Christmas greeting

Merry Happy Christmas

May your new year be filled with 

health

joy

friendship

love

season of vintage fun

I'll say it again.... The colors of these old images get me every time. Soft, yet vivid. I am a girl who notices the little things, how 'bout you? The crisp red and white (my two favorites together no matter what they grace), the sharp green around his shoulder, the yellow of his pants cuff, the subtle pink of the bricks. *sigh*

Have fun with Mr. Jolly if you print him.
Here are some suggestions:

1. gift tag by just sticking some tape on it, or better yet, punch a hole and add some recycled twine

2. twin images glued back to back with a special ribbon scrap loop sandwiched between the glued pieces and dangled from a special spot to make you smile when you see his smile

3. have an old piece of styrofoam hanging around somewhere?.... put it in the bottom of any deep bowl, vase, or whatever strikes your fancy, add some pine sprigs or holly (or both!) to stand upright... add to that an old tarnished fork (or new one), standing upright as well, and use the tines to hold the image.... place your creation on a mantle, entrance table, or as a dinner centerpiece

On to the new year...

Soon we are on to the new year.
Hope your holiday was a merry happy Christmas time.
Ours was nice with lots of shared love, laughter with the kids, and blessings.

We built a big puzzle and watched old favorite movies on VHS and DVD together last night.
Tonight maybe some old 8mm and super 8 movies of our family shown on a projector against a pull down tripod screen.
Memories -new- are fun to make, memories -old- are fun to revisit.

winter song

A sweet image that is about 70 years old. The colors in these old illustrations are just different somehow and they warm my soul. Hope it warms yours too, and maybe ignites a spark for a great craft idea in which to use it. Have fun.

Are you going to be ready for the happy Christmas holiday or are you going to say enough is good enough? Don't be too hard on yourself.

products

I was sorting through some old recipes torn from magazines and newspapers, saved by my grandma, in an old discolored manila folder. Grandma has been gone since the '80s. I am not one to use recipes. I like to make up my own ingredients and measurements. Actually, I am surprised that my grandma had this file because she often-maybe always- cooked and baked the same way= by the way it looked. I had some favorites that she cooked or baked, and as a teen (thinking I should harvest her knowledge for using myself someday) I asked her several times if she could write it all down for me on a recipe card.

[Recipe cards. Remember those... before you could Goo--e anything you ever wanted to know about anything?]

Her reply was, "I don't know how I would write it all down. I just put it all together until it looks right."

I do have a few recipe cards that each of my grandmas wrote, as well as some my mom wrote. I cherish them more now for their handwritten nostalgia than the instructions they explain. Recognizing the beautiful and individual style of their handwritten script makes me smile.

As I looked through the tattered contents of the folder, I started mindlessly throwing the magazine and newspaper recipe scraps in the waste basket. Surely I would never use them, fire hazzard they were and all that...

Then I suddenly stopped and thought about the great things on those pages that surround these age old recipes. Time capsule-like graphics of products we still recognize dressed in newer labels and those super looking old colors that don't exist anymore in advertising (or book illustrations). I am sucked in by those vintage ink colors every time!!

These old product paper ephemera scraps are fun to use in collage or ATC art for backgrounds. Have fun with these. Compliments of my thrifty grandma, who saved everything and taught my mom to save everything.

Click on image to enlarge it.

Vintage roses and simple joys

I am overwhelmed. Busy. Appointments. Meetings. Deadlines. Needing to clone myself. I say "no" to a lot of things but there are things now that can't be said "no" to. (Yep, I know, don't ever end a sentence with the word to.) Anxiously awaiting time for the "fun" me to be able to do things again. Right now it is the "mom on a mission" me trudging through the days on the calendar, yet they seem to go by much too rapidly.

These beautiful roses are a vintage scrap I am sharing with you. Make something beautiful with them. I will live through your artfulness until I find time for my own.

A little list of things that bring joy:

*pretty pink flowered vintage cotton pillow cases, all soft and nice from hundreds of washings

*my favorite perfume softly lingering many hours after being applied

*very old and extra tattered books in a pile that is not a neatly lined up stack

*a beautiful milk glass bowl with lacy edge that cost just 25 cents filled with brightly colored oranges

Drum line bear

In case you were wondering... I am still here. I'll write soon, I hope. Lots going on. Lots.

Just stopping in to give you something to create with for your crafting and art enjoyment. Click bear to enlarge image.

Have fun!

buffing and polishing

Just a quick note to say I am busy trying to buff and polish the house...or at least pick up all the stray Legos, and crayons and markers, plastic army guys and Spiderman and Batman, and figure out what to do with all the school papers that come home (enough to surly wipe out entire rain forests)...in preparation for some first time guests who will be paying a visit this week for meetings. These meetings are more stuff to help prepare my E. for all things "special needs adult child" after her graduation from 13th grade this summer. We are on the countdown for her big graduation and for trying to get all the ducks in a row, as they say, to provide the best future for her. Wonder if anyone would want to come help me? You can wear your string of pearls and apron if it helps you work faster/better. I am hoping it will help me!! Wish me well.

happy hearts for you

Maybe you could make one of these into a tag that would be cute to put

on a bag of candy for your best friend.

Do you have a Friend you can tell anything ...

a friend who always sticks by you

and doesn't laugh and tell you you're crazy?

Everyone needs a friend like that.

Enjoy!

hearts for you

Some little vintage Valentine images for you to use in your art. These two had some tape on them ...you can fix them up for some creative usage I am certain.

