Vintage Easter greetings

Welcome!

Vintage Easter card

Posted to Pinterest by Riptheskull 

Easter

What a wonderful time,

a wonderful reminder of God’s love for us.

Somewhere we got caught up in

the Easter bunny and

baby farm animals with cute bonnets.

We decorate eggs, 

but have forgotten why.

Think.Make.Share

I thought I would share some 

vintage Easter cards with you today.

But no Easter bunnies!

Well, maybe just 1 or 2.

 Litlebirdieblessings.blogspot.com

An 1881 Easter card

Our Victorian ancestors did have their own

sense of humor, which carried over to

their Easter cards as well.

I didn’t want you to think they were

all Pious Puritans!

Here are a few sillies:

Yes, you saw that correctly.

A chick smoking a cigarette,

dressed as a sharp dandy,

standing on some colored Easter eggs.

I have no idea...

And then there’s the gnome riding a chicken...

just screams Happy Easter

don’t you think?

Oh! I mean Merry Easter!

One more vintage silly:

Chicks practicing for...

the Circus?

At Easter?

An Easter Circus!

Right-o...

So why do we celebrate Easter?

Why send cards, and dye eggs?

Why have a special meal?

Why dress fancy and go to church?

I think you may know that the date of Easter is from the Middle Ages when the Catholic Church wanted people to stop celebrating their pagan holidays.

So the Church took some major pagan festival days and turned them into religious days instead.

The people still got to party,

although for different reasons,

and the Church was pleased with 

no more immoral pagan celebrations.

Uploaded to Pinterest by Greta Brinkley

The big Spring Party

celebrated new life and fertility.

Things usually got a bit frisky.

The Church was not amused.

Jesus tells us in the New Testament

that unless you are born again (spiritually)

you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Hard theology for illiterate peasants to get.

Being born again is New Life, right?

So it was a logical time of year to

change the fertility aspect to 

a New Life in Christ.

Easter!

Rabbits are very prolific in birthing babies.

It was a natural to celebrate the rabbit

as part of the fertility holiday.

This is where we get our Easter Bunny.

(Some things just won’t die, 

no matter what the ruling Church wants.)

American Collectibles posted on Pinterest

Eggs were traditionally seen as 

a symbol of fertility and new life.

It was an established rite of Spring 

to color eggs and give them as gifts.

Ukrainian market

The Church accepted eggs as a symbol of new life,

and often colored them red to symbolize

the cleansing, life-giving blood of Christ.

So they allowed eggs to be part of their new holiday -

Easter.

Hand dyed Psyanky eggs by

PsyankyByTMelnyk, Etsy  

A few more vintage Easter cards:

 Antique Easter card

HubPages 

You can read all about the Easter story

in the Bible, in the last half

(The New Testament),

in the first few books/letters by

Matthew, Mark, Luke or John

That’s it for today!

Just a little synopsis really.

I hope your curiosity has been stirred,

and you pursue further the Miraculous Story.

Or re-read it again.

Thank you to all those artists from long ago

who shared their Easter visions with us.

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Nursery Rhyme Time with Hickory Dickory Dock

 Bueno!

(Hello! in Mexican, Spanish)

The Mexican Flag

I haven't featured a nursery rhyme in a while, so I thought today we'd explore:

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK!

Now, I have noticed that different versions contain different tenses of the verb

"to run".

I think the above version is correct, grammar-wise.

Wikipedia has a very good history of the rhyme.

'Hickety Dickety Dock' illustration by William Wallace Denslow from a

1901 Mother Goose collection.

It looks like the rhyme originally was said as:

'Hickere, Dickere Dock'

published in London in 1744.

close-up of William Denslow's illustration

The next version comes from 'Mother Goose's Melody'

printed in 1765.

It uses

'Dickery, Dickery Dock'

Interesting to me:

There are TWO musical versions.

One is popular in Great Britain,

and the other one is popular in North America!

The one printed above is the version I am familiar with,

so I guess it is the North American tune.

A super scherensnitte pattern for a mouse,

taken from a Chinese Zodiac series.

scroll clock by mdereus27

possibly etsy?

Now, the above scherensnitte type clock was originally for a Cinderella story.

By changing the position of the hands, you could easily make this into a

hickory dickory dock clock!

