Hello there lovelies, Hope all is well... This past week I have been on such a crazy schedule. Sleeping for 5 hrs. or so, then wide awake, brainstorming, and somehow, being soooo productive. Short naps, then whirling off again!!!
I'm not sure how I have managed to get myself all turned around, but I feel so energetic, and maybe a bit restless. It's odd. You would think I would be walking around all day with a glazed look over my face in zombie mode....
But nope..... crazy brilliant ideas, brainstorming, planning, and creating like mad! I'm kinda liking riding this creative wave. Ha! Ha! Crazy I tell Ya....Crazy
So this year has been just amazing for finding vintage ornaments, I have been having such a good time hunting up these little treasures and sharing them with you. The handling, cleaning and photographing them all, has kept me pretty busy. I have found so many this year, that I can't possibly keep them all...
Yay for You!!!
Each one is so unique and delicate, there really is something magical about these old Christmas Ornaments. Maybe that's what's got me all jacked up. lol!
These guys are the Jumbo Balls. They measure almost 4" across. Very nice size.
I haven't seen very many Shiny Brites that are this big.
And this group is very rare, they remind me of a Birthday Party. A Birthday Party for Jesus! These are hand painted and made in Poland. Really delicate and they measure only 1.5" across.
I love the painted ones,they really are pretty. And the indent style are so delicate and light weight. These are really old Shiny Brites.
I found this bit of info from Wikipedia:
The
Shiny-Brite company produced the most popular
Christmas tree ornaments in the United States throughout the 1940s and '50s.
In 1937, Max Eckardt established "Shiny-Brite" ornaments, working with the Corning Glass Company to mass produce glass
Christmas ornaments. Eckardt had been importing hand-blown glass balls from Germany since around 1907, but had the foresight to anticipate a disruption in his supply from the upcoming war. Corning adapted their process for making light bulbs to making clear glass ornaments, which were then shipped to Eckardt's factories to be decorated by hand. The fact that Shiny-Brite ornaments were an American-made product was stressed as a selling point during World War II.
Dating of the ornaments is often facilitated by studying the hook. The first Shiny-Brite ornaments had the traditional metal cap and loop, with the hook attached to the loop, from which the ornament was hung from the tree.
Wartime production necessitated the replacement of the metal cap with a cardboard tab, from which the owner would use yarn or string to hang the ornament. These hangers firmly place the date of manufacture of the ornament to the early 1940s.
Following the war, Shiny-Brite introduced a line of ornaments with a newly designed metal hook that provided the user with two lengths of hanger. The long hook traveled through the center of the ornament and exited the bottom, where it attached to the foot of the ornament. This provided the "short" hanger. Unlatched from the bottom, the entire length of the hook was available, allowing the ornament to dangle at a greater distance from the tree limb to which it was attached. This arrangement was designed to allow the ornament to fill sparsely limbed areas of a natural tree.
The increasing popularity of the aluminum
artificial Christmas tree, first manufactured in 1958, made this device far less attractive to the consumer, as an artificial tree had no gaps to be filled. The added expense of the lengthy hanging wire coupled with the diminishing need caused this feature to be discontinued in 1960.
The demand for glass ornaments waned as plastic ornaments became more popular, ultimately bringing the Shiny-Brite company to close its doors in 1962.
During its peak, Shiny-Brite had four factories in New Jersey, located in the cities of Hoboken, Irvington, North Bergen, and West New York. The company's main office and showroom were located at 45 East 17th Street in New York City, NY.
I know that during the war, WWII, metal was so scarce, they stopped making the shiny metallic finishes. They were hand painted and sometimes a metal tinsel was inserted to add sparkle and shine. Even the hangers were no longer made of metal due to the shortage.
I found this box of Ornies the other day, and man, are they ever pretty.....
One of the little caps was missing, but I had a few extra old ones, so I replaced it with one of those.
Lots of indents and hand etching. Very pretty. These are Made in Poland too. I looks like they were made exclusively for Kmart back in the day.
And the plain silver Mercury Glass ones are pretty too. Simple and very reflective. I love to mix these with whites and golds. It makes for a pretty display.
Can you see me in there? Ha Ha! It's difficult to photo these with out capturing yourself in their mirror like finish.
I love this old fish one. I have had him for years and years... Aqua and pink! Unfortunately, he lost part of his tail over the years. But I still Love him.
Here's a few of mine... I separated them so that you can see them a little bit better.
And here's a big pile of them... a nice little collection.
These pink ones were super cute too! They sold quick. Pink must be the hot color this year. Yay for pink!
These pink Indent Shiny Brites were so pretty too, they have gone to a new mama. And she loves them!
These too, have a new home for Christmas...
It's been so much fun this year, to find so many of these little beauties. This is only a portion of what I've found, if you can imagine that....
And they look so cute on my little tinsel table top tree... The snow man here is one I have had for 20+ years. He is battery operated and his little eyes light up and the broom moves back and forth. He blows air out of the top of his hat! Where a little white Styrofoam ball hovers like magic...
Until next time...
Wishing you Blessings and Happiness...
~Susan Xo
