Saturday, April 30, 2011

Antique Shampoo Advertisement: Only Her Hairdresser Knows For Sure

Hidden in the archives here at PPS there are some really fine examples of advertising art from the Edwardian era. A Lady's Maid has her hands full with the singular task of bringing her lady's hair into its best shape. And what a job! All that bunching at the back so hats might fit correctly, along with all the daily needs to neatness in one's "toilette." A lady's maid was indispensable, being responsible for so much more refinement in her employer's life than, say, an upstairs or parlor maid. Her clothes must be kept refreshened, her high buttoned shoes just so, her gloves pristine, her mind at ease due to the constant caring ways of her principle servant.
In honor of the lady's maid, then, here's today's selected imagery.
Happy Creativity from all of us here at PPS!
Rose & Studio


Ivory Soap Shampooing Scene
Black & White
Downloadable Version HERE



Original Patina
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives
You are free to:
Use these images in artwork for fun or profit, as long as you will credit this site and even offer a link back to us.
You are not free to:
repackage these for sale in any way.
Please respect our gift to the public by keeping these images free.
Thank you.




Friday, April 29, 2011

Antique Travelog: Three Views on Budapest

These pictures come to us by way of the archives, and are from about 1900. It would be fascinating to hire an antique car of that era (see our Atlas Motor Grand Touring Car HERE) and step back in time to the very scenes we have here. If you look closely enough, you'll find wonderful details. The horse and buggy era wasn't over, and those street cars sure look quaint. I love the lady's parasol, tipped just so. Our panorama shot boasts a clear view of the River Danube which I would very much like to take in today. The Royal Palace sends a thrill. What this place must have looked like in person back in those times!
For more on the city's layout, along with its major monuments, architecture, and so forth, take a gander at this Wikipedia article.
Happy Time Traveling and--
Happy Creativity!
Rose


Budapest Royal Palace Gardens
Downloadable Version HERE



Original Patina
Downloadable Version HERE




Danube Overview
Downloadable Version HERE



Original Patina
Downloadable Version HERE




The Museum Ring
Downloadable Version HERE



Original Patina
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives
Free for Public Domain Use



Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Plush Page Frames: Jewel Toned Scroll & Books

This is without doubt a pretty frame. I've no doubt some of you would enjoy using this image for a set of bookplates, perhaps as a gift for someone who collects antiques. It would be lovely in all sorts of projects. It might be a nice way of saying Thank You to a school librarian.
As is our habit here, we chose several gem-worthy colorations for this frame, still including handy black and white.
But this time, another colorization is added, that being the old patina of its original look on first scanning. I like this one too, very much. It could come in quite handy even in the making of art, whether via mixed media or by digital means alone. we hope you'll enjoy these various hues and find endless uses for them in many projects to come.
Happy Creativity!
Rose


Ruby
Downloadable Version HERE



Fire Opal
Downloadable Version HERE



Topaz
Downloadable Version HERE



Emerald
Downloadable Version HERE



Turquoise
Downloadable Version HERE



Sapphire
Downloadable Version HERE



Amethyst
Downloadable Version HERE



Garnet
Downloadable Version HERE



Original Patina
Downloadable Version HERE




Black & White
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives
Free for Public Domain Use



Friday, April 22, 2011

Plush Victorian Page Ornaments # 3: Curly Floral Gemstone Brights

This set is one I have a fondness for. it has everything all in one from the curling vines, to leaves, to flowers and fruit. I've dressed these up in those jewel toned colors you all seem passionate about here. Also, I've added Turquoise as an added bonus. The original design is from the latter part of the Victorian Era.
Hope you'll find many uses for them for many projects to come!
Happy Creativity!
Rose


Peridot
Downloadable Version HERE



Turquoise
Downloadable Version HERE



Sapphire
Downloadable Version HERE



Fire Opal
Downloadable Version HERE



Ruby
Downloadable Version HERE



Garnet
Downloadable Version HERE



Amethyst
Downloadable Version HERE



Original
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives
Free for Public Domain Use




