Snow, Elves, and a New Year~

Yesterday, as a tribute to the past year, I strolled around the property watching snowflakes drift lazily downward. It was a quiet end to an otherwise turbulent 2012. Good riddance I say. Out with the old and in with the new.

Sitting here this morning, looking out my office window at the snowy scene glazed over by ice fog, I look forward to what 2013 holds in store. To quote Forrest Gump, "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". So be it. Life would be pretty boring if you knew what lay around every corner~

In my search for a little Victorian artwork to head this article, I stumbled across a piece that really struck my fancy. The tiny elves surrounding the clock really set the tone. Imagination? Or just a good swig of patent medicine... Whatever the inspiration, turn of the century artwork is fascinating to me.

And (segway...) the imaginative artwork wasn't just limited to greeting cards. Whiskey labels often embodied the same creative juices. Without a doubt, my favorite label graces a clear tooled top embossed cylinder that contained whiskey sold by Hirschler & Co. of San Francisco.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And coincidentally, or maybe not, elves also figure prominently in this theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 With over seven dozen embossed and labeled western whiskies in my collection to choose from, this example takes the cake. Elves, shot glasses, a cork screw and a labeled western whiskey on the label all combine to complete the overall effect. And, if one is in the right frame of mind, you can also catch a Lewis Carroll "Through the Looking Glass" theme. You see, the label pictures a labeled whiskey, which mirrors the scene on the label, which mirrors the scene..........

 

Dude, that's some pretty heavy stuff~

And with that said, I think I'll add a dash of Pendleton 1910 bourbon to my morning coffee and enjoy the fire downstairs~

 

Happy New Year!