TBT: Jane Austen

I'm going way back for this Throw Back Thursday post. Like 1880's way back. Think Jane Austen old. Are you with me? 

For this week's TBT, I decided to use older products from my stash. There's nothing terribly old, but still things that were released at least last year and even earlier. Stuff that was just sitting around and not getting used! That's part of the reason I decided to start this series. I have so much great stuff that just isn't getting used!

I didn't quite know where to start, since like I mentioned before, I have so much product. So I grabbed a stack of patterned paper to see what I liked and hadn't yet used. It was the American Crafts Classics line that first caught my eye. I adore that line. The designs are all based on literature. 

Everything else kind of spiraled from there. I ended up digging out every Jane Austen themed photo I had and all the products I've been collecting with her in mind. I even tapped into my collection of Austen DVDs and happily spent my weekend crafting away, while Persuasion, Emma, Mansfield Park and Pride & Prejudice played in the background.

The first page I made was a double page layout, inspired by one of the 4 Challenges. I used my Double Take Class prompts for the design. It's a layout featuring the kitchen at Chawton House aka Jane Austen's home and where her museum is situated.

From the Classic collection, I pulled the sheet of bonnets & top hats, along with the great yellow rose paper. I also grabbed the infamous Dear Lizzy rosette ribbon, some Jenni Bowlin vintage buttons and various  Thickers in my color scheme. I also have 2 Jane Austen paperbacks that I picked up from a second hand store for cheap. I have no qualms about ripping pages out of them and that's how I made the mat for the photos.

This next page is one of my favorites. It's of the exterior of Chawton House and there's a lot of old Prima & Making Memories product on it. I loved the brown, green, orange colors in the photo and so I reinforced them in the products I chose.

Also, I have to talk about the photo backer. Studio Calico sent my Washi Workshop tapes in a cute muslin bag. I saved the bag knowing I'd want to use it some way. I think this was the perfect project for it! It makes me think of the muslin shifts ladies of that time use to wear. I cut it down and ripped it up in order to get those lovely ragged edges.

I went hunting through my old Winchester photos, circa 2008 for these photos of Jane Austen's grave. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral, which Josh, Jon and I visited on one of our J3 trips.

The prompts from the Pretty Paper Party were where I took my inspiration from. I used an old Jenni Bowlin line that I'm sure, totally sure, was inspired by a love of all things Austen.

Also, it was fun to do a double page 8 1/2 x 11 spread.

Then I made a page about seeing her house in Winchester, the last one she lived in before she died. It has a plaque and everything!

I dug out some October Afternoon Farmhouse for this page and stuck with a yellow, blue and cream color combo. It helped that the house was painted yellow! I also really love that chair paper. So happy I got to use it on 2 different pages.

My final page of the weekend was of the walk to get to Jane's home at Chawton House. I walked from the train station to the house, about 2 miles each way, and am so happy I did. I would have missed so many little details if I hadn't otherwise.

And what better collection to use for a walk through the English Countryside, than the Studio Calico Countryside collection. I still have so much of it. That pink flower was the first time I even dug into the pack! At least one now lives in my scrapbook. Thanks TBT for making me think about my older products!

I hoped you enjoyed seeing my fruits of labor, after a weekend with Jane. 

Also, wanted to share links to the two other Austen themed pages I've previously made: Started with a Chair and The Darcy Fanclub.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for all things Austen! Are you??

cheers & besos,