Another whimsical vintage card

For those of you who enjoy Christmas cards on the whimsical or humorous side, here is one just for you!  This funny little fellow doesn't really look terribly Christmasy, except for his red and green striped scarf.  It's hard to figure out what his errand is or what he's so worried about.

Then you open the card:

And you still don't (at least I didn't) see what he's hurrying up those stairs for!

On the back of the card, his errand is finally revealed!

He's a bell ringer, and he is hastening up the stairs of a bell tower to ring some merry bells!  That red bell is hinged on the end that touches the window opening, so it can either show up as a single red bell on the inside of the card, or a movable bell on the outside of the card.  Clever!

This is another of the cards my friend Ann so generously sent me.  Vintage fun!

The Rudolph Day ... that walked away!

Since Rudolph Day for March (the 25th) fell on a Wednesday this year, I knew I probably wouldn't find much time to do anything of a Christmasy nature.  Wednesdays are always notoriously busy for me.  So, I made plans last week to celebrate on Tuesday the 24th instead.  I guess you could call it Rudolph Eve day.

Tuesday mornings I talk with my daughter 3 time zones away, but that shouldn't impact anything.  It didn't, but in the meanwhile a postponed hair appointment was rescheduled to Tuesday morning.  No problem, I thought.  I try to stop in at my dad's every day, but this time I would do it on the way back from my haircut.  It should be a brief stop, as I had only a few things to do there.  I basically just wanted to check on him.  Then, theoretically, I would still have the afternoon, or at least a couple of hours, for Rudy-like activities. 

So I talked with my daughter, went and got my hair cut, and stopped at my dad's.  I quickly finished my errands there and went to leave.  And that's when my Rudy Day began, quite literally, to take a hike.

Because, when I went to open the car door, it was locked.  Ordinarily, when I stop at my dad's, I take my bag inside.  This time, I intended to be there only a short time, so all I took (other than his mail, which I picked up from the box) was the key to his house.  And apparently when getting out I must have bumped the lock button.  So there, locked in the car, was my bag, complete with my car keys and my wallet containing the AAA card...

Of course, I did the first thing I could think of to do: I called my husband.  He told me there was a spare key on his dresser at home, but for him to leave work and come to my aid would take an hour round trip and he just couldn't take the time.  So my options were three: 1) Stay where I was all day until my hubby got home from work; 2) Walk home and leave the car where it was, again until my hubby got home from work; 3) Walk home, get the spare key, walk back, and drive the car home. 

I decided on a variation of option 3.  I would walk home and see how tired I was.  If I still had energy, I would walk back and get the car.  The walk home involved a couple of very steep hills, or, technically, I suppose, one long steep hill.  My hubby encouraged me to stop and rest often, so I did.  When I got home, I felt pretty good, other than being insanely thirsty, so I rested for a few minutes, changed to sneakers, grabbed the spare key, and headed back.  It was all downhill from there -- the hike and the Rudy Day!

Another sweet vintage card

Here is another of my recently acquired vintage Christmas cards, courtesy of my thoughtful friend Ann.  Isn't it sweet?

I love the adorable puppies and the ribbon-tied candy cane peeking out of the stocking.  I think it's the sober faces, bright eyes, and "eyebrows" on these puppies that make me think of my newest granddaughter.  They are just too cute!

Here is the inside of the card:

As you can see, the puppies have escaped from the stocking and are playing tug-of-war with it!  I like the way the greeting is extended into the left side of the card, and the fonts they used are fun too.

Hope you've enjoyed this sweet vintage card today!

A comical vintage Christmas card

Here's another of the vintage cards from the parcel sent me by my friend Ann.  This one has a decidedly comic aspect!  The Victorian couple is apparently moving along between snowbanks and it looks as if they are walking.

But the inside of the card is where it gets funny.

You can't tell from this scan of the card's interior, but it's a pop-up card, making the gentleman's leap onto the tandem bicycle quite realistic and comical.  You see that his top hat and the package he was carrying (as well as his coattails and scarf) go flying out behind him.

This wouldn't be a card I would select, but I had a great-aunt who very often chose funny cards.  This looks very much like one she would have picked.  It was a fun reminder of her. 

"Silent Night" ~ another vintage card

Here is another vintage card from the assortment sent to me by my friend Ann.  I continue to be amazed and blessed by her thoughtfulness!

I like the simple, stylized look of this little village.  It's neat how the church is the centerpiece of the surrounding homes, and I love the lighted windows in each one.  I love glitter, but this simple scene is just right without it.

