Valentine TV spuds & duds
What passes for romance on Valentine’s Day? Is it sugar-spice-nice girls under the protection of boys formed from sterner stuff, like snakes, snails and puppy dog tails? (I’d like to see that rendered Arcimboldo-style, by the way.) Yes, in the case of this embarrassingly retrogressive Kay Jewelers ad, where a woman is cowed by a … Continue reading
Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s erotic valentine
I recently rediscovered The Rocky Horror Picture Show after watching Glee’s Jayma Mays sing “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me.” Trust Dr. Frank-N-Furter to end my blogging dry spell, and make me realize I have something to celebrate on Valentine’s Day—polymorphous perversity! Truly, I have been a devotee of Decadence for years. In that spirit, I … Continue reading
Maximalist design: sweet & opulent Victorian valentines
I’d call this style maximalist marzipan—almost too saccharine, but the dimensionality of the collaging and diecutting is of enduring beauty and interest. I am always touched when I see fragile ephemera in good condition. It’s poignant to peek into sentiments a century-plus old. The layering impulse is one people still have: the more lace doilies, … Continue reading