September Set: "Black-Eyed Susans"

The first of 2 September Book Arts posts...

...before I go on a bit of a health hiatus for a while here at the Studio.

The colors that the end of summer brings can be bright and promising. This set has been inspired by the flower known as the "black-eyed Susan." I love that pleasant blend of golden yellow with a deeper orange, don't you? Some "Susans" come in a variety of colors, but I prefer this orange-y yellow the best.

Please respect my copyrights and follow the red letter Guidelines listed at the foot of this post. Thank you.

The set requires 2 circle punches, one in the 1 inch size, the other in the 1/2 inch size. For some examples of how I like to suggest that people might use my sets, please follow this link HERE and look for the Display.

Happy September Creativity!

PPS™Book Arts Set: September "Black-Eyed Susans"

Download HERE

(No ideas display this time, as no time. 

Please see post above. Thank you)

Plain Display:

You are free to:

use any of the above items

shown here in artwork and/or crafting

that is to be either kept or given away freely.

You are not free to:

sell these designs 

for any reason whatsoever,

even if you alter them first.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Autumn Checkers - Canadian Style!

This fun game was invented a long time ago, yet it is still enjoyed by millions today!

This new board and game piece set is specially designed to be a part of the Autumn Garden Collection, begun last week here at PPS.

Please observe and respect all copyrights and red letter Guidelines here, especially for this particular copyrighted design of mine. Thank you.

"The most popular forms are English draughts, also called American checkers, played on an 8×8 checkerboard; Russian draughts, also played on an 8×8; and international draughts, played on a 10×10 board. There are many other variants played on an 8×8, and Canadian checkers is played on a 12×12 board." 
This is from Wikipedia's article about the game of "Draughts" or "Checkers" as we call it here in the States.

"Checkers dates back to the 12th century, in France.[2][1] There are two main types of checkers played: the Anglo-American version (which originally came from France) and the Polish or continental version. The Anglo-American version is played on an 8x8 checkerboard with 12 pieces. The continental version (so-called because it is played on the continent of Europe) is played on a 10x10 board with 20 pieces each. There are also a number of variations in various countries."
The writer of that article skipped the Canadian version, didn't they?
:)

For my own game board, I've chosen to use the same size that our Canadian friends like to play on, which is 12 squares by 12 squares in size. 18" x 18" is what my big board will be, once completed. This will allow for each square to be slightly larger than one inch on all four sides.

Some online sources left me puzzling about the varying size discrepancies for both boards and squares. For example, one source said that each space on the board should be 1.5" by 1.5" square. But this made no sense in terms of math for some board sizes. I was quite frankly puzzled at first! After all, 12 squares border all sides of the Checkerboards used in Canadian style draughts (pronounced "drafts.") or checkers. 12 squares x 1.5" = 18".

Other sources later claimed that every square should be exactly one inch square. Some even claimed that the board must be 8" x 8" (such as the article above), yet that would make the board smaller than an average sheet of printer paper, wouldn't it?

Anyway, as soon as I saw all of the varying sizes, etc., I decided to decide for myself instead of following all of that varying advice. In fact, I went with the Canadian style (probably because of an old movie I was watching at about the same time which took place in Canada).

Below, the first thing to be shown is a Display model of the completed board with a pretend game in its first steps. Directly following that Display will be a list of the 4 downloads, each one labeled as per usual.

For complete instructions on how to put together the 18" x 18" board, I'd like to suggest the Instructions and Hints at one of my Paper Doll Room posts HERE. The techniques for both projects should be very much the same. 

This game does have pieces or tokens. I'd like to suggest the use of small wooden discs, such as craft and hobby stores often carry for these. The size should be no smaller than 1.25" or one inch plus one quarter across. That is the exact size of each of the circular pieces I've created for the set. Another option might be for chip board circles of the same size, 1.25". I imagine there are various tabletop die cutters that might be useful for such a project, as would a 1.25" circle crafting punch. Cork or felt padding  on the underside of every piece will help to ensure the life of the board.

