Vintage Valentine Crafts

Here is my handmade reproduction pop-up Valentine on the little shelf, and underneath is a cool picture frame I found at a large craft store chain. It holds six 4x6" photos and works well for changing out my collection of old postcards and trading cards with the seasons. The cards just slip right in and out.


Instructions for making a repro vintage Valentine. Take an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of scrap paper and fold in half down the middle (top to bottom) and once again along the lower third of the paper. Draw a swirly line on the right, from top to bottom. Cut out through both thicknesses and the left and right sides will match. This is your template.

Crush two pieces of decorative tissue paper (larger than your template) in a ball, then flatten them out again. Do this twice. With a glue stick, adhere the tissue to a piece of cardstock on both the front and the back. Let dry.

Trace around your template onto the tissue-covered card stock and cut out. Using a bone folder press along the line where the vertical and horizontal parts of your card will meet, about 1/3 from the bottom edge. Fold along the pressed line.

If you wish, attach a paper doily frame to the back of the card. I cut a hole from the center of the doily so the pretty tissue paper on the back side would be visible.

To attach the central photo, old postcard or trading card (photocopied, of course), you need to make a support for it. To do this, take a narrow strip of card stock and score along four lines, depending on how tall and how deep you want your support to be. This one, below, is about 4" tall by 1/2" deep (and 1" wide). Therefore, the original piece of cardstock was approx. 1"x 9".

Basically, you are making a box that does not have sides. The back of the box is glued to the vertical part of the card, and the bottom of the box is gluled to the horizontal part of the card. This enables the card to be folded flat, but the artwork will be raised off the card when the card is opened. A little hard to explain, but I hope the photo helps.

Belore I attached the trading card to the support I glued vintage lace around the four edges of the card.


Banners can be made in all shapes and sizes in Microsoft Word:


Glittered sticky letters are applied to the banner. I used a pin to apply them:
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A second banner, with more sticky letters applied, and photocopied Victorian scrap for the card:

The finished card, with various elements glued to the central pop-up support and elsewhere on the card. I used littly foam sticky dots to give the additional elements dimension.

The underside of the bottom flap contains a poem and more Victorian scrap.

My heart to you is given:

Oh, do give yours to me;
We'll lock them up together,
And throw away the key!
Frederick Saunders)

You can find lots of funny, tender and sweet poems on the internet. Copy and paste them into a Word document in a pretty font. Then tear them and attach to your card.

Come live in my heart and pay no rent. (Samuel Lover)

The back of the card features another poem.


Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentines Are Everywhere!

Many years ago I made Valentines from two small red heart doilies. Using embroidery floss I sewed them together with a chain stitch all the way around, but leaving the top open. I sent these to several friends and put tiny things inside like stickers, notes, poems, tissue paper snowflakes, even beads and other tiny objects captured inside small paper hearts.


Here is one of the 'snowflakes' with heart cut-outs.

An old candy box I found in an antique mall for $1 !

A heart shaped sewing kit:

Oxford Fiber Arts Festival

The First Annual Oxford Fiber Arts Festival was so successful I only had time to take 3 photos! I was at the make & take table most of Saturday. Here is a photo of Audrey with her granddaughter after they finished making a long felted bead. There was a lot of stuff for kids at the festival, which contributed to our success -- make & take, yarn 'bombing', alpacas and angora rabbits.

I took a hand painting sock yarn class on Sunday with Penny of Sky Loom Weavers (one of our vendors who came all the way from Texas). One of my skeins came out pretty good, the one at the bottom of the warping board, which I made with dyes in colors of rust, daffodil, brick red, and magenta, something like that. Not sure about the second skein, on the left in the photograph. I just kind of picked favorite colors and splattered them all over the skein. It will be fun knitting something with both skeins.

Vintage Knitting and Crochet

The First Annual Oxford Fiber Arts Festival was successful beyond our wildest hopes! Carolyn's opening talk on Friday evening was attended by about 40 - 50 people. At least one person came from as far as Memphis to attend and brought a 1970's crocheted vest to show after the talk, which still fits her very well!

I was so busy all weekend I only took three photos! This one of the table of vintage knitted and crocheted items Carolyn and I set up as a display. Most of the items are from Carolyn's collection, very few from mine.



Many people came up after the talk to tell Carolyn how much they loved it. A few people brought vintage items to share with the audience, including Mary Lou who brought this amazing shadow box of a pair of knit socks which her great, great, great, great grandmother made in the first half of the 18th century. Mary Lou said that her ancestor sheared, carded, spun and knit the socks to enter in a fair, and she knew exactly how many stitches were in the socks! Her photograph is also in the shadow box, and some of the extra yarn.

