Love is Life

"Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love."

~ Tolstoy

Can you feel it? The Love!? I know I sure do and hopefully you do too :)

Every February 14, across the country, husbands are scrambling to stores in order to pick up chocolates in heart shaped boxes to give to their wives, mothers are baking and decorating treats with their children, cynics are wearing black and popping every heart shaped balloon in sight, children are running around their classrooms in sugar highs handing out valentines to their classmates,  boyfriends stealing kisses from their girlfriends while out on romantic, candlelit dinners... All in the name of Valentine's Day... 

But what is Valentine's Day? Who is this Saint Valentine and why do we celebrate this holiday in the ways that we do? The history of Valentine's Day (and its patron saint) is shrouded in mystery. We do know however that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains both Christian and ancient Roman traditions.

One legend states that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men (his would-be soldiers). Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and performed marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

According to another legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl (who may have been his jailer's daughter ) who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine."

Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is still cloudy, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and romantic figure.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial, others believe it's celebrated in February because in ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification.

An estimated one billion Valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, the first one being Christmas with 2.6 billion.

The oldest known Valentine card still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was very common for friends and lovers if various social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

Like I said in the post "Gratitude is the Memory of the Heart," I am someone who believes that you should love those that are special to you everyday. There is no need to create a holiday just to give you the excuse to tell someone that you love and appreciate them and surround them with chocolates and flowers. I tell my sweetie that I love him everyday and I buy him gifts far too often than I probably should...

But, since this holiday does exist, why not celebrate it and enjoy it?

I wish you all a wonderful day full of love, whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not :) 

Oh, and guess what everyone!? Tiny Treasures has been nominated at The Lovelies for best photography blog! What an honor, not only for me, but for all of you who contribute such breathtaking images. Please go and show your support by casting your vote. All you have to do is leave a comment or twitter the feed.

There are SO many inspiring images in Tiny Treasures, I had such a hard time selecting which ones to feature in this post (I decided to post 14 in honor of today's date). I hope in viewing the ones I selected, it inspires you to go to Tiny Treasures and check out the rest and maybe even join and post your own images. Who knows, you might be the next feature...

 

 

May You Live a Long Life

 

May you live a long life

Full of gladness and health

With a pocket full of gold

As the least of your wealth

May the dreams you hold dearest

Be those which come true

May the kindness you spread,

Keep returning to you.

~Irish Blessing 

To me, birthdays are a wonderful thing: it is an opportunity to show that person how grateful you are that they are in the world. It is your chance to give them plenty of hugs and kisses... fill them up with frosting... shower them with love and attention... write them a lovely card... embarrass them by bringing up stories about their adolescence, sing them "Happy Birthday" and force them to make wishes and blow out candles, make them carry around over sized balloons while wearing a birthday hat, and  give them gifts you knew would brighten their day.

Today marks my 23rd year on this earth. I feel young and I feel old all at once. I look back on my life and think about how much I've accomplished and how many things I have overcome and then I look forward and realize how much life I still have left to live... how many things I have to look forward too... how many hardships I have yet to overcome... I am ready for it all.


Today, calories don't count, chores don't exist, and demands can't be heard... 

Today is my birthday, and there is only room for laughter, joy, love... and presents of course... ;)


Oh, and please don't forget about the cake (thank you Romans for thinking up such a lovely treat).

I would like to leave all of you with a bit of birthday inspiration from some of the contributors at Tiny Treasures. I hope it brightens your day and gets you in the mood to celebrate the joy of life...

PS: be expecting a lovely Valentine's Day post :)

Gratitude is the Memory of the Heart....

Gratitude is the Memory of the Heart

~ Jean Baptiste Massieu

We invest our time, energy, hearts, and souls into projects... some don't work out.. but others flourish.