Each free printable download comes with 6 game pieces, 3 pieces per design, so that once all 4 sections have been printed, so will all 12 game tokens have been.

As most home printers have ink which runs when wet, some wide enough clear packing tape could be very useful for putting together your tokens (or checkers). Glue stick is an old favorite of mine for paper projects, however, perhaps double sided tape (the strong kind often used by crafters today) would work best, as it is applied without dampening anything and is sturdy. 

Remember that you can always save the 4 downloads as files and reprint them if you need to.

Below the Downloads and the Guidelines, I will offer a video of the game's basics for beginning players.

Happy Autumn Playtime!

PPSGames™: Autumn Checkers (or Draughts)

Canadian Style!

Display model:

Download Upper Left HERE

Download Upper Right HERE

Download Lower Right HERE

Download Lower Left HERE

You are free to:

play with this game

and/or the tokens.

You are not free to:

ever sell any part of this game set

for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to 

keep free things free!

Checkers basics:

The next one shows a little more skill.

Autumn Garden Label Set No. 1

These will match and blend in with the bunting/banner as well as with everything in yesterday's post.

This collection is growing! Soon there will be two label sets with quotes included, as well as one with no quotes included. I hope to shortly also provide some other fresh fall colors in sets for book arts, collage, scrapbooking and general crafting.

For the original post that started it all, the Harvest Bunting/Banner, you can follow this link HERE.

Please respect all copyrights listed at this post and all others here at this blog. Most often you will see them written at the foot of a post as red letter Guidelines and/or Credits. Thank you.

Happy Harvest Creativity!

PPSFaithGraphics™: Matching Harvest Label Set

Download HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

You are free to:

use this label set for crafting, etc. that is 

personal and meant to be kept,

or for gift giving and sharing.

You are not free to:

ever sell this set for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

A Leafy New Autumn Collection

Autumn leaves! What could be better?

The sky seems to deepen in tone just enough to be noticeable this time of year, as the cooler temperatures paint every leaf a shining new color.

Please see the special new copyrights and Guidelines below this post's downloads. Thank you.

I have some thanking to do now. You see, I had lost some of my edge on creativity, and was really bored with everything that I'd just completed. I didn't realize just how in the doldrums I'd been until I happened across a new video by creative crafter par excellence, Shemi Dixon. (name is a link) That playful, lighthearted attitude of hers was just what I needed in order for me to snap out of my dull mood and into some more creative playfulness! This led me to playing around with a few favorite fall colors and using my Photoshop playfulness for a change. The result: an entirely new collage made from leafy patterns along with a contented me. 
THANKS Shemi!
:)

Included in this set will be a number of new items from which you may choose. Please be aware that certain copyrights had to apply in this case due to the materials and brushes used. (which see below)

Shown first is the new Pocket Set that is for book artists and crafters of all sorts. You'll notice the new badge style is made using an image of some antique leather along with a copyright free leaf. That particular item, along with the gemstone and antique glass buckle, are copyright free, with no strings attached. The same would apply towards the photo corners (4 in all to this set).

It's the collage which makes up the main body of each pocket and the trim at the top of the page that have certain copyright rules added. I am sorry for any confusion this could cause,and so will try to make things as clear as possible for everybody. Basically, it's OK to use everything here just for fun in your own personal world. It is NOT OK to sell the copyrighted things without permissions or licensing or attributing, depending upon the item. (Whew! -seems complicated! Please don't let it bother you, though. I promise it does get easier!)

The second, the simple Frames and cutouts Set, has copyrighted digital brush images throughout. A digital brush is not exactly easy to explain to the uninitiated. Each one is an image that is created for use with Photoshop programs. Some images look a lot like a natural brush stroke, while others have unique shapes, such as leaves or flowers or even buildings! 

