Olde German Treasures Silver Gift Set from Inge-Glas
In our quest to create Inge-Glas gift sets - ones that meet all your gift needs, including smaller ones for a wedding or bridal shower present, we were particularly struck with the Silver ornaments from the Olde German Treasures collection.
Inge-Glas Olde German Treasures celebrate both German tradition and art form. It was the style around 1900 for a tree to be decorated using only silver and white. To honor that tradition with their Olde German Tresures collection Inge-Glas carefully chose ornaments made from real antique, lovingly restored, old-glass blowing moulds. As always, Inge-Glas ornaments are mouth-blown and use pure sterling silver.
For the bride and groom, the tradition is to present a collection of good wishes .... symbols of a happy home to bring good fortune. The ornaments come in an Inge-Glas gift box and have a symbol card explaining their importance:
Our feeling was that they are simply elegant. As a gift, whether for a wedding, or a dear friend, they are classic, distinguished, and will always stand out on a tree - catching the light in much the same way that tinsel does.
To find the Silver Gift Set - click here or on the image above. They are, indeed, rather irresistible!
We Now Carry Nils Olsson Natural Wood Dala Horses
We've expanded our offerings of Nils Olsson Dala Horses to include these charming Natural Wood dalahast.
above - on the left , at 4", and to his right, at 5", and below a 2" Christmas Ornament
To find these Dala Horses click on the images above or click here
In Sweden clearly the tradition is to stand your Dala Horse collection strategically here and there as a central element to your Christmas decor, but we wanted to hang some of ours on our Christmas tree. We admit that we do have a Dala Horse collection on a window sill under a Norfolk Pine year round. Still, we found ourselves determined to add them to our tree ornaments and thus, took dalahast keychains and turned them into Christmas ornaments. We hope you will enjoy them on your tree as much as we do.
For a thorough presentation of Dala Horse history - we know you will enjoy reading - click here
Natural Wood dalahast smartly shows off the grain of the wood that Dala Horses are individually carved from - they celebrate Sweden's national folk art symbol and the beauty of the wood!
Bavarian Inge-Glas Gift Set - for the Bride and Groom and Everyone Else
We decided to create smaller Inge-Glas Bride's Tree/Gift sets this year. It just made sense to have a variety of sizes available. Having enjoyed the delight of living in Bavaria for seven years, creating this specialized Bavarian Gift Set of three (3) full-size ornaments came naturally. Presented in an Inge-Glas Gift Box, each set comes with a symbol card for each individual ornament.
The set is of three of the 12 symbolic ornaments for a bride's tree - a collection of good wishes - symbols of a happy home to bring good fortune. Yes, for the bride and groom in your life, but simply a wonderful gift set for those who celebrate a German Christmas.
The ornaments range from 2-1/4 to 5". Each ornament is wrapped in Inge-Glas acid free paper. Made in Germany by Inge-Glas, the Oldest Christmas Ornament Company in the World.
Perfect for those in your life who will enjoy touches of folk art that will bring back memories of a German Christmas, especially alpine meadows and forests, and the essential Christmas Lebkuchen from Nuremberg.
Miniatures - Putz - for your Christmas Village or Nativity Scene
We have added charming miniatures this year - perfect for use with your French Santons or German nativity scenes. These are just a few examples - baskets, wood, metal, copper, clay.
To find the miniatures and trees below, simply click on the images
They work well alongside the Carbonel accessories available for each size of Santons, and with the Erzgebirge Emil Helbig Workshop nativity figures and creche sets.
The German verb putzen means to decorate and one commonly finds the word putz to describe miniatures for a Christmas Village or Nativity Scene. Putz, miniatures, accessories, whatever one calls them, they add a very special touch to your Christmas. The traditional nativity figures, a few larger accessories, a few miniatures, and a few trees -
create a tableau, small or large, that is special to you. In both Provence and Germany, each year families wait for the Christmas fairs during Advent to find new treasures to add to their nativities (just as we in America rejoice in adding new Christmas ornaments to our trees).
Enjoy both...it all adds up to a bit of wonder!
Now We Can Take a Peek Behind the Windows - Brück und Sohn's Advent Calendars
We have always treasured Brück und Sohn's Advent Calendars for the memories they capture of our travels here and there. We are really pleased to have been able to add an additional touch of folk art to our calendar descriptions. We've always presented a photograph of each Advent Calendar for you to choose from. Now we can show you a small peek into the delightful art behind the windows.