(say that 6 times, really fast....)

vintage illustration found at

http://www.fun-roadtrip-games.info/

Here are a few more coloring pages for you -

http://www.reading-with-kids.com/

unknown source

and another terrific How-to-draw from Dover Publications:

an adorable cupcake found at http://www.thecupcakeblog.com/

Why couldn't you also make that little mouse from clay?

What about making a 'clock' pincushion (felt would be easiest),

and make some hat pin toppers from shrinky dink plastic?

vintage Rand McNally book, found at http://www.michiganzone.blogspot.com/

This next is a very clever way to serve some party treats with a theme:

http://www.littlenummies.net/

That's a peanut butter sandwich, with a hole cut out for a banana slice.

The mouse is made from a strawberry, with halved grape ears,

and little raisin eyes and nose!

I'm not sure what she used for the clock hands

or the mouse whiskers or tail.

But

you could try orange peels,

or chow mein noodles

or bread crusts....

Here is a fun and simple vintage pattern for embroidery:

found at http://www.sewcraftful.com/

Wouldn't it be fun for a nursery room to have several embroidered pillows,

each with a different nursery rhyme on it?

Sew deep ruffles for a girl's room, and knife point edges for a boy's.

You could, of course, be really energetic and make a baby quilt

with each block a different nursery rhyme.

Check out my past blogs for more nursery rhyme patterns,

and check out the links from where I have found them for many more!

I'd like to finish up today with a vintage poster from 1917:

illustrated by Mary Louise Spoor

and found at http://www.smallequals.bigcartel.com/

I especially like the little mouse reading!

Remember to smile at someone today that is a 'wall flower'.

Don't forget to laugh with a child today,

and eat ice cream!!!

:0)

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

Brrrrr....

Miers

Latvian for 'Peace'

c.1879

Since I have already used 'Baby, it's cold outside', I had to come up with another title for another very snowy day. Mid morning it was 18 degrees F. outside! However, there is a warming trend in the forecast - with perhaps a high of 38 degrees F.

The sky is as white as the snow on the ground, so I don't have 'High Hopes' of getting too warm today!

Hm...I do hope my UPS truck can get up my driveway... very important stuff you know!

from a slideshow titled "Amazing Paths", unknown credits 

"We live in a wonderful world

that is full of beauty,

charm and adventure.

There is no end to the adventures that we can have

if only

we seek them with our eyes open." 

- Jawaharla lNehru

'Ahkiok', a kodiak bear at the Indianapolis Zoo, photo credits unknown



I just love the fur coat this guy has!!

How silly it would look on anyone else.

Don't get me started about the fur for fashion industry...

I would be up on my soapbox immediately!

(and that soapbox would be in the ARE YOU CRAZY negative side)

Here's another wonderful Bear Fur Coat As God Intended It To Be Worn picture -

in Svalbard Liefdefjorden, photo by Rebecca Jackrel

I don't know if this is color-enhanced or not. I hope it's not!

I bet he likes playing 'King of the mountain'.

Did you ever play that as a kid?

magazine cover, January of 1964 - Jack and Jill

courtesy http://www.origamibears.com/

Here is a great little tutorial on how to sketch the wolf:

courtesy Dover books

c.1843

Have you peeked at Indiana Music Library's site?

You can get there in one click by using my 'favorites' list!

There is so much awesome art, history and, well,

music! there.

Once you are on their site, there will be a 'search' box in the upper right corner.

Type in a word, a theme, a subject, and it will do all the searching for you.

Another Jack and Jill magazine cover:

February, 1956 cover

courtesy of OrigamiBears

Of course, what would a snow day be without some paper dolls to play with?

'Chester', circa 1906

and -

c.1907

then my notes read: fluffyrufflesjeansullivan

Perhaps you can decipher my 'code' and let me know what the heck I meant?

!!!

c.1903

In case you are bored, and stuck in your car in traffic,

or waiting for the kids to get out of school,

or sitting in a doctor's office, 20 minutes past your appointment,

or just want to have a little fun -

here is an

'Outragous Octagon'

to fill a little bo-ring space :

thanks for sharing, Dover Books

Let's close today with a couple of super great valentine cards, courtesy of the Denver Zoo:

Keep warm!

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

http://www.myinkspired.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com