Beamish Suffragette Celebrations Pt2

Hi again.

When you last accompanied me on our trip around Beamish open-air museum's Suffragette Celebrations we were waiting to take part in the re-enactment of the funeral of Emily Wilding Davison weren't we? 

Everyone at the museum was welcome to gather near the railway station to join in the procession:

And members of the general public could  mingle with the various people in the costume of the early 1900s who were waiting to follow the coffin:

The original old steam train pulled into the station and the coffin was transported to a horse drawn carriage [even knowing full well there was no one inside, it still felt like a sombre occasion].

We watched the spectacle go by for a while:

And then we joined the procession and followed on behind ...

... all the way through the grounds of the museum, along the tramway ... and into the Pit Village where the coffin was taken into the chapel and where someone [I didn't catch who the lady was] gave a wonderful speech about the legacy of the suffragettes and how fighting for equality for all is still something we need to do today, right across the world.

And then the Sweet Magenta choir sang in the street:

... then continued their performance inside the chapel:

Their performance was really moving and I had to fight back tears for much of it! [Definitely swept up in the drama of the day!]

And what a day it was ... ice-cream cornets in the morning .... suffragette funeral in the afternoon. Certainly one of life's memorable moments!

One of the most striking things to me about the day was how the whole event was a re-enactment of historical event of which women were the main protagonists.

Our culture produces a lot of films and documentaries [and outdoor re-enactments] of the events of World Wars 1 + 2, events which mainly focus on the actions of men. Event which of course have their place and of course there were [and are] women who were active in and vital to some of those war time events.

But Beamish's Suffragette Celebrations felt unique in being a wonderful, respectful and serious, recreation of a cause that was focused around and led by women.

And it made a nice change.

A positive change.

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 I don't usually blog so many posts, so close together, all about one thing, but I thought you might enjoy a good look at this unusual day out!

See you soon.

Julie

Cardmaking: Keep Calm ... and use the packaging

Hello hello.

Last summer I had a rubbish week. Do you remember?

Don't fret ... it wasn't such a bad time really because ... it was actually a 'Rubbish Week' - a  week's worth of posts and projects based around recycling and repurposing scraps and leftovers aka 'rubbish'!

• If you're looking for some ideas for thrifty eco-friendly crafts this summer then you can catch up with all of those posts here.

And, by way of a little update ... I thought I'd share a new project made using 'things that the everyday folk leave behind' - with this set of general greetings cards:

The 'Keep Calm' logo came from the gift box of a mug someone bought James last Christmas and there was just no way I could allow it to slip away peacefully into the recycling bin! I knew I'd find a more creative use for it eventually ... and if, after giving someone the card, and when they no longer want it on their mantelpiece it ends its days in the recycling after all then ... so be it, but at least I extended its usefulness by a few months!

I also re-used a section of an old map on here:

So far, every time I add mixed map paper packs to my Etsy shop they sell out pretty swiftly, [Suzy of the Sea Glass & Sand blog linked me to a lovely scrapbook page she made using one of hers] so I know that others like using them as much as I do!

I'm working on a couple more packs but that means finding a good source of nice [affordable] old maps ... which is harder than you might think. But I'm on the hunt ....

And, one more thing I re-purposed on to these cards is something I hung on to from inside a Christmas Cracker ... one those cute little tape measures:

You might remember I used the little kitschy gifts from crackers on a whole series of cards earlier in the year or you can re-cap on all those posts here.

So ... who'd have thought that the packaging from a mug, an old map of the UK and a Christmas cracker tape measure could end their days happily nestled together on an eclectic card?

That's why I love using 'found' and reclaimed items on my projects - they just sort of 'evolve'. You can't plan to find this stuff!

And while you wouldn't be able to exactly re-create these particular cards ... I hope they've inspired you to look at your rubbish with new eyes ... and to pause the next time you're hovering over the recycling bin.

Who knows ... whatever you're about to throw away could well become the start of your next craft project!

