Decor – Disney Memorabilia Collection

Posted on April 8, 2013 by barbara

Growing up in Southern California, our family has been going to Disneyland since it first opened in the 1950s. Later with my own children, I continued the family tradition of annual trips to Disneyland. When I was a little girl, I also remember seeing all the Disney animated films (… the price of a movie admission was just 50 cents!) Later, with my own children, we watched the same Disney classic movies re-released on VHS then DVD. Then, when Disney started making new animated films again and later with Pixar, we went to the movie theater to see those films, too. (Of course the price of a movie ticket was much more expensive and don’t get me started on the price of a drink, candy and popcorn!!)

Over the years, we started to collect Disney Memorabilia during our numerous visits to Disneyland and we also made purchases at the Disney Store and later on the Disney website. Our collection varies from simple park souvenirs; like admission tickets and annual passports, park brochures/maps, fast passes, collectible pins and Mickey Mouse ears, to more expensive items like water globes, character figurines, animation cels, lithographs and even autographed items. The photos of the bookcases displaying our Disney Memorabilia only show a portion of our collection.

While going to Disneyland for almost 60 years, I have a collection of different types of park merchandise and souvenirs. Shortly after Disneyland opened in 1955, in addition to the park admission, they began selling ticket books for entrance to the different attractions. These ticket books were used until the late 1970s when they were replaced by the single admission/unlimited-ride park ticket. I have several complete ticket books in addition to a few iconic “E-Tickets”. I have also been saving our Disneyland parking passes, admission tickets, annual passports and brochure/park maps for the last 40 years. When the fast-pass tickets were introduced in the late 1990s, I started collecting one for every ride that offered them. Other “free” souvenirs include the autographs of Disney characters that our daughter has collected over the years. Like all young girls, her favorite part was meeting the Disney princesses and getting a photo taken with them. I know that these different paper souvenirs do not have any monetary value but it is fun to collect them.

On the top of our Disney bookcases, there is a shadow box that displays an old Disneyland pennant, a popular souvenir item from Disneyland’s early years. I also have stored away two Disneyland Park maps that were originally purchased for my children. It is fun to look at the Disneyland maps and see the attractions that have come and gone over the years.

Three souvenirs displayed in our Disney Memorabilia collection are very unique items. The first item is a Pilot’s Certificate that we received when we rode in the Pilot’s wheelhouse located on the upper deck of the Mark Twain Steamboat. The second unique item is a signed copy of a map of the Jungle Cruise which was given to our daughter by a cast member; it makes a very rare souvenir. The third item and one of my favorites, is my daughter’s Tinkerbell shoes autographed by the “original” Tinkerbell, Margaret Kerry, who was making a personal appearance at the Disneyland Resort and kindly signed the shoes and took a photo with my daughter.

Some our other Disneyland souvenirs include over two hundred Disney collectible pins. Most of these pins were purchased individually and I have only engaged in the pin trading phenomenon once or twice. The pin purchases were mostly made during our visits to Disneyland or online from e-bay when I am looking for rare or discontinued pins. A small part of my pin collection is displayed in shadow boxes and the rest of the pins are stored away.

The first Disney characters that I started collecting were the classic Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie and the Fantasia Mickey Mouse items. The collection started with two medallions that were issued back in the 1980s. From there, the collection continued to grow with a variety of stuffed Mickeys, several large and small Mickey figurines, lithographs and animation cels. The first time that my son and daughter visited Disneyland I bought each the classic Mickey Mouse Ears with their names embroidered on the back. These are stored away with other special Mickey Mouse Ears, like the ones from the exclusive Club 33 and Disneyland’s 50th anniversary.

My favorite Disney character is Pinocchio. I love the story of the little wooden puppet trying to become a real boy with the help of Jiminy Cricket. Somehow, during the time I was a single Mom raising my son, I associate the character of Pinocchio with him and I was his Jiminy Cricket being the “conscience” that guided him through life. For this reason, I began collecting Pinocchio items which include framed animation cels and lithographs, large and small figurines and collectible water globes.

Like most little girls, my daughter liked all the Disney Princesses and Tinkerbell but her favorite Disney character was Ariel. Over the years, I have collected items which include both large and small porcelain Disney Princess dolls and other figurines, music boxes, autographed pictures and books. Another special item is a “Small World” attraction water globe/music box that my daughter received as a birthday present.

