Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day!

Bejeweled Vintage Butterflies for your Scrapbooking Fun!

What kind of butterflies are in YOUR garden right now??

(Enjoy!)

Oh My! Texture Tuesday Faeries in the Garden

Hi Dear Readers!
I've been out in the garden in the last week, and simply haven't seen a single fairy. *sigh*
I think they're mad at me for letting the yard get so outta control! LOL...
Inspired by this,
I've come up with a little faery sweetie for you...please enjoy. 
I took this pretty photograph last spring of the pink foxglove growing near Clear Crick.


Kim Klassen's beautiful watercolor texture "Oh My"
has transformed this field flower into magic.
My layer recipe is complex: "Oh My" multiply x2, screen x1, pin light x1, soft light x2.
I absolutely love Kim's new Watercolor layers! Happy Texture Tuesday!

If you don't already recognize the darling fairy art,

they are drawn by English artist Cicely Mary Barker.

Cicley Mary Barker, c1920

Rainy Day Chick with Umbrella And a Petite Parade (For Your Easter Creations)

Are you having a nice week? We're expecting a

little Spring Rain this weekend, which I'm actually

looking forward to (I just love the rain!).

This wet little vintage chick made me laugh when I saw

him, so I'm passing him on to you, in the hope that

you'll enjoy a copy for your own artistic Easter project!

I've added many little elements to this old postcard.
Buy now you probably know some of my favorite
resources for creative imagery come from 

Scrapbook Elements, Kim Klassen, Cajoline Scrap,

and Dafont.  Please scroll down to the last section of my

blog to see ALL of the buttons I've assembled there.  They will link you up with these wonderful websites and many more creative places!

If you prefer sunny Daffodils and a Chocolate Bunny, you may also want view another Easter card I made last year (click HERE).
  

I've also recently assembled a cheerful little Easter Parade for your writing paper.  It's petite, but very sweet looking when printed out on 8.5" wide letterhead. :) (Click on the image above to view it larger). It's in .PNG format so you can print it over any colored paper.

Happy Easter!

St. Patrick's Day Freebie

A wee bit o'the fightin' Irish here for you to enjoy.

The shamrock border is from The Graphics Fairy,
The lucky velvet hat is from Cajoline Scrap,
The lad's vintage photo is from Plumrose Lane,
The pretty type is free from Dafont,
And the lad's "colors"
were added by me.
:)
Don't forget the wearin' o'the green this Saturday!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Lady Beaded (with a View)

Something new for you.  Thank you for following Clear Crick Cottage.

Felicity in Spring



Just playing around with Kim Klassen's "Felicity" Layer
on both of these images.  I do like the warmth it adds!
Spring is on it's way!

Photos by me, layers by Kim, and graphics
from The Graphics Fairy and Dafont.
Please take a copy for your
crafty creations. 

Garden Gate Girl

Having a wonderful February?  Hope so!
How fun to find this little matching beauty, to go with my handsome Garden Gate young man that was posted in January (just scroll down a little to find him)... you may like the matching pair!  Take a copy for whatever scrapbooking or craft project you might be working on (for personal use, please).

Something New (Sold)



"Twilight Dream" Double Adjustable Bracelet
made with "Ice Blue Twilight" lampwork beads
by Anne Dodd

I finally finished this today, and  just had to share this "Twilight Dream" bracelet with you. :)  It was requested by my friend and favorite lampwork bead artist Anne Dodd (SpareTimeDesigns).  She supplied the beautiful glass lampwork beads, and allowed me to "dream" up something new with them.  *sigh*  This was wonderful fun to put together.  I opted for some contrasting darker gunmetal and silver, and added 2 sterling silver charms from Hip Chick Beads.  I also added Swarovski Light Azore crystals, as well as 2 other Chinese crystal colors to accent.  It's always a pleasure to create something new with Anne's beautiful beads.

Spring Festival Dragon Art Freebie

This beautiful dragon is from The Graphics Fairy.

A year of success, prosperity, happiness, harmony, good luck, firey power, and creativity... a most promising year for anyone, but especially lucky for those of us born in The Year of the Dragon.  The celebrations going on all over the world are so full of color and excitement...even in Paris to San Franciso... the Dragon year is considered the luckiest in the Chinese lunar zodiac. 

Years ago I purchased a book about lore and history of dragons in astrology and LOVED it... and I must say there's a lot of ancient history to know about this topic!  So, I half-heartedly immerse myself in it, and I take it all in as great fun.   AND okay, I'll admit, anything that gives me hope of new prosperity, firey creativity and good luck in this year? WELL I'm willing to embrace it with a fond attitude. LOL.
 
Wiki has the most wonderful information on the Chinese Spring Festival, Dragons and the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Dragon.  I didn't know this, but the Chinese made it illegal to show images of any killing or destroying of a dragon.  Also, many children receive red envelopes with money enclosed on this day, as a gift from elders, or from friends to visiting relatives.   So I decided to make some pretty dragon digital art for you to either print or add to your red envelope, embellish a tag, email to your friends, or just enjoy this as a wildly cheerful screen saver.  Right click and save to your computer.  If you do something cooooool with it, let me know - I'd love to see your work!

