Hello, and welcome everyone. I am Nancy Rosin. Some of you may remember me from the Decorative & Holiday Board where I’ve been the featured guest on Valentine Chat for the past 7 years. Today, I am delighted to present a workshop on my favorite subject and area of expertise – Valentines!

I am going to start by presenting a little history about the holiday, some images of great old Valentines to inspire you, and some ideas to appeal to the modern Cupid!

So what is the origin of this wonderful day? History tells us that it was named for Valentinus, a priest in Rome in the 3rd century AD. He was famous for encouraging young people to marry, angering the Emperor Claudius II, because a married soldier would give his first allegiance to his wife, not to his Emperor! Valentinus was warned repeatedly, and when he tried to convert the Pagan Emperor to Christianity, he was sentenced to be executed. While imprisoned, he is said to have miraculously restored vision to the jailer's blind daughter. In fact, he left her a note signed, "Your Valentine," and that may have been the very first valentine. It had been a popular Pagan Holiday, but, when Christianity became stronger, the holiday was saved, and renamed in honor of Valentinus -- martyr of lovers, who died on the eve of the festival.

A Valentine had always been the chosen person, not a gift, until medieval times, when saints names were substituted, and gradually, the use of expensive gifts, then paper missives, marked the holiday. By the early 1800’s the holiday was avidly celebrated in England, and gradually came to America via imported paper Valentines, or in the form of a folk art tradition brought here by German immigrants. A huge industry evolved on both sides of the Atlantic, and people shared their passion with magical manufactured creations or tender handmade ones. Today’s tradition is the heritage of those people, and the emphasis they placed on the holiday. Today’s Valentines can reflect your own personality and feelings, and become lasting mementos for the future.

Paper hearts are delicately woven together in a technique called “basketweave scherenschnitte” and enhanced with a woven heart and hand, and a lock of hair woven into an endless knot.

This handpainted token of love would probably have become pale and faded, if not kept safely in an album by the recipient. The delicate calligraphy, the sweet message, and the simple gold paper edging make it such a nice token of affection -- and careful care of it will preserve it for future generations.

This delicate papercut is only three inches in size -- and is about two hundred years old -- despite its’ fragility, it has survived in perfect condition -- it may have been tucked within the pages of an album or even a Bible!

There are lots of sources nowadays for archival materials, and you can find them at large craft supply stores where scrapbooking items or sold, or from major companies.

Anything with a transportation motif is always popular. This stream engine, operated by its’ engineer, Dan Cupid, is from that period, 1880-1910, when Germany exported wonderful die-cut chromolithographed Valentines. Adorned with honeycomb tissue paper, they would adorn a table or credenza in the Victorian parlour!

The holiday season makes us pause to reflect on just how we mark the passage of time -- with special events. Perhaps that is one of the reasons we feel so special about Valentine’s Day, as beauty and sentiment combine with celebrations of love and affection. Cupcakes for the classroom, homemade Valentine crafts, mysterious and often anonymous cards, the classroom Valentine box, or the glorious heart-shaped box of chocolates from a beau, a husband, or a grandchild -- all are indelibly recorded as highlights of our lives. And so, with great joy, we celebrate it again, for ourselves, and by creating memories for another generation.

Among the many places you can find Valentines, eBay is a fabulous resource. Items available range from the inexpensive children’s cards to elaborate, elegant lace ones and rare folk art items.