Vintage Crafts - Designer Crafts Connection - First Monday

You may remember that I love collecting shells.  I have boxes of them that I've dragged around with me for almost 50 years.  I'm not sure where this fascination came from, I just know that it is what it is.  I've talked about collecting shells quite a few times over the past year or so and each time I think I've mentioned Sailors' Valentines.  Here's a photo of one I created for my Aunt about 15 years ago.

 

This is a photo of my Uncle Derek taken in the late 1940's.  He has since passed away.  My Aunt is now in her 90's and this "Sailors' Valentine" stands on the shelf over her fireplace.  It's a very basic rendition, of course, but special because all the shells I used were found on the beach where my Aunt and Uncle used to go on holiday every year.  I used the base of an empty heart shaped box of candy then glued the shells in place around the photo.  Much the same as making a mosaic.  If you're wondering how this ties in with our "Vintage" theme, I've had the shells for a long, long time and crafting with shells is inherently vintage.

Samples of antique Sailors' Valentines can be found in maritime museums in coastal areas in the US and other parts of the world.  Easy to find, crafting with shells was a popular pastime for early 19th century sailors - can you believe they were "eco crafting" and upcycling 200 years ago!   To learn more, you only have to "google" Sailors Valentines.  Click on images for some great samples!  You can also read a little history here: http://www.sailorsvalentinestudio.com/history.asp   Enjoy!  Y'all come back now..... there's a special blog hop for our group, 8-18 Sep with a GIVEAWAY.  You can read more about it on Carol Heppner's blog when you hop forward....

Yours truly,
Julie :)