Free Frames: Steampunk or Regular

Free Diamond Encrusted Frames

Which do you prefer here, our Steampunk version, or the Diamond Frame on its own? 

I've said it before, that we here at PPS™ really enjoy pleasing our guests. We've had some of this stuff hanging around the Studio for quite some time, and only just now are getting around to bringing it out for you. Our cache of goodies isn't vast, yet it can be fun to search the Studio's archives for new free gifts for the public.

The base for this is an 18th century miniature portrait frame. We added a few touches here and there, and removed the king's portrait from it. In the upper righthand corner of our Steampunk version, you may see a gauge from Dezinaworld's June (see her button for Dezinaworld 15 to the left of this post--it is a truly fun place to find wonderful image sets). We here have been big fans of June's for years.

The lower left corner has the face of an antique stopwatch (Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain and fixed to fit), while above that we have our own watch face from Plush Possum stock. 

Lower right is another form of face, one familiar to anyone into dirigibles, or airships. Whoever tells me first who he was will win a handshake from yours truly and top honors from this Possum affiliate.
:)

The original antique frame is all hand tooled leather, and exquisitely made, with diamonds everywhere. It already had too much decoration as it was, and so of course, one step further became even more fun. We offer it here 3 ways, one in ATC size and in PNG as well as JPG formats (ATC size in PNG format only--sorry--yet these should print for you just fine).

The center portion is an irregular shape, and far from perfectly symmetrical. Other flaws are in the way in which a few of its diamonds are now no longer as intended. It's semi irregular in shape, obviously, and even a little bit crooked. All the same, it's a fascinating slice of the past, and I love it. 

For those of you with no interest in Steampunk, included here is the frame without any gadgets.

We hope you'll enjoy these frames in either style with your
Happy Creativity!

Diamond Studded Frame (Steampunked)

Download HERE

Digi PNG Version  HERE

Diamond Encrusted Leather Frame

Download HERE

Digi PNG Version HERE

ATC Size

Download PNG HERE

You are free to:

Use our frames in artwork for fun or profit.

You are not free to:

repackage them for sale in any way.

Please respect our gifts for the public's use.

Thank you.

Free Bookplate Set

Books for Children!

We love books here at the Studio. It is sad to think that many books have disappeared from library shelves due to modern technology. The rustle of pages in a quiet library once allowed our minds to hush and study calmly. Nowadays, some libraries can be pretty loud places. Once upon a time, our libraries were a refuge from the noisiness of the world.

A book can expand minds. We may touch it, turn a page or two, and find our minds in far off places. The smell of the binding, the feel of paper, cloth, leather, and book board have all contributed to many people's new or expanded ideas, thoughts and feelings.

Electronic books may remove the viewer from this physical presence of BOOK as object. We here at Plush Possum think some books may have been destroyed unnecessarily in favor of electronic means, and are in favor of real books. After all, we do not have to electrify a book in order to make it either readable or interesting.

Summers found us Possums often in our public or household libraries. I myself have read literally hundreds of books over the years, some of which I can recall fondly, just as one would old friends. To sit quietly, observing someone else's ideas under a shady tree or in some secluded corner can be a wonderful thing to do.

In honor of our love of books, we've refashioned a 1902 illustration into a bookplate, specifically for children, although anyone may use it for their own books, etc.

We've cleaned it up somewhat and changed it, hopefully making its color work well for any modern printer. The borders of this 8.5 inch by 11 inch sheet are .5 inches in size. Each bookplate should fit the average sized book, although we imagine that they may be reduced in size at any copy center or by using one's own home computer.

So let's hear it for the good old fashioned summer read, and books for everyone!

And let's hear it for the giving of real books to children!

Children's Bookplate Set

Download HERE

You are free to:

use this bookplate design as intended or in your artwork, for either fun or profit.

You are not free to:

repackage it in any way for sale.

Please respect our gifts for the public's use.

Thank you.

Free Decorative Frames

Plush Page Frames for SOC5!

Sorry to be so late to the party, but at last we have an entry for the SOC5 challenge for the week!

That challenge? Two Purples, One Yellow.

I LOVE purple, as anybody who knows me can tell you, so this was an extra fun challenge, even though there wasn't much time for it this week.

