Forget Me Not

The little book in the antique shop grabbed me. 

 

Picking it up and turning carefully through it’s pages, I fell in love…

…not just with the book itself, but the meaning and history behind it.

The carrying around of a book to capture—in an instant—the hand of a friend.  The thoughts of a loved one.  A moment in time, never to be repeated…

The plea of a girl to those she would, through the years, hand the little book to:

“To my Friends

I ask not gold, clear red like flame

Or Jewels, or lace or velvet fine

I only ask a thought, a name

A verse or loving line.

So shall I gain, yet you confess,

Your riches have grown more the less.

                                                    Elva”

From 1889 to 1897, the writing—the hand—of friends and family was captured by Elva on pages now colored by time…

Bits of beautiful, old German scrap graces some of the pages…

…did you notice the forget-me-nots in these sweet images?  So did I.

  

Just a few of it’s pages shared with you today…a by-gone tradition to be savored in a day when it seems we barely share our handwriting with others any more…

…a few strokes of the keys on computer or cell phone…messages of love left, of course-- but a lack of that personal touch, I think…our hand………

A reminder to leave more behind me than cyber messages on digital pages.  Something tangible.  Something me.  Something touched  by my hand…

 

LiveJournal Tags: autograph book,vintage,German scrap,forget-me-nots,handwriting

Valentine Greetings

Just a few more Valentines to share with you today…

 

Soon, we’ll be on to other things.  Spring is almost here!  But, for now…

…the things of the heart loom large…

Poets and authors chosen in my Valentine journal to express my thoughts much better than I could myself.

A few memories shared…

…sweet Valentine images from days gone by to illustrate my little book…

What fun I’ve had filling it’s pages. Many more to finish up next year.

And just a few more sweet Valentines from my tattered, old Valentine scrapbook from the 1930s…

 

…the aged manila paper is pretty fragile now.  I take care in turning the large pages…

…but page after page of undimmed colors smile up at me.  They seem like they might have been glued in place just yesterday…

…but they were not.  A loving hand, however, kept them ever so carefully--long before they came into my hands, so that they could be enjoyed today…  

…and they certainly are.

Sending oodles and oodles of loving thoughts your way--

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: art journal,Valentines,scrapbook

Just One Small Girl

A new adventure for me…one I didn’t know if I’d ever take.

But doing it for someone else—well, that’s another thing entirely…

{this button will remain on my sidebar}

To share some of the work of my beautiful and talented mother, Karen O. Smith, I’ve opened a new Etsy shop featuring her adorably whimsical creations.

Since she was a child in the 1940s, she has been making dolls and articulated toys.  When her parents told her they couldn’t afford to buy the wonderfully articulated and detailed dolls she admired, she would simply figure out how to make them herself.

If it is flexible, has joints or will stand by itself, it intrigues and inspires her, and she will never create {or buy!} a doll unless it can do just that.

Her own designs, and made of the finest of materials {100% German Schulte mohair and German wool felt—the same used in the classic Steiff toys}, handmade with skill and care…

…sweet, scalloped felt clothing, faces and clothes embroidered with a loving hand…

Both hedgehogs and “regular” folks, each has a unique character & personality all it’s own…

Shown at Toy Fair in New York City and featured in a European toy catalog {they even asked her to create something special for their cover!} ,her work is now available through my little shop.  No longer wishing to work to promote her creations, she has left it up to me…

…and I am more than happy to do so!

I hope you’ll stop by and visit the shop sometime—we’ll be there!

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Karen Ostlund Smith,Just One Small Girl,Etsy,hedgehogs,dolls