Esther Howland - Mother of the American Valentine

Esther Howland, Valentine, handmade Valentines, history of the Valentine card

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and being that I am a purveyor of paper goods myself, I thought it would be fitting to do a post about Esther Howland, who is known as the "Mother of the American Valentine.


Esther was born in 1828 in Worcester, Massachusetts. After her graduation from Mount Holyoke College in 1847, at the age of 19, she received an English Valentine from a business associate of her father, who owned a large book and stationery store in Worcester. She became intrigued with the idea of creating similar Valentines, and ordered the necessary materials from England and New York. To her surprise, the demand for her handmade Valentines exceeded her expectations and outpaced her ability to make them. She enlisted friends to help her assemble them and her home-based cottage industry quickly grew into a $100,000-a-year business. Let's not forget, this was the mid-1800s and she was a woman! When she retired in 1881, she sold her business to the George C. Whitney Company.

How's that for inspiration, Etsy sellers!



One of Esther's innovations was to slip a sheet of colored
paper placed behind the "lace" for more contrast.


Another of Esther's early creations

Meanwhile, I had fun making these:


    Bit o Honey -- Happy Valentine's Day to my sweetie.

 
   Custom tailored - You  were made for me.

 
    We They -- You and me against the world.
     
    Happy Valentine's Day to you!
  
   Sharon

Missouri Botanical Garden Green Art and Craft Show

This weekend, November 13 and 14, Secret Leaves will participate in the Garden Gate Shop Green Art and Craft Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The event will run Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upper level of the Ridgway Visitor Center.

If you've never been, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a wonderful place--one of my favorite places in St. Louis. And the gift shop, the Garden Gate, lives up to the standards of the rest of the garden. Beautiful plants, books, stationery, bath and body items, home and garden decor and more, expertly curated with a garden theme.

At the Green Art and Craft Show, I am focusing on affordable items and lots of holiday goods: gift tags, gift wrapping accessories, gift boxes, gift bags, etc. Here are some of the items Secret Leaves will offer:


Christmas stamp cards


An assortment of gift tags


Muslin gift bags perfect for small gifts like jewelry, candles, soap, etc.


Vintage Paper key tags


Gift enclosures and place cards


Greeting cards, stationery, journals, notebooks and more...

My friend Jen from Angelina Accoutrements will be there too, offering her lovely recycled cashmere pieces:







Lots of other vendors will be plying their recycled and eco-friendly wares, including jewelry, sculpture, handbags and more. I hope to see you there!

Sharon

Around the studio today

Here are some photos from around the studio today. No beauty shots, just some snaps of how it looks right now.

Wide shot of the studio. Click to view larger.

Bookcase full of old books. Some I will keep and some will be made into journals or other projects. That's the leg of my tripod extending into the picture.

Top of the bookcase with two small collages, one completed and one in progress. I found the two small polka dotted feathers on a walk yesterday afternoon.

Bulletin board

 

Recent purchases.

Piano rolls.

Three shoe boxes full of dirty old postcards from a railroad company in the early 1900s. I use these for the Vintage Index Card gift tag sets. (The boxes are cool too.) 

Vintage sewing patterns

Office supplies, vintage and otherwise. Many thanks to my sister for the thumb tacks, brads, etc. in the cool vintage boxes.

Stack of old ledgers from the turn of the century. From a dry goods company down South.  These are 10" x 14" each and very thick, filled with beautiful handwriting.

French titles.

Stack of old atlases, photo albums and a bundle of letters from Cecil Quackenbush to his mother. He was a rounder and a rambler--traveled around the West and Southwest picking up jobs as a movie extra in early silent Westerns, a ranch hand and a laborer. He wrote faithfully to his mother in Indiana wherever his ramblings took him.

And finally, Ellie, the (other) love of my life.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour. A memento of my life and studio at a singular moment in time.

Sharon 

In the Secret Leaves Etsy shop now

In the Etsy store now...click on image for larger view.

Victorian Calling Card gift tag set

Gallery framed Paint Chip print - Bird's Nest

Gallery framed Paint Chip print - Garden Fairy

Letter writing kit - from the desk of Elmer Kiel

Letter writing kit - from the desk of Edna Kiel 

Sharon

Working studio

It was rainy today, perfect for holing up in the studio and making stuff. I spent the afternoon working on a custom bulk order for some Vintage Index Card gift tags and Vintage Paper key tags. Here is what the studio looked like (click on any image for a larger view):

The studio is not as dark as it looks in this picture.

Some book "guts" I am using for the key tags and other things. My Teflon folder, one of my two Japanese screw punches and a bookbinder's awl are in the foreground. TIP: Teflon folders are better than bone folders because they do not rub shiny areas on your paper.

Vintage paper key tags for the order.

These bowls, filled with postage stamps, ends of book spines and other pieces and bits, are always on my work table.

Coffee mishap. This shot is for Ann and Elizabeth. ; )

We see all of these photos online and in magazines of beautifully designed, perfectly organized arts studios. Thought you might like to see what a studio looks like when work is in progress.

How do you keep your studio? Is it ready for a photo shoot? Messy, but functional? One step away from condemnation?

Sharon

Bee Love, Bluebird & Hearts and a Cupid Valentine

I have put some new items up for sale in my Etsy store, including three Valentine card designs:


Mini side fold card in vellum envelope


Bluebird & Hearts - inside message: You make my heart sing



  Inside message: You stole my heart

There are some non-Valentine items as well:

Vintage paper key tags - packet of 6



Paint Chip prints - click images to view larger (recommended)

Stop by and pick up a Valentine card or gift of artwork for your sweetheart.

Sharon