Holiday Inspiration: Christmas Baubles

It feels like every year we start decorating for Christmas earlier and earlier. Now it seems it's practically a tradition to set up your tree and begin adorning it as soon as Thanksgiving is over. In Europe however, this tradition is not as common. In fact, it's much more common to decorate a day or two before Christmas instead. While we're not going to split hairs in a debate over which is the better time to begin decorating, we will say we're still excited to be adding our last minute holiday touches! As far as traditional decorations go, one of our favorite Christmas tree decorations is the timeless glass ball ornament. These shiny baubles date all the way back to 1847 in Lauscha, Germany. Nowadays many baubles are mass produced in plastic rather than glass, however when you find the quality glass ornaments like the ones made centuries ago, no other ornament compares. It doesn't matter if you have a miniature tree or the biggest Fraser Fir in the lot, these colorful and classic glass baubles can make any old tree one of sophistication and beauty. If you're like us and the rest of Europe, you've got some decorating to do! We've just marked all of our holiday items 30% off, so come visit us and enjoy this wonderful holiday season!

Available at The Paris Market.

Holiday Inspiration: Mercury Glass Ornaments

Always a Paris Market favorite, silvered "mercury" glass is considered one of the first true "art glass" types, that is, glass that was made for display and for its inherent artistic value rather than for utilitarian use. Originally produced in the Czech Republic dating back to roughly 1840, mercury glass quickly became popular throughout Germany and England before making its way to the United States. In order to create mercury glass, a glassblower must make a double walled glass first, while adding silver between the layers with a liquid silvering solution, which is then sealed. Although mercury was originally used to provide the reflective coating for mirrors, elemental mercury was never used to create tableware. Nowadays, traditional techniques are no longer implemented, including the double wall and solid bottom found in authentic mercury glass decorations. Call us old fashioned, but mercury glass ornaments never seem to go out of style! Eternally classic and always beautiful, the silvery shine of mercury glass always adds that extra Christmas glint to the rest of our holiday decor!