February - Birthstones, Valentines and Beheadings

So February. The month that has the most romantic saints day in our calendar. Oh and it's also the month some people were most likely born in. For someone like myself who decided years ago to dismiss February as a non-month; it's the shortest month of the year and sometimes tricks you with an extra day but anyway, knowing that I have to potentially buy two nice presents in one month could be a mixture of confusion and pleasure of spending money on something nice for someone nice. Ah.

The name February comes from the word februa, meaning cleansing or purification. This would suggest that we should practice simplicity and modesty in the last month of winter before spring hits and everything becomes floral and confusing again. 

Oh no wait, everything is already floral and confusing, this Victorian card is proof. Why flowers? Why notes? Why the cherub postman?

The 14th of February, St Valentines Day was the day that Valentine became a martyr after he refused to give up his faith. He was subsequently beaten with clubs and beheaded. As the stories go, while awaiting his death in jail he cured the jailers daughter of her blindness and penned her a later on the eve of his execution signing it, "from your Valentine". He is the patron saint of couples, love, marriage, bee keepers, the plague, fainting and young people to name a few and is often depicted with roses and birds. This explains the cards, notes and flowers we like to give to the person we love, but not the cherub. That will have to wait for another day...

My work this week has focused on the celebration of Valentine's Day, for which I designed these 

And also, I wanted to create something for February's birthstone; amethyst.

This piece features a Swarovski crystal in amethyst and also one in deep violet - the violet being the flower for people born in February.

Both of these are available on my Folksy Shop if you're stuck for pressies. There are some great cards on their too. No postie cherubs here!