Archive for the ‘Ornaments Collectors’ Category

Collecting Christmas Ornaments for Kids

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

Collecting Christmas ornaments for children can be a fun adventure!

            

The folks at Pence Christmas Tree Farms have good advice when choosing ornaments for children and they are gearing up for the holidays already.  They will make sure that all of their ornaments for children are ready by June, so bookmark their Santa’s Workshop. 

Age Appropriate:

Baby’s First Christmas ornaments are plentiful and come in a variety of materials and price ranges for every budget. Christmas ornaments make nice keepsake gifts to package with “disposable” baby shower gifts which are so popular. New mothers love getting diapers, wipes, lotions, formula – all those necessary items for the little one. Coupling a basket of “disposables” with a specially selected keepsake Christmas ornament makes that baby gift even more special.

Keep in mind that Christmas ornaments are not toys, even though many are designed after toys and resemble toys. Materials are a consideration also. Obviously glass is breakable, so in the early years you may want to gift some ornaments made of resin, plastic, Claydough, wood, felt and fabrics. When choosing glass ornaments, stay with reputable companies that make it well known that their paints and glitters are lead free. Inge-Glas of Germany and Merck Family’s Old World Christmas are two examples.

Memorable Event:

Beautiful Christmas trees are in fact – beautiful. All kids love brightly decorated trees with candy canes, lights and balls, but the best Christmas tree memories will be those associated with special ornaments. In the toddler years, you may want to collect ornaments to keep memories alive of favorite toys, songs, books, food, etc. Ornaments representing storybook classics and nursery rhymes are easily found.

Special times such as zoo visits, birthday parties, haircuts, loss of first tooth, vacations – are great times to choose ornaments. When children are very young, you may have to take the ornament and remind them where the special ornament came from or the “remember when….” event. But don’t worry….they’ll get it quick enough. It won’t be anytime before they will be pointing out “their” special ornament and the tales will begin to flow. School brings on another host of wonderful opportunities! First day, first bus ride, classroom, teacher, backpack, lunchbox and so on. More memorable events include recitals, sports, dance, gymnastics, karate, band, Sunday school and church functions, movies, makeup, music, cars, trucks..even dental visits and checkups!

Holidays and celebrations are a perfect time to give ornaments. Even when small children may not have the capacity to appreciate the ornament gift, you can couple it with a toy, book or whatever the gift so they will have some “now” and the keepsake ornament as a remembrance for later. Halloween is a wonderful time for ornament giving. Matching an ornament to the costume or memory from a Halloween party is great.

 

Storage:

Each child needs their own special box, one that will last several years. Shopping for this box, or creating it can be a wonderful excursion or rainy day project. All you need is a good sturdy box, one with dividers would be great, but just improvise as you have too. Paper plates work well as dividers.

Some say cardboard, some say plastic – if you’re not storing a priceless ornament collection – I say whatever is convenient – as long as it is stored in a controlled temperature setting. No basements or attics. The top of a closet is great. While you want easy access to the box so you can add to it all year long, you don’t want this to be a plaything. Ornaments are to be gently held, admired, then safely stored away until you decorate the tree. Plain boxes can be painted and decorated. Small wooden chests are also great for children’s treasures especially as they get older.

There are hundreds of ornament vendors that are ready to help you on your adventure.  Just enter your child’s favorite color in The Ornament Finder search at the top of this page and see where it leads you.  Enjoy!

Article and images used with permission from TrendyTree.com

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Best Handblown Glass Christmas Ornaments

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Unique glass ornaments are the most sought after ornaments this year.

        

At Ornaments.com, we hear from hundreds of gift buyers and collectors.  Many are looking for personalized ornaments, but almost everyone wants at least a few traditional glass ornaments for their Christmas tree.  We are picturing just a few of the favorite choices for handcrafted sphere type ornaments to add to the holiday spirit.  With a variety of ways to display ornamentsicon besides the traditional Christmas tree, you can keep these designer ornaments up year round to extend your holiday celebrations. 

Christmas is a season of goodwill and cheer.  Getting together with family and friends at this special time of year is something that everyone looks forward to.  Gathering around a Christmas tree decorated with beautiful ornaments and with good food and friends makes the season complete.

