Miss Mary's Adventures in Clip Art and Victorian Crafts

2006-08-23T13:24:00.000-04:00

I'm still here and this isn't yours...

2006-02-02T12:35:00.000-05:00

Visit my new blog and email newsletter at MissMarysGazette.com

The new blog will replace my popular newsletter of Victorian era wit and whimsy. It's just far easier for me to manage than spending one week out of the month to put the newsletter together.

So go on over to http://www.missmarysgazette.com

2006-01-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

Interesting....

Just because I haven't posted in a while doesn't mean that I've abandoned this account.

;)

2005-10-16T10:17:00.000-04:00

I managed to destroy my email inbox! So if anyone is waiting on a response, you'll have a long wait! I may be able to repair it later today, but I've been fighting a cold all weekend and sleep is the order of the day.

Some good ideas for projects using
my Victorian Clip Art will be posted shortly, I've been sketching and planning and thinking while the cold has me knocked out.

More soon!

IDEAS FOR HALLOWEEN

2005-09-13T03:23:00.000-04:00

IDEAS FOR HALLOWE'EN PARTIES.
DECORATIONS
Autumn leaves, if they still be available, should be massed in large jars—pails covered with dark green or brown crepe paper and weighted with stones will answer; cornstalks and cat-tails can be artistically arranged against the wall; black and orange or deep yellow festoons are effective, especially when a black and an orange strip are twisted together and a canopy of these strips radiates from the center of the ceiling to the side walls. Halves of pumpkins can be hollowed and used for bowls to hold fruit (line them well with waxed paper) or autumn leaves and flowers; a half of a pumpkin with several candles inserted about the rim at the top makes a pretty decoration. A moon upon the wall (made by putting a light back of a large pasteboard box, having a circle cut from the front, with pale blue tissue paper over it), adds to the attraction when the room is dimly lighted.
Cats and bats cut from black paper or cambric must be pinned to curtains and walls. Paper owls fastened to branches are not hard to make; pennants, alternating a black and a yellow, hanging from wires across the room, are especially effective. Of course there should be a large witch riding a broom (can be cut from stiff wrapping paper and covered with cambric) in a conspicuous place on the wall and smaller witches in various out-of-the-way nooks. A scarecrow with a Jack-o’-Lantern head, standing among cornstalks, is decorative for a corner. Apples stuck upon the ends of sticks, the sticks emerging from a jardinière, make a suitable bouquet. Cats and bats suspended from the ceiling by cords of varying lengths, add to the weirdness as they sway. A frieze of yellow paper, with black cats and bats at intervals upon it, pinned along the wall, produces good results.
Fussy and elaborate furnishings should be removed and a room given a plain look, except for the Hallowe’en trimmings. Doilies and covers of yellow cloth or paper, with black cats and bats and black Jack-o’-Lanterns with large yellow eyes, nose and mouth, basted or pasted on, give an added touch. For serving refreshments, paper dishes with tiny cats, bats and Jack-o’-Lanterns pasted on, can be used. The Hallowe’en paper for sale by the publishers of this book will be helpful in securing pumpkins, cats, etc., both for patterns and to use as cut-outs.
Find out more at http://www.VictorianHalloween.com

2005-09-12T16:20:00.000-04:00

Antique Halloween Book Photographs Postcards: "a selection of Victorian Halloween Clip Art that
you can use to make your own vintage style decorations."

2005-09-09T22:42:00.000-04:00

Old New Orleans Pictures and Writings: "Oh, Weep for New Orleans! The fair Southern Queen,
Whose throne by the Father of Waters is seen... "

2005-09-03T00:49:00.000-04:00

Free Printable Calendar Pages Victorian Clip Art Images: "Our free September calendar page features a Victorian clip art image from 'Miss Mary's Little Ones' "

2005-08-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

eBay: Antique Photograph Album Jewish Summer Camp Adirondacks (item 6201252677 end time Aug-24-05 18:35:59 PDT): "Antique Photograph Album Jewish Summer Camp Adirondacks"

2005-08-14T12:25:00.000-04:00

Just added to Victorian Halloween

The Dead Child Victorian Mourning Consolation Poetry Death of a Child

2005-08-10T23:58:00.000-04:00

Gothic Victorian Poetry Literature Fiction Stories Tales and More at Victorian Halloween
Dim the lights, latch the doors, and browse the dark delights of Lucifer's Library. I've renovated the Victorian Halloween library. Almost finished...need to add some illustrations.

2005-08-10T08:29:00.000-04:00

The History of Halloween at Victorian Halloween Druids Harvest Souls Fairys and Spirits.
I've been working on the Victorian Halloween website this month. Cleaning up pages, but being careful not to disturb the cobwebs. Adding new stories and new antique pictures...

2005-08-09T22:29:00.000-04:00

The History of Halloween
Many of the customs of Halloween have come down to us from the early ages, and the present Halloween is a combination of various ceremonial days of long ago. The early Romans held a yearly feast in honor of Pomona, the goddess of fruits, and from this festival at the close of harvest, when nuts and fruits were used in abundance, was acquired the popularity of nuts and apples for Halloween revels."

2005-08-02T21:43:00.000-04:00

2005-08-01T22:26:00.000-04:00

Victorian Halloween Traditional Retro Vintage Halloween Costumes, Stories, and Party Ideas"Here you will find Victorian Gothic tales and poetry. Halloween costume and party ideas. And Madame Le Normand, the famous Parisian fortune teller, will see what the cards have in store for you."

