Valentine crafts, decorations and cards - with a touch of Victorian romance The
Victorians raised Valentine crafts and cards to an art form. Hearts and
flowers, cupids and cherubs, as well as depictions of discrete
kisses, romance tips, and refined seduction, became the rage.
"Penny
Dreadfuls" or "Vinegar Valentines" appeared in 1858 - satirical,
insulting Valentine cards usually sent anonymously to show disdain or
poke fun at the lovelorn. But mostly, it was a season to celebrate
young love
and eternal hope for a match made in heaven.The usual Victorian excess was even more unrestrained in Valentine designs. Children were cuter, women and men more glamorous, and as exemplified by the elaborate three-dimensional fold-out Valentine cards, there was rich embellishment with flowers, hearts, gold gilt, filigree, crepe paper fringe and tissue honeycomb inserts. It was a day to pull out all the stops. Today, with piles of pre-packaged chocolates and identical flower arrangements on every corner, a hand-made Valentine craft or card is a true treasure. Revive the Victorian spirit of romance with these vintage-look Valentine crafts and cards. As always, if you need anything for your Valentine crafts, Joann.com Valentine Crafts
The Many Symbols of Valentine's DayThe origins of Valentines Day can be traced back to pagan fertility rites, and a medieval best-seller on the lives of saints, The Golden Legend, compiled in 1260 by Jacopo da Vargine. In this somewhat fanciful depiction of various Christian martyrs, the author describes a fateful confrontation between a priest named Valentine and the pagan Roman Emperor Claudius II in the year 280. Before his subsequent execution by beheading, Valentine performs a miracle and heals the blind daughter of his jailer. With time, an additional legend was woven into the story: Emperor Claudius has now imprisoned Valentine for secretly performing wedding ceremonies for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. On the eve of his execution, he sends a note to his jailer's daughter, signed "From your Valentine." A holiday and a Hallmark fortune are born.The oldest known greeting card of any kind is a Valentine written in the 1400s by Charles, Duke of Orleans, which is now displayed at the British Museum. From the 15th century on, written Valentine sentiments were commonly exchanged on St. Valentine's burial day, February 14. By the mid-19th century, Valentine greetings went into mass-production (although many were hand-painted) in England. Within decades, Valentine cards were overwhelming printers and postal systems every February across the European and American continents. Cupid, the Roman deity of erotic love, rules over Valentine's Day. Depicted as a chubby child with wings, he is armed with a bow and quiver of arrows which can inspire true love with a single shot. Doves figure highly among Valentine symbols, dating from a reference to their mating on that date by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382. Symbols of love such as hearts, flowers, music, the colors red and pink, romantic letters, locks and keys, gold rings, the moon, kissing, and generally mooning about are all emblems of the holiday.
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