Morning Glory ~ Clip art & Printable

Morning glory are one of my favorite flowers... then again,
I do have quite a few favorites.  I've tried growing
pink and purple varieties, but classic blue is still the best,
at least in my opinion.  Maybe it's because it's harder
to find that color in the garden...

After coming across the antique postcard* above, I felt inspired to create clip art based directly on the vintage artwork.  I lightly traced the image in pencil right off my computer screen, then scanned and digitally enhanced it.

*Image source (Vintage Images) no longer available.

 Next, I surrounded the flowers with a beautiful border.  It was from a book published in 1840: "New Specimens of Cast Metal Ornaments and Wood Types."

 

This is the result of me playing around with copy & paste...  After realizing I'd created a morning glory vine, I came up with a lattice background to support the flourishing flowers.

It's a full page printable, ready for coloring.

Christine requested to see

a morning glory I'd painted.

I used watered-down acrylics.

Hope you like it!

Hope you liked these images!

I'll have more for you this week...

Stop by again soon!

Post updated 6/19/2024 with improved PNG version of painted morning glory.

Pink Roses & French Vanilla

"Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose

from out night's gray and cloudy sheath.

Softly and still it grows and grows.

Petal by petal, leaf by leaf."

~ Susan Coolidge ~

Here is another version of my
"Pure Vanilla" tags.  I call them... 
"French Vanilla."  Cute, oui?

I combined several beautiful

free graphics for the pink rose tags.

Here are my sources:

*The Graphics Fairy*

 ornate frame

French sheet music

Victorian ornament

*Vintage Images* 

soft pink rose

*The Vintage Moth*

hand-penned letter

*Altered Bits*

textured book page 

Here are my sources for the

French Vanilla labels:  

*The Graphics Fairy*
French ephemera

apothecary label ~ vanilla extract

*Shadowhouse Creations*
aged sepia texture

I'm linking up with
The Graphics Fairy's Brag Monday
Stop by and see what others are doing 
with Karen's beautiful free graphics.

Also linking up with
Angie at Knick of Time for
Knick of Time Tuesday
 

These gift tags and labels are
free for your personal use ~ Enjoy!

 Thanks for stopping by!
 

A Rose-scented Breeze

I wrote the short journal entry above by combining

memories of being a newlywed with my imagination.

It was fun to write!

I combined several graphics

for the pink rose digital collage.

Here are my sources:

*The Graphics Fairy*

ornate frame

French sheet music

Victorian ornament

*The Vintage Moth*

hand-penned letter

*Vintage Images*

soft pink rose

Background for the journal entry:

*Shadowhouse Creations*

softly aged sepia texture

Thank you!

Hope you find yourself

an unsuspecting victim of 

life's simple pleasures today!

Thanks for stopping by!

In the Garden ~ gift tags

"My garden of flowers is also

my garden of thoughts & dreams.

The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers,

and the dreams are as beautiful."

~ Abram L. Urban ~

 I can't wait to actually start working

in my flower gardens... until then,

I'll settle for thoughts & dreams

of what it might become!

Here are my 

free image sources:

*The Graphics Fairy*

Victorian garden house

*Bumble Button*

1800's lush floral frame

(I digitally hand-colored this graphic)

*art-e-zine*

"In the Garden of To-morrow" sheet music

*Altered Bits*

textured book page

Thank you!!

I'm linking these gift tags up with
The Graphics Fairy's Brag Monday!

It was hard to decide between these and my
Vanilla & Roses gift tags, but I just love
the garden house featured here!

These gift tags are free

for your personal use ~ please enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Vanilla & Roses ~ gift tags

It's not chocolate & roses,

but I think you'll

still enjoy this combination! 

"Pure Vanilla" version...

I made these beautiful

tags or labels with 3 images:

*The Graphics Fairy*

apothecary label ~ vanilla extract

 

*Bumble Button*

Victorian roses

 

*Shadowhouse Creations*

aged sepia texture

Free for your personal use ~ enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

English Perfume ~ Spring gift tags

"To be overcome by the

fragrance of flowers is a

delectable form of defeat."

~ Beverly Nichols ~

Isn't this image a wonderful reminder of Spring?

I can't wait to pull down a branch loaded with

crab apple blossoms like this lovely lady...

You can find the original beautiful image here

at Bumble Button... Thank you!!

These tags are

free for your personal use... please enjoy!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

A Loving Thought

"If instead of a gem, or even a flower,

we should cast the gift of a loving thought 

into the heart of a friend, that would be

giving as the angels give."

 

~ George MacDonald ~

Wouldn't you love receiving one of these in the mail,

or tucked in with a pretty gift basket?  I love that you

don't need to write much... just keep it simple, and send a sweet little note.  I made 3 styles for you... and included the blank card just in case you'd like to make your own version... I'm already thinking of making  more, featuring vintage photographs!

The images are approximately 3"x 5"

or about the size of a regular post card.

Here are my image sources:

*The Vintage Moth*

birds & nest

*Altered Bits*
grungy texture

textured book page

Thank you!

You can find tags featuring the yellow rose here.

The sunflowers are from my post card collection.

Here's the original graphic:

I'm linking up with  

Diana Evans ~ Sweet Saturdays

Hope you enjoyed your visit

& thanks for stopping by!

One Perfect Rose

"A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.

All tenderly his messenger he chose.

Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet.

One perfect rose."

~ Dorothy Parker ~

Hope you enjoy this set of pretty tags...

The yellow rose is from my postcard collection.  

I also used beautiful free ephemera from:

Knick of Time

The Graphics Fairy

The Vintage Moth

Ma Maison Landliv

Thank you!

Here's the collage sheet:

I'm linking up with
The Graphics Fairy's Brag Monday
Go have a look at some very creative ideas! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day!