Working on the new home page. Managed to shave about 20K off the filesize by switching from tables to CSS.

Nice.

2005-07-29T15:43:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists

Wow, almost all of the vintage cook books that I've listed have been bought in one day. I'm heading out on a buying run this weekend, so I'll see if I can't pick up some more. Just passing along the deals as I find them--it's lots of fun. Still working on some Halloween goodies, and more Victorian clip art. Keep a look out for the next big issue of Miss Mary's Gazette.

2005-07-20T09:35:00.000-04:00

Fret-Sawing for Pleasure and Profit: "Fret-Sawing for Pleasure and Profit is a highly readable book, full of unexpected wisdom that will delight and thrill the artisan of today...

"Cherish a love for the beautiful; it is a sentiment pure and good. True Art will offer nothing degrading to an honest mind, while the contrast of symbolism will oftentimes lead us to look for a counterpart in the character of ourselves and those around us, that it may be known if we, too, are faithful specimens of the Master's work."

The book is well organized, with chapters that discuss Materials; of Saws, Saw Frames and Treadle Machines; Other Tools and Implements; Oil Stones, Etc.; Of Glue, Polish, Sand Paper, Paste, Etc.; Of Designs; Of Marquetry; Gilding, Dyeing and Staining Woods; Wood Carving; Overlaying; Cutting Out Work; Beveling Edges and Putting Work Together; The Warping of Wood; Useful Hints; Pleasure and Profit.
Authentic Victorian Era Patterns! Designs for a Picture Frame; Several Crosses; Wall Pocket; Bracket in Leaf Work; Clock Case; Book Cover; Mirror Frame; A great Silhouette of a sprite or elf teasing a cat; another Silhouette of beautiful birds..."

2005-07-17T20:31:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "New! The Needlecraft Album of Filet Lace Designs. A digital reprint of an early 20th century charted design book containing 59 designs that can be used to make authentic vintage style crochet lace. Can also be used for cross stitch. More Info "

2005-07-17T16:08:00.000-04:00

New on Ebay: Vintage Album Filet Lace Designs Restored Patterns on CD

2005-07-13T00:48:00.000-04:00

Fret-Sawing for Pleasure and Profit: "Authentic Victorian Era Patterns! Designs for a Picture Frame; Several Crosses; Wall Pocket; Bracket in Leaf Work; Clock Case; Book Cover; Mirror Frame; A great Silhouette of a sprite or elf teasing a cat; another Silhouette of beautiful birds..."

2005-07-13T00:47:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art July special: Free Shipping when buy the 8 CD set.

2005-07-13T00:46:00.000-04:00

Our Auctions: New and Antique Books, Vintage items, antique photographs, clip art and more.: "Summer Book Sale
Visit My eBay Store for new and gently used books at discount prices, as well as auctions on one-of-a-kind items. Here are a few listings, visit the store for our complete listings. "

Just list a bunch of old books, and for apron lovers, there is a vintage kit and a pack of four apron patterns (complete with mitts).

2005-07-11T17:08:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "Introducing the Quaint & Curious Crafts Collection.
The first volume is 'Fret-Sawing for Pleasure and Profit,' a reprint of a rare book published in 1877. A special feature of this volume is the restoration and enlargement of many authentic Victorian scroll saw patterns that can be reproduced by the clever scroll saw artist of today."

2005-07-05T09:56:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art collections for digital arts and crafts and professional graphic design: "July Special: Order the whole set of clip art and Priority Mail Shipping is FREE". Orders outside of the US will ship via Global Priority.

2005-07-03T23:16:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "Miss Mary's Quaint & Curious Victorian Clip Art. Unusual vintage and Victorian clipart images for artists, graphic designers, arts and crafts and digital scrapbooking. High quality for the professional. See our Online Clip Art Catalog."

2005-07-03T11:21:00.000-04:00

Free Victorian Clip Art Projects and Ideas: "There are many vintage style projects that can be adapted to your personal taste, or replicated using our Victorian clip art collections. The following articles are from my personal collection of rare 19th century books."

2005-07-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

Victorian Flower Images Clip Art by Miss Mary: "97 delightful images. Full page steel engravings, lush Victorian die-cuts, antique photographs, bright chromos. Fruit, veggies, flowers, garden faeries and more."

2005-07-01T17:48:00.000-04:00

The July Issue of Miss Mary's Gazette featured Victorian Ice Cream Recipes and info about our latest Clip Art CD. Have you read it yet?

2005-06-29T21:45:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "The July Issue of Miss Mary's Gazette is now online and features authentic Victorian Ice Cream Recipes."

2005-06-24T00:04:00.000-04:00

eBay item 8201108625 (Ends Jul-03-05 20:58:51 PDT) - Compendium of Vintage Victorian Clip Art Images: "Miss Mary?s Quaint & Curious Clip Art
Free your imagination! Our new compendium of unusual vintage images will take your creativity to new heights!
This collection is a must have for your digital toolbox. Our images are high resolution, print quality images that are suitable for professional use, but priced within the means of the home crafter and small business."

2005-06-23T17:58:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "During the summer months we are offering new and vintage items in our eBay store. Just Listed! A HUGE vintage lithograph and some funky old postcards."

Oh, and that's not all I've been up to...a little something special for fret sawyers and jig sawyers out there. What? All will be revealed. Soon.

