Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you a boundlessly blissful and peaceful 2012 with health and good cheer from beginning to end.
Today's offering comes two ways, one with a greeting, and the other that is blank for your own greetings and good wishes.

This is not a raw image. 
By that I mean that I have not simply found it and then changed the banner that hangs from the horn. This took hours for me to clean and make ready so that you might have a better version of it. Please see the Guidelines that are written in red that are located beneath the pictures. Thank you.

Victorian Lady Dressed as a Fairy

With the Greeting

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Without the Greeting

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Credits: Original 1890's image (prior to our fiddling) from

the New York Public Library at nypl.org

You are free to: 
Use these items in your artwork that is either 
for giving or to be sold. 
You are not free to:
repackage this item and sell it on its own or as a part of a set.
This is not a raw image.
It took many hours for me to make it as usable as it is now.
Thank you 
for helping me to 
keep free things free!

Family Fun Project: A ColorMe™ Game Board for Young & Old

We recently dove into game-making head first with our temporarily posted Steampunk-themed parcheesi game set, and are enjoying it so much, we decided to go one step further.
This time, you may partly design your board's look using crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc., and make it a family project at the same time.
Our game board sports a storybook look, with four squares to color in. Adults may have to supervise the board's final look by helping to choose which colors to apply to the spaces provided.
GAME RULES
You may go HERE to find those basic rules necessary to get started. Notice the crown motif, moms, if you will, and note also how the rules call for pieces to enter the pathway on the board in that special spot.
ASSEMBLY
It's fairly self-explanatory, involving your supervision only if children may get confused about which areas of the board to color which way. Simply download each corner section below, then print each one for coloring. We've sized our board fairly small, for ease in printing, but you may choose to enlarge it via your local extension or copy center. We actually do recommend that you make multiple copies, as, in the excitement, children often will fumble, and to be disappointed is not something worth remembering.
Also, it may be useful to try for copies made with toner instead of ink, as these will weather the transformation from black and white to colorful finished product much better.
You may laminate it onto your choice of backing. Wood, cardboard, even cloth when iron-on sheets are available for use, may give fine results.
TOKENS or GAME PIECES
Our game was made to be played using dice for moves around the board.
Also, while the instructions site to which we linked, above, offers you the added option of using spinners, our choice would be dice, but you and your children may opt for either.
For tokens, buttons, coins, flat-backed colored marbles (for use with floral arrangements), or game pieces from other games offer several options. Let each child choose or make it a random drawing which decides who gets to move which pieces.
Once the game's assembly is complete, you may want to protect its surface against the general wear and tear expected in times of play. Everything from sticky-backed clear shelf paper to Mod Podge or any other common household child-safe varnish may work quite nicely for your family.
So, gather your kids together, and break out the crayons, markers, etc., and then watch as it all comes together from creating to gaming.
And Happy Creativity, everyone!
Rose

Example of Assembled Product

(for display purposes only)

Section One

Download 300dpi Printable HERE

Section Two

Download 300dpi Printable HERE

Section Three

Download 300dpi Printable HERE

Section Four

Download 300dpi Printable HERE

Our game board was designed to be free to the public. It should remain so. You are free to use it, but not to sell it as is, or even fancied up as a finished product.
Thank you.

Steampunk Game Board: Parcheesi

This project has been long in the making--several months' worth, in fact.
But it has been a real labor of love.
:)
I created it so that it might be used as one of the games for a Steampunk themed party, taking into account it might also serve as a little conversation piece of a sort.

For the other matching items in this ongoing set, simply go to the PPSPartyGear™ category HERE.

This is work is copyrighted. 
I mean that sincerely.
Anyone who chooses to sell this one, or copy it and post it as being theirs (in other words, steal)  is liable for prosecution under the law. Within U.S. copyright, the moment it was created, it gained copyright status. Same with publishing here to PPS's line-up. So don't be fooled.
I may offer, and you may make copies enough for home use only, or for use in gift-giving, and never for sale in any way.
This is due in part to the digital brushes made by other people, as well as the various share-alike + attribute types of licenses attached to the various images used in such a collage piece. 
In other words, it cannot be legally copied for sale in any way.
I appreciate your help in this matter.
Thank You.

