A Faith Graphic from Matthew Chap. 11

A blessed happy Sunday to you all!


Here is the latest free faith graphic from the Studio. This is also posted on G+. For it, I've used the KJV version of the chosen verse. Tears came to my eyes today as I was reading it. There is so much unfathomable love in this verse, isn't there? The photos used in the composite I've photoshopped for this project are out of my own camera. 
You may give or share, but please never sell any of the faith graphics from the collection here, or any of the others that I may have posted at G+ without first offering them here.
Thank you.

Faith Graphic of Matthew 11:29 -30

Download HERE

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Victoria and Mercy Visit Friends in the Rheinland

Victoria and her two family members are enjoying themselves in the countryside not far from the scholarly German city of Bonn.

The scene this time will be out of doors, so that our Victoria and her cousin, Mercy might enjoy the fresh breezes near the banks of the River Rhein. Both of the dolls' outfits and the outdoor travel scene will be provided together in this single post.

Please respect my red letter Guidelines and the copyrights listed below every post in this blog, including this one. Thank you so much.

Mercy's new husband, Tom has connections with some friends of his own family there in Germany. Such friendly connections will allow all three busy travelers some time to relax together at a pleasant countryside estate that is located south and east of Bonn, and on the River Rhein.

The pavilion in this picture offers everyone a cooling place to sit on sunny afternoons. Tables have been left standing inside of this nice outdoor building. These tables have been used many times during spring and summer outdoor teas and luncheons. 

The garden pavilion is also a good place from which to view the lovely sky at evening. As we gaze eastward over the water, there is a sudden rise to the landscape. These hills comprise the "Siebengebirge," or the Seven Hills range overlooking the river.

It is a very picturesque view. Victoria is dressed in her dinnertime best in the Display picture (shown first below). This is her best dinner "corsage" or blouse she is wearing. The apricot tone of its cotton fabric is a flattering color for her pretty face, isn't it? 

Her long white gloves propose a challenge that every woman of a certain status understood during the late 1800's.
"A compromise was achieved with the mousquetaire wrist opening, through which ladies could slip their hands out of the gloves for meals without removing them altogether (it was and is against etiquette to eat or drink with gloves on). " {A reference link for the page I've just quoted from may be found HERE.}

Her soft grey skirt reveals a touch of a snow white petticoat along with one of her more formal shoes. The cut of her skirt you may recognize from the skirts of her Sunday dresses from last year, but it is still a fashionable style for a refined and modern setting such as this one. The house just beyond the garden may not be seen from here, but it is very ornate and grand. Each guest will have his or her own bedroom. Mercy and Tom have whispered together in the small sitting area in Mercy's room about the place being more of a "palace" than it is a house.

She and her cousin have a trip planned for the nearby University, where the two hope to practice a few of their language skills with some students their own age. Tom will not be along at the time, for he will be once again engaged in doing business for the day. 

In the meantime, there is to be a delicious and unique dining experience inside the spacious country home. Among the items on the evening's menu will be Spätzle, a very tasty kind of egg noodle dish known throughout Germany. Other items will include a choice between roasted chicken with currants or baked fish, a Gurkensalat (a  kind of fresh summer salad made from cucumbers), and a cake of strawberries made with meringue. But of course, that is just a sampling from a rather extensive menu from which Victoria, Mercy and Tom will be able to choose during this evening's meal. 

Their hosts are both prosperous, wealthy and very friendly. Their children will be supping with their nanny, but these happy youngsters will make a special appearance in order that they may be introduced properly by their parents to the family's guests.

The event promises to be very delightful, as their hosts are highly educated and interesting. The husband, a Mr. Charles Browne from London, married his charming and talented German wife, Klara ten years ago. They already have three admirable and talented children to their young family. Klara is to play the piano for her guests in their Music Room directly following their lavish meal.

Victoria has taken her sunset walk in the cool of the evening in the garden. Soon, a small gong will be struck by a groom on that garden lawn to summon everyone indoors to the dining room.

NOTE: Instructions for the assembly of the Rooms and Scenes of the Paper Doll Collection may be found by following this link HERE.

Happy Creative Summer Playtime!

PPSPlaytime™: Victoria Visits the Rheinland

Display of the Garden Scene

(lower quality than the downloads)

Download Upper Left Portion HERE.

Download Upper Right Portion HERE.

Download Lower Right Portion HERE.

Download Lower left Portion HERE.

Display of Victoria's Outfit Alone

(lower quality than the download below)

Download Victoria's Dinner Outfit HERE

Display of Mercy's Outfit Alone

(lower quality than the download below)

Download Mercy's Dinner Attire HERE

©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 give or trade the Paper Doll items

offered in this post.

You are not free to:

ever sell them for any reason.

Thank you 

for helping me to

keep free  things free!

A Seaworthy Magazine Cover from 1895

Ahoy there!