2005-06-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "Be one of the first to get our New clip art CD available this week for only $7.99 in our eBay store. "

2005-06-05T23:55:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "JUST ADDED: Several scarce issues of The Trollopian, A Journal of Victorian Fiction are now up for grabs."

2005-06-05T23:25:00.000-04:00

eBay item 6537815188 (Ends Jun-12-05 19:41:11 PDT) - The Trollopian Journal of Victorian Fiction Vol. 2 No.4: "

The Trollopian Journal of Victorian Fiction Vol. 2 No.4"

and a few other issues of this scarce journal!

2005-06-03T13:28:00.000-04:00

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

Squalor Survivors

2005-06-02T23:28:00.000-04:00

New stock added to My eBay Store - Book SALE New books and a few good old art books.

Limited supply. New stock added frequently during the summer months.

2005-06-02T10:28:00.000-04:00

Check out my new Flash intro for FastMary.net, my Web Design alter-ego.

Don't let the moon scare you!

2005-06-01T23:19:00.000-04:00

Miss Mary's eBay Store - Victorian clip art and Discount Art Books

A few books have been sold, but I'll be listing more new and interesting "medium rare" books in the next few days.

2005-06-01T23:18:00.000-04:00

Free Printable Calendar Pages: "Printable Calendar Pages "

Now that it's June, I've started working on the cool July, August, September Calendar Page...although...I wonder if I should switch to monthly calendars? Something a little depressing about a trio of months zooming by...

I'm currently restoring a giant patriotic Lady Liberty clip art image for my next Victorian clip art collection. She's beautiful and was too large to scan in one piece! So she was scanned in two separate pieces, and after each half is restored, I'll merge them back into one jumbo file.

But now, it's time to go to bed...at least, to read Shogun for a little bit. Loved the old mini series, I'll have to pick it up once I've finished the book.

2005-06-01T20:42:00.000-04:00

A new Victorian clip art collection is in the pipeline. This one will be a little different...

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "Preview Miss Mary's Story Land my latest Victorian clip art collection of beautiful and rare story book illustrations."

2005-05-28T17:50:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "be sure to check out the Book Sale."

2005-05-27T22:57:00.000-04:00

Frequently Asked Questions About Victorian Clip Art at MissMary.com: "What file format and resolution (image size) are Quaint & Curious Clip Art Images?

All Images are saved in the TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), a format supported by most desktop publishing and image editing programs on both Mac and PC operating systems. Color images are 300 pixels per inch (PPI), and black & white, line art, engravings and woodcut images are 600 PPI."

2005-05-27T01:06:00.000-04:00

eBay Store - Miss Mary: Book SALE on Ebay

I have a hoarde of NEW books up for sale on my Ebay Store. These are all publisher's remainders in excellent condition, offered at a significant savings over the original published price.

Quantities are limited, unlike my Victorian Clip Art. Well, except for Compendium, which is going fast!

2005-05-24T16:44:00.000-04:00

This is turning into a month where all of my studio hardware self-destructs. One scanner died, and my HP Photosmart is acting mighty dumb. While printing, I have to sit right next to it to grab the output, otherwise, it either shoots it across the room or it jams up and the printer eats it.

So it forces me to sit still for a few minutes. Usually, I can't even watch TV without jumping up to do something else. Multi tasking like there's no tomorrow, that's me!

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "Poor Miss Mary is running out of room in the office again, so we have posted a few new auctions. Of special interest is a charming vintage book on costume design and a book of Egyptian plays from the 1920s."

2005-05-24T00:42:00.000-04:00

I had a blinding headache all day--of course, now that I'm feeling better, it's time to go to sleep. Have some orders to send out tomorrow (THANKS EVERYONE!).

I'll be listing some good old books that are not terribly rare and would be great for altered book projects. A little announcement will go out in a few days, so there is no need to keep checking the site--although please, do stop by often, I love to have you here.

Goodnight,

Miss Mary

---

Victorian Fairy Tale Clip Art Catalog: "Beautiful fairy tale and nursery rhyme clip art images on CD."

2005-05-22T21:03:00.000-04:00

It's What's for Dinner!

Eat Hufu - The Healthy Human Flesh Alternative!

2005-05-22T18:52:00.000-04:00

Taking a look at the ol' Blog, eh? Well, surprise, here is a coupon for you, but hurry, it expires at the end of May.

******************* C O U P O N *****************************

$5.00 off your Miss Mary clip art purchase

Cut-and-Paste the coupon code below into the “voucher” box during check-out.

205052025

EXPIRES on May 31st, 2005.

******************* C O U P O N *****************************

Click Here to shop for Victorian Clip Art

Need help? Just contact me at missmary@missmary.com

Who loves you, BABY!

M I S S M A R Y
-------`-.-.--<@

2005-05-22T18:44:00.000-04:00

Well, bought a Canon scanner to replace the Microtek that died. Chose the Canon CanoScan LiDE 500.

I wanted to like this scanner. It is slim, very portable, and scans photographs great. Sadly, it does not do so well on antique engravings or chromolithographs. Most of my scans yesterday came out blurry, mostly in the corner areas of the images. I tried every possible setting and trick, but no dice.

So, it goes back to be replaced by an Epson. *sigh* I realllly wanted the Canon to work. But I take a lot of pride in my Victorian clip art collection, and blurry details, no matter how small, will not be tolerated.

