Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Painting The Roses Red




Painting the roses red...

the roses came out nicelyI do love painting, but I also love creating cards.




painting the roses red gift box four

the roses came out nicelyI was working on more Alice's Adventures in Wonderland prints,



the roses came out nicelyAnd thought they would make lovely cards.

mosaicbb5a3a91091a2e87ef37f660b100c9195f44a4ea

the roses came out nicelySo, I found a very Alice backdrop of aqua cardstock.

mosaicd57ca8f42c1be18576f350cc33167d998eb501d4

the roses came out nicelyI added each print to seven different cards, each one fits perfectly in this red gift box.



the roses came out nicelyI tied a white grosgrain ribbon on top and added a Painting The Roses Red print to a tag on top.

painting-the-roses-red-gift-box-for-etsy

Painting The Roses Red Gift Box is filled with Alice blank note cards. There are seven designs in all, created from an Antique book from 1867 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The box of cards looks just like a book when standing up, the box of seven blank note cards is on my etsy shop.



alice-restored-on-shadow-box-backgroundThe song to this post is an instrumental oldie of Alice in Wonderland from 1966. Hmmm, I was just seventeen.

Friday, February 12, 2010

MY ROBIN, 1912

DSC05053_1





would be lying if I said that my love of displaying objects had not been influenced by the wonderful vignettes found in Nesting On Main in Concord, Massachusetts.

DSC05098_1

DSC05082When I brought home this Vintage cigar box, a few small bird feathers, and "Nesting" inspiration, I couldn’t wait to fill it this box with something wonderful.

DSC05060_1_1


DSC05082I was decorating my own mantle and creating vignettes, having brought home so much inspiration and a few treasures from Nesting, when I noticed my treasured copy of My Robin by Francis Burnett.

DSC05060_1_1

DSC05082In the book THE SECRET GARDEN there is the robin who befriends the character Dickon and Mary.

DSC05097_1

DSC05082Following the release of the book, Francis Burnett received many letters asking about the Robin. She then published this little book in 1912.

DSC05096_1

DSC05082In the book, she told of this little robin visiting her in her Kent rose garden in England. He was so friendly that he would sit nearby, sometimes even on her hat, while she wrote. He became a friend and she loved him dearly.

DSC05094_1

DSC05082After arranging my mantel,

DSC05064_1_1

DSC05082I took the book and used this beautiful Antique painting of her robin to create some special one-of-a-kind cards. I don't like to take these special treasures apart, so I simply scan them and use my digital paintbox to restore and repurpose the artwork found inside an Antique book.

DSC05071

DSC05082Safely tucked into the Vintage cigar box, finished with a bit of tissue paper, lovely bird feather and some new bird labels I designed, it was ready to share.

DSC05070_1

DSC05083


DSC05082Inspiration seems to have a life of it’s own, one lovely vignette, a favorite old shop, and a treasured book can lead one down a path of sheer joy.

DSC05084

DSC05082There are five designs in all, and they all use the artwork found in the book by the famous painter and illustrator, of Alfred Brennan. One is a watercolor, and the other is an etching.( A Nineteenth century American painter, etcher and illustrator. His work is still cherished today and found in many art collections).

DSC05086_1

DSC05082I took the two artwork pages and designed borders and reworked the one that was of the etching.

DSC05081

DSC05082Inside I added a small page telling the story of MY ROBIN. Each card is embellished with vintage ribbons that I found in Nesting. The top of the box is decorated in vintage ribbons and a tag.

DSC05082




hen Frances left Kent she was sad that she would never see The Robin again.

DSC05080

DSC05082Yet her gift of writing, and memorizing her sentiments,

DSC05076

DSC05082allows all of us to see him again and again through her words.

DSC05079

DSC05082Alfred Brennan truly captured the beautiful

DSC05077

DSC05082details through her words.

DSC05078

DSC05082The name of this song is
If I Could See You Again
.



t is my hope that by restoring these prints and setting them free onto cards, I will be keeping her beautiful story, MY ROBIN alive. This treasure is listed on my etsy shop along with some other new items.

“Then I knew he was a little Soul and not only a bird.”

DSC05082Frances Hodgson Burnett


robin,the-story-of-the-book-MY-ROBIN