November 16, 2009

Chronically Vintage is giving away a gorgeous set of Jessie Willcox Smith vintage art prints

The walls in my apartment are, by and large, on the bare side. So much so that when my mom came to visit last spring she asked me why that was the case (curiously, not judgmentally, I should point out). The reason is twofold: artwork, even prints often cost a pretty penny, and secondly, I haven’t chanced upon too many shops selling pieces that spoke to my personal decor style and taste in art.

It was with absolute elation then that I read a recent email from a Canadian company called TJ Whitneys Traditional Toys that recently arrived in my in-box. The message asked if I’d like to review one of their products, a timelessly elegant set of art cards featuring vintage images of children in various scenes, and offer a second set to my readers. I jumped at the opportunity, because, the moment I saw the charmingly beautiful cards in question, they captured my vintage loving heart.

Strung on cheerfully colourful organza ribbon in various hues, the set of eight art cards I received in the post this past week are immensely lovely. Coming in at 8.5 by 8.5 inches, each card features a different vintage image by a talented artist named Jessie Willcox-Smith.

Born in 1863, Smith, who grew up in Pennsylvania where she attended the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, was revered in her day and has long been celebrated beyond her lifetime for the engaging, beautiful American artwork she created for many publications (such as Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Collier’s Weekly, Harper’s, and McClures). Though she passed away in the 1930s, Smith’s work continues to be appreciated and sought after by many who treasure the carefree elegance and honest simplicity of childhood she so resplendently captured in her beautiful illustrations.

As you can see in the photo below (which comes from the Traditional Toys website), these cards are amazing. One print on its own would be a wonderful treat, but eight cards combined create a masterpiece of a set that has instantaneously enlivened one of my bedroom walls and brought a great deal of effervescent cheer to my home’s decor.



Anytime I’m asked to review a product I do so sincerely and without bias, but the simple truth is I adore these cards! They’re well printed on sturdy paper and strung with pretty ribbon – just the type of artwork I would love to give many of my vintage adoring friends as gifts (they’d be amazing as baby shower presents for a nursery, but work equally well in a home with older children or no kids at all, such as my own house). They feature engaging, classically enjoyable images from the last 19th and early 20th century that are bound to appeal to vintage art enthusiasts, and really do liven up any room.

I feel honoured to adorn my walls with these beautiful cards and am very thankful to Traditional Toys for allowing me the chance to review and giveaway one of their fine products.

Starting today and running until Monday November 30, 2009 at 11:59pm (EST), I’m delighted to offer you, my fantastic readers (who are an integral part of helping to make Chronically Vintage what it is) a chance to win your own set (identical to the ones pictured above) of eight Jessie Willcox Smith vintage art cards, which retail for $48.00, from Traditional Toys.

To enter for your chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. If you write about this giveaway on your own blog/site and then come back and tell me about it, you’ll automatically be entered a second time. That’s it! I’m not a fan of elaborate blog giveaway rules that want you to jump through hoops, instead I’d much rather ensure this contest is open to every single one of my amazing readers who leave a comment.

This giveaway is open to Chronically Vintage readers worldwide, so no matter where you live, please don’t hesitate to enter. One lucky winner will be drawn at random on December 1st, and announced via a blog post that same day. Best of luck to all who enter!

63 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous giveaway Jessica. I would love to have a chance to win those lovely cards!

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  2. Wonderful giveaway! The prints are very cute!

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  3. They are lovely!!
    They remind me of prints that were on the walls of my bedroom as a child. Hmm... wonder what ever happened to those ? :)

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  4. This cards amazing and very cute. They would look perfect on the wall of a vintage nursery. They are just amazing

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  5. Hi Jessica, what an exciting and sweet giveaway! Someone will be a very lucky girl!! Sharon xxoo

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  6. oooh those soo lovely count me in! and it would be a great present to me since December 1st happens to be my birthday but I doubt tho... but thought I would give it a try!

    Good luck to whoever might win it!
    xoxo

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  7. Oh I love her work! So charming and sweet, brings you back to another time. ^_^

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  8. Hello sweetness! First of all, I wanted to say thank you as always for stopping by my blog and for your comments on my posts :) but most importantly I was happy to read that my Audrey Friday post on Pullip dolls brought a smile to your face :D We need to play the lottery so that we may buy all the Pullip dolls!

    Oooh! I would love to have a chance at winning those sweet cards so please enter my name, and I have also written about your giveaway on my blog ;) Have a lovely day dahhhling!