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I'm currently offline on a break away so either this is a scheduled post ... or that psychic bond between you and I has come on leaps and bounds!

So, I'll catch up with you, your comments and your messages very soon.

Julie :-)

Beamish Suffragette Celebrations Pt1

Hello there.

As part of the photography scavenger hunt I've already shared some images of a recent trip to Beamish a few days ago, so it's about time I shared the main reason we were there on that particular day ... to experience the special events of their Suffragette Celebration Weekend.


A shop window in The Town: 

Marking the centenary of the death of Emily Wilding Davison [who died after trying to pin the colours of their cause on to the King's racehorse, mid race], there were all kinds of suffrage-related events and activities going on around the open-air museum to really give a flavour of life at the time when women were demanding the vote.

It was a great experience which all started out quite light-hearted and fun, like when we watched school children with placards dancing to the suffrage version of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance [yes, there is such a thing! Who knew?]

And then we laughed at the ridiculous reasons given in the Anti-Suffrage leaflet we picked up in one of the houses in the Pit Village such as

• "Women are not physically strong enough to enforce the law, so should not make the law";
• "There are more women in the country than men. If granted the vote, the sovereignty of the British Empire will pass from the hands of men into the hands of women."
• "Women are ruled by their womb not their brain so are prone to insanity and hysteria".

So we were quickly in the mood for a invigorating day out!

Plus ... you know you're in for a good day out when you get a text message from your Dad warning you not to get arrested!

But as we moved into the town things got a little more pro-active ...

There were suffragettes encouraging passers-by to write slogans on the pavement ...

... an offer which Mam joined in with: 

... enthusiastically:

And you thought my Dad was joking about us getting arrested ... ;-)

 

It seems like he knew what he was talking about because soon afterwards, as we rested in the park, one of the ladies from the campaign for a peaceful approach to getting the vote brought her petition round ... 

Here she is debating with a pro-suffrage gentleman!

When she approached us - my Mam, sister and I [James, in some sort of perfect metaphor for the men of the day ... was half-asleep on the grass next to us!] - she offered us the petition and we almost did sign it ... after all we'd seen her weaving her way through the crowd, picking up signatures from everyone who she'd asked.

 

 But then ... she said it was for the peaceful protest and 'not like those silly suffragettes'!  

 

Which is when we all refused to sign!

 

She then [rather wonderfully] chastised us all and asked if we'd been involved in the bombing of the Co-Op!



She castigated us for putting the new Policeman to a lot of trouble and said we were probably be the kind of women who'd write on the pavements too ... [ahem].

We laughed and it was a lot of fun ... however ... once she'd left that's when things started to feel a little edgy ... my sister turned to me and asked "Do you think we really would have been suffragettes?" and, to be honest, I just didn't know the answer to that.

I'd like to think I'd have been bold enough ... but would I? Would you?

And how fortunate are we that, because of the women who went before us, not so very long ago, we don't have to make that decision?

All this was brought into even sharper focus when, after we'd been to the park, we decided to visit the tea room for a completely innocent cuppa [honestly officer!!] ... and yet we found ourselves on the edge of a argument between a suffragette and the local townswomen.

At one point the phrase 'people like you' was hurled and, while it was only part of the drama ... it felt real enough. Enough to make you think ...

And, as us British do in the midst of all this hubbub over tea ... everyone just kept calm and carried on, until ...

... the suffragette tried to chain herself to the table and she was promptly arrested.

[Somehow I don't even think a text message from her Dad would have dissuaded her from doing it]

And the good folk of the tea room booed and jeered and applauded the suffragette ... and I took photos  ... 

But as we sat there drinking our tea, we were also clock watching. Because we had a funeral to go to ...

And, in a few days, I'll be back to share photos from the day's main event, the re-enactment of  Emily Wilding Davison's funeral procession.

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I've just realised that today - as is the case each 1st Sunday of the month - my friend Sian is hosting Storytelling Sunday on her blog From High in the Sky. Her overarching theme for this year's stories has been 'Pick Your Precious' where you write about an item that really means something to you.

