Ice Skating the Victorian Way

The scene is from an 1859 magazine.

The illustration below is of a wintry day in Victorian Boston. The ice rink is crowded, simply full of life and activity. I thought it would make either a nice framed print for someone's wall or else something fun to be colored in, although it occurs to me that this could work well for card making and other craft projects.

It was found in a Public Domain venue, and then re-sized and cleaned up a little. In other words, it's for everyone and anyone for any reason.

Happy Wintertime Fun!

PPSColorMe™: Boston Ice Skating

Download HERE

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(lower quality than the download)

Free for Public Domain Use.

Color Play Using Pantone's 2016 Colors

This year's Pantone Colors are Serenity and Rose Quartz.

Please see the Credits and red letter Guidelines at the base of this post. Thank you.

NOTE: There are 1/4 inch margins on the Collage Pages. Please change the settings on your home printers to match this size.

Pantone is a unique company that provides color guides for printing industry standards as well as colors for fabrics and decor, etc. I use RGB based colors with Photoshop, and knew that Pantone provides RGB versions of their color swatch system. (To learn more about the history of the Pantone company, you can go HERE.)

And sure enough, once I had learned about the 2016 color choices announced weeks ago, I went in search of the matching RGB code for the same 2 color ways. For their main page on the subject, you can go HERE. Or you can simply watch the following short video!

And aren't they pretty? I've had so much fun playing with these two hues, that I actually lost track of time!

I'm starting with an ATC or Artist Trading Card set of 6 designs that combine the two Pantone colors. Following that, there will be several choices, 7 all told, from which to choose. 

Please be aware that there are copyrights attached to every one of these due to the digital brushes being used for them.

Rose Quartz tops the list, followed by Serenity and various combinations of the two for you to play with. If the collection will do well, I may have a few ideas as to how to accessorize it in a second post.
:)

Happy Colorful Creativity!

PPS™Pantone 2016 Color Play Collection

Download ATC set HERE

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Download Rose Quartz Collage Page HERE

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Download Serenity Collage Page HERE

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Download #1 Collage Page HERE

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Download #2 Collage Page HERE

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Download #3 Collage Page HERE

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Download #4 Collage Page HERE

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Download #5 Collage Page HERE

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You are free to:

use any one or all of these Pantone colored items

for fun, freely.

If you choose to sell any of the artwork made

using any one or all of these items,

you must (by law, and it's only fair to warn you)

give credit to the brush designer,

www.obsidiandawn.com

OR

purchase a license for use from them.

You are not free to:

ever repackage any of these 

items in sets intended for sale.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

A Re-Post: A Funny Romantic Image

Here's another of the fun images we offer as a part of the fun here from our studio to yours. The look on the woman's face is priceless--so sly! Will she spring a trap leading to his proposal? It's so Victorian! 
From the Thackeray portion of the studio's collection.
Happy Creativity!
Rose McGuinn

Be sure to click on your chosen image first for the best resolution.

Passing a Love Note
(not a download--those came 
a little later in this blog's history)

Original Patina

Scanned and processed Imagery courtesy PPS Archives

Free for Public Domain Use

Her First Ice Skates

Skating in the fresh air for the very first time!

Isn't this a fun and pretty old picture?  Everybody seems to be having such a very good time. The cold weather seems to be a joy, and not a problem, for them.

When I was a little girl, I used to enjoy skating, too. In our town, there was a lake where it was safe to skate during cold enough weather, as well as a man made rink. My first skates were white. I had to save up for them, and was so very excited when I finally could wear them on the ice!

This picture is shown in two ways, original tone or sepia. Both have separate downloads below. Please read all red letter Guidelines here at this blog. Thank you. That having been said, this particular image happens to be in the Public Domain, meaning that anyone may use it for any reason. It's been reformatted and resized for a better print, and also cleaned up a little bit, by me.

