Millinery Leaves - Philodendron

Another favorite - vintage velvet millinery leaves!  The original color of these simple philodendron-style leaves is the pretty antique rose shade in the bottom picture.

ABCs and Flowers

A bit brighter in hue than the usual post, but I just love this vintage stencil.  It was tossed in with a box of my father's old drafting supplies; he is an engineer like his father.  The stencil measures about 4 inches wide and is made out of thick, transparent plastic that has yellowed with age into this lovely amber color.

The flatback glass flowers are 1930s vintage, also in a lovely amber hue.  But, as always, I just can't seem to keep from experimenting... and thought you might enjoy a nice olivine color as well!

Chadbourne & Co. Advertisement

I love the rich colors in this elegant antique advertising card.  The original is a bit smaller than a postcard.

Kris Kringle

When I first saw this gentleman, I thought he looked familiar... then it occurred to me... he looks like Kris Kringle!  His rosy cheeks and twinkling eyes shine way beyond his attempt to be serious, but I can definitely see a hint of a smile!  This cabinet card had a lot of damage, but I left the damage to his jacket alone - because it looks a bit like snow!  So here you are, to inspire you for the upcoming holiday season... Kris Kringle in "disguise" as an ordinary patron, sitting to have his portrait taken.  Now you know what he wears the other 364 days of the year!

Autumn Wings

Wings!  As you might have noticed, these particular wings are one of my favorites.  They were designed beginning with a portion of an antique die-cut bird wing, and repairing and adding further sections to that initial image to complete one wing, then duplicating and reversing that image. 

The color combinations are endless using photo editing software; other versions have been used in my blog sidebar and can also be viewed here.  

I hope you enjoy these new Autumn colors, designed especially for my friend Paula.  The browns and golds honor the hay harvest, and the fiery colors mimic favorite fall leaves.  Thanks for the inspiration, Paula!

Gothic Portraits

The next time you are searching for inspiration, try inverting the colors of one of your favorite vintage photographs.  The "negative" effect can be quite dramatic.

Vintage Halloween Postcard

The bottom image is a softened version of the original color of this postcard, which belonged to my grandmother's Aunt Nellie.  For those of you who enjoy a more muted color palette, I did a bit of editing to change the blue tones to more subtle browns.  I love the cheerfulness of this image, celebrating the fall harvest.

Antique Millinery Feathers

Antique Clocks

Birds & Blossoms