2005-05-20T23:29:00.000-04:00

Such a headache. Allergies and rain, not a fun mix. Email troubles as well--I'm holding off on sending a Victorian Poetry Gazette out until Saturday afternoon, just want to make sure my email is 100% up.

A snappy new scanner arrived today, so production on the 8th volume of Victorian clip art will resume shortly. They keep getting slimmer and lighter...Gad, technology is wonderful :)

2005-05-19T23:10:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art collections at MissMary.com: "125 assorted Victorian clip art images. Antique photographs, 19th century book illustrations, colorful ephemera, die cuts and more."

Yes, another shameless plug...now, back to work on posting a few more auctions.

2005-05-19T18:10:00.000-04:00

Curses, Hexes and Spells for Kids from the 1970s Another strange offering from Victorian clip art maven Miss Mary.

2005-05-19T16:19:00.000-04:00

Just Listed

Egyptian plays from 1923 -- Art Deco Egyptian Revival: "All of the Art Deco fun of Egypt-mania is apparent in this volume of plays and sketches of "Old Egypt." Get ready for the big Tutankhamen tour by putting on a few of these vintage plays with your friends."

2005-05-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art collections at MissMary.com: "Victorian Clip Art on CD
The CD files are print quality, high-resolution clip art images saved in the professional TIFF file format. With more clarity and detail than JPEG images, most graphic and word processing programs on the PC and MAC computers can open or import them."

2005-05-19T00:18:00.000-04:00

Scrapbooks as a Learning Tool

A vintage article from Miss Mary's Victorian library.

Our clip art is derived from an extensive private library of vintage ephemera. Some of our images come from Victorian era scrapbooks, and we acknowledge a great debt to "The Fancy Card Mania" of the 19th century for the treasures that we find in those delicate old books.

Here is a period article on the subject, published in the July 1880 issue of Arthur's Home Magazine. Enjoy! Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter. It's full of stories and articles just like this.

The Fancy Card Mania

We presume that there is scarce a village into which this fashion has not penetrated—the fashion of collecting bright chromo cards, business or otherwise, and pasting them into a scrap-book. Like everything of the kind, most probably, the whim will die out eventually, and that at no distant day.

But the books will, very likely, still remain the property of those who filled them. And then when the desire of adding to his or her collection no longer influences the possessor of one, it may be made the source of much pleasure and profit not contemplated in the first place.

For instance, a little boy or girl, owning such a repository, may be interested in gradually learning the names of all the flowers represented in it. Next, he or she may desire to see as many as possible of their living counterparts, to discover the natural alliances existing among several of them, and with others not imitated in the collection. And so, almost imperceptibly, a good foundation may be laid for the study of botany.

We referred to flowers because they most frequently appear in this connection. But we see also shells, birds, animals and symbols of various kinds. So, then, it is fair to suppose that in the same way one might be led to a knowledge of conchology, ornithology, zoology and the manners and customs of different societies and nations—in short, to the possession of a valuable fund of general information.

Any extended reference to living counterparts cannot fail to show to many an observant mind how good are some of the representations and how bad are others, and begin the education of the eye as to form and to color, resulting, as a matter of course, in the improvement of the taste. Perhaps, also, it may stimulate one or more to attempt drawing and painting, which, if persevered in, must make of the person endeavoring, if not an artist, at least a member of the appreciative public, without which an artist's best efforts must fail.

Again. There are few of our best-known flowers which have not, in various ages, received encomiums from the poets—as witness Burns's lines on the daisy, Mrs. Browning's on the rose and Tennyson's on the dandelion. One quotation given will only inspire the wish for more; so that the singers and prose-writers as well will perhaps be ransacked for the desired verses to be written under the blossom praised. Who can say what treasures of literature may not be opened up in the way to those who otherwise might be indifferent?

Yes, gathering cards has in it possibilities of far more than mere pastime or curiosity. Like many other things, humble in themselves, it may be made the means toward a higher culture.

Buy our Victorian clip art and start your own digital scrapbooking tradition. It's easy--just place, open, or import our images into your desktop publishing, word processing, or image editing software. Print, cut and paste.

2005-05-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "A beautiful new Victorian clip art CD of Victorian era children's book illustrations has just been released. Miss Mary's Story Land features images from expensive and rare antique books, lovingly scanned and restored for your digital scrapbooking, graphic design, and artistic projects. Preview Miss Mary's Story Land ."

2005-05-12T20:11:00.000-04:00

News Item

We've updated the preview pages for This Is How My Garden Grows, our Victorian floral clip art CD.

Victorian Flower Images Clip Art by Miss Mary: "97 delightful images. Full page steel engravings, lush Victorian die-cuts, antique photographs, bright chromos. Fruit, veggies, flowers, garden faeries and more. > Preview the clip art images here "

More Victorian clip art >

2005-05-11T00:44:00.000-04:00

eBay item 8191524180 (Ends Jun-09-05 21:20:34 PDT) - Animal Clip Art on CD - It's a Zoo In Here!: "Animal Clip Art on CD - It's a Zoo In Here!" More clip art posted to my new Ebay store. Why? Some folks are more comfortable using the Ebay shopping system--and I think it's easier for people outside of the US to deal with.

