Tree Down part deux
Today, finally, the brittle tree came down. You could sneeze in our living room and listen to the pine needles drop. It was sad. Really.
But I thought I'd give you a brief tour of our beautiful vintage ornament collection. Well, actually they are not all vintage. Many of the ornaments we've collected over the years are Christopher Radko, but of even those, I'm particular about which ones I add to our menagerie. The Radko's mainly are those from the early years, 1991 - 94. After that, many of the Radko's became a little too cartoonish for me. That's not to say that we don't own any from the later years. But my favorites are the ones where the faces are simple, not too ornate, and somewhat eerie.
Here's what I mean:
Isn't he just weird? I love him so much. I will tell you a story about him: He was sitting in a Christmas shop in Cedarburg. Each time I shopped there I went to visit him. But he was so expensive. At the time I didn't know how much I wanted him. Then one day he was gone. I went to the store to actually buy him, and poof, gone! He had been on the shelf for years! Lonely, abandoned and unwanted. I searched high and low for him all around the country trying to buy him. No one had him. Still to this day, I've never seen another. And then finally, one day, I opened a wedding gift box and there he was, in my lap. A friend had given him to us as a wedding gift. The same friend who tolerated my quarterly visits to him in the shop. I think she just got sick of hearing me talk about how lovely he was.
I'm glad he'smine ours.
To follow are few more of my favs, some are Radko's, some are European, some are vintage.
These are early Radko's:
This guy is two-sided:
This is from Germany:
Here's a later Radko:
These I purchased in Switzerland:
Here's another Radko; this was an anniversary "remake":
This is Old World Christmas, who at the time had ornaments made in Europe:
And these are handmade. I absolutely love how they glow on the tree. They are simple enough to make. Next year, I'll give a demo on how to make these. They are quite simple to make! But very difficult to photograph!
And these are vintage. I didn't put many out this year, mainly because I haven't done my home work and need to make sure they are lead-free. The ones that are still in the boxes are amazing. Next year I'll have to be sure to show you them!
And lastly, this one is from my husband to me. I love him. (both the ornament and the husband!)
But I thought I'd give you a brief tour of our beautiful vintage ornament collection. Well, actually they are not all vintage. Many of the ornaments we've collected over the years are Christopher Radko, but of even those, I'm particular about which ones I add to our menagerie. The Radko's mainly are those from the early years, 1991 - 94. After that, many of the Radko's became a little too cartoonish for me. That's not to say that we don't own any from the later years. But my favorites are the ones where the faces are simple, not too ornate, and somewhat eerie.
Here's what I mean:
Isn't he just weird? I love him so much. I will tell you a story about him: He was sitting in a Christmas shop in Cedarburg. Each time I shopped there I went to visit him. But he was so expensive. At the time I didn't know how much I wanted him. Then one day he was gone. I went to the store to actually buy him, and poof, gone! He had been on the shelf for years! Lonely, abandoned and unwanted. I searched high and low for him all around the country trying to buy him. No one had him. Still to this day, I've never seen another. And then finally, one day, I opened a wedding gift box and there he was, in my lap. A friend had given him to us as a wedding gift. The same friend who tolerated my quarterly visits to him in the shop. I think she just got sick of hearing me talk about how lovely he was.
I'm glad he's
To follow are few more of my favs, some are Radko's, some are European, some are vintage.
These are early Radko's:
This guy is two-sided:
This is from Germany:
Here's a later Radko:
These I purchased in Switzerland:
Here's another Radko; this was an anniversary "remake":
This is Old World Christmas, who at the time had ornaments made in Europe:
And these are handmade. I absolutely love how they glow on the tree. They are simple enough to make. Next year, I'll give a demo on how to make these. They are quite simple to make! But very difficult to photograph!
And these are vintage. I didn't put many out this year, mainly because I haven't done my home work and need to make sure they are lead-free. The ones that are still in the boxes are amazing. Next year I'll have to be sure to show you them!
I just love the patina on those. I love the faded color on some, and how the light shines thru the glass while the ornament hangs on the tree. They are little works of art.
And lastly, this one is from my husband to me. I love him. (both the ornament and the husband!)