And so Sian - while this isn't an 'official' Storytelling Sunday post - in light of my subject matter today - I'd just like to just document something 'precious' and that's my right to vote.

See you all soon.

Julie

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt: The Beamish Edition

Hello you.

Last Sunday we took a trip to Beamish which, for those of you who didn't live close enough to first visit there on a school trip, is a 'living museum' - 300 acres of reconstructed period buildings including farms, villages and even a drift mine!

Eventually I will get around to sharing photos of the Suffragette Celebrations and re-enactments which was our main reason for visiting on that particular day however ... for now let me share some of the Scavenger Hunt items I found while I was there.

[If you want to play along with the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt then make sure to visit host Rinda over at Gallo Organico for all the details.]

Item No.6: Someone or something taking a nap
After walking around half the site we stopped in The Town, for a sit down in the sunshine, on the hill listening to the silver band [like a brass band ... without the brass]. And James took full advantage of this moment of rest: 

 At first I just turned and snapped the photo of him, happy to get to cross another item off my list ... however ... 

... to be fair, taking photos of James napping is like shooting fish in a barrel  - not much of a challenge, he's a man who likes his sleep - but then ... my sister pointed out that, just behind him, there was another example of napping just waiting to be snapped.

So ... nonchalantly ... I slightly raised my lens to capture this teenager completely and utterly flat out in the background:

Now that's what I call a nap!

Item No.14: A stained glass object or a mosaic

I captured this stained glass screen inside the Masonic Hall in The Town.

Item No.11: An animal in a zoo, aquarium, nature preserve, etc.
Like Jurassic Park Beamish has quite a few animals in it's recreated vintage style settings. Unlike Jurassic Park ... none of them were dinosaurs, which was a shame as I still need to find one to tick off the list!

But what they did have was ...

A big pig down by the railway sheds at Pockerley Waggonway:

And a near-camouflaged pig up at Pockerley Old Hall:

And yes ... it was breathing. We checked. I guess it would also count as something having a nap!

Goats and chickens in the gardens of the Pit Village:

Not forgetting the pit ponies:

And perhaps the most important animal of the day ...

... the beautiful horse that pulled the carriage carrying the coffin for the re-enactment of the funeral procession of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison. [Much more on that when I blog the event another day].

 

And now for perhaps the category that appealed to me the most ...

Item No.7: A sign that is intentionally or unintentionally funny
This is a category of things that I have blogged about for years ... so it was great fun to seek out some genuine vintage signs for this one!

As it was a suffrage themed day I had to include at least on of their protest signs - not that there were many funny ones, obviously - but I must admit to smiling at the anachronistic slogan painted on the placard at the front of this mini-march:

Equality ... it like, totally rules. Y'know what I'm saying? Like, just, give us the vote already whydontcha? ;-)

Now then, dog lovers ... please don't be offended by this ... anyone who knows I'm dog-phobic may understand why this one caught my eye:

 [Fortunately I can smile and keep my tongue in my cheek while sharing this one!]

 

And this next one - from the pit pony field - displays an equally no nonsense, straight talking attitude:

 

No wishy-washy, health & safety blurb or nonsensical customer services speak there! Ponies bite. End of.

And finally ... one very specific set of instructions ...

But if everyone had paid heed to those rules ... then how would slapstick comedy have ever begun?

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If you're a history lover, like the outdoors, and love a day filled with amazing photo-opportunities ... and if ever find yourself up that way [near County Durham in the North East of England]  ...

• then you really should treat yourself to a day at Beamish [and no, they're not paying me to say that!]
• you can find their website here
• and their Facebook page here

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I'm having a short break [where I'll be seeking out some more items to cross off the hunt list!] so I'm not going to be online over the next few day. So, I'll catch up with any messages or emails as soon as I can afterwards.

See you soon.

Julie :-)

See you soon

Scrapbooking: Thinking aloud about 'signature' style

Hi, hi, hi.