I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you, from the very bottom of my heart, for all of your love and support. It is just the beginning of Tiny Treasures, but I have a wonderful feeling about it: Not only do we already have a marvelous group of contributing members, but we have a gallery of outstanding images. I am humbled and honored that so many talented artists are choosing to participate and display their work. Artistically and creatively crafted, the images that are being posted are great tributes to those small items we hold dear to our hearts.

Speaking of hearts, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I know, I know... a lot of people cringe when they hear others speaking of what many refer to as the "Card Company" holiday. I understand how "cheesy" such a holiday can seem.

I have friends who are so turned off by this holiday that they purposefully dress in black, watch horror movies, and play drinking games during it. You see, the spirit of Valentine's Day lives within all of us... we just all show it in different ways. I am the type who loves glitter, flowers, shades of red and pink, chocolate truffles, and sweat sentiments. I am more than happy to put on heart shaped earrings, pass out candy and cards, and go out to dinner with my sweetheart (or stay in and watch a movie while snuggling on the couch).

Now, let me explain something: I am someone who believes that you should love those that are special to you everyday. There is no need to create a holiday just to give you the excuse to tell someone that you love and appreciate them and surround them with chocolates and flowers. I tell my sweetie that I love him everyday and I buy him gifts far too often than I probably should.

But... since we have a specific date (February 14) set aside on all of our calenders, why not celebrate it!? Lets bake and decorate cupcakes, give each other heart shaped cards filled with heart shaped confetti, take our honey out for a night on the town, tell those that are dear to us that we love them because we don't tell them nearly enough. Maybe it's the fact that I was born in February that I love Valentine's Day so much... Maybe it's the fact that I love baking and decorating... Maybe it's the fact that red is one of my favorite colors... Maybe it's the fact that I love making people uncomfortable by telling them that I love them...

Whatever it is, I love celebrating Valentine's Day and I would like to leave all of you with a bit of inspiration from some of the contributors at Tiny Treasures. I hope it gets you into the spirit of love and I hope it inspires you to go out and photograph the tiny treasures you see during this lovely holiday...

 

 

 

 

 

And Thus Tiny Treasures is Born...

"There is No Way to Peace, Peace is the Way."

- A.J. Muste

Tiny: Itsy-bitsy, itty-bitty, little, mini, miniature, petite, teensy, teensy weensy, teeny, wee, yea big...

Treasures: Something one considers especially precious or valuable...

Tiny Treasures is dedicated to the dear items we diligently and delicately dust daily on our shelves… To the items we wear on our fingers and that adorn our necks… To the stuff that we tote around in our pockets and keep safe in our handbags… To the small tokens our grandmothers pass on to our mothers who pass on to us … To the frosted cupcakes and golden foiled wrapped truffles we indulge in... To the little items whose only purpose may be to enchant and delight… To the teeny tiny objects that bring us immeasurable joy…

So to put it simply, this space is for artful photos of small items that make our hearts flutter.

The possibilities are endless. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Knick-knacks, cups, broaches, salt and pepper shakers, journals, diaries, cameras, rings, cupcakes, charms, keys, toys, cake toppers, stuffed animals, mugs, perfume bottles, trinkets, guitar picks, truffles, handmade objects... Are you getting the idea? :)

The image above is of this lovely set of salt and pepper shakers Cory and I stumbled upon. We saw them and knew they were destined to be ours. Not only are we Oregonians (an thus the hippie/tree-hugger vibe is in our DNA) but we also very much love each other and the fact that these two little porcelain things are kissing was just too perfect to ignore.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for little knick-knacks such as this set of salt and pepper-shakers (Sidenote: I really should come up with names for these little guys (let me know if you have any ideas)). Growing up, my grandmothers on either side of the family were always giving me tiny porcelain figurines, jewelry, small collectibles, charms... all sorts of different things that really served no real purpose but to make me smile. In most cases it is the memory that makes the object valuable.

I want to be able to share these mementos and their stories and see what others find interesting and precious.

Welcome to Tiny Treasures... Let's get started!