eight displayed right now that were made around the turn of the century and are all for a 21st birthday. My favorite one of the 21st cards has paper flowers attached to the front. They are all so proper looking and the font has so many nice flourishes.

She went through a phase during her collecting of cards where she was only looking for cards dated in the 1940s. She was able to find about twenty of them. She looks for them at estate sales and at online auctions. She has been diligent about searching them out.

I knew when I was growing up that my mom wanted unique cards. I have never in my life purchased a card for her at Hallmark. I find handmade paper cards from local artisans. I know that she appreciates people that help with her collection. I like to think that the card itself is a big part of the gift.

One of my favorite cards in her collection is a Victorian card that has fabric fringe. The flaps of the card fold out to reveal a beautiful pink rose. It is so very elegant. I used to look at this card a lot when I was a little girl and dream about another time and place. I was sure that the little girl that had originally received it loved it very much.

After I turned 21, my mother showed me her collection of saucy and risque cards. She had kept them locked in a box because she felt that they were inappropriate for me to look at. I thought that they were funny and I don’t think that viewing them when I was younger would have scarred me.