My Creative Space..

My creative space this week is the beginnings of my new little adventure. For the past five years I have been dreaming up ideas, drawing layouts, scribbling text and gluing pages, all with the distant thoughts of create a literary zine. Finally after all these years of dreaming are now coming together as I am finally beginning the production of my very first zine appropriately titled.. Her Library Adventures.

Part fiction, a little literary theory and great deal of musing amongst text and photography, Her Library Adventures is a journey through the written word and the tales and dreams behind dusty bookshelves. I hope to have it complete and for sale in my little Etsy shop in early May.

Filled with notebooks, scribbles, photography, drafts, ink and inspiring works by Nick Bantock, T.S Eliot, Lewis Carroll and Virginia Woolf my desk is overflowing with centuries of words.

I stumble upon old artworks and collages and am inspired to rework, redesign and bring all my years of work together into beautiful ink stained and hand stitched pages.

Head over to Kristy at Kootoyoo to join in the fun and show off your Creative Space.

I'm off to create, read, laugh and enjoy a delightful evening with my hubby over wine and homemade pizza.

Much love on this beautiful Thursday
xxx

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Words and Pictures - Cosy

Cosy - to me this word brings many images, a lovely cup of tea, hugs on a cold night, curling up with a book in my favourite chair, sleeping in on Sunday morning. I have thought all day about what makes me feel really cosy in life and I realised it was not to be warm or nurtured, it was in fact to feel at home.. deep within my soul.

It has taken me many years to find the key to my home and after much searching I found it were closer than I thought, there in the bottom of my handbag.. was my pen.


On my Grade three report card, my teacher told me I was a prolific writer and from that moment I have written almost everyday since. Hundreds of pages, more words than I can image created with ink, staining my soul. They may not amount to an acclaimed novel just yet, but they are all mine. Filled with emotion, drawn from deep within, a place I can only find in those quiet moments. My world is warm, inviting and cosy.. when I have a pen in my hand and my journal in front of me, a fire rages in my soul. There is nothing between my heart and my words except my ink stained hands.

Thank you to all those writers who inspire me daily.. Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter, Emily Bronte, Virgina Woolf, Sonya Hartnett, Sophie Gee and my very favourite fictional writer Josephine March, for all your beautiful words...

Thank you also to Pip from Meet me at Mikes who has created this inspiring writing exercise each week. It is a beautiful time to remember all the things you love.

Much love and ink stains..
xxx

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A literary weekend..

Searching through a shelf of old books may not seem like much to some but I find just adore the search for that very special piece of history. I must have married well because my hubby seems to enjoy it almost as much as I do. Saturday we wondered down to Sweet Lily, a lovely little cottage style homewares shop with antiques out the back. They have a wonderful collection of books and antiques. I was looking for some cheap damaged books to use in my artwork but what we discovered was very special indeed.

From top to bottom:
Beautiful red leather early 1900's copy of Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin. Another 'Rules of Syntax' book for my collection filled with sweet ink stained pages. A 1895 copy stunning hardcover copy of Sweetheart Travellers by S. R Crochett. My hubby's pick - A History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Winston S. Churchill

Sesame & Lilies and Sweetheart Travellers came from the same collection and both have these amazing worn pages that I just adore.

Inspired by these beautiful pages I just couldn't resist creating a new mixed media collage, inspired by my favourite tale of adventure by Mr. Lewis Carroll.

Many Tea Things - Original Mixed Media Collage

Created on an early 20th century prescription book cover, this collage is something I've been dreaming up for a little while and can't wait to make some more in the series. You can find it in my little shop now.

Remember to let me know if you have fabric scraps you would like created into a collage brooch. For more information read my post from earlier today. Also my new collection of brooches is selling quickly so make sure you pop over to my shop and see if there is something special for you or a loved one.

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend, I'm off to cook dinner and get ready for 'Lost in Austen' I can't wait. Everyone needs a little Austen in their lives.

Much love
xxx

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Shop Update!

Sophie Isobel Designs is simply bursting with new brooches including two new scrap collage brooches hot off the sewing machine. Inspired my the changing seasons there is a little bit of Spring and a touch of Autumn in this new collection.

A little something for the artist, the shutter bug and those who can't resist a garden party.

Two of my favourites - 'I heart Owls' and The Photographer.

This lovely little one off collection is now available in my Etsy shop. As you can see I'm getting very close to 100 sales which is very exciting! To mark this special event, my 100th sale will receive TWO custom brooches as a special gift with their purchase. Sale 99 will also receive a special treat so get in quick!

Do you have lovely little scraps just lying around your studio? If you send me your scrap fabric, I will create a lovely scrap collage brooch for you for half price. Not only will you be cleaning your studio and helping the planet, you get a fab one of a kind brooch for only four dollars (US). Interested? Leave a comment or email at sophieisobeldesigns@hotmail.com and tell me about your ideas and lovely scraps. Can't wait to hear from you!