The list is simply endless of the types of images to be had on the digital brush market anymore! I've collected and used only free brushes that do oftentimes have copyrights. I then follow the instructions as to crediting or attributing, and so on, so that I still get to give everything away free for you here at Plush Possum. Since this blog is all about Free images for creative use, this works well as long as the guests here will follow the example that I try to maintain for us all.

The third Set in this collection is just like the second, in that it is based upon that leafy collage design I mentioned above.

For the post that started this Collection, you can follow this link HERE.

Once you've read my list, you will quickly see how simple it really can be to get the gist of copyrights and sharing where digital brushes are concerned.
:)

Happy Autumn Creativity!

PPS™ Leafy Autumn Collection Part One

Download Pocket Set HERE (1/4 inch margins)

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

Download Frame Set HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

Download Leaf Decorations Set HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

Credits, Copyright Information

and Guidelines

Digital Brush Credits:

www.obsidiandawn.com

(where you can find their Terms of Use)

http://www.dynamicbrushes.com/product/

grunge-2/braque-prime/

jsperry

(please click on the word "copyright" at that page)

Trim at top of Pocket Set:

http://www.melsbrushes.co.uk/free-fancy-edge-brushes/

Please visit each linked page

where you'll find each person's rules.

My Rules for This Particular Collection

You are free to:

use any of the above shown

downloads for fun and for gift giving.

You are not free to:

sell anything that you've made

using this collection's images other than the 

following:

The striped gem and glass buckle, 

the photo corners,

the leather and leaf badges.

Everything is free.

Let's keep it that way!

Thank you!

Harvest Party Decor: Bunting or Banner

This time of year is one of my favorites.

There are a number of others' copyrights to consider in this design, so please really do read the Guidelines below this post. Thank you.

There is only one each of the letters, "A," and "H" to the downloads below, so it is best to remember that printing 2 copies of each will be necessary in order for your banner(s) to look complete. 

There are, however, 2 different versions of the letter, "P." This is because the two have to sit alongside one another in the word, "Happy." They are listed below as "P1" and "P2" summarily.

10 downloads in all to this post, with 1/4" (or .25") margins. Please check your printer's settings prior to proceeding with this project.

Included is a flap to fit. Both flap and bunting triangle should never be cut apart unless you would like to tape the letters on the wall rather than stringing them.

As for stringing, I'd like to suggest flat, smooth and perhaps fairly narrow ribbon. Gluing each letter to the ribbon prior to folding over the flap and then gluing it down is best for this project. Positioning of the ribbon should be done with care. I'd create a measurement template for this process first.

Happy Harvest Time Creativity!

PPS™ Harvest Bunting or Banner

Display version

Download "H" HERE 

Download "A" HERE 

Download "P1" HERE

Download "P2" HERE

Download "Y" HERE

Download "R" HERE

Download "V" HERE

Download "E" HERE

Download "S" HERE

Download "T" HERE

CREDITS:

(Note: please follow the links provided

for each of the credits in order to see 

each artist's sharing and/or copyright rules.

Thank you)

www.obsidiandawn.com

http://www.dynamicbrushes.com/product/

grunge-2/braque-prime/

jsperry

(please click on the word "copyright" at that page)

You are free to:

use the various parts for this Harvest Banner

for fun, not profit.

I am the sole copyright holder

of the final product.

The digital brushes I chose to use

for its leafy design

are not mine.

I am forbidden to sell all but one

of those brushes in my artwork.

The same rule applies to

the guests who choose to download

any part of this set.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

A New Version of My Matthew 11:29-30 Faith Graphic

Sometimes, all it takes is a different font.

A blessed good Sunday to one and all! 
I was feeling called to make a former graphic a little easier on the eyes. I tried the font known as "Chalkboard" this morning using Photoshop, and found it to be the best choice for me.

I hope that you will agree.

As I may have already mentioned in a previous post, this particular graphic is built upon my own photographic work along with some Photoshop processes.

