The Proposal…

A lazy afternoon in  1935.  A young woman, home from work at the family store to eat her lunch hears the door bell ring.

(Vintage mailman image found online.)

Waiting for her at the door is the postman with a small package and a letter…  “Sign three times please…here, here…and here.”

Recognizing the name on the envelope, she excitedly—but carefully—opens it…What could be in the package?  Perfume?!



In the note from the man she secretly loved, a request.  Please open the package and put the ring on your left hand…“Will you marry me?”

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A couple of years earlier, Velda had left home for an opportunity to work and learn to serve others away from home in Portland, Oregon.  There, she met a young man from Alberta, Canada—Dow. 



Working together for a while, they began to care for each other quite a lot…but nothing was said then, and it was soon time for Velda to return home.  Dow stayed on in Portland, working in a bank.
A family trip from Canada down to Mexico with a stop in Mesa, Arizona…it was on the way, after all!  Families met…the acquaintance rekindled…feelings hadn’t changed…then on again to Mexico.



As quickly as could happen after the family trip was over, and all were back at home, a letter and a special package were sent from Oregon to Arizona…

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Ring newly placed on her finger, paper and pen quickly grabbed for her joyful reply…



“Happy?  It’s choking me!  How will I ever manage to write this note?”



“The ring is gorgeous, mister dear, only much to beautiful for my homely hands.”



“It’s useless to say more now, my brain is in too much of a whirl. I’m sure I’m not deserving of such happiness…”



“All my love, Velda”

Many more words were actually written in the small, three-page note, written in Velda’s tiny, immaculate handwriting--I just chose a few of my favorites…

I so wish I had a copy of Dow’s proposal letter, but so glad we have  Velda’s answer…

Another page made today for my heritage scrapbook…the beautiful “Love Letters” image and sweet cupid are from Crafty Secrets’ new and gorgeous “Love Mail” Creative Scraps.

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend…
Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Love Mail,Proposal,Velda Stapley Ostlund,Dow Ostlund,heritage scrapbook

First Lessons…

(Vintage image found online)

Hello, my friends!

Another blustery day here in my part of California…hope your weather is improving!

Just one project to share with you  today…another inspired by those I love who came before me…

 

I have so much fun with these amazing 3D Shadowbox cards from Crafty Secrets!  As I’ve told you before…they are wonderful creation of the very talented Vicki Chrisman…

The subject of this shadowbox…early childhood needlework lessons…

Many, many loving (and patient!) lessons on sewing were given to my young mother by her mother, Velda…

I love this newspaper photo & write-up…while a bit younger than Karen (Mom) would have started her sewing lessons, it’s such an adorable photo of mother and daughter together…

Other memories…

Mom’s grandmother, Anna, giving her first knitting lessons to Karen (Mom) when she was just 4 years old…

(image found online)

Anna took two nails--just the right size to be held by chubby, little-girl hands--filed them down so they weren’t too sharp for her little granddaughter, and began to teach…

…a photo of Mom about that age, holding her beloved doll, “Czechoslovakia Sue” (quite a name to be chosen by a little girl!), wearing her first knitted creation (with LOTS of help from Grammie Anna!)…a sweet little purple vest, which the doll always wore.

*(In just talking to Mom about the name of her doll, she remembers that it was about the time of the start of WWII, and she recalls hearing “Czechoslovakia” on the radio a lot, and guesses she just liked the sound of it!)*

Anna was the one who also presented my mother with a precious sewing keepsake…

Anna, born in 1882, was given this beautiful silk sewing kit when she was about 10 years old, in 1892…

We don’t know who gave this little kit to her, as her mother passed away the year previously…some kind and motherly benefactor, most likely…

One year short of 130 years old, this hangs today in my mother’s room on her armoir…no hiding in a box or cedar chest…heirlooms always out in the open for all to love and touch…such a gift to FEEL history…

…loved through the years…a bit threadbare in places, but beautiful, nonetheless…When I was a little girl, I remember taking it into my room, sitting on my bed with it, and carefully feeling the softness of the silk, looking through the beautiful blue bead in the light of my window…a treasure, carefully kept…

…a silken cord-wrapped bracelet with simple blue glass bead attached…the perfect size for a little girl’s wrist…

The lovely pink, silk pouch with bone toggles, and just a little bit of embroidery left to be seen…

…still containing three VERY old pins…

…and the little snips kept in their own pouch…

…still sharp as a razor (I tried them!)

