Music was my first love.

Oh my, the whole of April has flown past and I have not managed to blog, I feel like a naughty employee and have given myself a written warning.

It's not that I haven't been busy taking photos, quite the opposite, but as the photos are being held for release by the artists themselves, I'm unable to do the full reveal. 

For those who don't know about my previous life in music, heres a brief run-down.  My fist job after leaving college was on music papers and magazines, I was fortunate enough to be present at the birth of a new music magazine called Kerrang! and became one of the very first employees of this mag which specialised in ROCK of the heavy kind.  During this time I was the magazine secretary, and also had my own little column, I took photos on the quiet under a false name, as it was frowned upon by those in charge, for a mere secretary to do more than ... type.

It was back in the days of manual cameras and manual typewriters. One learns ones skill very well this way I believe. 

stop laughing, yes this is me, and yes I did play Bass

Over the years working on magazines and in record companies, I have made some wonderful, artistic, clever and talented friends.
None more so than the incredibly brilliant Katharine Blake (leader and founder of the Mediaeval Baebes).  

this is Katharine performing a few DAYS before giving birth to her daughter.

Katharine Blake and her life partner Nick Marsh, parents of two little girls, have recorded a cd of duets under their band title "From the Deep", the music is haunting, atmospheric and a meeting of two different worlds. My description, well its like David Lynch met Thomas Hardy and this is the soundtrack to that film.

The most professional person I have ever worked with, Katharine is fearless, she waded out into the deep dark murky, smelly and cold waters of the lake without batting an eyelid.  I felt very worried that my idea would result in Kat and Nick catching pneumonia particularly as by the end of the session Kat was waist deep.

So from old acquaintances to new ones, and some emerging talent that is being developed in the studio at this very moment. Some hooky, catchy, pop music ..... here is one sneaky pic from this new artist which I took this month.

Other news this month, the book I knitted some projects for is now out, its called "Fair Isle & Nordic Knits" by Nicki Trench and available to purchase if you click here

I knitted the bright coloured socks, a grey yoked jumper, a cushion and a few other things.  

The projects in this book are gorgeous, traditional designs with a colour twist. The jumper is a very easy project, believe it or not, I am now a convert of the yoke style of knitting sweaters, particularly if you, like me, are a fan of knitting in the round on circular needles. 

As as you can now see, I am an authority on what is 'rock n roll' and I'm telling you, knitting is the new 'rock n roll' ... so there. 

Tattoo Style

One of my current projects is a little something which I have invented all on my own, merging my eclectic tastes and sometimes conflicting styles and interests.  This series of photos is entitled "Tattoo Style" and I shall be fleshing this out more and more over the course of this year. I'm saving my words on the subject for another medium but for the blog lovers out there, heres a selection from the series.....

dreamcatchers and Indian Girls

Art Nouveau and Peacock Feathers

Antlers and Skulls, heads and hands

hot air balloons

dreamcatchers

religious

Wise old Owls and Scientific Steampunkery

Nouveau swirls

Skulls and Roses

Keys and Skulls

Credits for items used in the photos should go to Van Asch who designs the coolest cushions and fabrics, BrocantUK who travel all over Europe collecting the weird and wonderful and to charity shops everywhere, without whom I would be a lot less inspired.

I shall also be updating my Steller story with these photos, Steller is a new app for your phone where you can make collections of photos, videos and words, its rather lovely, so please find me there under the same name I use on twitter Jan.is.IT (my homage to Will.i.am and because its about time I cashed in on having such a ridiculous name).

See you all soon xxx love Janice

Marlow bound on an antiques hunt ...

I like to shop local, well lets be honest, I like to shop, anyway, supporting your local independent retailers, I do believe, is a very good thing.  When it comes to Antiques it's essential as you can never just go out and find exactly what you want when you want it, you have to keep an open mind, wait sometimes or be flexible.  It's treasure hunting of the highest order.

Today I took a mooch down to Marlow at the other end of Bucks, to two places I know have excellent stock.  I'm currently working on a series of photos called "Tattoo Style", its a working title but one I hope to make my own, (sounds like something they would say on the X Factor), I digress.