Other Disney items collected include over 50 books on the subjects of Disneyland, Walt Disney and the Disney movies, as well as magazines (mostly the discontinued “E-ticket” magazine), music albums and CDs and almost all the animated Disney movies on DVDs. We love Disney so much that we celebrated our daughter’s 5th birthday party with over 25 family and friends at Disneyland during their 50th anniversary. We have several items commemorating the event such as: a special 50th anniversary picture frame which displays our group’s picture taken in front of the Sleeping Beauty’s Castle on the day of the party and also a lovely Disneyland 50th anniversary water globe/music box. Since we moved to the Midwest, we have visited the Walt Disney Resort in Florida and items from those trips are also displayed in our Disney bookcase. We have several photo albums and scrapbooks filled with photos of our Disneyland adventures over almost 60 years. Finally, displayed seasonally on our Christmas tree every year is our large collection of Disneyland Park and Hallmark Disney ornaments.

Collecting Disney memorabilia has brought me great joy throughout the years and it provides many memories of our trips to Disneyland and all things Disney. Let me know if you also collect Disney items, I would love to hear how your collection is displayed.

Decor – Easter Table Decorations

Posted on March 25, 2013 by barbara

Our Easter dinner is usually a very small gathering, most of our family live in other states, so there a just a few of us at the table. This year I decide on using soft pastel colors and nature inspired decorations.

First, I set the table by starting with a lovely pale green tablecloth. Then to bring in some texture and dimension to the table I add a pale green silken fabric that I bought at my local craft store for under $3/yd. I arrange the fabric into soft gathers and place it in the center of the table; this will keep the table from appearing too “flat”.

Next, at each place setting I use a white rimmed dinner and salad plates, silver utensils and silver rimmed beverage glasses. I then place a rolled pale green napkin that match the tablecloth into a white porcelain napkin ring. To add a nature element, I tucked a small blue butterfly on a wire into the napkin ring and it seems to fly over the place setting for a charming effect. Finally, to add a touch of Easter to the table, at each place setting I set out a white porcelain egg cup with a white wooden egg. These eggs will be used for our guests to make Jeweled Easter Eggs decorated with sparkling letters to personalize and crystal or pearl stickers for elegant party favors to take home. Please check out the Craft post earlier this month for a complete list of supplies and simple instructions. This is a fun activity to do before dinner! Another idea is to create some additional ones, store them away with the other Easter decorations and next year display them in a silver bowl with a little bit of Spanish moss in the bottom.

For the table centerpiece, I placed a lovely white pitcher with a simple design of bunnies in the center of the table on top of the pale green silken fabric. It is filled with pastel tulips in three different colors of tulips – white, pale pink and a very light green. I think it makes a lovely spring centerpiece. For this Easter table, I placed white bunnies on either side of the centerpiece to add a festive touch and tucked them into the pale green silken fabric.

To complete the Easter table decorations, I tied fishing line to the dining room chandelier and hot-glued white and blue butterflies. This final nature element gives the table an effect that the butterflies appear to be flying over the table. Our weather outside might still have cool temperatures but it seems like it is spring has finally come into our dining room!

For a description of the additional decorations in our dining room, please check out the Décor post, Easter Home Decorations.

Decor – Faberge Eggs

Posted on March 18, 2013 by barbara

Faberge Lily of the Valley Egg

Peter Carl Faberge was a Russian jeweler who is famous for the legendary series of Russian Imperial Eggs created between 1885 and 1917 for Tsar Alexander III and later his son Nicholas II. These eggs were lavish and intricate art pieces made of precious metals, painted with an enamel process and decorated with gem stones. They have become a symbol of the Russian Imperial family and are considered the masterpieces of House of Faberge.

Easter is an important celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church. Over the years a tradition of bringing hand-colored eggs to the Church to be blessed then later given as presents to family and friends. For the wealthy members of Russian society the custom developed into giving more expensive jeweled eggs. Faberge had been creating miniature jeweled eggs to be worn as jewelry for several years. The first Imperial Faberge egg was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III as a gift for his wife, Empress Maria Fedorovna. Inspired by an egg owned by the Empress’s aunt, Princess Wilhelmina Marie of Denmark, during her childhood the Empress was known to have greatly admired this egg. The Tsar wanted to give an Easter egg in a similar style as a romantic gift to the Empress to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal.