We went over the top this time by using more than was suggested, and hope that Kristin will not mind (are you kidding?--we know that this wouldn't bother any true lover of color!). We've taken her wonderful idea for us to use two purples and then made use of a few more as well. This was really fun! As for the yellow part of the prompt, we decided to play upon that theme by using a goldenrod color for the one frame and metallic yellowy gold for the two others that are not all purple in tone.

The basic "fabric" of the frames is all from scanned imagery by our Studio, being old fashioned end paper from an antique book. We've changed it and used some software which allows us to make frames, and then added a few touches to these frames to keep it a little more interesting for you.

I suppose, by choosing to go beyond the bounds of the rules, that we have cheated just a wee bit. You could call it "Several purples, two yellows" instead, if you care to.
;)

We hope our guests will enjoy this little offering of purple and gold in good health along with their 
Happy Creativity!

Two Purples One Yellow Frame Set

Download HERE

You are free to:

use these frames in artwork for fun or for profit.

You are not free to:

repackage them in any way for sale.

Please respect our gifts for the public's use.

Thank you.

Free Swimming Graphic

Let's go swimming today!

Here is an old swimming graphic from 1890's France. It's been altered somewhat in order to make it hopefully a little more usable than before. The original was a bit messy, and so needed cleaning up and freshening.

It may well be that this was considered a slightly bawdy cartoon in its day, but we will never know, as jokes do change through time.

I love to look at all of the fashions that they wore! But would we be comfortable wearing such outfits today? Believe it or not, they were mostly made of knitted worsted wool. That must have been an itchy and very warm experience indeed. I actually was once able to closely observe a man's swimming suit from the very early 1900's and, while it had been cleverly constructed, it looked very uncomfortable to my modern eyes. But then, most modern day clothing frees our bodies and most nineteenth century clothing was extremely confining.

I think that today we'd all much prefer our modern cottons with stretchy spandex or latex to those old "bathing costumes," don't you?

But no matter. Let's all enjoy today's swimming lesson with our

Happy Creativity!

1890's French Swimming Graphic

Download HERE

You are free to:

Use the above graphic in artwork for fun or for profit.

You are not free to take the credit for our processing of this item

by repackaging it for sale in any way.

Please respect our copyrights and those of others.

Likewise

please respect our gifts for the public's use.

Thank you.

Plush Possum Studio

Flag Frame

For Independence Day

They say that it's a "grand old flag," and this new version offers a frame with it. 

I've tried to match the blue of the frame portion to the blue portion of the flag, and I do hope that this has worked out well for my guests. The image itself is small, being only 4.75 inches by 3.25 inches in size. It is hoped that it may be useful despite its smallness.

Happy Independence Day creativity!
:)

Independence Day Flag

Download HERE

Let's Play Ball !

Women's Pro Baseball Blog Button

Recently, here at the Studio, a button was offered which reads, "Art is a manly sport." (which see in our right hand column)

The fact that it is, of course, is obvious to anybody with sense, as both women and men do enjoy getting creative with color or objects, etc.

Women, likewise, can enjoy playing or watching sports, just like men. To even the odds, or to bring things into balance again, the new button is all about women playing pro sports.

In this country, from 1943 to 1954, a few rare women played a form of supported major league baseball that has yet to be repeated. For more information on the subject, you can go HERE and HERE. (I like the second link the best) Though they got called girls, and even were sometimes jeered at from the stands for not being male players, they were women playing hard and fast ballgames.

In honor of the feminine sport enthusiasts among us, the Studio is now prepared to offer you a new button. It is a sort of answer to the prior button about art being manly as well as being feminine.

The photo being used in the button offered below, is of pro player, Dorothy "Dottie" Schroeder. You can find out more about her HERE, and a little bit in the video above.

Attribution for the Public Domain photo may be found beneath her photo HERE. According to her bio, she played for the full 12 seasons--and was singular in having done so.

So, let's do what Dottie was saying in her photograph and "Play Ball!" with our
Happy Creativity!

Dorothy "Dottie" Schroeder Baseball Blog Button

(It is best to use the "shrink to fit" portion of your blog button gadget window for this 96px PNG)

Download HERE

(below is our display copy)

You are free to:

use this button at your blog for the fun of it, or to celebrate the womanly art of sports.

You are not free to:

repackage it in any way, for sale or for your own offering elsewhere.

Please respect our gifts for the public's use.

Thank you.

Fan Card--Summer of Color 5: 2 Pinks 1 Orange

Pink and Orange Fan Invitation Card

Printables can really make playtime and party times more fun. We've created fans here before in different color ways, one of them in the Steampunk theme. 

