You know when you’re a kiddy and your Grandparents house is pretty much the best place in the world for treasure? Well that was my Grandparents house. Full of home made things by my Granddad, amazing lamps, tables, doll houses…you know the score. Well whilst clearing her house of her possessions the other week was a sad affair, but it sure as hell brought the childhood memories back. So now her most treasured things, are now ours to hopefully pass on too. We found this photo album with never seen photos before, it was tucked away in a cupboard so obviously it was something she’d either forgot about herself, or treasured to the max. Probably treasured. Me and my sis fell in love and had to show you them.

Granddad Cornish

MY FAVE!!! Nan & Grandad

Nan Cornish

My nan & Dad

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Junyi Wu’s work sort of speaks for itself. With such talent this girl has, the atmosphere she creates is individual to her. We can tell her passion for the outdoors and love for nature features heavily in her work and the texture of her illustrations are so fine but create immense drama! We heart.

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We’re still answering the ‘who is Petra Doe’ question. The answer is a long one. You’ve had the Doe, now for the Petra bit. As you can see from our blurb below, the last six months has been a bit of a Shah fest here at Ballad HQ, and we are awaiting her debut album with baited breath. Her voice is one, once heard will stay with you - haunting, gothic and sorrowful it sits right in the pit of your stomach and tugs at your most buried heart strings. Her voice and her words are the embodiment of Petra Doe.

A Nadine Shah/Paulina Otylie Surys collaboration for the cover was the most perfect concoction - we couldn’t have dreamt of better. Now whats in a name… As The Little Book of Horrors issue took shape, we knew she would be a Jane Doe - we knew she would be a collection of unnamed, unidentified sorrow-filled females - but we didn’t WANT her to be unnamed. We wanted to give our Jane Doe some grace. Nadine Doe didn’t have the same ring to it, but Ms. Shah’s middle name, Petra, was too perfect.

N.S’s yet untitled debut album is scheduled for release in early 2012, in the mean time you can let your heart leap at myspace.com/nadineshah and you can give her a LIKE here.

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Now for a bit of light and laughter with Kirsty Caldwell and her illustrations. Kirsty is based in the USA is a self proclaimed daydreamer with a love for illustration and seeing her characters come to life. She’s definitely hit the nail on the head with that one!

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It’s over. We know all good things must come to an end, but did it have to be so soon? We were only just starting to have a bit of fun!! Ballad Of Petra Doe Launch Party also signified the end of our time with our Merrimaking Bear. TOO SAD! But now the fun starts, we can really plan which hood we’re going to get…

TENSE!! The winning number of the Merrimaking hood…

But you know what, Rachel looks so goddam cute in it we can’t be mad for too long!!

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SO…you remember the wonderful photographer from yesterdays post? Rebecca Louise Parker? Yes? Good! Well today is one of her close friends Jjay who she works with fairly often. We can only imagine what wonder these two come up with together, we can just imagine the magic. So, we today we present Jjay. Enjoy everyone.

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So, you want to know who Petra Doe is? As submissions came in for The Little Book of Horrors theme (all together now) Petra Doe didn’t end up looking how we expected her to. In our minds eye, Little Book of Horrors was going to be full on vintage hammer horror, 60s beehives and a load of LBD’s, but such is the nature of Ballad, of course, you lot had other things on your mind. As we leaf through the pages of Petra, she is calm, quiet and spine tinglingly haunting. She is, essentially a collection of unnamed female corpses - Jane Doe’s if you like…

Now for a story.

In the 1500s, the Liberty of the Clink was an area of South London out side the City Walls. It was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Winchester and was known for its brothels, theatres, bull and bear baiting - activities not permitted within the City itself. Prostitutes local to the area were known as “Winchester Geese,” because they were licensed by the Bishop of Winchester to work within the Liberty. Although a legal profession in this area, it was still sinful and in death, these “single women” couldn’t be buried within the church yard if they had not repented their sins before death. Instead they were buried in unconsecrated ground, away from the parish. The area is rumoured to have started as a plague pit, then a single woman’s grave yard, for the Winchester Geese, then an unmarked pauper grave yard. It was closed in 1853 as locals were outraged - it was full to the seams with the dead.

It is from here, these Jane Does that we drew inspiration for the name of this issue. They are not Little Book of Horrors, but it is that these women were outcast in death.

This area is now known as Borough, and while they were excavating the area to make way for the Jubilee Line they uncovered hundreds and hundreds of bodies, most of whom were women, but this was only a fraction of the 15,000 bodies that are believed to be buried down there.