Thursday, April 21, 2011

In Time for Shakespeare's Birthday

Now, I realize nobody can really tell us the exact day of the Bard's birth, but it is a long held tradition to celebrate it right around this time of year. Some say he wrote the sonnets I've posted as a nudge toward his patron to kill his lazy ways and start doing something with his life besides party and have a good time down in Merrie Olde England. Having reread it (for the first time since college days) during the process of preparing it for print/digital art-making for you all, I came to believe the same.
Also included this time will be a portion of All's Well That Ends Well, one of his comedies. (Okay, so no one's certain if he wrote it or not, but we'll say he did, just for his day)
Best of all, I have that old portrait (not the best likeness, so I hear), in both the "rough cut" versions with no cleanup, and in the Black and White, cleaned up version. We hope you'll make use of them all in fun or for serious study, take your pick, it's up to you.
The book scanned for these images comes to us from the late Victorian era. I lost the frontispiece to this one in the shuffle of moving 2 years back, and haven't found it in among the things it was with--so far. However, I can recall it as having been a late 1800's edition, so we'll call it good.
I love its pages, so lightweight and almost see-through, with gilt edges that still retain their gloss. I suppose this must have cost a fair amount in its time. It was coming apart at both ends by the time I spotted it and gave it a home.
So Happy Birthday to "Willy the Shake" and
Happy Creativity, everybody!
Rose


Shakespeare's Portrait
Downloadable Version HERE



Sonnets, First Page
Downloadable Version HERE



All's Well That Ends Well Outtake
Downloadable Version HERE



Portrait Page--Rough Cut
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives
Free for Public Domain Use






Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Tonight's the Night of Our Giveaway's Drawing !!

Yep. That's right. By 10:00PM EST, we hope to be ready to unveil the Winner in our first Giveaway!


And if you haven't yet signed up for it, please make certain all directions are closely followed, for we are checking as we speak. For all that info, simply click on our right column's top button, with Nick Bantock's book as its symbol.


Again, we hope you'll play, and with only a little more than 7 hours left to try for it, you may wish to hurry!


A way, big, PPS Thank You  to everyone who chose to take part! We can hardly wait  to see the outcome!


Rose

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Spicing Up Our Giveaway!

Here it is, our final call for our 100th Post Giveaway!
In it, we have already included, for your enjoyment, "Urgent! 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera" by Nick Bantock, the antique and vintage ephemera hound's ephemera hound! This guy can make almost anything look fascinating! His unique tips and ideas have had all of us here at our Studio trying different ways of creating for several years now, and we all admire his work immensely. Under his eyes, a simple diagram, for example, or an old engraving, can suddenly become a new way to make art liven up and keep looking fresh. Some of our readers may recall his most famous works, the Griffin and Sabine series. These are some of our favorites as well. He has written many more since then, and this is just one of them. I would say this one, along with the Griffin & Sabine books, would have to be my faves of his.  


So, what did we add this week?
 Look for yourselves and see:



But that's not all!
You'll find a few more extras thrown in by the time we're through, all of it to thank our many readers for hanging in there for us!

So, if you haven't yet signed up for this unique chance to add some extra oomph to your stash, better hurry up quick, 'cause time's almost up!

For more Giveaway info, go HERE.

Tomorrow evening, (Wednesday, April 20th) at approximately 10 PM EST, one of us will don a blindfold and draw the winning entry from a deep paper bag.

Are you ready?
We can't wait to find out who our first Giveaway Winner will be!

Be there or be square!

Rose



Monday, April 18, 2011

Having a "Blissfull" Good Time!

As some of you may already know, I'm in the mood for Steampunk! And this week, when I finally got the chance to break away for the Studio's Mail Call Day (we have them a few times a month), I got this wonderful ATC in the mail from my Blissfull April trading partner, Penny (see her blog HERE):


(These are copyrighted, so please don't steal)
Just look at those lovely details in metal and design!


