The True Symbol of Love

Hope you're all having a nice day and have a few little special things planned for today. Us, we just play it by ear since it's a workday. I always set the table for day................................................

This vintage glass candy holder was my first Valentine gift as Mrs. CarGuy

and I always receive a rose with my candy to mark the special day. I love the old fashioned candy boxes.

By the by, a little known fact about the symbol of LOVE. Did you know that the rose wasn't the symbol of love until 18th/19th century in Victorian England. The original symbol was the......................................

 red tulip also known as the Turk's Turbin. 

Okay, a little history, tulips are not a native of Holland they are a wildflower of Turkey transplanted to Holland during Dutch expansionism and to 17th century England by an officers wife. 

As the legend goes, A Persian Prince was to marry,but he fell in love with a peasant girl. This was fine with the King...he'd marry the chosen Princess and begin his Harem with the peasant girl.....the Prince.. not so much. So, the King took the peasant girl and threw her from the closest cliffs. The Prince found out about the plan and came charging through to save his beloved, but he was too late. In his grief he threw himself from the same cliffs to join her in eternity. Well, it is said that where their bodies laid at the bottom, blood red tulips sprouted and bloomed. 

Now, you may say...Melody, every Floral Language of Love piece I've read says the Rose is the symbol of love....red-burning love

          white-pure love

          pink-virtuous love

          yellow-friendship.......well......again Victorian England can be thanked for discovering the original flower language in China. The Chinese, as we know, had arranged marriages between families sometimes from a child's birth so, people came up with a complicated code...flower language...that carried messages to ones true love. Type of flower, color, and number of blossoms all meant something. A guy might be betrothed to woman, but fell in love with the Girl next door. He'd send a bouquet asking her to meet him for a rendezvous. The flowers would tell her the place, time, etc. Sadly, the English only found a partial language, due to warring a lot was lost, but they filled in with their own ideas. That is how the Rose became the universal symbol of LOVE. The only problem with this language today is that they only had minimal colors available. Today we have naturally occurring and genetically altered floral colors. For example the Chocolate Rose goes from a cantelope orange to a satiny brown as it opens. There are blue roses where the blue DNA code is taken from one flower and injected into a white rose and then they are specially propegated to get bushes to produce that color variety. In reality today all Roses, whatever color, mean LOVE, but it's all very romantic to go with the Victorian's. 

As a Floral Designer for 40 years I'm just full of this stuff....flower menutia I mean...hehehe

Here are a few creations that showcase these flowers of love...........................

A hand-embroidered hankie has been embellished with a vintage rhinestone ribbon pin and Sworovski Crystals. I added it to a coordinating pillow form and edged is with trim.

These tulips overflowing a flower cart were hand-embroidered to make them pop along the hem and on the packet of a vintage flour sack apron. I had sooo much fun sewing this apron.

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