Archive for September, 2009

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Personalized Glass Christmas Ornaments

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Wealthwood Gifts, Inc. helps shoppers find just the right personalized ornament.

When the Christmas holiday begins to get closer, some people may be tempted to just grab whatever they can to send as a gift. We have all been in a place where very little thought goes into our choice of a gift. This happens in large part because we may feel there is a lack of time to really think about what the individual would appreciate. However, it doesn’t take that long to stop and think about how a personalized glass Christmas holiday ornament is perfect for just about everyone on your list. A customized ornament can become your “signature” gift that friends, clients and family look forward to receiving. They will expect an ornament for all of the happy occasions, and they will know that you will come up with just the right words and design to help them celebrate. In presenting them with new ornaments for all of your shared holidays, you may be helping someone start a new ornament collection. More fun!

With the choices in design that are offered, every personalized glass Christmas ornament will be unique and reflect the gift recipient’s personality. Personalized ornaments are simple to order, and the designs are almost unlimited. Personalized glass Christmas ornaments can be used to commemorate many things, such as the first Christmas of a married couple, a baby’s first Christmas, or even graduation from college. Some of the designs can be used year-round to give as gifts for other holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, or just because you care. Personalized glass ornaments also make great sun catchers to dress up a window and send a little extra shine into someone’s life.

It is easy to see why personalized ornaments are so popular and why more personalized ornament designs are being created daily.

Article and images used with permission from Wealthwood.com.

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Handpainted Ornaments – Classic Masterpieces

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Discover the world of classic art with handpainted ornaments.

Most of us recognize DaVinci’s Mona Lisa, Whistler’s Mother, Degas’ ballerinas and Monet’s Waterlilies, but going to The Louvre or MOMA isn’t exactly an everyday thing. Just once in a lifetime to see these great works of art can be considered reaching a lifelong goal. But what if you could enjoy some classic works of art at least once a year on your Christmas tree? Would you like to see the classic works of art everyday on your desktop or bookshelf?

A great place to start is at EB Ornaments with their lovely hand painted glass Christmas ornaments of Van Gogh’s Starry Starry Night and Edward Munch’s The Scream. Each handpainted ornament is slightly different, since the original works of art are on a flat surface and let’s face it, no one can do it quite as well as the original masters themselves. These classic glass ornaments are painted to be opaque, so that light will pass through easily and create a kaleidoscope of effects with Christmas lights or a desk lamp.

Classic art ornaments are one of those rare Christmas ornaments which could be given as a non-denominational gift to persons of another faith or any time during the year really. Elizabeth at EB Ornaments says that she has seen people of many different walks of life enjoying these two ornaments, not necessarily as Christmas ornaments, but because they relate to the ornaments in a personal way, and because the ornaments are original handmade gifts given anytime of year.

If you want to encourage your children to be interested in some of the classic masterpieces, purchasing a few ornaments depicting the masters’ great works is a great idea. You could display the ornaments around the house on shelves, tables, and even hang them from the ceiling using plant hangers. Displaying beautiful ornaments is a fine tool to familiarize your household with the classics.

Beautiful handpainted ornaments….art appreciation at its best!

Article and images used with permission from EB Ornaments.

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Christmas Lights Etc for Digital Ornaments

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most anticipated days of the year.

Some families decorate their trees before Thanksgiving even arrives, while other families hold out until the early days of December. The tradition in many European countries is to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve. Regardless of when the tree goes up, children race to open the ornament boxes and delight in the memories ornaments offer. Parents rush to string lights on the tree and find hooks for ornaments, while reminding novice tree decorators not to forget the back of the tree.

Christmas ball ornaments are possibly the most common type of tree ornament in America. Ball ornaments offer a large variety of uses, and are available in colors ranging from traditional red and green to chocolate and orange. Christmas balls can be used along with novelty ornaments, or decorated with beads and ribbons to create Victorian elegance. Christmas lights reflect off balls creating magical holiday glow, and garlands of berries and popcorn make the finishing touch.