Of course, you can always find Victorian clip art at MissMary.com

2005-05-10T15:38:00.000-04:00

eBay item 8191062115 (Ends Jun-07-05 20:12:35 PDT) - Fairy Tale Clip Art on CD - Let Your Imagination Soar

You can also buy my Victorian clip art cds at MissMary.com

2005-05-06T14:19:00.000-04:00

Victorian Poetry Gazette: The Language of Flowers Part 3 has just been published. I'm increasing the frequency of the Victorian Poetry Gazette in hopes that I'll have the entire book, The Language of Flowers, online by the end of the May.

2005-05-06T09:27:00.000-04:00

Edgar Allan Poe

A Victorian Halloween: "This bio of Edgar Allan Poe appeared in Our Album of Authors, published in 1886. Modern biographers are divided as to the actual cause of his death, but it is generally agreed upon that slander and gossip tainted many early biographies of Poe, our great American poet and author."

Read the Edgar Allan Poe biography online

The Victorian Halloween website could use some work--perhaps after the next clip art cd I'll have a chance to get it ready for Halloween. Instead of waiting until September as I usually do.

2005-05-05T21:08:00.000-04:00

Change on Shupp's Grove date--won't be going on Sunday (Mother's Day) after all. Mom feels that most people will be doing special things with their Mom's that don't include antique shopping, so we are pushing the date up a few weeks. More details as they come in.

Remember: Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "The current issue of Miss Mary's Victorian Poetry Gazette includes a free floral clip art image that has not yet been included in any of my clipart collections."

2005-05-05T08:52:00.000-04:00

I'm up amazingly early for me. The workers putting in the patio next have returned, with much hammering and such.

So, made coffee, and in a few I'll hop in the shower and head out to Media. Meeting up with Marc for lunch. Won't be a long day, I have lots still to do in preparation for Shupp's Grove on Sunday. Found some antique postcards to price, and a few old bawdy books. One piece of Victorian erotica that I'm not sure what to do with...see if I can sell it, I guess. It's rather nasty.

I'm one/third of the way finished with the next Victorian clip art cd volume, which will be a special sampler. The antique Victorian fashion plate (from France) that I posted yesterday will be in it. It's huge, beautiful full color, and high resolution, print quality (as always).

Shower time!

2005-05-05T08:51:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "The new issue of Miss Mary's Gazette is now online. Featuring an article on Fairies, Advice on how to throw a 'butterfly party,' and the Language of Flowers. Read online for free. "

2005-05-04T23:38:00.000-04:00

A lovely Victorian fashion image--coming soon to the next volume of clip art by Miss Mary.

2005-05-04T14:32:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, when Victorian Clip Art is not enough, I turn to morgueFile : where photo reference lives. It is a most amazing site. Beautiful high resolution images. I've been poking around the site, looking for images of bamboo for a web site that I'm designing for a natural flooring company.

Just passing along the good stuff. Back to work!

2005-05-04T12:05:00.000-04:00

I've started to work on a Victorian clip art master index, to help people search and find my Clip Art images by topic and subject matter. Hope this helps...it isn't sophisticated, but at this point, I can't even find my own stuff!

2005-05-04T11:21:00.000-04:00

If you are searching for floral and flower clip art, you need look no further than MissMary.com. If you are a gardener and need to move some Irises, you will find this guest article worth the read!

How to Transplant Irises

by LeAnn R. Ralph

In my experience, irises are among the easiest flowers to transplant.

One spring many years ago, an older friend of mine dug up an iris bed
at her home. They were bearded irises -- a lovely shade of lilac
purple -- and she moved some of them to a different location. The
irises had already started to grow and were about four inches high.
She didn't know what to do with the remaining irises, so she put them
in a box, intending to give them away.

As it turned out, the irises remained in the box for more than two
weeks. By now, she didn't feel she could give them away because she
didn't think they would grow. I offered to take the irises and plant
them, just to see what would happen.

The irises were not one bit bothered about being in a box for more
than two weeks with no water and no dirt around their roots. I planted
them, they started growing, and they're still going strong more than
25 years later.

In the past two decades, I have thinned out the irises and planted
them in other locations. I have also found irises growing by old
homesteads where no buildings remain (I live in rural Wisconsin) and
have dug them up and transplanted them in my yard. Each year in early
June, the irises bloom in a variety of colors: white, blue, yellow and
purple.

Here's how to transplant irises:

1. Prepare the new flower bed where you intend to plant the irises.

2. Use a shovel to dig up the roots that you want to transplant.
Irises have very tough root systems. If the irises are exceptionally
thick, a trowel probably won't do the trick. Stick the shovel into the
dirt among the irises and start digging. And don't worry about cutting
the roots with the shovel. You won't be able to avoid it. Irises
spread by their roots, so many of the plants will be connected. Even a
short section of root stands an excellent chance of transplanting.

3. Dig holes with a trowel about four inches deep and eight to ten
inches apart. Put the iris roots into the holes and cover with soil.

4. Water the transplanted irises thoroughly. For the remainder of the
season, water the irises a couple of times each week, especially when
rain is in short supply.

Observations about irises:

1. From what I have seen of the irises growing in my flower beds, they
are tough plants that are quite drought resistant. Like any plant,
they will do better when they receive plenty of water, but during
years when it has been dry, they have still survived extremely well.
And of course, the irises that I dug up from old homesteads didn't
have any help at all during drought years, and *they* made it just
fine.

