Author Topic: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?  (Read 83965 times)

Offline brokebackjack

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ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« on: December 19, 2008, 08:32:48 am »
FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY....

A thread  for all Bettermostians who act irrationaly during The Joyous Season!

Did you ever show up at Saks Fifth Avenue at 8:30 AM on December 26 and head for the 8th floor as soon as the door opens?

Have you ever bought an ornament in July? Have you spent weeks scouring ebay for  Baccarat's 2001 Reindeer Ornament --and FOUND THEM--at a dirt cheap price ?    Skipped work to descend upon Lord & Taylor's Christmas Department?    Made minute comparisons between  handblown icicles by artists in Maine and Normandy, become so enthralled you bought them all? 

Have you spent hours tying ribbons to each and every ornament?  Have you coordinated the width and texture of that ribbon to your ornament? Debated the merits of baroque vs. medieval angels?

Do you have so many Christmas ornaments you need half a dozen trees?

Do you secretly acknowledge you've lost it, as you tie that ornamental  frosted ball you've had since Willi Brandt  was Chancellor of West Germany to your tree????



THIS THREAD IS FOR you MY FRIEND, YES, you, THE CRAZY BROKIE WITH THE HOLLY WREATH![/i]


We can trade information,  show photographs, tell each other where to find this or that long sought  ornament...we can have a lot of fun! Pass the eggnog and glog, buds....where'd you find that angel??
"I couldn't stand it no more so i fixed it"

Offline brokebackjack

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2008, 09:02:12 am »
Think I'll start out with a post about this place I found. Their glass is WAAAAY cool, absolutely outstanding in every way.Here is the website:

http://www.prochaskagalleries.com/

This is a great place for handblown glass. We've bought from this studio, which was chosen to create ornaments symbolising 'California and Christmas' fot the White House Tree when Reagan was President. I may not have cared for Reagan but his glass-blower was  OUTSTANDING!!!!The glass is made in the traditional way but the formula used  produces a lighter glass. There is absolutely NO difference in the feel, the look, etc.; it is just doesn't WEIGH as much as traditional glass. I think their creations are world class, while their their prices are very reasonable.

I ran across them on ebay when doing a search. They have a shop, and also a non-ebay website.

These are also pretty decent people:
I won two ebay auctions they had-- for their candy canes and an angel... while losing one for icicles. They sent the icicles by mistake instead of the candycanes, caught their mistake, sent me an email stating what had happened and sent the canes the next day.   They told me to enjoy the icicles; I felt awkward and   [via paypal] sent them the icicle's starting bid plus a few dollars more. I'd looked, and since the winning price was  usually close to the posted start, it seeme fair.

THEY SENT THE MONEY BACK, along with a lovely note thanking me but saying it wasn't necessary--they had made a mistake and there was no need....


That's pretty good policy; I'll happily buy from them again. The angel I bought was exquisite, the icicles were PERFECT and the candy canes  have been universally called adorable lol.


They are so nice my SON whistled when he saw them!  To impress a 22 year old lad says a lot....

This is the company's ebay store:

http://stores.ebay.com/Proglassartyst-Hand-Blown-Glass_Christmas-Tree-Ornament_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ4QQftidZ2QQtZkm
"I couldn't stand it no more so i fixed it"

Offline southendmd

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2008, 09:48:11 am »
Hey Jack.  I share the sickness!  Thanks for starting this thread.

My name is Paul and I'm an ornament-aholic.

My tree is all silver, gold and crystal.  Period.  No colors.  It's taken me years to collect all this stuff, of course.

I'm partial to Swarovski, Baccarat and Lalique, when I got the entry fee in my pocket.  Also, lots of various handmade, blown clear glass ones.  Plus, I have lots of icicles of different sizes and styles. 

Many years I've used different chandelier prisms:  they're way cool, but a bit heavy.  A Swarovski tree-topper seals the deal. 

I used to find great bargains at our old Filene's Basement, but, alas, it's closed. 

After twenty years of real trees, my downsizing to a shipshape city apartment required buying a tall and skinny artificial Frasier fir this year (on sale, grandinroad catalog).  All white lights.  Nice tree, very sturdy.


Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2008, 10:50:01 am »
After twenty years of real trees, my downsizing to a shipshape city apartment required buying a tall and skinny artificial Frasier fir this year (on sale, grandinroad catalog).  All white lights.  Nice tree, very sturdy.

What? A catalog I've never heard of?  :o
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline brokebackjack

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2008, 10:57:04 am »
hey Paul that sounds cool. How do you manage to restrict yourself to gold and silver??? That requires DISCIPLINE lol. Our tree is a mix, old and new, hers and mine---and unfortunately mostly mine now; we had work done on the house and someone stole Katrina's ornaments. All she has left are things which were saved in 2 'santa 'boxes i had, and a gold filigree set/collection she bought from Franklin Mint. But all the things made by her grandmother and great grandmother were ripped off.

