Give and Give Back

Some people are totally into Valentine's Day. My husband and I aren't formal about it. When V-Day falls on a weekend, we do our regular Friday or Saturday dinner out. We exchange a card and a small gift. No fuss, no muss.

Image courtesy of Vintage Feedsacks

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day BIG time, or just give it a passing acknowledgment, you might consider choosing a Valentine gift that gives back.

Earth911 shares some ideas for shopping with retailers--on-line and local--that give a portion of each sale to charitable organizations. Other suggestions from Earth911 are to buy local or fair trade or make a donation in a loved one's name.

Worldofgood.com  offers an extensive selection of items whose purchase supports artisans, the environment, animals and specific non-profits. Each item carries a "good print" rating that indicates the positive impact its purchase makes as well as the category of "good" it supports.

And, of course, you shouldn't overlook the positive impact of reclaiming, recycling and repurposing when choosing a gift. A redo of a simple box, picture frame or a small trinket can make a meaningful and special present--and may help keep the original item out of the landfill.

These are just a sampling of the ways gift giving can have a positive residual reach.

This Valentine's Day--and on every occasion that calls for a gift--consider giving while giving back.

I'm joining the Linky Party Blog Hop at It's So Very Cheri.

Also linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Make it a great day!

Valentine Memories; Winner, Winner . . .

First things first:

We have a giveaway winner.

Congratulations to Linda of Itsy Bits and Pieces.

Linda will receive one of my Giggles and Grins handmade ephemera journals.

Thanks to all who visited and entered my first-ever giveaway. Your visits and comments make my day.

When my husband was helping me put the Christmas decorations away, a very old, flat box in the attic caught his eye. He opened it and discovered the collection of greeting cards I had received as a child. I don't think he'd ever seen them. Even I hadn't opened the box for decades.

Birthday cards, Christmas cards, get-well cards. There's even one specifically wishing a quick recovery from my tonsillectomy. Apparently, in those days, having one's tonsils out was so common, it made sense to have cards specifically for that.

And valentines. Do I ever have vintage valentines! 

Seeing the "Baby's First Valentine" card made me realize that everything in the box was 50 to 60 years old. Oops. Guess my age is no longer a secret.

Many of the cards had eyelets to create moving parts. Those were always so much fun. The boy and girl dancing in the photo above rock back and forth in keeping with the card's "hep" dance theme.

The fuzzy ones, like this kitten card are among my favorites now.

But, I have to admit, I remember loving the space-themed ones when I was a kid. You can see a couple of them in the above photo. I was fascinated with Sputnik and smitten with anything related to the stars and the night sky (thank you Dad for enriching my life with your study of the heavens).

These are just a sampling of the valentines in the box. I must have kept every one from our grade school exchanges--up until I was nine or ten years old. Then the collection seems to end. Someday, I'll probably find a way to display some of my favorites.

That forgotten box was a terrific trip down memory lane--to a time when life was simpler, the pace slower, personal correspondence more valued. And, receiving mail from the postman made every child giggle with excitement.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World
Sugar and Spice at Seven Thirty Three
Tuesday Vintage Style at Knick of Time