Descanso Lilacs in Bloom

Our Descanso lilacs are in full bloom, along with the Meyer lemon and the climbing jasmine. If only we could capture the smell in a bottle. It's the essence of spring.

A cloud of honey bees surround the lemon tree from morning till dusk, a sign that a healthy colony is somewhere nearby.

Yellow clivia

Our yellow clivia is blooming and this year it has two bloom stems. The seed pods from last years blooms are ripening and should be ready for planting in a couple of months.

We moved it into a more shady location, under the staghorns and epiphyllums and it seems to be enjoying it.

Vintage Glass Garlands in Original Packages

Unlike the glass garlands made today, most of the vintage glass garlands were originally "dime store" merchandise and packaged accordingly. They came in cellophane bags with paper headers or sometimes just a paper sleeve and were displayed on hooks or in bins. Because they were so inexpensive, many shoppers bought multiple bags and those that were not used on the tree, were often packed away with the other holiday decor, still unopened in the original package.

Despite the lack of any protective cushioning and "bottom-of-the-box" storage, some of these have survived. But even garlands in original, unopened cellophane packages, can and often do, have color loss. Color loss can range from fading, darkening to flaking.

Vintage Treasures

Searching through boxes, we came upon this chest filled with glass bead Christmas tree garlands. These wonderful tree garlands are mostly from the 40's and 50's.

They were made in Japan and come in many colors, including gold, silver, red, green, pink, blue and multi-colored. The glass beads are strung on cotton string and with wire for hanging at the ends. There were often paper tags at both ends, sometimes in the shape of a star, sometimes a square or circle. The original packaging was a cellophane bag with a paper header that usually featured graphics of Santa and/or a Christmas tree. Woolworths was the largest importer of these garlands.

The beads show wear and fading consistent with age, which adds to the charm of these glass beauties.

Decorate your holiday tree, drape them across a mantle, table or buffet...wherever you want to add a little sparkle.

Store them wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and keep them away from moisture.

Visit our Etsy shop at http://www.efinegifts.etsy.com/ to purchase vintage glass bead garlands. If you don't find the ones you are looking for, please convo us.