Hillary Courson at Home

Summer Travel: Heart of Ohio

My husband’s and my business takes us around the country and the world on travel to meet clients.  This June we found ourselves on a trip that took us through 9 states. By the time we returned home to Florida, Clint (and I) had driven almost 5,000 miles in 12 days.

Heart of Ohio Antique Center. Located at exit 62 at I-70 and U.S. 40 outside of Springfield, Ohio.

The trip was not all grueling hours of humdrum driving down pot-holed roads. We made numerous side trips to visit friends and family and to see the sights of the country.  One such side trip was a visit to the Heart of Ohio Antique Center. 

Marvelous annual flowers at the door to greet arriving shoppers! Beautiful!

It is a beautiful facility with 116,000 square feet of booths, show cases, and additional outdoor display for patio furniture, statuary, fountains and architectural pieces. There is an auction house that holds monthly events, as well as a café where I stopped for beverages and lunch.

My new planter laden with patriotic rosettes I made to compliment my flag collection!

A building this large required a plan of action to view everything, so predictably, I started to my right and moved around counter-clockwise until I had saw everything. 3 hours later, I had seen it all!

 

What a fun booth full of vintage kitchen collectibles!

 

The sweetness of these hugging salt and pepper shakers make me smile too.

Eventually I had a box filled with items to take home but it was a red wood planter that I selected first to go home with me.  While sporting an unfortunate recent coat of red paint and addition of a clumsy base made of new landscaping timber, the planter itself showed whimsy and charming handmade qualities.  Perhaps made originally as a garden ornament, the maker had cut out 3 stars from the front panel and applied a single metal star. Whatever it’s true heritage I recognized it as a piece that needed to be in my home or garden.  Today it is sits on my fireplace hearth holding mason jars full of American flags instead of geraniums. Next month it might be holding mums on the front porch!

 

I wanted to take all of the Halloween collectibles home with me.

I found two hatchet candy containers in separate booths. Made to commemorate the birthday of George Washington-they are fabulous additions to my President’s Day collection. I think my favorite purchase of the day and perhaps the most fun to purchase was a piece of red, white and blue bunting I noticed hanging above my head while the mall employee was retrieving one of the candy containers from the case in the same booth. While she struggled with the lock and key I mentioned that while I loved the bunting on display it cost more than I was willing to part with to purchase it.  The woman suggested that I make an offer for the item and the office would contact the booth owner for their decision.  Wow! To my delight, the booth owner accepted my offer and I am thrilled to have added the bunting to my collection.

 

Can't you see them swaying to the music? May I have this dance?

With that addition to my shopping cart I was in my groove and found several items I was very glad to bring home with me. An American flag with the attached certificate stating that it had flown over the nation’s capital in November of 1981. Dennison Lincoln and Washington labels and an Uncle Sam ceramic coin bank! I really began to enjoy the variety of items on display in booths and cases.  I turned a corner to find a wonderfully whimsical booth full of color thoughtfully displayed.  What fun it was to look at the kitchen collectibles (think retro Flamingo Pink Pyrex refrigerator dishes) and marvel at the wildly cute asparagus salt and pepper shakers!

 

A stunning display of Sunday flowered hats and feather boas made me pause to admire.

Another booth showcased beautiful twirling ladies with oversized dance cards (price tags actually) attached while a Halloween pumpkin lantern and a Crystal Ball Fortune Teller promised to answer a million questions in another!

As did this collection of colorful vintage spice tins!

While I am always looking for items to add to my political and patriotic collection or sewing implement collection I try to think outside of the box when viewing the potential of adding an item to my collection. I ask myself, are the colors complimentary to my furnishings? Is it scaled proportionally to my other pieces and home? Is it an investment piece or do I want it only for sentimental value? Is it a good example of the materials used or an artisan's skills? Is it the perfect gift for a loved one? 

Have you a check list of requirements you refer to when shopping for antiques and vintage collectibles to add your collection? 

Scotty dog collectors would jump for joy at this display.

These finely woven linen red and white towels cause me to admire the designs!