Here’s Mom about the age she was when given the sewing kit by Anna, around 1949…holding Anna’s childhood doll that she was given that I’ve told you about before (even older than the sewing kit!)

Such precious treasures entrusted to one so young…but one who understood and kept them ever so carefully to share with those she would love in the future…

More of my Shadowbox card…

All three images used are from Crafty Secrets’ “Sew Nice” Creative Scraps (LOVE this set!)

Here’s the center panel, with 3D frame…complete with curtains, of course!  (Sorry about all the shadows—no sun today!)

…a little “tie-back”, courtesy of Platinum Stickles…

Topped off with three homemade (and imperfect—just the way I like them!) rosettes of lovely, old seam binding, dyed with a few shades of Glimmer Mist…

…the same seam binding gathered and tied in a bow on each side panel…

…finished off by a row of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons, stitched with the same color…

 

What loving first lessons do you remember being given? 

That’s all I have for you today…hope your day is beautiful in everyway…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,sewing,knitting,Anna Meier Brandley Ostlund,Velda Stapley Ostlund,Karen Ostlund Smith,vintage sewing kit

Crafty Secrets’ Design Team Party Theme Challenge

Hello, my friends!

What a busy, wonderful weekend we had…and yes…we DID get some snow here (just a little)!  Caused quite I commotion, I can tell you!

Well, today’s another fun Crafty Secrets’ Design Team Challenge…this time we’re going with a Party/Birthday theme…so many possibilities!

Again…I have to apologize for the horrible lighting on these photos…the sun just hasn’t been cooperating lately…oh, well!

I’ve got a few party projects to share with you today—first:

A fun, easy birthday card for a girlfriend using a retro magazine cover image from Crafty Secrets’ “Girlfriends” Creative Scraps…

I sparkled up the confetti and streamers on the image with a little iridescent glitter,

 

…framed everything with platinum Stickles, added buttons and ribbon to make the card look like a wrapped gift…easy peasy!

And here’s another girlfriend birthday card…

…a beautiful flapper era image from Crafty Secrets’ “Girlfriends” Images & Journal Notes.  Nothing too complicated on this one…

…sometimes just one perfect button really makes your project pop!   Love this vintage mother-of-pearl button with a darker rainbow colors…

…more iridescent glitter on the confetti in the image and some decorative framing with platinum Stickles.

And lastly, I couldn’t let this challenge get away without making a special birthday page for my heritage scrapbook…not too far in the past this time!

My wonderful husband Roger’s birthday was just yesterday, and I made this page to commemorate a couple of birthdays past for him…again…sorry about the lighting on these…kinda throws off the colors!

This page showcases Roger and two of his boyhood birthday parties…one in 1970, when he was 6…

…Roger is the adorable little pirate, front left, in the red shirt and eye patch!

Here he is again at his party in 1972…

…8 years old now…in the back row, blue shirt.  A head taller than most of his buddies!

I cut out this image of Roger when he was 8—one of my very favorites of him as a boy…

…what a sweetie!

A birthday banner tops off the layout, using the banner stamp from Crafty Secrets’ “Artful Banners” stamp set…

…and the lettering using Crafty Secrets’ “Top Hat” alphabet stamp set.  A bit of cording drapes it across the page…

A sweet little boy, paper-pieced and popped-up a bit finishes it off.  He is found in Crafty Secrets’ “Birthday Kids” stamp set…

Well, that’s it for me today…please stop by and visit the other ladies on the Design Team…they ALWAYS have loads of inspiration to share!

Sandy has something to share with you over at the Crafty Secrets blog…a GORGEOUS vintage  crown image as a free download, as well as a cone party hat pattern free download (you can also use it as a cone to hold party favors or to make a beautiful tussie mussie!  Don’t miss these!

• Vicki Chrisman Team Leader
• Pam Hooten
• Heidi Blankenship
• Linda Duke
• Michele Kovack
• Melissa Phillips
• Flo Teixeira from France
• Julie Campbell—me!
• Mary Hamer

  Heartwarming Vintage blog
  Crafty Secrets website

 

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Design Team Challenge,Birthday,Party,Roger Campbell