Okay, St. Patrick’s Day is the day after tomorrow, and despite all the green and green beer, it was originally a celebration of one of Ireland’s patron saints. So, today, tomorrow, and on the day itself, I’m going to feature images of St. Patrick.

The first is actually an illustration of a Mardi Gras float from New Orleans. It’s from the booklet commemorating the 1940 inaugural parade of the Krewe of Babylon. It shows Float #12, which depicts St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland.

Illustration of a float showing St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland, from a booklet commemorating the first Mardi Gras parade of the Krewe of Babylon, New Orleans, LA. 1940. From Wikimedia Commons

Despite the fact that many traditional illustrations show St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland, the legend actually has no basis in fact. Rather, Ireland’s became an island before snakes became part of its ecology, and so it has never had snakes. But the legend that there were snakes until St. Patrick drove them out persists, partially because it is an allegory of St. Patrick’s conversion of the Irish to Christianity (the snake being the symbol of the Devil, an image taken from the book of Genesis).

Click on the image to see it / download it full sized.

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1940, animal, animals, children, color, daily public domain, float, free, graphics, green, holiday, horse, illustration, image, Ireland, Krewe of Babylon, ladies, man, March 17, Mardi Gras, men, New Orleans, parade, Patrick, public domain, saint, Saint Patrick, Saint Patrick's Day, shamrock, snakes, St. Patrick, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia, women

Yesterday, a new pope was elected, and he took the name Francis as his papal name. So today, I have an images of St. Peter (considered by Catholics to be the first pope) and St. Francis of Assisi – model of Holy Poverty, founder of the Franciscan Order, and source of the new Pope’s name.

Icon of St. Peter, 6th c., found at St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt. From Wiki Commons.

13th century painting of St. Francis of Assisi, showing his stigmata (wounds like those of Christ), unknown Italian painter(s), 1235×1240. From WikiCommons.

Miniature woodcut of St. Francis of Assisi, from the Nuremburg Chronicle (German), 1493. From Wiki Commons.

Click on the images to see them / download them full sized.

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 13th c., 1493, 15th c., 6th c., color, daily public domain, DPD, Francis, Franciscans, free, German, Germany, graphics, icon, image, Italian, Italy, man, medieval, men, Nuremburg Chronicle, painting, PD, pope, portrait, public domain, Rome, St. Francis, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Peter, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia, woodcut

It was brought up to me, nicely (thank you, Spearcarrier!) , that it was taking a long time for someone to log in if they wanted to post a comment. I went and checked the defaults, changed a few things, and hopefully it will get easier.

I think I still have it set that I have to approve a comment before it shows UNLESS I’ve approved a comment by you previously – but that’s just because I still do get a lot of “spam” comments. So if you are a first time poster, it won’t show your comment right away. I hope, though, that my changes do make it easier to post.

If it still gives you too much trouble, please consider emailing me at: inquiries@tidbitstrinkets.com.

Thanks,

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: apology, blog, changes, comments, posting, sorry

I would like to draw the attention of my readers (who, though quiet, I know are out there) to a great resource for copy-right free graphics. Please check them out!

12000+ free images!

Please check them out, and though the images are free, you can help the site by buying the download of all the images in the site for $10 (which helps support the site). You can also download certain smaller collections of images from the site by completing a survey. (Many surveys are followed by offers, but once the download is started you can close the offer without doing it.)

Enjoy!

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, bw, color, copyright free, downloads, free, graphics, illustration, image, line drawing, link, PD, photograph, png, public domain, vintage

Okay, so I missed out on posting things for St. Valentine’s Day because I am so behind. I apologize and will happily post belated Valentine themed graphics if people request them! But otherwise, I think I will just have to soldier on!

I have one other apology to make! I have so many graphics and have been doing this blog for so long now, that I don’t remember all the graphics I’ve put up on it. (I am planning a review but haven’t had a chance yet…) So.. if I accidentally repeat a graphic you’ve seen before, I apologize! I’ll try not to do that!

Today’s image was rather risqué when it was printed. It shows a staged image that is meant to look like the lady in the photo is on the street but is clearly a studio photo. She’s hiked up her skirt and is adjusting her stocking.

This is the 1908 equivalent of a slightly racy pin-up. Remember that this was the era when girls were taught in gym class how to get on the streetcar without showing more than just a hint of their ankles.

Staged photograph marked “The Bank Deposit Consolidated Art Co., Boston”, c. 1908. Photographer unknown. Library of Congress Digital Collections LC-USZ62-61246.

