Blooming Beauty

"Spring is a whimsical wanderer,

blooming beauty along her path."

 

~ Angie Weiland-Crosby ~

This beautiful image of a young woman &

apple blossoms is on loan from my mom.

It's a yard long, antique framed print! The

frame itself wasn't sturdy, so I was able to

remove the image - very carefully - and

scan in sections. It was then digitally

pieced back together. Thankfully, my

dad's fixed and built many frames,

so I know he'll be able to restore it.

For the tags, I decided to focus on the young

woman's face, and then searched my Pinterest

images for apple blossoms. The postcard with a

fence in the background was what led to the

weathered white wood. I saw the endpaper

that reminded me of the lacy details in the

woman's clothing... you can see how

it gradually came together.

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

*The Graphics Fairy*

Back of an old photograph

*The Old Design Shop*
Aged, stained endpaper
 
*TuckDB Ephemera*

Apple blossoms & fence

*The Feathered Nest*

French ledger ephemera

*rawpixel*

White camellia

*F.P.T.F.Y.*
Chippy wood background
 

*Canva*
Free element: 

ripped masking tape

*Lilac & Lavender*

"Antiqued" lined notepaper

*Digital Two for Tuesday*

Endpaper

*Image Event*

"Bellows Falls" envelope

(website no longer active, so

linked to image via Pinterest)

The blossoms & leaves in plenty

from the apple tree fall each day;

The merry breezes approach them,

and with them merrily play.

 

~ Heinrich Heine ~

Thank you for stopping by!

O Springtime Sweet!

 
O springtime sweet!

The whole earth smiles

thy coming to greet;

Our hearts to their

inmost depths are stirred

by the first spring flower
& the song of the bird...

~ James Freeman Clarke ~

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

*The Graphics Fairy*

"Presented to" title page

Back of an old photograph

*The Old Design Shop*
Aged, stained endpaper
 
*TuckDB*

Beautiful girl with primroses

*The Feathered Nest*

French ledger ephemera

*rawpixel*

Watercolor leaves

*Starsunflower Studio*

Round apothecary label

*Internet Archive*

Bird eggs illustration

*Flickr*

Sheet music c. 1728

*F.P.T.F.Y.*
Chippy wood background
 

*Canva*
Free element: 

ripped masking tape
 

"Earth stirs herself from a long cold sleep,

To welcome the sun & warm gentle rain,

Gladdening the heart as a promise she keeps,

As we open the door to spring again."

~ Mildred L. Jarrell ~

Thank you for stopping by!

Gifts of Spring

"The arms of May are flower filled
With blossoms April showers spilled.
Bright, rainbow-colored gifts of spring
Arrived at her awakening."

~ Nora M. Bozeman ~

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

*The Graphics Fairy*
French lace label
Vintage French roses
French chocolate advert
Back of an old photograph

*TuckDB*
Pink roses
Light pink phlox
Basket of daffodils

*The Old Design Shop*
French receipt
White & yellow daisies

*Vintage Holiday Crafts*
White cosmos

*Little Birdie Blessings*
Forget-me-nots

*Free Vintage Digital Stamps*
Polka dot scrapbook paper

*Digital Two for Tuesday*
Endpaper pattern

*Boston Public Library*
Chocolate trade card

The daffodils and crabapple trees are
blooming... it's good to see vivid greens
and bright blossoms again.
Love this time of year!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Song in Spring

O little buds all bourgeoning with Spring,
You hold my winter in forgetfulness;
Without my window, lilac branches swing,
Within my gate I hear a robin sing...
O little laughing blooms that lift and bless!

Printable sheet of 6 tags ~ spring blossoms and branches.

Printable sheet of lilac, lined 4"x5" note papers.

Printable sheet of 10 tags ~ spring blossoms and lace.

So blow the breezes in a soft caress,
Blowing my dreams upon a swallow's wing;
O little merry buds, in dappled dress,
You fill my heart with very wantonness...
O little buds all bourgeoning with Spring!

~ Jessie B. Rittenhouse ~



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

*Tuck DB*
Lilac postcard
Lilac bunch & ribbon
Forget-me-nots
Red hawthorn branch

*UFDC*
Starburst pattern endpaper

*Vintage Images*
Cherry or apple blossoms

*Old Design Shop*
Aged paper texture

Thank you for stopping by...
I appreciate your visit!

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!

Sweetest of the Flowers

"Sweetest of the flowers a-blooming
In the fragrant vernal days
Is the lily of the valley
With its soft, retiring ways."

~ Paul Laurence Dunbar ~

Tags above are 3.2" x 5.2"
and in the printable sheet below 2.5" x 4".

Round graphics above are 4".
In the printable sheet below they are 2.5". 

So excited to offer a pennant/banner for the first time!
The pennant is approx. 7" x 7.5". I decreased the size to 3.7" x 3.8"
and fit 10 to a sheet for the instant printable banner, below.