The fantastic Dragon on the left is from The Graphics Fairy (link here directly to the dragon), and the beautiful "Dragon Princess" on the right is from a free resource which I recently aquired.  She offers the precious pearl to the Dragon (his favorite treasure).  I added the symbol in white and red for "Year of the Dragon" and just above it translates to "Happy New Year."  (Of course I am depending on the sources for that information!).

May your happiness be without limit in this fiery year of the Dragon.

love,

Sherilyn

Happy New Year by the Garden Gate

As you know, I can't resist a garden gate, so I just adored this vintage Happy New Year postcard when I found it.  Of course the offering of roses from such a handsome young man doesn't hurt, either.  :)  I hope you like this too... unique Happy New Year cards are so hard to find in the stores, and they're so fun to send out.  Just click on this ".png" image, and save!  Make some easy breezy greeting cards or enjoy using this charming art for your crafting or scrapbooking fun.

Love,
Sherilyn

Happy New Year

Hi there happy readers!
OH my I've been out and about haven't I?  Admittedly, I've been away from my blog for quite a bit over the holidays - I do hope you all are enjoying getting back to your routines as well?  It's good to be rollin along again!

First I must comment on the Dickens Faire I attended in December.  I've never had SO much fun at a holiday festival in my life.  Everything there WAS staged to look like London... and all the actors and vendors spoke with English accents, plus there were 8-10 stages and various Dickens and winter themed theatrical productions going on every place you turned.  SUCH fun.   All the artisans were dressed in old Victorian attire - the men all in 3-piece suits and most in tails and top-hats, most women in full bell skirts and ribboned hats, and children even dressed to the 9's as well.  Suzanne mentioned what I was feeling - we felt like we were just visiting another realm for the day, and how magical it felt.  After indulging in real fire-roasted chestnuts sold by a vendor on the "streets" there, I just couldn't stop smiling the whole time.  I do believe the faire runs for 4 weekends in a row throughout the winter season, and I understand why now. You just can't go once (I hope next year to attend at least twice).

The Pasadena Bead and Design Show
is next weekend!  Can't wait!

Coming back to the present modern times, I'm looking forward to a different show very much this year (I missed it last year) - The Pasadena Bead and Design Show in Pasadena, CA.
I had attended this show before, and dragged my friend Kathy along the year before last.  She volunteered to be dragged along again, so this weekend should be a lot of fun.  :)  Kathy has such a creative and keen eye, and I love having her with me at this show - she always spots cool and unique items that I would miss without her there.  I do hope to go early, and more then one day.  There's SO much to be seen at this show, and there are some very cool vendors there that I hope to check out.

I've decided to take two months off and away from my Etsy shops for sooo many reasons - mostly because I really want to get better organized around the house, including my craft room.  I know 2 months probably won't be enough time to untangle the mess I've created, but I think my happiness is literally hinging on getting a better foothold around here.  New Years resolutions aside, this goes above and beyond what needs to happen in my life, at this time.  Wish me luck!

xo
Sherilyn

Off to London

Hi Everyone :)
This weekend I'm indulging in some play time with my friend Suzanne... we're going to the Dicken's Fair in Oakland, CA.  I must admit, I haven't heard of it until just this week, so finding out I can go to "London" and with such ease is very exciting for me!  Evidently it's quite a famous fair, and has been an annual event for many years.  They claim all the main Dickens characters will be there, including Charles Dickens "himself."  I can't wait.

I hope you all are enjoying the season so far. 
Love,
Sherilyn

Windy Weather

"Right Click" and "Save"
A pretty vintage image for you (postcard size).

Hi Clear Crick Cottage Friends :)

I think for all of us the weather has been challenging this year - to say the least.  Here in Southern California we had some truly alarming wind storms in the last week.  But I should say my neighborhood had very few serious problems, during these latest winds.  I think because my particular area usually gets them in full fury this time of year, we are sort of used to it.  And there has always been a seasonal rythm to this time of year - up goes the holiday decor before the winds start in December (so you're not blown off your ladder), and when it comes down after New Years, you hope they are still functioning for next year.  It's usually a loss of about 25%.  But we take it in stride.  It's part of the tradition of the season.  :)

The thing is, the Valleys south of us aren't used to the winds that we usually get.  A lot of damage was sustained in those areas.  My beloved Huntington Library and Gardens actually closed down yesterday (on a Saturday) because of the amount of damage they were hit with in the preceeding days.  They have so many HUGE trees and old outdoor statues - something big must have happened to get them to close their park for a day.   Santa was supposed to visit the kids there yesterday, but will be there today instead, and also generously offered to come and visit next week, to make up for not being about to be there Saturday.  I thought that was very nice of him to think of the kids so kindly.  :)

I hope you are all keeping safe and warm in what ever weather you are enduring so far this year.

love,

Sherilyn

A Winter Greeting for You

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend (did anyone finish their shopping? not I!).  I spent some time away from my banner-making, and was working on some ideas for digital collage art.  I found some beautiful images by Itkupilli at her shop that inspired me.  I loved the peaceful elements she put together.  Dover Art offers some wonderful old world clip art, including the famous Degas Ballerinas, and I used one of Jerry's beautiful texture images (Shadowhouse Creations) for the background.  The rest are from my favorite Scrapbook Elements artists.