Best Day Ever!

Last night, as I was tucking my daughter in to bed, she said, "Mom... I want tomorrow to be the best day ever!"  I smiled and assured her that every new day God gives us is the best day of our lives.  With that, she closed her eyes, smiled, and turned over in the covers.

This morning, she woke up a little early.  She scampered to the bathroom, then came to the stairs to stretch.  Her hair was crazy curly, and she was wearing her favorite candy-striped PJ's... and a big grin.  I asked, "What kind of cereal do you want?"  She replied, "Oh, not cereal today Mom!  Cinnamon-sugar toast and tea for me!"  I started the toast, then got out all the tea, so she could pick out which flavor she wanted.

Of course, while making her decision, she had to stack all the boxes ~ blackberry, orange spice, vanilla and caramel, peach...  After much deliberation, and my threat of fixing plain old tea, she selected peach.

As her tea was brewing, I helped her brother pick out what kind of tea he wanted... because, naturally, he wanted what his sister was having.  The toast finished, and I spread it with butter, then sprinkled it with sugar & cinnamon.  In that order.  I placed it in front of my daughter, turned around and sugared her tea.  As soon as I turned back around, I realized my mistake!

Now, my daughter is particular when it comes to her cinnamon sugar toast.  The cinnamon goes on first, then the sugar... and she can tell if you don't do it that way!  She was giving me a look of disapproval!  "Mom, can you please try again?  I will help you remember the right way to make it this time."  My son was grinning from ear to ear, since that meant he got his breakfast a little sooner.

I grabbed 2 more pieces of toast, and heard her say, "Okay, first you put on the butter..."  I replied, "Yes, I always get that part at least... cinnamon then sugar, right?"  "You got it Mom!"  She was proud of me.

So I got it right... correction: we got it right... after trying again.  I think her day is off to a pretty good start.  After all, to be my daughter's "best day ever" doesn't mean that today also has to be the most "perfect day ever"...

I think today will be my "best day ever" too!

This is the day that the LORD has made!

Let us rejoice, and be glad in it!

 

~ Psalm 118:24 ~

Hope you have the "best day ever" today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Puzzling Lesson

My son loves puzzles... his favorite is a large floor puzzle featuring John Deere tractors.  I've got it stored in a basket, and he loves to bring it to me, so we can both put it together.

One day, as we sat there, opposite each other, I realized he was really concentrating on the pieces, while I was focused on him.  I watched him pick up the wrong piece, but held back from correcting him.  He picked up another one, the right one, but had it turned the wrong way.  On and on the pattern continued...and my thoughts began to wander.

I realized there was a link between me and my son... and puzzles.  If God stepped in as an over-protective father and fixed every problem I encountered... how could I learn from my mistakes?  I try to remember that God is always present, working behind the scenes in our best interests...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

 and do not lean on your own understanding.

~ Proverbs 3:5 ~

For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord, plans for welfare
and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 

~ Jeremiah 29:11 ~

 
Trials we face are not all random.  As hard as it is to admit, we bring a lot of it on ourselves.  By God's grace, He doesn't give up on any of us.  We are His children, after all, and a parent doesn't turn their back on their child after one mistake... or a million. 

That day, my son brought me back to reality so I could see his masterpiece.  He'd finished his puzzle after being persistent... trying and trying again.  He learned from his mistakes, and accomplished something he could be proud of.  And of course, I was proud of him too.

Amazing what you can learn from a child and his puzzle...

Friendship Stationery

"A single rose can be my garden

a single friend, my world."

~ Leo Buscaglia ~

Hope you'll use this stationery

to let a friend or two know

~ the old-fashioned way ~

you were thinking of them...

My image sources:

yellow roses

letter and postmark background

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Yellow Roses & Lilacs

 I was able to go to the thrift and

antique stores yesterday, thanks to my mom!

I was so happy to find these postcards in

The Olde Shoe Factory...

This postcard used to have  

'Miss Waive Bash' written in the blank area.
Aren't those roses beautiful?

 

Here's what I found on the back:

Hello Waive,

Has C.B. been after any more matches yet?

Are you going berrying Fri.

From: A Berry Picker like yourself

Miss Gladys Waive Bash

Utica, Licking Co., Ohio

Postmarked ~ July 29, 1908

Original version above, edited below... 

I love both versions of the lilac card.

Usually, I find that someone has 

written their name under 'Greetings from' 

as you would expect, but they didn't on this one. 

I used a graphic of old, textured paper 

to provide the blank tag on the alternate version. 

 Here's the note on the back:

Sept 7, 1910

Dear Alice & I received your cards

yesterday.  I am well.  Hope this will find you

all the same.  Lizzie is getting along fine.

She is still at the hospital.  Write once in awhile.

From Dora R.

Mrs. Louis Denig

Worthington, Ohio

Two great examples of why the back of a postcard

can be as interesting as the front!

Hope you'll find a way to put 

these beautiful postcard graphics to good use!

The full-size images are approx. 3"x 5" 

If you use them in a project,

please let me know...

I'd love to see! 

See what I made with the yellow roses...

Thanks for stopping by!

Vintage Bird-Inspired tags

Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;

they sing among the branches.

~ Psalm 104:12 ~

 

This collection of tags was inspired

by the little birds chirping happily 

outside my kitchen window...

These tags are free

for your personal use... enjoy!

Here are the image sources:

*The Vintage Moth*

Antique ledger page

Birds with nest

3 eggs

Nest with 2 white eggs

*flickr*

Speckled eggs

*The Graphics Fairy*

Nest with blue background

French sheet music 

*Green Paper*

Green frame

Thanks to all who provided me 

with these beautiful graphics!

I'm also linking up with
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday

Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy

Thanks for stopping by!