Vintage Mercury Glass Beads From The Czech Republic

German papers aren't the only things new to the shop! We've received lots of new colors and styles of hand made mercury glass Christmas garland beads from the Czech Republic. These beads are blown into 100 year old molds and the same techniques for silvering and coloring are still used to make these.

Nothing adds Victorian charm to your Christmas tree like a hand strung mercury glass bead garland! You can see all the shapes, sizes and colors of beads we offer on our website or in our Etsy shop, accessible on the sidebar to the right. Have questions? We'd love to hear from you!

Below, a mix of traditional colored beads in specialty shapes.

And a group of brightly colored drop beads.

And round beads in three sizes...

Fancy silver beads... always a favorite!

We're also stocking a selection of bumped beads, bumped sticks, tube beads and caps for finishing garlands and ornaments.

Six Months Until Christmas!

Hard to believe that it's only six months until Christmas -- that means decorations come out even sooner! Above is one of my favorite shots of one of our trees all lit up with a roaring fire. The mantel has a snowy village scene with clusters of vintage decorations -- spun cotton animals,
pine cone carolers and snowmen, bottle brush trees -- mixed in with putz houses and tinsel trees. Ah, decorating... I can't wait!

Mosaic Monday: Deck the Halls

Please click to enlarge.

Being in the swing of decorating means inspiration is everywhere -- literally! We often put up over twenty trees of different sizes all over the house plus displays on shelves, table tops and, of course, the mantel. With collections spanning two generations, and constantly growing, bringing out our decorations is a tradition unto itself and something we start talking about around the end of summer. While we're by no means finished, we've got several areas well underway and, well, mostly under control.

Starting at the top from left to right:
•A small feather tree with icicle ornaments in the living room.
•A light yellow putz house.
•A golden tinsel tree with handmade ornaments.
•A vintage reindeer guards a bowl of blown glass nuts.
•My first Christmas card of the season, from my dear friend Tracy.
•A Dala horse stands in the dining room window while another small feather tree acts as table centerpiece.
•A vintage Santa -- he's the one thing that stays out all year.
•The living room by night.
•A treasured and whimsical blown glass bear.

Be sure to stop by Little Red House to enjoy all the wonderful mosaics!

Vintage Christmas Photos Part III: Christmas For All

The District Jail in Washington, D.C. didn't scrimp when it came to decorating for the holidays. This circa 1909-1932 photograph shows the inmates gathered around their Christmas tree.

Vintage Christmas Photos Part I: Christmas for the Horses

In 1918, these kind souls in Washington, D.C. made sure that horses and drivers were remembered at Christmas, with a special tree hung with apples and carrots for the horses and hot coffee for the drivers.