Harking back to a gentler time

Oh my goodness, I can't believe that it's been so long since I last posted. But have I ever got something unique to show you today. Ignacio, from Nicecrane Crane Designs, has just come out with a fabulous line of Victorian Calling Cards. That's right, calling cards!

History of the calling card:

When visiting friends, or "making calls," people would leave a card at the front door or parlor, even if the person they were visiting was home. They were used as a reminder about who had visited recently and deserved a visit in turn. Sometimes a loving greeting was added, though the card alone was considered a message.

It was considered a "red-letter day," a term that originated with the tradition of marking holy days in a church calendar in red, when a young "maid" or man was granted his or her first visiting card. As for babies whose cards were sent out by their parents, theirs was "the tiniest and daintiest of cards, fit for fairies!" according to one Victorian Lady, Margaret Sangster, in her etiquette book entitled Good Manners For All Occasions.

The fashions of calling cards varied with the trends; sometimes middle initials were fashionable, other times not; some cards were ornate such as these, while others were of a "severe style," particularly for the gentlemen.

Now isn't that a marvelous idea? Now Ignacio has a whole line of these beautiful cards and all you have to do is add your own information onto them. Here is the one that he so graciously did for me.

Isn't it absolutely stunning? I just love those wonderful little birds and their nest in amongst all those gorgeous flowers. And you could use these for so many different things. If you're a crafter it's prefect to give with an item that you have sold, or when you give a gift to someone where a card might not be an option. As for me I'm thinking of using it on the back of my cards,  etc. I'm sure that you could find many reasons to hand out such a beautiful card. If you'd like to see the whole line that Ignacio has, you can find them here, at Nicecrane Designs. While you're there, why not check out the rest of his store...he has some of the most fabulous Victorian images, paper, etc. So why don't you head on over? You won't be disappointed. And if you're interested in seeing what people have done with some of his wonderful designs, you can find some marvelous ideas on his blog .