I think that Valentines is as good an excuse for being crafty as any. I'm already getting on with the heart production for the 'A World in Love' project.
The end of January also marks our first blog-anniversary here on Historic Crafts. Yes it is really only a year ago. I still can't really believe it. Since we were just getting started last year around this time our Valentines posts didn't really get read to the same extent as they probably would now. So this is me making you all aware of them. Whether you want to get raunchy with the Romans or learn about the Victorian 'Vinegar Valentines' card.
Eddie
Showing posts with label Valentines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentines. Show all posts
Friday, 4 February 2011
Friday, 14 January 2011
A world in love
In exactly a months time we have the 14th February also known as Valentines day. A great time to show the people in your life how much you love and appreciate them. But how about sharing that love a bit further? How about sharing that love with the whole world? And how about using the creativeness that we all carry inside us to do just that? That is what this project; 'A world in love' is all about.
The main part of 'A world in love' is this flickr group.
I wanted to share with you all my first heart in Winchester on a Sunday morning after the farmers market. The same place I bought the yarn a year ago.
The concept is simple:
1. Handcraft a heart (ideas below)
2. Take a picture of this heart in front of a place that means a lot to you
3. Let us know where the place is
4. Tell us about your handcrafted heart and why you took the photo where you did (optional)
If you share an image with this group you are also allowing us to make a collage with your photo in it. We will also use the spot where you took the photo for a Google map.
On the flickr group I have started a couple of discussions with ideas for crafting hearts. We already have ideas for knitted hearts and ideas for crochet hearts. But if you have any other ideas feel free to start a relevant discussion (e.g. paper heart ideas or felted heart ideas or basketwoven heart ideas).
If you upload the image to flickr yourself you can also geo-tag it yourself (remember to change the geo-privacy to public). If you are not a member of flickr (it's free and easy to get an account) and you don't wish to be either you are welcome to send the photo to me with the town and country where it was taken (you don't have to be detailed if you don't want to) and I can upload it for you.
I have also made a group on Ravelry and an group on Facebook. You can also post your image on any of these groups and I will move them to the flickr group. Again remember to mention the place where the photo was taken.
If you want to share this idea with your friends and followers I have made these two badges which you are free to use to link back to the flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1600626@N21/
I really hope you want to be a part of this and to encourage you friend to take part too.
Take care,
Eddie
The images in this post are copyright of Eddie Roued-Cunliffe. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.
The main part of 'A world in love' is this flickr group.
I wanted to share with you all my first heart in Winchester on a Sunday morning after the farmers market. The same place I bought the yarn a year ago.
The concept is simple:
1. Handcraft a heart (ideas below)
2. Take a picture of this heart in front of a place that means a lot to you
3. Let us know where the place is
4. Tell us about your handcrafted heart and why you took the photo where you did (optional)
If you share an image with this group you are also allowing us to make a collage with your photo in it. We will also use the spot where you took the photo for a Google map.
On the flickr group I have started a couple of discussions with ideas for crafting hearts. We already have ideas for knitted hearts and ideas for crochet hearts. But if you have any other ideas feel free to start a relevant discussion (e.g. paper heart ideas or felted heart ideas or basketwoven heart ideas).
If you upload the image to flickr yourself you can also geo-tag it yourself (remember to change the geo-privacy to public). If you are not a member of flickr (it's free and easy to get an account) and you don't wish to be either you are welcome to send the photo to me with the town and country where it was taken (you don't have to be detailed if you don't want to) and I can upload it for you.
I have also made a group on Ravelry and an group on Facebook. You can also post your image on any of these groups and I will move them to the flickr group. Again remember to mention the place where the photo was taken.
If you want to share this idea with your friends and followers I have made these two badges which you are free to use to link back to the flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1600626@N21/
I really hope you want to be a part of this and to encourage you friend to take part too.
Take care,
Eddie
The images in this post are copyright of Eddie Roued-Cunliffe. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Friday, 12 February 2010
Will you be my Valentine?
