Pansies.

I remember reading Little Women as a third-grader, and reading about the "hearts-ease" Beth embroidered on slippers for Laurie's grandfather. It took years before I realized they were just pansies!

Pansies have been a favorite flower for postcards and greeting cards ever since postcards and greeting cards were invented. Here's a "congratulations" card that I'm pretty sure was sent to my grandparents when they got married in 1943:

The ribbon did not scan well--it's a real bit of knotted pink ribbon, tucked at the bottom behind one of the pansies. The pansies are covered with clear glass microbeads just like the ones we used to glue on all our scrapbook layouts a couple of years ago.

I love the little quote on the inside: "Flowers are the sweetest thing God ever made and forgot to put a soul into." (Henry Ward Beecher) The font is wonderful, too--look at the swirly "E" and they way they made the lines go up and down, almost like music notes.

Here's a gorgeous purply get-well card my grandma sent to someone--I can pinpoint the date to 1956-58, because the back is signed with her name, grandpa's name, and, written like steps on a staircase, the names of six of their eight kids. My aunts Kathleen and Carol hadn't come along yet.


And a "thinking of you" card sent to my great-great aunt Carrie:

And finally, a little fairy holding a giant pansy. Hm. That has a slightly different connotation nowadays, no? Especially when the little fairy isn't even wearing pants.