Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Merry Glitter Christmas!





My Grandmother (my Mother's Mother) was a lover of all things "glitter". Sparkle=good, and "more is more". (could this be hereditary?) She could exercise her passion with reckless abandon at Christmas time. And she did.
She made lots of decorations, and among them, was a tree like this. So I grew up with a velvet jewel tree that came out each year. It was marvelous! I studied it. And as a girl, I could not believe that she had used her beautiful jewelry and sacrificed it for a "project". !

When my Grandmother passed away, this was among her things! I expressed my strongest preference for this tree. And I got it. (I'm so lucky)

There is a real "Ike" pin in there.
And, although I realize that she did not actually pull these pieces directly from her jewelery box, I am still AMAZED at the quantity of bracelets and necklaces that are here. The tree is sitting on beautiful green velvet.

And whats more, the whole thing was done before glue guns! Impressive.

Merry Christmas to all. May you all hold the love of family close. And I hope you all have treasures that sparkle all around you.

6 comments:

Brian Morgan said...

So if it was before the era of glue guns, are these all sewn on, maybe with black thread? So glad it was kept in all its glory and that you now have it to cherish.

shopgirl said...

Brian,
Oh no, it was done with something that looks like Elmers. And big staples.
I just did a repair with a hot glue gun. (much easier.)

kat said...

It truly is amazing. Love to all of you for Christmas!

Uncle Roger said...

Treasures from our past seem to become more important every day. Love this story, and so glad that you continue to be inspired by this treasure.

Vanessa/NessieNoodle said...

what fun!

When I asked Orion what he did in school the other day he told me, "Glittered"
apparently, it is a verb now, the act of glittering.
love that kid.

Seattle Shana said...

I cannot thank you enough for sharing this. You have given me an incredible gift. When I was a little girl (less than 10) we would visit my great-grandmother's house, and I would stand in front of a very similar piece of work and stare at it for an undetermined amount of time. It too was a series of carefully placed sparkles on a dark background. Gram passed away over 22 years ago, and the memory containing her special tree has been stored away all this time. When I saw your wonderful picture, the memory at Gram’s house appeared in my mind so clearly I was shocked. I think it is absolutely wonderful that you have this cherished work of art. Thank you so much for sharing it!