Click on the image to see it / download it full sized.

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1908, bw, daily public domain, DPD, Edwardian, feathers, free, graphics, hat, image, lady, Library of Congress, LOC, PD, photograph, pinup, public domain, socks, stockings, Victorian, woman

I meant to post about Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) yesterday, seeing as yesterday was Mardi Gras. But I was busy with other things, and I am very behind on my blog….

So, today is Ash Wednesday, and I decided I will post both about Mardi Gras and Carnival and Ash Wednesday all together today.

Ash Wednesday, as you probably know, is the first day of the season of Lent – the time of prayer and penance before Easter in some Christian communities. The name comes from the fact that worshipers have a cross of ashes placed on their forehead during services today. The ashes come from the remains of the previous years blessed palms (from Palm Sunday), which are burnt and made into a paste, which is then applied, along with a blessing, to the foreheads of the faithful.

Electronics Tech 3rd Class Leila Tardieu receives ashes during Ash Wednesday services aboard the USS Wasp, 6 Feb. 2008. Photo by Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian May. US Navy Photo ID 080206-N-7869M-057. Public domain.

Ash Wednesday cross. Photo by Jennifer Balaska, 22 Feb 2012. Released into Public Domain by author, from Wikimedia Commons.

Detail of the watercolor painting ‘Ash Wednesday’, by Julian Falat (1853-1929), 1881. From Wikimedia Commons.

Ash Wednesday is, of course, proceeded by the rather wild celebration of Carnival, which culminates in Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday. From the Middle Ages on, Carnival was both a way of having a bit of fun before the solemn season of Lent began, and an opportunity for social commentary. This is still seen in modern times, when Carnival / Mardi Gras floats often satirize current political events and leaders. Of course, many Mardi Gras floats in New Orleans are simply rolling fantasies – as each “Krewe” presents a themed parade.

A group of masked revelers on Frenchman St, New Orleans, LA. Photo by John N. Teunisson, published 9 Feb 1910 in the New Orleans Times-Democrat. From Wikimedia Commons.

Composite photo of various masked Mardi Gras revelers, New Orleans, LA, published 9 Feb 1910 in the New Orleans Times-Democrat. From Wikimedia Commons.

Bulletin showing the Mardi Gras floats of the Krewe Rex, New Orleans, 1913. From Wikimedia Commons

Float with a Robin Hood theme from the Krewe of Proteus parade, New Orleans, LA, 1916. From Wikimedia Commons.

Float depicting Pinocchio, from the Krewe of Momus Mardi Gras parade, which had a theme of “Fairy Tales”, New Orleans, LA, 1916. From Wikipedia Commons.

Float from the Krewe of Comus Mardi Gras parade, New Orleans, LA, 1916. From Wikimedia Commons.

Design for a Mystick Krewe of Comus float in the shape of a giant frog, New Orleans, 1912. From Wikimedia Commons.

Many of the Krewes are also social clubs and masked balls are also a part of the Mardi Gras tradition in New Orleans. These balls are by invitation only, unlike the parades and the general street festival. Most balls traditionally include a “King” and a “Queen” and their “Court”. All participants are, as a rule, masked at the balls. Not all of the Krewes which present balls present parades, and some balls, like that of the Krewe of Olympians, also serve to present debutantes, who serve as the “Queen” or maids in the “Court”.

Invitation to the ball of the Krewe of Olympians, 1916. From Wikimedia Commons.

Card required for entrance to the Krewe of Olympians ball, 1917. From Wikimedia Commons.

Dance card from the Krewe of Rex ball, 1916. From Wikimedia Commons.

Invitation to the ball of the Mystick Krewe of Comus, 1916. From Wikimedia Commons.

Invitation in the shape of a butterfly to the Twelfth Night Revelers ball, 1912. From Wikimedia Commons.

King, Queen, and Court in full regalia at the Krewe of Osiris ball, 22 Feb 1939. Photo by WPA photographer and public domain. From Wikimedia Commons.

Whew, this has been quite a long post, but I am giving you all the Mardi Gras images I meant to give you in the last two weeks all at once today! One last image for you:

Le Bal Masqué (The Masked Ball), by Albert Lynch (1851-1912). From Wikimedia Commons.

As always, click on image to see it / download it full-sized.

