Posts Tagged ‘keepsake ornaments’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

50 States – 50 Ornaments

Friday, April 16th, 2010

An ornament collector’s dream….beautiful ornaments from all 50 states!

     

The exclusive line of ornaments is designed from 50 paintings of the 50 states painted by the internationally acclaimed artist and sculptor William D Gaither.  Each of the unique ornaments depicts the official state bird and tree,  and also includes the capitol and state flower.  Presented very nicely in gift boxes, the back of the ornaments can be dated and personalized.

Artofthestates.com is owned by Arnold Ingram and he has sold the state ornaments worldwide since 1975 to gift shops and some of the most prestigious department stores.  The ornaments are now available online to the public and are priced very reasonably right now at $6.25 each.  That is a 65% savings over the normal catalog price and further discounts are available in larger quantities. 

Now, after 35 years in the gift and ornaments business, Mr Ingram is offering his company Art of the States and the world rights to produce this unique line of state ornaments for sale.  This is a wonderful opportunity if you are ready to be the owner of your own ornament business.  Visit the site and you will immediately recognize the potential for these delightful ornaments.

Article and images used with permission from artofthestates.com

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments News | Add a comment »

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

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Collectors, Ornaments Ideas, Ornaments Traditions | Add a comment »

Why Are Willow Tree Ornaments So Popular?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

The willow tree figurine ornaments are appreciated as unique works of art. 

    

When you think about decoration pieces for your home, there are a number of artistic items that may come into your mind. Some of these objets d’art might include flowers, birds, angels, or other ideas from nature or events.  Perhaps your ideas incorporate traditional hanging ornaments or maybe you have figurine ornaments in mind. 

Whatever inspires you, there are hundreds of ornament vendors offering figurines for almost every occasion and lifestyle.  Willow Tree figurine ornaments are becoming more recognized by collectors and decorators as unique works of art to use as accents for the home and office. These ornaments are not something that you would find lying around in every ordinary store, and you most likely will not see them in any of the large corporate chains. The ornament enthusiast with an artist’s eye will tell you that the clarity of detail that you can expect to find in such lovely keepsakes is remarkable, and that they are definitely worth seeking out.

One of the reasons why Willow Tree figures are becoming more and more popular is because collectors and gift buyers are looking for ornaments that have unique designs and superb workmanship.  Those who appreciate Willow Tree ornaments are looking for art and not trinkets. The work that goes into making a Willow Tree figure requires a lot of time and precision for the final product to look perfect. Most of the figures that are available are designed in such a way to represent a story or an event that has taken place in someone’s life. They are seen as thoughtful ideas that can be used for both gift and decorative purposes.

A lot of work and time is known to go into the making of Willow Tree angels and ornaments.  Since many people are unaware of the existence of Willow Tree figurines, you won’t expect to find much variety in many high street shops. Any store that does offer such items may be charging quite an expensive price for them as well. If you are planning to buy such an item, a great place to look would be online at the UK based BoutiqueToYou where you will find both a larger variety and better prices.

Article and images used with permission from BoutiqueToYou.


Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Online, Show & Tell | Add a comment »

Free Personalization on over 1000 Ornaments!

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Family owned business personalizes ornaments for families around the world.

     

No matter what the size of your family, TreasuredOrnaments.com has the perfect ornament for you.  They have ornaments for single parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, families of 12, and everything in between.  Ready to personalize, each polymer-resin ornament is carefully designed to suit every family’s needs, but some of the ornaments are so cute, that you may want to purchase them without personalization.  Their center for selling ornaments is at the Merced Mall in Merced, California.  Online for 6 years, they are set up to ship ornaments worldwide. 

 In addition to traditional family ornaments, they have a nice collection of licensed ornaments from Elvis to Betty Boop to Coca Cola, and these unique ornaments can all be personalized as well.   There are also plenty of children’s ornaments available, such as Hello Kitty, My Little Pony and many of the characters from Sesame Street. 

You won’t be disappointed in the customer service at TreasuredOrnaments.com either.  They are committed to their customers and want to make sure that you are 100% pleased with your personalized ornaments.  With free personalization and only 3 days lead time before shipment, this is a wonderful source for ornaments for every holiday.

Article and images used with permission from TreasuredOrnaments.com

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Online | Add a comment »

7 Authentic Mexican Christmas Ornaments

Monday, December 28th, 2009

The Mexican corn husk angel Christmas ornaments are handcrafted in Mexico.

Delightful as Christmas ornaments or as a guardian angel over your desk, these adorable corn husk angels are made by hand from natural corn husks. The angel ornaments are handcrafted by a small group of artisans in Zapopan, Mexico.  The mother and son team have only 7 employees and they have been designing and creating the ornaments for fifteen years and sell the colorful angel ornaments at LaCasaMexicana.com.  You will also find the Mexican ornaments featured on the Ethnic Ornaments page at Ornaments.com.

The process of producing the corn husk ornaments involves several steps before the ornaments are ready to market and nothing goes to waste here.   After the corn is picked, the leftover husks are put in a room with lava rock and sulfur. The sulfur is vaporized and that step gives the leaves a whiter color and fumigates the leaves, ridding them of any insects. The husks are then wetted and taken out to dry three to four times. The leaves are then dusted and it is time for the artists to get to work on the ornaments.  The hair on the angels is from the silk on the ear of the corn. The serape is handmade from acrylic and cotton textiles and the eyes are painted on with a pen.

