Many of you have asked where in the world I've been.

All I know is that after 7 plus years of blogging and a different lappy, which I don’t like, I seem to have lost my blogging fervor.

Someday, when you least expect it, I will post again.

For those of you still waiting I say thank you.

Meanwhile, I am rather prolific on twitter. Find me: @KeethaB
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The Eclectic Company - Waitin' on a New Adventure!!
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

"A Long Long Time Ago, But I Can Still Remember - - -"

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Others have been showing vintage Christmas ornaments that they have collected over the years.

These too are vintage ornaments, but I didn't collect them - - - Fisherhubby and I bought them brand new in 1975 for our very first Christmas tree after we were married. They were bright red.


As you can see, over the years they have faded to pink. And if you look closely at them - - -


You will see that their finish has become crackled. I no longer hang them on a tree. In fact, for about 7 years they have been hidden in storage until all your talk of vintage ornaments made me want to find them!


Now when I display them I put them in an ice cream tin with a little bit of shiny fru-fru and just let them speak for themselves.

I am not particularly a crafty person. There have been several times in my life though, when I crossed over into that nebulous world. I showed you the result of one such trip a couple of days ago when I posted about my paper bag angel.

Well, in the November of 1977 when our oldest child was one year old I decided to try my hand at making cookie dough ornaments.


Calling them cookie dough is a bit misleading. They are actually just four, salt, and water made to the texture of cookie dough, rolled, and cut out. After baking them at very low heat until they were completely dry I painted them with acrylics. After the acrylic dried completely, I brushed varnish over them.

Here are my results:


As I look back on this project, I'm a bit amazed that I accomplished it with a one year old tugging at my skirts, so to speak. I keep them stored in a tin with little desiccant packs out of vitamins and new shoes thrown in to keep them dry.

Because I was so careful with them when I used to hang them on our tree, people began teasing me and saying my Christmas Tree was my "Idol Tree."

Our children and their friends DELIGHTED in trying to MOVE them from one branch to another without me guessing that they did it. I USUALLY knew - - - I had them hanging "just so" on that tree and when they moved them, they messed up my "balance," which I could spot in a skinny minute!

Years after the fact, Keri and her friend Angie confessed to me that in ONE of those "messing with my ornaments" moments, Angie actually BROKE a star. They quickly threw away the evidence and did their best to cover their "tracks" on the tree. I never suspected.


Years later my friend Kathy and I decided to try a similar project with gingerbread. We BOTH had 4 year old boys at the time, but managed somehow to complete the project. I imagine we kept the boys busy with a video as VCRs had come on the scene by then.


That was in 1992 and I still have most of my set of those thanks again to storing them in a tin with little silica gel packs!


For this project we used puffy paint, ribbons, and sprayed varnish over the finished result. I don't think the spray varnish was as effective as the brushed on varnish because I've had a more difficult time keeping these from breaking.

I haven't used either of these cookie ornament sets in my decorating for the last 7 or more years - - - but I wanted to show them to you so dug them out this year. After I got them out, I wanted to enjoy them - - -


So I displayed them in this place of honor. I just hope they don't get bruised, crushed, or broken when people come in the front door!

To find and enjoy more vintage posts, please go visit Coloradolady.
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25 comments:

Carrie said...

Thank you for sharing these special family treasures...what lovely memories!
Have a wonderful Christmas,
Carrie
My links:
http://oakrisecottage.blogspot.com/2009/12/holiday-trees.html

http://carolanativitygallery.blogspot.com/2009/12/vintage-celluloid-nativity-ornaments.html

Cindy said...

You are adorable! I love it! Sigh, and Merry Christmas!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

My husband misses our tree with just the shinny balls. I don't have any of them anymore, I did get rid of them. So now I have a small tree in his office with some glass balls on it just for him.
I've been collecting my ornaments
(Hallmark) since the 70's. We also have several handmade ones that we painted. I love the memories. Yours are wonderful.

