The End of August Brings New Beginnings

Victorian Nostalgia

Once upon a time valentines were hand-crafted and given as tokens of true love. There was never a pit stop at the 7-11 for a box of Russell Stover's and a silk rose. Valentine's Day wasn't an afterthought or an obligatory gesture just to keep the girlfriend happy. Although, why would you need just one day to express your love for someone? As with many things that have gone through the wringer, people tend to commercialize and cheapen a sincere concept.

I'm not sure why the topic of Valentine's Day has crossed my mind today when the holiday is half a year away. But I have been browsing the Martha Stewart archives because well, finding homemade crafts and organizational tips cure my boredom. One of the featured videos had pop-up book engineer Robert Sabuda and his collection of vintage valentines.

Maybe the Victorian era has been romanticized by my vision of Samantha of the American Girl collection, but why was it that everything from that time period was so perfectly flowery, intricate, and delicately doilied? Except, you know, child labor. It even spawned commercial and consumer photography. Oh that's right, British prosperity and a flourishing economy. It'll be quite a while until our own catches up to that.

Sucre et Biscuits

I was reminded by my friend, Graham, that my blog hasn't been updated. This previous Monday I celebrated my two-dozenth birthday with a few of my friends in a day long cookie-filled event where just a few days earlier I had decided to throw a Cookies and Tea Party. My beloved boyfriend also surprised me that day by taking the week off work and driving ten hours to see me! I've started compiling pictures from that day in a flickr set, hopefully adding more from Nate Turner and Kate Swarthout. But for now I can display some lovely images that Graham has taken.