The Secret Keeper

 

 

"[Y]our letter—your dear, warm, true-hearted letter — was put in my hand. I kissed it how many times before breaking its envelope!"

~Byron Caldwell Smith, letter to Kate Stephens

 

 

The secret within...using a piece of beautiful paper to create a hinge between two envelopes...

 

 

There are few things more romantic than a stack of old love letters. Whether the letters belong to you or are part of someone else's love story, they are treasures to behold. 

In fact, unearthing correspondence from a couple you've never met can lead to an attempt at  solving a most compelling mystery.  Everyone's heard about stories of old letters turning up in forgotten boxes in dusty attics or stuffed into the space behind walls. Who were these people? Did they wind up together? Did they marry? What happened to them?  If you're like me, you'd just have to find out!

 

 

Believed to be Benjamin, Mary, Dixie and James...taken shortly before Ben's death...

 

In my own family, we are fortunate to possess a letter written on simple paper, transformed to the color of tobacco by age. The love note was scribbled in rough handwriting with a humble lead pencil and was sent from my great-great grandfather, Benjamin, to his future wife, Mary, my great-great grandmother.

The letter, penned (or pencilled, I should say) by Ben during their courtship, was sent not only to express his adoration but also to apologize for getting Mary into trouble with her father for a clandestine meeting between the two young lovebirds.  It is clear from the tone of the letter how much Ben cared for Mary. It is also apparent just how much Mr. Forrester (Mary's father) did not approve of Mary's suitor.  Knowing the reputation of the Walters clan in the Napa Valley for being rabble rousers this is not all that surprising!

 

 

The bottom of a cardboard box trimmed in ribbon and dresden pieces make up the secret compartment...which was inserted after using a pointed utility knife to cut downward into the envelopes...just deep enough to allow room for the box to sit flush with the lining but not all the way through the bottom envelope...

 

Undaunted, the two sweethearts were married in 1880, with Mary giving birth to two children, Dixie and my great-grandfather James.  Sadly, Ben would not live to see the age of twenty-five, succumbing to consumption well before that milestone birthday. Can you imagine how frightened Mary was to find herself a young widow with two small children at a time when women had few options for earning a living? 

As it turned out, it appears it was Benjamin's family who took Mary and her children in, supporting them until she remarried a decade later. Even after she remarried, Mary remained close to her former inlaws. I can't help but wonder if Mary ever reconciled with her own father. 

 

 

Mary with her second husband, Edward Cochet...a happy ending...

 

 

The love letter from Ben to Mary and the thought of how cool it would be to stumble upon a stack of old love letters inspired this project I call The Secret Keeper.

Nothing more than a stack of stuffed envelopes, distressed to appear old, addressed in vintage-style script, faux stamped, then glued together in such a way as to create a hinged lid for a secret compartment hidden in the middle of the stack.  My final touch was to tie a pretty (albeit a convincingly crinkled) ribbon to bind my Secret Keeper...

 

 

 

 

 

 What would you keep in your Secret Keeper?

A special piece of jewelry? A lock of your beloved's hair? The key to your heart?

 

Make one of your own or email me to get details on ordering your very own Secret Keeper:

victoria.cullen@hotmail.com

 

 

“In an age of infinite digital documentation, paper was the last safe place for secrets.”

  Evan Angler, Swipe

 

 

Comments

[Shellie]

Very nice Vic...

[Victoria Cullen]

Thanks, Shellie! You're the best!!

[Judy Terry]

What a romantic true story. I love it, and love the secret keeper. Very clever.

[Theresa]

Love it! I like the idea of a locket of hair. Ever so much nicer than the little ziploc that my son's is in!

[Victoria Cullen]

Thanks, Mom! Love you!
@Theresa, You gave me an idea by mentioning the zip-lock; I have all the girls' teeth in a zip-lock, I could use my Secret Keeper for them instead!
Also, I heard of a great idea for locks of hair: You take a bit of yours and a bit of theirs and weave them together, never to be separated! Very sweet, I thought! Thanks for your comment, my friend!