Ornaments :: Holly Frame

Held in place by soft red silk cord, these Mistletoe ornaments grace the boughs of any Christmas tree. Through the centuries, mistletoe has been associated with many ancient traditions and holidays. It has become a symbol of fertility and romance. In many countries, when a couple in love exchanges a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to marry and a prediction of happiness and long life.

Available in gold, antique gold and silver plate over pewter.

Magnolia gives its name to the family Magnoliceae and commemorates French Botanist, Pierre Magnol. There are about 80 species of trees and shrubs in the genus “Magnolia”. They thrive in fairly rich, moist, peaty or sandy loam but can grow satisfactorily in any garden soil. Its flower is beautiful and one never tires of watching it evolve each year. There is such beauty in the new, pristine bud opening to the brown, fading blossom. And, like a snowflake, no two blossoms are alike.

Its beauty is such that it is the state flower of both Mississippi and Louisiana.

Our Magnolia leaf ornament is available in either a green-gold over copper (as shown) or a bright silver finish.

Starfish

Particularly among the young, Starfish are the most popular creatures when you go tide pooling!  They may well be the most unusual well known creatures.  They have no front or back and can move in any direction without turning.  Rather than using muscles to move their hundreds of tiny legs, starfish use a complex hydraulic system to move around or cling to rocks.  They can move quite gracefully across a surface.

The Paper Birch, slender and elegant, with its intensely white bark, is visible even in the dark of night. The tough outer wrapping of the tree is the bark from which American Indians fashioned their strong, lightweight bark canoes. These Native Americans, as well as early colonists and European herbalists, all agreed that birch leaves were therapeutic and all prescribed them for many disorders. The leaves and twigs of some birches boast a spicy aroma and are used to make scented oil. Because of their singular beauty, they have been designated National Memorial Trees for Mothers and as such were planted on the Capitol grounds in Washington, DC.

Our Birch Leaf Ornament is available in either a bright silver (as shown) finish or a green gold over copper finish.

The common maple earns its name by displaying a touch of red throughout the year. According to botanists, the sugar trapped in the maple's dying leaves is responsible for the fiery fall color.

Our Maple Leaf ornament is available in bright silver (shown here) or a green gold over copper finish.

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A Mexican legend has it that a child who could not afford a gift to offer picked some weeds from the side of a road.  The child was told that a humble gift, if given with love, would be acceptable in God's eyes.  When the weeds bloomed into red and green flowers everyone felt they had witnessed a Christmas miracle.

An old superstition claims that a juniper bush kept by the door of a house would prevent a witch from entering because before she could pass she would have to count all of its needles. Gin is derived from the Dutch geneva, meaning juniper, which is used to flavor the drink.

Our juniper ornament, 2” x 2 ½”, is available in a pink silver or pink gold finish.

Peapod

P. Sativum

These annuals prefer cool weather and mature early.  The "peas" inside the pad are considered berries by botanists.  Common folklore regarding peas is that if you count the number of peas in a pod the crop will fail.  Pennsylvanian Germans always planted peas under the sign of Gemini hoping to get two for the one and double pods.

The oak, a noble American tree is famous in legend and history. Native Americans knew it was time to plant corn when white oak leaves were as “big as a mouse’s ear”. Folk medicine called for collecting the winter oak leaves to cure frostbite. The Acorn is the harbinger of new life. Acorns were used extensively as a food source for native North American Indians, and also roasted as a coffee substitute.