We travel through this area every evening on our way back to Ballad HQ from Erd’s design HQ, and it is on the number 40 bus that we are most inspired and get most of our brain storming done - believe it, it’s true. The area of the burials is now known as Cross Bones Graveyard, and we took massive amounts of inspiration from the area; the unmarked grave yard of the outcast dead, the graphics of the buildings and pubs, and the very raw historical feel of the Liberty of the Clink. When we visited the site, words cannot describe the feel of the place. There is a tiny memorial; it’s a gate with offerings tied to it. A tiny symbol for the thousands of bodies dumped below. History, especially local and personable history is what makes us tick. We didn’t expect to be so struck by what we found here on our doorstep, but the stories and the histories we have stumbled across have inspired this entire issue.

R.I.P The Outcast Dead. Petra Doe

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There are a fair few shots to fall in love with on this post. Rebecca Louise Parker is a photographer based in Devon and wow, we just can’t get enough. The models, the make up and obviously the photography are just divine.

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We’ve fallen for T&A. They talk about love, and they wanted to talk to us for LA Snark … we are so smitten with these girls that we’ve robbed the interview - here is what we chatted about …

One of our names begins with T and the other with A – we’re a magical combo representing the front and the back, the best of both worlds, the humps and the lumps. We’re women with similar life paths, who came to Los Angeles ages ago and earned our stripes looking for love among the Hollywood hipsters. We are here to share what we’ve learned with you, with the charm of Southern gals and the smarts of city vixens.

A has dated so many LA guys that she couldn’t come close to naming them all, and sometimes doesn’t recognize them in public.

T has managed not to kill her boyfriend, somehow.

As we were saying- The UK is not a dance. It is The United Kingdom and here are two of its top representatives in England’s capital city.

When we discovered Lindsey and Claire from Ballad Of Magazine in London– it was like looking into a mirror: two fun loving lasses, one with black hair and one with lighter hair, except they have cuter accents. They’re the alpha and the omega of London Town cool- may we present our sisters in style and sensibilities–

T&A: You met at photography school in Blackpool. What are your favorite subjects to take pix of? Do you ever use old formats or are you all digital? and what are you working on at the moment if you can divulge?

C: We are total photo geeks. We’re obsessed with imagery, and both have really similar taste which makes for a nice, harmonious Ballad World. Although this current issue is Little Book of Horrors theme, so although we love being scared, it’s a real commitment being THIS terrified all the time. So pleased we have each other.

I kind of stopped taking photos for art sake at uni if I’m honest. As a 2nd year student I felt I had exhausted the medium and hung up my camera, as only an arrogant art student can! Ha. I moved towards editing and exhibiting way back, so Ballad was a natural step for me even though I had no idea what was around the corner… As with the film vs. digital debate, I would say I’m a film girl through and through, HOWEVER, I only shoot now on my iPhone these days, and it’s only for documenting fun times purposes.

L: As Claire said, we absolutely adore photography. Like, we can’t get enough. Uni seems a distant land away now (oh god we’re getting old) and neither of us shoot anymore, sad, but we get to enjoy other peoples work and this is ultimately what we love. Looking at gorgeous imagery and having copies of Ballad Of..is sort of like having a keepsake of what we love!

I’m a total film girl, it’s so easy to fall in love with film and at uni I dipped in and out of using film but always won over digi for me. There’s just something more special about it.

T&A: How was your adjustment to London from the Northwest?

C: Yeah, we’ve been here a few years now, and I don’t think i could go back.

L: Definitely couldn’t go back. Never ever ever, There’s nothing to keep me there and London is so much more vibrant, full of different people and just much more stimulating.

T&A: Best thing that’s happened to you since you moved to London?

C: It’s got to be Ballad. There have been so many surreal, amazing moments and opportunities through the magazine.

L: So many things! Too many things to even have the brain power to think of it. (It’s print day today, so we’re pretty mental…) But yes Ballad Of…has shaped most things in our life today, the events we go to, the people we meet, it’s just made our lives super exciting and there’s never a quiet moment in the world of Ballad.

T&A: Tell us about the eureka moment you came up with Ballad Of– and your future world domination plans.

C: Oh god, the infamous Belgian Waffle story.

L: We were in a pub, we had had a few beers, had the company of a mouse running around, got a bit excited, ate too many Belgian Waffles (sugar rush), had a bit of a rant about how not getting paid to assist photographers sucked, then PING…Ballad was born.