Faberge Hen Egg This first Faberge Egg created for the Russian Imperial family, known as the Hen Egg, was crafted in 1885 of gold with a white enameled shell which opened to reveal a series of delightful surprises. The first was a golden yolk which opened to reveal a golden hen which also opened to display a miniature replica of the Imperial Crown created in diamonds and rubies. (Currently, all that remains is the outer gold and enamel shell with the golden yolk and unfortunately the golden hen and miniature crown have been lost.)

When this first egg proved to be a success with the Empress, the Tsar commissioned Faberge to create additional Imperial Easter Eggs every year with the only requirement being that each would contain a hidden surprise. Once Faberge was appointed the goldsmith to the Imperial Crown, he was given complete creative freedom and his designs became more elaborate and intricate. When Alexander III died in 1894, his son Nicholas II, continued the family tradition and presented a Faberge egg to both his wife, Empress Alexandra and his mother, now Dowager Empress Maria, every year until 1916.

Each Faberge Imperial Egg, from conceptual drawing to complex production by a team of highly skilled craftsmen, could take over a year to complete. Faberge designed his eggs to commemorate the milestones and achievements of the Russian Imperial court and also to reflect the personal events of the Romanov dynasty. Such as, the 1911 Fifteenth Anniversary Egg that commemorated Nicholas II accession to the throne or the 1913 Romanov Tercentenary Egg which celebrated the 300 years of the Romanov dynasty which included portrait miniatures of the Russian rulers. Throughout the years the element of the hidden surprises remained a constant feature of the Faberge Eggs. Such as the 1897 Coronation Egg with a miniature replica of the Coronation carriage that took over 15 months to complete or the 1899 Pansy Egg which included a small heart shape medallion with miniature portraits of the Imperial family.

Fabrege Fifteenth Anniversary Egg Faberge Tercentenary Egg

The most expensive Faberge Egg ever produced is the 1913 Winter Egg. At the time the Tsar paid 24,600 rubles, which was a remarkably extravagant price for the time and the highest price he ever paid for a Faberge Egg. The egg design is made with a thinly carved, almost transparent rock crystal, finely engraved and decorated in platinum gold and 1,300 diamonds in a pattern meant to resemble ice crystals and bordered with an additional 360 diamonds. The removable egg sits upon a rock crystal base carved to resemble a block of melting ice. The hidden surprise inside the egg is a miniature basket made of platinum gold and 1,300 diamonds and the flowers are made of white quartz, gold, and garnets. (The Winter Egg sold at auction in 2002 at Christie’s in New York for $9.6 million)

Faberge produced 50 Imperial eggs over a 32 year period, with no eggs produced in 1904 and 1905 due to the political unrest during the Russian-Japanese War. Two Imperial Eggs were in the process of being created and scheduled to be presented in 1917, but of course the tragic execution of the Tsar Nicholas II and his immediate family by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution brought a violent end to the Romanov dynasty. As a result production in the Faberge workshop closed, the entire inventory was seized and Peter Carl Faberge fled from Russia with his family. (He died in Switzerland in 1920)

Only one of the Imperial Eggs, the 1916 Order of St. George, left Russia with the original owner, The Dowager Empress Maria. Following the Russian Revolution, the Romanov palaces were ransacked by the Bolsheviks and by order of Vladimir Lenin the contents, including the Imperial Eggs, were moved to the Kremlin Armory. Later in 1927, Joseph Stalin sold several of the eggs in order to obtain foreign revenue. Then, between 1930 and 1933 an additional 14 Imperial Eggs were sold, some were purchased by Armand Hammer, the owner of Occidental Petroleum. Malcolm Forbes, the publisher, owned nine Imperial Eggs and approximately 180 other Faberge items. After his death in 1990, the entire collection was scheduled for sell at Sotheby’s in New York City in 2004, but before the auction started someone purchased them for the amount estimated between $90–120 million. Currently, it is believed that of the 50 original Russian Imperial Eggs only 44 are known to still exist.

If you are interested in further information on the Russian Imperial Eggs, I would recommend the book, “Faberge’s Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire” by Toby Faber. I also recommend the DVD, “Treasures – The Czar’s Faberge Eggs”, a 2005 A&E documentary.

For a great craft idea, please check out Faberge-inpried Eggs for a list of supplies and instructions.

Decor – Easter Home Decorations

Posted on March 11, 2013 by barbara

Spring is coming soon and it is now time to start decorating our home for Easter. It seems like I’ve got a gazillion boxes filled with decorations for Christmas and Fall/Thanksgiving, but for Easter there are fewer boxes. Decorating for Easter is a little simpler with plenty of pretty pastels, bunnies, tulips, sweet peas and white roses.