A breezy July day out on the waves sounds cooling to me today.
I've augmented and changed this item for best ease of use, but am choosing to leave it in the Public Domain category.

Let's weigh anchor and set sail for the open sea!

Happy summertime creativity!

July 1895 Sailing Illustration

Download HERE

Display version

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Public Domain

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

A Special Gift + a Room for Victoria

A gift from a loving grandmother has just been delivered. Included below is also a new Room.

This gift had to be ordered in advance from a lingerie shop in Paris. Victoria's Grandmother Lacey wanted her to have something especially pretty and fashionable to wear in the evenings while on her travels

Please respect my red letter Guidelines here. Thank you.

This very special gift is something unexpected. Victoria's cousin Mercy has helped their grandmother with all arrangements so that delivery would be timely. This had to be a well guarded secret for weeks. The pretty peignoir is that gift. (For a quick lesson in the French pronunciation of that word, along with its actual meaning, you may follow this link HERE and click on the little speaker symbol beside the word) 

I am offering this sweet night robe in two colors, magenta and blue. The choice is yours. Either color will work nicely with every hair color that is being offered with the New Look style of paper doll, available HERE.  The Instructions and hopefully helpful hints for assembling the room that goes with this outfit may be found HERE. If there are any questions, please feel free to ask with a comment. I will do my best to respond. (please forgive this problem with sudden changes in font sizes here. It is an ongoing problem I've faced since earlier this year)

The Room is, of course, Victoria's room at a rather grand and spacious hotel in Paris. It has antique furnishings, tall walls, and a fancy plastered ceiling. The rug underfoot is very soft and comforting. In fact, this is the most elaborate room in which Victoria has ever stayed. She sees her visit to this fine hotel as a gift, too. After all, without the generosity of her family, no such special treat as she is experiencing would ever have been possible for her. It is her grandmother's family who have so generously all worked together in order to offer her this wonderful and educational time abroad.

But the fun for Victoria is only just beginning!

Below, I am offering the peignoir (or robe) first, followed by each of the 4 separate sections of the Room. 

Notes on Some Quality Issues with this Room:
Now, I am not altogether pleased with the quality of this Room. I do hope that guests will forgive its lower than normal quality. I actually have had a very tough time trying to find just the right images that will not only work to scale or size for the doll but that would make sense within the story line. I've faced quality issues ever since I first began blogging here in that I tend to choose and offer mainly higher quality images wherever possible. 
I actually prefer 300dpi resolution images for use with each doll, especially in Room images. However, this simply has not always been possible for me. For some reason, paintings of interiors from the right decade that are in good enough condition have been extremely difficult to find or use. I've often faced some of my tougher challenges with Rooms and Scenes for my paper doll collection.

That being said, here is the pretty new robe, followed by the new Room ~

Happy Playtime Creativity!

PPSPlaytime™: Room and French Robe Set

for Victoria

Download Blue Robe HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

Download Magenta Robe HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

Room (in 4 sections)

Download Upper Left HERE

Download Upper Right HERE

Download Lower Right HERE

Download Lower Left HERE

Display version with outfit

shown below

Image credit for room:

nypl.org

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

Thanks for the courtesy.

You are free to:

either play with or give or trade

the images being offered within this post.

You are not free to:

sell any of them for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Sightseeing in Europe with Victoria

Victoria is now abroad, touring parts of Europe!

Along with her cousin, Mercy, and Mercy's husband, Tom she will be touring for weeks yet to come. They have already crossed the Channel, landing at the Port of La Havre, and have taken a train into Paris!

Please observe the red letter Guidelines shown below. Thank you.

The Story:
Mercy's husband will be fairly busy from time to time during their long journey, for he has a series of business appointments to take care on behalf of an elderly relative. Mercy is acting as her younger cousin's chaperone. Young married women were sometimes allowed to do this in the late 1800's. However, it was definitely a social disgrace for any young, unmarried girl or woman to wander on a foreign street unaccompanied! Not only was it frowned upon, but it might even have been somewhat dangerous then, too. After all, earlier on in the decade, there had been two events of politically charged violence in Paris. Victoria's grandmother is very anxious that all will go smoothly for her two granddaughters in particular, but also for Tom.

Neither of the two cousins will mind this set of rules in the least, however. They are close friends since early childhood who cherish each other's close companionship. Tom is gratified to know that his young bride will have her very best friend for a companion during his busiest days.

Today, they have hired a carriage that will take them to see sights in Paris. They really haven't very much time, for they are soon to leave for a river outing as well as the cooling heights of some mountains (more on that later on). Eventually, they will make their way to the seacoast of Italy and from there to the French Riviera, called by the French, the Côte d'Azur. For Mercy and Tom this will be a delayed honeymoon, while for Victoria it will be her first (and possibly only) chance to practice her language skills abroad prior to embarking on some further study followed then by teaching. 

