Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sweet tThings to Ponder




I've been pretty busy this weekend. First, I caught a cold, so I figured, since I already don't feel that well, I may as well clean up my "Etsy store" a little. What a mess I can make in what was supposed to be my sewing room! But, I'm getting it reorganized. I have a LOT of fun things I've found that I've been trying to find the time to list in my Etsy and Artfire shops. So, I've been plugging away at it.
One thing that hurries me a long, is there are seasonal type things to list, and you must do it early enough. I got most of the Valentines listed that I wanted to, even some Easter while I was at it. Like I said before, I got these all in one box, from Karla in the Wallowas, I think her shop was called Jinglebobs. I want to go back. It was filled with awesome stuff! So, if you get to Eastern Oregon, be sure to stop in and see her!
Anyway, all the cards I've listed lately, were from her shop. They were all done by the same Oregon artist in the 40s. Kind of neat. Well, I had a nice lady from Japan email to see about getting several cards from me. In the course of our convos, I told her I had a lot of these, and I took photos and sent to her. So, I was going through the cards. There are a l ot of prototypes, not sure yet what I'll do with those. They feel like important history, do I want to "lose" them? They just seem special.
Well, in my searching, I came across one card that she had done for Hallmark. It was an anniversary card, and out of all these cards, it was one she had actually given to her husband on their anniversary! It reads:
"To My Hubby on our anniversary. Hubbies are fixers, cocktail mixers,
Lemon squeezers, try-to-please-ers, garden rakers, money makers,
Rodent killers, ashtray spillers, Yes, they do a lot, it's true,
To make wives love them like they do!
And honey it's sure plain to see The luckiest wife of all is ME!

She signed the card this way: "'cuz I love you more than anything, and you've made me happier than I've ever been in all my life...Virginia

Now, I wonder, was she thinking of him when she designed this card? Was he the one who inspired her in her work? Did she have a really hard life previously, and he was her hero, rescuing her from heartache? (I personally can relate to this, my husband of almost 26 years is my own rescuer, from one very hard few years of my young adult life!) Or maybe she had a wonderful childhood, didn't have any "lag" in happiness, but met her true love who made her even happier than she ever could imagine??
And where am I left, with this piece of history? If I gave it up, would anyone ever know that the one who signed the card to her husband, also designed the card? Do you see the huge responsibility before me? Yes, I'm taking it probably way too seriously, but, it's part of what junking is all about, isn't it? All this stuff has a history! A lot of it held memories for people!
I have an old primitive wood stool with the smoothest seat, that I got at a sale for $3. The older lady told me it had been her dads, and he sat on it for years at his store, he was a shopkeeper! My mind goes to the Laura Ingalls days when they sat around a wood stove and visited in those stores. My stool's not THAT old, but, you know, I have that piece of history. Every time my grandkids come and eat at my table, the grandsons always like to sit in that stool, and a flash goes through my mind, and smile in my heart, that this piece of history is still living out good times!

Friday, January 21, 2011

My Tea Towel is Featured in Stylish Homes!








Well, I was pleasantly surprised to get a convo today that my tea towel is featured in Stylish Home! So thank you Greg and crew over at Stylish Home!
What is special to me, is I've been working in my "Etsy" room, trying to get it organized, and get ready to take care of a project I've been putting off. That project, I was just starting to get photos of today! The project? I have a LOT of vintage linens that I need to list! So, I'll show you a few in the meantime, and then I'll get back to the shop! Oh, that is, after I check out Stylish Home further!! This week it's all about vintage linens, and who doesn't love that theme??

Monday, January 17, 2011

Matthew Mead is at it Again!


If you got a copy of Matthew Mead's "Holiday" magazine this winter, you will know how exciting it is to hear he is at it again. This time, it's summer! My favorite time of the year, besides spring and fall. But I can just imagine (or can I) what is in store for us in his newest publication, coming out around Mother's Day. You can only get it through his blog, and trust me, when I went to sales this winter, I took it with me to browse through during breaks, and everyone who saw it asked me where I got it. It is beautiful, and I know that the summer one will be worth waiting for!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

What's in a Valentine?




What is it that I


love about Valentines? I think part of it is the memories of making those envelopes that we taped to our desks in school, where all the kids put valentines in each others envelopes.
My mom was always a "room mother" for my class, which meant she and another mom were the one's who gave all the parties for our class. Looking back, my mom was very involved with me in my younger years of school! I can't remember going on a field trip without her, until about 5th grade. So I guess Valentines day is mixed with list of good fuzzy feelings.
I was in elementary school in the 60s, so I've always loved the era that reminds me of the Valentines I received. (The Valentines above are from a different batch I found at a great shop in the Wallowas, they're from the 1940sn 50s.)
But another thing I love about Valentines, is the RED! I love the color red. It seems so bright and cheerful to me. It's a happy color, don't you think?
To me, also, Valentine's
Day is about love. And for me, it's amazing, the love I receive from family and friends, and especially my Lord, who has shown His great love to me in more ways than I can count!
Hope your Valentines Day is bright, cheerful, and rich with love and good memories!