Archive for October, 2009

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Personalized Family Ornaments from Montana

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Include every member of the family in a personalized ornament.

Montana artist Peggy Kupper has been in the personalized Christmas ornament business for over 25 years. Ornaments with family names have always been a favorite of her customers. However, until recently, she had no way for her customers to create an ornament to fit every size family and even change to growing families. Thus Peggy used her artistic talents and her creative mind to design the Family Charm Ornament line.

The concept behind the Family Charm Ornaments is simple but yet brilliant. Start with a header ornament and then select from a wide variety of different charms to build a unique personalized family keepsake that includes all the family members and the pets too. The end result… smiles and joy. The ornaments have been an instant hit with the customers who have so much fun designing and building them. Designs range from Christmas, wildlife, sports, mountain, ocean, cats, dogs, weddings, farm animals, and more.

With the success of the ornaments, Peggy enrolled the help of her family to build a website for these personalized ornaments, FamilyOrnament.com. As a family they needed to find an innovative but simple way to capture the smiles on the customer’s faces when they built these ornaments, and then somehow digitize that into a website. Peggy’s two sons Ben and Alex, who both have backgrounds in computers, set out to develop the website. Using a drag and drop concept with the website, they were able to give the customer virtually the same experience online building an ornament as they would if they were doing it in person. Through FamilyOrnament.com Peggy is able to offer her customers a unique approach to personalized family memories. Build your personalized ornament now.

Article and images used with permission from FamilyOrnament.com

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Old World Christmas Ornaments – New in 2009

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Tim and Beth Merck keep the spirit of German glass ornaments alive.

The tradition of blown glass ornaments is known to have started in a small German town called Lauscha, sometime in the late 16th century. Originally, only glass balls were produced, but in 1847 Hans Greiner began producing glass ornaments in the shape of fruits and nuts using a glass blowing process that utilized molds to create the unique shapes. These glass ornaments were distributed throughout Europe, and in the 1880’s Woolworth’s began importing these German glass ornaments to sell in the United States – which soon proved to be a very lucrative business move.

In 1979, Tim and Beth Merck’s love of Christmas and its traditions inspired them to begin revitalizing the fine art of mouth-blown glass ornaments. Today, Merck Family’s Old World Christmas is a well known wholesale ornament producer, offering hundreds of fine glass ornaments from traditional fruit and nuts to all varieties of animals, cars, decorative bells and balls, flowers, houses and churches, angels, pirates, various renditions of Santa Claus, and much more.

Producing glass blown Christmas ornaments like the pieces offered by the Merck Family is a labor-intensive process that involves mouth-blowing molten glass into a mold and then pouring a hot solution of liquid silver inside the ornament. The Merck Family’s Old World Christmas ornaments are then hand-painted with fine details and dusted with glitter to add an even more magical appeal.

While the tradition of blown glass ornaments has been around since the 16th century, the grand appeal of these whimsical ornaments has not lost any of its popularity. Old World Christmas ornaments are hand made with pride. Browse the staggering collection of glass ornaments by Old World Christmas at the Christmas Treasures website.

Article and images used with permission from Christmas-Treasures.com

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The Ornament Finder – Find Ornaments Fast

Monday, October 26th, 2009

This is a great search tool if you are looking for unique ornaments.

If you are reading this blog, you have an interest in ornaments. Whether you are an avid ornaments collector , gift buyer, or just love anything beautiful and creative, you will want to look at The Ornament Finder on Ornaments.com. There are already over 3,000 ornaments listed and many are unique ornaments such as the images pictured on this page. In the next few weeks, we will be inviting more and more ornaments artists and designers to include their latest creations in the new search tool.

Our very creative webmaster has poured his heart into this program, so that our readers and guests will be able to find new ornaments, vintage ornaments, and hard to find ornaments. This idea came about because so many of our visitors have contacted us to ask where they can find specific ornaments. They know exactly what they want and their requests are sometimes very detailed. Mostly, they want a unique ornament that they already see in their mind, but haven’t been able to find it in stores and they don’t know how to produce it themselves. Chances are that one of the ornament artists or ornament vendors listed on The Ornament Finder has just what you want or will be willing to customize an ornament for you. We are grateful that you come to Ornaments.com to find ornaments. Now your search will be even easier. Find ornaments fast with The Ornament Finder.

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Ornament Central – Wholesale Ornaments

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Over 25 years of experience in the ornament world!

