Alter Those Ancestors Blogiversary & Give-Away

As much as I appreciate the simple beauty of those photographs from days gone by, I also can't resist "making them my own."
I especially enjoy CDV's , or cartes de visites. Carte de visite photographs are small prints mounted on thick boards that were wildly popular in the late 1800's. Part of their popularity was their size (2&1/2"x4") and durability. Some of the same reasons I like them so much today. They're one of the few collectibles (and I have many) that take little space. Altering them is fun too, about the same size as an atc.


I achieved this transformation by first using tracing paper to mask those portions of the photo I didn't want painted or inked.



Using gouache paint, I colored the background, then stamped using various stamps on the dried paint. Embellishments included collage images and dresden trim.








In an old Yahoo group (now defunct) we made collaborative books with our altered cdv's.


This gorgeous cover of my book was created by Sharon McAllister, from the UK.

Doesn't this look like fun? And if you've never attempted altered art before, this is a great starter canvas. So in honor of my one month blogiversary I'd like to host a giveaway. Do one simple thing to enter: become a vintage dragonfly follower! If you'd like to leave a comment, please do. I appreciate the feedback.


I will happily send the winner (selected by random.org on May 20th) the 4 cdv's, flowers, scrabble tiles, lace, vintage seam binding and ribbon pictured above.

I have some additional cdv's listed in my Etsy shop, linked on my sidebar.
Good Luck and thanks so much for taking the time to check out my blog.