Flutterby Patch

Flower language

I've had this sweet little book for several years. It was compiled in Victorian times for the many people who regularly gave each other flowers. Each flower had a special meaning and this book lists each one in alphabetical order. In those days it was considered very important to give the flowers that conveyed just the right sentiment and so a copy of 'The Language of Flowers' was to be found in many households.

These little blue forget-me-nots represent 'true love' and also 'do not forget me'. It was a very popular little bloom to give at times of parting. 

By the end of the Victorian era greetings cards were widely available and depicted many popular flowers. I have a small collection of Victorian and Edwardian greetings cards in an old scrap book so I'd like to share some with you.

The Victorians loved pansies and the meaning associated with them was 'thoughts' which was the perfect sentiment for numerous occasions.

An idyllic little scene like this one, framed by pansies, could be found on many cards

 Violets were loved also, particularly the scented variety.

Here is a little card depicting violets which represented 'faithfulness'

I don't have a card illustrating blue periwinkles ('early friendship') but have several with ivy designs.

Ivy was popular for wedding cards as it was associated with 'fidelity'.

Apple blossom represented 'preference'

I'm not sure if this is apple or almond blossom but I wanted to show you the card as its one of the prettiest in the collection. It's so delicate and I love the way it opens.

A great many Victorian and Edwardian cards depicted blue birds. I wonder why? The image makes me think of the sentimental wartime song 'There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover' and so I guess blue birds represent love and freedom. Does anyone have any other ideas?

'The Language of the Flowers' has been reprinted in hundreds of formats over the years. I have an illustrated version by Kate Greenaway which I'm very fond of (see above).
 
Pretty cards like the ones I've shown you are no longer widely available but happily many clever and creative people are producing wonderful greetings cards for us to buy for our friends and family. My blogging chum Maggie at Sweet Scarlett is producing the most gorgeous little 'Lucky Penny Books' to carry sentiments and good wishes for special occasions. They are absolutely gorgeous and available in her Etsy shop so do take a look.

Until next time
Eli

Dolly days

Meet Louisa. Isn't she a sweetie? She's the oldest member of my little doll family and dates from the 1860s. I found her on Ebay a few years ago. She was seeking a good home and my heart was lost as soon as I saw her.

Her head is wax over composition (hence the hairline cracks) and her eyes are glass. I adore old dolls but perfect condition is never important to me. I prefer the loved and played-with look and Louisa would surely have lots of secrets to share if only she could talk.

She has a cloth body stuffed with straw and carved wooden hands and forearms that adjoin cloth upper arms attached to her body at the shoulders.

Her boots and lower legs are also made of wood and are attached to upper legs made of cloth. Her pretty muslin dress and underwear are in excellent condition.

Over the years I've spend many happy hours reading about old dolls and have a varied collection of books about them.

Vintage prints of little girls and their dollies appeal to me greatly. This gorgeous woodcut dates from the 16th century. I often dream of owning a REALLY old doll but they are exceedingly rare and if by chance I ever found one I know I wouldn't have sufficient funds to acquire it, so I dream on.

By complete contrast let me show you a doll I made at school when I was eight years old. Funny little thing isn't she! All the children in my class were asked to bring 'scraps' from home to create a dolly from a wooden peg (clothespin). Just look at her funny little blue arms! They are wire from a vintage TV my dad was repairing at the time. And guess what! My little peg doll won 'first prize'. The teacher gave me a silver sixpence which she said was 'for luck'. In England sixpences have been given as tokens of good luck for over 400 years. 

Being given a silver sixpence must have ignited my love of doll making because I've been making them (large and small) ever since .

I like making small things best so peg dolls have always been a favourite.

Recently I experimented with polymer and paper clays as I wanted to try putting larger heads onto the pegs and give each face a tiny nose. I wanted to try making tiny arms as well.

And here is the new head viewed from the back. You can see it is quite a bit larger than the original peg head. After several coats of paint and varnish I added...

.... the eyes and mouth.Then came the hair and the tiny clothes.

And here is the finished dolly enjoying a cup of tea in the dolls house. I'm very pleased with the way she turned out. She has a pert little nose and her little (sculpted) arms are attached to thin wire so they will bend. Her legs remain 'peg-shaped'. I made her a Kate Greenaway style dress, petticoat, pantaloons and apron plus a mop cap to protect her curls.

Here she is again with a tiny lace bag in which she keeps.....

 .....a shiny sixpence 'for luck'.

 Since I started making these little ladies a few weeks ago there has been no quelling my enthusiasm. By the time I'd completed doll number three I decided it might be a good idea to open a little blog shop so that each of them might find a good home. I've named them 'dolly sixpence' because each doll carries a little bag containing a shiny sixpence 'for luck'.

You will find a link to my shop in the side bar.

Meanwhile I have other little dolly ideas skipping around in my brain so I had better return to the workroom and get busy.

Until next time,
Eli

Sunshine and garden days

I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter. Here in England's Lake Country I'm happy to say we were blessed with blue skies and wall to wall sunshine.The garden beckoned and was a peaceful haven to spend time unwinding and make plans for the growing season ahead.

The blooms on the large magnolia tree always look wonderful against a blue April sky.

The delicate blossom on the blackthorn hides the sharp thorns on the twigs beneath. I don't like to tangle with this bush but small birds love the protection it gives them.  

We currently have carpets of wood anemones at the edge of the garden. They are also known as windflowers and sometimes 'woodland ghosts' which I think is a wonderful name. We feel very honoured to have them as they indicate that our garden was once ancient woodland.

Another delicate little flower that we treasure is the snake's head fritillary with its chequered bell shaped blooms. We have them in purple and white. This native British wild flower was once found in abundance but due to modern farming methods it is now quite rare. It likes damp places so must feel at home in our garden!

It pleases me greatly to see my daughter enjoying gardening. She has a splendid little plot of her own in the house where she lives and her plants always look healthy and well cared for. She loves to grow things from seed so when she came to spend a few days with us over Easter she brought all her trays of seedlings with her as they wouldn't have survived 'home alone'. They spent Easter on the bench in our greenhouse.

Plant pots neatly stacked are always a tell-tale sign that my daughter has spent time here. She loves to arrange things in an orderly fashion.

Floor swept and tools in a row, she's been a 'willing little helper' since being very young.

Whilst moving some old wooden boxes she found this little creature nervously hiding out of sight.

Its a baby newt that probably over-wintered in the greenhouse. He was the length of a little finger.

My daughter hurriedly fetched her camera and managed to captured the little fellow as he uncurled and set off to look for pastures new. At this point he was given a helping hand by my husband who placed him beside our garden pond near a heap of stones where he no doubt found shelter and hopefully some friends.

Sadly today the Easter skies that were the colour of these little forget-me-nots are no longer with us. The wind is chill and there's rain in the air and so I'm back indoors finishing a project I've been working on for a few weeks. Hopefully I will have something to show you next time but meanwhile I will leave you with this picture that might give you a little clue.

!!!

Until next time,
Eli