This time around, we've used the SOC5 prompt of 2 Pinks 1 Orange. We do hope you'll really have fun and play around with adding details of your own by using rubber stamp letters, Glimmer Mist, glitter, gel pens, etc.

So cool off with our cute summer fans during this Summer of Color number 5!

Happy Creativity!

Display Copy

Summer of Color Party Fan

Download the Printable Set HERE

Digital Brushes by:

www.obsidiandawn.com

tiffcali06 and gvalkyrie over at www.brusheezy.com

also at Brusheezy, Diana (Decorative Frames).

Everything else, Plush Possum Studio's creativity.

You are free to:
make art or fun with this fan, for fun or profit.
If you incorporate this fan into works
that are for sale, please remember to
credit this blog along with the artists
listed in the Credits above.
You are not free to:
repackage this fan in any way on its own for sale,
even if you build on my design.
Thank you for helping me to keep free things free!

Summer of Color 5: Free ATC Backgrounds!

Two Blues, One Green

Having never tried the SOC challenge before, this began on a whim, but now is even more fun than previously expected. I mean, you simply can't go wrong when you are playing with color, can you?
:)

This post is strictly digital, which still would qualify over at the SOC5 Challenge, where the ideas and the options are simply endless for fun! We thank Kristin for the fun opportunity to create using her Summer of Color 5 color prompts this time around!

ATC Backgrounds: 2 Blues + 1 Green

Download HERE

Resources used:

Brushes from Obsidian Dawn 

and

Brusheezy (could not credit the maker as they no longer were listed there)

You are free to:
use the above images in your artwork for fun.
ATCs were never meant to be sold, but only traded.
Please do not sell this set, or any part of it.
Please respect our gifts for the public's use.
Thank you.

Victoria's Evening Wrap

Victoria Goes to the Theatre

Note: This evening wrap probably will not fit the New look Victoria Doll. I am currently working on adding some more new clothes and outfits to the New Look Doll's wardrobe. Please be patient. This might take me a while. Thank you.

During the Victorian era, ladies both young and beyond would seldom be without a wrap of some sort, whether for daytime use or evening wear.

For the opera and theatre (refined pastimes in Victoria's day), many ladies wore lovely outer garments just like this one.  Note the many frills and the embroidered details. It is difficult to imagine wearing something so ornate when nowadays we seldom bother over such fantastic attire.

This time, Victoria has gone to visit her Aunt Mathilda in London, where the two have spent an enjoyable evening among friends at a West End theatre production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. For this, our Victoria simply must wear her very best upon her arrival! Note her gloves and the pretty fan. Every detail mattered in Victoria's day and era!

For our previous post with the actual paper doll, you can go HERE.

From all of us here at PPS, Happy playtime creativity!
:)

Display Model

Actual Outfit

Download HERE

Initial source: public domain (altered considerably by Plush Possum Studio).

You are free to:

use this in artwork (for fun or profit) or for playtime.

You are not free to:

repackage it in any way for sale.

Please respect our gift for the public's use.

Thank you.

New Free ATC Backgrounds!

Free ATC Backgrounds

We here at PPS love to have fun making digital art for others,  including ATC backgrounds.
Please read all copyrights, credits and Guidelines at the foot of this post. Thanks!
Our theme for this 6 pack of ATC backgrounds is twofold: Victorian grunge and Steampunk.
We love both genres, and do hope that our guests will find plenty of uses for our designs.
Please be aware that we've used digital brushes by Obsidian Dawn in each design, along with imagery we've scanned ourselves as well as images from Wikimedia Commons and the New York Public Library. Therefore, we ask that you please won't use any of these for sale, as all of their copyrights would involve attribution (as do ours!) and without sale.
Thank you.
As an added note: our prior experience of ATCs in general had one rule beyond the actual size limitations of the genre: no selling of ATC art. Only trading was fostered between artists. That's what made it all so much fun!
Have fun using your 
Happy ATC Creativity!

Victorian Grunge/Steampunk ATC Backgrounds

Download HERE

Credits:

Digital Brushes by

www.obsidiandawn.com

Also Hillams at Brusheezy (could no longer find link--sorry)

Images by Wikimedia Commons, New York Public Library, 

and Plush Possum Studio.

Completed work by Plush Possum Studio

You are free to:

trade, give or use these ATC Backgrounds.

