Cinderella in one of her quieter moments, feeding the little birds who've come to pay her a visit. This is a favorite story for many people. I love the old style hearth that's big enough to sit in. The whole setting is really wonderfully done. Though I've seen it in a number of spots online, I thought I'd offer my own version for coloring or tinting. I think this project would work best using colored pencils, but the choice is yours, of course. Don't you simply love her shoes? Happy Coloring Creativity!
Tom is looking very dapper and dandy in his brand new evening suit, isn't he? I always have liked the look of most top hats, so this was a special treat for me to work on. Please notice how his outfit has its own background. [NOTE: Please never cut away any of his backgrounds - these are necessary to ensure a proper look and fit.] The Benefit Ball is just starting. All of the guests are continuing to filter in from their carriages outside. The first to arrive had been a gathering of members of The Crinoline Guild, with their partners. They cut a dash on the dance floor in their old fashioned outfits and hair styles, don't they? Some are twirling with their partners quite daringly, for the first dance is now playing the very first waltz of the evening. I will post a very lively Waltz Music video below. The album's links are listed at the home page of the video. Victoria is very pleased to have been asked to join the partygoers of the Crinoline guild, two of whom are good friends of Tom and Mercy's. This was a very spur of the moment invitation, and so they all had to make haste in order to be ready on time. - And the three had only been home a week! The Benefit Ball is intended to raise money for a very worthy charitable cause, that of the education of orphans as well as the support of widowed mothers. While tickets were very costly, and even somewhat scarce by the time that the three latecomers had returned from their travels abroad, every effort was made to secure them a place at the supper table where a banquet is to be served directly following the dancing. Other guests are wearing clothing styles that are even older than the ones which Mercy and Victoria are wearing for this event. There is a lady dressed as a shepherdess, carrying a slender crook and wearing a fetching straw hat. Near to her is a fellow who is dressed in medieval fashion, as a troubadour or musician, all in red velvet. Just beyond them there is a charming couple wearing costumes from the early 1600's. I especially like the lady's satin gown, don't you? Opposite them and at the back of this gigantic room (of which we may see only a fraction) is yet another couple, this one dressed in early Regency, a time when some 18th century influences still could be found in certain clothing items for men. Shown below first, of course, is the Scene, with 4 separate downloads, as per usual. (Complete instructions and hopefully helpful hints may be found at the first Room or Scene post, HERE.) Following that set of downloads are the two pretty gowns, and lastly, Tom's new evening attire. I do hope that this new set will offer many hours of playtime fun for young and old alike. Happy 3/4 time waltzing fun! :)
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!
A lady stays at home with her little bird. In this quiet scene, a fairly affluent home is depicted, one refined in taste enough for some fine furnishings. A lady sits alone with her bird. There is sun in the window, and we can almost make out the landscape painting that hangs on her wall. She sits in her parlor, dressed rather informally for a quiet time alone. She is wearing a wrap of some sort over what appears to be a set of stays and a long skirt of some sort. It is hard to tell exactly how she is dressed here, but it hardly matters. She is holding a very special and costly item on her lap, a music box of some sort. This lovely object is being used like a prompt in order to teach her little caged bird a tune to sing. Despite a few quality issues, I've decided to offer this image for free and to keep it in the Public Domain. It seems to me that such an image might be hand tinted using watercolors. That is, once it's been adhered securely enough to watercolor paper first. Alternatively, colored pencils might be just the thing--or maybe pan pastels. Crayons of any sort might work nicely as well. Happy Coloring Creativity!
Inspired by an old watercolor of a country garden. The blooming morning glory flowers are painted as being in the shade now, so the scene takes place one fine afternoon. That same lovely hue in the shadows near a mother and child in one corner of the yard is re-echoed throughout this refreshing old painting, including the cute watering can. Please observe the red letter Guidelines at each post here at PPS, including this one. Thank you. I've played on the theme this time in a few new ways. The buckles, for example, have changed completely. My old buckle was irregular in shape, as many early plastic products can be. This made it fun and quirky and even a bit whimsical, but I thought that it was really ready to be shelved. The newer buckles had to be Photoshopped into existence by me. I made a template and tested it out, then refined it a bit more. This was later used on images of some very colorful and rare shells. Also made the same way are the newer buttons. All of the colors in this set are made to play off each other, yet none would mix well enough with already existing sets, so I have included a brand new Background Page for download. In the process of creating that Background, I really began to feel as if I'd gone dotty! :) More Spring Garden Sets are due to arrive in the coming weeks. I've also got a few other projects in mind. Meanwhile, time to set your printer to have 1/4 inch margins for this new set. Thank you for stopping by and~ Happy Creativity!
