Marigold photos

I have pretty much skipped the garden centre this year and have been attempting to grow everything from seed. 

So far the only things growing are herbs and Marigolds.  The bunnies have pretty much eaten all the veggie leaves that have sprouted and the squirrels literally dug up and took off with the peanut plant. I don't mind. I enjoy seeing the little critters and don't mind if they help themselves to a snack.

So until something else pops up in the garden I will be snapping Marigold pictures.

Free Canadian Genealogy Links - Ontario

Free Canadian Genealogy Links - Ontario 

*I haven't posted about genealogy for a while and noticed many of the research links I use are now outdated or no longer exist. So I am starting from scratch with a new list of sites. If you know of a free / or own a genealogy site not listed please let me know and I will add it.

 I try to stick to the free stuff and  FYI...a good percentage of the records on the "Paid" sites are available for free in other places..you just have to do a little digging. I do use the paid subscription sites now and then, especially if I have a tree to do in a hurry. Paid sites like ancestry make it super easy to find information, but for my own trees, I prefer to take my time and research the old fashioned way.  Genealogy is like a puzzle and to me, it is not very fun if you are given all the answers right away.

*This list of links is an ongoing Work In Progress so please check back often for updates :)

• Toronto City Directories   When I first got into genealogy about 30 years ago, one of my favourite things to do was go to the Toronto Research Library and go through the old directories on microfilm. You can now view most of them online thanks to The Toronto Genealogy Society  

• The Ontario Genealogy Society has a new search engine that is pretty cool.  It is called The Ontario Name Index (TONI) and currently has about 5 million records indexed. TONI is an index, it doesn't contain the information, just tells you where to find the information.  Most of them are cemetery records but I'm sure that will change as it is added to.

• Our Ontario -  I have found a wealth of information on this site including business advertisements posted by my ancestors more than a century ago. Newspapers are one of the best sources for Genealogy and Our Ontario has a large database of local newspaper archives. They also have photos, documents, maps, all relating to Ontario history. Be prepared to get lost for hours on this page. 

• Ontario and Upper Canada Genealogy and History - This is a great free resource for Ontario research. Lots of good stuff here including Insane Asylum databases.

Sunsets

Who doesn't love sunsets? It is hard to resist snapping photos of free artwork in the sky. I have taken hundreds of sunsets pictures over the years. Here are some of my favourites. Most were taken on a phone.

Schleich Toys

I've recently discovered the Schleich brand of toys and now I am obsessed.  For plastic animal figures, they are very well detailed and pretty close to 1:12 inch scale.

The company was founded in Germany in 1935 and is one of the largest manufacturers of toy figurines.  I'm sooo bummed that it took me this long to discover them.

The main reason I collect figures is for photography.  I photograph the miniatures I make myself on a daily basis (for selling online ) but taking photos of toys is just for fun. 

Schleich Cow photographed with a Google Pixel and edited in Snapseed - Redwood Retro

I like to use other toy brands as well.  When I found this lovely creature in the garden, I couldn't resist posing it on a Hot Wheels car  (yes, I collect those too lol).

Free Dollhouse Printable Bingo sheets 1:12 scale

These bingo sheets are my first attempt in making printable minis. 

I'm very happy how they looked once printed and cut.

Right click and choose save as to save the full size image to your hard drive.

This weeks Minis!

I've been experimenting with some different cookie styles this week. I really love how the ones with the silver sprinkles turned out. If I make more of those ones I'm going to have to get stronger reading glasses because those tiny balls are really hard to focus my eyes on lol.

This lot is currently available on ebay

Scrapbooking Freebies - Vintage B&W Easter Graphics

Easter and Spring graphics scanned from vintage newspapers.

6 Websites/ Blogs with Free Easter Scrapbooking Graphics

Happy Spring!!! (fingers crossed) I'm always afraid that if I put the winter gear into storage it will trigger a snowstorm. :)

Here are 6 sites I have come across this month looking for spring / Easter inspiration. If you love vintage stuff the first link ( NYPL) is beyond awesome.

The New York Public Library 

The NYPL Digital Collection has an extensive database of holiday postcards and greeting cards for you to download. Currently, the collection has almost 300 Easter images. The backs and insides of the original cards/postcards have been scanned too! Make sure you check out the rest of the library's digital archive. Historical papers, books, maps..just an amazing site!!!

Mr Printables Easter Papers 

Adorable papers to print for Easter. This page has cute frames too!

Chantahlia Designs

Beautiful blog with lots of scrapbooking papers and elements

Super Coloring

This site has almost 50,000 free colouring sheets and paper crafts.  The Easter Mandalas are my favourite

Pixabay

Pixabay is an amazing database of over a million free images and royalty free stock photos. 

The Graphics Fairy

One of my favourite sites! This is the go-to blog for crafters and DIYers.

Junk Journal Printables - 1930's Movie / Film Ads

Vintage Newspaper Movie Ads

1930s

These would be great in a memory book or junk journal. 

I have printed these ones out to use as colouring sheets.