posted 12-15-2011 02:01 PM            

The Management Committee on a local non-profit came over for a party this week and while the house is still clean I took some pictures.

We have had the ornaments on the white tree in the background since the mid 1970s. They were made by a baker in St. Louis who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany after first spending some time in Russia learning his trade. His name was Eugene Froshe. His niece, Darlyn Rasch, carried on his work after he retired at least through the 1970s and I think the early 1980s. They have been one of our favorite Christmas ornaments.

posted 12-15-2011 02:02 PM            

My wife decided she would like these glass trees to replace our usual silver candelabra on this sideboard. These glass trees are pictured in the 1960 Tiffany’s book on table settings and I assume that they date from that time period.

posted 12-15-2011 06:46 PM            

We use silver cups as either punch cups or if too small as a candy containers. We served punch this year and gave the quests their choice of beakers or cups with handles and almost all choose the cups with handles.

In any event cups are one of my favorites as they seem to have the more interesting engravings on them.

posted 12-15-2011 08:42 PM            

What a diverse display! Are those Anna Lee dolls? Wonderful selection of antique boxes.
Are those Staffordshire figurines & platters?

Enjoy the holidays & a very Happy New Year to you & yours!

posted 12-16-2011 12:45 AM            

Allentownboy,

I am not sure what country the epergne is originally from. We brought it at Scotts in Atlanta from a dealer from outside of Pittsburgh. I think the vase in this picture may be from Ireland as they make quite a few with a turned over edge.
The peonies did not come from our garden – I wish they had, but rather they came from a local grocery store.

I also would like to point out the book on the table. It is “Furnishing Louisiana Creole and Acadian Furniture 1735-1835” published by the Historic new Orleans Collection. It is a wonderful book and covers a very special time in the history of this country. I grew up in St. Louis Missouri a town founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclede and his stepson Auguste Chouteau. They were both from New Orleans and I have always been fond of things from Louisiana.

Jersey, the Christmas Carol figures were made by Byers Choice Ltd that we found in a little shop in the historic district of St. Charles, Mo. My wife also collects Staffordshire figures so we have those placed around the house.

posted 12-16-2011 12:53 AM            

Finally I will add a couple of pictures showing some of my favorite ornaments. The first shows a Santa Claus made in Poland and beautiful star like ornament made in Russia. The Russian one is particularly beautiful in when the light strikes it just right.

The second picture is of a fanciful cow that tried to jump over the moon, but the cow somehow did not make it and is just laying there with a contended look on his face. That one also came from Poland.

posted 12-16-2011 09:49 PM            

I forgot to ask who is the portrait of the young girl?

Thank you for sharing!

Jersey

posted 12-16-2011 10:38 PM            

That is our youngest daughter and it was painted by a St.Louis artist in the mid 1970s.
It seems like just yesterday but it was 35 years ago.

posted 12-21-2011 06:28 PM            

These are pictures of our other daughters, all painted by Virginia Moberly Schlueter in the mid 1970s. My wife had a good friend that had her daughter painted by Mrs. Schlueter and loved it so much that she engaged her to paint our daughters.