Thursday 7 August 2014

William Morris' Red House revisited

A couple of years ago I visited Red House,William Morris' Arts and Crafts home built in 1859. It was commissioned and lived in by William Morris and was a haven at the weekends for his visiting Pre Raphaelite brothers including Rossetti and Burne-Jones. If you would like to read about my first visit there is a link to it here. Last week I revisited it with my Mum and Dad.
The house has a very gothic feel.
In it's time it was in the middle of fields but now it is in busy suburbia. It really is still a haven though in such a busy spot and so quiet.

The gardens are tranquil and even have bee hives
I loved this gorgeous rose
and this rose trellis.


The National Trust now owns the property and since our last visit the house and grounds have been further improved and other treasures discovered. It was described by Burne-Jones as " The beutifullest place on earth"(stet) and is a real gem.
We took a guided tour. The staircase is original and solid oak.

They literally decorated everything with their art
I love this unfinished piece
This amazing fireplace has the Latin quote "Ars longa vita brevis" which translates as art is long, life is short. What a legacy they left us.



Below is the very window at which Morris sat at looking down into his garden where he got so much of his inspiration. There are a few original wood cut blocks on show in his studio. 

There are also samples of some of his famous designs. Below is one of my favourites and I decided to use it as my inspiration for today's creation. I decided to make a Moment for my Journal.
I wanted to combine a few challenges so I used several techniques. The colours and techniques I used are those in a Craft Stamper Masterclass piece in the March edition by Anna-Karin Evaldsson called creating texture; pages 69-73 .I thought the colours used were gorgeous so out came my mustard seed and salty ocean DIs. I used the wrinkle free technique and loved the way they combined to make the green.
 I did some partial stamping with some Crafty Individuals floral stamps
 I also used my Visible Image rose stamp which I painted with distress inks and then fussy cut out. I also  used the wonderful Bronte verse from Visible Image to stamp and then embossed it in white 

I also added some crackle paint to a trellis die cut to give the impression of the thorny stalk.
 Next out came my Grunge paste which I added some blue acrylic to for colour and used a floral stencil to add textured flowers.

So here is my finished Moment.
 Here are a few close ups showing the extra elements I added. The leaves are Cheery Lynn which I die cut from hand inked card and edged with vintage postcard DI.

I used the Latin quote from the top of the fireplace in Red House.




I would like to enter my Moment into the following Challenges;

Art Stamper Magazine Take it make it, any technique from 2014. Mine is the March Masterclass; creating texture by Anna-Karin Evaldsson
Our creative corner summertime
Country View Crafts word play
Visible Image anything goes
Natalie and Amy die cuts and flowers
A creative romance fun in the sun
Fussy and fancy words
Totally gorjuss floral
Cheery Lynn anything goes
The artistic stamper anything goes
Stamp and create anything goes
Bearly Mine anything goes

How wonderful that the William Morris and the Pre Raphaelite brothers have left such a legacy...the Arts and Crafts movement really did change art.

It's the last few days of my 4th Bloggerversary anniversary giveaway. All the details are at the top of my side bar and the link is here  Everyone is welcome. Life has been incredibly busy this end so apologies for my lack of commenting. Good luck everyone and I will be sometime  next week with the winners.

Inspiration really is all around us...keep creating, keep enjoying life.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

33 comments:

  1. What an amazing place, I really love the ceiling! Morris's bunny print is my favourite, I have a little bag with the print from the V&A.
    No wonder you came home full of inspiration, your moment is beautiful, brilliant roses!
    Happy weekend my friend,
    V x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jane, this looks an amazing place to visit, I enjoyed my little photo tour. I adore this it's so beautiful and when I noticed you added the CL flourish leaf strip, I immediately thought, hope you have entered this into the challenge and you have so Good Luck with Cheery Lynn Designs and your other challenges. Stunning project.
    Julie x

    ReplyDelete
  3. absolutely stunning piece Jane and the photos, as always, are just wonderful.Hugs rachel xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your moment is absolutely stunning Jane and thank You for the visit. I've always loved the pre-Raphaelite style and their inclusion of Nature into their work.

    ReplyDelete
  5. stunning
    thanks for playing with us at fussy and fancy
    hugs
    céline

    ReplyDelete
  6. Absolutely gorgeous, Jane, as are all your 'Moments'.

    On a trip to England in 2006, I visited the William Morris Museum in Walthamstow, but most unfortunately was unable to visit Red House...your photos are beautiful.

    Could you please tell me the brand of that lovely trellis die you have used...it is so decorative.

    Hugs,
    Jennifer. x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Loved the trip through photos, thank you. Your piece is lovely, great use of the phrase. Thanks for joining us at the Take It Make It Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is a wonderful card. So bright and cheery. The technique you have used really make it. Your lattice, roses and CLD leaves are a nice feature together. Thank You for joining us in the Cheery Lynn Designs challenge. Good Luck to you

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Jane,
    Loved this week's card!

