| News from the Mart …
My web master, Leslie Kirk, joined us today driving in from the Birmingham, Alabama area. Leslie and my sister Benita attended the keynote presentation at AmericasMart. Erik Qualman discussed Socialnomics and how it can help retailers, artists and designers. They were impressed and I hope that they learned a few new tricks.
Meanwhile, I kept busy chatting with Bruce Elsass (a fellow Ohioan whose cousin once sat in my Spanish classroom in Wapakoneta). Bruce has a new line with new representation. The preliminary samples look fabulous! I have photos and will be talking more about this new line in the coming weeks. Expect to see his new work represented in the spring issue of Celebrate365.
Connie |
| Surprise from JingleNog! |
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| Melissa Byrne, JingleNog owner, had a big surprise awaiting me when I visited her booth today. She has named her new peppermint striped mouse Melvin, in honor of my husband’s gourmet tastes. The real Melvin makes his restaurant reservations before he books a hotel room! Ornament Melvin loves to nibble upon gourmet cheeses.
I’ll report on the official name along with the ornament’s life history later.
Yes, that’s me with the glass version of Melvin … the one that can’t talk back!
What fun! Thank you, Melissa. |
Tags: christmas, Christmas ornament, glass ornament, JingleNog, Leslie Kirk, Melissa Byrne, Willow Springs Family Farm
Posted in Bruce Elsass, JingleNog, christmas, design, glass ornament, ornament | No Comments »
| AmericasMart, Atlanta – Day 2
We completed work in the Radko showroom today. That’s one down! I’m still working on those photos so you’ll have to be patient. As I mentioned previously, this year’s line is much more focused and shows a restrained hand with fewer colors, less glitter and less “doo-dads”. I was impressed! Good job, Heather and Radko staffers!
Hey, Atlanta has SNOW! I have never experienced it here. Being from Ohio, I’d call this a very light dusting … but it seems there is the dreaded black ice beneath. Plus, these Georgians just aren’t equipped for the white winter stuff. So, schools are closing already for tomorrow.
Here are some photos of new introductions from several showrooms. Let’s play the “Whose is it” game again. Please use the comment form beneath this post to make your guesses. But, if you can’t find the “comment” link, feel free to send me your guesses using the CONTACT tab at the top of this page.
Connie |
| America’s Mart, January 7: Day 2 |
| Meet Vergie Lightfoot |
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Folk artist Vergie Lightfoot was on hand this afternoon at the Bethany Lowe Designs showroom on 20. It is always a Halloween wonderland! |
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| New Designs from Bethany Lowe Folk Artists |
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These folk artists have very recognizable styles! Who are they? |
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Photo 9 |
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| Finial Debut |
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Fabulous European glass finials mix 21st century contemporary with Old World tradition. All will retail for under $100.
Which designer debuted these beauties? |
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Tags: Bethany Lowe, finial, folk art, Folk Artists, Vergie Lightfoot
Posted in Christopher Radko, Halloween, christmas, contest, design, glass ornament | 1 Comment »
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I confess. I have a thing for tinsel. Not just any tinsel, mind you. I want that wonderful, heavy metal stuff from my childhood, those silvery strands that my father patiently hung on the tree one by one.
What incredible dedication. And, what a magical sight to behold! Mom certainly did not have time for that! Taking down the tree was just as time consuming. Off they came one by one to be carefully flattened and saved for another year.
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How did this tradition begin in our little family? I never knew. Since decorating the tree was Dad’s domain, I think that tinsel must have been a Mitchell family tradition remembered from his own childhood Christmases in Dayton, Ohio.
Wow! Have you ever seen so many icicles?
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Tinsel
I know that tinsel or lametta originated in Germany in the early 1600s. German glassblowers from the Lauscha region crafted crystal ornaments, some looked just like icicles. When the candles were lit on the tree, oh how those icicles glistened! As the years passed, craftsmen created icicles from tin and even silver. By the 1920s, the time when my grandfather Edgar Mitchell was celebrating Christmas in Dayton, Ohio with his wife and children, German craftsmen had invented lametta, tinsel icicles made from lead. My grandmother’s family was German-speaking. Perhaps that’s how my father’s love for a Christmas tree dripping in tinsel began.
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Later generations have not experienced the magic of tinsel on Christmas morning. Lead based lametta has been banned from the American market since the 1960s. The past two Decembers, I’ve walked the aisles of German Christmas markets in search of the real thing. Sadly, this magical tradition seems to be out of vogue in German households nowadays. Although we visited markets, stores and flea markets in city after city, sightings of that old-fashioned lametta were few and far between.
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But, I am persistent. During the past two years, little by little, I’ve gathered quite a collection of tinsel lametta, both vintage and newly manufactured. I’ve come to appreciate the graphics on those early packets. They represent an era – a time gone by.
I hope that you will appreciate them as much as I do. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll find something new and affordable to collect!
Click here or on the angel to view the tinsel collection.
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Posted in Germany, Tips, christmas, ornament, tinsel | 4 Comments »
 David Strand Designs |
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| David Stand is offering Celebrate365 readers an opportunity to participate in his 2010 collection. This special dated ornament needs a catchy name.Here is a look at the first clay sculpt of a new 2010 ornament. You are seeing a pair of snowmen on an old-fashioned railroad handcar. Here are the details of the decorative elements for this ornament.
Holly leaves and berries in the center of the hat band
Classic snowman coloration with white, black, red and a bit of green
Micro-glitter and lacquer paint
Put on your thinking caps! These little guys need a catchy name that reflects their character and setting.
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David Strand has selected two winners in the Name That Ornament contest.
Mary Beth H.
Right on Track for 2010
Mary Helen E.
On Track
Staying on Track in 2010
Strand has adapted these suggestions and will be using the name ON TRACK FOR 2010.
Both collectors will receive an ornament with David’s compliments.
Congratulations! |
Posted in David Strand Designs, contest, glass ornament | 1 Comment »