2. The irises in my yard seem to do equally well in full sun or in
partial shade.

3. Trimming the iris leaves after the plants are done blooming to give
more room and more light to other plants nearby doesn't seem to bother
the irises. For the past couple of years, I have trimmed irises
growing next to my rose bush, and the following year, the irises have
come back as strong as ever.

********************

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books "Christmas in Dairyland
(True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm" (trade paperback 2003); "Give Me
a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam" (trade paperback 2004); "Preserve
Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family
Members and Writing Oral Histories" (e-book 2004). You are invited to
read sample chapters and to sign up for the free monthly newsletter,
Rural Route 2 News -- http://ruralroute2.com

2005-05-04T09:14:00.000-04:00

An observation, a conversation overheard, keeps nagging me.

While shopping around for Victorian images for my clip art cds, I chanced to hear a conversation between two dealers who had tables set up outside at the Stoudt's Antique Mall.

The one was complaining about a show he had been at, where there were, in his opinion, too many craft people. The other dealer agreed, muttered something about crafts.

Pretty foolish on their part. They obviously didn't care if they offended anyone. Just cranky old farts who probably are upset that nobody has bought any of their overpriced crap.

One sees this a lot. There are two types of vendors. One is a seller who is nice, shares information, and seems to really love what they do. The other type of vendor is a crank who is only in it for the money, and just may be the sort of person who has gone into the homes of the elderly and ripped them off.

On Mother's Day, I'll be selling at Shupp's Grove. My Mom and I are splitting a table. It'll be a great day to unload excess materials--things that haven't and won't make it into my clip art cds.

Guess I'd better get back to work--I have three boxes packed so far, and stuff scattered all over the place (which is nothing new, really).

Toodles,

Miss Mary

2005-05-03T00:28:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder that the new Victorian clip art cd, Miss Mary's Story Land, is on sale for a limited time.
Preview the Victorian clip art collection

2005-05-01T23:32:00.000-04:00

Had a full day scouting for antiques at Shupp's Grove today. I'll be setting up a table with my Mom next Sunday, selling off some excess inventory and good clutter.

Found some great old scrapbook sheets that will make lovely Victorian clip art. All in all, I kept the spending to a bare minimum. Shouldn't be adding to the "clutter" while I'm in mid-churn. I did also buy a single antique photograph of a girl in a plaid dress (I'll scan the image in tomorow).

OH, before I forget--I saw a novel old framed and matted Victorian photograph. The mat, which was original, was at some point covered all over with glitter. The glitter had aged, but it looks like it might have been gold at one time. Just thought that would be a cool idea, since IMHO, glitter makes everything better!

2005-05-01T00:23:00.000-04:00

Hand-tinted engraving from

Language of Flowers, 1846

Download a free clip art version

Amaranth

"Its flowers of crimson hue bedropped
With thousand sparkling gems." --Anon.

IMMORTALITY

Oh, listen, man!
A voice within us speaks the startling word,
"Man, thou shalt never die!" Celestial voices
Hymn it around our souls; according harps,
By angel fingers touched when the mild stars
Of morning sang together, sound forth still
The song of our great immortality!

Thick, clustering orbs, and this our fair domain,
The tall, dark mountains, and the deep-toned seas,
Join in this solemn, universal song.

***

The dying hear it; and, as sounds of earth
Grow dull and distant, wake their passing souls
To mingle in this heavenly harmony.

~Richard H. Dana

When coldness wraps this suffering clay,
Ah! whither strays the immortal mind?
It cannot die, it cannot stay,
But leaves its darkened dust behind.

~Byron.

Alyssum

WORTH BEYOND BEAUTY

They tell me that thou art not fair,
That beauty is not thine;
That from thine eye no glance is thrown
Which they might call divine.?"

They laugh at me because I chose
Thee from the giddy throng;
But they do not know the treasures dear
That to thy heart belong.

Beauty, when sickness comes, will fade,
'T will faint, and droop, and die;
But Worth with tenfold power will shine,
When sorrows gather nigh.

For what is Beauty? 't is as dreams,
That quickly pass away;
And what is Worth? 't is what is seems,
And never will decay.

True worth will live beyond the grave,
'T will pierce Death's shadows mist,
And near the throne of God on high
Eternally exist.

~John S. Adams

American Star Wort

A slender plant, with starry blossoms.

WELCOME TO A STRANGER.

Lady, thou camest from a stranger land,
And little of thee I know;
Yet thou art joined to the fading band
Of travelers here below.

And thou art of woman's form and mien,
Hast a woman's heart within;
And, by thine eye and thy brow, I ween
Her sorrows with thee have been.

Thy Father is mine, and mine is thine;
We both are his equal care;
His goodness, and love, and blessings benign,
We each as his children share.

In sympathy, then, I give thee a hand
And greet thee as thus we go,
And pledge a renewal in that bright land
Where pleasures perennial grow.

~Mrs. Jane E. Locke

2005-04-30T18:20:00.000-04:00

My Syrian Friend. An altered Victorian image, with clip art by Miss Mary.

2005-04-30T18:17:00.000-04:00

A butterfly Baby..with bubbles. An an altered antique photograph by Miss Mary.

2005-04-30T18:15:00.000-04:00

Erica, a vaudeville star of the early 1920s. From the Antique photograph collection of Miss Mary.

2005-04-30T18:14:00.000-04:00

"Boltz", a good boy from Pennsylvania, with his chimp Carl. A digital collage by Miss Mary.