A rainy day with a bustle? I've used the word, "bustle" in two ways there. The mother and daughter are really in a serious hurry to get to where they are headed and out of the wet weather, aren't they? But both are wearing bustle era fashions that I find charming, if inconvenient. Their shoes do appear very impractical, but the mother's petticoats look even less practical under the circumstances, don't they? Both wear impractical bonnets as well. Without their umbrellas, things would have grown completely soggy for both. Note: this particular coloring page has 1/4 inch margins instead of my normal 1/2 inch ones. I do feel sad for the little rain drenched dog. The poor dear thing looks just miserable. Other people may be seen faintly in the background, shielded from our view by the rain, a tree, or an umbrella. It's like a moment in time, captured for us to look at and to wonder about. I always wonder about an artist's source for inspiration, don't you? Had the artist caught sight of the pair shown here? We will never know for certain, but we can guess that this pair actually had been seen and then captured in a few quick sketches prior to the finishing of this work of art. But let's hurry out of the rain before we become completely soaked! Happy rainy days Creativity!
I know, I know. Spring isn't due to arrive for weeks yet. Be that as it may, I simply couldn't wait for spring's arrival before sharing this spring themed set. Friday afternoon seemed about right, and just in time for weekend Book Art fun. Please see the red letter Guidelines below. Thank you so much. Pockets! I have become a pocket fanatic! (This actually inspired the entire Spring Garden Collection) LOL But who doesn't enjoy using tucking places in journals, altered books, card-making, scrapbooking, and so on? I'm really getting enthused about it all from a design standpoint. Previous posts including fun colorful playthings for book artists may be found in my Book Arts Category HERE. For this one, I've chosen to use a slightly textural effect on the illustration I've chosen. The background and all of the fancy bits and bobs (buttons, etc.) in the set are intended to color coordinate or work together well. The lace covered ribbon in the set has been given a little extra green at the ends for tucking under before gluing. Two sizes of buckle are intended to fit the 2 ribbons in the set, or any other ribbons or paper strips you might happen to choose. The flaps on the pockets are really self explanatory, aren't they? Simply fold them under and apply glue or double sided high tack tape to each one prior to adding to your choice of page. So here is to enjoying thoughts of spring even as winter lingers on. Happy creativity!
Ready for Spring ~ a new Book Artist Set I like the young lady's smile, don't you? Can her mind be turned to thoughts of the first spring breeze? Or could it be love? Or could it be that we will never know for sure? This time, all margins are 1/4 inch wide (on all 4 sides) and at their narrowest points, so it's best to change your printer settings accordingly. Please observe all Credits and red letter Guidelines at this blog, especially as they often will differ from post to post. Thank you. Below please note the display of the full set, minus the silk covered buttons. This set has its very own color coordinated background page, in a separate download. It was designed to work well against a number of other colors, including white and cream as well, but guests may find that they already have other colors in their collections that will work very nicely, too. This set has been designed to work for book pages of all sorts as well as either in or on cards and other projects. You can expect more sets in other themes and color ways shortly, some of them in other hues of pink and rose, so it might be wise to pencil the set's name onto the back of the Background, just in case. I'd file them separately, in fact, in my own home computer first. Also offered is a separate download of the very same set, reversed or flipped around to face in the opposite direction. It is always nice to have choices, isn't it? Note: Some trimming might be required at the ends of the pocket's flaps before you tuck them under when gluing, depending upon how they are used. I thought it would be better to create them as wide as they are to allow for some custom trimming. Anyone can trim, but most of us simply cannot make too narrow a flap any wider than it already is. Another Hopefully Helpful Hint: Have you ever tried using MicroGlaze from Judikins? It is a really wonderful item to use in book arts, I find. I've used it to seal surfaces, to prevent pages from sticking together, and so on. It's got multiple uses. Tim Holtz now has his very own customized version of this very useful product, too. A very tiny amount does the job, so don't be fooled by the smallness of the jar it comes in. It's been worth every penny that I paid for it since I bought it, and I'm not done using all of my first jar yet. I hope that you'll enjoy this new playful set with your family and friends while you share your Happy Creativity!
A new coloring page today! These very pretty and stately ladies are riding sidesaddle atop some lovely looking horse, aren't they? One of them is wearing her crown, so this must be a very regal occasion. This had to be reworked in order to make better use of space on the average home printer page. It has also been cleared of messy marks for more coloring fun. Happy Coloring Creativity!
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
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!
This PPSColorMe™ Page is all about a tiger with a serious paw problem. The boy is being brave and kind to the tiger. This is an ancient theme, found in another old story from Europe, one which involves a lion instead of a tiger. I love the tiger's facial expression, don't you? And some boys can be very brave, indeed! Any act of kindness offers courage. This image was initially found free online, but had to be cleaned up and updated a bit so that it would print. Please read our red guidelines and/or credits with your Happy Creativity!
Here's a bit of fun old ephemera for one of the best holidays ever. Mother's Day is just around the corner, so it's time for a good old fashioned ephemera set to jump start those creative projects for Mom. I've combined several different eras, along with a fun font phrase, to make a single page, in both Digi and Print formats. Hope you'll all find plenty of uses for the imagery chosen for this one. So here's to the Moms of America! Happy creativity!
You are free to: Use this in the creating of art for sale or personal use. You are not free to: repackage this grouping and sell it as same. You may, however, find the original images I chose to include and make your own sets using them. Why? because every one of them is copyright free! :)
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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