In the library with the rope...

After my day with Julie Arkell it was straight into holiday mode as Niobe and I took a short break to Dublin for a few days. I thought I'd just show a few of the things that appealed to me starting with the quirky



bar decoration - with sellotaped plates attached to the outside...



Vintagey pub window display...



a nod to Warhol!



an over the top Traditional Irish Restaurant



the very moving homage to the Irish famine migrants



and the wonderful Winding Stair bookcase - recommended by Elaine (Jaboopee) whose blog I've followed for the last year. We met up with Elaine and chatted away as if we'd known each other for ages. If you haven't seen her blog its well worth checking out (see side bar).



This bookshop was different from all the chain bookshops we have over here: there was a table covered with old Penguin books. Wouldn't mind reading "Reading for profit"! Sounds like a great idea!



There were bookcases full of more Penguins in a very informal "living room" style.





This is the only picture I have with any blue sky and I was thrilled that it came out over the famous spire - we did get very soggy!




I enjoyed the little witticisms scattered around the walls like this one...



but oh how I wished the room below was a photo opportunity. Probably the most overwhelming sight I have ever seen (I always wanted to be a librarian so this presses all my buttons!) No photos allowed (this is courtesy of google images)but wall to wall, ceiling to floor leather bound books and, according to our wag of a guide, never read as they are shelved according to size so no-one has ever managed to find the book they want! The galleried sections are shelved up to the gallery rails but there are little doors between each section so technically you could get from one end of this extremely long room right to the other end. What a shame we weren't allowed to walk along the upper section.



The smell of old leather bound books - just exquisite, (not the musty smell of second hand books shops), I could wax lyrical about this for hours. I'm not ashamed to say Niobe asked why I was crying - and I could only respond that I had been totally unprepared for anything quite so wonderful and was completely moved. It could only have been bettered if I could have gone behind the ropes and fingered the books, opening and browsing the old paper and fonts, the marbled endpapers - oh what beauty lies within those old leather jackets. I wanted to trace with my fingertips the letters marking out the shelves from a-z and then aa, bb, cc and so on until you couldn't see the letters as the shelves were so far above my head....

For Julie Arkell lovers!

Not sure where to start as it's been a hectic week and I want to share it all with you but I'm going to split it into two as this is going to be very picture heavy!



For a couple of years I've been looking for a Julie Arkell course that fell within my price range and despairing that I'd ever be able to afford one 'til I found she was holding a course at the workshop of Louise Presley of Hope and Elvis whose courses I attend a couple of times a year. So Sunday saw me packing my basket with a few bits in preparation. All we knew really was that we wouldn't be doing any papier mache (which was good for me as my earlier forays into that world had had a sticky ends with little to show for them!



When we arrived it was lovely to see Julie's things hanging around Louise's studio (The studio always looks good but it was looking particularly lovely with Julie's things around too).



There were about 15 of us in the group wandering around taking pictures and talking to Julie as we waited for the rest of the group to arrive (think some had forgotten about the clocks going forward)...



I love the way that Julie displays her brooches on vintage clothing...



So what were we going to make?



well we could make these lovely brooches inspired by one Julie had seen at the Imperial War Museum probably in the forties,



faux watches guaranteed to be correct twice a day!



I think for me the real stars are these rabbit inspired brooches and little brooches made from scrps of fabric too small to do anything with but too precious to throw out!



There were Julie's famous fabric rabbits made from socks and other discarded bits and pieces...




One of Julie's boxes of bits - delighfully faded and gorgeous - why buy new when we can all have a stab at something like this?



Julie herself was a lovely lady and I have to admire her style although I'm not sure I could get away with it. She even had a ticking stripes underkirt peeping out from under her dress, with one of her statement aprons over the top. She was so genuine and delighted in what we were making and even the bits and pieces that people had taken along with them...



More inspirational bits ...



Gorgeous little brooches...



Here Julie is admiring one of Louise's vintage fairisles...



Down to work (or should I say play) and we were all invited to make one of the forties style brooches. This was good for me as I'm not the most artistic although I'm very enthusiatic!



Once we had done that we were able to make whatever we liked based on Julie's work - more decisions!





One lady bought this lovely piece - "spilt jam" which quite by chance fitted the little wooden box which she had taken with her with it's well worn bit of dried heather in it! (She admitted to being a collector of Julie's work - lucky girl!)



In the end I decided on one of the little brooches - almost like a medal ribbon - assembled from some of the bits I'd taken with me, rather than starting something I wouldn't have time to finish (which often happens!). These are my two brooches on a background of my late father's slipover (from the forties). I've had this for years and now I know what to do with it! Thanks Julie!



If ever you get the chance to attend one of these events take it - its about so much more than what you come home with in your hands - its far more about inspiration you bring home with you and the ideas that subsequently flood your head! Hope you have enjoyed this selection from the day! Do tell me which piece you like best...

Love Wend