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

*TuckDB*
1908 lily of the valley
Lily of the valley bouquet

*The Vintage Moth*
"Royal Beauty Waltzes"

The sheet music used in the pennant/banner
is from my personal collection, c. 1940.


Thank you for stopping by today!

The Sweet Lily

"No flower amid the garden fairer grows
Than the sweet lily of the lowly vale,
The queen of flowers."

~ John Keats ~


5"x7" graphic

Printable with 3.5"x5" cards and approx. 2"x3" tags.

Printable 8.5"x11" stationery and
printable sheet of 4 notepapers, 4"x5."

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

*TuckDB*
1904 lily-of-the valley 

Lily-of-the valley bouquet
"Ida" lily-of-the valley

*The Graphics Fairy*
Torn paper texture
Vanilla apothecary label

*Old Design Shop*
Aged paper texture

*Lilac & Lavender*
"Antiqued" lined paper


Thank you
for stopping by!

Homegrown Sunshine

This morning, after seeing my daughter off on the school bus, I remained standing by our kitchen window. My thoughts drifted to what I would've seen here only a few short months ago: a seemingly infinite expanse of white fields. Today, the only white I see is in the blossoming crabapple tree and petals of a few scattered daffodils. There is green, beautiful green everywhere, but it didn't get there without a little gray... and as I look up, yes, here it is again. Here comes the rain.

I usually don't mind rainy days. After our long winter, I'm downright grateful for it instead of snow or sleet. Still, this morning I couldn't help but yearn for the sunshine and blue skies we had just yesterday.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, Mom?" was followed by a big hug and kiss. A little boy now stood by my side, and we looked out through the rain streaked window. He sighed and offered some 7 year old wisdom, because he obviously could see I needed a dose. "Mom, you know we can't have all sunshine, even though it's pretty nice. We've got to have rainy days too. They're not so bad... come on, I know! Let's read some books!"

So that's what we did. We spent the morning hours reading all kinds of books in "Daddy's chair." The gray clouds and rain outside lost their power.  We chose to make our own sunshine:

Suppose you're dressed for walking,

And the rain comes pouring down, 

Will it clear off any sooner

Because you scold and frown? 

And wouldn't it be nicer

For you to smile than pout,

And so make sunshine in the house

When there is none without?

~ Phoebe Cary

Our local weather forecast is rain and thunderstorms all week, and that's to be expected. It's the end of April, after all. My prediction is of a slightly different sort:
a week of sunshine, of the homegrown variety.

Garden of the Heart

"Let us, then, plant with diligence and care
the garden of the soil, but let us, with far deeper
earnestness, tend the garden of our hearts."

~ from The Cottage Gardener, 1849 ~

Here are the original postcard
images from a set, Floral Favors,
found on TuckDB:


Carnations
Fruit blossoms
Violets
Roses & forget-me-nots
Primrose
Roses


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!

A Little Love & Kindness

Little deeds of kindness,
little words of love,
Help to make earth happy
like the heaven up above.

~ Julia A. Fletcher Carney ~

 Vintage clip art image of little girl
with baskets full of flowers,
and 8" x 10" pretty spring stationery.

6 sweet tags or bookmarks:

 Black & white clip art version of the little girl with flowers:

Below is an 8.5" x 11" printable coloring page:

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


*TuckDB*
Little girl with flowers

*The Graphics Fairy*
Apothecary label frame

*UFDC*
Starburst pattern endpaper

*Vintage Feedsacks*
Perfume label

(Please note: The website Vintage Feedsacks
appears to be no longer active. I've provided a link
to the perfume label image via Pinterest.)



"Miss no single opportunity
of making some small sacrifice,
here by a smiling look,
there by a kindly word;
always doing the smallest right
and doing it all for love."

~ St. Thérèse de Lisieux ~

Thank you for stopping by today!

Sweet Birds & Blossoms

"When April steps aside for May,
like diamonds all the raindrops glisten;
Fresh violets open every day:
To some new bird each hour we listen."

~ Lucy Larcom ~

Hope you enjoy these sweet little songbirds!
They are 3 postcard images from a set called Birds and
Blossoms, which are based on paintings by A.L. West.
I love them all ~ can't pick a favorite!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  

Pink Tulips ~ Spring is Here!

"The spring is here,
the delicate footed May,
With its slight fingers full
of leaves and flowers."

~ Nathaniel Parker Willis ~

 Pink tulip tags ~ 2.5 x 4 inches

 Notecards with pink & peach border

Pink tulips & pretty pattern ~ 3 x 3 inches 

These pink tulip tags & notecards would be
so pretty used to dress up a Mother's Day gift,
make thank you cards, invitations...

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

*TuckDB*
Pink tulips
Scalloped border

*The Vintage Moth*
Hand-penned letter
 
*Altered Bits*
Book page texture

*Lost & Taken*
Grungy wallpaper texture

*Dafont.com*
IM Fell Flowers


Thanks for stopping by!