Vintage Valentines

Crepe paper hearts, construction paper lace and little cards tucked inside tiny white envelopes invoke a memory in most of us that never seems to grow old. The wonderful feeling of opening something addressed to you and seeing the red hearts, the handwriting and reading the sentiment, lets you know that love isn't just something people sing about on the radio. Family and friends may really agonize over Christmas presents, but Valentines give everyone the giggles and warm fuzzies as we read and select which little card goes to which person.

Grade school children will make little boxes or decorate sacks to hold all their cards and they will rush home to read them over and over again. One day at just the oddest time that box will be discovered and the memories of 3rd grade will come flooding back. It's from those little boxes put into the attic that vintage collectors will find the treasures of vintage Valentines. It seems as though the Valentines for children of the 21st century are based on the latest trend, but those cards from long ago were all about the friendship and love found in a simple statement and a bright colored image.

Imagine a watch drawn on a card with a bright shiny face and hearts floating past its eyes. The sentiment reads, "I hope you have the time, to be my Valentine." Simple and direct and so much fun.

From the love affair people have with vintage ephemera, there has sprung the love affair with vintage valentines not only being collected but being used in works of art. Altered Art, Collages and Scrap-booking have all begun to re-claim those vintage cards and give them a second life to be admired.

Rhonda Van Pelt an artist in Colorado has a love affair going with Victorian Valentines and she creates wonderful pieces based on the cards and their themes. She isn't selfish with her collection as she scans each one and puts those images online for others to enjoy.

Hammock Days is on an old embroidery hoop and is 23 x 23 inches. She utilizes not only the Valentines but vintage remnants she finds in antique shops.

Rhonda has also created covered boxes using her talents and the vintage images she has collected. She doesn't actually use her cards, but scans them and then works from her scanned images, printing them to the size she needs. The 4 x 4 box gives the effect of a patchwork quilt and shows the time consuming effort she puts into her works.

If you want to find more of Rhonda’s images and work, visit her on-line gallery. She is working on quilts from the scanned images and plans to one day have a gallery show of her work. Rhonda's collection is growing and with each vintage Valentine she collects, she adds depth to her art. She is a perfect example of how an artist can not only be a vintage collector but can also use that collection to promote bodies of work.

Another use of vintage pieces within art is exemplified in a fantastic on-line etsy shop, Blue Sky Pottery. Deb is another Colorado artist and her etsy shop shows her love of vintage and her expertise in working with vintage items to enhance her work.

According to Deb, she made a few of these heart dishes, impressing some vintage lace into the clay while it was soft. Each one is different due to the placement of the lace, how the glaze pools into the impressions, and because they are made by hand. The lacy design shows through on both sides of this very pretty dish.

She has even put vintage lace to work in her jewelry pieces. This little pendant will look fantastic on a silk cord and worn not only on the holiday but anytime of the year.

Putting your heart into your work takes on a whole new meaning when you actually put a heart in your work ! Valentines Day is about sharing your love and friendship with those around you. What better way to share the love of vintage items than to actually put something vintage into artwork.

While it may only be cutting out a heart with a pair of scissors and some construction paper to make a little sentiment a handmade Valentine speaks volumes about the care and attention you are giving to those around you each day.

Over the next few months, I hope to introduce you to many artists utilizing vintage finds in their works, wonderful vintage shops with unique items for artists and also some tips and hints on how to get vintage into your work.

Written by Vanessa of SalvageNation

Vibrant Vintage

Today I thought we would show some of those talented vintage sellers some love. Some people think selling Vintage goods is easy peasy, but I'm here to tell you it really isn't. It takes many hours of searching, researching and skill to become a good vintage seller. You need to be the kind of person that can sort through piles of goods to spot the gems that might otherwise have ended up in landfill. Quite often vintage sellers have to become good restorers too. They fix small flaws in the goods they find to give the items new life. It takes a good eye and patience to find the perfect goods to put in their shops.

This beautiful butterfly from Royal Pink Vintage is just one of a set of four printed and hand pencil coloured, framed pictures. They would look great as a set hung on a plain coloured wall to add a bit of interest.

Hey good lookin has these eye catching vases. They are such a fabulous rich orange colour of the base and the blue/green stylised leaves. I'm so glad that HGL found them and rescued them. I hope they find a good home where they will be treasured and used.

Being the pirate loving person that I am, when I saw these boots in NStyle Vintage shop I jumped for joy. Sadly they aren't my size, but they would make some other size 7 footed pirate a great buy. I hate wearing in new boots, so vintage boots would be perfect as someone else will have softened the leather up first.

This groovy vintage 1960's Kay Selig dress in Tialey Vintage shop is a fabulous find. Bright and vibrant, funky and fun. I think it would look great as an every day dress or dressed up for a night out on the town. The Joy of vintage clothing is you are very unlikely to bump into someone else with the same frock on.

Vintage isn't only about saving things because they are pretty, it can also be about saving things for historical purposes. Sharon Foster Vintage has a group of 4 vintage French postcards that show close ups of The Notre Dame Gargoyles. It's good to have records of the way wonderful buildings such as this looked over the years. I'm guessing the dates on the cards indicate the date the gargoyles were carved or put in place, because photography wasn't around in the 1700's. They are fabulous records or a gorgeous building.

