Collaged Box For Paper Dolls, and Weathered Wood Textures

Happy Autumn! It's one of my favourite times of the year - the ocean temperature lags by about three months, and the weather is mild, so swimming is glorious. Happy Spring too, for those opposite us :)

Recently my daughter started gymnastics seriously, with two afternoon sessions and two morning sessions, plus my son plays basketball and does gymnastics too. I needed a project that's easy to work on in the car. 

When I was young I used to cut up old dress pattern catalogues my Mum was finished with, choosing some models to be the dolls, and others to be sacrificed as clothes with tabs at the shoulders and sides. I've been collecting paper dolls on my Pinterest site hoping to interest my daughter - but no way!

Oh well, I'm still just a big kid! I printed out some paper dolls to have a go at assembling and dressing. 

The old chocolate box I carried them in was unattractive, so decided to alter it...

In Photoshop Elements I've been adding the heads of my favourite Edwardian and Belle Epoch actresses onto paper dolls by E.K. Duncan. One of them didn't work as she was facing sideways, so she now has a place on the box lid.

Layers of scrapbooking paper were glued on first, then some lace scraps, buttons and scrapbooking paper were ladded, along with the gorgeous image of Cléo de Mérode, a French dancer from the Belle Époque. I cut a paper frame for Cléo, and glued on a fabric rose embellishment cut from an old op shop blouse. I found a lace doiley to add lace to the sides of the box - a perfect fit. I just need to add some velvet ribbon when I find the right shade of olive green....

Now for some natural and man-made neutral beauty...

Around 7am after dropping off children to early morning gymnastics, I wandered along the edge of Batemans Bay. It was foggy as the sun rose...

The texture of these weathered boards caught my eye...

I couldn't resist a play with the images in Photoshop Elements when I returned home...

After dropping the children to school, I stopped at Broulee to have a walk on the beach...

 And a swim on the next beach, in water so pristine clear you can see your toenails at the bottom without goggles...

I'm linking up to Wen's blog Apple Apricot for Simply Neutrals #18. There you'll see links to some gorgeous neutral beauty.

Happy Autumn or Spring! Enjoy!

Simply Neutrals Tuesday # 5 Vintage linens, a wall hanging and a vintage recipe

Greetings everyone! My, the weeks fly by when they are measured by a Simply Neutrals Party! Tanks Wen for hosting it again.

This week I had a play with adding some frames to some of my photos. Here are some vintage linens in grey and cream and white, with a lovely jug (not vintage). I use it as a vase.

I especially love the cream jewellery box with the girl on the lid...

I had my first swim of the season a few days ago when it was hot, but now it's jumper weather again! Here is our local school bus stop beach with rainbows, in neutral cloudy weather. What a delight it is to wait for the bus here!

I passed these sailing boats moored so artistically every now and then for a few weeks, but there was nowhere to stop the car for a photo. The road runs alongside the river. One day the boats were in perfect formation, so I stopped further on and walked back to take this photo... on the Moruya River looking towards the Deua National Park.

I noticed these old boots stuffed with bottle brushes (a native Australian plant) on a bushwalk - I wonder what happened to the boots' owner... did he go barefoot? (Not many women with feet this size!) Slip out of the old boots into a new life, faking suicide? I had to take a picture...

Here's a photo I took at our Moruya Museum of a handwritten cookbook from 1895. I love it! The old wooden spoon is so worn, and the white stock was just perfect for the era. You can see recipes for pikelets, melting moments and Dundee Cake.

This rose book tells the story of Pierre-Joseph Redoute. Sadly, there are no pictures apart from the magnificent cover. It's not quite neutral, but the old pale pink mixes well with neutral colours...

I have started some pages for a new lace book. Here's the first one. I need to buy a new printer as mine has died, and I have almost run out of pictures to use!

If you like neutral colours, drop over to Wen's blog, Apple Apricot to join in the party or see more sumptuous neutrals.

Enjoy creating,

Jesse

Gorgeous Neutrals Linky Party # 1 Vintage Wedding Dress

Wen Sylvestre of 

www.appleapricot.blogspot.com 

               is having a linky party...

I'm joining in with some of my cherished neutral bits and pieces I've been collecting for years, some natural objects and some photos I've taken recently at our local museum.

I've been volunteering to take photos at my local museum in Moruya, Australia. My first few pictures are of a gorgeous wedding dress called 'Lillian'. It was worn by Lillian Pearce at her wedding to William Hunt in Newtown, Sydney in 1913.

Next, some beautiful sticks I found while walking on the beach...

I'm not sure if a black background is 'neutral'?

These scales don't work, but they are so beautiful...

I love this picture in its silvery frame.

A couple of special old books...

The theme is neutral coloured beauty, found, made or bought this week. You can post anything in cream, white, beige,grey, silver and brown. So pop over to wen's blog to see more at   www.appleapricot.blogspot.com http://appleapricot.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/simply-neutrals-tuesday-1.html

Thanks Wen for giving us this opportunity to share our beautiful neutrals!

Take care,

Jesse