 

 

 

 

You're a Grand Old Flag

I made a flag from the scraps of fabric I have been using to make buntings this week. The dimensions are a bit off and don't bother to count the "stars"-there aren't enough of them. Or stripes either!

Still, I am thrilled with the results and know that my next effort to make a flag will be just as fun and just as exciting as this was. And just a bit more exacting!

Best wishes for a safe and Happy Independence Day!

Mary Engelbreit Calendar Art

One of the highlights of my trip to the Mary Engelbreit Workshop was at the end of the first day. Workshoppers were invited to the kitchen for an end-of-day wrapup with Mary. We were treated to cookies and gifts. A great combination!

 

2012 Home Companion Workshop poster

Mary signed her 2012 Home Companion Workshop poster as a gift for each participant. It is a fabulous image of a woman in full walking stride on her way to her next craft adventure.  With her crafting supplies in tow she is ready to meet and conquer whatever crafting challenges come her way!

 

Carol waits for Mary to sign her books and calendar.

"Put it in gear and get to work!"

Mary also signed a stack of 2012-2013 Monthly and Weekly Planning Calendars for each participant. I look at the design of round spoke-like flowers and immediately think to myself, “put it in gear and get to work”…with style!  It too now wears a Mary Engelbreit signature on it’s cover!  Thank you, Mary!

 

Mary at work!

Mary's studio and office has numerous examples of her work beautifully displayed in cabinets, hutches and shelves. Around every corner was a lovely vignette of color and delightful design. The kitchen was not to be missed, either!

 

A thoughtful and attractive display of art and collectibles.

One wall displays a collection of Mary’s work (love the cake-stands!) among excellent examples of handmade vintage 1920-30’s era embroidery tablecloth and an iconic black and white check and fried egg flowers needlepoint pillow on a wicker chair. Framed above is Mary’s “Believe” Christmas Santa on the rooftop and examples of mini-book jacket art among a vintage straw hat and child’s illustration art. It is a thoughtful and attractive arrangement.

Ho-Ho Ho!...Mary Christmas!

In another corner stands a year-round Christmas feather tree covered with Mary’s ornaments in front of a print of 1994 wall calendar cover art. 1994! Wow! I have lost count of the numer of Mary's calendars I have purchased over the years. Mary's calendars are a treat to find among the endless displays of North Carolina lighthouses,  word-of-the day, and Labrador calendars in the bookstore every holiday season! Colorful and full of graphics that inspire, her calendars have a dedicated place on a wall in my house.

Detail of Mary's Christmas Tree ornaments.

The Christmas Tree is a delight for the eye and a promise that Christmas is coming! I don't have a year round Christmas display. I pack everything away every year. I wonder how many ornaments I have tucked away in boxes yearning for their yearly unveiling?

 

 

Independence Day American Flag Cookies

I have a large cookie cutter collection. While some are more uncommon and valuable than others, there are few prized by my self as this plastic American flag cookie cutter.  Added to my collection after a trip to Renninger’s last year, I was delighted to use it to make cookies this week.

I love this cookie cutter! A prize among my collection.

While I conservatively estimate that I have made from scratch over 10,000 cookies during my lifetime, I have rarely used a plastic cookie cutter that leaves indentations on the dough. I was glad to use this cookie cutter though to create a cookie that is as tasty as it is beautiful!

A steady hand and a little practice on a countertop before icing a cookie can help to insure success.

I have always used the Sugar Cookie Cutouts recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book®.  It is a delicious cookie and I have found it almost fail-safe when rolling and cutting dough for decorating with icing. It worked wonderfully with minimal sticking using this cookie cutter.

Left to right then right to left! 

I choose to create the illusion of stars by using a lattice pattern on the flag union. Left to right then right to left! An alternative to this is icing the union blue, allowing it to dry and then adding piped white stars using a star tip. When colors are layered they will often bleed and what a nuisance! Allowing plenty of time for the icing to dry and set is important for success! 

Piped icing in vibrant red, white and blue!

Happy Independence Day!

Home at last from the 2012 Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Workshop

While I am glad to be back in Orlando, there is no place like the 2012 Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Workshop!

The 2012 Home Companion Workshop poster showed us the way.  Workshoppers!!! This way!

