Those Who Wish to Sing

Those who wish to sing
always find a song.

~ Swedish Proverb ~

How Birds Learn to Sing

   How do birds first learn to sing?

   From the whistling wind so fleet,

   From the waving of the wheat,

   From the rustling of the leaves,

   From the raindrop on the eaves,

   From the children's laughter sweet,

   From the splash when brooklets meet.

   Little birds begin their trill

   As they gayly float at will

   In the gladness of the sky,

   When the clouds are white and high;

   In the beauty of the day

   Speeding on their sunny way,

   Light of heart and fleet of wing...

   That's how birds first learn to sing.

         ~ Mary Mapes Dodge ~

Facebook cover photo

*New York Public Library*
Song thrush
Robin
Nightingale

The sheet music is from my
personal collection, circa 1940's.

Thank you for stopping by!

Spring Lilacs & Music

It's happiness for me

to hear a songbird's sweet

refrain or smell the lilac's

fragrant blooms after

a soft spring rain.

~ Carice Williams ~

Printable lilac stationery above,

and notepaper below:

Lined notepaper:

Below are 2 printable pages

of lined notepaper and tags:

Lilac & French music cover photo:

Here are the free graphics
& sources used in my artwork:

*Flickr*
Lilac image, c. 1909

*The Graphics Fairy*
French sheet music

*Lilac & Lavender*
"Antiqued" lined paper
Botanical lilac tag

We search afar for happiness
When it's just outside our door.

~ Carice Williams ~


Thanks for stopping by!

I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember...

'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

~ Oliver Herford ~

Aren't these little robins sweet?
The first image is a FB cover photo.
The second is an 8 x 10" blank December
calendar.  The last image is 8 x 10"
paper for scrapbooking, etc.


Here are the free graphics &
sources used in my artwork:

*TuckDB*
Robins & holly postcard
 
*Shadowhouse Creations*
Softly aged sepia texture

I also used the font Parchment for "December"


Thank you for stopping by!

Eternal Summer ~ Daisies

"There shall be

eternal summer in

the grateful heart."

~ Celia Thaxter ~

Yellow daisy tag

Printable daisy tags, bookmark, journal card

Facebook cover photo

Printable stationery ~ vintage wooden chalkboard frame

Printable journal cards or labels with

vintage wooden chalkboard frame


Thanks to those of you who asked

about me... just took a summer break

Here are the free graphics & font
sources used in my artwork:

*TuckDB*
Yellow daisies
Art Deco birthday postcard

*Flickr*
Cracked grunge texture

*Shadowhouse Creations*
Softly aged sepia texture

*Lilac & Lavender*
"Antiqued" lined paper

*dafont.com*
Jugend WF

*Font Squirrel*
CAC Champagne


Note... the wooden frame

is my original scanned image

of a child's chalkboard

Thanks so much for stopping by!

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

~ Irish Prayer ~

Shamrock note card ~ 4 x 5 inches

Shamrock note cards ~ printable 

Irish prayer ~ cover photo

Here are the free graphics
sources used in my artwork:

*TuckDB*
Postcard with shamrocks

*Flickr*
Cracked grunge texture

*The Graphics Fairy*
French floral postcard

*Lilac & Lavender*
"Antiqued" lined paper
Dark grungy texture


May good luck attend you,
and joy befriend you!

Autumn's Crowning Glory

"In the garden, Autumn

is, indeed the crowning

glory of the year, bringing

us the fruition of months of

thought and care and toil."

~ Rose G. Kingsley ~

In my garden, pink cosmos,

burnt orange mums, and

'Autumn Joy' sedum are blooming.

Our crabapple is loaded with red

berries... the birds will be happy long

into winter.  My husband's tomatoes

and peppers are still producing,

but everything's winding down. 

Today, I'll be planting daffodils with

my son, in preparation for the

coming gardening year.

Nothing like enjoying Autumn

in the garden, while thinking

ahead to Spring!

"And at no season, save perhaps

at Daffodil time, do we get such

superb color effects as from

August to November."

