5 in 5 - June 2015 - A CHEST OF PAPER TREASURE

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of

each month I post 5 photos that I have

taken in 5 minutes. 

 
Yesterday I wondered what photos to take for this months 5 in 5.
The garden is looking good and I had other ideas in mind but I decided to trust that the day would bring something special. 

And it did! 

Because when I visited a friend she showed me an old chest she has just been given.  Inside it was packed full of old newspapers.... decades old and fragile. 

And between these were vintage patterns and the most beautiful ledger with marbled paper cover and  exquisite handwriting.  We guessed the newspapers had been saved to make dress making patterns because there was a collar shape piece and other clues.
 
My heart was all a flutter!! 

Now, some people would look at this pile of paper and just burn it or put it in the skip unable to understand that to others this is pure treasure.

And I am ecstatic that this chest was rescued from this possible fate, and to know my friend Pauline will make good use of it and love it as much as the original owner.  This chest and its contents deserve that because you can tell by the carefully cut pattern pieces and notes in the ledger that this was work of love. 

I love all things haberdashery, it reminds me of my grandmother who was a dress maker and the hours we would spend together quietly sewing and chatting.  I am immediately transported back in time, and so it is with this chest.  

Inside there are envelopes addressed to Miss G. Harrison, living in London and dated 1933. 

I wonder what G stands for..... Gertrude? Grace?  I may never know.  There are ways of finding out if I really want to put the pieces together but for now I will just enjoy the patterns that Pauline gave me.  And I hope Miss Harrison would be happy to know that her work continues to give pleasure and be appreciated. I have ideas how I might use these patterns and I may be back one day to show you....

Meantime if you would like to join in this monthly photo challenge please link in below so I can come and see your photos. Here's the plan:

 

  1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a timer for 5 minutes (I use my mobile phone).

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool below. 

   Please note: 

You can take  your photos any time, they do not have to be taken on 5th!
And you have until the 25th of the month to add your photos to the link.

 

There are more details here. 

Thank you for popping by, your company and comments are always appreciated and special thanks to Maggie, Joy, Eileen, Helena and Melanie who took part last month. 
 


INDEX CARD A DAY CHALLENGE

I am behind with my regular blog posts, not because I have been neglectful but because on top of everything else I decided to make a PhotoBox album, using photos from my Shetland adventure.  With over 4,000 to choose from it seemed the best way to show my photos but this is my first time of using PhotoBox and because I am redesigning each page layout rather than using the standard ones offered it is taking much time and steep learning! Luckily I am getting there very slowly.  The offer was time limited which put me under much pressure but I have just learnt that I can pay for an extension and I think this will be much needed. I can relax a little and catch up with other things!   

With every day already full I told myself I will not take on any new projects because then I heard about INDEX CARD A DAY CHALLENGE. This immediately sounded exciting because although I spend a lot of hours making things with paper I usually have a goal in mind and a time frame.  This challenge encourages you to take a small piece of card everyday and just play for no purpose or reason. Remember how we used to do that as a child! Sadly we have to be reminded as an adult....

I know how important it is to set this time aside so this gave me the nudge I needed.  And yesterday I gathered a stack of card that was cut to the size that I wanted and I plan to put some small basic materials in a bag ready to use.  Basically these are the same as I took to the Shetlands: a couple of sharpie pens, black ink pad, a pen for writing with, a small set of alphabet stamps, scissors and some scraps of paper and glue stick. I made a list of ideas for inspiration but plan to be spontaneous and go with the flow... and I am putting no pressure on myself.  If I miss a day, so be it, but as I have everything I need and plan to keep it simple I can do it on the go. Cards will be completed in as little as 5 minutes or more if I choose and as my Mum has a hospital appointment coming up I can doodle on a card while I am in the waiting room, or make a card instead of spending time on Facebook!  A game of solitaire must take the same time as it will to make a card... yes, this should be manageable! 

Yesterday I was printing photos and spontaneously decided to manipulate one of them:

                                
I love how it turned out as I have a strong urge to make my own prints using wood and lino.  These cards will certainly be a good way to try them out, though adding more than one colour will be a challenge and learning curve!!   All tips welcome!

I copied the photo onto a word document so that I could position and get the image size to fit the card so that I could print straight onto it. I then added the words using small alphabet stamps and this is my Index Card for Day 1.  I am planning to make one a day through June and July, and you never know, this might become a routine I enjoy enough to continue.  But for now I'd best go and make day 2! 

Do let me know if you join in this challenge and where I can see your cards if you share them! I'll be back to share some of mine but
meantime thank you for popping by.