It was a wonderful experience. Where do I begin to share it with you?  I cannot fully convey to you how terrific the weekend was for me without acknowledging of the coincidental events that lead to my attending the event.

I attended the 2011 Creative Connection in St. Paul, MN where I met numerous creative and wonderful women. Kerri More is one such woman. I follow the blog she writes about books, crafts and collecting.  It was a March blog post where she revealed to her readers that she had had an article published in the Spring 2012 Inspired Ideas electronic magazine, or e-zine. Published by Amy Powers, Inspired Ideas is a beautiful publication full of terrific ideas meant to inspire the reader to “Craft Happy”. As part of the e-zine calendar of events I read that Mary Engelbreit was hosting a workshop where Amy would be teaching a Charmed Sampler class.

Wow! This was an opportunity to meet Mary Engelbreit, make some fabulous crafts and meet participants with similar interests! Sign me up! A few clicks-through later I was signed up to attend the Home Companion Workshop!  Thank you, dear Kerrie for sharing with me and your followers about your published article!

Weeks later I was in St. Louis and on my way to the workshop. As I approached the studio entrance I was delighted to find a group of women finishing their coffee at the neighboring Starbuck outdoor café.  Recognizing that they were most likely workshop attendees I greeted them with a smile and the statement, “I know what you're doing here!” Room was made for me at the table and we were soon making introductions! Terrific!

Lucy made the cleverest nametag/necklace from wood thimbles she handpainted! She also gave each workshopper their very own souvenir thimble. Thank you, Lucy!

Mary Engelbreit’s studio is located in the beautiful and historic Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, MO. At the entrance I was greeted by Mary Engelbreit who, apparently tickled by the boxes I was wrangling, asked if I were there to teach a class!  I admitted that I was embarrassed by the volume of stash had I brought with me but I had had a very difficult time deciding what to leave behind! I quickly found a corner to temporarily store my loot and returned to find her standing with Charlotte Lyons.  I gladly offered my hand and told them both how very glad I was to be there. Awesome!

Isn't Mary Engelbreit's door the very essence of "creativity" and "welcome friend"  wrapped up in one colorful package?

I had signed up to attend three classes and for my first class I was directed to a workspace where the table was soon filled with women of various backgrounds and ages but all with the similar desire to be at the Home Companion Workshop. 

This delightful space was soon filled with charming and happy women making tag books with Charlotte Lyons.  I love the vintage birdhouses displayed above the bookcase!

My first class was taught by Charlotte Lyons. She shared with us a small book she had bound and filled with pictures and mementos collected from her daughter’s young life.  Colorful and textural, each page displayed a picture and mementos her daughter’s special experiences. Charlotte supplied us with a kit of simple squares of tag board (smooth, heavy weight cardboard) and a pretty selection of vintage paper, fabric, ribbon and embellishments. 

 

Charlotte also shared with us some of her samplers she has designed. So happy to behold!

I sat with charming women who gladly shared their stash and craft supplies. I couldn't believe that I did not have a pencil among my own supplies. Thank you, Brenda for the loaner!  Jaime shared vintage wallpaper and border samples from her personal stash!  Thank you, Jaime!

I am very happy with the start I made to my University of Kentucky basketball tag book and thrilled with the women I met. They were cheerful, happy to share bothe their stash and wonderful,  insightful thoughts about family, friends are common experiences.  This was an added bonus! 

Kathy Curotto (left) looks over the table of Mod Podge while Brenda works on her jungle and monkey themed candy box! The finished project was very, very cute!

In the afternoon class, Kathy Curotto shared with us a fabulous selection of materials from her personal stash to decorate simple paper boxes. There were overflowing boxes and trays of vintage and new paper, embellishments (feathers, chenille stems, buttons and ribbon and more!) to work with!

I used some of the vintage glass Christmas decorations on my Uncle Sam candy box.

I chose a 4” high cylinder box and gave it a patriotic theme.  After applying a base of red and white striped paper I used a few pieces from my own stash and a lot from Kathy’s to create a hat fit for Uncle Sam! What fun it was to think outside of the box (ha-ha!) and use such fun materials!