If you like these please help yourself.  I've made two greeting card sizes here to make either a 4"x6" size card (above) or a 5"x7" size card (below).  The soft secondary images are designed to match, so you can print the inside too, and have a pretty background to write on.   If you interested in obtaining a matching font to the cover art, just go to dafont and look for the font "Porcelain."

I hate to have to ask, but I must... please don't resell these cards digitally as they are.  You are, however, welcome to reproduce and sell them as a "tangible" finished products.  Please be creative and enjoy working with these.

I regret seeing the Autumn fade away, but the beautiful colors of the fallen leaves are now being replaced by the bright and glowing Christmas lights that my neighbors have eagerly started to put up.  I seem to be dragging my heels this year into December.  But  I do enjoy the holiday decor, and I suspect it will work it's magic on me soon. :)

 

Thanks for stopping by the Cottage!

love,

Sherilyn

Enjoy your Holiday!

Wishing you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Clear Crick Cottage Coupon Code

Happy November Everyone!  I hope you all enjoyed your October Tricks and Treats... I know for me it's all downhill from here.  LOL.  Yes I love October THAT much.  Well to cheer myself up I created your coupon code announcement for this month - I hope you like it. 
Your coupon code is "CCCAUTUMNCOLORS"
Use this discount code for 15% off any purchase at my shop Clear Crick Cottage. 
This coupon code will be available through the month of November, for your early holiday shopping needs.  :)  If you visit my shop, do say hi!  I always love a little convo from my blog readers!  Hope you're enjoying the fall!

I am including the plain art here too, in case you want to add it into your own creation. :) This might be pretty in your scrapbook!  Have fun.

One last thing, several of these beautiful images I used in this announcement can be found at Scrapbook-Elements.com.  I love their designs!

Dancing Halloween Lights

OH what fun.
- Talking about preparing for those little Trick or Treaters...
This home in Riverside, California has decorated with some sensational dancing Halloween lights,
and has posted two videos here.  Technology is so amazing! I love the second video more then the first, because it's to the theme from "The Nightmare Before Christmas."  Watch them both!

Vintage Harvest Layers

For Texture Tuesday, I used Kim Klassen's two textures:
EarthenwareFramed (screen x3)
and Golden (multiplied and normal top layer)
I'm IN LOVE with these two textures combined.
I ended up with several variations of these, and it was hard to choose
what to post today!  Try them, you'll love their vintage affect!
I think the second picture here would be a beautiful tag,
or even a pretty card... just print and fold in half.
Happy Harvest!

Last month my husband and I travelled up to southern Washington state where our family property is, and the very very very old apple trees were just starting to pop out with their annual crop.   The apples are a small, vintage variety, somewhat like Gala, although much less crisp... my grandmother claimed they "were only good for cider."  Still, those trees, with as little attention as they get, continue to produce.  The deer and the elk there come in and clean up the dropped apples every year.

We did lose one of the largest, prettier shaped apple trees last year, and I wonder if it's because of the change in water draw from the line that runs under our property from our Clear "Crick" to the now closed fish hatchery across the road.  They don't use the water anymore, but the water is still flowing to them, and through to the river on that side of the road.  I walked down to the now abandoned hatchery, and noticed an enormous pipe (20"?) located right next to their main building - it was leaking water from the top, and the side.  It was draining into the cement bricked flower box that butted up next to the now closed building, and literally the water had saturated the 4 foot tall flower box, and had purged through the wall of the side of the building - it was leaking into the office inside...I could hear it hitting the cement floor from outside.

It's very sad to see our tax dollars abandoned, and making such an incredible mess.  It would probably take a small fortune to clear all the old buildings, the dry fish tanks, as well as clear the entire dam from the river.   They opened part of the cement up on one side, left the chunks in the river, and 3/4 of the river is still blocked with the old fish ladder (stuffed full of driftwood and clogged - could actually trap fish trying to go upstream), a holding pond in front of the ladder, and the rest of the cement dam in the river. If I were a fish trying to go upstream, passing that point would be nearly impossible... oh but the hatcheries are leaving the fish to their "natural habitat" now.   tsk.

I realized as I walked through the property that when there's no funding left, it doesn't mean they'll tidy up after themselves when they clear out... it means a big mess is left behind.  Interestingly, my grandfather sold this land to the state so they could build the hatchery there.