The Ballad of Good St. Valentine

I was thinking about Valentine’s Day and I found this verse so thought I would share it with you today.

May love’s own festival day
Scatter blessings on your way.

Oh, gentle lady, list the lay
that thus I sing to you—
A ballad of St. Valentine,
And youthful lovers true—

And as you list—remember, Sweet,
True love’s worth more than gold,
And Constancy’s the fashion still,
As in the days of old.

The February morn was chill,
Though Spring was drawing near,
And violets made haste to greet,
The young days of the year:

A blithesome traveller came by—
“Ah, why so sad”?—quoth he—
“Come, tell me, hath thy maiden fair,
This morning frowned on thee”?

“Aye sir”—the shepherd lad replied,
“My love hath said me nay—
I’ve loved her well, and loved but her,
A long year and a day.”

“Up heart, lad” spoke the traveller,
“My name is Valentine,”
And I’ve a charm to move the heart,
Of that cold maid of thine. 


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  Shoogly Beads



Just pluck me straight the violets
From ‘neath yon beechen tree,
Then from their petals kiss the dew,
And trust your cause to me.”

One time upon a grassy bank
Where moss grew soft and green,
Reposed a comely shepherd lad,
Of sad and mournful mien.

The violets the shepherd plucked,
And kissed their petals sweet,
And Valentine—that blithesome Saint,
Sped off on willing feet— 


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  Ello Design



And soon he met a maid who led
Her cows to pastures new,
And softly ‘gainst her eyes and lips
The violets he threw.

Then love within her heart awoke,
And by her hand the Saint
The maiden led to where the lad,
Sighed forth his lover’s plaint;

She blushed rose-red with eyes cast down—
Sang Valentine the bold—
“Be true young hearts, for true love’s worth
Far more than lands, or gold”!

From an Illustrated booklet Circa 1905

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  Uniquely yours



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  Sewflair



I hope you like the super array of Valentine gifts available at Folksy.  Please click on the image and it will take you directly to the shop.

  

BFN

Edwina





Vintage Rules!

“Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated;

 you can’t cross a chasm in two jumps.

David Lloyd George

The love of all things vintage is fast becoming a huge trend.  According to a magazine article I read recently it is not just a passing trend either. It is here to stay!  People like the romance of the past and also like the idea of it being eco-friendly.

I met a very young woman last summer.  She had recently opened a lovely shop selling vintage items and she spent her time sourcing fresh items to sell in her shop.  Sadly, the footfall wasn’t that great, but she was undeterred because it was something she loved to do. 

In December I met a lovely young woman who was extremely helpful to me at a Craft Fair I attended.  She sold vintage jewellery and also loved all things vintage so ended up buying one of my bags with matching purse which she was thrilled with.  It was fascinating looking at her vintage jewellery stall, very nostalgic!

I am often searching for vintage fabric, vintage lace, buttons, braid – anything vintage that I can utilise in my craft work.  I particularly love the big colourful prints on vintage fabric!  Some of the items in my Folksy shop have been made with vintage fabric, lace, braid etc.

However, I don’t use vintage exclusively because I also love contemporary fabrics, which ironically often have vintage inspired themes!  These are my particular favourites and I have collected quite a few, and one day I will get around to making something or using them in my textiles work!

Here are a selection of vintage inspired items I found on Folksy: (Don’t forget to click on the image and it will take you directly to the item in their shop.)

Audrey’s Cat

Aunty Joan Crafts

Made With Love by Kat handmade one of a kind reworked vintage jewellery

picocrafts

Today, I am celebrating three months on Folksy and to mark the occasion I am offering a free give away of this A6 Notebook:  Please leave a comment and the winner will be chosen by some random method.  Many thanks.

Don’t forget to visit my shop.  New items are added everyday, I am sure you will find something you like.

BFN

Edwina

Let the customers speak!

“Remember happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.”

Roy Goodman

Today I am giving my blog over to all the lovely customers who have purchased my hand crafted work over the past few months.  It makes me happy to hear what they say about my items and especially that my work gives them happiness too.  It is not always about the money with me. (Although, it is nice!)  I enjoy what I do and hope that what I make gives pleasure to those who purchase.