These graphics were made to be shared. They are entirely free and are meant to be kept free. Please feel free to share, give or to keep any one of my Faith Graphics, but never to sell any of them. Most have no copyrighted materials used in the making of them. However, it really is best to check all of my red letter Guidelines and copyrights so as to be certain of the proper and legal handling for each one. 
Thank you!

PPSFaithGraphic™: Matthew 11:29-30 (new font)

Download HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

You are free to:

keep, share or give

this faith graphic.

Your credit to me (at this blog post)

is appreciated.

You are not free to:

ever sell any of the Faith Graphics 

I've created for this blog

for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Harvest Faith Graphic Luke 10:2

This will be my second verse from Luke thus far this month.

A blessed good Sunday to all my guests here at PPS. 

Please share freely but never sell any of my free Faith Graphics, no matter how you might choose to use any of them.

There are two copyrights to be considered this time. The design is within my copyrights, while the fading edge was made using a digital brush by hilla29 over at www.brusheezy.com. Please respect the red letter Guidelines and copyrights I've listed both with this paragraph and at the foot of this post. Thank you.

The margin settings for this new graphic are exactly 1/4 inch. Please check your printer's settings and options.

Thank you for sharing the graphics I've been making. Sharing God's word is such a joy for me. Your help is very much appreciated.

PPSFaithGraphic™: Harvest, Luke 10:2

Download HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

You are free to:

give, share, or keep 

for your own private use

this Faith Graphic.

You are not free to:

ever sell

this Faith Graphic 

for any reason.

Please see the copyrights 

mentioned in this post.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Faith Graphic of Luke 8:11

This is a valuable lesson that Christ taught the disciples.

The beauty of it for me is in the simplicity of the passage. A parable states something a little deeper and richer in outlook. It gives us a brief glimpse into God's way of thinking, even though it would appear to be just a simple saying or story. I love that about Christ's word.

This new graphic has a number of copyrights and credits attached to its use. Please abide by all of them. 

Credits and Copyrights for this Graphic: seed ephemera is from an antique Public Domain book on farming techniques in America (my own collection); Digital Brushes used are as follows - leaves brush set from www.obsidiandawn.com where there are copyrights (see my Page, "About Us" for further details and a link); a Mask brush set that I have often incorporated in with my work here at the Studio - that fun and very useful set is by hilla29 over at Brusheezy. (Hilla's name in that sentence is a link to that person's Brusheezy page. That artist's copyrights are listed at the page for the actual Mask Brush set which you can find easily once you are at their main Brusheezy profile page)

Please abide by all copyrights and always direct others to this post so that they may have easy access to all copyright holders. Thank you.

The entire passage from Luke is so lovely that I thought that I would include it here:
 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.


Wishing one and all a peaceful, blessed weekend. Please read my Guidelines below. Thank you.
~Rose

PPSFaithGraphic™: Luke 8:11

Download HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

You are free to:

use and give away or share the 

above graphic.

Please follow all copyrights

and give credit as required.

You are not free to:

ever sell any copies of this

Faith Graphic

for any reason.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Antique Cornfield Graphic

Antique graphics are a lot of fun, aren't they?

This pretty farm graphic from (I am guessing) either the late Victorian or perhaps Edwardian era really caught my eye! I began with the enlarging process, as it wasn't too small a file. Next, I began to revive the colors till they could reveal some of their prior beauty. Other than that, I have left all of its luscious wrinkles and tattered edges.  Every sign of age can be beautiful. Sometimes it can be a little too easy to want to make something like this look too new.

This will be my second Public Domain post of the day.

Happy Creativity!

PPSHarvest™ Graphic:

Cornfield and Swallows

Download HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

Public Domain

Thank you 

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Antique Husking Party Graphic

What a cheerful farm scene this is!

I thought that it would be fun for children to color in, although some adults do enjoy coloring too! I know I am one of those adults.
:)

I am allowing this one to remain in in its original copyright status, that is Public Domain. Please feel free to use it however you like.

One of the best parts for me would have to be how the horses are regarding each other from their separate stalls. I've known horses to do just such a thing, so this has brought back sweet memories for me to enjoy. 

