Free Printable Flower Illustrations for Altered Art, Graphic Design or Scrapbooking: Victorian Baskets of Snowdrops and Forget-Me-Nots

sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love

(all the merry little birds are
flying in the floating in the
very spirits singing in
are winging in the blossoming)

lovers go and lovers come
awandering awondering
but any two are perfectly
alone there's nobody else alive

(such a sky and such a sun
i never knew and neither did you
and everybody never breathed
quite so many kinds of yes)

not a tree can count his leaves
each herself by opening
but shining who by thousands mean
only one amazing thing

(secretly adoring shyly
tiny winging darting floating
merry in the blossoming
always joyful selves are singing)

sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love
― e. e. cummings

A pair of Victorian trade cards from circa 1890 with illustrations of spring flowers. The first shows a basket of winter-white snowdrops while the second image contains a basket of riotously blue forget-me-nots. Can be used for vintage-style greeting cards and gift tags or for decorating scrapbook pages and junk journals.

You can download the high-res 6.5" (w) x 4" (h) @ 300 ppi JPEGs without a watermark here (snowdrops) and here (forget-me-nots).


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Bird Illustration for Altered Art, Graphic Design or Scrapbooking: Spring Doves with Basket of Forget-Me-Nots

Love all, trust a few,
Do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy
Rather in power than use; and keep thy friend
Under thy own life's key: be check'd for silence,
But never tax'd for speech.
― William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well
A vintage postcard from 1908 that shows a pair of white doves flying aloft as they carry a basket of brilliantly blue forget-me-nots contained within a basket with pink ribbons tied in bows for handles.

This colourful bird illustration would be lovely as the cover of a greeting card to a friend or loved one (Mother's Day, Valentine's Day or birthday) but could also be used in a mixed media art project or to decorate a scrapbook.

To download the high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark, please click here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Public Domain Poem for Kids: Mother by M.M.D.

A poem simply entitled "Mother" by M.M.D. (I suspect it is Mary Mapes Dodge), published in October 1877. This is how it goes:
Early one summer morning,
I saw two children pass:
Their footsteps, slow yet lightsome,
Scarce bent the tender grass.

One, lately out of babyhood,
Looked up with eager eyes;
The other watched her wistfully,
Oppressed with smothered sighs.

"See, mother!" cried the little one,
"I gathered them for you?
The sweetest flowers and lilies,
And Mabel has some too."

"Hush, Nelly!" whispered Mabel,
"We have not reached it yet.
Wait till we get there, darling,
It isn't far, my pet."

"Get where?" asked Nelly. "Tell me."
"To the church-yard," Mabel said.
"No! no!" cried little Nelly,
And shook her sunny head.

Still Mabel whispered sadly,
"We must take them to the grave.
Come, darling?" and the childish voice
Tried to be clear and brave.

But Nelly still kept calling
Far up into the blue;
"See, mother, see, how pretty
We gathered them for you."

And when her sister pleaded,
She cried -- and would not go: --
"Angels don't live in church-yards,
My mother don't, I know."

Then Mabel bent and kissed her.
"So be it, dear," she said;
"We'll take them to the arbor
And lay them there instead."

"For mother loved it dearly,
It was the sweetest place!"
And the joy that came to Nelly
Shone up in Mabel's face.

I saw them turn, and follow
A path with blossoms bright,
Until the nodding branches
Concealed them from my sight;

But still like sweetest music
The words came ringing through;
"See, mother, see, how pretty
We gathered them for you."

Public domain poem is fom my personal collection. All digitized poems by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Victorian Sheet Music and Vintage Nature Clipart for Cardmaking, Collage or Scrapbooking: Spring Bird Waltz and Bird with Spring Blossoms

Hello, everyone. Two free graphics this morning:

(1) An illustration from one of my books on wild birds, published in 1901. This bird is called the chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), its name derived "...from the fancied resemblance of its notes to the words 'chiff chaff,' which are uttered with a quick, clear enunciation; the song is sweet and not unmelodious, and when alarmed the bird has a note of displeasure which sounds something like the word 'whoo-id' or 'whoo-it.'

...considered the earliest of our summer visitors, arriving in this country [England] sometimes in March, and remaining until October; indeed, of all small warblers, it is the first to come and the last to go."

