My Weblog

Sharing some free images...

 
There's been a lot of chatter going on in blogland about hoarding. No doubt it has become a topic of conversation due to the new TV show featured on the history channel. But seriously...it is causing me to take a hard look at my own "collections"....yipes. This sentiment was only fueled by my middle child's recent teasing comment of "Mom, I think you have potential to become a hoarder one day!"

Whew. "ONE DAY." He didn't say that TODAY I am a hoarder. Rather, I have potential...but still. And he's right! As much as I hate to admit it, I have too much stuff. I have been a collector for several decades, but I need to scale back...big time. To share more....

So with that sentiment in mind, one goal of mine is to share more of my vintage stuff here in blogland with those who like this same stuff. So please feel free to save any of my images today for your own personal use. I'm perfectly fine with you using these images in things you will create for resale...just please don't sell the actual images in a collage sheet, CD, etc.

 
 
 
 
 

...and the same label in a couple of other colors...

 

 

 If anyone has some great advice, words of wisdom, ideas they've used for de-stashing I'd love to hear them! Meanwhile, I did manage to do a once through the old closet and have two knee high piles of stuff that's going to Goodwill...

...one box at a time....wish me luck....or better yet, perseverance, discipline, focus, determination.......!

More Freestyle Embroidery...

 
  Not sure how the idea popped into my head, or somedays if there's even much working up there in my head {please say you can relate} but I decided to cut one of my vintage feathered friends in two and carefully glue him to my sampler. VOILA! It worked!

Also added some more sparkles...a chandelier crystal and an old vintage rhinestone necklace that I sewed on using invisible thread. Love using that invisible thread for items where you don't necessarily want any thread to show.

Still have lots to add before I'm finished but here's a photo of my progress...

And speaking of stitching, some time ago I had bookmarked a webpage found here of a darling saying. Never did order it, but when JoAnnA at Moss Hill Studios did a post using this same darling saying, it inspired me to put the quote in stitches.

 
 

It's still a work in progress...haven't decided if the old victorian die cut of the birdies will be staying, but for now I think so.

I wish I could take credit for the creative idea of stitching the piece of notebook paper. But even more importantly, I wish I could remember the couple of different places on the web where I've seen it done and give proper credit. Unfortunately, I never wrote it down. If I find out, I'll come back and update my post. 

Oh, and before I forget {remember the head issue I mentioned earlier!} the fabric for this little piece is from an all natural cotton batting.

Wouldn't this be a fun anniversary card? Or even a birthday card for someone special in your life.... 
 

A Winter's Day...and Free Images!

I don't think of all the misery but of all the beauty that remains.

~anne frank

OKAY. There is a certain beauty to it. But it's making me miserable. There. I said it. I am so done with winter.

Trick question for the day: Can you identify someone who needs to LIVE the words so eloquently penned by Anne Frank and not just quote them? 

The photo above was snapped from my family room windows this morning. Our hot tub water is gurgling because the freeze mode protection has kicked in. More accurately stated, it's been running all winter long. Typically it only kicks on a few times each winter.

However, I received a pass on having to show up for jury duty today. Tomorrow might be a different story. But yesterday was an emotionally tough day. I didn't get chosen for a particular case. It was a gut wrenching case. The kind that made me physically ill just listening to the allegations leveled against the defendent. Yet, I am grateful to live in a country that affords its citizens the right to a trial by jury.

Wanting to focus on something else to stop dwelling on the sadness I feel, I started sorting through some of my old Victorian cards. There is a certain innocence captured in the art from this era that appeals to many of us. These four little beauties could be used for so many projects...bookplates, placecard holders, address labels, cut out the girls and use their images in your art journal, etc.....

Please feel free to save these to your computer for your own personal use. They are only about 2.5" x 3.5". But just for fun I printed one that was 5.5" x 8.5" and the image was still quite crisp. I've also had good luck with enlarging images on my copier/scanner/printer that I eventually use in my journals.

  

I'm off to finishing up my wild rice soup for dinner. There's nothing like a pot of homemade soup on a wintry weather day.

But still dreaming of Spring,

xo

Sue 

Digital Design

 

Playing around on the computer with vintage images I've scanned into my picture files. It's an attempt to avoid doing the mundane, but necessary tasks of housework and such. But John Muir is right...beauty is a necessary component of life.

  Credit given to Ali Edwards/Digital Design for grid overlay, and Sande Krieger/2 Peas for french brush design.

 

I use these creations in a variety of ways. But I'll save that for another post.

Okay. Time to turn my attention back to the mundane.

PINK SATURDAY

 

Click on any photo to see it enlarged.

Welcome! So glad you had a chance to stop by. It will tickle you pink to visit our hostess, Beverly, for a complete listing of all of today's participants. Just click on her name and it'll take you to the pink list...

 

Might as well face it I'm addicted to............ {remember that song?}

• pink
• victorian scrap
• vintage postcards
• digital manipulation
• etc.

However, it's a beautiful addiction to have...so today I thought I'd show a little sampling of what makes me search for more, and more, and more. At the end of this post, I've scanned in the little pink wreath of flowers for you. If you have this addiction too, please feel free to copy it for your own personal use.

  This is an old calendar top from 1895. Through digital extraction I've used the little pink girl in my banner.

The details in this old postcard, which I'm guessing is in excess of 100 years old, is excrutiatingly stunning. At some point in time I'm hoping to carefully remove the victorian die cut in order to make a scan of just the card. It would make for a beautiful frame to use for other creative endeavors. 

 

Any day that I am fortunate enough to find one of these lovely postcards, is a good day. During World War I and II, our overseas soldiers used to purchase these to send to loved ones back home.

The embroidery is just exquisite...all done on a sheer netting and then framed in what was often times a heavily embossed card.

   Above is the copy of the little pink heart I scanned for you.

I hope as you continue on through your day, that your little heart finds you happy.

Thanks for visiting, and a big thank you to Beverly for hosting today's event!

The digital white frames used in several photos above are the creation of Sande Krieger and available for purchase at 2Peasinabucket.com.