That being said, it is hoped that visitors with an interest in Steampunk and/or board games for home use may enjoy this little offering to its fullest extent.

Game Rules

There is an online resource for Game Rules of many kinds, where you'll find basic rules for the set being offered. That site's version of Parcheesi Rules may be found HERE. Just click on the link, and scroll down.
Be advised, theirs is a version which would assume there is a spinner to hand. It is highly recommend you use dice instead, unless a spinner can be found which can be altered. However, to start one's move using dice was how it was played initially.

Assembling the Game
For tokens, you might try using coins in lieu of having anything on hand, or try making a few of your own based on the 4 designs I offer in my separate printable. Once glued to or printed out onto card stock, they can be then backed with cardboard, then given either felt or cork footing to spare the board's surface. They measure each just 1/2" in diameter, being made to fit the spaces given, but you could always expand via copying larger and/or digitally manipulating the sizes.

Also, it is highly recommend that you head for the nearest extension or copy center where there is a toner based color copier (for better transference, without smears). There you will need to make 4 copies, one of each quadrant of your board, then join all to your chosen surface (I recommend book board or double thickness illustration board or, perhaps, an old table top) using either Dry Mount Tissue (photography studios use this a lot for mounting pictures), or good old fashioned Mod Podge, finishing up with a clear top coat by Mod Podge, and (once it's had a chance to dry completely) perhaps a good buff using either a dab of finishing wax or one of MicroGlaze to reduce moisture damage.

~A second option might be to print all 4 quadrants onto card stock paper. The stiffer paper will hold up to more handling at this point. Follow that by using clear Contact shelf liner and perhaps stiffer cardboard backing.

~Option number 3 might be to use an iron on sheet per quadrant, then position carefully and iron all four sections onto tightly woven fine grade cotton that has been laundered beforehand without any dryer sheets being used. This could be either rolled up for travel or storage, or else folded carefully and tucked into a drawer.

Each quadrant section measures only 8" by 8", not too large for the average home printer.
This means that the board should finish out at about 16" square--a nice size for a game played by 4 players.
Anyway, I do hope you'll enjoy putting this new game together. 
I intend posting a second version of the same game, only this time with a family slant.  That might make a nice family project.
Happy Creativity!
~Rose

Dital Brush Credits:

www.obsidiandawn.com

You are free to 

play with this game and may have it for your own personal use.

Due to copyright issues, however, you are 

not free to:

sell this game board or any portion of it 

for any reason 

here in the United States or worldwide.

I respect the holders of the copyrights embedded within

this work, and respect anybody else who will join me in doing so.

Thank you for cooperating in keeping free things free!

PPSCustomGames™: Steampunk 
Parcheesi Board + Tokens

Upper Right Section

Download HERE

Lower Right

Download HERE

Lower Left

Download  HERE

Upper Left

Download  HERE

Display
(lower quality than the download)

TOKENS

Download HERE

Thank you for cooperating in helping me to keep free things free!

Our Next Episode Is Now Ready!

Here are a few display examples (resolution 96 dpi) of the offerings currently available over at Steam Tea Travels.
If you have time during this hectic season to take a breather for a spot of fun and a warming cup of Victorian cocoa, we'd love to have you as our guests there.
Hope to see you soon!
Rose

(Display Sizes Only--for links to 300 dpi versions, you can go HERE)

You are free to:
Make art using any of the items in this post. We would like a link back to this blog, with full credit only as having processed and altered the images chosen by us.
You are not free to:
repackage these for sale as a set. They have been offered for the public's use, and must remain available that way.
Thank you.