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  9. Those cards are amazingly beautiful! This is a fabulous giveaway Jessica and I am so excited to enter it. Ooh I know just what I would do with them if I won too...Ahhh..

    xoxo
    Amy

    thebargainhunterextraordinaire.blogspot.com

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  10. P.S. I added your giveaway to my side bar in my blog. :)

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  11. I found your blog via Julie at A Vintage Chic and I guarantee, I will be back often. I too am a lover of all things vintage, retro...whatever it is, I LOVE it!

    Beautiful blog. I look forward to spending more time here soon!

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  12. I found your site via A Chockfull of Rants and Rave's blog...those prints are adorable! Makes me wish I had kids to hang them in their room....who am I kidding, I'd hang them on my wall even without kids. :) Can't wait to browse the rest of your blog...I love all things vintage too.

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  13. Oh my goodness, these are gorgeous! What a great giveaway! It makes me want to have a baby right now (I am doubting my husband would be quite as enthusiastic) just so I have the perfect place for these!! haha

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  14. Hi Jessica,

    I love them & if I win they will be prefect in the baby's rm (I'm 19wks preggers) btw I have a giveaway going on as well. Come check it out, sorry if I have too many steps for the entery lol ;-)

    xoxo

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  15. Ooh yes! I would love to be entered in! I know just who I would give these to....my sweet granddaughter Trena who will be visiting this Memere over Christmas!

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  16. I just found your blog and I love it. I love all things vintage too.
    margie

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  17. Oooh...me first, me first! Those are darling cards and would lovingly grace the wall of any home. :-)

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  18. I love them!! I just had twin boys so the prints really hit home!

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  19. They really are too gorgeous.

    I was just looking at some vintage Christmas cards, I know I'm way late for all things Christmasy, have to get cracking.
    xxx

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  20. Awww, I love her artwork! I would love to be included. :)

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  21. Are you kidding me, Jessica? She's one of my very favorite artists! You've got a good job, my friend! How fun to be able to review lovely products like this! And very generous of you to offer it as you are! Guess what I'll be mentioning in my post tomorrow???? Have a wonderful evening, and, as always, thanks so much for your kind visits--they really mean a lot!

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  22. Hey Jess.. i just love these, the ribbon on them really makes them stand out, you do such a good job on this blog.. i love reading it, and any vintage lover would be very lucky to find your blog.. and thats awesome that you have a set of these prints up in your apartment i look forward to seeing them in the future, i dont know if you will recall the photo.. but in gradmas house she has always had a photo in her bathroom, even in there house in sushwap now its up. its an old fashioned picture of a little kid in a tub holding soap . and i know its not the same but for some reason these photos instantly reminded me of that picture, and put a smile on my face.. i couldnt help but laugh a little when i read "curiously, not judgmentally, I should point out" because thats so true!.. mom would be the last person in the world to give you a hard time about not having something decorated, lol.. miss you and love you!

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  23. What a charming set of prints and they will certainly look lovely hanging on your wall and hopefully(crossing my fingers) on mine as well.
    Have a great day
    Smiles,

    Carol Casey
    jcdas@msn.com

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  24. These look amazing. I'll definitely love to be entered. I hope you had a great weekend. I also hope your week has gotten off to a wonderful start. Take care. Cheers!

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  25. Thanks for hosting such a lovely giveaway! I looked at these yesterday and marveled at how cute they were, and wished my kids were still babies so I'd have an excuse to enter. Then I went to a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon and found out unexpectedly that I should come here and enter your giveaway after all!! :D

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  26. There's an award for you at mine

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  27. Those are adorable! I hope you're having a great week!

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  28. I have found you through my sister at, At Home on the Ridge. I am addicted to retro, and vintage. I would love to be entered in this give away....I love these cards, they are just too fabulous. Hugs, Kathleen

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  29. I just love these.............

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  30. I recently found your blog through the Vintage Fashion Guild blog, I am enjoying it very much!
    I would love to be included in the giveaway of those charming prints...they are just darling.
    Cat

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  31. She might be my very, very favorite artist! She's even on my iPhone wallpaper. I love her so much. I'm trying to think of how I can work a blog post about this giveaway into my schedule - I would love an extra entry! *Fingers crossed*

    P.S. I nominated you for a Beautiful Blogger award! iamemmamusic.blogspot.com

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  32. These are so lovely! What a wonderful giveaway, I have fingers crossed...
    Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge

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  33. What great cards and thanks for the opportunity. Is it snowing there yet?