This illustration from an antique magazine could likely also be colored in. My suggestion would be for clear color of some sort, or for soft treatment. Perhaps colored pencils or pan pastels might look really nice. However, ink will run if exposed to moisture, so unless your home printer or copy center offers ink which is not water soluble, I think that dry media would work better.

Happy Wintertime Creativity!

PPS™ Her First Ice Skates

Download Original Look HERE

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(lower quality than the download)

Download Sepia Toned Look HERE

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(lower quality than the download)

You are free to:

use these ice skating images

however you may choose.

These particular images

are in

the Public Domain.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Color Play 5 Ways

5 New Colorful Backgrounds + Accessories!

I am wrapped up warmly in my cosy socks and cuddly relaxation clothes today. I am having too much fun playing with color to be bothered over anything other than color!
:)

After I beat the Frosty Morning Blues (that post + downloads may be found HERE), I liked the idea of creating some new color ways of the very same pattern. The filigree lattice work is due to my work with Photoshop, while credit must be given to ObsidianDawn.com for the right digital brushes. Please see their Terms of Service (listed in the About Us Page in the task bar right below the banner of this blog). Also, please see the red letter Guidelines and Credits at every post here at the Studio's blog, including this one. Thanks!

Here is one example of the design principle behind mixing and matching the Frosty Blues collection with this newer one.

One Example

Below are 5 different color ways for the same Collage Background, with their matching and coordinating Accessories. The pockets in each set are designed to be folded before gluing. No rounded corners should show once your pocket is finished.

The Page Tabs are thrown in for a bit of whimsy. These are designed to be folded in half before glue is applied and the page tabs are added to the pages of your choice. There is a fun blank space label included as well.

Depending upon your computer or mobile screen's technology, the colors could appear different than they do to my eyes via my screen. This is generally the case between machines. Also, home printers may vary widely. That is why I have included 5 different color choices for you.

Happy Colorful Creativity!

PPS™Color My Winter Collection

Download Frosty Blue Accessories HERE

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Download  Lavender Collage Page HERE

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Download Lavender Accessories HERE

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Download  Magenta Collage Page HERE

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Download Magenta Accessories HERE

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Download  Orange Collage Page HERE

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Download Orange Accessories HERE

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Download  Green Collage Page HERE

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Download Green Accessories HERE

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You are free to:

Play with the designs shown

and to use them for fun.

If for profit, then you will have to 

attribute this blog's design work

as well as that of www.obsidiandawn.com.

With Obsidian Dawn, there is a more serious 

copyright issue

than for this blog.

Thank you for helping

me (and Obsidian Dawn)

to keep free things

legally free!

Frosty Blue Collage Pages

Frosty Morning Blues!

I awoke feeling chilly yesterday morning and again today. After the adventures with the color Pink, I felt like taking my color wheel for a spin, and when it landed on a lovely deep sky blue, I was ready to sing those blues!

Please see all red letter Guidelines and credits for every post, including this one. Thank you so much.

Today's first item is the original Background. I really liked the way that it looked, and so I went a step further by making a diamond pattern using it plus a richer tone.

Next, I simply had to add a page of tags. These come as a threesome, so in keeping with the musical theme, they are now a Trio!
:)

The Extras come next, followed by frames with some snow motifs.
Brrrr! I'm chilly already, just looking at all of the cool, icy blues!

Happy Wintertime Creativity!

PPS™ Frosty Morning Blues Collection

Download Background No. 1 HERE

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Download Background No. 2 HERE

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Download Blues Tag Trio HERE

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Download Blues Extras HERE

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Download Frames etc. HERE

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Download Background 3 HERE

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CREDITS:

Digital brushes used are all from

www.obsidiandawn.com

except for

one mystery brush

which couldn't be located at the source.

The filigree pattern had 

to be significantly altered by me.

You are free to:

use this set for fun or for profit.

If for profit,

please include credits for

Plush Possum Studio

AND

www.obsidiandawn.com

Thank you 

for helping me to

keep free things free!