Download the 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG here.

(2) A light-hearted dance tune called "Spring Bird Waltz" from the August 1, 1858 issue of Young Ladies' Journal. You can download this antique sheet music as a 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Vintage Art Appreciation: Still Life with Tulips by George Clausen

Still Life with Tulips, c1923
by Sir George Clausen, RA (1852 - 1944)
Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.
― Anita Krizzan

The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.
― Harriet Ann Jacobs

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
― Anne Bradstreet

The flower does not choose the soil in which it blooms, but it blossoms nonetheless. It is not the path we are given, but how we walk it that gives us strength and beauty. Embrace hardship and suffering, for they are the forging fires of the soul. Accept your destiny, for it is the canvas upon which you will paint the masterpiece of your life.
― Sambou Lamine Diaby

Public Domain Nature Poem for Gardeners and Nature Lovers: Each In His Place by Caris Brooke

A Victorian poem from 1893 by Caris Brooke called "Each In His Place." The verses are accompanied by an illustration of a pair of birds up in their nest, snugly anchored to a branch of flowering apple blossoms. Here is how it goes:

Bird, sitting there in the bright sun's ray,
You do nothing but sing all the summer's day,
While I have my lessons to learn.
Now leave your perch on that blossoming spray,
Give me your wings, and in my place stay,
Till I return.

Oh, to fly so far! Oh, to soar so high!
Till I find the gold door in the bright blue sky,
And the way that leads me to the moon;
Then good-bye to lessons, to sums good-bye,
Don't expect me back when I've learned to fly --
At least not soon.

For answer, the bird's song seemed to say,
"Will you do my work while I am away?
Do you know how to build a nest?
Feathers and wool, and dry moss and hay --
Can you fit them in, and make them stay,
If you did your best?

"You must never leave it to romp and play;
You must sit quite still the whole long day,
And not stir a peg.
And before you go, will you kindly say,
If, while you're there, you'll be sure to lay
A little blue egg?"
You can download this poem as a high-res 12" x 12" @ 300 ppi JPEG (without a watermark) for card making, collage or scrapbooking projects here.


Public domain poem is fom my personal collection. All digitized poems by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Illustrated Template for Spring-Inspired Graphic Design or Scrapbooking Projects: Art Nouveau Daffodils in Vintage Planter (Paper Whites, Narcissus, Spring Flowers)

Cheerfulness, it would appear,
is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within,
as on the state of things without and around us.
― Charlotte Brontë
An antique illustrated floral border that shows stylized art nouveau white daffodils (narcissus) with red centres in a pot-bellied planter. Lovely for spring-inspired journaling, scrapbooking or graphic design projects with a vintage feel. You can download the high-res 6" x 9" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All pre-made templates by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing this work.

Public Domain Nature Poem for Gardeners and Nature Lovers: A Spring Morning by Anne Beale

From 1880, here is a Victorian poem on aged paper entitled "A Spring Morning" by Anne Beale. Accompanying the poem is a decorative border with an illustration of flower pickers in early spring gathering flowers in the open fields surrounding a big house. There is also a posy of spring flowers embellishing the foreground. The poem goes as follows:

How joyfully the heart doth ring
A merry peal of pleasure
At the nativity of spring,
And the earth's renewing treasure!
How the thoughts leap up, welcoming
The gladsome vernal measure!

The squirrel, in his wild delight,
From branch to branch is springing;
The warbling lark her homeward flight
In ecstasy is winging;
While every mead and grove and height
With joyous song is ringing.

The snowdrop from her winter rest
Is joyously awaking;
The merry primrose bares her breast,
A fill of pleasure taking;
The violet, from her mossy nest,
In loveliness is breaking.

Wandering 'neath the cloudless sky,
The children shout for gladness,
And deem the sun's enkindling eye
An antidote for sadness;
Then would not murmuring needlessly
Be even worse than madness?
You can download a high-res JPEG of the original poem (without a watermark) for card making, collage or scrapbooking projects here.


Public domain poem is fom my personal collection. All digitized poems by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Illustrated Template for Garden and Nature Journals, Scrapbook Page or Spring Graphic Design Projects: Cheery Robin Decorative Border

Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone's horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much.
― Gregory Maguire, Out of Oz
Lovely antique border showing a cheerful robin perched on still-bare branches singing a song to welcome in the spring. You can use this to decorate a journal or scrapbook page but it is also useful for spring-themed announcements such as for baby and wedding showers, yard sales and community get-togethers.

