VALENTINES DAY & ROMANCE - On Vintage Postcards

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY, MY DEAR READERS!  I HOPE TODAY BRINGS YOU MANY VALENTINES GREETINGS AND ROMANCE!

I have posted Valentine postcards on my blog in the past, so today, in addition to just one Valentine postcard, I will be showing you "romance" postcards.  At one point I had hundreds of postcards that fit into the category of  "kissing"!  

Let's start with the Valentine postcard.  This card is considered an "embossed" card.  It is undated but was printed in the early 1900's.

This next lovely postcard was mailed in 1923 in Praha, Slovakia.  I (obviously!) can't read the message on the back.

The following postcard could be exchanged for a kiss, however, "Strangers Must Be Identified."  The message on the back says, "Please present to sender and demand goods without delay."  Love it!

The postcard below is considered a "large letter" postcard.  The card was sent on July 8, 1907 to "Darling Daisy" and the sender notes: "I'm lonesome darling!"

The next card is a "real photo" postcard and required a lot of work on the part of the photographer (copyright 1918 by May Ross).  The center photograph and all of the headings would have been clipped from publications of the day, laid out, then photographed.  Take a minute to read the captions.  So fun!

The postcard below was presented by "Leo" to "Papa O Mama".   I like the little verse on the bottom:  "No doubt you will think this a largish account, But I can't see my way to reduce the Amount"  (edited).

One final postcard simply drips romance.  

LOVE TO ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.  MAY YOUR DAY BE FILLED WITH JOY!

MACY'S FLOWER SHOW 2015: ART IN BLOOM

We have snow on the ground and it's about 34º outside.  What better day could there be to drive Downtown Minneapolis to take in the beauty of the Macy's flower show?!?

The theme of the flower show is "Art in Bloom" with each installment representing a major movement in art history such as classical art or pop art.   This sculpture of David greets visitors as they enter the show.  Psychedelic colored lights, shining on the statue, created a fascinating introduction to the show.

Notice the changing lights.

Shown below is the Post-Impressionist Garden.

Notice in the very large installment below the flowers beneath the sheer fabric.  A number of paintings from the great Masters were projected onto the fabric.   This was the Renaissance Garden.

The piece below reminds me of the works of Joan Miro.

Below is shown the Abstract Garden.

The floral selection complements this "Piet Mondrian" piece, below, perfectly!  The gardens in the photo above and below are both part of the Modern Garden.

There were a number of installments that were reminiscent of Dale Chihuly's glass works.

Below is the Kinetic Garden.

The amaryllis in this photo appears to be floating.  In fact, there are mirrors which create interesting illusions.

Below is the Art Nouveau Garden.

ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDEN VIDEO

TURN ON YOUR SOUND AND CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW, ENLARGE THE VIEW, AND DELETE THE AD.  IT IS SO LOVELY!!

The Young-Quinlan Building in Downtown Minneapolis - Antique Dolls, Clothes and Accessories

When I started this blog five years ago, one of my goals was to comment on whatever life brings - not just recipes, not just gardening, but whatever happens in the course of a day.

Yesterday I was scheduled to work at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  I was early so had time to kill.  There is a massive network of "skyways" downtown and, in no time at all, I found myself walking through a skyway in the old Young-Quinlan building at 901 Nicollet Avenue.

Second story of the Young-Quinlan building.

As a result of that walk, here is what I found out.  In 1894, the first ready-to-wear dress shop west of the Mississippi was opened at 513 Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis by Elizabeth Quinlan and her partner, Fred Young.   After Mr. Young died in 1911, Miss Quinlan took over the successful business which focused on high-quality, modern apparel for men and women.  In 1926, she moved the store to 901 Nicollet in the newly constructed building designed by Frederick Ackerman of New York, the architect who had designed her home at 1711 Emerson Avenue South in Minneapolis just two years earlier.  His design incorporated Miss Quinlan's desire to have a "beautiful home" for her merchandise.  It was, and still is, an elegant building which was given historic preservation status in 1979.

Fortunately, the owners of the building have set up beautiful glass and wood cabinets (perhaps they are original to the store?) to highlight some of the early Young-Quinlan merchandise.  What a pleasant surprise to come across this display as I walked through the second level of the building!

Merchandise cabinets.