As for the corn and the barn, well - that would be an even sweeter memory for me. On a wet and rainy afternoon at an old family farm with a very large barn, I once helped to shuck corn as a child. This happened at a family reunion. All of the children, myself included, loved that big old barn with its lofts and its straw and hay in stacks and piles. Removing the drying kernels of corn from the cobs was something we children did then using nothing but our bare hands.

We also played at sliding and daring each other to jump from one loft above into the straw pile below! What a good day that was!

Happy Coloring Creativity!

PPSColorMe™: An Antique Husking 

Party Graphic

Download HERE

Display version

(lower quality than the download)

This particular item is Copyright Free

and in the Public Domain.

Thank you

for helping me to

keep free things free!

Free Photograph of a Farmer Who's Been Hard at Work

PPS™ Graphic: A Hardworking Farmer in 2 Ways

I don't know about you, but my blood runs deep within farming history here in the USA. We used to visit the old family farm when I was a child. I've shucked corn, helped care for various livestock animals, and even helped with haying at one point. This taught me to respect the farming and ranching community deeply.

So here is one more salute to the time of haying and harvesting. My visitors can expect at least one more new Harvest offering here for the year very soon, hopefully.

This one has had to be cleaned up a little bit. The scanned image may be in the Public Domain, yet it had lint and grit here and there which required removing. This proved to be a bit of a challenge, as anyone who's done the haying knows just how big and dusty and messy a job that is! Bits of flotsam and flakes of hay fly simply everywhere! Hay gets into everything, so sorting the real from the false was a bit of a problem for yours truly.

I am offering this old photograph in 2 color ways: sepia toned and regular black and white.

Happy Harvest Creativity!

PPS™ Graphic: A Hardworking Farmer (in Sepia)

Download HERE

Display Copy

(lower quality than the download)

PPS™ Graphic: A Hardworking Farmer (in black and white)

Download HERE

Display Copy

(lower quality than the download)

You are free to:

use the above images in art 

for either fun or for profit.

It is requested that it never be sold as is.

After all, it has had to be cleaned up by me, personally.

Let's keep free things truly free!

For the Harvest: a Free Illustration

A Free Harvest Graphic of Old Alsace

Isn't this an interesting taste of the world's past? Most people were farmers only a century or two ago. Then heavy industry was introduced, and mining became more of a concern so that metals could be had for the use of industrial machines. (This led to more coal mining, as well)

We have mainly forgotten some of the simpler joys of bringing our harvest in from the fields, as a personal "harvest" would appear to happen nearly every time that there is a new paycheck.

I respect the farming peoples of the world, as I do all working men and women. This old print will hopefully teach us a little history about the region of Alsace, along with their harvesting season. The woman with the rake is a favorite of mine, yet they all look interesting to me.

Alsace would later become a hotly contested area during two World Wars, during which times much history was lost due to the vagaries and ugliness of war.

Let's bring our Harvest in today with love and concern for our neighbors! And let's share the bounty with those less fortunate than ourselves as well.

Happy Harvest Creativity everybody!

PPS™Harvest Ephemera: Old Alsace

Download HERE

Display Copy 

(lower resolution than the download, unsuitable for printing)

You are free to:

use this graphic or illustration in art 

for either fun or for profit.

Let's allow free things to remain free!

Thank you.

For Autumn: A Free Harvest Graphic of Nuts

Antique Autumn Harvest print

I love old pen and ink drawings on parchment, don't you? The way the parchment ages, and the ink with it, generally makes for a soft, warm set of tones for us to enjoy.

And it's such a pretty old document, that it seemed irresistible. It has had to have a few things done to it, of course. The size could only be expanded so much before it began to lose a bit of its clarity, so it is neither very large nor very expandable. However, it was just pretty enough to make it useful for collage, decoupage, Book Artistry, etc.