Nuremberg's Christmas Market is renown as the "model" for Christmas Markets all over Europe. Brück und Sohn offers this gorgeous painting of the market in the town center and they have carefully chosen children's toys, a Christmas tree, and a Gingerbread House (Lebkuchen being a symbol of Christmas that Nuremberg is famous for) to place behind the windows as an additional delight.
The calendar of Colmar, the Vienna of Alsace, is equally charming. Here we find Saint Nicholas greeting children on a town square.
And, the one of Seiffen - Germany's Christmas craft capital - has delightful drawings of a Wendt and Kuehn Angel along with a smoker and a Soldier on a Rocking Horse.
So many of our artisans are from Seiffen or the immediate surroundings within the Erzgebirge.
These are just a few of the Brück und Sohn Calendars that we offer. Find them - here - and Enjoy!
The Legend of the Acorn - "From Little Acorns Come Mighty Oaks"
The oak tree is America's National Tree. The oak signifies courage and power - standing strong and proud through the ages. Thus the proverb "from little acorns come mighty oaks." That a tiny seed produces a mighty oak, reminds us that great results can be born of humble beginnings. Those who provide care and comfort to children are revered. Their is a special recognition for those who exercise the power of nurture - they and we live to see great acts of kindness, love, and success from our children / the next generation.
The acorn sustains countless wild creatures. "... deer, gray squirrels, red squirrels, chipmunks, wild turkeys, crows, flying squirrels, rabbits, opossums, blue jays, quail, raccoons, wood ducks—more than 100 U.S. vertebrate species eat acorns. In autumn and winter, the acorn is the cheeseburger of the forest ecosystem—fairly easy to find and nicely packaged. They are one of the most valuable food resources available for wildlife.... Like wine, acorns come in two basic types: red and white, depending on the type of oak they come from.... (Red and White Oaks have a) difference in tannin, an astringent chemical common in plants, (which) affects how wildlife use acorns.... (the tannin in) red acorns makes them less palatable to wildlife, both due to taste and digestibility. Ergo, animals vacuum up acorns from the white oak group with more gusto than they do the reds." - National Wildlife Federation
The acorn is revered as a Christmas ornament. In Germany the oak tree is considered sacred and the acorn - the fruit, the seed, the origin of the oak - is considered a symbol of good luck. Early German Christmas trees were laden with cones, cookies and nuts, and most notably the acorn, to commemorate the gift of life and good fortune.
Inge-Glas (the oldest Christmas ornament company in the world) gives us this delightful acorn ornament -
We want to share with you two special children's books celebrating the acorn and the oak - Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schafer and The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward...
these are books to share with your next generation or to enjoy alone as peaceful commemorations of the glorious world we live in...wonderful symbols of family and the natural world we are all blessed with!
Enjoy our Pinterest Board on Inge-Glas - here and on Trees - here
The Inge-Glas Olde German Treasures - Silver Collection - Truly Special
We all celebrate that Inge-Glas of Germany is the oldest Christmas ornament company in the world (since 1596). They hold more than 12,000 antique moulds passed down through the generations and reintroduce ornaments made from antique moulds each year. For collectors and those of us who simply appreciate the handing down of traditions, we enjoy knowing which of Inge-Glas' current offerings are made from the moulds that represent the history of glass Christmas ornaments.
Above: Noble Nikolaus, Love Forever, and Silver Pine Cone
The Olde German Treasures - Silver Collection is built around Inge-Glas' heirloom moulds.
Left to right: Vintage Silver Star, Silver Fantasy, and Vintage Acorn
The collection honors the German tradition of the early 1900s when it was stylish to decorate Christmas trees with glass ornaments using only the colors silver and white. This, during the Victorian era is considered to have been one of the first concepts of a themed tree - doing away with all color and creating a simpler all-silver or all-white tree. There were stories about people washing their ornaments so that they were either white or just silver. The Olde German Treasures are created with Inge-Glas' antique, lovingly restored, old glass-blowing moulds. They are mouth-blown and use pure sterling silver to highlight the delicate, hand decorated filigree patterns. Each ornament has an 'Olde German Treasures' hang tag.
They add a stunning reflection of light on your Christmas tree - elegant, simple, and of the utmost tradition.
Click on the images or links above to find these Silver Collection ornaments in our shop.
Enjoy our Inge-Glas Pinterest Board!
