Saturday, March 31, 2012

Sweet Violets Stationery

"I smelt the violets in her hand
and asked, half in words, half in signs,
a question which meant
Is love the sweetness of flowers?"

~ Helen Keller ~


Violets are starting to pop up through the grass.
My daughter's been gathering them in tiny bouquets.
We keep them in a special place, on a sunny windowsill. 
 Aren't those little bouquets the best?

Here are the free sources I used
to compose this stationery:

*The Graphics Fairy*
*Vintage Images*
*Altered Bits*
*Shadowhouse Creations*


Thank you!!

I'm linking up with
The Graphics Fairy's Brag Monday!
Stop by and be inspired!

This stationery is free
for personal use ~ please enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Sweet Girl & Spring Flowers

"It often happens to children
and sometimes to gardeners
that they are given gifts of value
of which they do not perceive
until much later."

~ Wayne Winterrowd ~


Isn't this graphic of a little girl
with her wheelbarrow so sweet?
I came up with a few options for you.
The tag above, and two graphics below,
which could be used as cards or a place for notes:
one version plain, and the other lined.



 Here are the ready-to-print options,
in the same order as above.



Here are the free sources I used:

*Vintage Images*
*The Graphics Fairy*

*Lilac & Lavender*

I also scanned a green fabric-lined book cover,
which I used as the frame around the cards.
Here is that 8"x8" image:


I do want to say... I'm unsure as to the age
of the little girl graphic.  It may be from the 1930's
or later and therefore not out of copyright.
That's why it's important to use these graphics
for personal use only.

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Have a great day!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

A Pretty Girl

“I believe in being strong
when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day,
and I believe in miracles."

~ Audrey Hepburn ~


I created this beautiful collage
(and selected this Audrey Hepburn quote)
with my sister-in-law, April, in mind.
Hope she likes it all as much as I do!

Here are the sources for my free graphics:

*The Graphics Fairy*

*The Background Fairy*

*Magic Moonlight Studio*

Thank you!!

Feel free to use this image in your personal art!
Just be sure to let me know what you've made
so I can hear about it or see it... 

I always love seeing what you've created!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

A Wonderfully Ordinary Day

Yesterday I woke up to sunshine streaming in the window, and a sweet little girl who'd curled up next to me.  Time for us both to get up, since it was a Kindergarten day.  She looked so peaceful... I waited for a moment before giving her a nudge.  She opened her eyes and focused on me, smiling.  We stretched, yawned, and made our way downstairs.  Soon my son was up too.  Another happy child... it's so nice when they both wake up "on the right side of the bed."

Didn't take long before I had two children chiming in for pancakes... how could I say no?  As it turns out, I flipped as they ate.  My daughter ran upstairs to put on her school clothes and to finish getting ready.  As I was cleaning the mess of dishes, my son came closer and asked, "Mom, what are we gonna do today?"

I thought for a moment, and glanced out at the sunshine.  "Would you want to help me in the garden?"  His wide grin and eagerly nodding head was a pretty clear reply.  My daughter came back downstairs, and we stood out on the porch as I finished doing her hair.  We said our morning prayer, and had a good laugh when we thought a yellow cement truck was her school bus.  Sure enough, the real bus came, and we all waved our goodbyes.

Soon after she'd left I had the idea to make Jell-O.  My little guy picked out strawberry flavor, and we made it together.  He handled it pretty well when I told him we couldn't eat it just yet...  pretty sure it also helped he knew we were going outside.

Once out in the flowerbed, I started digging and pulling... and noticed there was a growing number of toy dump trucks and tractors lining up nearby.  My son came to stand beside me, a little winded, and said, "We're ready to help, mom!"  As I pulled up clumps of grass and other weeds, he loaded them into his various little trucks, and transported them to a designated dump site.

While working in the dirt, we talked about grubs and worms... and those noisy birds chirping in the crab apple tree.  At one point, I heard, "Oh, I forgot something!"  and looked up to see an excited little boy running inside.  He returned carefully balancing our jello and 2 spoons.   "Is it ready now?"  It was, and so we took a break and he leaned against me, saying, "You know... I love helping you work in the garden, mom."  One of the sweetest moments of my day.