Christmas is celebrated around the world.  However, each culture has their own traditions. Many families gather together to decorate the Christmas tree with their favorite ornaments and to share precious family moments. It builds lasting memories that are cherished year after year and adding a special ornament each Christmas or adding a new ornament to celebrate the milestones of the year adds to the family traditions. Christmas decorations come in many shapes, sizes and colors.  However for those with  sophisticated tastes, hand painted blown glass ornaments are an excellent way to add elegance to any Christmas tree.   Tastes may range from a monochrome of  one color to a splash of festive colors and there are hundreds of wonderful vendors on The Ornaments Directory to choose from. 

Common themes for hand painted blown glass ornaments are Santa, Angels, Poinsettias, Snowmen and bells, but many artists also design in an impressionistic or artglass style, leaving the interpretation up to the viewer. The glass ornaments are crafted by artists whose delicate touch creates exquisite masterpieces that are treasured through the years.

Although ornaments are associated with Christmas, handblown glass ornaments are created for every season and occasion. Handpainted and handblown glass ornaments add a touch of class to any occasion. Collectors anticipate adding new and beautifully handcrafted pieces to their collections. Many of the handblown ornaments are signed by the artist to give it a uniqueness that is second to none. 

If you are still Christmas shopping, picture your gift recipients receiving one of the exquisite handblown glass  ornaments December 24.  There is still time for them to enjoy the ornament through the holidays, and they will remember your thoughtfulness when they unpack the ornament each year.

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Ultimate Christmas – Ornament Storage

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

Simple, safe Christmas ornament storage tips

          

It’s that time again!  Time to dig through all of the Christmas ornaments in storage and see which ones are broken, faded or missing.  It’s always such a shame to find out that your precious collectibles have been compromised in the storage process.

This year, Steve Stanton, owner of Ultimate Christmas, gives some suggestions for the safest storage of precious Christmas ornaments and decorations. 

“Obviously, in my line of business, I’ve seen all types of ornaments and all types of ornament disasters,” said Stanton.  “I’m always asked about the safest way to store ornaments.  It’s actually a pretty simple process.”

    1. Start with the right size of storage solution.  No matter how big or small, it’s crucial to find a storage box that’s right for your collection. 

“We know that every ornament collector has a different-sized collection,” said Stanton.  As a result, we made sure that the Christmas ornament storage boxes at Ultimate Christmas vary in size.  The largest boxes hold nearly 80 ornaments, while the smaller boxes are perfect for smaller and starting collections.  Individual ornaments also vary greatly in size and it’s important to have a good idea of whether you own more large ornaments or if they tend to be smaller, that’s why we offer 3”, 4”, 5” and 6” trays with individual cubbies that can be further customized to suit your needs.”  

    2.  Use only acid-free packing materials for ornament storage.   No plastic or newspapers, please!

“Storing ornaments in plastic bins can trap moisture in the box and can damage the ornament.  Wrapping the ornaments in newspaper can cause acid to decay the paint on the ornament; silvered paints are especially susceptible.  Acid-free storage is by far the safest storage for hand-blown glass ornaments,” said Stanton.  “We’re proud that Ultimate Christmas is the only company offering acid-free Christmas ornament storage boxes.”

    3.  Store the ornaments in a clean, dry area.  This goes without saying.

“Keep all ornaments away from moisture and make sure that no dirt, cobwebs or other contaminants get packed away with the ornaments.   The cleaner the ornaments are when they’re stored, the cleaner and nicer the ornaments will look when they are taken out of storage next Christmas.  A light dusting is fine.” said Stanton.

    4.  Pack each ornament tightly.  It’s best if the ornaments don’t move, even when the box is moved.

“Make sure to nestle your ornaments in either acid-free tissue or shredded paper,” said Stanton.  “Remember that acid-free packing paper is key – any other type of paper can actually cause more damage to the ornament.  I prefer to use shredded acid-free paper for ornaments.  It’s easier to mold around the individual ornaments creating a safe little nest.”

    5.  Write the history of each ornament before you put it away at the end of the season.  Keeping your ornament’s history organized will enhance the enjoyment and meaning of each ornament for years.

“This isn’t a safety tip for ornaments, but it’s definitely a best practices tip,” Stanton said.  Recording the history of the ornaments will let future generations understand the history of the ornaments and why they are important in your family’s background.  It’s also fun to re-read the history of the ornament aloud each year when decorating the tree with your family. 

