Vintage Mum
Ooo, wait, this is the wrong kind of Mum, isn’t it? How embarrassing …Someone told me a little while back that Hallmark had invented Mother’s Day. He was not consciously being cynical or facetious, but thus challenged, I immediately turned to Wikipedia for the facts.
There I learned that the modern holiday was first celebrated in 1908 by a woman in West Virginia, USA, who held a memorial for her mother. It was she who campaigned to have it recognised as a holiday, and though she was successful in 1914, she was disappointed by its commercialisation in the 1920s. I guess that must be round about the time Hallmark took a hand.
Regardless of the day’s origins, there’s nothing wrong with honouring a beloved mother, right? Happy Mother’s Day! This one’s for you, mum.
That’s better …1920s advertisement from Melissa Brady King. Click image for a larger version to read the copy and have a giggle. Victorian diecut from The Vintage Moth.
Back to the Drawing Board
Back to the Drawing Board :: Loftus // DreamCanvas // No flashI was very excited to get my old drawing board back on the weekend. My old housemate Rapunzel had had it on semi-permanent loan for several years, ever since we’d moved house and I had no room for it in my tiny apartment.
Having recently given up her own, Rapunzel asked if I wished to have it back. I’m still in the same tiny studio apartment, but didn't want to ditch the drawing board altogether, so a little reshuffle of furniture in my apartment created some room in front of a window. It’s a little crowded, but it’s just so wonderful to have a proper work desk for traditional art instead of spreading out on the kitchen table.
A new sheet of boxboard and it's back to business as usual – right now it’s covered in hundreds of words waiting to be assembled into poetry collages.
A Litter of Letters :: Loftus // DreamCanvas // No flash
Some Days Have No Soundtrack
Some Days Have No Soundtrack :: 17 November, 2012On those quiet days when I walk in the gardens and the wind blows in my hair as fiercely as in the trees above … those days have no soundtrack, just the murmuring of my thoughts – and drifting daydreams.
Trees at Dusk :: Tinto 1848 // C-Type Plate // No flash :: 29 April, 2013
Geese and Fox
Snow GeeseApril gives way to the first of May and my calendar flips over to this delicate illustration by Julianna Swaney. She lives in Portland, Oregan and says of herself on her blog Oh My Cavalier: “I love fairy tales, any and all animals, classical music, houseplants, beautifully designed household items, and antique typography and design.
“I have a BFA in printmaking but these days I make my living painting and drawing, showing work in galleries, doing illustration and hand lettering work, and designing custom logos and wedding invitations.”
You can see more of her work and inspirations on her several blogs, and purchase some of her work over at Big Cartel.
Happy May to you.
Reception, Julianna Swaney
A Catalogue of Cute
Cute guys and cute cats. How could you go wrong on such a premise? A friend of mine posted this on Facebook yesterday. At first I thought this was a bit wrong – was it sexist or something? Was it so wrong it was actually right? But the more I scrolled down on this neverending Tumblr (don’t you love it how they do that?) the more I began to giggle. This was actually very funny.
Just imagine searching for matching images every day. I’d be howling with laughter. What a job, but someone’s gotta take the fall for the rest of us.
I could have posted more hilarious pairs, but it’s not my blog. Des Hommes et des Chatons – check it out. I’m even going to add it to my blogroll. Heck, bookmark it and come back often whenever you need a fix of cute … cats. Or whatever.