I usually start my decorating process each season with the exterior of the house. The front porch always needs some sort of door decoration because it sets the tone and style of the interior house decorations. I have several different wreaths, one for almost every holiday. The one I will be using for Easter this year is a very sentimental wreath. My Mother passed away last March and for her funeral I made a wreath for the ceremony and gravesite. Making the wreath allowed me to have that quiet time to emotionally deal with her loss and reflect on my memories of her. I wanted to use my creative talents to make something from my heart and I wanted to honor my Mother. The wreath has some symbolism; white roses were one of her favorite flowers. So, I used six white full roses to represent our family, my parents and their four daughters, and the nine white rose buds represent their nine grandchildren. To add fullness to the wreath, I used green hydrangeas and berries in a pretty shade of rose. After the funeral last year, I brought the wreath back to our home and hung on the front door until it was replaced in October by an autumn wreath. For Easter this year, I unpacked it from storage and hung it back on our front door and it is perfect for Spring. Some would think that it would bring me sadness but it is just the opposite feeling because when I see it now I always think of the wonderful memories and great conversations I had with my Mom.

In the entry way of our home, there is a wooden pedestal with a white rose floral arrangement. To give it just a little more color for Easter I added three light blue feather sprays. Next year, I think I am going to tuck eggs into some of my floral arrangements for an unexpected surprise! On the floor at the base of the pedestal is a Peter Rabbit garden sculpture which adds just the right touch of whimsy. To greet our guests as they enter our home is a framed picture on the wall that says, “There’s no place like home” and for Easter I decided to add two white bunnies to give it a fun look!!

In the library, there is a glass-front lawyer bookcase that holds my Boyd’s Bear Collection. As you know from previous posts, every holiday season I set out different figurines. For Easter, I add two Boyd’s Bears bunny and duck figurines. For the top two shelves I add some greenery and scatter some eggs among the other figurines. The bottom shelf displays my Boyd’s Bears Village and I change out the winter trees for the spring/summer trees, add some seasonal figurines and even include some tiny carrots. To compete this area, on the top of the bookcase I add a cute stuffed Boyd’s Bear dressed in a bunny suit and holding a carrot.

In our family room, one wall has a large brick fireplace with a large mantel flanked on either side by bookshelves/cabinets and above the mantel there is a beautiful English garden landscape painting. Each holiday season I decorate the fireplace mantel and for Easter I use two wonderful “Bunnies by the Bay” white bunnies dressed in blue and white checked outfits. The bookshelves on both sides are filled with framed family pictures and a collection of antique cameras and for Easter every year I display a beautiful blue and ivory “quilted” egg that my Mother made. I also display two lovely glass ivory and gold egg ornaments for just a subtle touch of Easter. Finally on the fireplace hearth for a touch of whimsy I add a cute stuffed dog wearing bunny ears and holding flowers in his mouth, this was a Easter gift to my daughter a couple of years ago.

In our kitchen, I keep the decorations to a minimum since we need to have the counter space clear for food preparation. In the corner of the counter, next to a basket of artificial vegetables, is a stuffed chocolate bunny. Across the room is a desk/work area and I add a cute rectangular decorative plate with bunnies displayed on an easel. This plate matches the trio of plates displayed on the space above the upper cabinets. (Please take a look at the March Décor post, Decorating with Plates, if you would like to see a picture)

The last room decorated for the Easter season is the dining room. In this room of our home there is a lovely china cabinet which displays our Noritake Rothschild china, Tiffany crystal glasses, elegant silver serving pieces and a collection of Capodimonte Napoleon porcelain roses. In some of the teacups I have added beautiful white and silver glass eggs for a subtle touch of Easter. Also displayed with the china, is a collection of Hallmark ornaments from the Peter Rabbit series sitting on the rims of the plates or tucked next to the teacups. Across the room on an antique tea cart is a white feather tree sitting in a cracked egg vase and decorated with white bunnies and pastel eggs. Please check out the March Décor post, Easter Table Decorations, for pictures of our dining room table set of our Easter luncheon.

