A Toast to the New Year

FrenchKissed note: This freebie is no longer available. But it is listed in both my shops:) What? There's something more than bubbles in your champagne!
I hope you enjoy this happy new year French postcard. This scan of the little angel is my favorite "Bonne Annee" card. Party plans? No designated driver? Then be like this angel -- stay put, curl up and sleep it off!:)
From me to you, a toast for a contented 2011!

Christmas Fairy Wishes

Mon amies, I hope this day is bringing lots of family, love and good food to you. I'll just be popping in a couple more times for 2010. On Monday, I'll share with you my favorite Happy New Year card and then before the week is out, I want to do a 'year in review.' Time for reflection, getting the big picture, figuring out where I am on the map .... This much I'm sure of: I've already got two Artist-in-Residence lined up for you, so a lot of creativity and inspriation is on its way!

Shelling Out Some Philosophy

My eyes strain to search amid the rocks for shells. Not whole shells, but broken bits and pieces.
You can go to any souvenir shop and buy shells, urchins, star fish, sand dollars and all those other ocean occupants. Lined up in baskets, neatly categorized. Just shell out your money and the shells are yours to take home and make into garish ashtrays.
Thanks, but no thanks.
What I'm looking for can't be bought. I like the bits and pieces. Each one is unique. As I turn the piece in my hand, I think about all the tides and water, the erosive action that it took to make this one-of-a-kind piece of art. Weathered, worn -- and it's beautiful. It doesn't look like a shell or a sand dollar. It looks like a sculpture, an abstractly lovely -- what? I'm at a loss for words.
And I know the very fact that I can't so readily identify it or put a name on it makes it all the more attractive and precious to me. So I admire its lines, its curves, its shapes. I roll it over and over in my hand to get a feel for it. I am forced to look at it anew again and again.
A sand dollar is a sand dollar is a sand dollar -- when it's whole. But find a fractured piece, exposing the interior. Is that Chinese writing I see inscribed in the calcifium carbonate chip? Is this an example of the microcosm reflecting the macrocosm? Perhaps my imagination is running away with me, but then, that's the whole idea, isn't it?
To accept the challenge. To push the limits. To see what's there beyond the superficial.
Am I crazy? That's irrelevant. Bear with me, please. Like Muzak, the rhythmic, unceasing sound of waves, sometimes lapping, sometimes roaring, but always hypnotic, provide a perfect accompaniment to my musings. I spot another shell fragment, another clam piece.
Humanity at large and good friends in particular -- we are like those pieces. From our mother's watery womb we come forth whole. We all look alike. We're cute. Cheek-pinching, toe-kissing cute.
But with time, especially by our third act, we have gone with the flow of life, we have swam against the current, we've been caught up in life's whirlpools, we've ridden some of the waves and been almost drowned by others.
And now here we are. Washed ashore, but not washed up. Weathered but not beaten. Worn down but not out. We're beautiful.


Mon amies, I wrote the above words in 1998, back in my days as a feature editor and newspaper column writer. I thought about those words as I gathered shells and dodged sea foam during my recent visit to the Oregon coast. I hope you don't mind my reminiscence. I felt I needed to hear the words again, especially those last few lines .... Have you ever done something a zillion times but then experience it all anew as if it were happening for the first time? That's how I felt feeding the seagulls. From Galveston beach in South Texas to Whidbey Island off the northwest coast of Washington, I've thrown crackers and bread to many a seagull. Did a lot of ducking, too. And covering my head. But this time, Jonathan Seagull and his cronies -- well, we got up close and personal. I can honestly say I peered into the eyes of a seagull. And what a majestic creature it is. Disney reduced the bird to a set of wings that mindlessly repeated "Mine, mine" but in these couple of photos, you get a hint of what I experienced: their grace, strength and beauty. I had the pleasure of watching a seagull eat his lunch, a mussel. No tartar sauce. Just straight from the shell.
Speaking of shells, my husband found the huge mussel shell you see at top holding my rocks, agates, seashell pieces and sea glass. It's the largest one I've ever seen, measuring just under 9 inches!
We also were treated to watching the antics of sea lions and seals out on the spit. Several kept swimming in our direction; their heads bobbing up out of the water, curiously eyeing us. We enjoyed blue skies and sunshine with temperatures in the 50s on our first day. The second day got a bit grayer with rains interspersed in the late afternoon, but we dodged the wet stuff pretty well. We came home and found ourselves in a snow globe with temps in the low 30s. I love the variety, the beauty in it all. And give thanks for central heat!

