Illustrated Template for Announcements, Invitations, Journaling and Various Other Design Projects: The Lark's Nest

A lark began to sing in the tree above her. Dortchen opened her eyes and looked up. It was such a small, plain, grey thing, yet its song was so full of joy. She could see its breast swell, its thin throat tremble. It lifted its wings, as if seeking to draw more air into its lungs. Song-notes were flung into the air, like golden coins thrown by a generous hand. All the lark's strength was poured into its music, all its joy. Dortchen took a deep breath, so deep that she felt her lungs expand and the muscles of her chest crack. She wanted to live like the lark did, filled with rapture. She stood up, looking up at the bird through the sunlit leaves. It flung its wings wide and soared away into the sky. She wanted to fly with it.
― Kate Forsyth, The Wild Girl

Late 19th century illustration of a lark's nest in a meadow surrounded by fluttering butterflies and nodding spring flowers, paired with lightly distressed painted old paper to create an illustrated template that can be used for announcemnts, invitations, journaling and various other design projects. High-res 12” x 12” @ 300 ppi JPEG without any words/watermark can be found here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.”

Illustrated Template for Announcements, Invitations, Journaling and Various Other Design Projects: The Young Naturalists

I love the stillness of the wood;
I love the music of the rill:
I love the couch in pensive mood
Upon some silent hill.

Scarce heard, beneath yon arching trees,
The silver-crested ripples pass;
and, like a mimic brook, the breeze
Whispers among the grass.

Here from the world I win release,
Nor scorn of men, nor footstep rude,
Break into mar the holy peace
Of this great solitude.

Here may the silent tears I weep
Lull the vested spirit into rest,
As infants sob themselves to sleep
Upon a mothers breast.

But when the bitter hour is gone,
And the keen throbbing pangs are still,
Oh, sweetest then to couch alone
Upon some silent hill!

To live in joys that once have been,
To put the cold world out of sight,
And deck life's drear and barren scene
With hues of rainbow-light.

For what to man the gift of breath,
If sorrow be his lot below;
If all the day that ends in death
Be dark with clouds of woe?

Shall the poor transport of an hour
Repay long years of sore distress—
The fragrance of a lonely flower
Make glad the wilderness?

Ye golden house of life's young spring,
Of innocence, of love and truth!
Bright, beyond all imagining,
Thou fairy-dream of youth!

I'd give all wealth that years have piled,
The slow result of Life's decay,
To be once more a little child
For one bright summer's day.
― Lewis Carroll
Late 19th century illustration of five Victorian children looking at a nature exhibit, paired with lightly distressed painted old paper to create an illustrated template that can be used for announcemnts, invitations, journaling and various other design projects. High-res 9” x 12” @ 300 ppi JPEG without any words/watermark can be found here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.”

Vintage Garden-Themed Postcard: Vintage Roses and Wildflowers Greeting Card

To love at all is to be vulnerable.
Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.
If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal.
Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries;
avoid all entanglements.
Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.
But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change.
It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.
To love is to be vulnerable.
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Vintage postcard with an illustration of roses and wildflowers growing above a garden pond. The words “With Love and Best Wishes” are inscribed in calligraphic font at the bottom of the card. You can download the high-res 6” x 4” @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Free Vintage Garden-Themed Postcard: Gathering Summer Flowers

THE ROSES
One day in summer
when everything
has already been more than enough
the wild beds start
exploding open along the berm
of the sea; day after day
you sit near them; day after day,
the honey keeps on coming
in the red cups and the bees
like amber drops roll
in the petals: there is no end,
believe me! to the inventions of summer,
to the happiness your body
is willing to bear.
― Mary Oliver, Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

An early 20th century real photo postcard featuring a young woman gathering flowers into a basket as she walks through her summer garden. You can download the high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale "as-is." Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Illustrated Announcement Template: Birds of Winter Illustrated Border

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?
And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt;
and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Late 19th century illustrated border showing a flock of birds on the snowy branches of a tree.From my personal collection. Can be used for announcements or invitations. High-res 8” x 10” @ 300 ppi JPEG without any words/watermark can be found here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Free Vintage Garden-Themed Birthday Greeting Card: Nature's Fair Picture

HAPPY RETURNS
May the fair and glowing pictures
Nature paints o'er all the land,
Be the symbol of the beauty
Life shall paint with skilled hand.

Very pretty vintage birthday card from the early 20th century featuring a young woman with a bouquet of pink flowers surrounded by a floral border of cream and gold. You can download the high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale "as-is." Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Illustrated Template for Collage Art, Graphic Design, Junk Journaling or Scrapbooking: Calling the Flowers

Calling the Flowers illustrated template on lightly textured, painted paper.
High-res 8" x 10" @ 300 ppi JPEG without any words/watermark can be found here.
Template featuring vintage garden poem by Mary A. Lathbury here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale "as-is." Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Illustrated Template for Altered Art, Graphic Design, Junk Journaling or Scrapbooking: Vintage Poppies Border with Old Paper Texture

Vintage Poppies Border on Aged Vintage Paper with Painted Texture
High-res 12" x 12" @ 300 ppi JPEG here.

All pre-made templates by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Illustrated Template for Altered Art, Graphic Design, Junk Journaling or Scrapbooking: A Rainy Day 1

The rain is falling all around,
It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.
― Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child's Garden of Verses
Lightly distressed ilustrated template showing a girl walking in the rain with a large umbrella. Surrounding her portrait are two birds on a branch, a butterfly on a leaf, a hen and her chicks, and a flock of ducks heading into a pond.

Download and print for altered art, junk journaling or scrapbooking, or to use in various other design projects with a vintage nature theme. High-res 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG available to monthly subscribers here.


