Do you like coloring pages? And vintage images?

Wow, pages and pages of coloring sheets created from antique artwork and ephemera! From February 5-9, 2018, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions around the world are sharing free coloring sheets and books based on materials in their collections. #ColorOurCollections

http://library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/

Freebie Sweethearts for 'Love' Challenge

It's almost Valentine's Day! But my LOVE challenge for February will continue until the end of the month. And it's Leap Year so that means February 29th!

Here's an early Valentine for you ~ some vintage sweethearts cut from an old postcard. Right-click to download, and use them to create your entry in the challenge!

Freebie Footwear: Shoes/Boots

Here are a couple of free images to get you started in the SHOES challenge.

The first one is a Victorian-era die cut. These little scraps were made just for scrapbooks, which became popular with Victorian ladies and girls. Victorian scrapbooks are filled with pictures clipped from magazines and advertisements, and companies soon began to give away collectible trade cards with pretty or funny pictures on them. Eventually little die-cut scraps came along. I don't know what the deal is with boots or shoes with flowers in them, but our collection includes several so they must have been a popular theme!

The second image (below) is clipped from an antique trade card. I tend to think of it as a gentlemen's style, but with the heel I think it may be a lady's shoe as well ~ an everyday little boot, rather than a high boot or fancy slipper!

Right-click to enlarge and save and get busy creating, then link up your creation in our challenge! :-)
More shoes galore if you need them: VINTAGE SHOES

Free Bird Drawings!

I've actually shared these lovely bird drawings before, a couple years ago, but I thought I would post them again for the Put A Bird On It challenge.

There are plenty of beautiful birds here (the names are listed for you too), and I hope you will have fun using them for my challenge this week.

Happy Earth Day!

Wishing you blessings and a joyful and grateful heart for Earth Day!

Freebies: Showgirls

How about some sassy showgirls in purple?  (Don't miss the Sassy Showgirls blog challenge continuing through next week!)

Aren't these ladies irresistibly fabulous?

More glamour girls in purple and blue

showgirls galore!

thousands of vintage ladies ready to print!

Teatime Tag by Petra... and more freebies!

The Lunagirl Victorian tea party challenge continues until Saturday noon CST... and here is more inspiration from the DT.

Petra Berendsen created this pretty tag using an image from my Tea Party collage sheet.  Beautiful colors, so feminine! I love the little rose border, the teapot charm, the polka dot ribbon ~ Petra always brings everything together so nicely.

And below are a couple more freebies, also for your inspiration!  Why not?!  Click on the freebies so see the full-size image and then save to your computer.

And remember to enter the Victorian Tea Party blog challenge for chance to win $10 gift credit at Lunagirl.com!

Here is a Gibson girl enjoying a cup of tea in a pink teacup. What a look in her eyes! I wonder what she is thinking... I hope she will inspire you in the challenge.
From Lunagirl Vintage Women & Men over 800 images on CD

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, of course, and here is a lovely floral heart I like to share this time of year. I can't find a signature on the original card, but these look like Catherine Klein roses to me. The colors are so pretty. I especially like the little unopened rosebuds at the top, and the way the stems make a woven pattern at the bottom. Enjoy!
From Lunagirl Victorian Holidays Volume Two: 900 images on CD for Easter, Valentines, St Patrick's Day Mother's Day (currently on sale)

Vintage Winter Freebie: Antique Snowflake Photos

In 1885 a Vermont farmer, amateur scientist, and photographer named Wilson Bentley started taking photographs of snowflakes.  This was obviously not an easy thing to do, but he developed a method of capturing snowflakes on boards covered in black velvet and then quickly transferring them to microscope slides to take the photographs.  Above are just a few of his amazing results.

Wilson Bentley was also the first person to propose that no two snowflakes are exactly alike ~ each and every one is unique! Thanks to Mr. Bentley's curiosity, persistence, and ingenuity we can enjoy these beautiful antique images of nature's artwork.

And here from the Old Farmer's Almanac is a simple tutorial for creating paper snowflakes!
http://www.almanac.com/content/how-make-paper-snowflakes

Freebies: Retro Housewives for the Challenge!

OK, this lady isn't your typical housewife, but everyone who cooks for Thanksgiving deserves to be Queen (or King!) for a Day. 

Below are some nice old kitchen images.  Why is this lady's refrigerator in her cabinets?  There's a whole cooked turkey in there!

mmmm pie

Free Image: Flower Seed Packet

As promised I've scanned a freebie in honor of my seed packs / vintage garden blog challenge.

This is an antique flower seed packet featuring some lovely old-fashioned yellow and pink flowers.  They were labelled Digitalis before I altered the image.  They resemble foxglove as well.  Either way, they remind me of my Great Aunt Bessie's garden which was way out in the country. 

I hope you will enter the Seed Packs Vintage Garden blog challenge, inspired by this image or another!