I am not 100% sure, but I would guess that zebras are not the #1 most frequently used animal on Valentines. Here are some I'm sharing for you. Aren't they cute, too?

You can decide what to do... because if you are a cheapy like me you are reluctant to drain your ink cartridge on such a solidly dark background. See what you can come up with, you are smart, I know!!

rough diamond

Finally got N's hair cut yesterday at one of those discount hair cutting places. I had been cutting it at home for several years, since he stopped going with my friend's dad, Mr. S., to the old style barber shop.

I used to help my friend's parents with transportation. Then Mr. S. passed away and Mrs. S. moved 3 hours north into Mi. to live nearer to her daughter, my school friend. I miss them both, I miss them all.

N. has fond memories of sitting with mostly senior men at the barber shop which was like a time capsule, frozen in time. N. had history there as well, being that his very first "real hair cut" as a toddler was done there by Mr. Larry, with Mr. S. looking on. N. was concerned that this new experience would be too girly. After all, there was no smell of that tonic stuff they put on your hair or the "tickle brush" the barber whisked your neck off with. Thankfully I saw his look of relief when another gentleman walked in to wait for his cut.

N. wanted his hair to be "cool". My definition of his current look- "homeless long"- so it was time for a compromise; I would not cut it at home this time since he swears I cut it too short. I was all for "cool" but not when I could not see his blue eyes. Not when he was constantly flinging his head to get it out of his eyes. Not when he was "parting the curtains" of his bangs...that was really not a cool look, I commented incessantly. Not when I truly wondered what the teacher must think of me and my obvious neglect. That's the one that escapes a 10 year old, but not the mother.

I am happy to report the young lady did a bang-up job (haha, bang...bangs!) and my boy looks "way cool"! Maybe it is alright after all to have a young lady cut your hair instead of a stodgy old barber... or your mom.

You can borrow the photo above for your crafting pleasure. Please play nice and don't sell as is. Click to enlarge then right click and save. I love these diamond shaped cards. This one has a slight irregularity in the photo cut on one side. Adds to the charm, I think. I also like the aged grunge on the border. 

nicely aged

For your art projects. This is a lovely color, aged page, fallen from a nearly 100 year old book. Beautiful for an altered art project or tag or...

Click to enlarge then zoom in, and then right click and save.

Please play nice and do not sell image as is.

for your art creations

Some fun old greetings to use in your art.
Have fun. Click images to enlarge & then zoom in.
I love globes. I collect globes. The vintage ones are really cool because they have names that have changed, I have 3 globes that are this way. This puzzles my kids. "Why would a country change its name?", they ask. Little moments of history lessons come at the most unexpected times. Grab them! I like the look and feel of old globes better than the new modern models. The colors always seem so different on the old spinning worlds, for some reason. My old ones mostly came from the curbside, tossed away and unloved but still full of charm and decorating and educational purpose. Now I notice they are going for a high price at antique stores and on line too. I like that mine were free!
Don't you love the scene of the cozy fire side? We have our daily fire roaring extra hot today...it was just 4 degrees outside when I woke up. That's too cold even for me, the winter-weather-lover!

old postal days

Isn't it fun to share images with other altered art fans? I think it is. These are both over 100 years old and are post cards. I can't resist much of anything with forget-me-nots, they are so delicate and cheery. This post card is embossed. Take a look at the second post card...talk about a sign of the (old) times! I don't think the card stores would be pushing the sales of this image today. Still, it is fun and interesting as a vintage paper ephemera conversation piece. Check out the face in the smoke puff!!! Click to enlarge images and then zoom in, then right click and save. Enjoy!

snow scene

A nice vintage 1950's image to share with you. I love the snow on the tree branches. The original image is flocked.

When Christmas is here...

{Click to enlarge then right click and save.

Use for your crafting pleasure.}

 I have been snapping a few pics around our place. N. has even been capturing some Christmas spirit around the house with the camera too. He is pretty excited about his Christmas house. What do you remember about Christmas at your house as a youth? I remember my mom always seeming so calm and organized. I can't find that calm mom costume to put on right now. Maybe it is hiding in the back of that closet I have not had time to get to. Hmmm. Yeah, that's probably it.

A plate full

This cute and unique novelty card was made by Hallmark and was given to my dad by my mom in 1950, as you can see by her writing at the bottom. It does not open and is indeed like an actual small paper plate with ribbing along the edge and all.

Maybe you could clean up the signature area and make something fun for your vintage Thanksgiving decor.

click to enlarge image

Cute little images

I think these are adorable, don't you? The colors are wonderful.

I have been sorting some of my mom's cards she saved. She saved everything, and I do mean ev er y th ing!! (Say that with drama)

These were from the late 1930's/ early 1940's, when she was a young girl. She saved many cards from the late 1940's when she and my dad were dating and first married. The colors are different somehow on those old cards. It makes me love them so much. I like color. I notice color. The innocent yet slightly risky humor on some of the 1940's cards is of interest too. If you have ever been lucky enough to look through any you may know what I mean.

Have fun with these images.

Click to enlarge then right click to save.

sweet and serene

An old piece of ephemera in my own collection to share with you for your art. Of course I love it because it has a little birdie.

Please play nice- do not sell as is without altering it in some way. Thanks.

Click to enlarge then right click and save.

whoooo

Owls seem to be everywhere in the fabric store lately, have you noticed?

Here is a nice wise old friend from an antique image to use in art.

Enjoy!