Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to
share family history through old photographs.
In keeping with this
week’s Sepia Saturday prompt, I send holiday greetings to my fellow Sepians and
to all readers and followers. My Christmas
card to you is a photo of this year’s fireplace mantle.
In some ways the
mantle is fairly typical with its artificial wreath and garland. However, the family heirlooms make it special
– to me, at least.
The two silver
platters had belonged to my grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan (the one on the left)
and to my maternal grandmother Lucille Rucker Davis (the one on the
right).
The two red vases were also Violetta’s. They are 1930’s Depression glass, Royal Ruby Red ivy bowls by Anchor Hocking.
Christmas is about
family. Decorating with family heirlooms
is a good way to keep family history alive.
Merry Christmas, y’all! And Happy Blogging in 2014!
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
Your mantle looks lovely. Merry Christmas, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteWhy thanks, Colleen. And Merry Christmas to you too!
DeleteGreat display. Your heirlooms make it unique.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHow lovely! And meaningful to you & your family with the heirlooms. I would never have thought to use silver trays like that, yet they fit in perfectly. But you have peaked my curiosity. Are those simply red ball ornaments in the tall glass holders, or something else? The holders themselves are really different & elegant.
ReplyDeleteOh Gail, now I have to confess those red Christmas balls are just plain ol' CHEAP ornaments from the Dollar Store -- like 12 in a sleeve for a dollar. The glass holders are a hurricane lantern sort-of-thing, I guess -- not sure what to call them. They were sold by Southern Living At Home, now Willow House (no longer in the catalog though).
DeleteNothing wrong with ornaments from the Dollar Store! I shop there all the time, by gosh. In Sonora it's called The Dollar Tree. I always look there for things even before I go to Wal Mart! :))) Those hurricane lanterns, though, are really pretty. Even if they're not in the Willow House catalog any longer, I wonder what else is? I'll have to take a look-see! Thanks.
DeleteIt's Dollar Tree here too -- I don't know why I said "Store." Must have been too much egg nog. LOL
DeleteEggnog is good. Cheers! :)))
DeleteBeautiful! I love the sense of history.
ReplyDeleteAnd they remind me I need to pass that history along. Merry Christmas, Dana.
DeleteWendy, it is a lovely decoration and your heirlooms make it very special. Merry Christmas to you too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words ~
DeleteThe Hockings are grand, indeed -- there's no other red quite like that! Merry Christmas, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteYou're right about that -- the Royal Ruby is unmistakable.
DeleteWhat a unique display, Wendy! You are fortunate to not only have such heirlooms, but to be able to share them through a display for the holidays. Those pieces no doubt hold some family stories in their history.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wish I knew what the stories were. I vaguely remember seeing the red vases at Violetta's but only on display. I think Grandma may have arranged jello squares on that platter one time, but I really don't recall seeing it in use.
DeleteIt looks good girl! Can't wait to fill the red vases with fresh flowers for Christmas Eve!
ReplyDeleteThey'll be stunning, I know.
DeleteI hope you realize that all those cheapo decorations become heirlooms too if enough time goes by! Future generations will cherish Great-Aunt Wendy's favorite red glass Christmas balls to festoon their virtual holiday holograms. "Imagine how precious they are," they will say, "all the way from China!"
ReplyDeleteMy best wishes to you for a joyful holiday.
You crack me up! I'm just hoping the red vases and silver platters make it past the next generation. I can see my girls now: "You take the silver." "No, you take it." "No, you." But they'll probably gladly take the red balls as something they could actually use.
DeleteA Beautiful Display Wendy! Have Yourselves a Really Great Christmas!Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteBackatcha!
DeleteLove your mantle and ancestral additions, it is the memory of holidays that makes it special. I relish gettiing out a few things each year, not much because it's trouble to take down and then we head south right after holidays, so it might all be out until March if I did too much. BTW there is a multitude of different Dollar stores around the country, Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, Family Dollar, etc...I know we shop there while traveling...Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteAnd General Dollar, but I don't think it's JUST $1 like Dollar Tree. Happy New year, Pat!
DeleteA Beautiful display. The heirlooms do make it special. Have a great holiday!
ReplyDeleteThanks -- same to you!
DeleteThanks for the photo! I love all my items that belonged to the Grandparents and Great Grands.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!!
Do you decorate with your heirlooms? Happy New Year!
DeleteNow I will have to go away and photograph our mantlepiece; it won't match yours - no heirlooms and no red balls.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Christmas and New Year.
Ah, but you showed your tree, and I did not. Happy New Year.
DeleteWe didn't put any Christmas decorations up this year as we were going away, so it didn't really feel like Christmas until a day or so ago. Thanks for sharing yours.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family
It's a lot of work to decorate, so if I were not going to be here to look at it all day, I wouldn't decorate either. Happy New Year!
DeleteA perfect Sepia Saturday mantlepiece with all the things to remember people from the past.
ReplyDeleteBarbara and Nancy
Thanks, Ladies.
DeleteMy mother-in-law loved ruby glass and I like it too. I think it is lovely to use heirlooms and remember people that passed them on to you.
ReplyDeleteI keep eyeing a ruby glass punch bowl with cups but do I need them? Heck no, but if I had lots of room to spare ....
DeleteHow wonderful to have both the heirlooms and a majestic mantle on which to display them. You've done a great job with them. Have a very Happy Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI hope your Christmas holiday is wonderful too.
DeleteYour fireplace mantle is beautiful Wendy! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteThanks and same to you, Jana!
DeleteGorgeous decoration. You are lucky to have those fine family treasures and the talent to display everything so nicely. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky to have a sister to help me with the display. She thought of putting the silver trays on the mantle.
DeleteA very nice display, Wendy! Being a glass lover I liked seeing your Depression glass. It is my favorite style period. Happy New Year to you and yours!
ReplyDeleteA lovely display, in my expert opinion, since I used to do this for a living.
ReplyDeleteLove your use of heirloom pieces but I hope I won't upset you if I say
that my attention was immediately drawn toward those hurricane lanterns.
They bring height and graceful shapes to the ensemble
and I love that they have a different finish.
Some might be tempted to find lanterns with a matching finish as those trays.
I would just add a few twigs in that wreath to echo those pine cones.
Truly, a lovely display. Why decorate everything everywhere
when you can do a strong statement like this.
Hoping your holidays are going well
and that you'll enjoy a fabulous year in 2014.
To you and your loved ones, my best wishes!!
Keep well!!
:)~
HUGZ