JLS Hall (Joysweb) said...

I love your vintage ornaments! I have a bunch of cookie dough ornaments I made back in the '70s, too, but mine haven't held up as well as yours. Thanks for letting us have a look at them.

nancygrayce said...

I just hope noone tries to eat them! :)

Cass @ That Old House said...

Oh, Keetha, those salt dough ornaments are just adorable! Isn't it amazing what we did when we had little ones crawling around our feet? Now, if I am watching someone's one-year-old, I am paralyzed with anxiety.

My grandmother said that's why God fixed it so you have children when you are young and stupid. Plus, there's that whole egg thing.

It's really late here -- my girls and I went out to dinner after choir rehearsal, then went LATE night shopping, so my eyes are crossing with fatigue -- at first I read "paper bag angels" as "paper bagels."

Then I tried to figure out how you MADE dessicant packets out of vitamins and new shoes. I guess I figured, hey, she's a science teacher -- she can do anything.

It's past my bed time; I better get to sleep before I do something really dopey. Anyway, I love the old glass balls from your honeymoon Christmases. Isn't it lovely to still be married to the same vintage guy? :-)

Merry Christmas!
Cass

Sherrie said...

Hi!
All you ornaments are beautiful!! I have some of those "pink" ornaments somewhere around my house. They also are fading and cracked a little. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Sherrie
Sherrie's Stuff

kyooty said...

oh the patience!! everything looks lovely

Ann in the UP said...

Ho, ho, ho!

My advice to you, keep a watch out for the Rearranger. I can just see him changing everything around when he runs out of other mischief.

I love your dear old sentimental ornaments. We have a wooden bell painted black that one of the boys brought home from kindergarten. Plug ugly, but we can't have our tree without it.

Jingle said...

Everything is lovely!

Postcardy said...

You did a great job decorating your ornaments and preserving them.

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

lovely xmas decoration.. thanks for sharing.. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

grammy said...

So glad you posted pix of your ornaments. I still have the ones you sent us. Brings back good memories.

Merry Christmas to all!! Wish we could be there.

LV said...

You may not think you have a collection, but to me, you do. Further down the road these will have even a greater meaning for you. You did good. Take care and blessings to you and family.

CC said...

Oh my!!!! I love your ornaments and that you still have them. I love,love the way you've displayed them. It's a special place of honor they deserve..everyone can see and enjoy them. They're beautiful. Happy VTT..have a most wonderous and blessed Christmas. May it be filled with everyone and everything you love.

concretenprimroses said...

I too have some "vintage' dough ornaments that I made years ago! The dessicant packets are a great idea.
Kathy

Anonymous said...

my fav ornaments are the ones my kids made me by far

Jocelyn said...

Oh how sweet! And I love how you have them displayed. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Jocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com

KBeau said...

Thanks for sharing the ornaments. I did the dough ornaments as well, and I also made some out of a dough mixture that was mostly cinnamon. None of mine lasted.

Tonja said...

Well, I think you are quite crafty! Great job! And, how wonderful that you have kept them so nicely through the years!

Have a blessed day tomorrow...make some sweet memories!

marian said...

i made a few dough ornaments years ago too..aren't they fun!! love your crackled baubles too btw..they look ssoo yummy! have a very Merry Christmas, Keetha x

Vonlipi said...

Oh how I remember the salt dough! Everyone had salt dough thigies in their houses in the 70's! My mom had a big basket made of it on the dining room table, it was her pride and joy!

Erin said...

The "cookie" ornaments are so sweet! I love them hanging on the garland by the door!

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

I LOVE your pink crackled balls! And those childhood ornaments are the best. I was remunising over my childrens as I put their handmade ornaments away today.....

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

They really are adorable. I can't believe those stayed in one piece all these years -- you must have made them with Super Dough, and/or you are a very good packer-upper-putter-awayer...which I clearly am not!