows our writer is one his way to hunt for inspiration.

The third page has a silver metallic folder with a ocket watch as a reminder that time is of the essence as Arthur Conan Doyle would have Holmes say, and tucked in the pocket is a bookmarker I made with another vintage s style Tim Holtz embossing folder.
The fourth page has another journlaing spot with a typewriter, reminding nay to be author that they must write, writer, write! A book page by Grapohic 45 tucked into a lower border emphasizes the sentiment.

The fifth page boasts a number of Graphic 45 cards and tags from both the Communique as well as the Botanicabella collections.  An elaborate Victorian  advertising for tthe best fountain pens is tucked into a corner pocket and an illuminated book page is tucked further back.
On the sixth page, I used a tag from a tag pad from K&Company's Halloween tag pad, covered the words, "witches brew" with a pen nib illustration and added a pocket at the bottom which holds the title page of a thesaurus, as important to a writer as Watson was to Holmes! A Smash sticky note with a pencil, is another reminder.

   On the seventh page, a border holds a tag I made, and a metallic copper photomat and behind is a larger metllic silver photomat - because each author should have photos of their characters if he chooses to base them on real people - which I must confess I do, or at least an amalgamation of real people. which IAs inspiration there are Victorian advertising cards, a vintage newspaper list of news and events, scraps of handwritten letters, old advertising and document cards. 
Now the 8th page is tricky, for here you'll find a fold out envelope pocket holding a photomat with a smash lightbulb sticky note on it as well as lavishly leather covered book illustration.  And below is a secret pocket made from a tag designed by Debbe Anne Parent owner of Vintage Garden Ephemera. When you turn the page you discover the envelop folds out bearing an true vintage label (not a reproduction) advertising spiriteaux from France, because as many writers know liquid inspiration is one of the cures for white page fever.

And then as you turn the page you discover the back of the eyeglass tag is a pocket accented with and embossed border and an arrow reminder to look to the next page. And tucked inside the pocket is a black photomat.  
The final page sports a library holder marked with an"Urgent" sicker, since as we all know it's time to finally submit that manuscript to a publisher b y the agreed upon and all important deadline!  Before computers, emails and the internet, the tedious process must be undertaken by hand, printing, packaging and sealing a writer's child, his most important document up until that moment in his life which he must then mail, with insurance and document information because heaven forbid it never reaches the editor's transom.  I have to say, the old methods of submitting a book to some publisher in New York or London was such a nerve wracking ritual and I do believe its important for every writer to go through such a character-building initiation - because when they receive that acceptance letter - the joy is so much the more intense, thanks to all the pain and waiting suffered beforehand.