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday! I will be back later after a little more creating and some essay marking with the delights I found antiquing yesterday.

I'm can hear the kettle calling my name.
Much love
xxx

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Shopping List Saturday

As you wonder deep down the garden path, through the roses bushes and weeping willows you come to a door, a secret door that only a key will open... My shopping list this week is inspired by one of my favourite little trinkets, vintage keys. So come with me as we explore the depth of cupboard drawers and shoe boxes to find the perfect key to open the secret garden.

1. Keep to the key - greeting card by littlebrownsparrow
2. Locked Away Print by LeaSeguin
3. Favorite Things Print by MarmeeCraft
4. Home by OpulentOddities
5. The Letter -Print Canvas by ArtoftheMoment
6. Nest -fine art photograph by AliHarper

My fascination with old keys began with an old TV movie version of the novel The Secret Garden and a beautiful children's book titled The Secret Staircase by Jill Barklem. With old keys comes many adventures, doors to be unlocked and secrets waiting to be revealed. Today they are scattered all over my house and often around my neck as a reminder to always keep my eyes and imagination open and on the look out for my very own Secret Garden.

Take a moment to brew a fresh pot of tea and pop over to the fabulous Fancy Picnic to check out the other amazing Shopping Lists. The perfect Saturday afternoon..

My, it's Saturday and there are just so many wonderful things to do, I'm going to pop out to one of my favourite antique shops to and scour through the old books and photographs for a treasure or two. I'm also on the look out for new fabric and the chance to take my new ruby slippers on their first outing.

Have a beautiful Saturday
xxx

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Lots to do, in ruby red shoes...

It is indeed that fabulous day of the week again... the day a throw my handbag over my shoulder and skip out of work with two glorious days ahead of me. This afternoon my fabulous friend and shopping partner Joelene and I had our usual Friday catch up over tea and hummingbird cake and then made a beeline for our favourite little shoe shop. Our little venture was very successful.. I will let the shoes speak for themselves.. My very own ruby slippers.

Ruby T-bars from I love Billy. My third pair of this brand, I just adore them!
Now all I need is my own yellow brick road.

With the book shop next to the shoe shop its very hard to resist a little look through the some of my favourites for one can never have too many books. I always end up at the fabulous five dollar shelf of classics and found two little keepers.

I'm teaching Anne Bronte in Literature next term and only have a good copy so this will be perfect for notes and highlighting and a little James Joyce never goes astray on one's bookshelf.

As the sun goes down on this lovely Friday I'm settling in for a quiet night creating. I've been hanging out all week to just play amongst my felt and fabric, with so many ideas circling in my head. My students have even been suggesting phrases to me, my favourite this afternoon.. I heart Garden Gnomes.

Tools ready to get to work..

I've been very lucky this week to receive not one but two awards! A huge thank you to Hayley for the Kreativ Blogger Award and Sharon at Blossom for Unique and Chic. I'm so honoured to receive both of these awards and I'm very excited to pass them on to some very beautiful blogs. When you get the Kreativ Blogger award you are to list seven things you love, I think from all my brooches you know all the things I heart (if not go have a peak at my Etsy shop), so I will simply list the lovely people who I would love to give these awards to.

Kreativ Blogger Award
End of March
Emma Lamb
Gretchenmist
Tea For Joy
Ngaahi
Edward and Lilly
Gumball Grenade

Unique and Chic
The Inner Stitch
Hens Teeth
Shutter-Sweet
Two Pink Possums

Wishing you a wonderful Friday, hope it is full of all your favourite things! I'm off to begin dreaming up creations and find some fabulous Etsy creations for my shopping list in the morning.

Have a wonderful Friday
xxx

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My Creative Space..

After many days of sewing and packing my creative space was very chaotic indeed. So I enjoyed taking a moment out last night to have a little tidy up so I could finally see my work desk again. With all of this clean space just screaming to be messed up again, this week's creative space is the beginnings of many new projects and lovely packages I have received over the past few days..

Desk full of lovely bits including:
A delightful handmade card from Courtney
Magazines soon to be 'torn apart' for my inspiration journal
Gorgeous new artist book created by the amazing Cathy Cullis
Board of swatches for my Georgie Love collection
CUTE new fabric from the Fabric Shoppe

I just couldn't resist this gorgeous Alexander Henry owl print fabric. I can see some very sweet owl brooches being created very soon and a little treat for my owl loving besty.

Head over to Kristy at Kootoyoo to join in the fun and show off your Creative Space.

I'm off with my glue and scissors for some long awaited inspiration gathering. It is always one of my favourite parts of the creation process. My heart just leaps every time I turn the page to find something unique and beautiful.

Wishing you an inspiring Thursday
xxx

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