I like how you described your tree. It must be awesome. A gold/silver combo would be dazzling and all the crystal would just enhance it. I like Baccarat, for some reason it glitters more when light goes through it. And the French, in general, make these amazing pieces! You ever see Bernardaud's Christmas ornaments? They don't make them any more, which is surprising cause they were popular. All white porcelain, sometimes with painted scenes. I buy them wherever I find them, unless they get too pricey! Doesn't even matter if we have it already, THOSE I just buy lol.

I had no idea Filene's even sold ornaments. You must have gotten  a lot there before they stopped.AQ fake tree takes getting used to but I actually prefer it. No haste is needed in taking it down, and in Denver they're kept up through January. You will get to prefer it.

By the way, Your Swarovski sounds cool. I only got into them  2 years ago.

How'd you get into this addiction anyway Paul?

It stays with a person  ::) :laugh:
"I couldn't stand it no more so i fixed it"

Offline southendmd

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2008, 12:53:40 pm »
What? A catalog I've never heard of?  :o

"Affordable style for your home":  www.grandinroad.com

Offline southendmd

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2008, 01:13:20 pm »
hey Paul that sounds cool. How do you manage to restrict yourself to gold and silver??? That requires DISCIPLINE lol. Our tree is a mix, old and new, hers and mine---and unfortunately mostly mine now; we had work done on the house and someone stole Katrina's ornaments. All she has left are things which were saved in 2 'santa 'boxes i had, and a gold filigree set/collection she bought from Franklin Mint. But all the things made by her grandmother and great grandmother were ripped off.

I like how you described your tree. It must be awesome. A gold/silver combo would be dazzling and all the crystal would just enhance it. I like Baccarat, for some reason it glitters more when light goes through it. And the French, in general, make these amazing pieces! You ever see Bernardaud's Christmas ornaments? They don't make them any more, which is surprising cause they were popular. All white porcelain, sometimes with painted scenes. I buy them wherever I find them, unless they get too pricey! Doesn't even matter if we have it already, THOSE I just buy lol.

I had no idea Filene's even sold ornaments. You must have gotten  a lot there before they stopped.AQ fake tree takes getting used to but I actually prefer it. No haste is needed in taking it down, and in Denver they're kept up through January. You will get to prefer it.

By the way, Your Swarovski sounds cool. I only got into them  2 years ago.

How'd you get into this addiction anyway Paul?

It stays with a person  ::) :laugh:

It sure does require discipline! 

It all started when I first moved into the city more than twenty years ago.  I moved into the south end of Boston (hence my screen name), one of the largest Victorian neighborhoods in the country; blocks and blocks of 19th century brownstones.  I spied a huge tree in a bay window in my neighborhood:  it was silver, gold, crystal and white.  That was the inspiration.

Of course, I had had colored ornaments, many antique cobalt ones, little musical instruments and such.  It took several years of collecting to have enough of the new theme to decorate a tree. 

I add to it every year.  There is a store in Boston called Shreve, Crump and Low that used to sell marvelous sterling ornaments, and I'd treat myself to one each year.  Around 2000, I started getting the annual Swarovski star ornament, plus some of their little ones.  FYI, there is a Baccarat outlet store in Vermont--very dangerous. 

I go to the good handcraft stores to look for clear glass ornaments--some of these I like better than the fancy brand name ones. 

Antique chandelier prisms can be had for $1 apiece (and up, way up), and add a lot of sparkle.

I love Bernardaud, but have never seen their ornaments.  Oh, I was horrified to hear your story about the ornament thief.  What bastard would steal such personal family things? 

Good thought that a fake tree can stay up longer.  No more dried out stiff tree to stuff out the door! 
 

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2008, 01:21:38 pm »
"Affordable style for your home":  www.grandinroad.com

Thanks, Paul!  :D

Of course, I really need another web site to shop from. ...  :laugh:
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2008, 01:27:04 pm »
Good thought that a fake a man-made tree can stay up longer.  No more dried out stiff tree to stuff out the door! 

Of course, a man-made tree has to be stored somewhere until next Christmas--unless one can afford to be extravagant and toss the man-made tree and buy new every year.  :-\

Sorry--couldn't resist the edit.  ;D  I love faux-Victorian ornaments myself.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Artiste

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Re: ADDICTED TO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS?
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2008, 05:53:37 pm »
Interesting thread!

I used to collect a lot of Christmas ornaments, antique ones!

Why is that feather tree so expensive?