Saturday, November 13, 2010

Victorian Valentines . . .

No, you have not stepped into a time machine. . . it is November, 2010 and not February, nor is it the Victorian Era, although I have been doing some studying of that time period and I have such fun things to share! Thank you for stopping by my blog for the Operation Write Home Valentine's blog hop - this Veteran's Day weekend we are celebrating by making Valentines for the troops! If you have come here from Ronda's place - Musings at the Button Box -  then you are on the right path!

Here is my little goody to share and a little lesson too. I got this fantastic book of Victorian clip art from my good friend Janice in Texas. I haven't done much with Victorian style images, and so I started doing a little research. What I found has entertained me for weeks - here are a few tidbits about Valentines in the Victorian era!

  • Handmade Valentines were HUGELY popular in the Victorian Era (1830-1901) - so much so that they were more of a big deal in their time than Christmas cards. The people of Victorian times would spend hours, even days. . . and sometimes a small fortune making these very special cards for their loved ones. New technology during this time - like beautiful embossed and sanded papers, colorful lithographs from Europe, and fancy calligraphy were all beautiful parts of these early hand made cards! Victorian Valentines were such a big deal that it was common for ladies to recieve one as the means of a marraige proposal. . . elaborate Valentines that were several inches thick were sometimes given in boxes along with gifts like gloves, pressed flowers, or if you really wished to show someone your affection, you included a lock of your own hair!

  • Girls made Valentines for their sisters. Mothers made Valentines for their children, and young men made them for ladies who were the object of their desire. It was not considered to be proper for a young single lady to make a Valentine for a man - but if she recieved several, she might have to choose which suitor's Valentine was the best! There are tales of ladies sending Valentines to their husbands who were gone to war - and of sailors making Valentines for their wives using sea shells and coral. What a fantastic likening to our cause at Operation Write Home!

  •  I spent a lot of time pondering the other materials of the time -  Victorian Valentines would have been made from pieces of  tissue, exquisite lace, satin ribbons. . . I found references to the use of balsa wood, feathers, beads, gems and gold leaf. . . a card makers' stash of supplies must have rivaled what we have available even today! Oh what I would give to travel back in time to see some of these things! Victorian Valentines could include pop-ups, spinning parts, birds' wings that flutter - a mirror in the center to reflect the face of the recipient, and verses and sentiments - lovingly penned in a time when penmanship was considered to be in itself, a work of art. 
So here is my take on a Victorian style valentine (sans lock of hair). I encourage you to try this style yourself by using any number of Victorian style embelishments that are available right now, there are many! To give a few ideas, I did shop in the cake decorating aisle of the craft store to buy some different sizes and shapes of doily kinds of papers. Mount these by cutting them into strips and using paper and foam squares to add dimension. Other things to use from your stash: dried flowers, feathers, beads, pearl accents, gold foil papers, ornate buttons and pieces of velvet and silk ribbons - hat pins are also a lovely accent. I would love to see what you come up with!


A little blog candy: leave me a comment today if you have enjoyed your stay and in return I will choose randomly one winner to get a Victorian Valentine Kit. Be sure to leave me a way to contact you via blog or email. Due to cost I will only be able to provide shipping within the USA. 

Now off you go Boni's page - Dude Time Doodles!!! . . . and thank you for stopping by!

If you have a moment, stop here to see some more examples of some beautiful Victorian cards. The Candice Hern website itself is amazing, I could spend forever just reading and learning . . .

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62 comments:

Boni Boutelle-Jones said...

Nancy the kit if FAB!! Love all the vintage details!

Operation Write Home said...

Ohwowowowow! Beauuuuutiful vintage card, Nancy! YUMMMY!

Holly / InkPaperStamps said...

Onh my goodness, your Valentine is exquisite, Nancy! And thank you for all the background info--it's a treat to learn some of the traditions of this pastime. . . .

Anne Temple said...

This card is beautiful!! I know the recipient will love it!

RobinH said...

wow that card is so pretty!
I've been interested in the vintage look myself lately, but I can never get the cards to look as great as yours
thanks for sharing

Sharon Huffman said...

Lovely card! I used some heart doilies on some of the cards shown in my slide show on today's hop. What fun!

Ronda Archangelo said...

Howdy neighbor...my placement of html to embolden your link disabled it apparently but it's working correctly now. My apologies!!! I love your fun blog and Valentine history lesson. It has inspired me to find my Victorian images and get busy. Thanks so much.

Betty said...

OMGosh this is stunning!!! Well done :)

Janet said...

Thanks for the inspiration!

Lisa said...

Your card is beautiful! Thank you for sharing the info about Victorian cards :)

Julie said...

Beautiful card, I love that vintage style.

Christine said...

I love the vintage look!
cwins89203@aol.com

Rhonda Miller said...

Wow, what a great card. TFS.

Patti said...

Your card is beautiful. Great design and embellishments.

Cleota said...

Fabulous kit!! Thanks for the chance to win one.

Megan said...

bautiful card!!! i love this style!!! great job!! =o)

Hetty said...