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  34. Hey Jessica! Check out my blog...I gave you an award! Kori xoxo

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  35. Dear Jess, I´m not writing to enter your contest but simply to say that you write the sweetest comments and how ever do you mange all those blogs you follow !!! I can hardly kepp up with the few I have as well as my ow...

    One question though how to keep track if a fellow blogger might have replied to one of your comments on their blog.. ? All the best ! D

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  36. comme elles sont jolies ces cartes !!j'aime beaucoup

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  37. Love, love, love these! Please enter me in your drawing. I don't have a blog but you can email me here ruth.malone@netzero.com. Thanks!

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  38. I would love to win these prints! They would look fabulous in my home! Thanks!

    gilland@etsu.edu

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  39. I posted your giveaway on my blog at http://vintagelovingmom.blogspot.com/. Thanks!

    gilland@etsu.edu

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  40. Hi Jessica! I would like TWO chances entered for your drawing of these cards! I've posted this blog on MY blog located here:

    http://lnickson.blogspot.com

    Thank you for being so generous! {{huggz!}}
    ღწ♥

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  41. Beautiful cards! And thank you for alerting us to a Canadian company that offers such beautiful toys. It's frustrating shopping for my 2 small grand daughters to find every toy or piece of clothing marked made in China.
    ps: My sister has that sweet child in tub with soap pic hanging in her bathroom!

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  42. Hi sweet darling,
    I pray this week finds you doing splendidly, my dear! You're such a gem for offering your readers this chance to win those delicious cards. They're lovely and I would be over the moon to have them grace my walls. I will mention this giveaway on GirlWhimsy {check out the 11/18/09 post}. Thank you, pumpkin!
    http://girlwhimsy.blogspot.com

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  43. Oh Jessica these cards are lovely, I would love a chance to win!

    Rose

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  44. OH, my goodness...
    these are so super cute.
    I hope I win but I'm more happy about the heads up.

    hugs,
    Fritzi Marie

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  45. Fabulous giveaway Jessica ! I love those pretty cards so much !

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  46. Oh, I had almost forgotten to enter this giveaway and I'm excited I still have time. These are such gorgeous prints and would be so fun to have. They are so lovely. Thanks so much for doing this lovely giveaway dear!

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  47. Oh! These are absolutely delightful! The little ones in the prints are so sweet! My "bambinos" are much older and on their own, but I have the perfect place in a room with vintage quilts, other children-inspired prints, and a vintage double desk that these would be right at home in :o)

    Thank you for a wonderful give away!

    Blessings & aloha!

    Thank you so much for stopping in! Oh...cant wait til Thanksgiving :o) ...to see our 3 kids in KY and get caugt up on blog reading! :o) I'll be back!

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  48. Hooray for free stuff! I can already see them in my baby's room. I'll be posting this lickity split on my blog!

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  49. I've never ever won a freebie in blogworld.... and these are simply adorable. Who knows!! Prosit on a wonderful blog.

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  50. Wowser! These are SO DARN CUTE!!! (Sorry for the "shouting", but I just can't control myself). BTW, not to suck up, but I truly luv your blog. When I'm having a tough day, I always know I can visit the chronicallyvintage blog for my fix.

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  51. Wowwww,these prints are so gorgeous! Would be just perfect for the walls in my room:)

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  52. they are absolutely adorable :)
    the rocking horse is my favorite

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  53. I would love these. I have a vintage look coming along in my bedroom and these would help enormously! Thanks for the entry xxx

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  54. Hello again Jessica,

    I included a link to this giveaway on my blog-

    http://thedailymaul.blogspot.com/

    I am so glad I found you- loving Chronically Vintage!

    Best wishes,

    Kitty x

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  55. Wow, these cards are adorable. They work so well as a series but I can see how they are fantastic on their own as well. So lovely!

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  56. Those are so lovely! Thanks for sharing the lovely picture and giving someone a chance to win something so beautiful!

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  57. I hope I did this right! I posted to your give-away in my blog at
    http://thecraftyvixensden.blogspot.com/2009/11/blog-give-away.html
    I don't know if anyone will read it though I'm just a baby blogger ;-)

    TTFN

    Cathi

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  58. Hi everyone, huge thanks to each of you for participating in this wonderful giveaway. I'm grateful to Traditional Toys for providing me with a set of these gorgeous vintage prints to offer to my amazing readers, and will drawing the name of the randomly selected winner tonight.

    I truly appreciate all of your comments (and send an extra big thank you to those who blogged on their own sites about the giveaway), and thank you so much for being a part of this giveaway!

    ♥ Jessica

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