Valentines day is closing in on us and we think it is time to reflect on what this holiday means for us. It's origins are veiled in mystery but most sources seem to suggest that it all began with the Romans somehow. In my last blog post I suggest that the holiday Lupercalia is the predecessor of Valentines. Or did it all begin with the catholic martyr saint Valentine? Possibly it is a mixture of both. The story tells us that Valentine was a priest in Rome who disagreed with the emperor Claudius II's decree that outlawed marriage for young men (because he wanted them as soldiers instead). Valentine continued to perform marriages and was sentenced to death for this. Another story suggests that Valentines sent the first greeting himself to a young woman he has fallen in love with while imprisoned. He signed it "from your Valentine", creating a phrase still used today.
In a sense Valentines is a lot like Christmas. The date of the 14th February is thought by some to be because this is the time that the martyr Valentine died (the same way the 24th December is the night Jesus was born). Others claim that Valentines day is the middle of February to coincide with the original Roman Lupercalia celebrations (in the same way that Christmas coincides with the original yule tide celebrations). Furthermore, both have become major commercial Hallmark holidays (although this term may soon have to change to a Moonpig holiday).
The later days of the Roman empire, when Lupercalia was still celebrated, the story goes that all the young women would put their name in a big urn. The bachelors of Rome would then pick a name thus pairing up with and potentially marrying the woman. This was of course outlawed by the Catholics, but luckily we in modern times have brought this proud tradition back (with a little help from Internet Technology). We call it: match.com, heartsonlinedating.com, eharmony.co.uk, countrysidelove.co.uk or the Danish equivalent: farmerdating.dk.
The sending of Valentines cards actually began with the exchange of letters, poems and small tokens of affection in the Middle Ages. By the end of the 18th century printing technology gave access to the pre-printed mass produced cards we know today. Esther Howland was one of the first people to begin the mass production of Valentines cards in the US in the 1850s. These soon became popular, probably part due to the fact that it now became possible to stop by the service station, grab a card, scribble your name on it and voila - a no-hassle "will you be my valentine" to keep the missus of your back for another year.
However, if you ever thought that Valentines was only for the romantic at heart you are sadly mistaken. Beginning in the late Victorian era the term "vinegar valentine" was meant to suggest a valentines greeting that was anything but. These cards were very popular in the early 20th century and were often given to a spinster, floozy, dude or scholar with a non-flattering caricature and insulting poem. This type of card has since been replaced by the Anti-Valentines card. A card that is cynical or sarcastic towards Valentines and plays in with Antivalentinism. This is a term coined for whose who wish not to celebrate Valentines either from an anti-consumerism point of view or because they do not believe in enforced romance. The last group are also known to celebrate SAD (Singles Awareness Day or Singles Appreciation Day) on or around the 14th February.
In a sense Valentines is a lot like Christmas. The date of the 14th February is thought by some to be because this is the time that the martyr Valentine died (the same way the 24th December is the night Jesus was born). Others claim that Valentines day is the middle of February to coincide with the original Roman Lupercalia celebrations (in the same way that Christmas coincides with the original yule tide celebrations). Furthermore, both have become major commercial Hallmark holidays (although this term may soon have to change to a Moonpig holiday).
The later days of the Roman empire, when Lupercalia was still celebrated, the story goes that all the young women would put their name in a big urn. The bachelors of Rome would then pick a name thus pairing up with and potentially marrying the woman. This was of course outlawed by the Catholics, but luckily we in modern times have brought this proud tradition back (with a little help from Internet Technology). We call it: match.com, heartsonlinedating.com, eharmony.co.uk, countrysidelove.co.uk or the Danish equivalent: farmerdating.dk.
The sending of Valentines cards actually began with the exchange of letters, poems and small tokens of affection in the Middle Ages. By the end of the 18th century printing technology gave access to the pre-printed mass produced cards we know today. Esther Howland was one of the first people to begin the mass production of Valentines cards in the US in the 1850s. These soon became popular, probably part due to the fact that it now became possible to stop by the service station, grab a card, scribble your name on it and voila - a no-hassle "will you be my valentine" to keep the missus of your back for another year.