Intermingled with the comments I have selected a few of my favourite items from my shop that are available now to purchase! (I think I am secretly hoping no-one will purchase them, so that I can keep them!)

 My first sales came on 5^th November 2011.

“So thrilled with my purchases, 2 bags and a purse, beautifully made delightfully packaged and quick delivery. I highly recommend Edwina’s site.”

“Really gorgeous items and so beautifully wrapped, would recommend this lovely shop and seller to anyone.”

Venus Handbag

In December I had a lot more sales ...

“Another lovely item made by Edwina, really love this pencil case for my daughter for Christmas.” 

“Received my notebook today, very quick service and it is even more gorgeous than it looked in the picture, beautifully packaged too. I just love this shop.”

Silk Purse with embroidery

“Lovely item, quick and free delivery, lovely kind correspondence, very polite and the purse is absolutely lovely, I love everything vintage and this purse is just perfect!! Thanks again!! :)”

“This address book is absolutely gorgeous and I intend to keep it for many, many years, it is a pleasure to look at, well made and just what I wanted, thanks Edwina :)”

“Arrived quickly, very well packaged. Bag is absolutely gorgeous, thank you.”

Isis Handbag

 Finally, the New Year started off with a lovely flurry of sales.

“Edwina made this case especially for me and my reaction when it arrived was, Wow ! It is stunning, beautifully made with lovely embroidery on the front and a perfect fit for my netbook, What a talented lady, thank you Edwina so much.”

A6 Address book

“Gorgeous bag, ideal for going out on an evening and holidays. Delivery was very quick and the item was beautifully packaged.”

"Firstly super fast delivery, well wrapped and packaged and inside the most gorgeous well made bag, with beautiful embroidery on the front, what can I say it is delightful and not the first lovely item I have had from this shop, anyone reading this feedback should buy one of Edwina's lovely lovely bags!”

So there you have it! A lovely selection of comments from my lovely customers. Wouldn’t you like to be a customer now? After reading these comments you can’t fail to be impressed and also buy confidently knowing the item is of a high standard, nicely packaged and quickly despatched with FREE UK P&P!!



BFN

Edwina

Don’t forget to click on the photo and it will take you directly to my shop.

Victoria Handbag

Where are you going?

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”

Eleanor Roosevelt

I haven’t had a holiday in years.  I’m not complaining, just making a statement.  Last summer I decided that I needed to get away even if it was only for one day!    I decided that I wanted to stand on top of the world – quite a challenge you might think, but I had an idea about how to achieve it.

So one glorious sunny day in July we set out in my brand new car, a shiny silver Toyota Verso and started travelling.  I enjoy driving so I started out full of high spirits and looking forward to our little adventure.  Three hours later we were still driving and I was getting a little tired, but I still full of anticipation of what we would see when we arrived at our destination.  Eventually, it was time to stop driving and take a well earned break, and enjoy our packed lunch!  We left the car and took advantage of an ice-cream vendor and then sat in the lovely sunshine and enjoyed our ice-creams.

Soon it was time to join others on the next part of our journey which was a train.  This was no ordinary train. Some might rudely consider it to be more of a cattle truck!  Anyhow, we were crammed into the compartment and off we went.  The journey was long, the route was very steep, but the scenery was breathtaking!

So we arrived ...  We explored the area, and surveyed the sights and sounds of being on top of a mountain.  Yes, I was finally on top of the world!  And it was amazing!

Sometimes in life we have to know where we are going in order to achieve our goals.  I enjoy crafting and my little Folksy shop is doing ok for now.  However, we are in a New Year and it is full of opportunities and adventures, so I have my dreams and my goals and I hope to be able to pursue them.  Do you know where you are going?

A6 Address book

Miranda Messenger Bag

Freya Handbag

These are a few photos of some new items from my Folksy shop.  Do have a browse and if you click on the image, it will take you directly to my shop.

Silk patchwork purse

Money or Sewing Purse

Small coin purse

BFN
Edwina

PS Does anyone know which mountain I journeyed up? NODWONS