Funky Find Friday: Ephemera and Vintage Clip Art

I've been roaming the Internet for awhile looking at vintage clip art, royalty free clip art, copyright free clip art and every other kind of ephemera. There are a lot of sites out there that have royalty free and/or copyright free stuff out there. However, one site that I have found stands out above most. The site is called The Graphics Fairy.

This fabulous site is run by Karen, a self-proclaimed paper addict, who shares scans of pieces in her own collection with the world for free. She does have a few ground rules however, which she lists on her site:

"The Graphics Fairy is an angel company. Which means you can use these images to make a product that you intend to sell. There are a few rules though so please read below:

1. The graphics are free however you may not use more than 4 of the clip art images in any single product.
   
2. In order to use these lovely visuals you will need to save them to your computer. In order to do this first- click on the item that you would like (this will open a window with a much larger image) second - right click the larger image and select "save as" in the pop up box, and then click the save button in the lower right hand corner of the box.


3. Do not link directly to the images.


4. If you use these on your blog, website etc. Please include a link back to this site.


5. Have fun! "
   

One of the things that makes The Graphics Fairy so unique is that you can use the images in items you intend to sell. This is a fabulous find for all paper and digital crafters out there! There are over 70 different categories of clipart to chose from.

Not only does Karen offer free clip art, but she also has a free background site called The Background Fairy. Here she provides backgrounds for blogs, blog banners, buttons, wallpapers and many more items. Simply put, this woman is amazing! Karen also has an Etsy store called, what else, The Graphics Fairy! Her store features many of the actual vintage papers she scans as well as vintage jewelry and various other vintage finds.

I have been in love with everything I've seen on Karen's sites so far. If you're in need of any vintage ephemera, paper, jewelry, or backgrounds, check out her stuff. It's amazing. All of the pics in today's post come from The Graphics Fairy. Check it out!

Don't forget to enter the End of Summer Giveaway! You have until Monday, September 7th by 5:00 pm to enter.

Happy Crafting!

We went shopping!!!

Considering the place we are in life, Hubby and I have never really bought any brand new furniture (with the exception of a cheap crappy futon which doesn't count). Everything has always been used and/or hand-me-down. We needed a couch desperately. Our living room seating consisted of two of these:

Sure they look nice, but there is no padding in them whatsoever. We're talking very uncomfortable. Plus, with two club chairs, there was no cuddling while watching a movie and to stretch out, you have to lay on our rock hard floor (I'm pretty sure there's no carpet padding under there.) So, after saving up some dough and looking at 5,000 couches over the span of the last six months or so, we finally bought one this week. We bought it from A & W Furniture* right here in town. Although we did not purchase it at their regular store, but from the clearance warehouse across the street. We picked this one up for $399 plus tax. I thought is was a good deal. It's brand spanking new and comfy. (Although Hubby is slightly disappointed there are no recliner ends.) So, without further ado, I give you our brand new couch:

Isn't it great? It's just overstuffed enough to be comfy with out being obnoxious. The color is a nice tan. I am worried about it a little over time being too light and showing stains, but we'll see. We had two nieces and a nephew over last night and a weird stain appeared out of thin air. *sigh* On the bright side however, I was able to wipe it right off the microfiber faux suede with nothing more than a warm washcloth. I hope it works like that forever! ;) I plan on rearranging the living room to fit the furniture better when we don't have to have the air conditioner in one window. Which has been most of the summer, but you know what I mean. So, what do you think of the couch?

Happy Crafting!

*Featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!

Inspiration Tuesday: Fall

Okay, so I know it's only the 1st of September, but all the magazines and stores are sporting fall goods and the weather here has definitely been fall like the last week. My favorite season is technically summer (the warm weather, the lake, sunshine, what's not to love?). But there is just something about fall. I love the weather, the colors, the leaves, etc. So, for today's inspiration, I thought I would showcase some of the reasons I love fall so much. Besides Christmas, it's the season I have the most decorations for!

Check out this gorgeous photo from Chad & Hope Fine Photography on Etsy

At only $20 for an 8x10 matted print, you can afford to only hang it during the fall.

How about this great black and white and orange set-up from Country Living Magazine.

I love how this could work for Halloween and Fall together, but subtly.

Check out the fall color inspiration for this room at Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

Ah. Fall colors year round? That would be great.

I love these "Harvest" letters from CraftJunkie28's Etsy shop.

Super cute for a mantle or shelf decoration.

Looking for a great door decoration that can last now all the way throught the fall? Check out Heather Bullard's tutorial.

I love everything about this arrangement; the mason jar, the chicken wire, hydrangeas, bird, and the ribbon! What a great accent to any room.

I love fall!! I'd forgotten just how much till I started putting together this post. Expect to see more fall decorating ideas from me in the future! If I get ambitious enough, I might even try to clean my house tonight and get out my fall decorations after Hubby and I go couch shopping and make supper... and separate grapes from stems... and bottle wine....okay maybe it won't happen tonight, but hopefully soon! I'll try to get to that this week and take pics to share with you.

Happy Crafting!