We went on to pick my daughter up from school, have supper and bath time... I tucked my son in to bed first.  He said, "I can't wait for more weeds!" and thanked God for our garden in his prayer...

I gently shut his door and led my daughter to bed.  We noticed the moon in the sky, and she shared how she loves to look up at the moon sometimes from her bedroom window... "even after Daddy tucks me in bed."  Moved, I said, "I do the same thing... I've always loved the moon too.  I turned to face her, and said "You know, today has been one of the best days I've ever had."  To which she responded, "Well, that's good... now just go to sleep."

I chuckled at her perfect timing, and smiled as I closed her door.  In fact, I believe I smiled until I finally drifted off... reluctantly closing the book on such a wonderfully ordinary day.

Sweet Yellow Primroses

Voice of Spring

"Come, I come! ye have called me long,
I come o'er the mountain with light and song:
Ye may trace my step o'er the wakening earth,
By the winds which tell of the violet's birth,
By the primrose-stars in the shadowy grass,
By the green leaves, opening as I pass."

~ Felicia D. Hemans ~


Primroses are some of the sweetest little flowers.
They're a true sign of Spring... and although I don't have
any in my garden, I'd like to, someday...

Here are the free sources I used to create
these sweet yellow primrose tags:

*Altered Bits*

*The Graphics Fairy*

*Green Paper*

*Vintage ephemera*

*Vintage Images*

Thank you!!


These tags are yours free
for personal use only ~ please enjoy!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Share Your Gift...



Early on, my parents had a hunch I was a little artist.  They'd give me paper and crayons, and I'd just sit there and draw picture after picture...

My Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. White, saw artistic potential.  Soon classmates started taking notice.  By 3rd grade I had other kids wanting me to teach them how to draw.  I started to realize not everyone could take an image from their mind and express it on paper.  To many, I was definitely known as, "the girl who can draw."  

Years later, when I was a young teenager, my pastor prayed over me.  She said someday my art would touch "many" people's lives.  She believed that somehow, God would use my talents for His good... on a grand scale.  At the time, I wondered how that could ever be possible ~ as my mind wandered to thoughts of sketches in school notebooks...

The last time I thought I might get recognition for my art was when I was voted, "Most Artistic" senior year.  I went to college for nursing, became a wife and mother, and... an artist on the side.

Last year, my sister-in-law introduced me to blogging.  At first I thought I wouldn't be able to figure it out... it was a little intimidating, honestly.  Instead of brushing it off completely, I let it simmer for a few months.  I let go of trying to come up with a clever name... of trying to figure out what I'd even write about.  I said out loud, "God, if I'm supposed to do this blogging thing, then please just let me know."

Not long after, I got my answer.  I literally sat straight up in bed one morning with 'Lilac & Lavender' in my head.  My first post was published on March 26th, 2011: A Season of New Beginnings.  After that I shared my thoughts on God in everyday life, motherhood, gardening, decorating, and eventually I started sharing my art.

At first, I posted a few of my watercolors and sketches... and somehow figured out how to make a "printable."  After that I began to look in to what others were making in the digital art world.  I've always loved the look of vintage graphics and ephemera... and upon discovering many free graphics sites, I began to create...

I'm so grateful I took that first step into the blogging unknown.  I've met some truly beautiful people, and even figured out a little about myself.  Now, I can't help but think back to my pastor's prayer when I see how my art is being shared with people... all over the world.

I'm so grateful for everyone who stops by... whether it's to read about what's on my mind, or see the art I've created.  Just know that nothing I offer here is simply from little old me.  I owe my life and every inspiration to someone much greater than myself... and by His grace, I share with you.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

1880's Pretty Advertisement Tags

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley ~



These beautiful Victorian illustrations
inspired me to create within minutes of finding them!
I didn't have to add much, as they were already so charming.
The little girl illustration didn't have any typography,
so in keeping with the clothing theme,
I added part of an advertisment for spool cotton.

Here are the sources for the
free graphics I used.
Thank you!

*Vintage Images*

*Altered Bits*

These tags are free for
your personal use ~ please enjoy!!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

French Lace & White Roses

"The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O, the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove."