You can find the high-res 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All pre-made templates by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing this work.

Whimsical Fairytale Illustrations for Card Making, Collage, Crafts or Scrapbooking: A Garden Fairy & A Spring Workman

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you
because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
― Roald Dahl
Two fairytale illustrations; the first shows a girl fairy sniffing a white blossom as she stands on the leaf of a rose bush, with a pink rose curling in towards her on the left. From a late 19th century Victorian trade card.

The second illustration was published in April 1874 and shows a small winged cherub with a paint palette and brush painting the colours onto a garden pansy, one of the first flowers to appear in spring. The caption that originally accompanied the drawing stated that this was "A Spring Workman (from a French picture)."

You can download the first illustration as a high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG here and the second illustration as a high-res 6" x 4" @ 300 ppi JPEG here. Both digital files are watermark-free and can be used for card making, collage, crafts, scrapbooking or other creative projects.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Public Domain Nature Poem for Gardeners and Nature Lovers: An April Song by an Unknown Author

From 1881, here is a Victorian poem called "An April Song" by an unknown author. Accompanying the poem is a decorative border with an illustration of a blossoming tree and various spring flowers plus a scattering of assorted planting paraphernalia in the garden.

The poem goes as follows:

Earth's heart with gladness glows again,
Gone is all wintry gloom;
The sun peeps through my lattice-pane,
And fills my little room
With life divine, and bids me fly
My books and pens awhile,
To wander forth beneath a sky
That wears an April smile.

Old loves at every step I meet,
Sweet fragrance fills the air;
Such songs of praise that birds repeat,
As move my soul to prayer.
E'en primrose clusters on the banks,
And violets nesting low,
To Him uplift a look of thanks,
From whom all blessings flow.

The hyacinth hangs her languid head,
And waits the gentle May,
Now drawing near with noiseless tread,
To kiss her tears away;
The fields with daisies are besprent,
As white as flakes of snow;
And from the whispering woods are sent
Joy-murmurs, soft and low.

You can download a free 8.5" (w) x 12" (h) @ 300 ppi JPEG of the poem (without a watermark) for collage, graphic design, junk journal or scrapbooking projects here.


Public domain poem is fom my personal collection. All digitized poems by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Public Domain Nature Poem for Kids: Cheery Robin by B. Lander

Image source: Wikimedia
The following is a public domain Victorian children's poem written by B. Lander and originally published in 1880. The poem is called "Cheery Robin" and this is how it goes:

Robin in the April time
Blithely sings of summer prime,
Every mellow note outwelling
Sweetly telling of his glee;
How his merry carol rings!
As he sings,
In the budding April time, -- Cheerily!

Robin in the summer prime,
What cares he for autumn rime!
Present care and present pleasure
Fill the measure of each day;
And his merry carol rings,
While he sings,
In the golden summer prime, -- Cheerily!

Robins in the autumn rime
Singeth of a sunny clime,
Where the bowers glow with flowers,
Where the hours brim with glee.
Still his merry carol rings!
Still he sings,
In the chilly autumn rime, -- Cheerily!

Robin to the aged Year
Sings a parting note of cheer;
Happy heart of sunshine, Robin,
Ever throbbing merrily.
Sweet contentment Robin brings,
When he sings,
With a cadence loud and clear, -- Cheerily!

Public domain poem is fom my personal collection. All digitized poems by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Vintage Art Appreciation: Spring in the Forest by George Edward Lodge

Spring in the Forest
by George Edward Lodge (1860 - 1954)
The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.
― Harriet Ann Jacobs

The forest was not dark, because darkness has nothing to do with the forest — the forest is made of life, of light — but the trees moved with wind and subtle creatures.
― Lauren Groff, The Midnight Zone

Old-growth forests met no needs. They simply were, in a way that bore no questions about purpose or value. They could not be created by men. They could not even be understood by men. They had too many parts that were interconnected in too many ways. Change one part and everything else would change, but in ways that were unpredictable and often inexplicable. This unpredictability removed such forests from the realm of human perspectives and values. The forest did not need to justify or explain itself. It existed outside of instrumental human considerations.
― Steve Olson

Free Printable Botanical Illustration for Cardmaking, Collage, Journaling or Scrapbooking: Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum)

The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.
It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.
— Ashley Montagu
Third and last colour plate from an antique French botany book that shows Lonicera xylosteum, also known as the fly honeysuckle. In the language of flowers, honeysuckle is a symbol of pure happiness. In addition, it conveys messages of sweetness and affection, thanks to the sweet smelling aroma it gives off. In a heavier interpretation, the honeysuckle is also said to represent the flames of love, and the tenderness for love that has been lost.