Celebrating Jane Austen All Weekend!

For those of you used to PPS's posting an item or two each time, this will be a departure from the usual.

Please observe the red letter Guidelines located at the foot of this post. Thank you.

Today, American time, is Jane Austen's Birthday, and we'd like to do her world honor by adding a full range of fun images for kids and adults alike to "fussy cut" and play with much like we use paper dolls, but without dressing.
That's right! We have a cast of characters in various outfits, along with a selection of backgrounds (both public and not so public) to add to the fun.
Also expect to see a lovely Regency style lady of some distinction toasting her toes next to a hearth.
I can see dioramas, tableaus, and various fun ways with collage out of this set!
It's taken us a long while to process it, which is why we've not been online as much here of late. We do hope the wait has been worth it for our friends here and abroad.
Not everything has the same format, although we offer several items in our popular Digi PNG format as well as in print style.
So, here they are, our cast of characters, along with a few fun ways of displaying them!
Happy Birthday to Jane Austen!
And Happy Creativity to all our blogosphere friends
Rose

A Refined Regency Lady

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Our Main Cast of Players

The Ladies

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

For Print Version HERE

Our Regency "Bucks"

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download For Print Version HERE

A Few More Figures for Fun

Download 300dpi Version HERE

A Few More Ladies, etc.

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download For Print Version HERE

(Altho' this Christmas tune had not yet been written, the instrument it's played on is very much period)
(Enjoy!)

My Lady's Boudoir

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Regency Buck's Regal Bedchamber

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Regency Family Life

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Regency Era Home Office

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Regency Era Shopping

Download 300dpi Version HERE

Credits: Original 1890's image (prior to our fiddling) from

the New York Public Library at nypl.org

also from Wiki Commons

These we had to take especial care with. Numerous hours were put into our Jane Austen event.

You can imagine, then, why we would like you to credit us for that process in your art, whether for sale or for art-play.

You are not free to repackage our work for sale as such, either singly or in sets, unless you have completely remade them into something else, as in a real art collage with other elements used.

Thank you for cooperating in this matter.

Our Next Chapter!

Today's latest Steam Tea Travels post is now up and rolling!

Do stop by for a peek at our Links Party there, won't you?

You may find it and Downloadable Imagery HERE

Meantime, here is a display copy of only one of the offerings you'll find there (and there are 3 in today's post alone!), all for Free and for use as you choose. Just another service of our Studio's for you.

NOTE:

This set was not pre-packaged when we found it. In fact, it took weeks of searching and then processing and cleaning up to make this set a finished product.

We would never sell anything which you, our guests, had not given us permission to sell, and we ask that that same courtesy be given to us in return.

Otherwise, a theft would occur, or friends part ways. This may not seem all that valuable an item, but it does belong to our Studio, in that it was processed for months before being offered for your use.

Free of charge.

Please be mindful of others' copyrights.

Thank you.

Some Sneak Peek Images
(for Downloads at 300 dpi of the following image sets, 
please go HERE)

Victorian Style Fan Card / Ornament--Now in PINK SATURDAY!

This is a PPS Original, a one of a kind design, based upon an old timey design similar to this one.
It's been revamped, altered to conform with our styles today, and has a brand new outlook. We really hope you'll enjoy adding your own creative touches to it!
You needn't follow instructions here. It's all pretty well self-explanatory. Simply print, copy if need be, and cut to join. The join might well be a corded tassel or it could be a brad or perhaps even ribbon streamers threaded through your punched hole. 
It can be mounted for scrapbooking in an album, and even sent as a card, once folded.
It might make a fun change from the usual family Christmas photo displays, with the oval frame center snipped away, then filled with a photo or other picture of your choice.
Actually, this might do well as a Thank You card, a valentine, a birthday card, a get well card, or just a decorative item.
This will be our very first time joining Pink Saturday! Go HERE to see all the fun pretties there! Thanks so much to Beverly for hosting this creative gathering!

