Happy Valentine's Day

Around 1850, Miss Esther A. Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts is credited with creating the first commercial Valentine's Day card. Prior to that, Valentine's Day cards were usually hand made,

" . . . in the early part of the 19th century lovers sent tokens prepared by their own hands, usually consisting of amatory messages printed or written on ornamental paper, and garnished with pictures of loves and doves, languishing damsels and adoring swains."

One of our great joys with Zentangle is to hear from so many people who have a new confidence and enthusiasm to put pen to paper, to see what they've created with their own hands, and to learn of the many positive side-effects they've experienced in the process.

In the spirit of sharing tokens of affection, as has become a custom on February 14, we invite you to enjoy these Zentangles and Zentangle inspired creations.

From Fina Man, CZT, Hong Kong [email]:

Dear Maria and Rick,

I finish this Zentangle in two days. Happy Valentine!

Fina
 

From Jane Monk, CZT, Tasmania [blog] comes this quilted gem of ixorus. See more of these at her "Zentangle and Fabric" blog entry.
 

And while we're in the Pacific Ocean region, Lois Heinani Stokes, CZT [blog] shares these beautiful Zentangle images scribed onto leaves of the "autograph tree." See more images like this one here.

Moving on to Canada, Margaret Bremner, CZT [blog] offers these beautiful hearts tangled on ATC cards in her HVD2U blog entry.

Speaking of hearts, do take a moment to see the many heart contributions at Laura Harms, CZT [blog] eighth "Heart Challenge" blog entry. Here's Maria's contribution revisited from a couple days ago.

Happy Valentine's Day to all, from just outside Worcester, where not only did Esther create her valentines, but Harvey Ball created the "smiley face"!

Must be the water.   :-)

Click images for larger views