    It's nice to see how lovely your summer weather can be!

    Jane T

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello Jane- Each week you seem to outdo yourself with a new (and fabulous) card- This week is exceptionally lovely!
    Wish I could take the tour of Wm. Morris' house, too! What a gorgeous stained glass window that is, the gardens, the furnishings...Wow, what a great place to be inspired- How could you help but create beauty? Thanks for sharing, and a Happy Friday to you! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello dear Jane,

    Lovely post! It is wonderful to see the places I otherwise wouldn't get to visit! And Your Moment captured the feel and atmosphere perfectly, I love the roses.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Yours,
    Mia

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jane, wonderful technique to create that gorgeous background. Very pretty card. Good luck and thanks for joining in on the fun at Cheery Lynn Designs challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gorgeous, a wonderful colour combination and a beautiful summer feeling. Thanks so much for joining on Our creative corner.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow so vibrant. A beautiful card. Thanks for joining us at Bearly Mine this month x

    ReplyDelete
  15. what a great card love it and the photo's are gorgeous, sorry been a little awol painting kitchen and new release has been keeping me busy :)
    hugs Kate xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is just gorgeous,Thank you so much for sharing this with us at Country View.xxx

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh wow, I love William Morris designs he inspires my flowers. I have a wonderful book on his life but I have never visited Red House, its now on my Bucket List.

    Gorgeous memory, would love a peek at your journal - if its not a bloggie one as we see that one :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. WOW! just love your creation!

    Thank you for sharing with us at Natalie & Amy's this month, good luck!
    Hugs Shell xx

    ReplyDelete
  19. ooh looks fab..thanks for sharing photos, your creation is brill, thanks for playing along with us this month
    at BEARLY-MINE x carol

    ReplyDelete
  20. Gorgeous pictures of Red House, Jane! You have really captured the atmosphere and the amazing decoration. (We visited Kelmscott Manor last year, William Morris' Cotswold retreat, which was lovely too....but no photography was allowed there sadly so I couldn't share it!)I love your Moment, it is so pretty with the rose and trellis to echo Morris' design...and one of my favourites.
    Wishing you a happy week.
    Helen xox

    ReplyDelete
  21. Absolutely gorgeous work Jane! Love your design and colours. Great blog post to read too, fabulous photos. Thank you for entering our challenge this month. Good Luck xx

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gorgeous card love the colours and textures. Thanks for sharing with us at the Take It Make It Challenge. Elizabeth x

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is such an amazing place and so inspirational! I have always loved William Morris and this era of design. As for the homage using the Visible Image rose, well! What can I say? Love it! Good luck in the Challenges, and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future Visible Image challenges. DT KimBacon

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi Jane, fantastic project and beautiful pictures, very inspiring. Thankyou for joining us in the Craft Stamper challenge this month, good luck.
    Nikki K. xx

    ReplyDelete
  25. Gosh Jane, your visit to the Red House takes me back... what a truly wonderful and inspiring place. And clearly it worked it's magic on you as this piece is fabulous. The way you've used Anna-Karin's ideas to add that mix of layered textures makes all the difference as a base for your beautiful blooms. The perfect summer garden... Jenny x

    ReplyDelete
  26. Your visit to Red House reads amazing

    Your card is beautiful - love the technique you have used and the texture you've created

    Mines on my blog
    HERE it would be great if you had time to come take a look
    X Hilda

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love the layers, they go together so effortlessly, which is not always easy to do.
    Thank you for joining us at the Craft Stamper Take It Make It challenge.
    Dot

    ReplyDelete
  28. Fabulous creation Jane, thanks for joining us in the Visible Image Challenge, good luck, hugs, Pauline DT member xxx

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beautiful work of art! Thanks so much for playing along at Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is stunning ..... love all the layers and texture. Fab photos too! Thanks for joining in with the Craft Stamper Take It Make It challenge ... good luck! Linda xx

    ReplyDelete
  31. Full of colour and texture plus a beautiful inspiring post:-)
    Thank you for joining us over at the Take it make it challenge xxx

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow, such bright and vibrant colours! Love it! Thank you for playing along with the Craft Stamper Blog Challenge this month! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  33. Loved seeing and reading about your William Morris inspiration for this great piece. Love the Latin quote, and beautiful colours and textures. Thanks so much for playing along with us at Country View Challenges.
    Alison xx

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for leaving a comment; I really enjoy reading every single one of them.

To comply with the new Data Protection legislation (GDPR) May 2018 I wish to state that any comments left here are with your consent that your name & comment are visible to anyone who visits my blog and that you accept that your personal information is being used for that specific purpose.

Jane x