We do hope your holiday season is a delightful one this year!
Happy Holiday Creativity!
Rose

PPSDigiScrap™Victorian Style Fan Set

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download For Print Version HERE


What your finished product should look like



What our set looks like before assembling

Digital Brush Credits

expectacularmix, lileya

Credits: Original 1890's image (prior to our fiddling) from

the New York Public Library at nypl.org

You are free to:
use and share this fan, but only for free, 
never for sale.
All of the artists whose work is included in this project 
respect fair use and we hope you do, too.
Thank you
for helping me to
keep free things free!

Steam Tea Travels #2 Tomorrow Noon PST!

This was a fun project, done a few years ago. the site used for it is defunct. I've left this post here for the sake of the illustration below. Thank you for understanding.

Our Holiday journey will soon be underway, so we are inviting everyone interested to choose any of their favorite posts that fit our themes list for this time out (please see highlighted below), whether old or new, to include in the Linky we'll have posted by tomorrow noon, PST.
This is a very exciting opportunity for PPS, in that we are sharing the limelight with our dear friend, Rhissanna of Gaslight & Gilt. She will be adding at least one chapter to the storyline over at the Steam Tea Travels blog, starting with her first post there this next week. So, welcome Rhissanna!


We begin our Holiday jaunt with a stay in the London of more than one era, ending with a New Year's Eve celebration somewhere north of the Scottish border {yet to be revealed! ;) }.


Our Linky Themes this time include any of the following: Victoriana; Old London of the 19th and very early 20th centuries; steam-powered technology of the Victorian and Edwardian Eras; Steampunk Art and/or Science; your ideas for entertaining with tea and friends; Scottish food/culture/celebrations/history of the Victorian Era; Fashion/Costuming (Scottish included);  Also Your hand crafted and/or digital works focusing on any one or all of the themes in this list. 


Please Remember: This time, our Linky List is to remain active until the first part of January, so there's no need to worry or hurry. Take your time choosing what you'd like to Link to this Party.  As we will add new chapters periodically once things are underway, you can also look forward to a little more foot traffic from any Links you may offer there.


NOTE: More than one Link is permissible. 


Visitors can expect updates, including multiple posts this time around, with extra ephemera sets as a way of thanking everybody for joining us.


There will be fashions on display, a few recipes, ideas for entertaining and decor, a little weird Victorian (and Neo-Victorian) steam-powered technology, along with adventures and sidetrips. You won't want to miss out on all the fun! 


So look for our special Holiday Edition of Steam Tea Travels throughout December into the first part of January starting tomorrow!


Won't you join us?
Rose, Rhissanna & Co


Here's a 96dpi  Sneak Peek Preview of one of the images you can expect to find during this month-long salute to the Holiday Season in Old London. We'll post the 300dpi version once we're up and rolling.
;)

(The Display Version) 

"Magnificent" Flying Machines Set for Digi & Print

The Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk anniversary is soon to occur, and with that in mind, we are posting a fun set of flying machine images for you to play with.

Included here are two technical images in black and white which we removed all background from for our Digi crowd. Print -style artists will still find the same quality available for use, as we always post both versions at the same resolution here.

I'm fondest of all of that propeller. I can see many possibilities for that one image! ;)

For more info on the Wright Brothers, their aircraft, or the history of flight in general, please go HERE.

Hope you'll enjoy all our collage sets here at PPS as much as we do creating each one for you.

Happy Creativity!

Rose

NOTE:

This set was not pre-packaged when we found it. In fact, it took weeks of searching and then processing and cleaning up to make this set a finished product.

We would never sell anything which you, our guests, had not given us permission to sell, and we ask that that same courtesy be given to us in return.

Otherwise, a theft would occur, or friends part ways. This may not seem all that valuable an item, but it does belong to our Studio, in that it was processed for months before being offered for your use.

Free of charge.

Please be mindful of others' copyrights.

