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Thursday, February 5, 2015

MD Chapter TTMS Valentine Gathering


The Maryland Chapter of the Tasha Tudor Museum Society met today to celebrate Valentine's Day.  In her book, All For Love, Tasha Tudor writes, "Valentine's Day in our home centers on the Sparrow Post, where there is always interesting mail on February 14th for each member of the family.  Postmaster is Augustus Sparrow....The miniature mail is, of course, just the right size for his customers, who are mainly dolls, plush bears, cut-wool rabbits and plush ducklings."


I set out Tasha's books that featured Valentines. . . .
. . . .and those that spoke of February. . . .

Then I set out the materials for making our own versions of Sparrow Post boxes and Valentines. . . .

Once everyone was here and had looked through the 1955 Life magazine featuring Tasha's dolls' wedding we watched the movie that Nell Dorr made about it. . . .

Then it was tea and cake time. . . .

I made the Tudor family's Valentine Cake recipe.  You will note that the second cup of milk has been crossed out on the recipe.  Apparently, it was a publishing error.  However, when I made it, I thought it much too thick, so I added an additional 1/4 cup of milk.  But I think it could have used more because the cake was not very moist.  Plus, according to the instructions I should have had enough batter left over to make 12 cup cakes, but I did not!  Here is the recipe for those who would like to experiment with it.  If you add even more milk than I did and it turns out moister, please let me know. . . .


Everyone received a page of miniature cards to cut out and take home from The Jenny Wren Book of Valentines. . . .


Our Sparrow Box boxes were made from inverted paper heart boxes I found at Michael's for just $1 each.  Everyone used their imaginations and came up with something totally different.  You should see all of these!  The clothes pin on the side is for outgoing mail. . . .







We also made this larger-size card using Tasha's drawing also from All for Love. . . .

This is what it looks like when finished. . . .

.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•
Take Joy!

20 comments:

  1. Cathy, you plan the best times for your Tasha Tudor group. I love the activities you planned for this month's meeting. Very clever use of heart shaped boxes and the little flags on the sides are adorable. I remember making Valentine mailboxes in school. You have reminded me to make a few cards for the grandchildren soon. They will be simple but I know they enjoy receiving mail of their own. ♥

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    1. It was fun scouring the craft shops and perusing Tasha's book looking for ideas. I probably had the most fun in the group because I spent all that time preparing!

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  2. THAT'S IT!!! I'M MOVING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!!! :-)
    Cathy you Gals had waaaay too much FUN!!! How clever to make mail boxes from those heart boxes, and every
    single one so lovely and unique!! YUMMY CAKE too!!! Thanks for sharing ....and making all us other gals envious!!
    TEE HEE HEE!!
    Happy St Valentines Day Ladies, and thank you for sharing your wonderfully FUN day with us !!
    ( I like the pretty blue Laura Ashley skirt too)!!!
    Hugs Blessings and Warmth , Linnie

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    1. Linnie, your Laura Ashley dresses got me looking on eBay where I found that skirt! I just love it! Happy St. Valentine's to you, too!

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    2. Oh Cathy,
      Isn't Vintage Laura Ashley clothing just wonderful and a perfect match for our Tasha imaginations!
      There is just something extra special about the things that she designed and made with her husband Bernard during their prime in the 70s-80s!
      Have you ever read any biographies about her? (there are two that I know of) she was an amazing and interesting godly lady! (she too loved the times past, and even dressed her children old fashioned , and was a barefooter!!!!) Smile smile!! She was commissioned to decorate restoration places such as the Jane Austin Home and even a Victorian house in Colonial Williamsburg!!
      xxx ooo
      PS there are a lot of puffy vintage wool sweaters worth looking for!!... (it's addicting)!!

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    3. Linnie, I still have some bedding by her from the 1980's and, of course, my dishes by Johnson Brothers are a Laura Ashley design.

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    4. Noticed those LA dishes right away! I luckily had three Laura Ashley stores in NYC while I lived there. So lots of old LA things in my house!!

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    5. Wilhelmina, I was going through my old paint chips for my rooms today and discovered that the color I chose for my living room back in 2000 was a Laura Ashley color--I had no idea at the time. Just shows how much I like her style.

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  3. Cathy, this looks SO fun! What a great idea! Once again, wishing I was closer! Everyone's boxes turned out so sweet, love them! (Also love the skirt of the woman in the last pic, hehe!) I saw The Golden Key for the first time a few months ago, it sure is interesting, hehehe, but I loved seeing a younger tasha, and the New Hampshire house. What a wonderful party you had!~

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    1. That's what I like about the Golden Key, too--the film of a young Tasha and the New Hampshire house. That is the house I wish was preserved and opened as her museum. I posted photos of the outside last year on Take Peace that I took in 2012.

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  4. What a special time you all must have had & such beautiful little post boxes.
    I love making things like that with all the girls.
    Thank you for another wonderful post & some lovely photo's.
    Fondly Michelle

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    1. I am not a particularly "crafty" person, so I really enjoy having others to lend me support. I didn't start mine until I had a good look at what everyone else was doing!

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  5. One thing I gather about this group is that you give yourself TIME. It seems you have time to watch a movie, do a craft, have a tea party -- so no one is rushing off to something else scheduled. That's a bit unusual in today's world but I appreciate that. I just love the little heart boxes. They brought back (especially the slots) my favorite memory of Valentine's Day in my childhood and that was making valentine mailboxes out of shoeboxes. We'd take them to school and into the slots would go the valentines from our class mates. I don't know why it was so much fun year after year, but it was.

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    1. We do pack a lot into 3 hours! We never finish all the projects I prepare for them. I keep saying this, but I really should make it an all day affair!

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  6. Do you have a spare room? I don't eat very much and I'd be very little trouble, in fact you'd hardly notice I'd moved in at all I'd be that well behaved and quiet. What a wonderful time you have had and thank you so much for sharing all this with us. I just love the little boxes!
    ~~~Deb in Wales

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    1. Deb, I have several spare rooms. I'd love to have you--seriously!

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  7. What a lovely Valentine event, Cathy. Homey and old-time. Tasha would have approved, for sure. Those little inverted heart boxes are adorable and perfect for the mailboxes! Gee, they really knew how to celebrate in the "old days." A few treats and some socializing, that's all you need. Far enough back, when everyone lived on farms, farm wives had so few chances to socialize. A quilting bee or something similar, at the Grange, or even at someone's home, was a really big deal. A chance to show off your most special things. To set a pretty table and serve special-occasion food. To wear your best dress and bonnet, to bring out your "fancy work." My grandmother, born in 1906, called her tatting her "fancy work". Now we think of it as quaint but back in back in the day, it was the height of gracious entertaining! I love how everyone at your party wore red too! Very festive. Can't wait to see what you do at your next Tasha gathering. Probably something for Spring, huh? Have a wonderful Valentine's Day yourself too. Take care and talk to you soon. xoxo

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    1. Hi Janet. Yes, it's been great fun hosting these tea parties for my new friends, setting my table with my special china, and planning things for us to do. I love seeing everyone's different creations. Our next gathering will be in March to attend a Maple Syrup demonstration, but April will be back here making cut-wood rabbits like Tasha made.

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  8. I am late for the party I hope you saved some of that yummy looking chocolate cake, yummmm. You really know how to plan fun events for your group. I agree with Janet above, these get togethers are reminiscent of old time gatherings like sewing circles and tea parties and barn dances and barn raisings. In my mothers day, it was a tupperware event, but more a social gathering of fun chatter and good food.

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    1. You'll just have to come to the next gathering!

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