You are not free to:

ever sell them for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Baseball Graphics: Free for Father's Day

Baseball Series Part 2

Our second offering in this series will be mainly colorful rather than plain black and white like last weekend's. 
This time, we offer two sets two ways, and in two separate formats (Digital or Print, at 8.5 inch by 11 inch or 12 inches square).We hope that you will find these useful in the making of projects for your own fathers, husbands, boyfriends or friends (or for yourself, for that matter!).
Note: all of these have half inch borders on all four sides.
Happy Creativity!

Take Him Out to the Ballgame (for Print version)

Download HERE

Digital PNG Version (11 inches by 8.5 inches, at 300dpi)

Download HERE

All Star Greats

Print Version (same 12 by 12 format) 

Download HERE

Digital PNG Version (also 12 inches by 12 inches)

Download HERE

Image Sources:

Library of Congress

NYPL

Baseball audience silhouette reprocessed completely 

by us here at Plush Possum Studio.

You are free to:

make art using the images above for either fun or profit.

You are not free to:

Repackage any of them for sale.

Please respect our gifts for the public's use.

Thank you.

Free Father's Day Baseball Graphics (Part 1)

PPS goes to the Ball Park for you this weekend, and with not a single moment to lose! After all, in just two weeks' time, we will be celebrating our American Father's Day.

But this is also Baseball season, so we have decided to run the bases in hopes of making a home run with free summertime sports graphics for our guests.

Our first offering features some of baseball's all time greats. 

From left to right, they are as follows:

1.) Satchel Paige, one of the finest pitchers America will ever see

2.) Chick Keating, shortstop (that is one tough role to play!) for two clubs (Cubs and Phillies)

3.) Babe Ruth, a superior hitter, known for hitting 714 career home runs, and considered to be one of the all time greats of the game

4.) Jackie Robinson, who played in a total of 6 World Series, and who began in the old Negro League, eventually having a stellar career playing Major League ball

As for our silhouette, this had to be completely overhauled, and it took about a total of 7 hours to clear up all of the jagged edges and messiness in order to remanufacture it for use. All of our work on it will therefore be copyrighted. (Please see our guidelines, below, in red)

First up, we offer our classic sized printable, followed by its Digi partner. Then we will offer you a 12 by 12  Digi set, with two silhouettes instead of one. 

These sets will be followed by more, next time in full color. 

We hope to have hit a real "homer" with our initial set for you today.

As per usual, all of these have at least 1/2 inch margins, if not more.

Happy Father's Day Creativity!

American Baseball Greats

Download HERE

American Baseball Greats Digi PNG Version

(Same size)

Download HERE

(same as above, but without any background, and ready for digital processing)

12inch by 12 inch Digital PNG Version

(same as above, but which features two ballgame crowd silhouettes instead of one)

Download HERE

Image sources:

Library of Congress

Wikimedia Commons

(please attribute as per Wiki Licenses)

We will list links here at our earliest convenience

You are welcome to:

use these images in your artwork for fun or profit provided we (for the silhouette in this case) and Wikimedia Commons (photo links will be provided shortly) are given credit 

(a link to our site would be nice, thank you)

You are not welcome to:

Repackage any of these items for sale in any way.

Please respect the work we are giving the public.

Please respect the rights of the public, as well as the rights of the image providers over at Wikimedia Commons.

Thank you for cooperating in this matter.

A New Plush Page Frame

Free Butterfly Frames

Our free frame collection has grown over the years to include some really pretty choices for you. Here we have yet another example of what the archives hold. 
Sized at a slight 5.5 inches wide by 7.5 inches high, and with its resolution set at 300dpi, this cute frame is now yours for free.
We offer it here for your use in 9 color ways: Ruby, Tourmaline, Amethyst, Sapphire, Turquoise, Emerald, Fire Opal, Tiger Eye, and Black and White.
We hope that you'll enjoy them all with your 
Happy Creativity!
Rose & Co.

Ruby

Download HERE

Tourmaline

Download HERE

Amethyst

Download HERE

Sapphire

Download HERE

Turquoise

Download HERE

Emerald

Download HERE

Fire Opal

Download HERE

Tiger Eye

Download HERE

Black & White

Download HERE

You are free to:

Use any of these frames in artwork or projects, either for fun or for profit.

We ask that we be given credit for having supplied them, as we did the processing for you, free of charge.

You are not free to:

Repackage them for sale in any way.

Thank you for cooperating.