2005-04-30T18:10:00.000-04:00

Houdini Dreams, an altered photograph by Miss Mary

2005-04-30T18:08:00.000-04:00

By request--an early photo collage by Miss Mary

2005-04-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

As I'm sifting through my antique books, searching for source material for my Victorian clip art collections, I realize that I've been neglecting the beautiful endpapers. They would make wonderful background images for digital scrapbookers, I think, or just to reprint and use in altered book projects.

And so, that will be the next project. I've gathered up some books...let the scanning begin!

2005-04-30T01:02:00.000-04:00

History and Folklore of Fairies from a Victorian Cyclopedia article, 1846: "Almost all nations have, in ignorant times, possessed a strong belief in the supernatural, which has been continued to the present day, among the unenlightened. Wild and terrific scenes were peopled by the imagination with fierce and fearful beings, while flowery dells, sequestered glades, green and smiling forests, and pleasant water-falls, were selected as the haunts of a gentler, and more graceful race of beings, than belongs to humanity."

2005-04-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

New Issue of Miss Mary's Gazette : "Fairies, butterfly parties, and the language of flowers--this issue of Miss Mary's Gazette is a breath of spring time goodness."

2005-04-26T13:08:00.000-04:00

Clip Art Update

Gentle Friends,

The April issue of Miss Mary's Gazette has been delayed due to my work on a new Clip Art CD, which, I'm happy to say, is now complete and ready to ship.

Preview the Clip Art Images or Order the CD

Miss Mary's Story Land is an assortment of extremely rare images from 19th century fairy tale and nursery rhyme books. Miss Mary's Story Land was three months in the making, and I honestly believe that it's the best one yet.

Miss Mary's Story Land Features…

Beautiful color plates from The Water Babies by Victorian cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne*.

Amazing full size, full color illustrations from a rare copy of The Story Without an End

Color plates from Hans C. Anderson's What the Moon Saw and Fairy Tales.

Jack the Giant Killer, Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and more.

My favorite is an image that illustrates this cautionary tale. It was on my mind after having recently seen a performance of Shockheaded Peter ** at the Little Shubert Theatre in New York. In the musical's version, the poor girl is Harriet, not Pauline; however, the story and it's conclusion are essentially the same.

Pauline and the Matches

Mamma and Nurse went out one day,

And left Pauline alone at play;

Around the room she gaily sprung,

Clapped her hands, and danced, and sung.

Now, on the table close at hand,

A box of matches chanced to stand,

And kind Mamma and Nurse had told her,

That if she touched them they would scold her;

But Pauline said, “Oh, what a pity!

For when they burn, it is so pretty!

They crackle so, and spit, and flame,

To see them's better than a game.

I will just light a match or two,

As oft I've seen my mother do.”

When Mintz and Mauntz, the cats, came by,

They raised their paws and began to cry;

“Me-ow!” they said, “me-ow, me-oh!

You'll burn to death if you do so,

Your parents have forbid, you know.”

But Pauline would not take advice,

She lit a match, it was so nice!

It crackled so, and burned so clear--

Exactly like the picture here.

She jumped for joy and ran about,

And was too pleased to put it out.

When Mintz and Mauntz, the cats, saw this,

They said, “Oh, naughty, naughty Miss!”

They stretched their claws,

And raised their paws;

“'Tis very, very wrong, you know;

Me-ow, me-oh, me-ow, me-oh!

You will be burnt if you do so,

Your mother has forbid you know.”

Now see! oh! see, a dreadful thing!

The fire has caught her apron-string!

Her apron burns, her arms, her hair;

She burns all over, everywhere.

Then how the pussy-cats did mew.

What else, poor pussies, could they do?

They screamed for help, ‘twas all in vain,

So then they said, “We'll scream again;

Make haste, make haste! me-ow, me-oh!

She'll burn to death—we told her so.”

So she was burnt with all her clothes

And arms, and hands, and eyes, and nose;

Till she had nothing more to lose,

Except her little scarlet shoes;

And nothing else but there were found,

Among her ashes on the ground.

And when the good cats sat beside

The smoking ashes, how they cried!

“Me-ow, me-oh, me-ow, me-oh!

What will Mamma and Nursy do?”

Their tears ran down their cheeks so fast,

They made a little pond at last.

Preview Story Land images here

Order Story Land here

See more clip art here

*For more on Edward Linley Sambourne, visit:

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/linleysambournehouse

** Shockheaded Peter Official Website:

http://www.shockheadedpeter.com/

And now I'm going to get back to work on the Gazette, which will feature Victorian fairy tales and nursery rhymes, as well as some May floral tid-bits.

Cheers,

Miss Mary

2005-04-25T00:45:00.000-04:00

New Clip Art CD

Victorian Fairy Tale Clip Art Catalog: "83 Beautiful fairy tale and nursery rhyme clip art images from my collection of antique Victorian children's books. "

2005-04-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "Other uses to consider: Altered book projects. Digital scrapbooking. Collage arts. Graphic design. Fiber arts. Polymer clay image transfer. "

2005-04-19T10:29:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia and Delaware County Web Design by Miss Mary: "Web Design News
Miss Mary now offers web design services to small businesses, artists, and individuals in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Our Other Sites
While we put the finishing touches on this site, you may also enjoy...
MissMary.com is the site that started it all. Find Victorian clip art, read a rare vintage story, and so much more.
Miss Mary's Victorian Halloween is where you can celebrate a traditional Halloween all year long!"