  

~ Rose G. Kingsley ~

Here are the free graphics

sources used in my artwork:

  *Antique Images*
Handwritten Poetry
 Grungy Wallpaper texture

*Vintage Images*
Catherine Klein pansies
Catherine Klein yellow roses

*The Graphics Fairy*
Round frame

*Just Something I Made*
1891 book cover

*Lilac & Lavender*
Blank postcard

Thanks for stopping by!

The Fairest Blossom

"Gratitude is

the fairest blossom

which springs
from the soul."

~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

 

Image size ~ approximately 4" x 5.5"

 

  

Printable stationery ~ 8.5" x 11"

Facebook cover photo

Give thanks, with a grateful heart...

"For each new morning

with its light, for rest and shelter

of the night, for health and food,

for love and friends, for every

thing Thy goodness sends."

 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Here are the free graphics

sources used in my artwork:

*The Anthenaeum*

Roses by Pierre-Joseph Redoute, 1836

*The Graphics Fairy*

French sheet music

*FREE ViNTaGE DiGiTaL STaMPS*

Pink polka dot digital scrapbook paper

*Lost & Taken*

Book cover texture

*Lilac & Lavender*

"Antiqued" lined paper

*Antique Images*

Peach colored rose ~ border

*DaFont.com*

Jugend ~ free font

Thank you for stopping by!

Happiness is a Butterfly...

"Happiness is a butterfly,

which, when pursued, is always

just beyond your grasp, but which,

if you will sit down quietly,

may alight upon you." 

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne ~

   

4"x4" image

8.5"x11" printable tags

8.5"x11" printable stationery

Brown butterflies clip art ~

transparent background

Facebook cover photo

Here are the free graphics

& sources for my digital artwork:

*The Graphics Fairy*

Antique butterflies & moths

Back of an old photograph

French sheet music

*Vintage Images*

Paul de Longpre roses

*David Rumsey Map Collection*

1862 Advertisements ~ Reading, PA

*Altered Bits*

Grungy texture

*The Vintage Moth*

Antique ledger

"Happiness held is the seed;

happiness shared is the flower."

~ John Harrigan ~ 

Breathings of your heart...

Fill your paper

with the breathings

of your heart.

~ William Wordsworth ~

I love this antique letter.  It was

written from one elderly sister

to another in the 1880's.  I thought

it was beautiful in combination

with these pink roses...

Tag and lined bookmark

Printable bookmark and tags

Home is where the Heart is...

Our home is where our heart is,

    be it palace or cot,

A place where with loved ones,

    all cares are forgot.

Sweet memories, they cheer us,

    wherever we may roam,

As our minds dwell with pleasure,

    on the dear ones at home.

The father comes in from

    the dry and hot dusty street,

And he hears the soft patter

    of dear little feet.

How love lights his features

    as they run thro' the hall,

"My pa-pa is coming!"

    sweet child voices call.

Then thro' the door they come

    a shouting, out on the street,

Two sweet little darlings,

    their papa to greet.

His strong arms 'round his

    loved ones, 'tis their safest place,

And sweet kisses are placed

    on his rough, bearded face.

The fond mother stands

    in the wide open door,

While the rays of the sun

    fall on the white floor.

They paint the sweet picture,

    with their last parting gleam,

Like radiance from Heaven,

    to bless this home scene.

This dear wife and mother,

    speaks kind words of cheer,

This home is sweet home,

    for his loved ones are near.

His heart is at peace,

    in his dear sheltered nest,

And gives thanks to his God,

    for the wife on his breast.

Yes, every home has pleasures,

    and its sorrows and joys,

But our greatest home-treasures

    are our girls and boys.

God grant that wherever

    on this earth they may roam,

Their hearts may find rest,

    in memories of home.

Our home is where our heart is,

    be it palace or cot,

A place where with loved ones,

    all cares are forgot.

Sweet memories, they cheer us,

    wherever we may roam,

As our minds dwell with pleasure,

    on the dear ones at home.

"For home is where the heart is"

words by Aurelia Hammond

music by W.W. Cameron

copyright 1894

Found this sheet music today in the

NYPL digital collection. The image at the

top is sized to be a Facebook cover photo.