Lucy used a handpainted gourd to top her Halloween themed candy box! Isn't it too cute?

That's me with the really big smile and holding my Uncle Sam's Hat themed candy box. My trophy!

I was really excited to participate in the all-day Charmed Sampler class. I had intended to continue work on my patriotic themed embroidery I had prepared for but when I looked at the beautiful materials Amy Powers had thoughtfully selected for the kit I shelved that idea and gladly started on my Charmed Sampler.   Besides the scheduled classes there were opportunities to visit with the many women (visiting from as far as Washington state) and time for an unfettered peek about the studio.

Amy Powers' fabulous table was waiting for us!

I did meet and visit with Mary Engelbreit and was very glad to find her approachable and pleasant to speak with.  Her distinctive illustration style is full of color and charm and the witty themes make personal and nostalgic connections with her huge and loyal audience.

Her studio is lovely and inspiring, full of vignette displays of her licensed illustration products complemented by artful floral arrangements and vintage collections.  Vintage cupboards and shelves hold collections of licensed tea sets, children's books and dolls.   Mary’s office holds a large desk, sitting area and a large drawing table surrounded by personal mementos and drawing tools.  I was enchanted by the inspirational space but a bit embarrassed too to have such unfettered access to the personal spaces of Mary and her employees.  Thank you, Mary for opening your office and presumably your “Home away from Home”.

It was a wonderful experience, indeed.

 

 

 

Happy Go Lucky Stitchalong makes me happy!

My fabulous weekend trip to St. Louis where I attended the Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Workshop turned into an extended trip that lasted an additional 7 days.  Almost immediately upon arrival in Orlando I re-boarded a plane that would take me to meet my husband in Columbus, OH. Clint was on a business trip that eventually took him through 11 states and driving just under 5,000 miles in two weeks!  He needed help driving and I was up to the task!

The Extraordinary Kit for the Charm Sampler class!

I had time for one load of laundry and to repack my suitcase before I left. Out went the extensive stash of craft materials I had taken with me to St. Louis and back in went the Extraordinary Charm Sampler Kit that I received at the Home Companion workshop.  This compact package was all I needed to keep me busy during my quiet, happy time during our trip.

These spools danced on this beautiful table setting!

I was really excited to participate in the all-day Charm Sampler class in St. Louis. I had intended to continue work on my patriotic themed embroidery I had prepared in advance of the workshop but when I looked at the beautiful materials Amy Powers had thoughtfully selected for the kit I shelved my original idea and gladly started on my Charm Sampler.  Within the beribboned and labeled box (made with Shrinky Dinks-how clever was that?) there was a piece of oatmeal colored cotton Osnaburg fabric-perfect for both novice and experienced embroiderers because of it’s medium weight and even-weave. I also found tiny squares and circles cut from whimsical and colorful fabrics and laces and tiny charms and buttons. 

A close-up of the Charm Sampler Amy showed us in class. Darling!

Amy showed us how to use the provided 6” ruler and pencil to create a grid that we would apply the fabric, charms and buttons to with simply embroidery stitches.  Using the cutest 3” wood embroidery hoop and 6 strand floss that Amy had wound on vintage wood thread spools (again, how cute is that?) and placed down the center of our work table I selected a color, threaded a needle and started to work.  Honestly, in what seemed like seconds I was creating flower stems made from two shades of green floss and small straight stitches topped with cornflower blue French knot blooms. I was enchanted with the tiny field of wildflowers that I had completed in such a short period of time. This tiny square set the mood for the rest of my canvas and as the result of several evenings spent in dull hotel rooms on this trip I am well on my way to completing my Charm Sampler-it is though a work, “still in progress”!

My wildflower field taking shape!  French knots are fun to make.

Being home after a long trip is always nice but is especially nice now that I am back in my studio where I have gathered together my supplies together for my next class! Amy Powers has taken her grid-style sampler idea and expanded upon it for a workshop for Big Picture Classes!  The Happy Go Lucky Stitchalong workshop starts tomorrow!

Amy Powers and her Big Pictures Classes debut!