It is fast becoming one of my favorite finds in years.  A few clean-up skills had to be applied, as the machine it was scanned with had some dust, lint and possibly even a hair or two on its surface during scanning. It's always a matter of choice, as to how much cleaning could ruin the antique tone of any image, and so any try at so-called "perfection" would have simply ruined all of its antique charm. After all, it is well over 400 years old, and thus it has earned the right to look its age! But this just makes it more fun to look at, doesn't it? 

This one is in the Public Domain, and that is where I think it needs to remain.

From the 1600's, a very volatile yet interesting century, and in the same year as the Great Fire of London, here is our latest Public Domain gift for our guests.
Let's keep free things free!

Happy Creativity!

PPS™ Harvest Ephemera Sepia Nut Print

Download Printable JPG HERE

Our Display copy 

(at a lower resolution than the download)

Simply click on the image below for a closer look 

at this lovely old image!

New Free Images to Harvest

Free Harvest Image for Digital or Print

This was in the PPS archives, and it actually is more interesting to look at than I'd at first assumed. I love the mottled paper and the lovely artwork, don't you?
:)

This image was in the Public Domain when first found. It has been stretched only slightly to keep its resolution better, and then repaired a bit here and there, in order to make the colors appear more crisp and alive. This was done using Photoshop brushes along with some opacity settings and a few other techniques I won't bore my guests by mentioning (I probably cannot recall everything that was done to it anyway!). I see this image as a pleasant reflection on the harvests of the past.

Please see the red letter Guidelines below the image. Thank you.

Have fun harvesting this free vegetable image with your 
Happy Creativity!
:)

PPS™ Fresh for the Harvest: French Vegetables

Download Digi PNG version HERE

Download JPG For Print version HERE

Display Copy Below (lower resolution)

I'm leaving this in the 

Public Domain category, even though 

it's been repaired a bit.

Have a Happy Harvest time!

:)

Antique Truck Graphic: A Gift From Christine H. at The Daily Postcard

Isn't life wonderful? It brings us surprises of friendship along with gifts like this one.
Christine was nice enough to email me some very fine scans from a book of hers which I admired in her post HERE. It's really a fascinating article! You may want to check it out!
I was so surprised, I dropped our other project for over the weekend in favor of some of her automobile ephemera. The scans we received she had so graciously set for our default setting of 300dpi--so we had very little difficulty in processing our first offering from her set for you.
Her scan work was just perfect as it was, so we didn't have to do much beyond straighten or clean up as we generally would.
We are offering this one for your use in both colorways of Original Look and B&W.
So a big round of applause for Christine H.!! Once you visit her stellar blog, you'll be sure to want to return for more of her interesting musings! Please remember to thank her with a comment or two and your Follow while you're there. 
Hope you'll treasure your friends from near and far this weekend with some of your--
Happy Creativity!
Rose

Christine's Truck Imagery

Original Look

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download For Print Version HERE

Black & White

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download For Print Version HERE

You are free to:

make art with the above two graphic pages

for either fun or profit.

After all, they are in the public domain.

But please don't

repackage either version for sale as they are meant to be kept free.

Please respect our  (And Christine H.'s) 

gifts for the public's use.

Thank you.

Fun Farm Graphic

Isn't this colorful illustration delightful? I think this would do well in a kitchen or in a child's play area. But it could also be used for a pillow cover or greeting card, couldn't it?
The little chicks are as cuddly looking as the real thing, and the rooster is obviously a good dancer, isn't he? ;)
We hope you'll enjoy our latest harvest time image with lots of your--
Happy Creativity!
Rose
P.S. Check comments for the key to the meaning behind the picture. Rhissanna had the answer!

Farmyard Dancers

Download Digi PNG Version HERE

Download For Print Version HERE

Credits: Original antique image (prior to our fiddling) from

the New York Public Library at nypl.org

We fixed this one up to a certain extent. It really was quite messy when we found it, but we could see its potential underneath the mess.

Please credit us for that process should you intend to sell 

art made using our version of this image. 

Otherwise, have fun, and enjoy!

:)