You can download this high-res printable botanical illustration (without a watermark) for cardmaking, collage, junk journaling or scrapbooking projects here.

Below is a sample journal cover I made with the illustration. If you would like to use the cover, you can find the high-res JPEG here.

From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Vintage Art Appreciation: The Old Stairs, Raixa by Santiago Rusiñol

The Old Stairs (Pedres velles), Raixa, 1907
by Santiago Rusiñol (1861 - 1931)
The painting:
Santiago Rusiñol's burgeoning success as a painter enabled him to concentrate almost completely on the subject closest to his heart, Spain's gardens and landscapes. When Rusiñol travelled to Mallorca, he sojourned in the locality of Bunyola whose opulent gardens became the inspiration for works such as this.

The present work depicts the upper half of the flight of stairs dedicated to Apollo in the Raixa Gardens, north of Palma de Mallarco. Originally laid out by the Moors, the Raixa Gardens were redesigned by Cardinal Antoni Despuig i Cotoner during the eighteenth century. Begun in 1902 and completed in 1907, Pedres velles is one of four pictures Rusiñol painted of the steps.

The artist:
The charismatic leader of Catalan Modernism, and a founder of Els Quatre Gats in Barcelona, Rusiñol travelled widely and spent extended periods in Paris. Notwithstanding his position as a leading member of the international avant-garde, however, it was in Spain that he was able to explore the full range of his resonant palette and where many of his most powerful and evocative works were completed.

Source: Sotheby's.

Vintage Art Appreciation: On an Apiary by Aleksandr Makovsky

On an Apiary, 1916
by Aleksandr Makovsky (1869 - 1924)

The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist.
For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.
― Jacques Cousteau

It is so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun,
to have lived light in the spring,
to have loved, to have thought, to have done.
― Matthew Arnold

And we should always remember that, in matters of evolution, nature will select for the ability to adapt and survive, not for maximum convenience to mankind.
― Phil Chandler, The Barefoot Beekeeper

Don't Just
Don't just learn, experience.
Don't just read, absorb.
Don't just change, transform.
Don't just relate, advocate.
Don't just promise, prove.
Don't just criticize, encourage.
Don't just think, ponder.
Don't just take, give.
Don't just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don't just hear, listen.
Don't just talk, act.
Don't just tell, show.
Don't just exist, live.
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Free Botanical Illustration for Cardmaking, Collage, Journaling or Scrapbooking: Common Hazel (Corylus avellana)

Our world is falling apart quietly. Human civilization has reduced the plant,
a four-million-year-old life form, into three things: food, medicine, and wood...
― Hope Jahren, Lab Girl
Second colour plate from an antique French botany book that shows Corylus avellana, the common hazel, a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia. To download this high-res printable botanical illustration (without a watermark) for cardmaking, collage, junk journaling or scrapbooking projects, please click here.

Here is an example of how I used it as a journal cover:

From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Whimsical Fairytale Illustration for Cardmaking, Collage, Crafting or Scrapbooking: Overheard Between the Mice

A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.
― Roald Dahl
A very sweet black and white fairy tale illustration from 1901 that shows a mischievous garden fairy with butterfly wings, creeping up close to listen in on a couple of mice's whispered conversation as they huddle under a tangle of nasturtium leaves. Originally captioned "Overheard Between the Mice." I wonder what they are saying?

