'Vintage View Sunday' Blog Party

I've had so much fun visiting your blogs and joining blog parties, 

that I thought I would start one of my own.  

This party is all about vintage and antique treasures.  

Share one of your beautiful pieces of jewelry, linen, furniture, silver, china--

anything 50 years old or older (and no, hubbies don't count)!

Tell us something about the history of your item--a little education please.

And if you have a special story about it, share that too (or make one up)!  :-)
  
Please post my blog party title and link on you Web site.
 
My plan is to showcase a few treasures on Sundays--think I'll start out with 
two parties each month. The first Vintage View Sunday will be on

Sunday, February 2.  So let's get this party started!

From Dancing to Love

"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love."

                                                               - Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

 As I was cleaning and organizing today, I found one of my prized possessions, 

this wonderful 1834 sheet music for a quadrille dance from

 "Rossini's admired Opera, La Gazza Ladra."  Isn't the writing lovely?  
The whole piece is so well-preserved, probably because of the high rag 
content of the paper.  It feels quite fabric-like.

Inked in the corner in a very lovely style is the owner's name,
Mary W. Alsop, April 15, 1834.
Was she a lovely young woman, accomplished but unattached?
Or a spinster who lost her beau before they could be married and never loved another?
I wonder...

"La Gazza Ladra" is Italian for "The Thieving Magpie,"
 a very famous opera according to my composer husband.  
This piece was arranged for the piano forte:

 
which was smaller than a piano and had fewer keys.  The sound was softer and "bouncier" as there was no way to sustain the sound of the notes with pedals as on a modern piano. Can't you just see sweet Mary sitting at the piano forte in her rose satin gown plunking happily?

Wikipedia describes the quadrille as a very intricate dance, a precursor to 
the square dance, with specific forms for each of its five parts.


Part 1: Le Pantelon, or "The trousers" (always in 2/4 or 6/8):
 

 

Part 2: Ete or "Summer" (always in 2/4):

Part 3: Poule or "Hen" (always in 6/8):

Part 4: La Pastourelle or "The Shepherd Girl" (always in 2/4):

Part 5: Finale (always in 2/4):

Of course named in French, the language of the upper class.

The instructions for dancing 
the quadrille are written at the bottom of each page:

 Can't you just imagine the beautiful clothes, polished faces,
 and the rustling of petticoats and tapping of boots as dancers turn and move in and about,
longing eyes gazing in a crowded room. 
Are you in the mood for dancing yet?

(Dancer stamp from the Jane Austen collection of Oxford Impressions.)

This week I'm linking up with

Victorian Scrap Valentines

This weekend, I lost my creativity to a messy house.  :-( 

So I've spent the better part of the last two days cleaning and bringing order. 

 It's beginning to feel so much better in here.  :-)  

I think I'll now be able to get my craft on!

Inspired by my collection of Victorian calling cards 

and Valentines cards:

I came up with these two cards:

The ticket stamps are from Purple Onion Designs.

That's all for now.  I'm putting a roast in the oven, starting another load of laundry, 

and heading back in to the craft room.

I'm linking up with My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday
and Common Ground's Be Inspired Friday. 

Free Adobe Software and Vegas

I've been away for a while, visiting my sister-in-law and her family who were in Vegas 

for a conference.  Hubby and I had a relaxing drive there and back, enjoyed our family so much, 

and were absolutely amazed at what we saw! While there are plenty of objectionable

 things about Vegas, I chose to focus on the creativity and beauty that really is everywhere. 

It truly is a testimony to creativity.  

And thinking about hitting the jackpot (I actually didn't gamble at all), 

 I discovered an amazing free software download opportunity from Adobe. 

You can now download an old version of their creative suite (CS2), including PhotoShop,

 Illustrator, In-Design, Acrobat and other programs for free from their Web site. 

This is professional software that costs close to 1000.00 for the new versions.

 I can't wait to download and play. I'm sure I will be looking for free tutorials online. 

Leave me a comment if you know of a good one!

           Get the software.

A few pictures of the Forum Shopping area that connects Bally's, Paris, and Caesar's

--so beautiful!

A Thing of Beauty...

"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever..."

                                         -- Keats

I am now shifting my focus to "things" of beauty that 

give me joy and hopefully will give you joy, too!

I made these cards in an inspired moment using the girl and the

French frame images from the Graphics Fairy. The birds are 3-D stickers from K & Company.  

The background paper and ruffled trim are from Stampin' Up.

This pinkish salmon color is one of my favorites--vintage, warm, and lovely...

 Trying out a different color...

 

Both are shaker cards that have a 3-D frame with clear glass and pink heart glitter inside.  

When turned upside down, little hearts fill the background, like this

Aaaahhh....  

I love beautiful things.  

Don't you?

I'm linking this post to the Graphics Fairy's Brag Monday
and to Crafty, Scrappy, Happy's Inspiration Gallery

Valentines, Burlap, and Chalkboards, Oh My!

I'm caving in to "peer pressure" -- Pinterest and some of your blogs-- :-)  and 

finding my Valentine mojo.  Here are a few things that I made this week:

 

The cat head and clothing were made with stamps from Mad Rat Rubber--some of the best-priced 

doll stamps and the only large ones in red rubber that I know of. (Hi Gretchen!) 

Are you getting your Valentine mojo back?

I'm linking up with the "Be My Valentine Linky Party" at Decor to Adore.


In the past I linked up with
Elaine's Sunny Simple Sunday
and Sunday's Best Features at My 1929 Charmer

Champagne Bottle Label Love

A toast to the New Year!

A special label for a special bottle shared with friends on New Year's Eve (2011). 

I had to save it--probably won't ever have it again! lol!

I replaced the cork with a Victorian glass door knob, and then put together the label with the clock and bird images from the Graphics Fairy.

This week I am linking up with the following blog parties:

Graphics Fairy Brag Monday

  The Vintage Farmhouse Creative Things Thursday
Cozy Little House Welcome Wagon Friday
Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

Christmas Remnant

I'm trying to get over a nasty cold, so I haven't made a New Year's project that's been swirling around in my head.  It requires an image from the Graphics Fairy, and both of my printers are out of ink, so I'll have to go to Office Depot if they are open today...  sigh...  BUT!  I really want to ring in the New Year with this project, so I'm downing the Advil, Benedryl, hot tea, etc. and will try to get up a new post for the project.

In the meantime, I have one last remnant of Christmas for you.  Tried my hand at a quick digital card designed with Graphics Fairy music and angel images.  Added a sentiment, printed, trimmed and rounded the corners (the gray is just background of the picture).  Really quick.  With a change of sentiment, this card could appropriately be used for sympathy, get well, or a general greeting.