Overall, it’s a fairly easy process to store ornaments safely and securely.  Whether you have a variety of new and vintage ornaments, or you collect only Hallmark or Radko ornaments, following a few simple steps will allow you to enjoy your ornaments for many, many years to come.  

For more information about Ultimate Christmas, or to place an order, please see http://www.ultimatechristmas.com/.

Article and images used with permission from UltimateChristmas.com

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Pacific Northwest Landmark Ornaments

Monday, October 5th, 2009

How many Northwest landmarks can you recognize?

The name PortlandOrnament.com gives us a clue as what to expect in the way of ornament designs, and Portland and Seattle sites are the focus of most of the ornaments, but the ornaments are not entirely limited to the Pacific Northwest. Even though you will see very nice ornaments depicting well known sites such as Pikes Place Market in Seattle and OMSI in Portland, the specialty ornaments range from Baby’s First Christmas to the delightful snowman that seems to be ready to dance right out of the computer on to your Christmas tree.

PortlandOrnament.com offers an annual issue ornament, and we northwesteners especially await the new design each year. The Portland ornament for 2009 celebrates the 150th anniversary of Oregon’s statehood and is pictured above. The 2009 Specialty ornament is the “I am an Individual” ornament which honors the resiliency of cancer patients and this limited edition ornament can be personalized as well.

Northwest companies and charitable events are also represented by the ornaments at PortlandOrnament.com such as the ornament they created in 1998 to celebrate the Nike World Masters Games. The detail and careful workmanship of each ornament is very precise, and the Portland and Seattle ornaments are plated with 24 karat gold and are silk screen enameled. Collectors will love that these unique and exclusively produced ornaments are hand numbered and come with a “story” about the historical landmark.

Article and images used with permission from PortlandOrnament.com.

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Collect Ornaments – Provide Tools for Parents

Friday, July 17th, 2009

European designer uses everyday themes to create collectible ornaments.

KumquatArt.com has reserved a generous portion of their website for displaying cute ornaments for a very worthy charity.

Ornaments to Remember is a non-profit company offering mouth blown glass ornaments made in Eastern Europe. Every sale of each delightful ornament goes to help parents be parents. The profits go to The Learning Community (TLC) and their goal is to make getting parenting help easy. TLC provides free parenting resources such as Tips for Parents, parenting videos and hundreds of links to really useful parenting websites. There is no charge to access their giant parenting resource library.

The ornaments themselves are fun and whimsical. You won’t see too many hamburger ornaments out there. This company does a great job of making everyday items, whether it be food or flippers or movie theater tickets, look cute and fun. The details are wonderful and not a lot of companies are making ornaments in such whimsical designs. The prices are fair as well. The baby food jar ornaments make great first baby or shower gifts. In fact, there are a lot of ornaments that cross age and gender lines which makes it easier for people to buy Highway Signs, Hawaiian shirts, pizza slices……just lots of fun with great colors.

There are 16 collectible ornaments sold for non-profit on KumquatArt.com now and several more will be added in the fall. Pre-order to reserve your unique ornaments today and help keep The Learning Community alive.

Article and images used with permission from KumquatArt.com

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Best Way to Store Your Christmas Ornaments

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Most of us have collected beautiful ornaments for years, always adding at least one to our collection every year. A nice old family tradition was to give the daughters of the house a new ornament each year for their hope chest. Now there are many other options available for preserving our collectible and most loved ornaments. You will find more ideas for taking care of your favorite ornaments on our Ornament Boxes page.

Ultimate Christmas was the first to make acid-free storage boxes designed specifically for ornaments. They have a line of archival, acid-free Christmas Ornament Storage boxes and acid-free packing supplies and storage solutions.

Function and style are the benchmarks of their Christmas ornament storage system. Ultimate Christmas has been producing high-quality acid-free Christmas ornament storage boxes in California for over 10 years with the same easily adjustable compartments and removable trays that make customizing your Christmas ornament storage box a breeze. Beautiful fabric-coverings make these boxes an elegant addition to your holiday décor while adding another layer of protection to your precious Christmas and holiday ornaments. You can also watch the Ultimate Christmas Demos of ornament storage solutions.

Submitted by UltimateChristmas.com

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