Why the French hate us.

There aren't a lot of just flat-out goofy cards in my "Grandma's Attic" stash, but this one's a gem:

The poodle on the front of the card has fuzzy black flocking on his head, tummy and paws.

Inside:

It was never sent...I can't imagine why!

Anniversary roses.

Roses, anyone?

The front of this first card is glittered all over with clear fine glitter, and then dotted here and there with specks of green glitter. I'd love to know what kind of glue they used on these cards, because that glitter is stuck on there but good!

Here we have an unsent anniversary card with no glitter, but a super-flirty fun font.

Roses are sort of the generic greeting card flower, aren't they? I promise I'll dig up something a little more unique for tomorrow.

Every pleasant thing.

Happy Monday! We had company over the weekend, so I had to put my cards away, but I'm back.

Someday I want a front door just like this one:

This is another one of those cards with a cut-out in the front that reveals only part of the inner picture:

So, so sweet! The scalloped edge around the picture on the front is a textured gold paper layered between the cover peachy paper and the paper with the top layer of the picture on it. (Three layers of paper on the front cover, in other words.) The card also has a very subtle shimmer to it. From the style I would guess this is a 1940s card, probably sent to my grandparents for their wedding.

Groovy.

Let's visit the 70's for some birthday greetings, shall we?

This card was sent by my mom to one of her parents or one of her siblings who were still living at home, in 1969 or 1970. (I can pinpoint the date because she didn't put my name on the card, and I came along in late 1970.)

Inside it reads, "Wishing you a big bright beautiful birthday!" The rays and all the little round things are embossed, and the orange background has a lightly embossed paintbrush-stroke texture. This totally makes me think of my childhood!

My aunt Molly sent this one to her little sister Carol, in the early 70's. Remember Holly Hobbie being plastered on every flat surface? So sweet and innocent.

The daisies are a very 70's feature, too. I've been reading this book about Laurel Canyon in L.A. and all the drugs and sex and hedonism of the 1970's, but all I remember is prairie dresses and happy sunshine and flowers. It's good to be a kid!

Comfort.

Not every greeting card event is a happy one, of course...here are a couple of very pretty sympathy cards:

Interestingly, this card was sent to my grandparents by my grandma on the other side of my family--in other words, my dad's mother sent this to my mom's parents. This would mean that it was sent for either the death of my great-grandfather Martin or my great-grandmother Martin--my grandpa Martin's parents. Early or mid-1970s, although this card looks older than that to me.

I took out Grandma's last name, since she is still very much alive and I want to protect her signature from the Internet bad guys. I love the borders on this card, with the soft blue edge and the little white flowers--the blue looks great next to the red flowers. What are those flowers, anyway?

I'm not sure who this next card was sent to. It's from a cousin, on the passing of "your sister," and since it came up in a layer of cards from the 1960s and 70s, I'm wondering if it wasn't sent when my grandmother's sister Edna passed away in the late 60s. It's a beautiful card. The flowers in the corners and the little border bits are a soft silver. It has a nice deckle edge, too.

I think that although we're moving to e-vites and e-birthday greetings, nothing will ever take the place of a real, snail mail, sympathy card. I hope not, anyway!

Some lovely flowers for you.

I can't decide if I like the lilacs on this card or not--the purples are so muted, they're almost in the depressing "gray" end of the purple scale.


But the inside of the card is just beautiful:

These lilacs are a little more cheerful:

This is another of those cards where the ruffle peeps out around the front cover:

This feature popped up on several of the cards I found in the boxes from Grandma's house. The ruffles are so dainty and feminine!

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.