DECORATING TIPS:

When decorating for the holidays it is sometimes more cost-effective to add embellishments to decorations you already have instead of purchasing new ones for every season. Think about adding inexpensive floral picks, feather sprays or maybe tuck a couple of Easter eggs into an existing floral arrangement to add color or texture and also to create a little interest.
When shopping for items for your children’s Easter baskets, consider repurposing these items in the following years as home decorations. Think about using that cute stuffed white bunny sitting on a chair in the living room. Smaller stuffed ducks or bunnies look great on a shelf.
When shopping for Easter decorations, look for cute Spring-themed picture frames. A couple of these would look great on a fireplace mantel or bookshelf.
This one may sound strange, but at Christmas look for glass ornaments; such as bunnies, ducks, eggs or even flowers. These can be used as decorative accents for Easter. I use some glass egg ornaments on the bookshelves in our living room and also sitting in the tea cups in our china cabinet in the dining room.
Please see the March Craft post, Jeweled Easter Eggs. These beautiful eggs would look great in a basket on the kitchen counter or a side table in the living room. Another suggestion to display the eggs is using small silver or crystal candlesticks, then place a couple into a china cabinet or bookshelf. They would also look great at each place setting on your table for an Easter luncheon or dinner and would make a fun party favor for your guests.

Decor – Home Office

Posted on March 4, 2013 by barbara

The Enchanted Manor sign

I thought it would be fun for readers to see my home office for the Enchanted Manor where I work to create and write the posts for this lifestyle blog. I wanted to surround myself with a space that functioned as an office and was decorated to reflect a calm and serene environment to work but still be able to have my reference books nearby and also a space to display special mementos. I hope my readers enjoy the brief look into the world of the Enchanted Manor!

My home office is located on the second floor of our house and I have a wonderful view of our cul-de-sac. I love to watch the birds in the tree outside my window and the rain or snow falling during the day. From my window I can see my daughter’s school bus stopping at the corner in the afternoon, this is something I was not able to do for my son years ago when I was a single mom and had to work. After my daughter was born I was able to stay home and be with her during those important first years. After she started school I struggled with the decision of whether I should go back to work. I was looking for something that would fulfill my creative and artistic skills. I am thankful for this opportunity of creating this lifestyle blog!

My home office is decorated with lovely dark wood furniture and the wall with the window is painted a beautiful shade of gold, the other three walls are painted in classic ivory. A desk sits under the window which is framed by curtains in a matching shade of gold. On either side of the desk are bookcase/cabinets filled with my reference books, craft supplies and pictures in small frames and other special mementos collected over the years that bring me joy and inspiration. The opposite side of the room has a tall glass front bookcase that is filled with my collection of magazines; past and present “Victoria” magazines, the now discontinued “Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion” magazines and the new Phillis Hoffman magazines called “Celebrate”. Also on the bookshelves are my collections of romance novels! (Yes, I am not ashamed to admit I love reading a good book by Nora Roberts, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Debbie Macomber, Julia Quinn and Sherryl Woods just to name a few of the authors I enjoy reading.) Next to the bookcase of magazines and books is a matching dark wood two drawer file cabinet which has the office printer. I preferred this type of file cabinet as opposed to the standard generic metal file cabinets. Stored in the file cabinet are magazine articles that I have been collecting for several years on various subjects, such as: decorating ideas, craft projects and travel destinations for future family trips. Finally, for a touch of whimsy, above the closet door I’ve attached to the wall a group of butterflies that seem to have suddenly taken flight over the room.

While I work during the day I have the company of my constant companion, Acorn. She is a rescue dog that we got several years ago and is a black fluffy terrier mix, she is my little shadow and we spend most of our day together. A recent addition to my “office staff” is my son’s orange tabby cat, Muffin. When he moved back to California recently, Muffin stayed with us and she seems to enjoy walking across my desk or looking out the window during the day. Having both the dog and cat keeping me company can be very entertaining!

SPECIAL DECORATING NOTE: For my home office I knew I wanted some sort of sign to inspire me and focus my work of writing my lifestyle blog. We made The Enchanted Manor sign that hangs above my desk and it was a very easy project. My husband cut a pine board to the size I wanted and painted it ivory with the edges trimmed in antique gold. I used wooden letters bought at my local craft store, painted them a metallic olive green with antique gold on the edges and added a row of matching green crystals for a little sparkle to each of the letters. On either side are resin gold crowns that I had bought years ago on clearance that I just never knew what I would do with them and they are the perfect finishing touch for my home office sign.

Well, that is a look into the world of the Enchanted Manor!

The Enchanted Manor

a lifestyle blog by Barbara Jones

Tag Archives: Decor

Decor – Disney Memorabilia Collection

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