In the Pink with PPS

One Background plus Matching Accessories

Everything from collage to gift card making and Artist Trading Cards may be made using this new 5 item set. This started with Photoshop and my own design ideas. You see, I was in the mood to be "in the pink"! 

Please read all credits and red letter Guidelines in this post. Thank you.

First up below is the Collage Background. This has 1/4 inch borders, by the way. I normally tend to use 1/2 inch borders instead, but I wanted you to be able to play with as much color as possible this time. White card stock might be a wise paper choice. This works with most home printers.

Next, there is a page of nothing but Tags cut from the same background. These 3 tags might be printed onto card stock, or else glued onto the card of your choice.

Then there is a set of cute pockets, all in the same pattern. these have a few accessories in with them. I thought these would be fun for card making and journaling, although your ideas might say otherwise. There are 2 more smaller tags in with the pockets, too.

Next in line is the ATC card and matching envelope set with a few collage bits to use. The envelope design is by my favorite free template resource, Mirkwood Designs. The templates there may be had for free, although never, ever sold out of fairness to the person who is allowing us to use them + her instructions for free. Thank you again, Ruth Zarnoff! A link to her website full of wonderful things is HERE. 

The final item is yet another Ruth Zarnoff Design from the same website mentioned in that last paragraph. It is a cute little Bonbon gift box. This would be best printed onto white card stock as well. The margins for this item are 1/4 inch as well, so be sure to check your computer settings first.

A final note:
All digital art brushes used in the making of this pink patterned set are by www.obsidiandawn.com except for one  that may no longer be found at the source (brusheezy.com).

Happy Pink Crafting!

PPS™In the Pink Set

Download Pink Background HERE

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Download Pink Tags HERE

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Download Pink Pockets, etc. HERE

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Download Pink ATCs + Envelope HERE

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Download Pink "Bonbon" Gift Box HERE

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UPDATE

You are free to:

use the above pink items

in art or craft

that is for fun or for profit

BUT

not without giving Credit to

www.obsidiandawn.com.

Please give credit where credit is due

to all artists online,

including their website.

(and me, too, please!)

Fair and LEGAL use is what it's all about.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things (legally) free!

A Funny Watercolor: Visitors Gawk at a New Ceiling

A Post-Regency Cartoon

Aren't they funny?
:)

I can imagine having run across just such a cluster of funny people with their heads all tilted back, and all looking at the same features in a brand new grand building. Of course, I can likewise imagine having been one of them!

I can also imagine how this fun little graphic could be used. The space above the heads of the people could be filled with humorous additional graphics for a fun collage. Words might also be placed in the same area. It's simply crying out to be played with, isn't it?

While this graphic's original version is in the Public Domain, this one had to be changed somewhat and updated. This does take time. Please credit Plush Possum Studio if you use it. Thank you.

Happy Playful Creativity!

PPS™ Ephemera: Post-Regency Gawkers

Download HERE

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(lower quality than the download)

For this post,

red letter Guidelines are

listed above. 

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Regency Paper Doll Ball Gown in 2 Colors

Which to choose, pink or blue?

Why not choose both! This dress has been in the works for weeks and weeks. At last! Today, it has finally fitted and looked right on the new Regency Paper Doll (located at the following link HERE).

These gowns were designed to fit that Regency Doll only, and not the original Victoria Paper Doll. 

Please see the red letter Guidelines listed at the bottom of this post. Thank you.

This time around, the hair is a bit tricky. It requires a tighter fit than normal, something either a parent or older sibling might be able to help with. The hair itself has 3 tiny little tabs. These need to be carefully cut around, and then folded in behind the hair itself. The second step is the careful attaching of these 3 small tabs to the matching larger, more secure gray Hair Tab. In other words, the fit is a snug one, and it is also fairly tricky.

The next tricky part is the necklace. This is what allows the gowns to have deeper necklines than normal, while still maintaining stability in fit for the shoulders. I recommend smaller scissors, such as manicure or cuticle scissors that have tiny, curved blades for all of the tricky parts. The rest of the cutting part should look fairly easy by comparison!