Hello Nancy, I adore your card. Beautiful all these layers and the frame around the rose. Greetings from The Netherlands.

stefeni said...

Oh my goodness, that card is beautiful! Very victorian era.

spunkycrayon at yahoo dot com

Doris T. said...

Beautiful card! Thanks for the lesson too :)
Doris
MomsBeenScrappin at yahoo dot com

K. Joy said...

How pretty! The doilies and roses add a special touch to the card. Thanks for sharing!! :)

Jean B in PA said...

Thanks for the info on Victorian Valentines! I think I have some doilies around and will have to experiment with them. My e-mail is pearx2 at zoominternet dot net.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous card and what interesting information. Thanks for joining in the blog hop.

Heidi said...

Beautiful card! THank you for sharing, I am going to try some of those ideas. I love the old vintage cards, and I think this really hearkens back to those.

Maureen V said...

Absolutely breathtaking! THis is gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Hi friend. Just had to tell you how much your cards rock :) I would sure like to be the recipient of a card as beautiful as yours. Thanks for sharing the history, fascinating times indeed xxx

LesleyfromWI said...

Wow....this is simply stunning! You are going to make someone very happy with this card. Love it.

Karen Howard said...

Gorgeous card, love the victorian image and lace! Hugs, Karen

Attegirl said...

Absolutely beautiful!! Love the vintage look!

Seongsook Duncan said...

Oh... wow.. beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration.

Ann said...

Wow!! That card is breathtaking! Thank you for sharing!

Cindy's Card Co said...

Your card is beautiful. A lot of work went into that card.

Elin K. said...

Amazing! I love Victorian cards, and have a few cherished family heirloom ones. Lovely work!

Elin K.
kovash001@hotmail.com

Ronda S said...

You have really captured the Victorian style! Beautiful card.
mum2eight(at)hotmail(dot)com

grandmalee said...

ANother beautiful creation!! I love all of the doily layers and the pearls look perfect with the roses! TFS!!

Judy Jackson said...

A beautiful victorian Valentine! OWH rocks -- and I voted!

Lisa said...

Elegant and lovely!!

Paula S. said...

Fantastic post Nancy! That Valentine is truly a work of art. Stunning! I am so glad you joined the OWH hop.

Lynn said...

Love the card.....it is so Victorian!

Samantha said...

Very vintage and very beautiful! I agree with Paula in it being a work of art!

Lori said...

wow! what a beautiful card!

Sherry H said...

Nancy, you truly captured the Victorian style and colors!! Your card is just beautiful. I enjoyed what you wrote about the history of Valentines; thanks!!

Dixie Cochran said...

Nancy, I loved learning about the Victorian Valentines! This hop has been educational in so many ways! Like you, I'd like to travel back in time and see some of those Valentines. Your card is simply gorgeous! Thank you for hopping with us today!

Ann said...

Thanks for the Victorian lesson. We are going to be staying in a Victorian B&B soon so that will be added inspiration.

annjerryk at aol dot com

BobbisTreasure said...

Thanks for supporting OWH! Fun blog!
BobbisTreasure@aol.com

Kelly Latevola said...

So elegant. I love all the info you included it was so interesting. Thanks for the chance to win

Kelly1801us@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

Your card is gorgeous. I love the Victorian look. Thanks for the chance to win & thanks for the research.
suly312@gmail.com

KarenS said...

Beautiful card. Thanks for sharing the information about Victorian valentines!

Janis said...

Love your blog! I, too, am so excited to find others who are passionate about OWH, but to find a CTMH sister who is... WOW!!! Love it! There needs to be more of us!

Jan Hunnicutt said...

Wow Nancy... your card is just gorgeous! I had to click to make it bigger to I could fully appreciate it ;), I love it!

Thanks for telling us about the Victorian Valentine's too. I have a box of Valentine's that were my grandma's from the early 1900's they are really something.

Christine said...

great card and thanks for the little Victorian history lesson - thanks for supporting OHW

Paula said...

An exceptional lovely card. Love the Victorian!

Anonymous said...

This is an exquisite Victorian card....love it. It is elegant and feminine. (xyzcaseyatyahoo.com)

loyaz said...

Oh my - I would love to have supplies and be able to learn to create something like your exquisite creation. Thank you for sharing and for this fun opportunity.DianeL
loyaz at wbhsi dot net
http://loyaz1.blogspot.com/

Heather Grow said...

Gorgeous card, Nancy. And, thanks for sharing the history of Valentines.

Meg Bean said...

What a beautiful Valentine!

helloholley said...

Oh my goodness.....this is so gorgeous and elegant....love it!!! I really liked learning about Valentines too;)

Paper Sewn Visions said...

Love your card it's ver beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Heather D. ~ Fresh Brewed Designs said...

I am not commenting to get in on the candy. I am very late to the party! I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I think it is so wonderful to see so many people get together for a wonderful organization such as OWH. Your Victorian card is BEAUTIFUL!!!
God bless.

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