 This is a one-week long workshop that features 25 tutorial videos (four distributed daily) showing us how Amy created each square in her sampler. There are additional instructional videos and two live video chats!

A snippet of Amy's Happy Go Lucky Stichalong sampler. Darling!

In her video introduction, Amy invites her participants to think about what makes us happy. “So happy that just thinking of it makes you happy all over again?” Doesn’t that very idea just make you smile and happy?  I have signed up for this class and I hope you will consider joining me!  You may feel like you are getting a late start but if you simply sign-up for the class before the class ends you will have access to the videos and materials forever! Did I mention that this class is only $10.00?  Now that makes me happy and I hope it will for you too.

Let me know that you are considering or participating in the class! What fun it will be for us to do this together!

 

Have Art Supplies, will Travel! I am Mary Engelbreit Workshop bound!

I leave today to travel to St. Louis to participate in the Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Workshop. Held June 9th and 10^th in her studio located in historic Central West End St. Louis, there are 6 classes offered in a half-day or all-day format. Participants will come from around the country! I am excited to attend for so many reasons. First, who wouldn’t want to meet Mary Engelbreit and tour her studio? Then (not in specific order!) I want to learn new crafting techniques using materials I am not familiar with to make fabulous “keep sakes”. And I want to meet women who have similar interests as me. 

 

Mary Engelbreit's poster promoting the 2012 Home Companion Workshop! So cute!

Two of the instructors are Home Companion Workshop veterans. Kathy Curotto was a Style Editor for Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine and recently a contributor to Better Homes and Garden and Celebrate magazines. She is teaching both a Candy Container and Charmed Bracelet class.  I am taking the Candy Container class and have massed a box-full of red, white and blue paper, ribbon and embellishments to create a patriotic confection for the eyes! I wonder if I still have time to find some appropriate candy to take with me to fill my finished creation?

 

Is this a business card or a pin-keep?

Charlotte Lyons has written books (Mothers and Daughters at Home and Between Friends) and has contributed to Country Living and Victoria magazines.  She also writes a blog and has recently introduced a line of fabric. I love Charlotte’s charming repurposed use of materials in her handmade keepsakes. Charlotte is teaching a Tag Book and a Memo Board Window Box class. I am taking the Tag Book class and bringing a short stack of pictures I took when my daughter and I went to Lexington, Kentucky earlier this year to attend the Kentucky vs. Georgia basketball game.  I have blue and white ribbon and glitter and the lyrics to the UK fight song to write somewhere in the book.  Elinor and I had a wonderful time on this “bucket List” trip and a small memory tag book will be a wonderful memento of that trip!

I used vintage flour sack fabric to make these keepsakes!

Amy Powers is new to the instructor line-up this year.  Amy blogs about her crafts and embroidery and publishes an e-magazine. Inspired Ideas is a delight for my soul and I am really looking forward to meeting her. I am taking Amy’s Charm Sampler class.  I’ll be making my own version of her signature grid-style sampler.  Using the red, white and blue floss, fabric and star buttons and embellishments (I have been hoarding them in my studio for weeks) I will make an all-American sampler. I am especially excited about this class. I have already drawn and embroidered some tiny designs in preparation!

 

Lined up and ready for giving away!

An email came several days ago encouraging the participants to make a nametag to wear and ‘break the ice’ when meeting new people while there.  I have made two tags. One to compliment my favorite Lilly Pulitzer dress that I will wear one day and a red, white and blue tag to compliment the dress my mother made for me to wear.  That dress is just precious. Made from cloth I bought while on my last trip through Ohio in December, there were several cuts made by a previous seamstress that required extra thought for pattern cutting. Despite using a boutique dress pattern that was full of suggestions of how to use multiple fabrics but light on basic dress construction instructions, my mother prevailed and created a darling ‘frock’ that fits like a dream!

 

Have you a favorite pattern?

I want to be able to hand out a business card to everyone I meet there and hope it makes a lasting impression.  Using pieces of darling, scrap flour sack fabric I bought last year at Renninger’s Extravaganza weekend I have made 20 pin-keeps to give the other participants. A vintage pin-keep such as these would be made using scrap fabric with store-bought pins to embellish the circumference and given asa gift to a loved one or friend. I added a strip of fabric tape with my web-site address printed on it so that the pin-keep acts as both a business card and a memento!  I am packed and ready to go!