2005-04-18T16:44:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia and Delaware County Web Design by Miss Mary: "Welcome
To better serve our web design clients, Miss Mary is separating our clip art software products from our web design and hosting services. We will have a full listing of web design and development services online in May 2005."

2005-04-18T09:38:00.000-04:00

About Miss Mary and her Victorian Clip Art Collections: "About Miss Mary
My name is Mary B. Welsch, and I'm sorry to say that contrary to popular belief, I do not have a little lamb.
What I do have is an amazing collection of vintage images that I'm now making available as part of the Quaint & Curious Clip Art Collection."

2005-04-14T10:08:00.000-04:00

It still isn't too late to pick up your free printable Victorian calendarFree Printable Calendar Pages: "Printable Calendar Pages
The first in my new printable calendar series covers the months of April, May and June 2005, and features floral clip art images from This Is How My Garden Grows, volume 2 in the Quaint & Curious Clip Art Series."

2005-04-13T11:37:00.000-04:00

Some In-Door Games at Marbles: "SOME IN-DOOR GAMES AT MARBLES"

2005-04-12T20:44:00.000-04:00

Victorian clip art for digital scrapbook, images for graphic designers and clipart for artists: "High Quality Victorian clip art for your digital design and scrapbooking projects."

2005-04-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

P22 Playing Card contest: "P22 Playing Card Contest "

Oh, boy! A cool contest from my favorite font foundry. I have the out of print deck, and a collection of their fonts. Looks like I'll be busy...

2005-04-04T14:49:00.000-04:00

A new clip art collection will be announced soon. I had started a new one, it's 1/3rd complete, and has been delayed due to a small business class that it just wrapping up.

Back to work!

2005-04-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

Victorian clip art and free craft projects at MissMary.com:

Download a free floral clip art calendar page.

As sure as April showers bring May flowers, you can count on Miss Mary to bring you the best in Victorian and Vintage clip art images.

With windows open wide to let in the spring air, I was inspired to create a little calendar page to hang in my office. I used images from This Is How My Garden Grows, Victorian floral clipart images from the Quaint & Curious Clip Art series.

2005-03-28T11:44:00.000-05:00

Soggy morning in the Philadelphia region. Not too cold, the birds seem to be in good spirits--the weather isn't hampering their play.

Easter was fine. Usually my favorite holiday, but this year I didn't even make up a grand basket for The Boy. Just gave him a white chocolate bunny that took far too long to find--candy shops and drugstores were all sold out of the good candies.

I think that the stores, fearing that they would be stuck with excess candy due to the early Easter, just didn't order as much.

If I wasn't so busy with my classes, I would have made candy. Mmmm....maybe that would be a good article for the next issue of The Gazette. Spring time Victorian candy recipes?

I've promised someone a guest article for her new zine, better hammer that out. So busy! It's good to be busy, but lately I've felt as if I'm a fox in a trap, and it's time to chew my foot off and run!

Ewww...where did that analogy come from? Better pour another cup o' coffee, I'm not really awake yet!

2005-03-22T09:32:00.000-05:00

Mild headache today--tossed and turned last night. I may be coming down with something, as I woke up this morning wanting tea instead of coffee to start my day.

That's never a good sign.

Hopefully the tea and a cookie will shake it away, but I may be fighting a cold or the flu

:(

Better drink lots of tea, take some vitamins, and get crackin' on my altered altoid tin project. Have to have it in the mail tomorrow. Cutting it close!

2005-03-20T18:03:00.000-05:00

Victorian Crafts Spring and Easter issue of Miss Mary's Gazette: "Color Easter Eggs Naturally with Dyes from Your Kitchen
An Easter Party
How to Make an Easter Bunny Cake
Easter Suggestion
Free Easter Clip Art
An April Fish Party
Birch-Bark Fancies "

Read this issue

2005-03-19T23:54:00.000-05:00

Victorian Easter Eggs How to Decorate with: "How to Decorate Easter Eggs (Victorian Style)
With many it is a curious fancy, to dress Easter-eggs in elegant forms and keep as toilet elegancies, and we introduce several designs showing how this may be beautifully carried out, and result in charming effects."

2005-03-19T23:53:00.000-05:00

Victorian Floral Crafts: The Natural Easter Cross:"The Natural Easter Cross, From 'The Popular Art Instructor,' 1888"

2005-03-17T10:49:00.000-05:00

Victorian clip art and free craft projects at MissMary.com: "Irish Dinner Menu, Potato Recipes, St. Patrick Bubble games and more in the March issue of Miss Mary's Gazette."

2005-03-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

MissMary.com Notes: "Yet another blog
Well, around the blogging circuit I go. A different blog for each of my multiple personalities? A respite for the compulsive hoarder of nonsense? Or a shameless plug for my victorian clip art?"

2005-03-16T22:47:00.000-05:00

Behind in a few projects...I'm hoping to cook up some spring wallpaper for my newsletter readers. Maybe Sunday.

I've been working so hard the last few days, with business related projects and freelance clients that I'm experiencing a sort of walking dream-state. The line between night and day is very fuzzy.

So, I'll take a break from the web for a few hours to watch a movie and sleep. Miss Pansy is having sweet pug dog dreams already--snoring like mad.

If you haven't signed up for my Free Victorian Newsletter, head on over. Big announcements coming up soon.

Goodnight,

Miss Mary