Another Christmas Freebie

FRENCHKISSED NOTE: Freebies are available only the week listed. IF you can't find it available in one of my shops, let me know and I'll get it posted ASAP. This week's freebie is a sweet collage of Victorian Christmas elements mixed with a Happy New Year greeting (Bonne Anne) already package for you in a delicate blue ribbon! The postmark is incomplete and doesn't have a date, but it serves its purpose adding those funky lines for some artistic pizzazz, not to mention one can't have too much red for the holiday season:)
Enjoy -- and don't forget to leave a comment!
Tomorrow I'll share a bit about my jaunt to the coast and brag about all the fun shells I found:)

TO DOWNLOAD THIS SCAN: Double click on the image and it will open up huge in a new window. Do a right click and follow the instructions to save to your desktop.

Rainbows and such!

Mon amies, a quick note to let you know that I'm running away to the coast! The Pacific ocean in December is the antithesis of a Maui beach, but it has a beauty all its own.
I have my flash drive with me, so all my scans are at my fingertips. Feel free to put in an order if you're working on a project this weekend.
The hubby is ready to go, so .... a bientot!

Free Squirrels!

FRENCHKISSED note: This week's freebie is no longer available. But I'll get it listed for sale in my Etsy store and in my Zibbet shop. If I don't get it listed quick enough for your project, just send me a convo or email. I can always use some helpful prompts!
For this week's freebie, no batteries are needed, but some nuts would help!
For the purist, here is the original with printer's marks and all.
And here is a version with those cloned off.
Now, as I was working with the scans, I had an idea ...:)
I think there are lots of ways to execute it, whether you print the two images on one piece of cardstock and then fold or if you print each image separately. I wish I had the time to make an example of what I'm talking about, but I'm supposed to punch the clock today and I'm running late (isn't that a familiar tune:) But wouldn't it be precious to string/overlay pink ribbon on the squirrels' reins, connecting one card image to the other? Anyone have some miniature acorn embellishments? The pink ribbon could wrap around the cards a couple of times and tie with little acorns hanging from the ends. Of course, a personalized message on the little girl's envelope needs to be added. And the sizes need to be re-adjusted/tweaked; the squirrel scan is taller than the girl scan half. Just so many fun creative possibilities with this postcard image. So, like the squirrels, I say: get creative and just run with it!
TO DOWNLOAD: Double click on the image and it will open up huge in a new window. Do a right click and follow the instructions to save to your desktop. OH, but first, LEAVE a comment! Please don't just click and run. I'd love your feedback on what you think of the image(s) and/or how you'll use it/them.

Coming to a Standstill

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/12/08/france.weather/index.html

If you missed this, you gotta check it out.
The Eiffel Tower closed.
Paris airports shut down.
Traffic snarled for 250 miles.
Borders closed.

What? A terrorist threat? Nope, just Mother Nature showing who's boss!

I love it when something as 'simple' as snow can make our world come to a standstill. It's as if the Universe is forcing us to stop. To pause. To think. Or not... maybe, not even think, but to just BE.

I am at such a point in my personal life.