 

I like them all! I may not be able to part with them!

 

 

Red white and blue buntings! A Patriotic Favorite!

Preparation for the 4th of July, Independence Day, was a very exciting time in my household when I was growing up in Louisville, Kentucky. My father’s fondness for this holiday was evident in the special care he took to prepare our home for the annual yard party. Stored in the window seat of the upstairs hall were two lengths of antique patriotic bunting that were retrieved, pressed and hung from the front porch of our center hall, Dutch Colonial brick home. Instantly, our home was transformed into a display of patriotic pride on our street.

  

A neighbor's lanai decorated in red, white and blue buntings

Today, I share that same fondness for patriotic buntings and American flags and actively collect vintage examples to display in my home. Many of the pieces I use are new, store purchases that I can use without concern for Florida’s bright sun.  I recently hung several of these pleated fan pieces on my porch for Memorial Day. There just isn’t another home in the neighborhood with as much visible patriotic zeal on display as our home.

 

Detail of a new pleated fan bunting

Others pieces in my collection are vintage and are fragile, requiring greater care. I use these pieces indoors or briefly out of doors, under cover, for a special event display.

A detail of a new pillow

I have made decorations to expand my patriotic display. My paper rosettes have been fun to display and wear this spring.  It was a recent thrift purchase that was the impetus for my newest version of a vintage patriotic design. A cornflower blue and white stripe duvet cover was the perfect complement to fabric pieces found in my studio stash of red, white and blue stripes and polka dot fabrics. Honestly, the pieces of fabric took on a light-hearted life of their own when placed on my studio table together. 

Pillows of the swing on the gazebo

Ideas started to emerge for the up cycled use of the fabrics. I used one of my new, pleated fan buntings as my reference for size and scale for my version and very soon thereafter I emerged from my studio with my very own version of a patriotic, pleated fan bunting. It was amazing how easy the fabric came together to create a happy, light-hearted display of patriotic pride. Oh, happy day!

I have listed the buntings, pulldowns and pillows on my Etsy shop.

   

My gazebo has never looked so pretty!

Why do I call these pieces ‘bunting’? Bunting is a term often used to describe any hanging, colorful decoration usually made of fabric.  Originally they were made of lightweight wool fabric used as ornamentation on British Royal Navy ships. Can’t you just imagine tall sailing ships decked out in splendor upon arrival into port with flags and streamers flapping in the wind? Fabulous! Traditional bunting displays in the colors of national flags on buildings are displayed as lengths of fabric (pulldowns) for decorating columns, gathered and draped into swags or pleated into fan shapes. Today, buntings included the hugely popular strings of triangle shaped fabric or paper stung above your party tables for special occasions. Also known as pennants, these are often colorful, party themed and personalized with a special messages of birthday or wedding well-wishes.

 

Pillows on the swing

Just a thought about how to display patriotic buntings. Normally accepted rules that apply to respectful American flag use and display do not apply to buntings. Patriotic all-American red, white and blue color buntings can be displayed in numerous ways that American flags cannot.

Whether you choose to display your bunting strung overhead or hung from a fence, porch or light post of your home,  display it with American pride!

 

 

 

Memorial Day Buddy Poppies

Memorial Day is just a few days away and I’ve invited neighbors and friends to have lunch with us to celebrate. Yes! Let the summer entertaining season begin!

These stay in my studio year-round.

The menu is set and decorating has begun. I have boxes of patriotic holiday decorations to festoon the house, pennants and swags, bows and buntings. And lots of American flags to hang and display on tabletops. New and antique, handcrafted and purchased, I love the stars and stripes and red, white and blue color scheme that decorates my home. It shouts, “I am glad to be an American!”

I will be adding something new to my decorating theme this year. Red poppies. While new to my decorating, red poppies have had a century long connection to Memorial Day as a gesture of remembrance to “keep the faith” with the servicemen who died on a battlefield. Neither my or my husband’s immediate family has lost a member to the battlefield so the significance of the poppy simply did not exist in our homes when we were growing up. I am glad to know now the significance of the poppy and want to share it with you.