First stop was HOME BARN

It's just on the outskirts of Marlow at Tithe Barn, Wilton Farm, Marlow Road SL7 3RR, look out for the Farm Shop signs as there is produce for sale just next door.

Home Barn have a very distinct curated style, collections under glass domes, cool memorabilia, strange and unusual, pulled together in a very stylish way. Their look very much sits into my Tattoo Style theme, plus, like myself they have an association with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, which they sell and use on some pieces. 

These photos should give you a feel for the beautiful high vaulted barn, full to the brim with vintage loveliness.

the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colours are shown on wooden spoons.

mini globes and American flags. 

medicine bottles

American advertising labels, butterflies under glass domes

If you are going to Home Barn then you really must take a short trip up the road to the Furniture Recycling Shop it is in Bourne End, opposite the station : SL8 5QE

The huge shop goes back a long way and has many many different styles and periods of vintage and antiques. Some pieces that look decidedly French, sitting amongst the kitsch and retro.  Lots of excellent wardrobes, if you need one, from Victorian through to Thirties and including armoir style. Their prices are great and if you are looking for furniture to make-over with paint you can find that here too.  Heres some photos taken in the shop ...

great display of cotton reels on a lovely old pine dresser

some Indian Kashmiri wears in a basket

very much pre-loved but gorgeous anyway

love this French lady and the shutters

beautiful dome

Marlow is a lovely town for a day out, parking is a bit difficult in the town centre but these two lovely shops have their own parking which is another bonus.  Check in with their facebook pages for updates of new stock. 

Chalk it up !

I awoke this morning to the dulcet tones of my other half shouting as he went out the door "can we keep the house tidy now .... pleeeease".    Hmmm, well I will have to think about that. 

The reason for the big tidy up was to be ready for a visit from Annie Sloan and her team to take some pics of how I have used her colours in my house.  So before I go and get the house all messy again I thought perhaps I should run around and snap before I start 'living' here again.  Honestly, its never really THAT messy, just that when you work from home and make and create it does look like a workshop more than a house. Also my house is my photography studio, so new looks, backdrops and props, all end up being incorporated into everyday living. 

I 'borrowed' some stock from the vintage importers "Brocant" for the purpose of photographing it for their website, they are  selling at fairs all over the south-east and also have a unit at the Brackley Antiques Cellar.  Gary and Ramon travel to Europe every month bringing back great religious statues, retro lava ceramics and taxidermy.

Brocant also now know that anything a bit folk and painted has my name on it, so the things I have 'borrowed' will now move into the 'bought' category.

 You may have seen the lampshade in the background before, I made the shade using a Russian scarf bought from Folkski.  Heres two of the lava ceramics from Brocant, the colours vibrate so perfectly with the Annie Sloan chalk paints in colours Florence and Antibes.

To balance the areas of intense colour I do have some calm corners, but a plain wall is just too much of a temptation and so I had to get my stencils out. 

 I also stencilled the screen above, I cut the stencil myself and this screen is a portable backdrop for me to use in photos. As it lives in the house I teamed it up with a chair I recently repaired.  The colours on the screen are Provence, with Emperors Silk, Graphite, White and Antibes chalk paints.

 Trusty Lorraine at Wild Orchid florists in Leighton Buzzard sorted me out with flowers.

 Oh the 1930's satin nightdress, well I just had to get it to decorate my bedroom with didn't I?  The other half said "but you wear mens pj's" well, perhaps when the weather warms up I will waft around in this little number.

As chalk paint sticks to practically everything I decided to paint my bath and the wall behind it. These colours certainly wake you up and give you some zing in the morning. Bathrooms and hallways can take the more intense colours so why not go for it yourself. I found the scarf tucked away, I had bought it in India years ago and together with some little birds from Holy Cow Home, and some slightly bonkers 1930's objects created this ummmm ... gypsy boho indian 30's theme. As Mr. Hopwood from the Great Interior Design Challenge would say "it's fusion".

