Christmas Camp!

As you might remember, after my last post I was headed off to Cincinnati for the Golden Glow of Christmas Past annual convention.

I survived! Not only did I survive, I had a blast. An exhausting, packed schedule, 24/7 vintage/antique Christmas blast. Sunday to Sunday, I somehow managed to make it through the week with waaaay too little sleep but that’s ok (say I now in retrospect) because I had waaaay too much fun.  And I came home with my car loaded to the gills with goodies.

This was my third convention, so I felt more comfortable, having made friends the previous years and knowing what to expect. The hosts did a superlative job of herding some 760-odd Christmas nuts through a whole week of activities.

It took me days to get over it.

I took a few really fun workshops. I learned how to: make a vintage-style cone and a candy cane from glass garland beads; a cotton Santa; and corsages made from all vintage materials. Here’s a look at what I made in school:

There are also lectures and round table discussions given by various members who want to share their knowledge. This is a place to learn, too. And I have learned a lot in the past 3 years.

The piece de resistance is the Museum Room. This consists of collections of many of the members and it is literally jaw-dropping to look at. This year’s was so enormous that it was mind-blowing. It covered everything from an incredible blow mold display to the costumes from “White Christmas” (the actual costumes!) to antique nativities to pretty much anything you can imagine. Here are just a very few teasers for you of all the delights:

And, I shopped. One of the greatest things about the Glow conventions is that many of the members set up shop in their rooms!!  It’s a candy store for Christmas collectors!

All 760+ of us were housed in one hotel with 2 towers. People were selling on the 4th through the 10th floor and beyond in BOTH towers! It is insane.

I hit the mother lode for Glittermoon…

And, I managed to treat myself to plenty for my own collection, too.

My 2 big purchases were an amazing German Church (called a candle house in English; Lichterhaus in German). It was made to put a candle inside and illuminate it – not the smartest idea if you ask me since it is made of cardboard and paper!!! It dates to the 1930s and it just spoke to me.

The other one was a very old bear on wheels, also German. He belonged to a 90-year old lady who is an illustrator. She has had him her entire life; the family had him even before she was born, making him older than a Stieff. He has been well-loved and when I saw him – and heard his story – it was love at first sight. I had to bring him home with me and give him a safe harbor.

Here they both are:

I put the party hat on Mr Bear to celebrate his new homecoming. His former owner embellished him with the ribbon. He will join the rest of my critters under the tree this year.

Of course, why buy one of something if you can buy more, right?

Now I have three churches…

And….four glass owls came home with me, too. I love owls. Well, actually, I love a lot of stuff….oops.

Here are a few more of what I collected for myself:

All in all, it was an extraordinary trip and I have many fond memories.  I’ve put together a little video so you can see for yourself what went on.

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Once I got home, I pretty much immediately had to get to work!!! I have major deadlines looming and next week is the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival!  I’ve written about this really fun time a few times before – go here for the post about my first time.

This year, I am back on Beekman Farm (yay!) and even better, a whole Beekman 1802 artisan colony is going to be there! I am very excited to meet some of the folks whose work I have admired but never actually seen in person. It is part of an “enhanced” farm tour this year and I’m pretty excited. I will be set up and doing a demo while making a wreath. Plus, they are going to have a pop-up shop in the tent so people can buy directly from the artisan – how cool is that?

Once I get home, I will be shaking my bootie getting ready for the Country Living Fair in Atlanta  (this is my 7th year!) and making the wreaths for this year’s Beekman 1802 Holiday website. I will also be working on custom orders for folks who have been patiently waiting (sorry – I am not able to accept any more orders for 2018 at this point).

Here is a peek at of details from a couple of wreaths I have been working on this past week:

I hope to see many of you at these upcoming events. Drop me a line or leave a comment if you are planning on going to them and I will keep my eyes peeled!

I’ll be back soon with more news….have a great night everyone!