Wanted

Wanted: Giant Stuffed Panda. Like the kind I used to have as a little girl. It was half the size of the six-year-old me. My mother got rid of him when I developed allergies to dust mites. He needs to occupy my bed at all times, more importantly on the days I am feeling sad and lonely.

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.