Alpacas at Oxford (MS) Fiber Arts Festival

Cathy Stauffer, of Coldwater Alpaca Ranch, will bring two of her adorable alpacas to the First Annual Oxford Fiber Arts Festival, January 21 - 23. Here are two of them enjoying the recent snow 'event' in North Mississippi.


Cathy will also have for sale at her booth: yarn, roving, raw fiber, batts, hand knit items, soap, lotion and other bath products, plus her best-selling dryer balls. What is a dryer ball? I had not heard of these, but Cathy says they are an all-natural alternative to dryer sheets. They contain no chemicals and are reusable, making them an eco-friendly product. Several in the dryer help to speed the drying process by lifting and separating clothes. They reduce static and soften the fabric. And they are pretty!

See blog posts below for information about workshops, lectures, Make & Take, etc. at the First Annual Oxford Fiber Arts Festival, Jan. 21 - 23 at the Powerhouse Community Art Center.

Oxford (MS) Fiber Arts Festival - Workshops

Several workshops will be offered during the Fiber Festival (please see post below for more info about the festival).

Fiber Artist Carolyn Webb, of Tucson AZ, will offer the following workshops:

Felted Clutch - Saturday, Jan. 22, 1-3 p.m.

In this 2-hour workshop, you will learn how to make a small felted envelope purse using wet felting techniques. You will create your fabric by blending colored roving and yarn, which can then be further embellished using yarn embroidery, beads and buttons.

Previous experience not required. $35, plus the cost of materials - available on site during the Festival.

Nuno-Felted Scarf - Sunday, Jan. 23, 1-4 p.m.

In this 3-hour workshop you will learn a unique art form - nuno-felting - to design your own silk scarf. Nuno is a wet felting technique which combines silk chiffon with wool roving and hand-dyed mohair locks to create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind embellished silk scarf.

Previous experience not required. $60. Fee includes white silk scarf and hand-dyed mohair locks. Wool roving to be purchased at the Festival.

See examples of Carolyn's fiber art by clicking on the box in the upper right of this page.

Penny Barnette, of Sky Loom Weavers in Cat Springs TX, will offer the following workshop:

Hand Painting Sock Yarn - Sunday, Jan. 23, 1-4 p.m.

In this 3-hr workshop you will create your own individual sock yarn - in your favorite colors. Learn techniques for dyeing as well as setting the color, and go home with yarn to knit a perfect pair of socks.

Previous experience not required. $40, includes all materials to make your project, including one skein of wool/bamboo blend superwash sock yarn. Additional skeins available for purchase.

All workshop participants should bring a couple old bath towels, small scissors and thin plastic gloves (if allergic to soaps and/or dyes). Wear clothing that you won't mind getting wet or stained with dye, and be sure to wear comfortable shoes as you will be standing for most of the workshop sessions.

To sign up for the workshops, please e-mail or call Knit 1 Oxford, 662-238-2829, or knit1oxford@gmail.com.

Oxford (MS) Fiber Arts Festival - "Vintage Knitting & Crochet" Opening Talk

The First Annual Oxford (MS) Fiber Arts Festival will be held January 21 - 23, 2011, at the Powerhouse Community Arts Center on University at 14th Street. Vendors, demonstrations, workshops, an opening talk by fiber artist Carolyn Webb, make & take for kids, alpacas, and much more will happen during the three day festival.

Admission is free and open to the public. Event hours are:

Friday, January 21, 5-9 p.m.

Saturday, January 22, 10-4 p.m.

Sunday, January 23, 1-4 p.m.

Featured in the Vendors' Market will be hand crafted items such as yarns, knitted and woven apparel and linens, soaps, lotions, jewelry and baskets. Supplies and tools for fiber artists will include yarns, roving, batts, skein winders, drop spindle kits, spinning wheels, rug hooking and punch needle resources, hand-carved and turned tools for knitters, crocheters, weavers, spinner, beadworkers, and much more.

Children will feel welcome at the event -- not only will there be live alpaca, but special kid friendly crafts including macrame, felted bead making and yarn bombing will be offered on Saturday.

Saturday and Sunday workshops offered will be:

Felted Clutch

Nuno Felted Scarf

Hand Painting Sock Yarn

(Please see above post for description of workshops)

The opening lecture, "Vintage Knitting and Crochet," will be a Powerpoint talk by Carolyn Webb of Tucson, AZ. The free talk, at 6:00 p.m., will feature many physical examples of vintage knitted and crocheted apparel, patterns, booklets and books. The public is invited to bring vintage items to show after the talk. A reception will be held after the talk at 7 p.m.

Please see other posts for more information about the Fiber Arts Festival.