My Life's Story on a Tree

For most of us, trimming the tree is a walk down memory lane. We have those "special" ornaments that mean something to us whether bought as a souvenir on vacation, received as a gift from a close friend or relative, simply indicative of something meaningful to us or handed down through the ages.

The tree this year is a little slimmer than the last few and holds way less ornaments. Each time I sit and admire it (as I tend to do often), I realize another "special" ornament didn't quite make it on the tree this year. But since all of our ornaments are memorable in some way, I love each and every one and like to simply look at them and think about their significance.

This is one of the oldest balls on our tree. There are about 4 of these left in my collection. When I was a little girl, my mom had a trio of these (in different colors) hung on ribbons (the old-fashioned curling kind) from a bow and a set hung in every window of our house. (We had a lot of windows back then, too.) For whatever reason, I adored these particular ornaments. We were constantly admonished to be very careful, as they were "very old." Since there was set for each window in that particular house I would assume she had specifically put these together when they moved there in 1953 or shortly thereafter. At one point in time, I had about 12 of them. In fact, one set was still tied in the little set of three until about a decade ago. Obviously, these remind me of Christmases at home so very long ago.

This tiny pink glass horn is another oldie but doesn't quite go back that far. I bought this one when I was still a kid in school and had started decorating a small tree in my room each year with my very own ornaments. I would put the card table up and drape it with a piece of Christmasy fabric. I had a small artificial tree that was about 3" high and I would go to town decorating it. This was one of the first ornaments I bought with my own money at the "after Christmas sale" at a huge Christmas specialty store that was in our community. Many of my friends and their families made a special trip to those sales to get the "fancy" stuff at 50% off each year. It was local tradition. It dates back to around 1970, give or take a year or two.

Yet another old one, this probably came to me in the 70's. I bought it simply because I liked it and it reminded me of so many of the old ones on our tree back home. The significant thing about all three of these is that they are a part of the small set of survivors that have made it through two major tree catastrophes when our tree fell completely over, smashing many an ornament.

Those incidents brought this beauty into my life.

It's a big glass ornament featuring a beautiful bright red cardinal with a bright yellow pear with a white flower. Green leaves add another touch of color. Again, we bought this at an after-Christmas sale for 50% off. At that rate, it was still expensive but I loved it. That was the first year the tree fell over. I was heartbroken at the loss of so many of my treasured ornaments and The Big Guy took me out in an earnest search for new ones. The cardinal was always my mom's favorite bird and it makes me think of her.

Lastly, this little guy is one of the newest members of the family. I collect reindeer and have over 500 in various forms. This is his second year with us. Plugged into the string of lights, he gallops constantly but never makes any progress. He gets a lot of attention by visitors so he smiles sweetly, too.

Well, we've still got houseguests so I really need to run. Just wanted to share some of these with you.

Working the Shows Wednesday - Not ready for publicity?

I'm disappointed. I had hoped to present some pics today of a crafter that I came across at a recent show. She does painted ornaments. Unfortunately, she is a bit blog-shy (something like camera-shy) and did not want photos taken, telling me she was not ready to be "blogged." I tried to convince her publicity was a good thing but she stood firm. She said she'd take my card and "get back" to me. I did find her website is not active at this time, either.

To be honest, I really wanted to show you her display pieces. They were a little different and gave a really nice, uniform and easily viewed appearance. She had taken chicken wire and framed it in wooden frames measuring about 2 1/2' x 5' (just "eye-balling" it here) and then attached the frame to a base of plywood about 8" wide, angling the frame like an easel. She had a weight (looked like they were possibly cinder blocks covered in canvas) sitting on the back edge of the base for support. The multiple frames sat side-by-side on her table tops and were further secured with bungee cords holding them to the frame of her tent. The ornaments were then hung in neat orderly rows on the frames.

The only drawback I could see was the time it would take to hang all those ornaments. While they are finished with a glaze or shellac that makes them pretty sturdy, they are still fragile enough that they need to be packed individually.

The product itself was well done. the items were handpainted and then "appliqued" with centered pictures. I would have used the term "decoupaged." She had a huge selection of dog breeds, cats and more, and a variety of popular "characters." (For reasons that will become obvious, I have carefully remained vague in my description of the product to protect her anonymity.) Prices were very reasonable. (Why wouldn't she want some publicity?)

There were a few things about her display of note though (other than the stands):

First, she had "something for everyone's interest." This is a great way to make sales. Everyone collects or "loves" a particular item. If they can get that picture on a unique item they are strongly tempted to buy.

Secondly, and most importantly, a tremendous amount of her stock featured licensed characters and figures. Did she have permission to use those licensed characters or their likenesses? This is a dangerous territory for small crafters. Large companies like Disney/Pixar and Nickelodeon protect their licensing rights in a very big way. Yes, they have pursued and enforced this against the "little guy" and they've won.

Now, you might be thinking they wouldn't bother with a little old community craft market. You'd be wrong.

I know, for a fact, that both of the aforementioned companies do roam the craft shows and the online markets looking for violations. One of those companies actually hires craft exhibitors to do this for them while showing at such events. They are equipped with fill-in-the-blank Cease and Desist Orders to distribute to violators and these are enforceable.

They will note the crafter's name, show, what products are being presented using licensed characters, date it and "formally" serve the crafter with the legal document. The crafter must immediately pull all of those items from their tables and displays. This can be enforced by the local police authorities. They then report back to the company who pursues it from there. Fines can be hefty.

We'd all love to capitalize on the popularity of Dora, the Yardigans, Garfield and such, but the cost can be very high. I suggest you don't do it. The sweet, elderly lady selling dolls or candles or whatever next to you could be a spy!!