…………………..In the Fall of 1992, the year I left Anne Klein, and before I started designing for Bergdorf Goodman, Jac and I both had a lot of free time on my hands……We needed a project. and we found these bare GRAPE VINE forms that we decided to decorate for Christmas. Some were large cones, some were wreaths of different sizes, and we even found a grape vine Angel……We set up my studio as a crafts room and Jac and I sat across from each other with our GLUE GUNS in hand! Jac already was making all kinds of wreaths out of Eucalyptus, red Bay Berries, Tallow berries, dried Pomegranate, Lotus and Poppy pods and Pine cones. Some I sprayed with metallic gold paint or painted the tips of the cones with white paint to look like snow. We added fake fruits, and all kinds of faux birds that we bought at a wholesale nursery. We added small ribbon bows on some of the trees too….We also found bare Topiaries that we decorated to coordinate with the trees. The photos are of my Living room……Where my father lived on Long Island, there were many pine trees that produced beautiful cones. I gave him the job of collecting them. Out he went with paper bags in hand…. He went a little overboard and I still have paper bags filled with pine cones!!! I think he cleaned the forest up…LOL….They look wonderful in silver bowls and a huge brass kettle I have….For the Holidays I have groups of pine cones all around the house…We also bought many Delft Ginger jars and vases to decorate our living room walls. On a trip to Amsterdam Jac and I found this terrific antique store across the canal from the Anne Frank house museum. The owner of the shop was wonderful. He had both antiques and reproductions. Once he realized I was a serious buyer and only wanted antique pieces he started pulling pieces out from the back of the shop. We bought quite a few pieces from him plus the porcelain Christmas balls in the silver bowl in the picture. I told him we were off on a side trip to Delft, and he told us exactly which stores to go to for the good pieces. He gave us the names of the owners and told us what to look for so we would know we were getting antiques and not reproductions. For a few years we corresponded, and he would send me photos of things he had acquired. It would be so much easier today with modern technology!
When I had my 1st apartment in college, I worked for a small chain of home decorative accessories & gift stores and established Delft and blue & white in my kitchen. When I graduated with an art history degree, I became the Buyer for those stores. Franz Hals was a favorite painter of mine, with the white bringing light & joy. I don’t have any antique pieces but I purchased Delft, Royal Copenhagen, etc. for my apartment back in 1977, so in 45 years the Delft & I feel like antiques LOL. I moved to a forever home this year and still continue blue & white in the kitchen and more modernly into the living room with some blue & white Chinoiserie. I’m glad to know that you & Jac loved Delft.