The Mexican corn husk angel ornaments are great for adding a colorful touch to your holidays and would make very nice wedding favors and gifts too.   Priced at only $4.95 each, you can let your imagination go and share the little angel ornaments with your party guests.  The angel ornaments are works of art and each one is distinctive with variations in color and size, making them even more collectible.

Article and images used with permission from LaCasaMexicana.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments News | Add a comment »

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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Collectors, Ornaments Ideas, Ornaments Online, Show & Tell | Add a comment »

Personalized Ornaments, Figurines and Villages

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Customized ornaments at their best…..

     

Design artist, Duke Marcoccio started My Little Town in 1999.  His first village piece came out in 2004, which was the Narragansett Towers porcelain lighted building.  Duke says that the success of that one piece inspired him to come out with several other porcelain buildings in the following years.  A Rhode Island native, it was in 2007 that he decided to create an ornament collection of Rhode Island icons.  The overwhelming response to those ornaments helped Marcoccio to realize that this was the new direction for MyLittleTown.com.  Now his personalized ornaments and villages are so popular that he has a hard time keeping up with the demand on several pieces. 

The creative customized ornaments and village pieces that are offered here are very unique and Duke says that he wants the public and businesses to know that he can create almost anything as an ornament.  He is already taking orders from businesses and groups for 2010.  Many businesses send the customized ornaments of their building, trucks, products, or logos as corporate gifts to their valued clients.  The customized ornaments also are a great fundraising idea for churches or schools. 

Every piece is designed personally by Duke Marcoccio.  The ornaments are made of resin because you can get the most detail from this material as apposed to porcelain.  He has used the knowledge from his degrees in art as well as in photography and design and has paired that knowledge with his natural talents and creativity to develop this truly one-of-a-king website.

Duke’s favorite design is the Blizzard of 78, because it’s the most creative and he wanted to recreate the way so many of us went shopping during the blizzard.  He says that at the time it was almost like a living Norman Rockwell experience.

However, the most popular ornament on MyLittleTown.com seems to be the U S Navy Fighting Seabee. Marcoccio tells us, “This piece reaches out to a global audience and happens to be the most intricate piece I have created, along with taking the most time to create.  The average ornament takes between 5 – 7 months from start to finish. The Seabee took me over one year to perfect.  I am a perfectionist and try to show as much detail as possible, right down to the correct PMS colors (pantone matching system).”

Take a look at MyLittleTown.com now to take advantage of several ongoing promotions and to see the distinctive style of customized ornaments, villages and village accessories.

Article and images used with permission from MyLittleTown.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments News | Add a comment »

8000 Ways to Personalize Ornaments

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Free personalization on a huge inventory of Christmas ornaments!

     

OrnamentsAndMore.com is excited to be a part of the Ornaments.com family and we are very pleased to have their beautiful personalized ornaments displaying on the Ornaments.com directory. 

Offering 2,500 + personalized Christmas ornaments with over 8,000 ways to personalize ornaments, Ornaments And More creates uniquely-designed, high quality and affordably priced gift ideas for Baby’s First Christmas, Wedding, Expecting, Engagements, Our First Christmas, Grandparents, Graduation, Sports, Kids, Tweens & Teens. 

The folks at OrnamentsAndMore.com guarantee that their selection and personalization options are the most extensive you will find anywhere!  All of their ornaments are hand personalized, never computer generated.  Each purchase comes with a FREE holiday-themed gift bag.  They’ll even include a hand-written note on a packing slip for gift recipients to add that special touch.  

In years past, they have seen how parents, grandparents, aunts, godparents have enjoyed selecting ornaments each Christmas season to commemorate what different family members have done over the course of that particular year.  The idea is that their Christmas tree tells the wonderful story of the family’s life. Many of their customers have expressed to us that it would be hard to part with such cherished ornaments.  However, they intend to pass these personalized ornaments down to their children when they leave home.

Be sure to stop by OrnamentsAndMore.com frequently as they will be adding to the site as often as possible. And remember, besides shopping with them that the best compliment they can receive from you is a referral.  Begin a family tradition of sharing keepsake ornaments with OrnamentsAndMore personalized ornaments. 

Article and images used with permission from OrnamentsAndMore.com  

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Online, Ornaments Traditions | Add a comment »

Ultimate Christmas – Ornament Storage

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

Simple, safe Christmas ornament storage tiIt’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

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Care, Ornaments Collectors, Ornaments News | Add a comment »

Personalized Crystal Christmas Ornaments

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Buy personalized ornaments made from optic crystal and leaded glass.

        

  

Looking for personalized ornaments?   Wealthwood Gifts is a good resource for very nice crystal personalized Christmas ornaments.  Each personalized ornament is engraved “in house” and that speeds up the lead time as well as helping to keep the standard of quality very high.   Your keepsake ornaments can be delivered to your door in about two weeks.  With less than 5 weeks before Christmas, it’s time to choose one of the optic crystal or full leaded personalized ornaments from the many designs at Wealthwood.com in time to fill the stockings or to say “thank you” to those special helpers you want to remember this year. With the many ideas for corporate ornaments, business owners will want to make sure that their logo is seen on personalized ornaments this year by their clients and potential customers.  The possibilities are unlimited.

Article and images used with permission from Wealthwood.com

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments News | Add a comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »