Curiosities and Sweet Things - Resources Just for You

I'm happy to report that I am finished with my framed art transformation project. I can't wait to share it with you! It turned out better than I expected though not without challenges. Has anyone figured out why I could have possibly needed the nail polish remover? I'll take some photos today and tell you all about this evening.

For those that have been followers of Twice Remembered for a while, you may well know {and share} my love of all things old-fashioned and nostalgic. I feel that I don't write often enough about the sweet little things of the past that rouse my curiosity or bring a smile to my face. So I thought I would pass along to you a few "curiosities and sweet things" that I've recently discovered.

A few weeks back, I added a few antique black and white graphics to my blog, namely the charming sparrow you see there at the top of each entry and the beautiful Victorian cottage in my sidebar. I can't rave enough about the source of these graphics, Karen at The Graphics Fairy. Karen specializes in providing free vintage and antique images, plus she has many great project tutorials as well. I could easily spend hours on her site, perusing all those old graphics! Everything is neatly categorized, so finding what you are looking for is very easy.





So everyone load up and head over to The Graphics Fairy for some graphics for your next project!


Did you know that the Library of Congress has a Flickr account? Yes, they do, and thousands of old photos have been posted for your enjoyment and use. You can click on the "all sizes" link for the photo you like, choose "large", and save. Then upload your chosen image or images to a site that develops photos {I use Walmart.com for fast and easy 1 hour service} and voila - your own copies of old photos, ready to be framed! Of course, you can also print them out on your printer, but I believe it is cheaper in the long run to make actual photographs, plus they are much more durable. Wouldn't it be great to have some made into postcards?

While searching through some of the photos, I even found a couple of Titanic survivors. How interesting! This should be filed under sweet...


...aaaaaand this under curious - or at least under "things men don't wear anymore".


If digitally cleaned up photos from the Library of Congress and other sources is your preference, then Shorpy's.com is absolutely the best! I am addicted to Shorpy's, quite frankly, and there seems to be no end to the touching photos that can be found there.


There are many, many beach and bathing beauty photos...perfect for summer decorating!




If you do nothing else at Shorpy's, be sure to browse the colorized photos section. Brilliant! Those people of the olden days that we tend to think of only in black and white just come alive in color!



And there are plenty of "curious" photos at Shorpy's as well. The title of this photo is Fashion Victims: 1924


Do you like music from days gone by? One site that I found last week is an absolute treasure trove of popular tunes from the 20's and 30's. It is called Radio Dismuke and it's actually an online radio station that plays music 24/7. The only commercial interruptions are old commercials from the 20's and 30's! Let me tell you, there is nothing like cleaning your house or cooking dinner to those old songs...it feels like you are being gently transported to a simpler, sweeter time. Now, I know how very unsweet the 30's were for many, but I can't help but to believe that this music was a welcomed distraction if they were fortunate enough to be able to listen to it. So it is with me - a welcomed to distraction from the cares of the world!

From the main Radio Dismuke web page:

"Discover the exciting music from one of the most vibrant decades in popular culture and entertainment. From the boom times of the "Roaring '20s" to the hard times of the Great Depression...from frantic Charlestons danced to by a generation of flappers to sentimental ballads performed by the early crooners...from the hot jazz bands of the top Harlem nightclubs to the popular dance bands of the formative years of the swing and big band eras, the great music of the 1920s & 1930s lives on and is entertaining a new generation of enthusiastic listeners."


To easily access this lovely online radion station while visiting Twice Remembered, just click on the image under the heading in the sidebar over there that says "Radio Bygones". A new page will open and all you will need to do is click "tune in". No need to register/login unless you want to!

Let's bring this nostalgic trip full circle with a visit to a blog that should be in every crafter's Favorites - Cathe Holden's Just Something I Made. It doesn't take visitors to her site long to realize that 1)Cathe oozes creativity and 2)most of her projects and freebies are a nod to our old fashioned sensibilities. For instance, she recently created for readers some gorgeous labels made especially for glitter jars. She has several types to choose from and you can see them all here.


One of my favorites of Cathe's project tutorials was this custom memory card game she made using images from The Graphics Fairy. Love them!


Cathe has also grouped many of her DIY projects together, and you can find them by clicking on the lovely photo montage she created below:


I may as well say good bye to you now because once you enter Just Something I Made, you'll be there for a while! Don't forget to check out all the fun freebies she is so generously offering!


I will be using elements and ideas from all of the sites above in upcoming nostalgia inducing projects. So maybe the music won't actually make it into a project, but it will provide plenty of inspiration and motivation as I work or dream up new ideas, right? {Hmm, actually, now I'm picturing how charming some of those old lyrics would look framed or painted on a wall...My wheels are turning already!}

I hope you are inspired by these resources and please do let me know of others I would like. Thank you.:)I'll see you later this evening when I show you how my framed art project turned out!