I am grounded. My wings are clipped. And I'm not just talking about the new TSA rulings.* As the year winds down, I'm doing lots of contemplating.
Like Paris covered in ice and snow, I feel like I have been stopped in my tracks. I've been examining my life and trying to see what's going on. Am I building castles in the air? When I look out at my water view surrounded by paradise, I wonder if my world can topple over in ruins at any minute. I have felt for a long time as if I have no options. Leaving my husband to find a fulltime job is not what I consider an option. And when one feels trapped, it's kinda hard to know if you can trust your thinking abilities!

But I'm getting ready to execute a big decision. It's one of those decisions that even after you've made it, you wait to announce it because it feels THAT big.

However, there is a decision I can tell you about right now!

Beginning next year, I'm going to have an Artist in Residence. Each week you're going to get instructions and inspiration on a specific project creating art with one of my digital scans. How cool is that?!

*I refuse to fly because of the unconstitutional actions of the new TSA rulings.
My boss left Wednesday for a vacation to Maui. Yeah, that's where I was supposed to be going, too. Not that I'm bitter!ha! Anyway, he called the office and talked to one of my co-workers. He has a pacemaker and knew he would have to be patted down because he can't go through the metal detectors and our airport doesn't have the scanners. So, he is used to being patted down, but NOT this kind of pat down. He said it was the most humiliating experience he's ever had. The TSA is not consistent in their rules and the execution of their new procedures. It's a perfect strategy for making folks like 'us' look crazy.
However, the Indian ambassador can testify to what the groping experience is like ... and .... well, just Google it if you're interested. I won't bore you with any more of my TSA tirade:)

This and That Thursday

A curiosity piece I wanted to share with you this morning before I dash off to punch the clock. What do you think of my marvelously perfect 'shabby chic' image? I wish I could say that I did it all myself, that I learned how to age things the technical route via Photoshop. But that would not be the case at all. I don't possess those skills. No, this is au naturale.
And a touch of mystery with the curiosity. Here's the back side. Wouldn't you think that the back of the card would look as aged and weathered as the front?!
I love how something so tattered, so aged and worn, something so 'imperfect' can look so 'perfect.' Rachel Ashwell gave it the Shabby Chic name, but long before that, many of us were treasuring things with characters, things that bespoke history, that we could see with one look, "Now, that's got a story to tell!"

Something else you missed in the 6 o'clock news:
Two days ago I got in a batch of panoramic 'carte lettres' and one of them has already been posted in my shops! I toyed with the coloring on my original black and white card to make it a royal purple befitting the Queen herself. But now I'm wondering if maybe it should be a pastel, more lavender... And the color I have may be more maroon than purple, so more tweaking in order. Would a soft pink be best suited? Ah, too many options!
For all you Marie Antoinette fans, I have four more of these I'll be adding. Enough images to make your own book about the queen! Or, just use a single one to create your own 'fold-a-thon' piece...(See my Oct. 22 blog post:) A special thanks to everyone who offered their input in regard to the Rose de Noel Monday freebie. It's so nice to be able to enjoy my solitude out here in the boonies, in the middle of the Columbia River, AND still be able to get almost instant feedback from people. It's nice to know that I'm isolated but not alone. I've tried off and on for three years to connect with local artists to no avail, even to the point of putting ads in the newspaper. [I think most folks are just too darn busy trying to make a living; our state is one of those hardest hit with unemployment ...]
My main concern is: do other people see things the way I do? We all have our computer monitors calibrated differently, not to mention there's the issue of my boomer vision.
My experience in getting older has been that one's vision will go bonkers in a big way overnight and then it settles down before another bout of blurry:) I consider myself lucky that I don't have to wear glasses all the time -- yet. So once again, thanks for verifying that what I'm seeing is what you're seeing and we like it like that!

Shout Out Wednesday!

Ok, I know that Shout Out Wednesday doesn't quite have the same ring as Wordless Wednesday or Almost Wordless Wednesday, but ...

I picked out a special postcard last night. I was all set and ready to let it do my talking for me today. But then I woke up this morning, checked my email and found an order from .... ..........................THAILAND!