Vintage is a specialist area of recycling and I'm very glad there are people out there taking the time to save all the fantastic items that others discard. Long may they carry on rooting and rummaging around for the pearls that nearly got away. I'm off to search for a pair of size 5UK pre-owned pirate boots and maybe a nice vintage military dress coat to go with them.

Written by Lynne of the Hyperloop Hoops and Pirate Pixie Crew

Artisan of the Week, Charmaine of High Desert Diva

Today we have one of my favourite bloggers as our featured artisan. This lady has much talent and a very kind heart. I know this from reading her blog, browsing her shop and from seeing her encouraging heart warming comments on my and other peoples blogs. Charmaine has a the great ability and style that enables her to see how colour, form and texture work together. Her love affair with the past seem to have lead her to sell vintage, but her great eye is what's lead her to be selling the highest quality vintage I've seen in ages.

1.Could you please introduce us to who you are and what you do?
My name is Charmaine Manley. I’m an interior decorator as well as a seller of antiques/ vintage/ found objects.

2. What led you to take up your craft?
I’ve always loved old items, their history, the workmanship involved in creating each piece, the elegance of patina, the look of a well-loved piece. I started selling antiques in 1994, mainly due to my love of flea marketing and the abundance of merchandise I was finding. I wanted to share my treasures, so I produced a show and have been selling ever since. The interior decorating came about as a result of these sales. One of my customers admired my sales display so much she asked if I would help her decorate her home. The design work quickly became a favorite, and is now the largest part of my business.

3. Which part of your work do you most enjoy?
Spending someone else’s money. Having said that, I actually specialize in bargain hunting. I love finding a good deal, or making something new out of something old to save some pennies. We’re calling it up-cycling or re-purposing now, but it’s something I’ve always done, and encourage others to do so.

4. Which part do you find hardest?
Definitely marketing myself. I’m a bit of an introvert and find it very difficult to say, “Look at me!”

5. Where do you hope to be in 1 year’s time?
Comfortably ensconced in my design niche in my new home town. Name recognition is high on my list.

6. What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Less is More. My graphic design teacher, Mike Jones, drilled this into my head 20+ years ago. I still follow this advice…

7. Name other artisans sites/shops would you recommend are worth a visit?
On Etsy:
Star of the East: specifically their brilliant use of found sea urchins in jewelry design.
Ice Kubi: the surreal mixed media images are so amazing.
Crank Bunny: unbelievable pop-up cards.
Cicada Studio: she’s designed her own line of fabric….
Truly, the Etsy list is incredibly long.

A couple extremely talented artists who aren’t Etsians:
Datamancer: makes Steampunk computer keyboards that I covet.
Su Blackwell’s paper cut art is absolutely astonishing.

8. What is your favourite sandwich filling?
Currently I’m obsessed with herbed goat cheese, usually I’ll add sliced turkey and lettuce.

So as you can see from the photos Charmaine's work is of such a high quality that she gets full double page spread articles about her featured in magazines! Someone with such passion about her craft deserves to succeed. Go and have a look around her shop and see for yourself the fabulous items she has found for you.

One more time!

What is the most environmentally friendly product you can think of? Well I'd like to suggest vintage. Resale of goods that have already been used has got to be very environmental friendly. Thank goodness there are lots of people out there that love to find old goodies, dust them off and make them usable again.

VintageVacation is one such person. She has a self confessed lover of vintage towelling which she has taken and turned into these sexy bikinis. This one is just one example of the current selection in her shop and I'm sure you will agree that they are beautiful, as is her model.

This pattern, for sale in TheBirchTree's shop is from the 1950's. The style of babies clothes have changed a little since then, but not so much that if you made these and gave them to a new mum she wouldn't be thrilled. I love the shape of the top jacket very much. It would look fabulous in a knitted up in bright coloured reclaimed wool.

Abibansaldesign has transformed some stunning 1970's fabric into a gorgeous, stylish and useful bag. As the fabric is very limited it also means that you know the likelihood of meeting someone with the same bag is very unlikely. Great for those people that like to show their individual side.

There is a huge market out there selling vintage jewellery, and why wouldn't their be?As Luxedeluxe shows us with this stunning piece, there are some amazingly pretty, well made items still around, just looking for new homes. The gorgeous patina and shape scream quality vintage.

I'm a bit of a button lover and when I stumbled on these green wooden vintage buttons I smiled, because I just knew I had to feature them here. Vinpapa has saved these buttons so they can live again to adorn another garment... maybe one of mine! By the time you check her shop they maybe gone.

Ooooooooohow I love this hat from VintageKitty's shop. It has such an elegant style to it. I think if it were in black I would have paid for it and been begging for it to be in the post to me all ready. As it is, in it's camel colour it will have to wait for someone else who also loves it to come along and give it a new home... I doubt it will be waiting very long.

Vintage isn't just about great style and fabulous craftsmanship. It's about reusing goods and giving them new life. It is one of the most perfect forms of recycling there can be.