Best Wishes, 1943

No publisher's mark on this card; could have been part of a box set. It's signed on the back "Junior Keller." Card was found in a box of paper dolls, including envelope addressed to Mildred Hake in Wrightsville, Pa. with March 1943 postmark. 

Kreativ Blogger Award

Thanks to KB at Out Of This World for bestowing this honor. KB's passion is Romance Comics: check out his blog, as well as Sequential Crush by Jacque Nodell for some fantastic images and history behind the Romance comic books.

The Kreativ Blogger rules: write 7 interesting things about yourself, then nominate 7 other bloggers and alert them. And post the award on your blog.

There are so many creative people blogging about their collections, their crafts and their lives--but a lot of people already have posted signs saying "No awards, please." I understand. And if I send this on to you, and you'd rather not post the award or participate, that's OK, too.

There's no way I can beat KB's seven interesting items!

So I'll keep it brief.

You might not know that I :

...write editorials for a newspaper and tell people this is like having a cabin on the Titanic
...will miss newspapers and hope they survive
...will buy an iPad, anyway
...still think I have a novel in me
...would have to stop blogging to write said novel!
...would like that novel hot off the old-fashioned printing press, please.

OK. Here are the seven blogs I recommend:

I had the pleasure of meeting Lonnie Bullington at last year's paper doll convention. Check out LJ Studios to see her wonderful three-dimensional paper doll art, including a "Prince of Mermaids" she created using a copy of a vintage scrap. I hope to see Lonnie again at next month's convention in Kansas City.

Fun Old Hag--I enjoy checking in with Carol's quilting and gardening. Recently she posted some vintage sexist ads--one shows a man spanking a woman for not getting the freshest coffee! Yikes. (Also check out her other blog, Pieces of the Past, for her vintage family photos.)

Tracy shares her finds at garage sales and antique shows at Tracy's Toys. She has a great eye and appreciation for many vintage collectibles, including Teddy Bears, paper dolls, miniature doll furniture, trolls and--my favorite-- a whole bunch of Big Little Books with beautifully worn covers.

Marga Lozano Crespo in Spain creates short videos of her collection at Munecas Recortables (cut-out dolls in Spanish). It is worth brushing up on your Spanish to read her informative posts about Spanish paper doll artists such as Mari Pepa and Maria Pascual.

Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy hosts Postcard Friendship Friday and always has some interesting nugget of information about the cards she posts on her blog. The research behind cards and other ephemera is part of the fun of collecting.

Nan is Retired in Alaska, and posts some wonderful pictures and videos of her life up there. I especially like the video of the young moose gamboling. What a magical place.

Clytie loves all things random: Random Cards, Random Hearts, Random Stuff and Random Finds--which is the blog I choose for this award. The altered lap-top is a must-see! Almost makes me want to run out and buy a glue gun... 

Memorial Day

From the excellent paper craft archives of Agence Eureka: The Liberation of Paris.

The wonderful thing about Agence Eureka: Patricia always posts a version that is easy to copy and cut-out.  Below are her cleaned up images, minus background, which can take a toll on the printer:

 

The Virginia Crossley Collection III

 

Virginia Crossley had many World War II era paper dolls, the era of her childhood.

Theriaults auction: June 21.

The Virginia Crossley Collection II

You can register for the June 21 Theriaults auction of the Crossley collection at Proxibid.

  A Nell Brinkley paper doll.

The Virginia Crossley Collection I

Theriaults has posted an online catalog of the Virginia Crossley Collection of Paper Dolls in anticipation of the June 21 auction. It's a terrific collection, with many rare items. Even the familiar ones are in rare mint condition.

Bill Mauldin stamp

Not a postcard, not even vintage, but somehow just right for today's Postcard Friendship Friday.  Read more about Mauldin here. And be sure to visit Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy  for an excellent history of Memorial Day, a beautiful postcard commemorating the day, and  more PFF posts.