Poppies for sale at a VFW table 

Today, I think many people make the connection between poppies and Memorial Day because of the presence of members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization selling poppies at the entrance of grocery stores.  I am always glad to be greeted by a man or woman wearing an US military uniform or insignia at the door and happy to offer a donation for a bright red poppy with the attached “Buddy Poppy” label. I proudly hang it from my handbag and carry it there until it sadly falls apart or disappears.

The Buddy Poppy has a very interesting and well-documented history but it wasn’t until I started researching my recent purchase of a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) pin that I discovered the indirect relationship of the GAR and the establishment and promotion of Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day. In 1868, the GAR set aside May 30th  as a day to honor civil war dead. Decoration Day events flourished soon thereafter in the United States with public parades and ceremonies each year and memorial monuments and gravestones decorated with the plentiful flowers of spring. It wasn’t until World War I and fallen soldiers were buried in battlefield cemeteries that poppies were used to decorate graves.

On one of those WWI cemeteries in northern France, springtime blooms of poppies emerging from the ground inspired a Canadian field hospital doctor to pen this poem after the death of a colleague.

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae, 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky,

The larks, still bravely singing, fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high!

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

That wonderful poem, reprinted numerous times in periodicals during the war, inspired an American YMCA volunteer to pen a response.

We shall keep the Faith

Moina Michael, 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,

Sleep sweet - to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

 

Encouraged by the positive response to her poem she made paper poppies to share with co-workers. She urged the recipients to wear the poppy as a reminder to honor all who died during the war. 

In 1919 the American Legion was founded to support the United States armed forces that served in Europe during the First World War. At the urging of Miss Michael the National American Legion Convention adopted the use of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy as the United States’ national emblem of remembrance. A French woman visiting that same convention returned home inspired by Miss Michael’s idea of the poppy as a memorial flower. She believed that the Memorial Poppy could be expanded to help the needy. By 1921 Madame Anna Guerin had made arrangements for the first nationwide distribution in America of poppies made by French women, children and war veterans.

"'If Ye Break Faith-We Shall Not Sleep'. Buy Victory Bonds." Poster depicting a lone soldier standing in a field of poppies at a grave. 1918

The popularity of the Memorial Poppy spread around the world. Paper poppy wreaths and swags festooned war monuments and gravestones and bouquets and lapel pins were carried and worn to commemorate special days of remembrance.  By 1922 veterans groups in France, Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand made and sold paper poppies as a fund-raiser to support the welfare of their soldiers. Between 1920 and 1924 millions of French-made artificial poppies were sold in America.

In the United States the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization agreed that veterans could benefit from making and selling the red Memorial Poppy. In 1924 American disabled ex-servicemen started making poppies at the Buddy Poppies factory in Pittsburg.  Since then the Buddy Poppy has raised money for the welfare and support of veterans and their dependents.  Nearly 14 million Buddy Poppies are distributed each year in the United States.

British poppy wreaths made by the Poppy Factory, (Menin Gate Memorial in Ypre) 

So this weekend I will be hanging banners and swags and an addition to my theme-a red poppy wreath I fashioned from paper in my studio.

My version of a Memorial Poppy.

I used a Cricut© Giant Flowers cartridge to cut the flower petals but I could easily have hand cut petals to use as well.  I crimped the paper to give them rigidity and interest and I made a stigma and stamens using a button, crepe paper and black cardstock paper. I wrapped a straw wreath with strips of red striped ticking fabric, added the flowers and topped it with a ticking self-bow. I am thrilled with the results and glad to add this very small gesture of remembrance to “keep the faith” with those servicemen who died on the battlefield to my home.

My latest addition to my Memorial Day holiday decorating. A paper poppy wreath!

I look forward to seeing the former servicemen that will offer Buddy Poppies at the grocery this weekend. I will remember the men and women who have given their all so that my family and I may live in freedom in the most wonderful country in the world-the United States of America!

Happy Memorial Day!

 

 

 

 

 

My Fabulous Grand Army of the Republic find!