Ornaments are often given by family members as gifts, and year after year the giver is remembered. Ornaments are used as keepsakes, and cherished for Christmases to come. Digital ornaments make an excellent Christmas gift for grandparents and family members who are far away, and are becoming increasingly popular. Digital ornaments from Christmas Lights Etc display a slideshow of images which can be updated as children grow older, continuing to bring families together for the holidays.

Article and images used with permission from ChristmasLightsEtc.com

 

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Honoring History – Limited Edition Ornaments

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

These unique collectible ornaments are not found in stores.

Although Barbara Kasmiroski’s online site called Babbee’s does not offer a vast selection of ornaments, you will find unusual and high quality collectible ornaments. Barbara commissions only one ornament each year and she researches and shares a little history about the subject of each ornament. Each of the handcrafted ornaments is sold exclusively at Babbee’s Ornaments , and there are less than 300 of each ornament design ever produced. Of course, that makes each historical ornament more valuable and more collectible as time goes by. You can still purchase the ornaments dating back to 2002.

The ornament chosen for 2009 is The Topper , which depicts the pyramid that sets atop the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. The historical miniature ornament is 1/18 scale and is solid brass finished. Although it can be hung with a hanger, it may be more suitable as a desk ornament and it fits in nicely with the other ornaments offered by Babbee’s Ornaments. Designs and production for future ornaments are kept closely under wraps, but we will stay in touch with Barbara and will keep you posted about what she might have in the works for 2010.

Article and images used with permission from Babbee’s.com.

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Collect 10 Super Cool Halloween Ornaments

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Are you ready to decorate your Halloween tree?

While we ornaments collectors and enthusiasts are anxious to unpack and display our Christmas ornaments, we don’t want to forget Halloween as a fun excuse to decorate with ornaments. We are discovering that more and more ornaments artists are designing for Halloween too. There seems to be no end to the wonderful creativity of these designers and it was not easy to choose 10 Halloween ornaments to feature. There are ornaments for wall hangings and Halloween trees as well as great figurine and shelf ornaments. Halloween is always a fun holiday for the young and the young at heart and decorating your Halloween tree just adds to the excitement. To get started with your decorating, you can purchase a black feather tree from Bayberry Cove and dress it up with ornaments from the whimsical to the macabre.

If there are hundreds of Halloween ornaments ready to hang on the Halloween tree or your rearview mirror, there are probably thousands of Halloween figurine ornaments, and most of the artists featured here have an extensive Halloween collection. These can be found on several of the popular auction sites as well as the beautifully presented American Holiday Artists site which recently featured Halloween designs. Many of these figurine ornaments are limited editions and sell out pretty quickly. In addition to adding to the fun on Halloween, these unique figurine ornaments are a good investment and add to the value of your ornament collection. Be sure to check out more great resources for Halloween ornaments below.

The source of this October holiday is most likely the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celtic New Year began on November 1 more than 2000 years ago and the Celts honored Samhain, the Celtic lord of death by celebrating on the evening before. Samhain was thought to allow the souls of the dead to return to their earthly homes for this Hallow e’en or Halloween. Around 800 A.D., the church established All Saints’ Day on November 1 to allow the people to celebrate the festival that they had celebrated before they became Christians. In the United States, Halloween has evolved and is not taken so seriously. It has simply become a fun holiday to let your imagination run free.

More great resources for Halloween Ornaments:

Cherry Designs, Inc. – Halloween ornaments include perky little pumpkins.

Deb and Co – Personalized Halloween ornaments for your favorite trick or treater.

Old World Primitives – Choose from 6 sets of Halloween ornaments.

Russell Rhodes – Halloween ornaments designed in 2009 by popular demand.

The Ornament Girl – Whimsical and spooky quilted ornaments for Halloween.

Valeriote Designs – Where magic is celebrated & imagination reigns!

Vintage Halloween – Halloween store with ornaments for favors & decorating.

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Job & Career Oriented Personalized Ornaments

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Collect personalized ornaments to represent almost every occupation & career.