More German lava ceramics from Brocant, these sit so well with the other retro pieces like Ercol, G-plan etc. Throw in some textiles picked up on your travels through India and Morocco and this is what you get. Please don't look to closely at our record collection, there is some well dodgy guilty pleasures hidden in that pile.

Sorry chaps but these three vases are staying with me, look how amazing they look with these lilies and anemones on the Aubusson coloured background.  I think that Lorraine at Wild Orchid will have to make a permanent order for me for orange Cala Lilies.

Sorry Annie for the obligatory photo but it just had to be done. 
To find where to get some of the items seen above here are the links :

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint : mine came from Making The Best
Brocant.co.uk retro and religious wears : on facebook
Wild Orchid Flowers : High Street Leighton Buzzard 
Holy Cow Home : Online http://www.holycowhome.co.uk/
Brackley Antiques Cellar :http://www.brackleyantiquecellar.co.uk/
Bohemian Beach Company  on facebook


Please find me on facebook for updates of when books and articles are being published. You can find me HERE

Lace Making, its bobbin' along nicely in Bucks.

For my column in Vale Life magazine I decided to do something I've been meaning to do for many years. When we were house hunting to move out of London we stumbled upon this area of Buckinghamshire by accident and on our many outings we would pop into craft fairs, church events, fetes and all other sorts of countryside activities. One of the first people I met was a lady called Rosemary Masters, she won't remember it I know, but she was showing her handmade lace at a church fair and told me then about how she teaches it at the local Art Centre.  This was one of the catalysts in us moving here, the thought that it would be possible to learn new art and skills outside of the big smoke, with ladies passing on their knowledge and keeping traditional arts alive and kicking.

So finally, after six years, and thank goodness too, I saw that Rosemary is still teaching at the local arts centre and so I popped along to pay homage to this champion of lace making in my monthly column.

If you look at these photos I think it may look too daunting as these ladies have been doing it for a while, however, you are never to young or old to learn, what a great craft to have under your belt and one where you can create a family heirloom.

So basically heres a very simplified version of how its done.

You have a pillow, a rigid flat based padded cushion onto which you work and pin.

To this pillow you pin your design/pattern.  The bobbins have thread wound around the tops which you tease out as you go along.
The lace is formed by crossing these bobbins over each other, creating a twist in the thread and at certain intervals you pin into the work to hold it in place.

The piece that I had a go at (above) was worked like so:
Working with four bobbins at a time only, the bobbins are numbered from left to right 1, 2, 3, 4.  When you cross them over each other they remain numbered in that order.
For my pattern I crossed them thus: 

2 over 3, 4 over 3, 2 over 1, 2 over 3.  When this was done, I took the two bobbins to the left and placed them out of the way. Then you take two bobbins from the right hand side to make up to the four you need to start again. And so you work your way across.

When you reach the end on the right you twist twice and pin, then work back in the same manner. 

Lace making is a traditional craft in Buckinghamshire dating back to when religious refugees from the Low Countries and France fled to North Bucks bringing this skill with them. Winslow and Olney have particularly strong associations from 1588 but it was at its height from the mid 1700s to the mid 1800s.  Lace schools were set up to teach children this lucrative trade, however these were not great places and the children were not the ones to benefit financially.  

I thought some of the bobbins were so lovely I could see myself wearing them as jewellery.  The ladies in the class told me that these are still made and usually to commemorate events and dated.
I imagine they becoming quite an obsession to collect and am stopping the urge to look on ebay for exotic ones made from bone, inlaid with patterns and colours and  with antique glass beads on the end. 

Theres a big summer long lace exhibition coming to Waddesdon Manor from the 26th March, featuring antique and new work.  I really hope to get along and blog about it as its looks to have some new styles of work featured.  If you click here this will give you info. If you haven't been before the house is AMAZING its like a fairytale castle set in acres of beautiful gardens. 

Rosemary Masters teaches at the Queens Park Arts Centre so if you can get along to Aylesbury on evenings or weekdays, then you too could have a go.