Owner Christine Casey designs all of the ornaments at OrnamentCentral.com and pays close attention to what collectors and gift buyers are looking for as they shop for ornaments. With her many years of experience as an ornament retailer, she understands that the quality and uniqueness of her ornaments are very important as ornaments are chosen. She has also learned to watch for changing trends in colors, materials and designs that are often influenced by fashion as well as the jewelry industry. The motto “Our Success Depends on Yours” means that Christine and her staff are listening to their customers and creating what they know gift buyers want.

If your interest in ornaments is moving you towards opening your own ornament store, Ornament Central is a good place to start. Each of their copyright designs is unique with a record of proven popularity, and your store is able to register and purchase ornaments online.

Article and images used with permission from OrnamentCentral.com

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20% Coupon – Handmade Christmas Ornaments

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Each unique basswood Christmas ornament can be personalized.

A licensed artist with Great American Collectibles, sculptor Robert Francis is a self-taught artist who has turned his love of wood and sculpture into a thriving online business at RFStudio.com. We were astonished to learn that he creates all of the ornament designs without ever touching a pencil to paper. The graphic design is already in his mind before he begins each ornament, and in that artist mode, creativity flows, and another matchless wooden ornament is formed. Then, the handcrafted basswood ornament is hand painted with bright and cheerful hues. That beautiful hand painting is the “icing on the cake.”

From his home studio in Syracuse, New York, Robert Francis spends the day around his snowmen ornaments, angel, santa and folk ornaments. His shelves also include wonderful figurines for Christmas, as well as other holidays. But he doesn’t get to keep the ornaments and figurines around long, because once he displays them on RFStudio.com, the ornaments usually sell out very quickly as does his other artwork. As you can see from the close up image of the snowman ornament, it is attention to detail that sets the hand carved wooden ornaments apart from the ordinary, and each of the ornaments are designed to be unique and one-of-a-kind with a personality of its own. No two ornaments can ever be identical!

The artist will accept commissions to create special heirloom orders. If you have an ornament design in mind, you can take advantage of Robert’s years of experience and his natural talents to bring that design to life. Contact him through the studio today for an appointment to discuss your keepsake ornament. Mention Ornaments.com or enter the word “ornaments” in the coupon manager at the time of the order and receive 20% off of any purchase!

Article and images used with permission from rfstudio.com.

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You Buy an Ornament – They Plant a Tree!

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Enjoy beautiful pewter ornaments while helping to save the earth.

The National Wildlife Federation has teamed up with amazing ornaments designers to create pewter ornaments which depict plants and wildlife and the great outdoors. The newly created ornaments are lovely enough that you would want to purchase them even without the extra perk of helping to save the earth, but if you buy a promotional Plant a Tree ornament, you will also know that a tree is being planted on your behalf. This is a combined effort to reduce global warming, increase habitat for wildlife, prevent soil erosion, and to help create a better world for our children.

The nature inspired wildlife ornaments are very reasonably priced at $9.95 each, and if you want to do a little more for mother earth, the Plant a Tree of the Month program is affordable too, and you can choose to be a part of the program for 3 months, 6 months or for the entire year. It is an ideal gift for someone that you want to let know that you are thinking about them all year and of course it brings awareness to the cause of protecting the environment. Each month, your gift recipient would receive a different solid cast pewter ornament, and if you choose the 12 month program, a 13th bonus ornament will be received. Your purchase helps make a difference.

Article and images used with permission from National Wildlife Federation.

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Blown Glass Ornaments – 3 Day Process

Friday, October 16th, 2009

The process of blowing glass ornaments is centuries old.

Artisan crafted blown-glass ornaments are created in much the same way today as they have been made for centuries. The process takes several days, and results in a piece of art your family can treasure for decades.

While you may have thought of blown glass ornaments as limited to spheres or simple shapes, the almost infinite variety displayed on Ornaments To Remember will certainly change any idea that you have of blown glass ornaments being restricted to tradition. Their 2009 collection is especially prolific, and ranges from the lovely glass ornaments based on Chinese motifs to Bingo ornaments with alot of fun ornaments in between. It is pretty amazing how much detail the artisans are able to achieve with their latest line of blown glass ornaments, and that isn’t even counting their custom designed ornaments. They even have movie ornaments and food ornaments as well as ornaments for hobbies and occupations.

Here is the basic process for making blown glass ornaments:

Day 1:

1. European craftsmen hold a hollow bulb of glass over an open flame until it is glowing red and pliable.

2. While the glass is still hot, a blower places it in the mold of choice and blows through a connected tube until the glass fills the mold.

3. The ornament cools and is removed from the mold.

4. When it has completely cooled, it is “silvered” using a proprietary blend of these ingredients: silver nitrate, ammonia, distilled water, saltpeter, and sugar.