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1909, 1912, 1916, 1917, Ash Wednesday, ashes, ball, butterfly, bw, carnival, children, Christian, color, cross, daily public domain, debutante, DPD, Edwardian, Fat Tuesday, Feb, February, float, free, frog, graphics, holiday, holy day, illustration, image, invitation, Krewe, ladies, lady, Lent, Mardi Gras, mask, masks, men, Navy, New Orleans, painting, parade, PD, photograph, public domain, Robin Hood, Spring, Victorian, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia, Winter, woman, women, worship, WPA

St. Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching, so I thought I would go see what was out there in the world of crafting! What I found were some fun and interesting tutorials by my fellow crafty bloggers. So here I am to share these fun finds with you.

First up, we have a tutorial for a lovely paper heart garland from Chandra over at Oh Lovely Day, a blog devoted to crafts and DIY for weddings. But the heart garland works for Valentine’s Day also!

Heart Garland at Oh Lovely Day.

Paper Heart Garland Tutorial

Next up is a fun and funky Valentine Heart Wreath made with a wire coat hanger and strips of fabric, from Desirée at The 36th Avenue:

Heart Wreath on The 36th Avenue

Heart Wreath Tutorial

And finally, a fun little tutorial on tags with stitched hearts for your Valentine gifts, cards, or scrapbook pages, from Kelly Rowe over at Live, Laugh, Rowe:

Stitched Heart Tag Tutorial

Stitched Heart Tutorial

Have fun exploring the web and making things for Valentine’s Day!

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: DIY, fabric, Feb 14, February, February 14, garland, hearts, how to, love, party, scrapbook, scrapbooking, stitching, tags, technique, tut, tutorial, valentine, Valentine's Day, wedding, Winter, wreath

When I was a senior in high school, 26 years ago, an event shocked the nation. This was before we had shockers like the Waco, Texas standoff; the Oklahoma City Bombing, the shootings at Columbine High School, the 9/11 attacks, and the recent spate of terrible shootings that included the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy.

On January 28, 1986, our complacent attitude about the amazing achievement that is space travel quite literally exploded moments after the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. On national TV, millions of people watched in horror as the shuttle exploded over the Gulf of Mexico.

The cause was later determined to have been a faulty O-ring in the shuttles boosters. The Shuttle Program recovered, and despite another Shuttle tragedy during the landing of the Shuttle Columbia in 2003, the Space Shuttles were, for 30 years (1981-2011), the standard method of putting US astronauts into space. The six Shuttles were Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery,  Endeavour, and Enterprise.

The Shuttles became so iconic of US space travel that a picture of one ended up on the Florida commemorative quarter, and the towing of one has been used in a truck commercial.

But today, we remember the 5 astronauts and 1 teacher who lost their lives in the Challenger tragedy of 1986, and by proxy, all those who have, around the world, lost their lives in the pursuit of space exploration.

The US Space Shuttle Challenger explodes during launch, killing all aboard, 28 January 1986. NASA PD photograph, from Wikimedia Commons.

Hearse carrying the bodies of the Challenger crew after the explosion. January, 1986. PD Nasa photograph, from Wikimedia Commons.

The names of those who lost their lives in the Challenger Explosion were:

• Pilot, Mike Smith
• Commander, Dick Scobee
• Mission Specialist, Ron McNair
• Mission Specialist, Ellison S. Onizuka
• Payload Specialist, Greg Jarvis
• Mission Specialist, Judy Resnik
• Teacher in Space Participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe

Click on the images to see them / download them full-sized.

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1986, Challenger, color, daily public domain, death, DPD, explosion, free, graphics, hearse, image, January, memorial, Nasa, photograph, public domain, Shuttle, space, space program, tragedy, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia

Today is Australia’s “Independence Day”, officially called “Australia Day”. It it celebrated on the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788. Although the name of Australia Day did not become official until the early 1900s, celebrations of this date as the founding date of Australia go back to at least 1818 in New South Wales.

We wish all of our Australian readers a happy holiday and offer the following Australian-themed graphics:

Animated Australian flag, from Wikimedia Commons.

Post WWII Australian stamp featuring the Australian flag and a Dove of Peace. From Wikimedia Commons.

Young Australia float from the Australia Day Parade in Brisbane, 1921. From Wikimedia Commons.

Click on the images to see them / download them full-sized.

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: .gif, .jpg, 1921, animated, Australia, Australia Day, Brisbane, bw, children, daily public domain, DPD, flag, float, free, graphics, history, holiday, illustration, image, independence, parade, PD, photo, photograph, stamp, Summer, Wiki Commons, Winter