And here is a look at the inside of the card.

Again, the fonts are interesting and fun, and I like the way they have dotted the "i" in "Christmas" with a simple star.  I also like the swirling look of the greeting, as if it was being blown about by a gust of snow.  One little vignette from the scene is placed on the left side -- so sweet.

Hope you have enjoyed this pretty vintage card!

"Greetings!"

Here is another of the vintage Christmas cards my friend surprised me with.  It has an unmistakably vintage look, don't you think?  I like how the stylized "halos" on the candle flames sort of go off the top of the card.  One wouldn't think the varying reds on the candles and berries would look good together, but they do!  I like the sort of sponged effect on the gray background, too.  It is very different!

And here is the inside of the card:

Like other vintage cards, this one features attractive fonts.  And the illustration inside is not a small vignette, like many other cards have, but rather a nearly full-size depiction of one candle and some holly.

 Hope you've enjoyed this glimpse at a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary vintage Christmas card!

"A Happy Christmas" -- another vintage card!

Here is another vintage card from the parcel sent to me by my friend.  Isn't it cute?

Although I have to wonder about the wisdom of gathering holly in the snow in one's bare feet, I do think the card is adorable. 

Here is what the inside looks like:

I enjoy seeing the various fonts used and the small illustrations that are often inside the vintage cards.  And I would love to have a holly tree in my yard, wouldn't you?

Vintage Greetings!

Here is another of the fun vintage cards from my friend Ann.  I love the "modern" look of this one and the fact that the letters are varying colors -- red, green, and gold.  The background is ever so slightly embossed, and the gold stars and snowflakes are striking.

And here's a look at the inside of the card:

I love the sentiment and the interesting fonts that are used.  The stylized design of candles is very striking, as well.  If you can't read the greeting, it says: "Heartiest greetings and best wishes for your happiness at Christmas and throughout the coming year." 

This is one of those cards that at first glance seems rather plain.  It is anything but!

"Of berries, red, of candles' mellow light ..."

In my last post, I shared about a wonderful surprise in my mailbox last week: a packet of vintage Christmas cards from my crafting friend Ann.  Today I want to show you the first one.  This was on top in the bubble-wrap bag and it caught my fancy immediately.

It's a poem illustrated in a sort of illuminated fashion:

December, month of holly, pine, and balsam,
Of berries, red, of candles' mellow light;
Of home and fireside, laughter, happy faces,
Of peace that comes upon the Holy Night.

I have no idea who wrote the verse, so can't give credit where credit is due, but it is a very pretty and unusual vintage card, a great addition to my collection.

I didn't scan the inside because it is pretty simple: "To wish you happiness at Christmas."

Hope you've enjoyed this card!  Have you ever seen one like it?  I wonder if it might have come in a set of boxed cards all illustrated in illuminated style.

A surprise in the mail!

A scan of the stamped end of the package and its interesting stamps

This past week, I found a fun surprise in my mailbox!  As mentioned, I had decided to celebrate Rudolph Day (the 25th) mostly on Tuesday, a day early, because Wednesdays are so busy for me.  I've detailed here on the blog how I spent that day, and then also a bit about what little I could do on Wednesday and Thursday.  Thursday I found a parcel in my mailbox from New Zealand, of all places!  It was from my craft forum friend Ann.

What in the world could Ann be sending me?  We had exchanged cards at Christmas and hers had arrived in December in a timely way, so it wasn't a delayed Christmas card.

But yet, as I found out upon opening the package, it did contain Christmas cards!   Ann had written me a note inside of a lovely Christmas notecard:

Isn't it so pretty?  The wreath pictured in the photo is made from clementines, a most Christmasy fruit.  The card is from England, and the back of the card gives detailed directions for making a wreath out of clementines.

In the note, Ann explained that she had been given a bundle of unused vintage cards.  There were some duplicates among them, so she thought of sending some cards to me.  She reads this blog and knows of my love for and my collection of vintage cards, especially the smaller vignettes that are often found on the insides of the older cards.  Most of these cards have those.  A couple of the cards are humorous, some are whimsical, many are beautiful -- but they are all unique and none are like any cards that I already had in my collection.

Over the next few weeks I plan to scan these cards so I can share them with all of you.  What fun it will be!

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness, Ann!  It was truly a most delightful surprise and added to my simple celebrations of February's Rudolph Day.