Thursday, 18 June 2015

ParkLand Walk, London.

With some time off and the summer (hopefully on its way) Decided to go along the Parkland walk, which runs from Finsbruy Park to HighGate, then if you walk through the ajoining Hiahgate woods you come out at Alexarder palace, Such a beautafull and pieceful walk. 

The parkland work is a national trust walk that that runs the lengh of an old rainway line, which used to run between Finsbry park to Edgeware (which opened in 1872) The branch to Alexandra Palace followed in 1873 when the Peoples' Palace opened . Its such a beautiful walk, the nosie of trafic scilenced by the tress.

Part the way along the walk you come across the remains of the station platform, the reminders of a world forgotten. A lonesome lamp post, (making you wonder if you have step for the craziness of London in to the quite of Narnia.

Griffitted old tunnels and brick walls with artist tags and bright colourful art work line the path. As ugly as some of it is, it brake's up the greenness of the world around. As much as it would be nice to see it cleaned off, done right this modern dislike could be made to fit in with its surroundings if it artists went with the location. Creating colourful images of flowers, fairytales and Alice In Wonderland. Modern art within the art of nature.

I also went armed with my Olympus Trip 35mm film camera, with 400 iso Black and white film, Still have to finish the film off thenI shear them on here and on my art blog, www.MyTheoryOfTheCrows.BlogSpot.com

A Lonesome Lamp Post

End of the trail at Highgate.

Friday, 5 June 2015

My Traveler's NoteBooks 2015

I recently posted on the Midori Traveler's Notebook resources face book group and the UK Midori Traveler's Notebook resources group a photo of my travellers notebooks that I have and what I am using them for. I was surprised with the response I got so I thought I would shear it in a blog post.

What Is A Midori Travellers Notebook, Or A Faux-dori?
It is a peace of leather that is stand by using vegetable dyes or leather dyes and paints, It has four holes punched into it and threaded with elastic allowing you to place saddle stitched or stapled books into it. Held closed with an elastic that is treaded through a hole either in the back and in the spine of the notebook, that then goes around the book.

What I Am Using?
I have always been a Filofax girl, Using them for the past 10, 15 years, but about a year ago through you tube and Pinterest I discovered The Midori Travellers Notebooks. I was intrigued weather it would work for me and how I would use it.
After a hunt through Amazon I found a range by ZLYC which sell them as a set, with the standard size, (22cm by 26cm, when opened flat) a passport size (13.5cm by 21cm when flat) and a pen holder, as well as selling them individually.
As the set was the cheapest option at around £23 with free postage I went with the purchase and ordered the black set.
When it arrived I feel in love with it. The smell of the soft black leather with its orange elastic on both the standard and passport looked and still is beautiful.

Each one came with three book inserts. the standard came with two plan books and a calendar insert which has 26months (one month on two pages) and one credit card / zipper pocket insert.
In the passport size I got two grid book inserts and one calendar insert.

As It was my day off when I received them I decided to go to Paperchase and pick up things that I could use in them. I did not pick up much but I got a pack of three spotted covered lined A5 notebooks for £6 and a set of three Kraft lined notebooks for £5 (with white lined pages). Once home I set about cutting them down to size ( ).

After a week of using it I found hiding in my bookcase three notebooks that I had brought from Paperchase about two years ago, which was their version of a travellers notebook, which are the exact size of the standard size notebook. They are now sitting in the pile ready to be used.

With the passport size I was really lucky to find that a small independent art shop near me had small plan saddle stitched sketchbooks for sale for only 85p, at that price I could not resist and picked up six of them, (since then I have pieced up another three of them as soon as they had them back in stock.

The Standard size one I have been using for my blog/location research.
and the passport size i have been using as a todo list/ bullet journal, shopping lists and sketching on the go.
I have found that Daler-Rowney A5 sketchbooks are a wonderful size to cut down to put in to the notebook. It has 20pages (40 sides).

After a month I decided to order another set, mainly only for use as a personal journal ad for my notes on tarot card readings (that I do). This time I ordered the dark red.
The red on this one is a very earthy deep red and is stunning. The standard one came with three lined notebooks and a credit card /zipper pocket insert, which meant I did not have to change out the books and I started to use it straight away. The passport size came with three grid inserts.

For Work.
Since 2005 I have always used Filofax’s and A5 notebooks and diaries for work, holding all notes, dates, contracts and everything else, but over the past year I have been using them less and less as I have been using sketchbooks - as my job has moved more in to the design side.
After using my Travellers notebooks for personal and blog, I thought that I might give it a go ad use one for work. So with my eyes closed I pressed the buy button and ordered the ZYLC Dark Green set.
This arrived with two lined inserts, a diary insert and a credit card /zipper pocket insert, the Passport two lined and a diary. the green on this is very dark,
Straight away I set about taking it apart and putting in the inserts that I had already had cut down and had began using before it had arrived.
I now have inside four inserts and the credit card / zipper insert, (five inserts in total).

*One which has my hyperdex and todo lists for the day in (this is for time tracking).

*One for all my brain storming.
*A sketchbook.
*And a home made insert with shop floor plans and contact details of the staff I work with.

I find using it great as I don’t have to carry my sketchbooks and note books too and from work, I can leave them at work and have one to take back and forth to jot things down she I’m out, on my way home or at home, as I don’t have a smart phone it is a great way for me to work.
I do kind of miss my Filofax but (hopefully) I will find a use of it

I also have a black paten ZYLC standard size notebook which I am using as an art journal. The leather on this one is more smooth to the touch, unlike my other ones and is a little more stiffer, the only way I can describe it is it is like the leather on the Filofax original range.

This has become a bit of a new love affair they are a convenient size to carry around, and a fun size to use as a sketchbook, it makes a change from using A5.

Even though I am using one of the notebooks for my blog I am still using A5 note books for my short story’s.