Bookplate with Borrowing Instructions

Neither blemish this book nor the leaves double down

Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town:

Return it when read -- or if lost, please supply

Another, as good to the mind and the eye.

With right and with reason you need but be friends

And each book in my study your pleasure attends.

I think these instructions from James Moore are very generous and polite, don't you? I found this photo on my computer, saved from long ago. I added the text below. It has always been my experience when I lent a book that I might as well have kissed it goodbye because I rarely got it back without asking for it. xo

Double Hearts on Pen and Ink 18thC Family Record

I have this framed family record on a wall in my living room that never gets any sunlight. Sorry about my reflection in the glass. It is hand lettered with pen and ink and the calligraphy is beautiful. Every line is hand drawn.

I especially love the double hearts with the word together in the center. This is the perfect post for Valentine's Day.

Vintage Postcards for Halloween

We are supposed to have a Nor'easter tomorrow but it's as calm as can be outside right now. It's supposed to start raining at midnight and continue all night and all day Saturday. Yuck. There was supposed to be a Halloween Parade in the neighboring town that's always a lot of fun but it has been canceled so I will continue mending my sweaters. I have worn two that I mended this week and felt as if they were brand new. I am very pleased with this project. Right now, I am looking forward to watching Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages in just a few minutes. See you tomorrow. xo

Hello, August

August 1939

Good Housekeeping Magazine

I photographed this in a used book shop.

My photo.

HELLO, AUGUST!

1903 Easter Cover PUCK Magazine

PUCK MAGAZINE: 1903 Easter Cover. The Easter Bunny with a basket of decorated eggs and a careless girl gathering them in her apron. Chromolithograph by L.M. Glackens, 1903.

Library of Congress Digital Collection

Wonderful Early Bookplate

Great early bookplate with a wonderful message for anyone who borrows James Moore's book.

"Note! Neither blemish this book nor the leaves double down. / Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town: / Return it when read -- or if lost please supply / Another, as good to the mind and the eye. / With right and with reason you need but be friends / And each book in my study your pleasure attends."

photo source

A Wonderful Library 1902

Now this is an enviable library. It has everything I need except an ottoman. The big table is really nice for doing research, the easy chair looks comfortable, and the big windows let in nice light plus the wonderful view. What else is there. Robert Hall had wonderful books and wonderful taste! Love.

photo source

Bookplate, 1902. Robert Hall, an avid collector of Kelmscott Press books.

On the library table are Kelmscott works, including William Morris’s The Glittering Plain and his 1895 translation of Beowulf. All the books are clearly bound in the distinctive Kelmscott full limp vellum tied with silk ribbons. The Wood Beyond the World is open to show a Morris-designed woodcut border and frontispiece. Leaning against the bookcase is a copy of the 1896 edition of Chaucer.

Bookplate with Bad Dogs

This is a pretty terrifying image, isn't it? Do you think J. A Kennard had a lot of experiences like this? I certainly hope not! The image is signed by the artist, lower right. 

I can't find the specific blog post, but it's somewhere on Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie.

1873 Handwriting -- Cursive

This cursive letter written by a child in 1873 is probably a handwriting assignment for school. I think it is such a shame cursive isn't taught now. I went to a birthday party last week for a 9 year old neighbor who said she couldn't read cursive. Penmanship lessons were my favorite when I was in grammar school. I loved dipping the pen into the ink and doing those continuous ovals!

I have posted about handwriting in the past. This old post contains many helpful links to help kids learn this dying art. CLICK HERE.

Envelope Art

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I am so glad this lovely 1887 painting survived the post and was saved by the lucky recipient. 

Vintage Halloween Postcard Video w/ Music

Click here if you can't see the embedded video above.
H A P P Y   H A L L O W E E N

Colorful Pennsylvania German Folk Art at Winterthur

Exhibit at Winterthur: March 1, 2015–January 3, 2016

A Colorful Folk: Pennsylvania Germans & the Art of Everyday Life

The Promise of March

Spring Teaser via

This glimpse of spring doesn't seem possible as I gaze into the frozen abyss outside my window. We'll just have to hang on until Mother Nature decides it's time for a spring thaw. Enjoy your Sunday. xo

Happy New Year 2015

I had to make a return at a small store today. The clerk wished me a Happy New Year and then she said, "The days are long but the years fly by." I haven't heard that one before but somehow it rings true.

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Happy Easter Sunday

One of my all-time favorite vintage Easter cards. via

Old Photos: My Brother and Me

Did this roving pony and photographer visit your neighborhood when you were a kid?

My brother Tim. He didn't need any props from the photographer. He came fully dressed in his Hopalong Cassidy outfit he got for Christmas. He wore it until it was either worn out or outgrown, I can't remember which.

Tim's inner and outer cowboy, back in the saddle again.

I wore my own clothes but the hat was probably a prop. I don't remember ever wanting to be a cowgirl. My brother always got up a little bit earlier than I did on Saturday mornings and I was forced to watch Cowboys and Indians because he beat me to the TV.

My inner cowgirl. I've never been at home in the saddle.

Before There Were Birth Certificates

This is a framed birth record I have hanging on my wall in the living room. I bought it from a New Jersey dealer about 35 years ago and still love it. It is a page from a family Bible recording the 18th century birth date of all the family members. Someone kept it up until 1834 and then the record keeping fell by the wayside.

Here is a closer look. Isn't thehe penmanship exquisite? This also falls into the folk art category because of the folky angel and decorative flourishes across the top. It's a wonderful glimpse into 18th century family record keeping.

Antique Valentine

This is a valentine dated 1847 in an old scrapbook of mine. The papercutting around the flower expands.

To reveal another print inside.

Happy Valentine's Day.

A Vintage New Year's Greeting

The sentiment on this vintage card still works. Wishing you all good things.

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January 1, 2014

Happy New Year everyone from my cottage to yours. Mine is off to a good start with everything neat and tidy hoping to be able to maintain this all year long. It seems to take every fiber of my being to "keep house" as it is not my strong suit. It's really not that hard if you put things away as you use them but I have a tendency towards messiness. They say it takes 28 days to start a habit so we'll see how January goes. I already have one new habit that is a healthy one. I started eating a raw green salad everyday back in November and have successfully carried it through December. Sometimes I wilt the greens and eat them hot. I am also eating grated raw beets and loving them. After all, your health is your wealth. Those are my New Year's resolutions -- be neater and eat healthy. Good luck with yours. I liked the two vintage postcards shown above found on Google Images. xo