However, if you ever thought that Valentines was only for the romantic at heart you are sadly mistaken. Beginning in the late Victorian era the term "vinegar valentine" was meant to suggest a valentines greeting that was anything but. These cards were very popular in the early 20th century and were often given to a spinster, floozy, dude or scholar with a non-flattering caricature and insulting poem. This type of card has since been replaced by the Anti-Valentines card. A card that is cynical or sarcastic towards Valentines and plays in with Antivalentinism. This is a term coined for whose who wish not to celebrate Valentines either from an anti-consumerism point of view or because they do not believe in enforced romance. The last group are also known to celebrate SAD (Singles Awareness Day or Singles Appreciation Day) on or around the 14th February.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
When in Rome...
... do like the Romans. Don your goat skin and get into the streets people. This is Valentines day's raunchy sister.
Lupercalia is an annual Roman fertility festival with Greek origins. Lupercalia comes from the Ancient Greek λύκος which means "wolf", so get your claws out and get ready for a different Valentines this year.
Maybe we shouldn't go as far as the Romans and sacrifice a dog and two goat. And maybe we shouldn't rip their skin into strips and go around whipping women with it. Even if it supposedly ensured the same women fertility.
But maybe we can use something from this raunchy festivity for the upcoming modern day Valentines celebrations. Instead of spending all our hard-earned cash (especially in these difficult financial times) on chocolate, flowers and cards we could try to get a bit more intimate with the ones we love.
For those without partners at this time of year, you might also be interested in knowing that Lupercalia was also a festival of purification. I personally think this is a good excuse for going to the Spa for a Roman steam bath and a massage.
For the crafters out there this might also be a good time to get into the idea of crafting with hides. This may very well be one of the oldest crafts known to humans. We all know the cavemen don't we. We know that they were mighty hunters and while they were out gathering sustenance for their families, their women sat at home minding the babies. I mean, I don't have a direct line to the cavemen, but I am sure someone must have. Otherwise how do we know this? My point is that we of course have no idea of the social structure of our pre-historic ancestors or who did what, in the hut. But it is pretty safe to assume that the idea of wearing animal hide is hundreds of thousands of years old. All of the oldest stone technologies included choppers, scrapers and pounders used among other for hidework. And this is why I think the Romans wore goat skin loincloths to signify an ancient ritual. Celebrating fertility (if not love) is I believe as ancient a ritual as wearing animal hide. But then again, I still don't have that direct phone line to Mrs and Mr Homo erectus so you are going to have to take my word for it. Happy hideworking and happy Lupercalia!
Lupercalia is an annual Roman fertility festival with Greek origins. Lupercalia comes from the Ancient Greek λύκος which means "wolf", so get your claws out and get ready for a different Valentines this year.
Maybe we shouldn't go as far as the Romans and sacrifice a dog and two goat. And maybe we shouldn't rip their skin into strips and go around whipping women with it. Even if it supposedly ensured the same women fertility.
But maybe we can use something from this raunchy festivity for the upcoming modern day Valentines celebrations. Instead of spending all our hard-earned cash (especially in these difficult financial times) on chocolate, flowers and cards we could try to get a bit more intimate with the ones we love.
For those without partners at this time of year, you might also be interested in knowing that Lupercalia was also a festival of purification. I personally think this is a good excuse for going to the Spa for a Roman steam bath and a massage.
For the crafters out there this might also be a good time to get into the idea of crafting with hides. This may very well be one of the oldest crafts known to humans. We all know the cavemen don't we. We know that they were mighty hunters and while they were out gathering sustenance for their families, their women sat at home minding the babies. I mean, I don't have a direct line to the cavemen, but I am sure someone must have. Otherwise how do we know this? My point is that we of course have no idea of the social structure of our pre-historic ancestors or who did what, in the hut. But it is pretty safe to assume that the idea of wearing animal hide is hundreds of thousands of years old. All of the oldest stone technologies included choppers, scrapers and pounders used among other for hidework. And this is why I think the Romans wore goat skin loincloths to signify an ancient ritual. Celebrating fertility (if not love) is I believe as ancient a ritual as wearing animal hide. But then again, I still don't have that direct phone line to Mrs and Mr Homo erectus so you are going to have to take my word for it. Happy hideworking and happy Lupercalia!
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