You can download the high-res 6" x 4.5" @ 300 ppi JPG without a watermark for cardmaking, collage, crafting or scrapbooking project here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Botanical Illustration for Cardmaking, Collage, Journaling or Scrapbooking: Cornish Oak (Quercus sessiliflora)

Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed,
and a giant oak in an acorn.
― William Arthur Ward
A colour plate from an antique French botany book that shows the Quercus sessiliflora, the sessile oak, also known as the Cornish oak or Durmast oak. You can download this free printable botanical illustration (without a watermark) for cardmaking, collage, journaling or scrapbooking project here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Clipart for Cardmaking, Collage, Crafting or Scrapbooking: Elegant Edwardian Ladies in the Garden 1

All who have been touched by beauty are touched by sorrow at its passing.
― Louise Cordana
Vintage illustration showing two elegant Edwardian ladies in the garden. One lady is seated on a garden bench as a second lady with a cane stands beside her. The standing lady has a hand resting reassuringly on the shoulder of the seated lady.

You can download this free high-res 8" x 12" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark for cardmaking, mixed media collage, crafting or scrapbooking projects here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Clipart for Cardmaking, Collage or Scrapbooking: The Flowers in the Wood

The snowdrop and primrose our woodlands adorn, and violets bathe in the wet o’ the morn.
― Robert Burns
A black and white engraving from 1867. The caption below the original illustration read: "Flowers in the Wood" which could refer to the flowers the children are gathering but could also mean the children themselves.

You can download the free high-res 8" x 12" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here. Charming as a cover of a spring-themed greeting card but you could also use it in a collage, as part of a nature joyrnal or in a scrapbooking project.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Botanical Clipart for Collage, Crafts or Scrapbooking: Botanical Forms 1

Sometimes I wish I could photosynthesize so that just by being,
just by shimmering at the meadow's edge or floating lazily on a pond,
I could be doing the work of the world while standing silent in the sun.
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,
Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Botanical illustrations from an antique encyclopedia. Among the plants shown are Philadelphus coronarius (sweet mock-orange or English dogwood), a stonecrop, sickle-shaped Mesembryanthemum and a New Holland pitcher plant. You could team the entire sheet with an old paper texture (or overlay several textures for an even more interesting effect) and frame as DIY wall art, or use each flower graphic separately to accent scrapbooking or graphic design projects. You can download the high-res 10" x 10.5" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Clipart for Cardmaking, Collage or Junk Journaling: Portrait of a Victorian Girl in Winter

There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks.
Most of the time we are simply not patient enough,
quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.
― Linda Hogan
A black and white illustration from 1882. This image shows a portrait of a Victorian girl set against a winter landscape. The portrait is enclosed within an oval frame decorated with early spring flowers. You can download the free high-res 8" x 10" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark for use in crafts, a walk journal, scrapbooking or card making projects here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Illustration for Cardmaking, Garden and Nature Journals or Scrapbook Page: Birds Exchanging News of Spring

Never cut a tree down in the wintertime.
Never make a negative decision in the low time.
Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods.
Wait. Be patient.
The storm will pass. The spring will come.
― Robert H. Schuller
Antique illustration from the late 1800s showing a sparrow coming to the bullfinches' icy perch to exchange news of spring - will spring be early or late this year? Delicate and subtle sprigs of spring blossoms surround the borders of this image. A great whimsical graphic for greeting cards, garden or nature journals, collage, and scrapbooking projects. You can download the high-res 6" x 4.5" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.

Vintage Art Appreciation: In the Park by Giovanni Boldini

In the Park, 1872
by Giovanni Boldini (1842 - 1931)
No matter how close we are to another person, few human relationships are as free from strife, disagreement, and frustration as is the relationship you have with a good dog. Few human beings give of themselves to another as a dog gives of itself. I also suspect that we cherish dogs because their unblemished souls make us wish - consciously or unconsciously - that we were as innocent as they are, and make us yearn for a place where innocence is universal and where the meanness, the betrayals, and the cruelties of this world are unknown.
― Dean Koontz, A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.
― Bob Marley

Free Vintage Bird Clipart for Cardmaking, Collage, Crafting or Scrapbooking: Messenger Doves with a Ribbon of Pink Envelopes

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.
― Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets
First-generation digital scan of a vintage postcard from 1906. It shows an illustration of a flock of doves flying towards the recipient with love notes in little pink envelopes strung on a red ribbon. This would make a lovely greeting card for Valentine's or Mother's Day but you could also use it in a mixed media collage project or to decorate a scrapbook page or as a gift tag. You can download the high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if sharing or publishing.