I'm so slow lately, I've
been meaning to copy some of my favorite Valentines to share with you. Here are a few from my collection. My personal favorite Valentines are from around the 50s and 60s. I just love the rounded faces of those. A lot of these are quite a bit older/not sure how old, but more of a Victorian era. The verses are quite poetic, kind of a culture shock compared to nowadays. Feel free to use these in your Valentine projects. I have a lot more that are mounted on cardstock that go on my old window hanging in my dining room, but I didn't get those scanned.
Valentine's Day has always been very special to me. It brings the kid out in me more than the sweetheart thing, although I do have very a "very fond affection for my dear love". I think part of it is I love the red color, the cheerfulness of a Valentine. I love the old paper doilies, too, although I'm not a real prissy Victorian type. It just brings me back to the days when I was in grade school and we traded Valentine's with our classmates. We would work really hard on huge envelopes that were attached to our desks on Valentines Day. Then, party day, we would all go around and put Valentines in each others envelopes. It would have been unheard of to miss someone, though I do admit to wearing out a few, reading them over and over, pretending that the boy really meant what he said in my Valentine. I never stopped to think that he probably gave all the girls the same Valentine! And yes, I always did save my favorite for my favorite boy. My mother was always my room mother! She and one or two other moms came and brought games and cakes and candies, and oh what fun we had. As I remember, my mom went to nearly every field trip I ever went on! I was always proud that she took the time to be our room mother. (In fact, before I was in school, there were some classes who couldn't get volunteers, and my mom was THEIR room mother!)
Do you watch "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown"? I get kinda sick feeling when poor Charlie Brown doesn't get a Valentine. What kind of class room would have a party and let one kid get left out? It just makes me mad. But there is a lesson in it. There are people in our lives who are not the prettiest, not the smartest, not the most popular. Maybe other people think they're weird. Maybe THEY think they're weird! Everyone should have a Valentine, right?
I actually learned this lesson in second grade. There was a girl in our class who smelled. She didn't have cute clothes (I wasn't always crazy about my own home-made clothes or Tony home perm my mom put me in, either). I was never what you'd call "mean", but I was friends with some girls who were not really very nice. I learned a trick from them, and to my shame, I followed along. This girl would bring these star-shaped chocolate candies to school, and us "other" girls told her she had to give us some or we wouldn't play with her. I still feel bad for doing that. As long as I live, I will always remember having done this, and all my life I've made it a rule not to be that kind of person ever again. I had my share of being made fun of because of my last name. I remember being yelled by the kids on my schoolbus because I always forgot where I was and started singing when the motor would run (I still do that LOL) I know how it is to be teased, but I think it's more shameful to be one who would be so mean. My confession, LOL.
So, in an effort to make sure everyone gets a Valentine, here's my Valentine to YOU!!!!