It's funny isn't it:

• when other people can tell what your artistic / crafting / personal style is ... while you're sat there thinking 'What? Me? I have a recognisable style? Are you sure you've got the right person?'
• that they can identify a layout/journal page/card etc by you at 20 paces ... while you just think that the finished result was more by luck than judgement!
• and you can wax lyrical on everyone else's 'signature style' ["You know, she's the one who draws all those faces / uses all those layers / uses bright colours / has great handwritten journaling' ... and so on] ... but still believe that you don't have one of your own!

I've been surprised to be told "Oh that's a very 'Julie' page [etc]" ... and, while I've no reason to believe that person is lying to me ... I had no idea that anyone would even think that about my work.

The thing is - we're just too close to our own work to be objective aren't we?

It's like when you recognise how much someone else's child has grown, or that someone you haven't see in a while has lost weight since the last time you met ... and you tend to notice more than they do ... because of the distance. The fact that you don't see at them at the breakfast table, or stare at them in the mirror, every day gives you that objectivity and things appear more obvious to you.

[BTW: if you were staring at someone else in mirror or sitting at their breakfast table ... I'm not surprised they don't want to see you more often! ;-)]

However, when I was editing these images of a page I made with photos taken a year ago, I kept noticing little traits that I know for sure are things I keep returning to in my crafting ... things which, I dare say, might just be part of my 'signature style'.

Things like ... 

• A snippet of text from an old book: there's no escaping the fact that when it comes to cutting into old books - I'm a repeat offender! The 'Two together' title here came from a children's book.
• Black and white stripes: you know about the whole zebra thing ... right? Plus - I'm a big fan of black and white in general, I think a little bit of it, here and there, can add a nice crispness to a layout / journal page etc. And it works really well with text papers [which I love. But you knew that].   
• And, while I don't tend to scrap many - I do tend to take quite a few similar photos to this one, where I point the lens down on mine + James's feet: it is, after all, one of the easiest 'portraits' a couple can take without having to bother someone to take a snap of them together.

And also ...

• A patterned backdrop: I struggle to put anything on a plain background. Even when I'm not using one as patterned as this, I do like to use a subtle stripe, check, or spot ... and the infrequent occasions times when I do use a plain colour card stock... is simply has to be textured or kraft. I just cannot do a plain flat cardstock base.
• Small scraps: I love to use small scraps of colour to balance out a design and the ones in this cluster were really small ... but still had the desired effect:

Not forgetting ...

• More zebra stripes! this time it's a washi tape

And ... at the same time as representing the kind of style decisions I make across my crafting ... this is yet another example of a creative project which, on reflection, bears a distinct similarity to many of the style choices I've made in my house! Including ...

• several grey walls,
• plenty of patterns [including one grey patterned wall!]
• lots of wood grain [or 'wood' as it's called in real life!] 
• And the hints of turquoise-y blue match those of the rug and accessories in the living room

And so ... maybe it shouldn't be such a stretch of the imagination to believe that other people can identify a 'Julie Kirk' from across the room.

 

Maybe all our preferences [for colour, layout, style, background, attitude, shape etc] just can't help but run out of our fingertips and down into our creative work whether we're aware of it or not.

 

 And while we ourselves may be a little too close to recognise it every time ... other people can. And, if we start looking for it in our own finished pieces, noticing those things we've turned to again and again when we sit down to get crafty, we can begin to spot it too!

 

So ... what about you ...? 

• Do you think you have a signature style?
• Do other people think you do?
• What is it?
• What do you notice keeps recurring in your crafting?

You can share your responses and thoughts on this in the comments and/or ...

 

... if you're looking for a fun topic to blog about this week ...

• why not create your own post sharing your thoughts on your own style
• maybe share some illustrative examples with your readers
• or, if you just can't see it, why not ask them what they consider your style to be? They might have a clearer idea about that than you do!

It'll be interesting to hear your thoughts on this ... over to you ... 

 

Julie :-)