But wait......

The Door Opens!!!

(I love this part!)


She also very sweetly made me a card 



And the note is adorable



Penny, we here at our studio do believe you "grasped" that concept
and then ran with it!


Thank You!

Hugs,
Rose

P.S.: I think our fortuitously both using the numeral "17" 
in our designs-separately- is amay-zing!!!!



Sunday, April 17, 2011

Postcard: "Bonjour, Mam'zelle Therese!"

En Francais, here we have a little bit of fun from the turn of the last century, where two (perhaps then famous) stage actors are cutting it up before a live audience. The backdrop is of a forest or park-like glade. The front sports a lovely French postage stamp, the cancellation date for which is indistinct, unfortunately.
The back has what, for me, pleases the eye most of all: all that lovely old fashioned French script. It's a page out of history, in a way, don't you think?
The message seems a bit indistinct as well, for it doesn't contain any complete grammar. The basic gist is about someone whose brother shook hands. Very curious. I tried Translator twice, but got no better result.
This one took a good bit of cleanup. it really looked a sight before we got finished.
Let's just say, it's working and call it good.
Bonsoir, mes amis!
and Happy Creativity!
Rose

French Comedic Postcard
Downloadable Version HERE






Reverse
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives

You are free to:
use the above images in artwork for fun or profit.
You are not free to:
repackage them for sale in any way.
Please respect our gift for the public's use.
Thank you.



Saturday, April 16, 2011

Family Fun Project: A Church Model Out of Paper

So much fun may be had, so many memories made, by each family project. For those of us with minds on church life, a project like this one we are posting today can really be a crafty way of introducing young people to the shape and styling of some old church buildings. And from a hands-on standpoint, this could be quite the involving process. Kids may have their own ideas as to color or detailing. In making it their own, this could turn into a keepsake to be brought out for every religious holiday, such as tomorrow's.


Some pointers will follow.


The plans seem simple enough. If you are a beginner at crafting, this might not be the most satisfying of the projects we offer here. My guess is, it might take weeks or a month of working at it a bit at a time, perhaps every weekend, before it could be completed, especially since the refinements of style and detail may take a while to decide for.


Our team suggests doing a mock-up first, like you would a muslin for a dress pattern you've yet to be sure of. Better to try it first than to regret wasting all the time and any materials you're using on something less than fun.


After all, if it isn't fun, it won't be remembered fondly, and that's what family project time is for, isn't it?


SOME SUPPLY IDEAS TO CONSIDER:
And what materials should you choose? Our guess would have to be card stock, over which you could layer an outside decorated version in a lighter weight of paper. Please experiment on this one. If you want to keep your project looking fresher, our suggestion would include leaving the glue stick for some other project, for it won't hold up, tending to dry out and lose its "oomph." Also, there is no replacement for two of the best and more essential craft tools around, your metal ruler (for more accuracy--standard school rulers often miss this and are out of alignment in ways which might spoil your fun), preferably cork backed, and your bone folder. I cannot stress this enough. They really are essential. And when every fold counts, you cannot be too careful!


COPYING & ENLARGING:
Personally, I always visit the copy center before embarking on such a creative journey, so I can make multiple copies cheaply, and have enough right on hand should accidents occur. This can save me time, and make things more pleasant overall. I relax better, just knowing I may have plenty of extra copies on hand. Also, there is no doubt the sizes of these sheets could stand enlarging! I'd recommend even cutting and pasting a simple sheet for reprinting of each of the patterns here. Simply cut away each building part from the pattern sheet, then glue  each one to its own plain sheet. You can keep this one and use it to make multiple copies, especially if you're going to experiment with looks or color. But for enlarging, this could be a really important point to keep in mind.