All pre-made templates by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Illustrated Template for Graphic Design, Journaling or Scrapbooking: Blackberries and Marauding Bunnies in the Garden!

When the enemy presents an opportunity,
speedily take advantage of it.
Anticipate him in seizing something he values
and move in accordance with a date secretly fixed.
The doctrine of war is to follow the enemy situation
in order to decide on battle.
Therefore at first be shy as a maiden.
When the enemy gives you an opening be swift as a hare
and he will be unable to withstand you.
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Ilustrated template showing a fluffle of bunnies running away from a group of children in the garden. There is a branch of ripening blackberries drawn across a small blank rectangle on the left side of the page.

Download and print for announcements, invitations, journaling, scrapbooking or other design projects with a vintage nature theme.You can download 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 FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Illustrated Template for Graphic Design, Journaling or Scrapbooking: Free to Fly

The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.
― David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest

Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all.
Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild.
So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you.
And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices,
but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.
― Stephen King, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

Ilustrated template featuring antique paper and a Victorian lady allowing a bird to fly free from its cage. Download and print for announcements, invitations, journaling, scrapbooking or other design projects with a vintage nature theme.You can download the high-res 12" x 12" @ 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 FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Aged Paper Background for Graphic Design, Journaling, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: Bees in the Meadow Poem and English Meadow Landscape Illustration

BEES IN THE MEADOW
by MRS. SANGSTER
Bees in the meadow,
Birds on the bough,
Bloom on the hill-side ―
Play-time is now.

Stones in the pasture,
Weeds in the bed;
Haying and harvest,
Hard work ahead.

Loud sings the robin,
"If you'd be gay,
Take the work, lad
The heart of the play."

Aged paper background with a combination of different vintage scraps, including a nature poem from 1881 and an illustration of an English meadow from 1887. You can download the free high-res 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here for graphic design, journaling, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects.


All pre-made templates by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Illustrated Templates for Graphic Design, Journaling or Scrapbooking: Recipe Cards with Vintage Illustrations of Kale

I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems.
Nothing is worth diminishing your health.
Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

If you feel like making something healthy this weekend, here are a couple of recipe card templates to help you jot down your cooking notes and thoughts. The cards feature two vintage botabical illustrations of kale from c1900. The first variety of borecole is a dwarf green curled Scotch kale. Borecole has very frizzy curled deep green leaves held on sturdy plants which need no staking.The older larger leaves will be more bitter so best to use only young leaves. You can find a simple borecole and potato salad recipe here.

The second recipe card features a variety of borecole known as "brown curled kale." I still see seeds for brown varieties of lettuce but I have never come across seeds for a brown kale. This may be an heirloom variety that has died out as it became unpopular? If anyone knows of a supplier, please feel free to leave a note in the comments. Here is a delicious-sounding recipe for kale with browned butter, garlic and pan-fried walnuts.

You could print the cards for recipes but you might also use them for gift tags, invitations, journaling or scrapbooking.You can find the free high-res 7" x 5" @ 300 ppi JPEGs without a watermark here and here.


All pre-made templates by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Illustrated Template for Graphic Design, Journaling or Scrapbooking: Kids in the Garden 1

However many years she lived,
Mary always felt that she should never forget
that first morning when her garden began to grow.
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Two-page illustrated template featuring Victorian children in the garden. Download and print for announcements, invitations, journaling, scrapbooking or other design projects with a vintage garden theme.You can find the high-res 11" x 8.5" @ 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 FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Garden-Themed Greeting Card: A Happy Thought 2

A HAPPY THOUGHT
The World is so full
of a number of things
I'm sure we should all
be as happy as kings.

A vintage greeting card from the early 20th century (1925). The card is decorated with an illustration of two vibrant daffodils on their leafy stems.

Can be used as a postcard or gift tag but also 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.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative endeavors and not for resale or re-distribution "as-is". Please credit FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Garden-Themed Greeting Card: Like Flowers Bright on Easter Day

BEST EASTER WISHES
May happiness adorn your way
Like flowers bright on Easter Day

A vintage greeting postcard from 1930 showing a little girl holding a basket of flowers running through a garden path lined with tulips, clasping the paw of the Easter bunny. Can be used as a postcard or gift tag but also lovely for spring-inspired journaling, scrapbooking or graphic design projects with a vintage feel. You can download the high-res 6" x 4" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

I've also included the back of the original vintage postcard in case you want to use it as a background for a creative project. You can download the high-res 6" x 4" @ 300 ppi JPEG here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative endeavors and not for resale or re-distribution "as-is". Please credit FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Garden-Themed Greeting Card: A Happy Thought

A HAPPY THOUGHT
Happiness and friends most true
Surely they are your just due
May I wish for you today
A gladness that will come and stay

A vintage greeting card from the early 20th century (c1920). The decorative border at the top of the card shows a house surrounded by a lovely garden. Can be used as a postcard or gift tag but also lovely for spring-inspired journaling, scrapbooking or graphic design projects with a vintage feel. You can download the high-res 6" x 4" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative endeavors and not for resale or re-distribution "as-is". Please credit FieldandGarden.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Illustrated Template for Graphic Design, Poetry Writing or Scrapbooking: Victorian Walled Garden with Fuchsia, Primroses and Morning Glories

It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well
in the hardest hours of grief.
But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window,
or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed,
or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses.
― Colette
A gorgeously illustrated floral border from a Victorian magazine published on April 21, 1883. The drawing shows a profusion of blooming flowers (fuchsias, primroses, morning glories) around an opening in an ancient brick wall, like those found in traditional English gardens.

Download and print for announcements, invitations, journaling, poetry writing, scrapbooking or other design and literary projects with a vintage garden theme.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 you use or share this work.

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 you use or share this work.

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 you use or share this work.