Goodbye, Downton Abbey- sob, sob, boo hoo, argh!

Tonight is the LAST night for Downton Abbey.  I find that painful to say. The show was in its 3rd season when I discovered it, so I was late to join, but fixed that quickly with a little Netflix bingeing and was soon enamoured of it all.  

The show touched many of us, not just for the glorious sets and costumes, but the stories too.  Last week, while I was in Coronado Island, I attended my THIRD Downton Abbey art retreat. It was a popular theme, wasn't it?

For this event, we stayed at a 1930s era mansion and I took advantage of the lovely interiors to get some photos of my Farewell to Downton art journal. Some of the pages I'd made there were for the swap, some for my personal book.  Beth and I spread supplies out on a dining room table, and I worked on the book for a big chunk of the weekend.

Most mornings, I was at my work area before anyone else even came down for breakfast.

The theme has so many opportunities to explore, I never got bored with it. And want to do more, too.  

Also, having a big space to spread out, and leave our things for 5 days was hard to resist.  There were other projects for the retreat classes (photos soon), but our time there was pretty laid back, we were free to work on our own projects, explore the house, beach, or the nearby town, and hang out with new friends.

But if you know anything about me, you'd guess that I was constantly drawn to my pile of goodies and bottle of glue.

So, here is a big stack of pages to show you, as examples for your own books if you are joining the swap.

I've mentioned that the book should be a "working journal".  Artists will be completing some pages, and leaving some for the new owner to work on.  Like this page lying on the desk, it is a piece of stationery with plenty of room for the person who gets the journal it goes into to use for photos, doodles, notes, anything she'd like.

And the page on the easel? It is an example of a decorated page with a pocket that can be filled with whatever momentos the artist would like.

My plan was to do half and half of completed artwork, like the collage on the left, and pretty pages that could be used by the next artist, like the one on the right. That one is old ledger paper with a pocket that has a tag tucked into it.

Hopefully the pages where we leave space for further work, will be lovely as is, while being an inspiration for the artist to fill and finish.  

These pages all leave workspace.  The one on the left is a decorated pocket page, the middle is a collage of pretty papers to use as a background, and the front section is stationary paper with a die cut rose and lace trim.

Notice that the pages I have done have trim or lace or flowers on different edges? It makes for a more interesting finished book if there are tidbits peeking out from all sides.

The one in front is for my own book, it is the finished version of the coloring page that comes with the journals.  And the buttons? That is a necklace! From one of our workshops.

This page is pretty simple, old rose wallpaper, a cut out lady from a vintage magazine who has been glitzed up with some rhinestones, lace, millinery, and velvet ribbon, then some tatting trim at the edges of the paper.  

A layout doesn't need to be elaborate to be eye catching.

And the Downton theme can mean so many things. I went with a lot of the fashion of the era.

Here are ladies from an old fashion magazine layered over netting and a map of the British Isles, then blinged up.

Here are two more pocket pages,both have two pockets to fill up.

You are welcome to be more direct in your own interpretation of the show.   I plan on having more examples of the themes to show later on.  

If you are going to miss this show as much as I will, maybe you'd like to join the swap? Creating pages will give us something to fill the hole left by this beautiful program.

And the book itself can be a treasured memento to look through and reminisce.

I have been getting some questions about the swap details, and hope that these pictures help answer them. If you have any, please feel free to contact me at:

[email protected]

And here is a communication I had with a swapper, with her statements answered in red:

1) We get 6- 81/2 x 11 pages of card stock. yes

2) We fold them in half which will make our pages in the book... yes

3) We are to decorate each side of the pages not leaving any blank.yes

4) We are to add laces, trim or ribbons to the edges of the pages. please do, it makes a pretty book with that peeking out the sides

5) Are all the pages to be the same, but are only getting one back as the others will go to other swapper's. you DO NOT have to do all the pages the same, decorate them as you'd like, they go to 5 different people plus yourself.

6) Can we tea dye the pages? Or do they have to stay white? the artistic touches and color palette are up to you

7) We can add envelopes, lined paper , and so one. Are we to glue them to the page or send them in separate? again, up to your own design choices

8) Are all five of my pages going to one person or will they be divided between five other people? you get five different artists work back and your work goes to five different artists

9) How do you want the $38.00. In cash , a check, paypal. What ever works for you, but please do not send it til you send your pages

10) When you say we can purchase a blank journal. It is the cover and the six blank pages along with your three. If you could give me info on that..  The blank journal will be a complete cover, same as the swap books, with 9 interior pages ready for you to embellish as you'd like.

Comments

[jeanie]

Your pages are beautiful and I know you had a fabulous time in California getting a head start on them! I've started collecting images and papers and trims and soon -- the glue! Thanks again for hosting, Karla!

[Susanna]

How lovely show!!
i love such vintage craft works!

Have a lovely day!
Susanna

[Karla Nathan]

Thank you, Susanna, arent the old elements wonderful to work with?

[Louise Oakes]

Beautiful pages Karla💜

[Pallas]

I'm going to miss Downton Abbey too, and want the characters to live "happily ever after".

I imagine the workshop you took on lovely Coronado Island was fun. The journal pages are beautiful.

[Janet]

It was a wonderful ending wasn't it--any they all lived happily ever after!!!

[Karla Nathan]

Thanks, Louise, I cant wait to make more.

[Janice@Curtains In My Tree]

I was another one whining because Downton Abbey was ending.

I was so glad they ended it with everyone going onto a wonderful life adventure

I would love to be in their dressing room and grab a lot of that wonderful clothing and hats

I'm not talented enough for your swap I couldn't even begin to create like you and then again I don't have time for deadlines , I have to create after everything else is done for the week or month ( here i'm whining again LOL )