We tipsily went back to our flat, made an email address and a Facebook page about our new magazine and went to bed. When we woke up we had emails from people wanting to get involved so we just had to roll with it! Ha…luckily it worked out amazingly.

T: So many great things happen over Belgian waffles. When you make it here, we’ll take you for the chocolate flavoured ones at The 101 Diner in Hollywood. They put ice cream on top too.

T&A: Who are some women you admire? Girl crushes?

C: It’s no secret. Geri Halliwell. She’s my love, and I have a little girl power stick figure tattoo on my wrist who is called Geri Halliwell (image attached). I think people think we’re kidding about with our Spice Girl obsession, but it’s honest. They were our first loves.

L: POSH SPICE!!!!!! Always has been, always will be.

T&A: Guess that answers– Who would be your choice to play you in a TV version of “Ballad Of”? Lindsey is the raven-esque one and Claire is the gorgeous ginger gal.

T&A: So British men are not all Orlando Bloom/James Bond?

C: Where have you heard that? Of course they are! You should come over for a visit and we’ll show you. Tuxedos, the lot. Ha.

L: Ha…Um, yes..come over and you can see our lovely British blokes.They’re (mostly) wonderful.

T&A: Are there any British perceptions of The LA Woman?

C: We’ve heard that you LA Ladies are fitness freaks, toned, bronzed goddesses. Actually, maybe don’t come over and steal our James Bond men!

L: Exactly what Claire said…groomed and tanned.

T: Well, Ashley is groomed. I’m a bit disheveled. Neither of us what you could really call tan. ha.

C: I’ve been to LA, I remember there being a lot of excising. On the beach. We don’t know any London girls like that. Of course we don’t have a beach. But my main pre conception of the “LA Lady” is completely taken from THAT episode of Sex and the City.

T&A: Ever dated an American or ever want to?

C: Never, but if you bump into James Franco, give him my number.

L: Never dated one either, I wouldn’t rule it out if I didn’t have a boyfriend.

A: I’ve never dated a Brit guy before.

T&A: Have you been to LA? What did you hate most? (It’s okay, everyone hates something about us).

C: Yes- I loved it, we went on a road trip years ago and drove all over. It was more family of 5 in a people carrier than Kerouac but I remember being blown away by Venice. That is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Reminded me of the city in Babe, Pig in City. Love that!

L: No, I haven’t Would LOVE to though! Maybe one day

T&A: Come on over.

A: Any new slang words I’d need to know to successfully flirt with British guys?

C: Do you guys have The Only Way Is Essex over there? It’s a bit of a British obsession, our version of The Hills. WELL, if you want to update your dictionary, Joey Essex is your man. He’s a natural! I couldn’t possibly comment compared to this guy! You’re doing pretty well with your use of ‘lasses’ up there.

L: Oh gosh…Yeah Claire is probably right, The Only Way Is Essex is the way forward. Words like Well Jel (jealous) are a common favorite.

T: Don’t think we do, but heard about the upcoming plans for The Only Way is Dalston (Northeast London- the equivalent of our Highland Park in LA- too hip for school), oh brother.

T&A: New years plans? What would you do if the world really were to end in 2012?

C: Is it going to? Oh god, not again. I’m spending the end of the world in Edinburgh then. I’m from Newcastle, so I’ll be up there for the festivities then a train up to Edinburgh for Hogmanay; their world – famous street party. Lots of friends, food and frost bite, I can’t think of anything better.

T: Need to make it to that. Took that train trip to Edinburgh with one of my best friends of 18 years. She’s from Morpeth up north.

L: Oh dear..the end of the world, must make it a good one then. Friends, drinks, maybe watch the fireworks over the Thames? I’m not really a fan of NY…I prefer quieter ones with my fave people (Claire stop in London) and drinks and food and laughter!

There you have it, Americans- two wonderful, swanky British birds. What a fun cross-cultural exchange.

Franco, you listening? Made it to L&C’s side of the pond again and they’re right- British lads are quite dreamy and quite the lookers and the women are awesome too!

Find these two lovely foxes @ balladof.co.uk.

SWOOON! Thanks girls!! Keep up with the WONDERFUL T&A over at LA Snark - www.lasnark.com

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You probably can tell by now but we adore a good little tale. This beautiful photographer Amy Beasley didn’t contact us - “she doesn’t know how talented she is” - so it was down to her sister, Sarah to drop us a line. Sarah is the model, Amy is the photographer, and we LOVE the results. We’d like to think we know you lot by now, and so we predict…that you will too!

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