~ John Boyle O’Reilly ~


Below are the individual tags & graphics.
Please note that I tinted the round graphic with yellow for the
printable collage page.  I left it in the original color here: 





I love how these beautiful
graphics came together!
Here are the free sources I used...
Thank you!!

French Lace Tags

*The Graphics Fairy*

*Antique Images*

*Altered Bits*

Round Rose graphic

*The Graphics Fairy*

*Antique Images*

Square Rose graphic

*MudBay Images*

*Antique Images*


I'm sharing these images here:
The Graphics Fairy's Brag Monday!

These images are free
for personal use ~ please enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by!!

Sweet Bunny & Chicks

April hath put a
spirit of youth in everything.

~ William Shakespeare ~




Although I've known for quite some time
that there really isn't an Easter Bunny...
I admit, I still have a soft spot for images
that depict the guy!

Here are the sources for this
Sweet Bunny & Chicks graphic:

*bumble button*

*The Graphics Fairy*

*Vintage Ephemera*

Thank you!!

These graphics are free
for your personal use ~ Enjoy!


I'm linking up with
Diana Evans ~ Sweet Saturdays!

I've been busy creating much more for you!
Hope you'll stop by soon for more
vintage Easter & Spring freebies!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Vintage Easter postcards

"For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born."
  
~ Alice Freeman Palmer ~








Hope you enjoyed
these vintage Easter postcards
from my personal collection!

Feel free to use them in your art...
 I'm unsure of their copyright dates,
so I'd suggest using them for
personal use only ~ just to be safe.

Thanks for stopping by,
Have a great day!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Layer by Layer

I wanted to do something a little different this time.
As you scroll down, you'll see the graphic stripped layer by layer.  Hope this gives you a better visual understanding of how I pull together an image...







Here are the sources for the images used in my
"Thurbers' Kitchen Soap" graphic:

*Vintage Images*

*Altered Bits*

*Home and Heart*

*The Graphics Fairy*

I also use free software to create my images.
It's called GIMP, and can be downloaded here.

All graphics from this post are
free for your personal use ~ Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

"Antiqued" lined paper & Stationery

Here's a digitally distressed, or
"antiqued" sheet of lined paper I made:


After completing my paper, I combined it
with 2 borders.  I think they'd make beautiful
stationery or journal pages...

 Spring Blossoms

Blue Floral

 ...or maybe they'd be a pretty
place for your Spring-cleaning "to-do" lists?

Here are my sources for the
"antiqued" lined paper:

*Shadowhouse Creations*
Softy aged sepia texture

*Altered Bits*
Grungy texture

Here are my sources, including those
mentioned above, for "Spring Blossoms"
and "Blue Floral:"

*Vintage Images*

*bumble button*
(I've used this graphic before... here)

These images are free
for your personal use ~ Enjoy!

I hope you can also use these images in your
own creations!  If you do, please leave a comment, as
I'd love to hear about it or see it ~ Thanks!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Vintage Spring Botanicals

"Little flower, but if I could understand
what you are, root and all in all,
I should know what God and man is."
 
~ Tennyson ~


 





I found these beautiful free
botanical illustrations at Vintage Images.
Please click on the name under each tag
to see the original graphic.

Here are the sources
for the background textures:


These tags (or bookmarks, etc.) are free
for your personal use ~ Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

1917 Farmyard Favorites

 "Agriculture is our wisest pursuit,
because it will in the end contribute most to
real wealth, good morals, and happiness."

~ Letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Washington (1787) ~

I didn't grow up on a farm, but my husband did.  We live just down the road from the original homestead of Catherine & Edward Berry, my husband's (5 times) great-grandparents, who settled here in 1807.  Several generations of farming families are the result of what they started over 200 years ago.

Here are two tags I created using original graphics
from a children's book (the title and back cover pages),



I made the green tag smaller for the collage sheet.
To see the image at full size, left click then right click
and select 'View Image.'


 These are the original images I scanned, then cleaned up a bit.
Note that I did brighten up both graphics for the tags. 
The book is actually 13.5" by 9.5", so a fairly good size.
It's copyright ~ 1917.



I'm sharing these at Angie's Knick of Time Tuesday
as well as here, Vintage Thingie Thursday

All graphics are free for your personal use ~ Enjoy!
If you use them, please let me know...

Thanks for stopping by!