We stumbled upon Robert Charley in the Four Corners area of the United States in May.  We traveled down a little dirt road at the point where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet on the Navaho Indian Reservation.  It was a beautiful clear day which we were told was a rare thing in that area as they get a lot of dust storms.  At the end of the narrow road, there were a few vendors set up with traditional Navaho art work and we spent a nice afternoon chatting with Navaho ornament artisan Robert Charley who has literally carved his own niche in the world of Native American ornaments with his arrow ornament designs. 

Mr. Charley learned to make arrows from his grandfather who traded with other tribes to get the obsidian that he needed for the tips of the arrows.  A process of flaking is used where the obsidian is hit at an acute angle and chipped away.  The obsidian becomes even sharper than a metal blade.  The native tribes in that area also used jasper, chalcedony, basalt and other hard minerals for the arrow tips which were struck with antlers, bones, wood or other rocks so that they were fractured into the shape and size needed for the arrow.  Once the tip was shaped, it was carefully chipped or ground, and today Robert Charley actually dulls the obsidian for the ornament arrows because of the safety issue. 

The Native American ornaments also have a spiritual significance to the Dine or Navaho culture.  It is said that the hand painted arrows hung over the doorway of your home offer protection for your family and all who enter.  Each ornament decoration has a different meaning with a lot of symbolism attached especially to color.  An arrow with a black feather can mean male as well as night or darkness.  Blue stands for female, sky or water.  An ornament hand painted in green signifies earth or rain.  Red represents sunset, and yellow is the symbol of day and sunshine.  Dots painted on an ornament symbolize day and night.  The four colors used to make the ornaments are also a symbol of protection from all four directions.  

 East – Black or Red     South – Turquoise     West – Yellow     North – White

Robert Charley says that he can sell all of the arrow ornaments that he can make and he doesn’t have a web site.  However, he did say that he welcomes calls to 970-739-2503 from individuals as well as stores that might have wholesale needs.   You may also contact him by email at RobertCharley@ymail.com .

Article and images used with permission from Robert Charley 

Our search for unusual ornaments lead us to the National Folk Festival in mile high Butte, Montana last week. We were pleased to see so many local artists with one-of-a-kind ornaments made from a variety of materials ranging from art glass to buffalo horns.  It was a delightful assortment of designer ornaments, and the artisans were so willing to share their techniques and ideas with the folks who crowded around their booths. 

Many of the artists spend the cold winter months coming up with fresh ornament designs and producing ornaments in preparation for the various fairs and festivals in the summer months.  The National Folk Festival is a real favorite for the ornament artists partly because the Butte community is so supportive and attendance at the festival was around 200,000 people over a three day period.

Our first stop was at the Folk Art of Norway booth where we had a nice chat with ornament artist Patti Jo Meshnik.  Patti Jo uses the traditional Norwegian art of Rosemaling to hand paint her colorful glass ornaments.  Rosemaling began in the 1600’s when Norwegians began painting their walls and furniture  with summer flowers to brighten their homes during the cold winter.   Another favorite from Norway are ornaments depicting birds and the Kornband.  A Kornband or sheaf of wheat is saved from the harvest to be set out for a Christmas Feast.   A native of Montana, Meshnik says that her Norwegian heritage influenced her style of painting and that it took several years to learn the art of Rosemaling.  Every ornament at Folk Art of Norway is signed and recorded in a log and some of her art has the logged number secretly embedded in the painting. 

There were also wonderful wearable ornaments created by Kevin and Valerie Pourier using buffalo horns.  Oglala Lakota, the Pouriers were the recipients of the 2006 Archibald Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship and the 2005 Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Visiting Artists Fellowship as well as many other awards for their buffalo artforms.   Recognized world wide by collectors, their wearable ornaments are displayed in several museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum and the Royal Museum of Scotland.   Using traditional techniques of the buffalo people, the artists work together to shape and carve their jewelry and wearable ornaments into the predetermined design.  The intricate process is lengthy and comes only with years of practice.  The artform is completed when they inlay the buffalo horn with semi-precious minerals.  You will want to read more about these charming artists at KevinPourier.com.

Our third visit was with Leonda of Browning, Montana who uses colored glass to create vibrant ornaments.  She says that her favorite ornament is the red buffalo which has real buffalo fir for the tail.  She cuts the colored glass into the shape that she wants, and then she uses copper to enclose that shape for a finished look.  She often uses copper for the tails and manes of the animal ornaments.  Leonda has a great assortment of ornaments mostly depicting Montana life and animals.  The pretty blue horse above is so nice that we brought it home to display in our office.  An experienced artist who has worked with art  glass for many years, she will create custom ornaments for you if you call her at 406-338-3158.