The three dear friends will also enjoy time in the early autumn for some shopping and further sightseeing in Paris. While there, Tom hopes to encounter some colleagues of his grandfather's and to secure some information for London's British Museum, which is where he works. Mercy, meanwhile, will be kept occupied over making certain that her cousin's education will be enriched in just the right way. Languages and Geography are Victoria's main gifts. These are subjects close to Mercy's heart as well.

Their first stop today will have to be the Eiffel Tower, of course. This has only been open to the public since 1889, a mere 7 years, so it is quite a novelty, as it is (in the 1890's) still the very tallest human made structure in the world - taller even than the pyramids at Giza near Cairo! After that, they are to join Tom at a comfortable sidewalk café for some coffee and something to eat. They hope to later meet three friends of his at the  Musée du Louvre   (Louvre Museum) as well. 

Mercy hopes to collect a few bits of ephemera for her travel book along the way.

Following that, they hope to see something of the Paris night life. In two days' time, they will be on their way to a countryside estate near the city of Bonn in Germany, where Tom has business and the three have been invited to stay for a few days.

Today, Victoria is dressed mainly for comfort, in her lighter weight summer linen clothes and her sturdy walking shoes (note the cobblestones under those shoes). Her umbrella doubles for her as a parasol against the summer sun. Her long white gloves mark her out as a young lady who has been carefully raised to avoid tanning the skin of her hands and arms. Even though she is soon to become employable, she is to take care of those hands, always. Her grandmother has made certain that she would learn to care for her skin in just such a refined manner.

The hat she wears is one that has a changeable satin band. Her skirt is one of three of the very same cut, with summer flounces both above and below, which her grandmother has helped her to select for this part of her journey. This particular one is of a khaki color, just right for strolling dusty boulevards and park walkways. Her French style "corsage" or lightweight blouse may be worn for a number of occasions, including sightseeing. She has brought three of these along for use during warmer weather. Once paired with a more formal skirt and her very best shoes, though, and it easily becomes acceptable apparel for somewhat less formal dining in a pensione or at a number of the smaller hotels where they are sure to stay. (To see what some pensiones are like, you may follow this link HERE)

There will soon be even more exciting times ahead for young Victoria Lacey!

Happy Playtime Creativity!

PPSPlaytime™: Sightseeing in Paris with Victoria

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:

either play with or give or to trade

this paper doll outfit.

You are not free to:

ever sell it for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Victorian Era Seed Packet Art

This has had to be changed radically by me in order to make it both a little more more usable and attractive.

Whenever I find something as fun to look at as this image truly is for me, I feel a genuine urge to clean it up and make it look fresher.

Please respect my time, effort, and (therefore) also my copyrights. Also, please observe the red letter Guidelines below. Thank you.

I really like the way that the young man is standing comfortably with his booted feet in the summertime sun. The contrast between his comfort (open collar, rolled up sleeves) on an extra warm and sunny day and the long sleeves, high collars and fuss and frill of the two ladies aboard their little two wheeled gig makes me smile. The one young woman is enjoying the flavor of the slim slice of watermelon the boy has just offered her. Perhaps there will be a sale?

There are melons in the foreground and in the background of this picture as well. It's such a pretty summer scene, that I simply couldn't resist the opportunity of sharing it here at the Studio's blog.

There's just one problem, however. I am fresh out of melons and yet would have enjoyed a nice, refreshing melon slice snack today!
:)

Happy Summertime Creativity!

Antique Seed Advertisement

Download HERE

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You are free to:

use the seed graphic shown above

in works of art that may be either given away or sold.

You are not free to:

ever sell it as is, either alone or as a part of a set.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Mercy's Travel Trunk Outfit

Mercy has a lot of packing to do!

She and her husband, Tom, are looking forward to the excitement of traveling together at last.

Please see the red letter Guidelines below. Thank you!

Very soon, Mercy, Tom and Mercy's younger cousin, Victoria will be traveling across the English Channel towards France. On the other shore, they hope to meet up with a few traveling family members along the way.

Mercy's trunk has a domed lid and is roomy enough for her best travel things. At her feet may be seen one of her many bandboxes. It is empty, as she has chosen to stow its contents (a hat) within her solid, sturdy trunk for the journey. Her walking shoes are very much like those her cousin has chosen, aren't they? But then, the two do so enjoy dressing alike in style but with different colors.

In her left hand, Mercy is holding a travel sketch diary which she plans to fill with memories of her first big trip abroad. This will be sort of like a scrapbook, only with a few notes and perhaps a drawing or two. We'll see more of it in future.

The standard for this outfit with scene may be found by following the link provided HERE, where you'll also find more of the story. This will lend added support for this larger outfit. I'd like to suggest also reinforcing this outfit. Instructions for doing so are available at the same link, above.

Happy Playtime Travels!
More soon of the adventures of Victoria and her family and friends!

PPSPlaytime™: Mercy's New Travel Trunk 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 or give or trade 

this new outfit.

You are not free to:

ever sell it or any part of it for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!