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
I've found Mod Podge for Paper to be helpful, although I haven't tried it before on a project of this sort. A finer quality paste, rather than this liquid formula, will probably hold up better, dry more securely, even look better overall, as one may be spread fairly thinly, even close to edges where it would show. (You know I LOVE my Mod Podge--it's just a matter of what it's better for.) I prefer Liquitex brand Heavy Gel Matte Medium, while friends have touted Yes Paste to be quite good. It makes no difference, really. What matters most is the delicate joining of each foldable flap, so a hot glue gun isn't going to let you re-handle or nudge that extra 1/16" if you must. It is better to work cold, then.


And, if you're thinking of having your outer or decorative layer fastened well enough to that card stock, it might be best to sandwich your still damp work (lay flat--this would be prior to joining edges with flaps) between 2 sheets of wax paper, then weighting firmly using old books or something of the sort. That way, you're bound to have little problem over buckling and warping. Even a bread board works well. I generally leave things of that sort in a safe spot and at least as long as 24 hours before removing the weight.


AN OUTING:
Basic ideas on all the details that might add to the fun, might take the pressure off, could be to study the way churches look that are old fashioned like this one. It might be fun to go on a field trip, and perhaps take pictures with your children before proceeding. This way, everyone can have an idea of how they might like to see it turn out. Perhaps even a tour via computer might suffice in this case. Google "historic church architecture" or some such other wording. But for those times when a deeper knowledge may be available outside your home, obviously a family outing can't possibly be better for this project.


In the end, it's up to you to decide. If you haven't time for it today, it certainly could become a long term project towards the other high holidays throughout the year. I could even see a Sunday School class of some of the older children working on this with their teacher for a number of weeks, slowly building and talking about church architecture, what each portion means to church lore, the history of such buildings, and so on.  It could be more about the learning process, even, than about the making.


As for that weather vane, LOL, that might turn out to be a little more complicated than these directions suggest. :) Although doll house artists may differ with me on this one a little.


Happy Creativity from all of us here at the Studio!
Rose






Note: We are including those Original Patina pages for the purpose of other forms of crafting, creating, such as journal-keeping, scrapbooking, collage making, and so on.



NOTE:
This set of images is a gift to the public, for use by anyone, and free.
Therefore, you are free to:
use them for private purposes, in projects and artwork. If for sale, kindly credit this site (that goes for the Modeltown House, too).
You are not free to:
repackage the set for sale or to take personal credit for all of this studio's work.
This project took hours and hours of precious time to complete. We did it for the love of offering free ephemera and projects for the public's use.
We respect the copyrights of others and hope that you will join us in the process.

Thank you.



Instructions
Page One Black & White
Downloadable Version HERE



Page Two Black & White
Downloadable Version HERE



Page 3 Black & White
Downloadable Version HERE



Page 4 Black & White
Downloadable Version HERE



Page 5 Black & White
Downloadable Version HERE


~*~
And, for those most interested in journaling, scrapbooking, or collage,
we offer the above in Original Patina.

**ORIGINAL PATINA VERSION**

Page 1
Downloadable Version HERE



Page 2
Downloadable Version HERE



Page 3
Downloadable Version HERE



Page 4
Downloadable Version HERE



Page 5
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives
Free for Public Domain Use