Thanks to the citizens of Butte, Montana for supporting the arts. 

Article and images used with permission from the artists

Pearls have long been recognized as a symbol of purity and their popularity has remained stable for centuries.  Pearls for ornaments and jewelry are formed by oysters or mussels on farms found mostly in Japan, China, South Seas and of course in Tennessee.  Freshwater pearls are rarely found naturally in the Tennessee washboard mussel.  Most of the pearls are grown at the only culturing farm operation in North America at Birdsong Resort  near Camden, Tennessee on the Tennessee River.  The pearls are composed of concentric layers of a crystalline substance called nacre which is calcium carbonate. It is this nacre that gives the pearl its lustrous iridescence  and accounts for must of the pearl’s beauty. 

When we toured the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm in May, we were lucky to have been escorted by Adrienne who is the designer of the freshwater pearl cabochons which her customers use as ornaments.  She explained how the pearls take the shape of ornaments.  Adrienne said that there are different methods of  seeding the mussels for pearls and that the implant method is the most suitable for making freshwater pearl ornaments since it gives the pearl farmer the most options for shapes and sizes. The implant or seed is made of the same material as the mussel shell and can be shaped to any size prior to implanting and it is actually implanted in the mussel.  A round implant causes a round pearl to be formed and a triangle implant in the mussel will form a triangle pearl. 

It sounds more simple than it really is of course, because there is a 3-5 year wait after the mussel with the implant is moved to the farm in the Tennessee River while mother nature works her magic.  It isn’t all magic however, because the mussels are closely monitored during this time for temperature and water quality and there are very few technicians that are skilled at implanting the seeds into mussels.  It took many years before the Japanese technique of culturing pearls was successfully adapted to the Tennessee native waters and mussels, and 1984 was the first year that a productive harvest was turned.   Thanks to the diligence of culturing farm founder John Latendresse, cabochons and jewelry (wearable ornaments) can be viewed and ordered at TennesseeRiverPearls.com .  If your interest is peaked, you can read more about the process of culturing freshwater pearls and perhaps even tour the Tennessee River Pearl Farm & Museum.

Article and images used with permission from BirdsongResort.com

The handblown glass ornaments made by the artists at Sama Ornaments reflect a grace that has been handed down for many generations.  The ancient craft of glass blowing was developed in Mesopotamia and Egypt in the 2nd millennium BC and has evolved into a modern and efficient technique that allows the beautiful ornaments to be sold today at an affordable price.  Once cost prohibitive for everyone except for princes and the very wealthy, most of the ornaments now are sold for under $20 US.  The staff at Sama Ornaments has also written an excellent history of Egyptian ornaments. 

The hand-made glass ornaments are made in Egypt using a high quality heat resistant glass and 24k gold to embellish the details of the glasswork.  All of the designs are created in house with more than 200 new ornament and perfume bottle designs every year.   The artisans at Sama Ornaments are also willing to design new shapes with new dimensions to please their clients. 

During the glass blowing process, there are several quality control points, assuring that the design that is taking form is the intended size and shape.   Completing the glass ornaments involves several steps and each of the steps may be performed by a different artist or technician.  A glass blowing technician begins heating and shaping the glass and does not use any molds.  There may be several pieces that are worked on, depending on the intricacy of the design.  The craftsmen begin etching the ornaments and the artisans paint the designs.  Now the ornaments are ready to be heated for 5-6 hours to set the colors.  After cooling, the Egyptian ornaments are painted with gold and then heated again.  Subsequent quality checks for bubbles, color and over all design are made before the ornament is ready to be packaged by Sama Ornaments.

Article and images used with permission from SamaOrnaments.com

It was around 400 BC that Plato said necessity is the mother of invention, but that maxim could easily apply to the early days of FMH Collectibles.    Self taught artist and owner Frances McFarland began painting ornaments because she wanted to give Christmas presents to her family and friends at a time when her funds were very limited.  What was unlimited was her creativity and passion for art, and that boundless artistic ability took shape in the form of beautiful handpainted glass ornaments.  There seemed to be no end to Frances’ resourcefulness. 

Frances McFarland Horne still credits her family with planting the seeds for this thriving ornaments business. Her mother suggested she create custom ornaments for family members one Christmas, just after Frances had finished grad school and money was too tight for Christmas shopping. From then on, Frances painted ornaments and tailored them to each family member. A few years later, her brother started pushing her to go into business after she gave him an ornament representing his fraternity, and her father extolled the advantages of e-commerce.