Thank you.

PPSDigiScrap™ Collage Set: Flying Machines

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download JPG Print Version HERE

Credits: Original 1890's image (prior to our fiddling) from
the New york Public Library at nypl.org
also from Wiki Commons

ColorMe™Page: A Princess of India

It's fun to think of the holidays ahead as working with Mom's schedule and allowing more family fun time, but we all know how that can sometimes not work out as we'd hoped. ;)

From now, through the rest of our holiday season, we at PPS hope to offer moms a break or two in the way of activities, and which kids can do on their own or with little, if any, help.

The first of these offerings is today's ColorMe™Page. It is out of an old volume of childrens' stories of India.

While I don't pretend to know just what her story is, she is rather special, seated on her lovely elephant throne overlooking her palace, isn't she? I find her charming. She looks a little wistful, somehow, sad and quiet. Yet the night sky is showing such a lovely display. The crescent moon is on the rise, and her seat overlooks the water where she can see it reflected.

We hope your kids find plenty of reasons to go out and play during wintry weather, but if they won't always be able to, perhaps a few freebies here may help ease their boredom.
For more fun posts like this one, check out the offerings in this category HERE, and in our Family Fun category HERE.

Happy Holiday Creativity, all!

Rose

A Princess of India ColorMe™Page

Downloadable Version HERE

You are free to:
Use this item however you choose, just not for sale. It belongs to the public and should remain so.
With one exception: You may choose to use this in some genuine artwork for sale on the web and/or in public. 
Thanks.

Christmas Postcard + Decorative Frame

Greetings, everybody! It's Sunday afternoon, and just a week off from our next jaunt into the world of steam via our new sister blog, Steam Tea Travels. If you've never had occasion to join our Link Party before, now's the time to consider your options. Our theme for the trip upcoming will be a double one this time, owing to it's being our Holiday Season. We'll start with late Victorian London, and finish the month with a flourish and a skirling of bagpipes with a focus on Scotland.
Also upcoming, we hope to start a new feature right here at our home blog with a Jane Austen-era theme, so be prepared for lots of new ephemera with a look back on Christmases of old.
Today's post is all about Christmas card making, but what we include here today might also do as well for scrapbooking and/or tag-making. We've included two styles for you, one with the whole of the card for your use, and the other as a simple frame.
We hope you'll find lots of fun ways to share your holiday greetings with others using this simple card.
Happy Holiday Creativity!
Rose

Christmas Candle Postcard

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download For Print Version HERE

Christmas Candle Postcard Frame

Download Digi PNG HERE

Download For Print Version HERE

Credits: Original early 1900's image (prior to our fiddling) 

from the New York Public Library at nypl.org

You are free to:

In this case, use these 2 cute little items however you choose.

Have fun!

:)

The Cart Driver Works the Holiday Shift

Today's the day when nearly everyone has the day off to spend with those they care about.
There are exceptions to every rule.
And it's interesting how we tend to take for granted how certain services do continue in spite of another holiday. Take our illustration, for example. In the foreground is the mass transit conveyance of that era, most probably in New York City or someplace like it. The little girl is handing off the lunch pail her mother prepared so that her father might enjoy some Thanksgiving cheer even while he's at work.
But take a second look; for there, off to one side, and almost forgotten, a police officer is also on duty, watching over this sweet delivery.
Let's pause for a moment this afternoon, and keep a thankful thought for all those whose sense of duty keeps our world ticking along, whether or not it's holiday time.
I know they'd much rather be where we are today.
Peace & Tranquility this Thanksgiving morning to you all.
Rose & Co

The Cart Driver's Thanksgiving

Download B&W Version HERE

Download Original Look HERE

Credits: Original 1870's image (prior to our fiddling) from

the New York Public Library at nypl.org

You are free to:

Use these two images in whatever way you wish.

They are given here freely, and we would like them to remain free to the public permanently.

Thank you.