Since 1990, the owners of Christmas Spirit Shop have lived up to their name and have made it their mission to spread Christmas cheer and happiness with their unique Christmas ornaments. Pete and Beverly Bono are dedicated to their customers, and they have always had the goal of serving them with the finest ornaments of the USA. The ornaments are all handcrafted in Maine by American artists and are sold and distributed by the happy elves at Christmas Spirit Shop. Based in Bar Harbor, Maine, the ornaments business is committed to the community and makes sure that the local ornaments artists who design the handcrafted personalized ornaments are fairly compensated.

Name almost any career or job and you will find at least one personalized ornament celebrating that occupation at Christmas Spirit Shop. The list is almost A-Z with personalized ornaments for accountants and X-Ray technicians. There are quite a few career ornaments for more obscure occupations that you wouldn’t expect to find, such as ice cream scoopers and speech therapists. Alot of these personalized ornaments have been designed as the Bonos listened to their customers and new ornament designs are often created when someone asks for a custom career ornament. Then, that ornament becomes available for others as well. So if you have an idea for a career ornament, Christmas Spirit Shop is listening.

Another great idea for Christmas Gifts are the business group ornaments which cleverly display the names and “faces” of up to 40 employees on the Christmas tree ornament. While the career ornaments collection is extensive, they are just one small part of the diverse personalized ornaments at Christmas Spirit Shop. They also offer many other styles and types of ornaments which you will want to see. As a free bonus, they will personalize any of the handcrafted ornaments with hand lettering.

Article and images used with permission from ChristmasSpiritShop.com

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Christmas Ornaments – Christmas Memories

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Collecting Christmas ornaments creates lasting Christmas memories.

We gaze at them—bright, shiny, glittering glass rainbows of color that conjure up joyful memories of so many Christmases past and the promise of so many Christmases yet to come. There are round prisms where the colors change before your eyes as they seem to dance in the warm lights strung on the tree with the glow of nearby candlelight.

Who doesn’t get a little excited at the sight of the first ornament being hung on the family Christmas tree? How many of us are comforted by seeing our favorite ornaments adorning the tree year after year, no matter what other things in our lives may have changed? And who doesn’t gently and a little bit wistfully pack their treasured ornaments away after the holiday’s memories are made, to be revisited next year like old friends who have a cherished place in our hearts?

The staff and artisans at The Glass Noel believe in the spirit of Christmas, and it is their hope that they can add to your enjoyment of the holidays through their colorful glass ornaments. Since each one of their glass ornaments is hand-painted on the inside, no two are the same. Each unique glass ornament is lovingly created by the artists at The Glass Noel, and each handpainted ornament is a numbered original design, making it a perfect collectible heirloom-quality gift for family, co-workers, friends, or as a keepsake adornment for your own Christmas tree for years to come.

If you are in the southeastern United States, you can still catch one of their ornament shows and see the unique handpainted glass ornaments up close. If you can’t get to their show, you can enjoy visiting The Glass Noel online and choosing a new favorite ornament for your ornament collection.

Article and images used with permission from TheGlassNoel.com

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Fancy Pink Ornaments – Wedding Ornaments

Monday, September 14th, 2009

The quilted ornaments can be customized from your wedding materials.

The artist at Dusty Oak Ornaments is Sandy, and she says that she uses a very old pattern to create her ornaments, and that she has gradually adapted the vintage patterns to fit her own creative style. There is certainly nothing lacking in creativity here. From school bus ornaments to fancy pink silk ornaments, there really is something for everyone to enjoy in Sandy’s ornaments designs.

The quilted ornaments are handcrafted, using combinations of many types of fabrics and ribbons, including some designer fabrics. The customized ornaments are made to celebrate every holiday or special event and are perfect for year-round Christmas trees. A single ornament stand on a desk top or table can be changed out to add a little charm for holidays or seasonal changes.

Sandy says that her favorite ornaments to make are the wedding keepsake ornaments, because each bride has her own unique ornament made from the materials actually used for the wedding. “It’s such a joy to me to know that one of my ornaments has become a treasure and brings happy memories to its owner.” Sandy’s passion for the custom made ornaments is contagious and understandable as evidenced by the gallery of ornaments that she has produced over the years.

