I love
holidays! Even if its a holiday that’s said to exist primarily for commercial
purposes, rather than to commemorate a significant religious or secular event! This
brings me to Valentine’s Day… It’s no secret that commercial companies have
taken the opportunity to capitalize on this holiday in particular, case and
point the very lack of hesitation to fill the shelves of our local Rite Aids Walgreen’s
etc. with red & pink heart shaped chocolates of all sizes. Historically Valentine’s
Day is actually deeply rooted and while doing a little research to inspire my
post, I came across a rather intriguing woman whose name dates significantly
further back than any Hallmark Brothers name does as far as Valentine’s Day
goes. This woman is Esther Howland. It was said that Howland was a lady unusual
for her time… I will spare you the history lesson for now, but to sum up Esther’s
accolades she was “The Mother of the American Valentine” At the age of 19 after having received an
intricate English Valentine from one of her fathers' business acquaintances (her
dad was a local stationer) Esther was inspired and felt confident that she was
capable of creating something greater than the one she had received. So after
persuading her father to order lace paper and other supplies from England and
New York City the samples she produced provoked such a positive response that
the advance sales exceeded more than anything she could make by herself! (check
out more on Ester here!)
Quite the creative entrepreneur if you ask me, she was
ahead of her time indeed! Her simple yet intricate cards started at a mere .05
cents; Esther was a true visionary whose designs made a lasting impact on the history of the Valentine. So while Hallmark may have taken over since the early days of the
Valentine there is no need to give into their scheme, I mean I’m sure we all remember
our days of simply gluing a doily onto a piece of heart-shaped construction paper and
handing it to that special someone (usually my mom & dad) and saying “Happy Valentine’s
Day” right!? While I have since graduated from the days of cut-and-paste {ok
maybe not entirely} if I’ve learned one thing in grade school it’s that Valentines
are for everyone—friends, family, and sweethearts alike. Hallmark victim or Esther Howland aficionado
my favorites are those handmade that come from the heart below are a few of my favorite!
Youre the Bomb! Too cute
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