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!
The Celebration of Wendt and Kühn's 100th Anniversary - October 3 -11, 2015
Wendt and Kühn's 100th Anniversary has arrived and they are celebrating in Grunhainichen (the home of their workshop) and at their shop in Seiffen from October 3 - 11 - introducing The World Of Wendt and Kühn and special presentations.
Above - a poster of Wendt and Kühn's delightful birthday parade in celebration of their centennial.
In subsequent blog posts, we will continue to highlight many of the special figures made by Wendt and Kühn for the 100th Anniversary collection. You can find them at My Growing Traditions - here
We invite you to enjoy our Wendt and Kühn board on Pinterest.
Wendt and Kühn's Berry Pickers
In celebration of their 100th Anniversary in October 2015, Wendt and Kühn has brought the Berry Picker children back to the collection. 
They were in fact the cornerstone of Wendt and Kühn. After studying at the Royal Saxon School of Applied Art in Dresden from 1907 to 1910, in 1913 Grete Wendt entered a design competition for quality souvenirs organized by the local heritage association "Sächsischer Heimatschutz." Her "Beerenkinder" (Berry Children) figurine group won several prizes, including second prize.
Having received these awards, her Berry Pickers were featured in countless publications. Orders started pouring in. They were filled by specially commissioned toymakers and by working from her parents home and became legendary. Shown above is an image of the award, original drawings, and two sets of the children beside the charming wooden splinter box in which they came. The demand for the Berry Pickers resulted in the establishment in October 1915 with Margarete Kühn, a fellow student from the Dresden School, of the Wendt and Kühn workshop.
Here we are in Maine where the blueberry reigns and we admit that of all the many wonderful Wendt and Kühn figures they hold a dear place in our heart. We are so pleased to add them to our offerings to you - find them here or individually by clicking on the photos below:
Celebrate these pivotal figures by adding them to your Wendt and Kühn collection.
Please enjoy our Pinterest Board on Wendt and Kühn - here
New for 2015 - The Girl with the Cherry Blossom
Wendt and Kühn has given us a delightful new Flower Child (Blossom Kinder) just in time for the 2015 Cherry Blossom Festivals. The Girl with the Cherry Blossom provides a breath of fresh spring air, standing proud, holding her flower.
Add her to your Easter or spring celebrations as a part of your tablescapes, include her in your Wendt and Kühn Flower Parade, or enjoy her alone as the wonderful piece of folk art that she is.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual commemoration of the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the people of Japan, celebrates not only the enduring relationship between the United States and Japan, but also the coming of spring. This year, the festival, on the banks of the Tidal Basin in Washiongton, D.C., is from March 20th to April 12th. In fact, in honor of Japan's gift, the Prunus serrulata, or Japanese Cherry, is commonly celebrated in spring cherry blossom festivals and displays around the country.
Wendt and Kühn's Girl with the Cherry Blossom is even more special as she is the new Flower Child introduced in the year of Wendt and Kuhn's 100th anniversary.
Enjoy our Wendt and Kuhn Pinterest Board.
Christian Werner - the Ring-Turner / Reifendrehen / Wood Carver at Work
With his woodworking workshop in Seiffen (Germany's Christmas Capital), the Erzgebirge, Germany, Christian Werner is one of only eight master craftsmen in Reifendrehen - ring-turning.
His work is truly exquisite!! You will want to read the German blog post available here (even though the article about Werner is a bit whimsical in Google translation it is worth the read and includes additional photographs of Werner). AND we know you will enjoy the video below of Werner at work in his Seiffen studio.
My Growing Traditions, of course, offers a selection of his folk art -
From left to right: the Bremen Town Musicians, the Bernese Mountain Dog, and a wonderful mixed-media Pack Donkey
plus sets of his Cows and Sheep
and we look forward to adding more in 2015.
Enjoy our Christian Werner Pinterest Board!
Wendt and Kühn Santas and Pixies - Christmas is Here
Wendt and Kühn is especially known for their Classic Angels and Flower Children. Yet, Wendt and Kühn provides us with even more with their charming pieces for creating Christmas displays.
The Large Santa Claus with Toys - the toys come separately, so that you can tuck them into his bag - is 6" tall and more than majestic! He makes a perfect centerpiece for your Christmas table.
Add the Ore Mountain Pines, the Grünhainichen Angels with Tree, and the Angel with Candle to complete the theme.
The Santa Claus with Candles is magical shown here with the Small Angel with a Star and an Angel in a Ring ornaments.
and is wonderful displayed with the Pixies by his side.
Wendt and Kühn Santas are simply essential to Christmas!
New Angels and Children from the Emil Helbig Workshop
The Emil Helbig Workshop in Gruenhainichen (in the Erzgebirge and known as a Toy Makers Village), Germany has been in business since 1933 and is the oldest woodcarving workshop in the Ore Mountains. Their work is unique, simple, and truly elegant.
We have expanded our Emil Helbig offerings to include two sweet little children bringing flowers.
The young boy carries a nosegay and the girl has collected a bunch of flowers in her apron.
Our new Angels are the Angel with a Deer (the Deer admires the star the Angels holds in her hands)
and the Angel with a Baby in a Cradle.
All are classic Emil Helbig wood carvings - delicately carved and finely painted. A joy to add to your collection!