Several months ago I paused to gaze about in a booth at Renningers Antiques and Farmers & Flea Market in Mt. Dora, Florida. It was the interesting collection of items in a glass case that caught my eye that day.  I inquired from the vendor about both a small, enameled vintage pin and a framed Abraham Lincoln miniature portrait pin. While the vendor was unable to give me any information about the enameled pin it was her very generous offer to significantly improve the asking prices that ultimately led me to add the patriotic pieces to my collection! I happily headed home with my purchases.

Abraham Lincoln image cut from a periodical and framed and now in my collection!

Under better conditions I looked at my favorite “finds” of the day. It appeared that the Lincoln portrait was cut from a newspaper lay on black paper cut to fit and encased in a repurposed celluloid apparel pin. Perhaps it was made by a wearer to mourn the President after his assassination. Despite its’ lack of demonstrative pedigree I gladly placed the Lincoln piece on the mantle among my President’s Day collection and turned my attention to the enameled pin.  The enamel pin had a much more interesting history to tell.

The Grand Army of the Republic pin I purchased at Renningers

At about 2½” long and 1½” at its widest point it is an attractive celluloid encased emblem of the Grand Army of the Republic. Centered is the image of a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) membership badge, ribbon and star medal.  Inspection of the pin indicates that it is incomplete and originally would have had both a chiffon flag (ribbon) attached as well as additional star medal or a celluloid pin with a civil war monument dedication or GAR encampment pictured. In and of itself, it is a great piece to add to my patriotic collection but it is my general lack of knowledge of this organization and the era following the war that has piqued my interest in American history and the civil war era.

This pin is complete and shows multiple ribbons and attached medal proclaining the original wearers participation in a 1904 Annual Encampment  www.civilwarantiqueshop.com 

A quick search on the internet and The Library of Congress’s Humanities and Social Science division Reading Room shows that the GAR quickly became the preeminent Union army veterans organization formed at the close of the Civil War. Membership reached its peak in 1890, when over 400,000 members were reported. By then the GAR had well over seven thousand posts throughout the country, ranging in size from fewer than two-dozen members in small towns, to more than a thousand in some cities. Almost every prominent veteran was enrolled, including five presidents: Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, and McKinley.

While in its early days, the GAR limited its activities to fraternal activities members soon began discussing politics in local gatherings. A growing national interest in pensions for war veterans signaled the beginning of open GAR participation in national politics. The rank and file soon realized the value of presenting a solid front to make demands upon legislators and congressmen.

Other GAR activities would assist in the healing of a divided nation when members spent considerable time asking for funds that would build monuments and memorials as well as preservation of war sites and relics.  

Ribbon to commemorate installation of a  Grand Army of the Republic monument www.scoilgaeilge.org

The GAR's principal legacy to the nation, however, is the annual observance of May 30 as Decoration Day. General John A. Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the GAR, requested members of all posts to decorate the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers on May 30, 1868. This idea came from his wife, who had seen Confederate graves decorated by Southern women in Virginia. By the next year the observance became well established. Members of local posts in communities throughout the nation visited veterans' graves and decorated them with flowers, and honored the dead with eulogies. The pattern thus set is still followed to the present day. It was only after the First World War, when the aged veterans could no longer conduct observances, that the Civil War character of Decoration Day was replaced by ceremonies for the more recent war dead.

  
A GAR marker and American flag decorate the tombstone of a civil war veteran www.usgwarchives.net

 

This postcard from my collection shows an aged civil-war veteran in full GAR uniform; a double-breasted, dark blue coat with bronze buttons, membership pin on his chest and a black wide-brimmed slouch felt hat and carrying a floral wreath to lay on a war memorial on Decoration Day

I am really enjoying the time spent researching the significance of my GAR pin. I am most intrigued with the organizations' contribution to the commemoration of signifcant civil war events with their contribution of monuments and memorials and the observation of honoring those who gave their all on Decoration Day.  As Memorial Day fast approaches I am especially interested in observance traditions, especially that of the Buddy Poppy that I so gladly purchase each year from a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars at the door of my grocery store. I look forward to sharing what I have learned about the significane this tiny flower.