Sorry for the screaming, but, I'm excited and I did warn you this was a shout out:)
So now that I've broken the silence, I'd like to go ahead and offer my pseudo Wordless Wednesday postcard! I love the classic color combination of red, black and white, so this card really appealed to me. But most of all, I like the row of little people at the bottom. You know how I am about being able to see faces. Well, you can't make out the faces in this image. Even scanned with a super high resolution, the woman's face is a dark gray blob. One girl's face is a bit discernable, but overall, there are no faces. Still I found this image irresistable. There's just enough detail in their silhouettes to see that they are all decked out in their Sunday finery. I can't look at this card without citing that ditty from my childhood, the one you say as you clasp, fold and then open your hands:

Here's the church, here's the steeple. Look inside and here's all the people.

Except, of course, here "all the people" are on the outside. It looks like a couple of the girls are carrying large pieces of paper. Any guesses? Perhaps a Sunday school certificate for having memorized all the Bible books of the Old Testament?
Contemplating this image, I silently named it "Eclipse." Can you guess why? I suppose I could have just as welled dubbed it "The Sunday School Shy One."
Though we can't really see any of their faces, still we are drawn to pause and contemplate these lives of long ago, even the shy one eclipsed by the girl with the big hat.
The postcard is 105 years old and in overall mint condition. Is there any reason it won't be around for another 100 years? Yes, these nameless, faceless folks from the past have been given a bit of postcard immortality. Not to be confused with the real thing ...

Christmas, Kings and Wee

A long, long time ago,
many Christmases past,
in a continent far, far away...
Loulou made a Christmas card for her friend Clemence.

Clemence must have lived in France. That's where I got the postcard from ...

And on a totally unrelated note, but funny as can be, I have to share this tidbit I found while researching a trip to France. A hotel in Paris describes its rooms like this:

"Hotel la Serre has no King-Size beds and no King-Size bathrooms. We got rid of
these royal accoutrements during the French revolution…. "

http://www.hotellaserreparis.com/English/Main.htm

And in case you missed it, Mary Ann Potter left a comment on my dollhouse blog post, inviting us to look at her Flickr album of minature dollhouses she created. Get your second cup of coffee and enjoy! http://www.flickr.com/photos/maryannp/sets/72157610665307694/

Oh, Baby, It's Cold Outside

This freebie is no longer available, but I'll get it listed in my shop as soon as I can -- don't hesitate to remind me if I take too long:) A Christmas Rose for you!
This week's freebie is once again a choice and a question. I'd like to know which one you prefer and why?! Or perhaps you like all three? Do three make a bouquet?

Well, pick away, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this darling French flower, this Rose de Noel. What you see above is the original, the Trishia version:) and the one suggested by Photoshop. I've put them side by side for greater contrast.

Now, here, is the original. Just a tad too dark for my boomer vision. That's why I couldn't leave well enough alone!ha!

With the "Trishia" version, I just had to brighten it a bit. I wanted that rose to glow from those rosey cheeks. I envision complementary yellowy/ochre aged sheet music for a background. But when I decided to play with the 'auto levels' in Photoshop, they took all that creamy beige goodness reminisicent of age and time -- and turned it white!
I think I kinda like it. It definitely sends me in a different direction, with a pretty pink or red backdrop, don't you think? Or, how about blue?! Of course, I'm talking in terms of a greeting card or an ATC, but I also think this sweetie would make a darling Christmas ornament. Round corners, add ribbon, presto!

Please visit my Zibbet store! I've listed several new scans there, plus all my regular Etsy goodies are there, too. Same Holiday Sale and same SCANdalous Bribery offers apply there, too. Also, you'll notice that I'm offering 1200dpi scans on some images! More changes afoot for the new year ....

TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S FREEBIE: Double click on the image and it will open up huge in a new window. Right click, copy and save to your "FrenchKissed" folder:)

Holly, Contest and Dollhouses?!