Happy Regency Playtime!

PPSPlaytime™: Regency Ball Gown in 2 Colors

Download Pink version HERE

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Download Blue version HERE

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©RHMcGuinn as are all of the rest of the Paper Dolls, outfits, rooms, Scenes and Accessories, including standards. 

Thanks for the courtesy.

Guidelines

You are free to:

play with or trade or give

the above 2 outfits.

You are not free to:

ever sell them in any form or 

for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Free Paper Doll Cycling Outfit

Victoria's New Cycling Costume

As many of us know, young ladies of Victoria's era were fascinated with bicycles. Cycling as a new sport grew in popularity throughout the late 1800's, becoming quite a fashion challenge for anyone who wore petticoats.

Please see the red letter Guidelines below. Thank you.

A few solutions were offered, among them, the one you see here. Some cycling skirts were more like our 1970's palazzo pants, but shorter. These wore like skirts, yet were split like pants for greater ease when cycling. Another design called for "bloomers," or knee length puffy pants, underneath a fairly full mid calf skirt. The more daring cycling outfits designed for women involved no skirt at all, and left the bloomers, along with a blouse under a jacket. Almost every official cycling outfit designed for girls and women during that era wore like a suit. The jacket almost always matched the skirt. The blouse or "shirtwaist" had a stiff, high collar and long sleeves. Often, young women wore manly looking ties over such blouses.

The more daring cycling outfits designed for women involved no skirt at all, which left just the bloomers, the blouse with jacket, and the tie. These more manly-looking outfits were frowned upon by most mothers, of course. Footwear for cycling involved high ankles, with or without "gaiters."

The hats seem almost like uniform items, too. I suppose that we could call them "boaters," for they resemble those flat topped, stiff straw hats often worn aboard yachts and at the seaside. Men wore such hats, too, which is why many barbershop quartet singers wear them today.

There was a more utilitarian use for the bicycle, of course. All was not merely for the sheer enjoyment of cycling through a pretty landscape. Working women could bicycle to and from work, provided they remained sedate and ladylike throughout, and kept their skirts clear of the ground without showing too much ankle.

Victoria's outfit is both prim and proper, if a little daring due to its shorter than average skirt. 

The outfit was found online in the public domain, and yet had to be altered and upgraded considerably. Plus, I've added all 5 hair colors, each with its own copy of the hat. This outfit has taken several hours of work to complete. I am still a bit puzzled as to the difference between the two handlebars, and yet have decided to post it anyway.

The Hat Tab (included with the download), as per usual, needs to be glued to the reverse of the hat for the best fit. I like to recommend a tiny dab of Uhu Stick (or any other good quality glue stick) at the very top between the two pieces, only adding further little dabs as you go, until the hat is truly stable.

Happy Playtime Creativity!

PPSPlaytime™: Victoria's New Cycling Outfit

Download HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

©RHMcGuinn as are all of the rest of the Paper Dolls, outfits, rooms, Scenes and Accessories, including standards. 

Thanks for the courtesy.

Guidelines

You are free to:

play with, give or trade

this paper doll outfit.

You are not free to:

ever sell it as is or in a set.

Otherwise

you'd be selling my time and work.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Hot Cocoa Cups for Coloring & Crafting

Hot Chocolate, Anyone?

Aren't these lovely old cups pretty? I like this graphic set of cups very much. It has been changed significantly to make it print ready. It really needed a fair amount of cleaning up. Please see the red letter Guidelines at the bottom of this post. Thank you.

I've added a second color choice for those who like brown tones. This might make a fun coloring project with clear colors or pencils.

Happy Colder Weather Creativity!

PPSColorMe™Hot Cocoa Cups

Download Black andWhite version HERE

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Download Cocoa Brown version HERE

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(lower quality than the download)

You are free to:

use either or both of

the above cocoa cup graphics

in art for either fun or for profit.

You are not free to:

ever sell these as they are here

either singly or in sets.

Thank you for helping me to 

keep free things free!