Heart of Roses -Guest Heart Thursday

Here is another of those graceful Art Deco inspired postcards.  I am deeply inspired by the art of that time period.  This is an especially lovely Valentine postcard, especially with that beautiful little face with its rosy heart entwined border.

Have a lovely day and Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

My Heart -Postcard Friendship Friday #203

Long ago, I lost my heart to my love.  We have been married for 30 years now.  I wouldn't trade a single day of my life with my darling husband.  He has brought out the best, for the most part, of who I am.  And I pray I have done the same for him.  I've been very blessed by my own dear Valentine.

* LINKING UP:  You can put your link in any time between now and next Thursday.  Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week! 

* BADGE:  When you submit a postcard, be sure to put a link back to this page.  You can copy and paste the PFF badge, which has the link embedded.  Thank you!

*  THEMES: You don't have to stick to the theme I choose each Friday. Just put up the pieces you love and tell us why you like them.

*  REMINDER: Comments and links which contain advertising will be deleted. Also, any and all suspicious links which do not lead to a correct website will be reported and deleted.

A Saint You Ain't -Guest Heart Thursday

This is a card from my collection, posted years ago.  I thought you'd enjoy seeing it again.  Such a cute little kitty!  I believe this card was printed sometime in the mid 1940's.

Have a lovely day, and Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Bitter Sweet Chocolate Day -Postcard Friendship Friday #202

It is a truth most everyone loves chocolate.  Chocolate has a long and colorful history.  It started out as a bitter beverage.  The word "chocolate" can be traced back to the Aztec word "xocoatl," which referred to a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans. The Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods."  The Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, divine properties.

Chocolate with sugar didn't appear until Europeans came along. Legend has it that the Aztec king Montezuma welcomed the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes with a banquet which included a cup of chocolate.  Cortez did not appreciate the drink, calling it "a bitter drink for pigs."  However, it was discovered chocolate mixed with honey or cane sugar was delicious.

By the 17th century, chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe, believed to have nutritious, medicinal and even aphrodisiac properties (it's rumored that Casanova was especially fond of the stuff).  But it remained largely a privilege of the rich until the invention of the steam engine made mass production possible in the late 1700s.

The creation of the first modern chocolate bar is credited to Joseph Fry, in 1847.   By 1868, a little company called Cadbury was marketing boxes of chocolate candies in England. Milk chocolate hit the market a few years later, pioneered by, of course, Nestle.

In America, chocolate was so valued during the Revolutionary War that it was included in soldiers' rations and used in lieu of wages.   While most of us would not take chocolate as payment for a job well done, true chocolate loves might just consider it!

May you have the joy of sampling chocolate this weekend and Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!


* LINKING UP:  You can put your link in any time between now and next Thursday.  Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week! 

* BADGE:  When you submit a postcard, be sure to put a link back to this page.  You can copy and paste the PFF badge, which has the link embedded.  Thank you!

*  THEMES: You don't have to stick to the theme I choose each Friday. Just put up the pieces you love and tell us why you like them.

*  REMINDER: Comments and links which contain advertising will be deleted. Also, any and all suspicious links which do not lead to a correct website will be reported and deleted.

To My Valentine -Guest Heart Thursday

Isn't this a beautiful postcard?  I love Valentines Day.  It is one of my favorite holidays, not to mention I have a huge Valentine's Day ephemera collection, both real and cyber.  There is such an imaginative, delightful air to most vintage Valentine's Day Cards.  I'm delighted Valentine's Day is only a month and a week away!

Have a lovely weekend and Happy Guest Heart Thursday!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Small Cherub Sing-Along

This is a card in which our Grandmother delighted.  Since most of the United States is buried in snow and freezing temperatures, I thought I'd put this up to cheer those caught in those freezing temperatures!  And who doesn't like cherubs, candles, birdies and a bit of a sing along? 

Have a beautiful week, dear friends.  May God's song of joy permeate the cold of winter.

Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien -Postcard Friendship Friday #201

 

I have been a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien since my Father introduced me to his books when I was a little girl.  Tolkien's writing was so vivid, when the movie came out a few years ago--each character was just as I had imagined.

I can still remember Daddy chuckling over the antics of the awful Gollum.  I read Tolkien's stories for my own small son--complete with accents, voices, dramatics and such--so the tradition has been passed along.

It is J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday today.  His full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.  He was born September 3, 1892.  He was an author, academic, student, professor, philologist, linguist, and poet. He created his own languages, complete with grammar rules. He created the world of Middle Earth--so real it seems it must surely have existed and may still be found one day.  

Artwork from my girlhood was often influenced by what I read in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series.  There is a beauty and magic about his work which touches my imagination and always will.

Have a lovely weekend, Friends and Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!

* LINKING UP:  You can put your link in any time between now and next Thursday.  Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week! 

* BADGE:  When you submit a postcard, be sure to put a link back to this page.  You can copy and paste the PFF badge, which has the link embedded.  Thank you!

*  THEMES: You don't have to stick to the theme I choose each Friday. Just put up the pieces you love and tell us why you like them.

*  REMINDER: Comments and links which contain advertising will be deleted. Also, any and all suspicious links which do not lead to a correct website will be reported and deleted.

Bonne Annee -Guest Heart Thursday

When I remember where we were one year ago today, I am overcome with gratefulness to our mighty God.  I had just lost my beloved Father and was taking care of my husband after major cancer surgery.  I will always miss Daddy.  He was such a big part of my heart and life. 

When I remember the miraculous recovery of my husband, I am filled with joy.  He is cancer-free, strong and well. He's written a new play, which is being booked across the Pacific Northwest.  Inquiries come in every day.  I am so thankful to God for His loving kindness in our lives. 

Happy New Year and Happy Guest Heart Thursday!  Of course, there are hearts to be found here.  I loved the brilliant colors in this wonderful old postcard.

Have a beautiful weekend.  May God bless you with His loving care.  Happy New year and Happy Guest Heart Thursday!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Happy New Year!

This is such an unusual card.  I'm not sure how old this vintage piece is, but the detail of the drawing is spectacular. 

I had heard the name of Simon the Just, but didn't know much about him until I looked him up.  He must have been an amazing fellow.  From what I read, he is mentioned in the Talmud, Josephus and the Second Book of Maccabees.

It is said Simon earned his name "the Just" because of the piety of his life, his benevolence toward his compatriots, and because he watched over the welfare of his people.  He was a spiritual man who longed to see his country prosper.  He is said to have rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, which had been torn down, and is responsible for repairing the great Temple of the Jews.

According to legend, when Alexander the Great marched through Palestine in the year 333, Simon the Just dressed in priestly robes to ride out to greet him.  When the Monarch saw the High Priest approaching, he descended from his chariot and bowed respectfully before him.

The Greek king was criticized because he had bowed to Simon the Just.  But Alexander the Great silenced the complaints of his subjects, saying his act of respect had been intentional.  Then he told of a vivid vision in which he had witnessed the High Priest proclaiming Alexander's victory over his enemies.

I love the stories of history.  

Happy New Year, everyone! 

A Glad New Year -Postcard Friendship Friday #200

This is my 200th Postcard Friendship Friday!  It seems appropriate to put up this New Years Day card given to me by my darling little Grammie.

I still miss her with all my heart.  One day I will see her again--then we will have all eternity to laugh and plant flowers together.

Happy New Years and Happy Postcard  Friendship Friday!

* LINKING UP:  You can put your link in any time between now and next Thursday.  Postcard Friendship Friday is open for the entire week! 

* BADGE:  When you submit a postcard, be sure to put a link back to this page.  You can copy and paste the PFF badge, which has the link embedded.  Thank you!

*  THEMES: You don't have to stick to the theme I choose each Friday. Just put up the pieces you love and tell us why you like them.

*  REMINDER: Comments and links which contain advertising will be deleted. Also, any and all suspicious links which do not lead to a correct website will be reported and deleted.