Pardon my silence...

I am taking a little vacation, and will be away from my computer. I'll be back in about a week...with more clip art! I have new vintage magazines on the way, and plan to do some antique shopping while I am up north. Stay crafty....and see you soon!

Antique lovers clip art

Hello everyone...the storm missed us down here in Florida, but we feel much more prepared now. There's always more one can do to prepare, just like there is always something we can improve upon in our lives. It's important to continuously learn, to practice the skills and talents we have, and to be brave! On that note, if anyone has any fabulous new products or tips you have discovered and would like to be featured on this blog, just drop me an email at: loriramotar@gmail.com
I'll start the week out with a "flapper" era pic of two lovers. Hope everyone has a great week!

Worn antique book cover

This is one of my recent finds while thrift store shopping. It is an old German grammar book from the early 1900's. I love the cover, and thought I would share it with you. Happy Saturday!

Gibson girl and vintage map clip art

I missed posting yesterday, so today I am posting two new clip art freebies. The first is one I have had for several years, and is one of my favorites...a Gibson girl. She appears to be swimming, but it is kind of eerie. The second is a map of Spain, that came from a vintage book. Happy creating!

Antique German Dictionary Page Clip Art

Today's clip art comes from one of my weekend finds. It is an old German grammar book from 1907. The cover is fabulously worn and faded. Here is a page you can use as a background or whatever else you come up with. Happy creating!

Saturday's clip art: Dramatic Dancers

Thank goodness the weekend is here! I'll be hitting some more antique stores this weekend, and hopefully a few art galleries. Before I leave though, I wanted to send you into the weekend with some fancy dancers! This is a BIG full page size piece of clip art. Enjoy, and happy Saturday!
On tap for this coming week: two new product reviews, and join me as I make my own bird bath from repurposed items.

Thrifty artist money saving tip for leather crafters & today's clip art freebie!

Happy Friday! We've been hosting a small dog this week, and it has been a loooong week. We had hoped she would be fine with our cats, but it was hate at first bark. The cats were interested in befriending her, but she only wanted to chase them. So, tomorrow, she goes home, and things will be back to normal.
I wanted to share a tip with anyone who works with, or would like to work with leather to make jewelry, accessories, wallets, etc. I am a big fan of thrift store shopping and upcycling. My fluffy felted flowers are all made from repurposed felted sweaters. I also like to use leather for making jewelry and hair accessories though. My favorite treasure hunting tip for this is to check out the skirt, pants, and coat sections at my local thrift stores. Vintage 80's leather skirts are my favorite. I also got a fabulous pair of metallic silver leather pants on Ebay recently. You can get a lot of projects out of a cost of $3.99! If I find a leather purse that has seen better days, I may also use it for scrap. So, check out your local thrift store, and see what goodies you can find this week!
Finally, here is today's clip art....an old aged page from a Shakespeare tragedy.
Have a fabulous weekend!

Antique gold pointing hand clip art

Today's freebie is an odd looking golden pointing hand. Hope it comes in handy for your creating endeavors! ( ;

New Free Clip Art: old optical glasses store sign & a handmade painted texture paper

I promised two new clip art pieces today, since I slacked over the weekend...so here they are! One is an old optical store sign that would hang out front for passers by to see. The second is a piece of hand textured & painted paper that I made using acrylics. You can play around with it in Photoshop and come up with all kinds of different ideas. Try changing the color, increasing or decreasing the contrasts, cut shapes from it, etc. Have fun, and happy creating! I will be back tonight with some pics of my recent project, and my antique shopping finds from the weekend!

I'd love to post the new pictures.....

I'd love to post the new pictures of my house number plaque tutorial, but SOMEBODY took my camera cable without telling me. Let me just say, it wasn't either of my cats, so that's pretty easy to figure out. I don't have another here, and the implicated individual will be gone until Sunday. Boo!
Today has been a random, time-sucking day, so I haven't gotten much done. I cleaned my hubby's office this morning, ran errands, and by the time I got home, hubby had come home in the middle of a huge storm. The check engine light was on in the car he had planned on driving on his trip, so I ran off to the mechanics while he packed. Somehow, between that, and making sure he had everything he needed for his trip (and a nap after all the commotion), I found myself looking at the clock, and seeing it was already 7pm....thus my late post today. Anywho....here's today's clip art! It is a Currier & Ives postcard from 1872. Have a happy Friday!

Adorable vintage grumpy piano girl postcard

Here is the first of my clip art freebies! I got this cute vintage postcard at a local antique shop and every time I look at it, I laugh! To save the pic for yourself, just right click and save it to your computer. Have fun with her! She would be great to use in scrapbooking or in a mixed media art piece.