Friday, April 15, 2011

Easter Postcard #6: "All Easter Gladness" + a Decorative Page Frame

Dear Visitors to Plush Possum Studio:
Thank you for stopping by here. 
I so appreciate the many visits that have been made by all of you over the years since I first began this Free Graphics blog. Most visits here have not involved your commenting, and I do not mind that at all. Guests here might like to know that as of April of 2016, there have been well over 1,000 comments left here by guests for over 500 posts, not counting my own responses. A number of these still really do make me smile. 
The top 2 posts of all time have so far had well over 34,000 Pageviews between the 2 combined--and that excludes my own visits here. And even when I was away from blogging for several years, and could provide no new content, guests still visited here fairly often.
By your coming here, you have shown me that you have trusted that I could provide you with something useful to you toward the creation of something that I might never get any chances to see, but which I know must have occurred. And this, too, makes me smile. That is my entire purpose in keeping this blog, so naturally I am smiling. (Imagine providing a coloring page for children to use on rainy days, and knowing some moms have been able to use them!)
:)
This blog was created so that some free things can be kept free to the public, and ready to use, as well as for as long as possible. I wanted to give images as it is best to receive them: a cleaned up and ready-to-use collection of usable, free images made for those without much time for bother. What I find is that many free images online tend to be of very poor quality. Of course, not all of the ones here are very good, either. That is because this is also a blog about learning how to become acquainted with the uses of Photoshop products. The quality here did grow over time, but not without a few hiccups or mistakes along the way.

About this post:
This particular post has been a fairly popular one for years. I loved this postcard once. When I first saw it in the Antique shop, I thought of it as charming or cute. Today, although I like pretty pictures and find old correspondence art fascinating (anything sent in the mail a long time ago is of interest among history nerds LOL), the real history of the celebration of certain spring or seasonal holidays has begun to trouble me.
This is because some further study has taught me that not every Easter tradition fits with how I practice my beliefs. The same would apply to Christmas, that I do not see as having been Jesus' birthday after all, even though I once saw it that way.
Now, some traditions are different, and I mean no one any disrespect through saying so. I like my readers to be at ease with me, after all. Growing up, it seemed perfectly natural to celebrate both Easter and Christmas. In my family, we kept both holidays for many years with much eager enthusiasm.
Today, however, I find that I must ask myself, "What is it that I am actually celebrating here?"
Lately, as I keep learning new things about certain old practices, I have found out much that really does trouble me. 
It isn't always easy to see how certain cultural ideals have crossed paths and been combined in ways that won't really fit with what I do believe. For some people, there would be no real problem, as they are at ease at all times with all traditional belief systems, and find combining fun. I am uneasy with the idea of Easter now based upon some of the things that I've learned.
Today, both Easter and Christmas do make me rather uneasy. 
Again, I mean nobody any disrespect. I am simply reassessing my own life, including certain beliefs. So this pair of images may well soon be removed for that very reason. I thought that it would be more fair to give fair warning than to just suddenly remove some things without any reasonable explanation for doing so.
Today, and for me personally,  the enjoyment of spring is not an Easter-y thing at all. Spring offers all sorts of fun things such as young animals and birds nesting. To enjoy such a refreshing start to another season seems only natural, but I will not call it Easter myself at all. I now observe Christ's Passover, and I take it seriously. What others choose will, of course, be a matter of decision for them.
In other words, I won't have any qualms offering my wild bird eggs or my Spring Garden Sets, as per usual, whereas my ideas have changed about both Easter and Christmas, in general. Enjoying the changes in weather or season is a part of the enjoyment of life, isn't it?
Please forgive me for being so blunt. I like openminded company, and prefer to be at ease being myself, and so I would never judge or put down anyone else for doing the same. 
And yet. Easter, for me, is not really faithful to the way I practice my faith today.
Please forgive me while I pause to reassess.

Thank you for your understanding.

The old way that this post was written is:
Isn't this a lively, colorful edition? As it never got posted, it still has that same fresh look of long ago. Published by Philip Sander in the early 1900's (right around 1910, more than likely), you can see the registration mark still on the lower left margin. We offer the border alone for the fun of it.
Happy Easter and--
Happy Creativity from all of us to all of you!
Rose

AND DON'T FORGET TO JOIN OUR GIVEAWAY!



"All Easter Gladness"
Downloadable Version HERE



Reverse
Downloadable Version HERE



Frame
Downloadable Version HERE




Scanned Imagery courtesy PPS Archives

You are free to:
use the above images in artwork for fun or profit.
You are not free to:
repackage them for sale in any way.
Please respect our gift for the public's use.
Thank you.






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