Day 2:

1. The ornament is dipped in a base coat of lacquer. Our lacquer is non-toxic, does not contain lead, and meets Europe’s standards for being environmentally friendly.

2. Once the lacquer dries, depending on the design, color lacquer is applied in coats, then the ornament is hand painted and glitter and other coating are added if necessary.

3. The ornament is left to dry overnight.

Day 3:

1. The stem of the ornament is cut off and an ornament cap is placed on.

2. The ornament is placed in a specially designed gift box that protects it during shipping and makes a lovely presentation.

Ornaments To Remember is proud to create ornaments in the old tradition in a way that is safe to their workers and to the environment. In addition, all of their profits support the nonprofit parenting website The Learning Community.

Article and images used with permission from Ornaments2Remember.com

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American Made Ornaments for Fundraising

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

AChristmasOrnament.com showcases unique ornaments that lean toward the education and historical. The one-of-a-kind ornaments are available through the fundraising program to clubs, churches, sororities, fraternal groups and nearly anyone that wants to earn extra revenue for a variety of reasons and causes.

Luke Wilbur of AChristmasOrnament.com shares that he is proud of the success which so many non-profits and other organizations have experienced with this unique idea. He estimates that up to 280 million people in the United States celebrate Christmas, and the ornaments that his company offers are designed to last for many generations.

The patriotic ornaments are sold at wholesale prices and many of the ornaments are designed to interpret the history of the United States of America. Crafted from metal, porcelain or glass, the highly collectible ornaments are sold using White House fundraising kits as well as the Barack Obama fundraising kits, and are also sold in stores.

Article and images used with permission from aChristmasOrnament.com

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Christmas Ornaments for Every Personality

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Personalized ornaments have become a tradition!

Christmas Ornaments have certainly come a long way from the traditional glass balls and trinkets from days gone by. Today, ornaments have come to symbolize and celebrate Christmas, and also many special events and milestones. OrnamentPlus.com offers a selection of more than 3000 personalized ornaments and gifts including personalized ornament themes like baby, wedding, family, anniversary, sports, hobbies, occupations, and more!

Ellen and Darrin of OrnamentPlus.com love Christmas, and they are thrilled to offer a collection of Santa Claus figurine ornaments, Nutcrackers, and Maine Blueberry Ornaments as well as pages and pages of ornaments for every occasion and personality. They pride themselves on their unique ornaments, and they want you to know that their personalized ornaments will be as unique and special as the person that you are buying them for. Their ornaments vary from childlike fun ornaments to the stylish and elegant ornaments designed for adults.

OrnamentPlus.com celebrates special occasions all year with an exceptional selection of personalized ornaments, holiday gifts, and hand painted wood and glass ornaments. From their store The Christmas Vacation Shop in Bar Harbor, Maine, it is their mission to offer quality products and exceptional customer service. Ellen and Darrin like to refer to the fun shopping at OrnamentPlus.com as a holly jolly shopping experience, and their mission to please and delight their customers is apparent in their easy to navigate and merry web site.

Article and images used with permission from OrnamentPlus.com

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Grandmother Sells Ornaments Online

Friday, October 9th, 2009

There is nothing ordinary about this grandmother!

Susan Cherry says that she is thrilled to be a grandmother, and it only takes a few seconds on the Cherry Designs Inc. website to know that she is pretty delighted with life in general. Her enthusiasm is reflected in the prolific collection of ornaments that she and David Cherry have put together to celebrate every occasion and milestone .

The sense of humor that comes through in the ornaments is contagious, and scrolling through the pages of blown glass ornaments may just make you laugh out loud. I get the feeling that she had one of her grandchildren in mind for every design and that every ornament is “grandchild inspired.” Being able to see life from a child’s point of view is definitely an asset for creating fun “one of a kind” ornaments.

Susan and David Cherry are both artists, and have recently added a gallery of Susan’s ornaments and David’s newest inspirational art to their website. It is important to them that you are pleased with your ornaments, and so each of their handblown ornaments comes with a lifetime guarantee and free personalization.

Susan Cherry started Cherry Designs, Inc. in 2000, and with her skills as an artist, seamstress and writer, she has developed a prosperous business, and her blown glass ornaments have been shipped worldwide. She basks in her role as Nana, and she loves all celebrations, especially Christmas. Susan is very pleased, because through her charming ornaments, she gets to share the Christmas fun that has been a part of her family tradition for years.

Article and images used with permission from Cherry Designs Inc.

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