Frances finally followed her family’s advice in 2009. She applied for licensing from several Greek-letter organizations and began building her website, and a family tradition became an online business.  FMH Collectibles was “invented” out of the need to create personal ornaments as gifts.  Although much of her made-to-order work is for fraternities and sororities, the handpainted glass ornaments can be personalized for wedding favors, birthday gifts, graduation gifts and class reunions.   

Custom ornaments are available at the FMH Collectibles website for anywhere from $15.00 to $30.00. Discounts are available for larger orders, and a wholesale program is available for retailers. Visit the site to order your ornament, and become a fan of her page on Facebook to receive updates.

Article and images used with permission from FMHcollectibles.com. 

The staff at OrnamentsAndMore.com is very enthusiastic about expanding their site and adding new and exciting products. Right now, they say that it’s time to celebrate Spring!  Graduation ornaments are a big seller this time of year.  Add Pomp and Circumstance to a recent graduate’’s Christmas tree this season with a graduation ornament from Ornaments and More.  Browse through their selection of graduation Christmas ornaments to find the one that is perfect for the graduate in your life.  Mark this important milestone in a student’s life with a graduation ornament personalized with the graduate’s name, school or university that they graduated from, and the year of graduation. 

The traveling Ornaments.com team has noticed an increase in ornaments being used to decorate offices, homes, vehicles, and schools year round.  Ornaments are becoming very popular as gifts for all occasions, and personalized graduate ornaments are in vogue as gifts for  everyone from high school graduates to doctoral candidates.  Retailers are noticing the trend too, as evidenced by more ornaments vendors online as well as the extra space that brick and mortar stores are consigning to ornaments now. 

Consider a graduation ornament to honor and commemorate a graduate’s achievements and a job well done! A treasured keepsake personalized graduation ornament helps the graduate remember his high school and college graduations with great pride and a real sense of accomplishment for many years to come.  “ConGRADulate” someone who has just earned a degree from law school, medical school, nursing school or pharmacy school with a meaningful ornament from Ornamentsandmore.com.  The best part is that the graduation Christmas ornaments you order will be professionally personalized FREE of charge by one of their highly-skilled calligraphers with the utmost care.  The ornaments are delightful and the personalization is the “icing on the cake.”

OrnamentsAndMore.com also offers one of kind Baby’s First Christmas ornaments, Engagement & Wedding ornaments plus many more unique gift ideas!  Be sure to check out their newly added “Best Sellers”, “What’s New for 2010?” and “1st Christmas Ornaments” categories.  You will find exceptional quality at an affordable price and your personalized ornament will be remembered and enjoyed for a life time.

Article and images used with permission from OrnamentsAndMore.com. 

The name Catch an Image gives you a glimpse as to what you might expect from this versatile ornament business.  The only limitation to the ornament design is your imagination.  Owners Danny and Mindi Searcy run the  photo ornament business in which they put logos, pictures, wording of all kinds on sports and family ornaments.  Danny modestly says that he makes pretty cool ornaments.  I think you will agree that the Searcys have developed an interesting method of creating ornaments that has evolved from the scientific into the artistic. 

They say that the process is pretty simple, but that it takes some practice to get it right.  The ornaments at Catch an Image are made from pvc plastic with an air valve inside the ornament. The ornaments are not breakable, so there are no trips to the emergency room to get brightly colored glass out of your bare foot.  The process involves capturing an image through taking a picture with an ordinary or digital camera, or using an image a customer emails, or using a printed photo which the staff scans onto a computer.  Any image can be put on these ornaments, and the Searcys have designed ornaments for their customers that include everything from baby pictures to sports teams to weddings. 

After the image is scanned to the computer, it is  either inserted into a simple program template, or a new design is created especially to suit the image.  Once the design is finished, it is printed on a special printer that uses transfer paper.  The image is printed out in reverse so that when the image is placed on a ball or ornament,  it is facing the right way. After the image is cut to size and taped to the ornament, it is put in a heat press, using various pressures.  Next, the ornament is fitted with the hanger and sprayed with either a matte, or glossy finish.  Now the ornament is complete. 

Danny and Mindi both have full time jobs, but they really enjoy making ornaments and sports balls for businesses and individuals. Many of their customers put images of their pets on ornaments, and Danny says that he and his wife have even been asked to attend family reunions to make ornaments for entire families. For golden wedding anniversaries, they have had people bring them vintage pictures of their parents and ask him to design ornaments depicting the couple 50 years ago and another ornament with a present day image of the anniversary couple.

New parents send in their baby photos to put on ornaments and then send in a new photo each year, eventually filling the entire tree with pictures of their children from newborn to grownup.  Now, that is a gift that Grandma would love.

Article and images used with permission from catchanimage.com

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

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

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.