Vintage Christmas Ornaments: A Collector’s Guide to Glass, Shiny Brite & Retro Ornaments There is something different about an old glass Christmas ornament. The color may be a little softer than it once was. The silvering may have faded around the edges. The metal cap might show its age. Sometimes there is even a little glitter left from a Christmas celebrated decades ago. And somehow, those imperfections make it better. Vintage Christmas ornaments aren't simply decorations. They're tiny pieces of Christmas history. Today, collectors search for everything from classic Shiny Brite ornaments and delicate German glass to indented reflectors, unusual shapes, flocked balls and wonderfully kitschy ornaments from the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Whether you've inherited a box of old ornaments, found some at an estate sale or simply want to begin collecting them, here's what to look for. What Makes a Christmas Ornament Vintage? There isn't one magic date that suddenl...

 There is something about opening a box of old Christmas decorations that no brand-new ornament can quite duplicate. Maybe it is the faded cardboard box. The slightly worn paint on a Santa. A glass ornament that has lost just enough silvering to show its age. Or a ceramic Christmas tree that immediately brings back memories of one glowing on a grandmother's table. Vintage Christmas decor isn't about creating a perfect holiday room. It is about creating a Christmas that feels collected. And that may be one reason nostalgic Christmas decorating continues to find a new audience. People are mixing pieces from different decades, bringing family decorations back out of storage and searching antique shops, estate sales and online vintage shops for decorations that feel more personal than something bought as a complete matching set. If you are starting a collection—or trying to figure out exactly what you've found while thrifting—this guide will help you recognize some of the most ...

 There is something about a room filled with old art that a brand-new print simply can’t duplicate. Maybe it’s the softly aged frame. The colors that have mellowed over time. A landscape of a place you’ve never visited. A portrait of someone you’ll never know. Or a piece of textile art that immediately reminds you of another home and another time. Vintage wall art gives a room a past—even when the home itself is new. And you don’t need an expensive art collection to get the look. One of the things I’ve always loved about vintage decorating is that the best rooms rarely look as though everything was bought at once. They look gathered slowly. One interesting piece leads to another, and eventually the walls begin telling a story. That is the difference between a home that feels decorated and one that feels collected . What Counts as Vintage Wall Art? When people hear “vintage art,” they often think only of oil paintings. But there is a much wider world to explore. Vintage wall decor ...

 Vintage glassware can be beautiful, useful, collectible, and surprisingly difficult to identify. A colored bowl found at an estate sale might be mid-century pressed glass. An etched stemmed glass could be crystal. A milk glass vase might have been produced for decades. And two pieces that look nearly identical can have very different histories depending on the manufacturer, pattern, color, and production method. This Vintage Glassware Collector’s Guide is designed to help you understand what you have before assuming that old automatically means valuable. You’ll learn how to recognize common types of vintage glass, what clues to look for when identifying a piece, which condition issues matter, and how collectors evaluate glassware today. What Is Considered Vintage Glassware? There is no single legal definition of “vintage,” but in the collectibles market the term is generally used for older pieces that are not yet antique. An antique is traditionally considered at least 100 years ...

Some vintage dishes are admired from a distance. Pfaltzgraff Folk Art is the kind people still reach for. Its warm tan stoneware, deep cobalt-blue decoration and sturdy shapes can make an ordinary cupboard feel like an old Pennsylvania kitchen. For many collectors, though, the attraction is more personal. Folk Art may be the pattern that appeared at a grandmother’s Sunday dinner, held morning coffee for decades or came out every Thanksgiving without anyone calling it “vintage.” Today, those familiar dishes are being gathered again—not only as replacement dinnerware, but as practical decor for cottage, farmhouse and collected kitchens. This guide explains what Pfaltzgraff Folk Art is, how to recognize older pieces, what to inspect before buying and which forms can make a collection feel special. What Is the Pfaltzgraff Folk Art Pattern? Pfaltzgraff introduced Folk Art in 1980. The pattern combines an earthy neutral ground with flowing blue flowers, leaves, hearts and stylized bi...