old postcards

As I have mentioned in my profile, I am a collector. Apparently, this is something I have inherited. Not that I have inherited a lot of old collections. That would have been nice, but no. Among the very few things I have from my family is an envelope full of antique postcards. It seems my greatgrandmother collected them. They were saved by one of her daughters - my greataunt; sister of my grandmother. And now they are in my possesion. By chance. I have been scanning them, so that I may use the images in my mixed media work and thought perhaps some of you might like to have a look at a few.


This first one is not as old as the rest, as it was sent to my greataunt. The Red Square in Moscow, 1959


Riga (capital of Latvia, but at the time of this postcard, it belonged to Russia), this card is from 1899


Trollhättan Falls, Sweden in 1899


Notre Dame in Paris, 1903

Unfortunately, I don't know who sent these cards. But I am intrigued by the fact that my greatgrandparents knew some well traveled people in their time. After all, travelling around the world wasn't something everyone did, back then.

Winter and other things

This is what I see outside the window just now. Well, actually, there is more snow in the air than can be seen on this photo.
And this is what I was looking at yesterday:

We have had 7 inches of snow since Wednesday night. Yesterday morning, traffic was a catastrophe. No kidding. There will be more snow during the night. Winter has not lessened its grip so far. We are still a long ways from seeing those first snow drops push their heads out of the ground.
But on a more pleasant note -

Yesterday's mail brought another Round Robin necklace to my door. This is the last stop for this necklace, before it returns home. Esther, are you excited? I can tell you, I can hardly wait to be able to show you all these marvels I have had the honor of contributing to! Won't be too long now...

A couple of days ago, these were delivered to my doorstep. Mary Jane and I did a trade and I requested that she make me a couple of her lovely resin paddles and these are the ones she sent me. Thank you, Mary Jane! I want to make something special with these...

And now, another photo of one of my kitties.

My little sweetheart Captain.

more s... words

This is what I woke up to this morning. bleck! Yes, I know there are those of you that find it wonderfully beautiful and romantic - please send me your address, so that I can have this weather forwarded to you!



Driving into work was a catastrophe this morning! The roads weren't cleared and some drivers out there have apparently never encountered this white stuff before (albeit they have lived here all their lives and it snows every winter...). I think it is high time the snow went back into the mountains, so that spring can arrive. Guess that is just wishful thinking. Tonight's low temps should be around minus 17°... How about you wake me when it is Easter?

Sunday = flea market - brrrrr

Although the thermometer says it is "only" minus 5°, it feels much, much colder. January is not a good flea market month even when the weather is sunny, but with the gloomy grey weather and the cold, there was even less going on. Not many sellers braved the cold and even less buyers (or maybe just less lookers...). I didn't take any pictures of the flea market itself today, it was too cold to get the camera out. Wasn't much worth taking a picture of, either. But my perseverance did pay off - I did manage to find a couple of treasures.

some lovely old secret keepers

some wonderful old buttons - just look at the gorgeous brass filigree!

some more great vintage rhinestone pieces

My cats have all got the right idea - it is winter, time to go into hibernation...

Casanova

Kiki - yes, she has buried her face in the towel...

I feel like joining them...

Vintage photographs - wedding photos

One of the vintage photos I posted yesterday showed a wedding couple. Barry posed the question: why is the bride wearing a dark (presumed black, as we can't really say which colour it is) dress?
Here is another example.



I knew that white wedding dresses have not always been the style. Wikipedia has this information to offer:

White did not become a popular option until 1840, after the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Victoria had worn a white gown for the event so as to incorporate some lace she owned. The official wedding portrait photograph was widely published, and many other brides opted for a similar dress in honor of the Queen's choice.
And also:
The tradition of a white wedding is commonly credited to Queen Victoria's choice to wear a white wedding dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840.
Queen Victoria was not the first royal bride to wear a white wedding gown, but the first of the modern era. White had been a traditional color of royal mourning, and although not often utilized as such, white was not considered a suitable choice for a royal wedding. Victoria's choice popularized the white gown as no other had before her. Previously, brides wore their best clothes or the most expensive new clothes they could afford. Gold or gold-threaded dresses became popular with royal brides; the rank-and-file wore dresses that reflected their station. White was one of many choices, pastel shades were also popular.

Most of the older photos of wedding couples that have made their way into my hands show brides in dark dresses. Most of these ladies are not young brides. I am guessing that these are perhaps widows marrying a second time. Also, these pictures are for the most part from Bavaria, which was very widely rural at the turn of the century, meaning people didn't usually have a lot of money, to invest in a special dress for only one occasion. They probably wore their best dress, which would have been black or dark, at any rate.

Wikipedia did mention that it was tradition in Finland for the bride to wear a black dress.

I haven't been able to unearth any other information so far. Do any of you know more about this subject?

Mute Monday - some very vintage photographs

Help for Haiti

You have probably already heard that Haiti was hard hit by an earthquake. Deryn Mentock is holding an auction of one of her necklaces to raise some funds to donate to Hope for Haiti. Please drop by her blog if you want to help. Thanks!

Winter impressions

What the world looks like outside my window.
It is cold, minus 9°.

Socks isn't sure whether she likes this or not.

Looks like big fat soft cushions.

Mute Monday - the weather and bead show haul

Mended hearts

I have continued work on my "mended heart".

Loosing a bit of silk stuffing.

View of the reverse side.

I have been quite obsessed with this heart and below you can see where that has taken me.

Mended hearts
Don't we all have one of these?

Mute Monday

Winter

Late yesterday afternoon, we took a walk down through the now empty hop gardens, through the woods and along the road back home. The temperatures had dropped during the previous night and it snowed a bit.

The air was crisp and cold.

The trees were powdered with snow.

A hop garden silhouetted against the sky.

Glorious evening sky.

Wishing you a Happy New Year

Another new year has begun.

Where it will lead us, lies hidden.

What it will bring, cannot yet be seen.

It is sure to be interesting...

Wishing all of you a healthy and happy New Year. May it be filled with joy, inspiration, creativity, love and friendship. Remember to follow your heart.
Thank you all for being there.