Dusty Oak Ornaments offers very nice pastel quilted ornaments that make lovely gifts for the Mom-to-be at baby showers or for a Baby’s first Christmas gift. The Fall Collection at Dusty Oak Ornaments is timely and clever and I’m sure you will want to bookmark her site to see what she has in store for Christmas ornaments this year as well.

Article and images used with permission from DustyOakOrnaments.com

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Where to Buy European Glass Ornaments

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Traditional Christmas Ornaments

Garden Goods has a variety of garden and landscape treats for the person who loves the outdoors, but what you will want to see for sure are their beautiful wholesale Christmas ornaments from Europe. They have a large assortment of hand painted and hand blown glass ornaments including colorful bird ornaments with feather tails. Their frosted fruit and vegetable ornaments are a perfect example of “all season” ornaments and are reminiscent of the traditional ornaments used 200 years ago to decorate Christmas trees.

While Garden Goods is a wholesale company, don’t worry. You can purchase the ornaments online. Gift buyers and ornament collectors can purchase the ornaments viewed here from Garden Artisans, an online retailer of distinctive garden decor.

The very informative article on the Garden Goods site about the history of glass ornaments in Europe is worth your time if you want to learn more about how ornaments evolved from edible fruits and vegetables to the extensive variety of hand blown glass ornaments that we see today. Garden Goods, LLC tells us how the mass production of glass ornaments began with Corning Glass Works in New York when Corning began using a ribbon machine to flow molten glass through an endless series of molds. The machine had been developed in 1926, and, by adapting it to the glass shapes needed for ornaments, Corning could produce over 20,000 ornament balls a minute.

The ornament vendor looking for a great resource of fine European glass ornaments won’t be disappointed in Garden Goods, LLC. Register online to purchase their unique ornaments.

Article and images used with permission from GardenGoods.us

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How Dancers Raised Money Selling Ornaments

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Ballet Gift Shop, now in it’s 3rd year, is a small company situated at the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains in Englewood, Colorado. With the goal of helping ballet companies raise money for their performances, Ballet Gift Shop is dedicated to providing quality ornaments at low prices so that ballet companies can truly profit.

Michael and Cheryl Caston are the owners, designers, and artists behind BalletGiftShop.com. Cheryl has many years of experience in Ballet and has performed in a large variety of performances. Her close knowledge of ballet as an art form has given the ornament designs at Ballet Gift Shop a true authenticity of form and costume. Michael and Cheryl obtained Masters Degrees in Product Design at one of the top universities in the nation for design.

It was while in their last year of the program that Cheryl’s mother, Maxine, came to them with a request. Maxine was the volunteer fundraising coordinator for the ballet company that Cheryl used to dance with. She wanted Cheryl and Michael to design ornaments that were true to the nature and form of ballet and that could be manufactured here in the U.S.A. and resold for fundraising.

Many of the ballet ornaments already on the market were low quality and falling very short of actually capturing the true art of ballet. They were likely designed by someone who had never performed in ballet, maybe never even attended a performance, and thus, not familiar with appropriate posture and poses that are most important to ballet performances.

With a desire to keep business in America, Michael and Cheryl took on the challenge and began to test different materials and processes for ornament manufacturing. Their initial designs were well received by the ballet community as very detailed and accurate depictions of ballet performances. What started as ornament designs for 36 main characters from the Nutcracker Ballet, has grown to include over 100 different character designs and 12 different product lines. Ballet Gift Shop has expanded to include ornament designs for more dance styles to accompany ballet, such as: Jazz ornaments, Tap Dance ornaments, Irish Step ornaments, and Flamenco ornaments. In the last three years, Ballet Gift Shop has helped raise thousands of dollars for ballet performances by selling the dance ornaments in bulk to dance companies. Very popular at dance recitals and ballet performances, the laser engraved dance ornaments make a great fundraising project for dance schools and dance companies.

Article and images used with permission from BalletGiftShop.com

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