Miss Quinlan traveled to France to find an artist to design the image to be used on the store's boxes and for all other purposes.  He painted this picture of a woman without the gold beads.  Miss Quinlan was concerned that a picture of a nude woman would not go over well in Minneapolis.  With a flourish, the artist grabbed his brush and quickly painted in the gold beads about the shoulders.  With that, the painting became the official image of the Young-Quinlan store.  Notice this image on the hatbox in the photo below.

Mens' Accessories

I was so pleased to see that these charming objects have been preserved and are on display for others to enjoy.  Coming across this delightful display reminded me that there are so many things in life that can fill us with so much joy, when we least expect it!  

To read more about Elizabeth Quinlan's very interesting life, follow this link and this link.

COMETS - NOW AND PAST

We have been fortunate in our lifetimes to witness the amazing feat of the Rosetta Mission.  On November 12, after ten years and a 6.4 billion mile journey, a washing machine-sized probe called “Philae” landed on a moving comet.  This is a first in many ways, but most obviously is the fact that this is the first time humans have soft-landed a probe on a comet.

Comets have been observed by humans since millennia, and their significance or meaning has been debated throughout times.  In 1910, Halley’s Comet passed particularly close to the Earth.  In fact, for six hours on May 19, Earth’s orbit carried it through the end of the comet’s 24-million-mile-long tail.  Yellow journalists of the day used this to spread fears of the end of the world.  In all events, this was a very “big deal” for the times.   As an aside, in 1909 Mark Twain said "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835.  It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."  Twain died on April 21, 1910, one day after Halley's comet appeared.

This postcard, postmarked in England on October 24, 1910, refers to the fact that the comet, in the form of a bird with a long tail, has finally arrived.  Notice the look of fear on the dog’s face. 

Halley's Comet most recently appeared in 1986, and it is expected to appear again in 2061 (about every 75 years).   It's interesting to think about what will be known about comets, and what will be known about the universe, by then!

HALLOWEEN PUMPKINS

Ray Villafane sculpts pumpkins.  Perhaps you've seen some of them as they arrive in your email box from friends.   Check out more of his carvings on his Facebook page.

Villafane is an American artist based in Arizona.   According to Wikipedia:  "In 2007 Villafane was contacted by High Noon Entertainment and asked to participate in the Food Network's Challenge Show for a segment called "Outrageous Pumpkins". He competed against three other professional pumpkin sculptors and won all three rounds to receive the grand prize.  The Food Network contacted Villafane again in 2009 to come back to the show and defend his title. He was also the grand prize winner for the "Outrageous Pumpkin Challenge II".  In 2011, he carved the world's biggest pumpkin to resemble zombies.  He also provided pumpkins for Heidi Klum's annual Halloween party in Sin City in 2011."

GREETINGS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY - VINTAGE POSTCARD

This is a vintage postcard printed in the early 1900's.  The artist is Ellen Clapsaddle; notice her signature in the lower right corner.


HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!

LOVE THOSE DESSERTS!!!

Mondays can be trying with work and all, so I thought you may enjoy a little cartoon.

HAPPY EASTER! HAPPY SPRING!

Thanks to Kat and Matt for hosting (great napkin folds!!) and cooking
up lots of turkey, ham and other goodies.  Thanks to other family
members for all the potluck contributions.  Everything was yummy!
Finally, thanks to Win for providing this fabulous photo!  Such a fun
day!

TODAY...A CARTOON!



FRANCONIA SCULPTURE GARDEN

About 45 minutes northeast of the Twin Cities is the delightful Franconia Sculpture Park.  See:  http://www.franconia.org/ for details.  Yesterday Kevin and I were passing through and stopped to see what was new since our last visit.  It was fabulous!  These photos tell the story.

Boat & Anchor.

 Torture...

 Skeletons.

 Garden Bench.

 Suspended House.

 Orange & Yellow

 Into the Maze.

 Holding up the Earth.

 Creatures.

 Purple & Pink Bunker.

 House Constructed from Free Items on Craigslist.

 Craigslist House - Framed.

 Lizard Lounge.

 "Amble" - a prehistoric garden bench.

 Man Coming Apart.

Gym Set.

All sculptures in the park are available for sale!  I could use one for my sculpture garden!!!