Vikings in the family tree...

one of my great, great, great…..grandfathers 

was quaintly named,

Thorfinn Skull Cleaver

he was the Earl of Orkney around the year 970

that was towards the end of the Viking era

we became civilized after that

Urnes Style Beast from the Viking era 

within the monogram C

it's just embroidery, have fun with it!

Monogram M 1940's...

the infamous M monogrammed imprinted 

candy-coated chocolates...

M&M’s

made their debut in the 1940’s

(although technically the imprinted M 

on each piece didn't appear until 1950, 

several years after their debut)

this violet M was one of the popular 

1940’s monogram styles

and the frame is a 1949 style of artwork

as for the M&M’s...

violet was replaced by the color tan in 1949

tan was replaced by blue in 1995

but this violet monogrammed M lives on

*all M&M’s used were for research purposes only

ummm...until they were consumed

it's just embroidery, have fun with it!

is white a color.....

white:

free from color

light or pallid from color

whitework:

Victorian style white embroidery

Is white a color?

it's just embroidery, have fun with it!

Monogram laundry.....

Back in the day before front-loading,

high efficiency washers…

linen maids and laundresses for the royals,

along with the common folk,

would go down to the river together for washdays.

Linens of fine fabrics were displayed

for all to see while drying.

To prevent any mix-ups of yours or mine…

families began marking them with stitching to

represent their household...

monogramming

MHM

it all comes out in the wash

it's just embroidery, have fun with it!

Dear Betsy...

as written stitched in Thomas Jefferson’s hand

Thomas Jefferson is the father of the University of

Virginia, and designed the campus himself.

Mr. Jefferson was given a 1,235-pound hunk of cheese, giving us the term... “the big cheese”

Jefferson was the first president to shake

hands instead of bow to people.

He took a cold foot bath every morning for 60 years!

Thomas Jefferson was one of the two presidents who signed The Declaration of Independence. 

And now he has signed your bath towel...sort of!

So Betsy, while at UVA...

eats lots of cheese,

shake hands with everyone,

and remember to wash your feet with

Thomas Jefferson’s signature towel!

Thomas Jefferson also had a penchant for

monograms and silver!

Silver expert extraordinaire, Nancy of Silver Magpies has a Jefferson monogrammed silver cup challenge for you.

I’ll bet you a Jefferson silver nickel that you’ll

enjoy a visit to SilverMagpies!

Tell Nan I sent you!

it's just embroidery, have fun with it!

disrobe...

no peeking!

and step into my parlor...

my tattoo parlor...

my embroidery tattoo parlor, that is!

Needles? 

Yes, there are needles with many, many colors.

This won’t hurt a bit!

C. F. F. O.

‘dis robe is now sporting a monogram sleeve tattoo!

Dis this monogram looks to match mid-century

1950’s style design.

But surprisingly,

it is based on artwork drawn much earlier in 1902.

What's your favorite dis robe?

it's just embroidery, have fun with it!

hidden treasure...

look up ↑

see the fork in my logo?

Great Grandma Catherine Francis Xavaria O’Connell Filan

...gave my Grandmother (Nanny) this monogrammed silver on her wedding day in October of 1927 at St. Agnes Parish

in Brooklyn, New York

it resides in this battered wooden box in my dining room

not used very much

until my conversation with Nancy from Silver Magpies

Nancy is an expert on antique and vintage silver

In one phone conversation, Nancy told me details about

our family silver I never knew!

“I truly believe we should use and enjoy what we have.”

Nancy convinced me!

and Nancy has some silver eye candy you really must see…

Silver Magpies

Unfortunately Great Grandma didn’t have any of those Cartier silver plates Nancy has listed!

But her choice of silver is now being used well!

You have any silver hiding in a box?

in the pink...

Pink lemonade

Pink Panther

Pink Floyd

Pink Cadillac

Pink elephants

Pink gin

Pink squirrel

Starting in the 1920’s, the general rule was pink is for boys

 and blue is for girls.  Pink was considered a stronger

masculine red-related color and more suitable for boys,

while blue was more delicate and dainty.

In the 1940’s, this rule inverted to pink being

appropriate for girls, and blue for boys.

Go figure!

monogram style is based upon 1940’s artwork 

Wonder if the artist preferred pink, or blue?

You in the pink?

candlewick...

...soft thread braided to form the wick of candles

...a form of embroidery

...nursery rhyme from the early 1800’s...

Jack be nimble

Jack be quick

Jack jump over

The candlestick wick

jumping candlesticks was a form of fortune-telling and sport

good luck was signaled by clearing the candle without extinguishing the flame

Would not recommend trying this with my 

great-great-grandma’s candlestick…

she was pretty nimble and quick in her day!

monogram B. has candlewicking details based upon French handwork from the 1870’s

jumped any candlewickssticks lately for luck?