Massachusetts resident Father Christopher Gomes grew up in a community where nothing about Christmas was understated. It was crèches that were the main decorations in those homes. Read More +
Exquisite, finest, brilliant … words you come across repeatedly in reference to Heisey glassware. Whether browsing through the company’s formative years or reading current descriptions, those adjectives continuously jump off the page. Read More +
Charlotte, N.C. Memories stirred by antique tackle are often larger and more lingering than tales of fish that got away Read More +
A rainbow of thread, scissors, needles, stray buttons, and somewhere near the bottom, a solitary thimble … sewing basket recollections. By happenstance, some of those lonely thimbles managed to roll their way from one generation’s basket to the next. Read More +
Flowers are synonymous with Victorians who could never have too many bouquets. While many of their arrangements were large and showy, Victorians were also attracted to smaller bunches of flowers placed in glass basket vases. Read More +
Those growing up in the mid-1900s probably recall springs when marble bags came out of hibernation. “Knuckling down” wasn’t getting busy with homework, but getting your knuckles on the ground, ready to shoot. Read More +
I recently discovered I have something in common with Napoleon … and it’s not the urge to control countries. It is the appreciation of cameos. Read More +
Most well-decorated Victorian parlors of the late 1800s and early 1900s had pianos draped with shawls. Something decorative was needed to hold those fabrics in place. From that necessity, piano babies were born. Read More +
If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” That saying certainly applied to the Victorian era of 1837-1901. Flaunt it they did, especially when entertaining. It was the perfect opportunity for the new, prosperous middle class to prove its social status via table setti Read More +