Rose ampersand

This is so interesting - from Wikepedia, the ampersand can be traced back to the 1st century A.D. and the Old Roman cursive, in which the letters E and T occasionally were written together to form a ligature. Traditionally, in English-speaking schools when reciting the alphabet, any letter that could also be used as a word in itself ("A", "I", and, at one point, "O") was preceded by the Latin expression per se (Latin for "by itself"). Also, it was common practice to add at the end of the alphabet the "&" sign as the 27th letter, pronounced and. Thus, the recitation of the alphabet would end in: "X, Y, Z and per se and". This last phrase was routinely slurred to "ampersand" and the term crept into common English usage by around 1837.

Blushing bride

The background and the frame which is from this apothecary label are both from Graphics Fairy. This is my entry for the wedding challenge over at Take a Word and also linking to Brag Monday. Hope you have a great Monday!

Birds and Roses

I love the vibrant colours on these birdcages - the birdcages and background from Graphics Fairy -  linking to Brag Monday.

La dame de fer

One of my favourite works of architecture - the tower was much criticised by the public when it was built, with many calling it an eyesore. Newspapers of the day were filled with angry letters from the arts community of Paris. My entry for Take a Word's architecture challenge.

Cock-a-doodle-doo . . .

Apparently the idea of a rooster only crowing at the break of dawn is more romantic than real - as I am told that a rooster can and will crow at any time of the day!  I don't have a rooster, so I cannot vouch for this, so please leave a comment if you have a rooster and let us know ;-) All the images used in this design are from the graphics fairy - linking to Brag Monday.

Heartsong

“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back . . . . . . " ~ Plato

The script, frame and music sheet are from Graphics Fairy - Linking to Brag Monday

T

Dark lady

I simply love silhouette images, I want to try and make some over the holidays of our family. This is my 3rd last post for the year - wrapping things up for the summer holiday ahead - cannot wait! Linking to Brag Monday  silhouette, background and butterflies are from the Graphics Fairy.

Earth Apple

An apple a day, makes the earth spin away . . . . . . you 're the apple of my earth? Don't ask me what I was thinking ;-) Sometimes I just run with crazy ideas in my head! The globe pedestal and background are from Graphics Fairy - linking to Brag Monday.

Orange blossom

I decided to use this black and white image from the Graphics Fairy for the fruit challenge at Sunday Postcard Art , while I was colouring it, I couldn't stop thinking about a summer cocktail called Orange blossom - here is the recipe: Shake up 1 part gin with 1 part Bianco vermouth and 1 part unsweetened orange juice. Pour over some ice cubes and decorate with a slice of orange - try it, it is delicious!

Shadow

Sunday Postcard Art challenge this week is - On the dark side. I love things to be bright and colourful  - so this was a hard one for me, this is the darkest I could go.

Half and half

I chose the perfect background, chose the perfect man . . . . . . and then I cut him in half - because I needed more than one man! ;-) No need to be alarmed . . . . it is only my entry for the vintage men challenge at Theme Thursday

True Blue

True Blue is one of my favourite Madonna songs, couldn't get it out of my head while working on this. This lady is from a vintage ad for underwear - I love to change her eyes, hair etc. to suit a specific design. As usual on a Monday, I am linking to Brag Monday - this beautiful blue frame is from the Graphic's Fairy.

The Young Victoria

Karen from the graphics fairy posted this black and white ornate frame with an image of queen Victoria some time ago, and I immediately thought of using it with this picture of a young queen Victoria, which I think is quite a beautiful picture. I added the roses for a pop of colour, I only found out today the queen Victoria rose is a mauve coloured rose. I have not seen the movie yet, hopefully some time soon.