From Grandmas Tree

I was out sourcing today at a local estate sale and scored a box full of fabulous ceramics from Japan. So I thought I’d give you a teaser by posting a gallery of previously listed Japanese ceramic items. Eye candy to tide you over till I can get the new acquisitions listed.

Holt Howard Ashtray

Christmas Tree Plate by Lefton, Japan

Winking Santa Mug by Ucago, Japan

Here are the answers to last week’s quiz on storing glass ornaments.

1. Store in a sturdy box.    True  False  Sturdy boxes will protect ornaments from crushing during a fall or rough handling.  It doesn’t matter if the box is cardboard or plastic.

2. Store in the original box inside a study box.  True False  Having the original box is important to future collectors. Plus those original boxes were designed to protect the ornament during the distribution process.  They’ll do the job for you too.  But they were packed inside a sturdy outer box. You should do the same.

3. Store ornaments in your garage or attic.   True False  Temperature matters!  Store ornaments in a spot that varies in temperature no more than 20 degrees.  That leaves out garages,attics and unheated storage units. Variations in temperature cause age spots and make the interior silvering flake and disappear.
4. It’s OK to leave the metal hangers on the ornament.   True  False Metal hangers can scratch the surface of the ornament causing paint loss. If you use metal hangers for security on your tree, remove them before storage.
5. Wrap each ornament in tissue paper.  True  False Wrapping each ornament in tissue paper is unncessary if the ornament doesn’t come into contact with acidic cardboard.  It is advisable to insulate the ornament from the box with acid-free tissue paper. But crumpled up underneath is sufficient.

6. Use a specially designed ornament storage box.   True False It isn’t necessary to purchase one of the compartmentalized ornament boxes.  These are handy if you have a lot of ornaments without the original boxes, but you must make sure that the ornament is snugly held in place with acid free tissue paper inside each compartment. 

7. Fill voids in the box with acid free tissue paper.  True  False  Many older boxes are acidic and then, it is advisable to insulate the ornament from the box with acid-free tissue paper. Fill voids with crumpled tissue paper so that the ornament doesn’t touch the box and can’t move inside the compartment.

8. Brush dust off with a makeup or soft brush before storing.  True False  I’ve found that those plump brushes for brushing on powder or blush are perfect for gently removing dust from ornaments.  If you do it while you’re storing, your ornaments will be ready to go the next time you display them.

9. It is OK to store plastic ornaments with glass ornaments as long as they don’t touch each other.  True  False  It is OK to store glass ornaments and plastic ornaments in the same box.  And nothing but filler should be touching your ornaments while stored.

10. When you shake the packed box, it’s OK to hear a little movement.  True False If you can hear something moving inside the packed box, you don’t have enough filler around your ornaments.  If the box fell, the ornaments could easily break.

So how’d you do?  Give yourself 20 points for each correct answer.  Total up to get your Ornament Storage IQ.

180-200  Genius!

160-179   Very Smart!

140-159   Better than average!

120-139  Average

Below 120   Study the reasons carefully and you’ll get smarter!