Get this scan FREE with any purchase, any amount, from my Etsy or my Zibbet store. It's perfect for making a gift tag!
Does anyone know: do they make a 'lightweight' paper suitable for gift wrapping that you can print on a home printer? Would regular typing paper work? With the right kind of paper, it would be easy to turn this image into a darling gift wrap ....

Have you signed up for Verna's Bird Bee and Bloom blog? Her Bird Bee and Bloom Big Bash Holiday Extravaganza countdown to Christmas started the day after Thanksgiving. She's giving gifts every day and guess what today's featured LollaPallooza gift is: a $10 gift certificate from yours truly. And it's good in my Zibbet store, too. Oui, oui! http://birdbeeandbloom.blogspot.com/
In case you didn't see it in the comments from yesterday, I now have listed in my Zibbet store "Precious in Pink" in a variety of formats:
The original postcard in 600 dpi, Jpeg or PNG http://www.zibbet.com/FrenchKissed/artwork?artworkId=233215

A 9 x 8-inch collage sheet in 300 dpi Jpeg http://www.zibbet.com/FrenchKissed/artwork?artworkId=233249

The 'favorite' cropped version in 300 dpi Jpeg
http://www.zibbet.com/FrenchKissed/artwork?artworkId=233260

Have you ever heard of the online Millande Art Community? http://milliande.ning.com/
I joined sometime ago and as usual, never did anything:) Until yesterday. Yes, before I even had my second cup of coffee, before my brain neurons really had time to start firing, on total IMPULSE, I signed up for a Dollhouse ATC swap! Let's see: I've officially made one ATC in my life (freakin' cute, too -- I'd show it to you if I could find it:). I've NEVER participated in a swap. BUT I love dollhouses. So, on a whim, I committed myself to participate.
I have a 'thing' about dollhouses. More than a decade ago, I used to pass the long dark winter days in Port Angeles, Washington, putting together puzzles. I came across a Hallmark puzzle featuring a dollhouse. I matted that puzzle with a lace background and framed it and hung it on my wall. Then I became obsessed with it.
I wrote a letter to Hallmark and asked if there was a one in million chance they could tell me anything about the dollhouse in the puzzle. They wrote back! The dollhouse was in the Kansas Toy Museum in Kansas City. I wrote to Kansas. They wrote back! They didn't have many details but they knew the dollhouse was built in 1891 by a father for his daughter.
Still obsessed, I took my framed puzzle off the wall and carted it around while in search of a carpenter.
"Can you make me this?" No dimensions. Nothing to go on but what was shown in the puzzle. Well, lucky me, I found a talented carpenter, a retiree with plenty of time on his hands who was willing to put up with me and my silly requests. The finished three-story dollhouse on legs stood over 4 feet tall! One thing led to another and I met an artist. Before I knew it, I had a one-story, table-top version and the artist had painted a fireplace on one wall, a rug in one room, a holly hock growing up one corner on the outside. She wanted to keep it! We partnered up and the obsession doubled:)
With legs, without legs; with glass windows, without; handpainted floral designs; one, two or three stories tall; cedar chips on the roof -- or not; wallpaper, flooring. You get the idea. I was going to craft and Christmas shows, toting these huge, heavy dollhouses. My husband expressed more than once that the next time I got an obsession, he hoped it was miniatures....
And so now you see why I just HAD to respond to this dollhouse ATC swap. I haven't figured out what I'm going to make (supposed to make 4 of them) but ... I'm sure of one thing: it's going to be a fun challenge!

One Image, Many Options

At the bottom left is the original postcard. I love the irregular edge, but it has a lot of what I call 'wasted' space. Don't you wonder why the photographer didn't move up closer and zoom in on that precious toddler? As you can see, I did just that. I got to zooming and cropping and playing with the image in different sizes. I started out with a 1200dpi scan:) Yes, size matters! But even with my normal 300 dpi image, you can resize, enlarge, get up close and personal. What do you think? Which cropping is your favorite?