Freebies! Some Alice Pages for You

It's time for some free images ~ here are some pages from Alice in Wonderland, featuring not only Alice but also cats (I featured dogs a few days ago ~ more kitties to come!) 

These are nice LARGE images, so you can use them large for backgrounds and scrapbooks and cards, but remember that you can easily resize them as needed after saving them, if you want them smaller for your project.

Click each image for full size, them download/save them.

Plus here is a picture of Mr. White Rabbit from the book cover.  I tried to clean him up a bit, but he is fashionably shabby :)

Enjoy, and enter the Alice blog challenge!

More Alice Images Here

Friday Freebie: Random Steampunkery

Here's a triple freebie for Friday and our Steampunk Girls challenge!  Just some steampunk style accessories and objects you might use...  More steampunk at Lunagirl.com.  (Just fyi, Lunagirl.com has been down some of today due to our web hosting service being down!  I'm hoping it is fixed by now, but if not please visit me on etsy, too!

Full Moon in May: Flower Moon or Milk Moon

I love the moon, obviously I guess, and I like to include some moon lore now and then.  Did you know that the full moons of each month have names?  The full moon in May (which is tonight, by the way!) is sometimes called the Flower Moon. Obviously, many wildflowers are in full bloom this time of year, wherever you are. 

Another name for the May full moon -- Milk Moon -- has a less obvious origin. Cows, goats and other grazing animals can find good green pastures this time of year, to help them make plenty of milk for their babies born in the early spring. And in far northern countries without many crops until later in the summer, milk would be a major part of their diet this time of year. The Old English name for the month of May meant "the month in which cows can be milked three times a day"!

The current name comes from the Greek goddess Maia, a Greek goddess whom I always associate with the wildflowers that blanket the hills of Crete (and Tennessee).

Just FYI, May is Teacher Appreciation Month, Historic Preservation Month, and Eat Locally Month. So thank a teacher for all their hard work and dedication, enjoy some beautiful old buildings and learn about the past, and visit your local farmer's market (or better yet plant a vegetable garden!)  And don't forget to enjoy the May full moon this weekend if you can.

Birds: Inspiration from Michele Storm & free bird image

Another gorgeous submission from Michele Storms of the Lunagirl Moonbeams Design Team!   This reminds me of a goddess of Springtime, surrounded by her birds and flowers.  So pretty! Love the warm oranges throughout.

I hope you'll be inspired to enter my BIRDS blog challenge/contest.  You have until next Monday night to enter, and the winner chosen at random will get a free Lunagirl digital collage sheet of their choice!  More challenges to come, so stay tuned.

To further inspire you, I'd like to share another free bird image you can download for personal use.  Who could resist this little housewren?  He is adapted from one of a set of antique "bird cards" I was lucky to find ~ each card features a different bird, a few facts, and a little verse!

Happy Mother's Day!

Free Victorian Style Valentine with Pink Roses

Happy Valentines Day! Free Victorian Pink Roses Valentine Heart image
For personal non-commercial use with link to Lunagirl.com please.

Want more? Need Easter or St Patrick pics?
See our Victorian Holidays Volume Two CD!
900 Images for Valentine's Day, EASTER, St. Patrick's Day & more.

Moonday Free Images

Four "weird sisters" having a tea party ~ actually I wouldn't be surprised if they had something a little stronger in those teacups.  Halloween vintage photos are rather hard to find, but a customer was kind enough to share this one with me and I'm glad to share it with you!  Enjoy for personal non-commercial cards, crafts, and art projects.

Reverie on an "autumn" day

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer, and today at Lunagirl it certainly feels like the beginning of autumn -- cool air, grey skies, and a steady rain.  The rain is welcome after a dry month, and the 58-degree morning feels wonderful after a hot summer!  It was 99 degrees two days ago -- and being a Southerner I know the heat will come back several times before Halloween -- but for me today is a lovely early autumn day perfect for curling up with a book or just getting lost in reverie.  Here is a suitable "Moonday" freebie image I'd like to share (Pre-Raphaelite Art):

 For those of you with sunshine this Labor Day, enjoy your picnics! I will enjoy my cool rainy day, dream of the past with the history books and old novels I like to read, and pretend it's already Autumn, my favorite season.

Mother's Day: Free Images for Last-Minute Cards & Crafts

Messenger for Springtime

One of the first signs that spring is coming in our area is the return of the goldfinchs, and the return of their bright yellow color!

We have pairs of goldfinchs around all summer. In the autumn they begin to turn a uniformly dull olive color and form flocks, and then eventually they all fly south together.

In very early spring we start to see them again, still drab olive. Gradually the males regain their brilliant yellow color, the females get a little brighter too, and they form nesting pairs. They are such beautiful little birds.

The photo above is courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and you may use it however you like!