I love vintage mercury glass garland. At the sale this past weekend I found another strand of it. I have posted about my glass garland before when I did a post on eye candy organization. I craft with this variety that is the normal round shape.
I tend to collect the figural type. I love the different shapes and colors of the glass and just can't seem to craft with it. It is also harder to find. This photo has over 20 garlands. I think they look like shiny snakes.
I love the variety of shapes that the garland comes in. The red and silver strand on the bottom half of the photo is what I found last weekend.
Here we go with the vintage glass garland parade, what an assortment of shapes and colors.
Bottom right is a favorite shape.
I love the larger pink striped balls. The hot pink ones are a different garland and are frosted.
Often the old glass garland will have a paper tag at one end or be marked with a tag that reads Japan.
These larger turquoise balls each have a ring of smaller glass garland that surround them.
The older glass garland is pretty fragile. Sometime the strands are broken and I salvage what I can. The salvage ends up in this lot of loose shaped glass beads. I give myself permission to craft with this.
I certainly do get sucked into the shiny vintage stuff...must be the Magpie in Ethel!
If you have an idea for a future collection challenge, leave me a comment and finish the sentence "Show me your collection of ____." Always happy to share.
What a colorful and most lovely collection!! I could just look at these all day smiling!! So pretty! xo Heather
Posted by: Heather | September 11, 2012 at 08:12 AM
If you ever want to leave me anything in your will, this would be it. :-) I am having a tiny heart attack right now after looking at these photos!
Posted by: Into Vintage | September 11, 2012 at 09:12 AM
Yep, definitely sounds like the Magpie in Ethel! I really love the all blue round beaded one with the amaller beads wrapped around it. Haven't seen any like those.Of course I haven't seen much of the other ones either except for the plain colored all one size beads.I don't know why but I sort of picture you sitting in your studio with those beads on like a string of pearls LOL
Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Doreen | September 11, 2012 at 09:24 AM
i love those garlands but have only found them once out here. not even in antique malls!
Posted by: rae | September 11, 2012 at 09:40 AM
Gorgeous! I think my blood pressure just went up a bit.
Posted by: janet | September 11, 2012 at 10:37 AM
The indent ones are my favorite but I must say I am taken with your lime green ones. Gorgeous color. Having them lined up in those cutlery boxes makes them look like a floor display at the department store. I have only found a few of these and certainly need more. Smiles...Renee
Posted by: Renee | September 11, 2012 at 12:35 PM
I love those double ones where it is like two indents hooked together. Oh heck, I love them all. You can just never have too many sparkly things!
Posted by: Kathy | September 11, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Whenever you put up a post about one of your collections, I am at a loss for words....and ask anyone who knows me that unusal!! Love these!! chris
Posted by: chris mckinley | September 11, 2012 at 01:46 PM
One of my favorite things ever. No matter how much I collect, I always want to find more! Love this!
Posted by: barbara | September 11, 2012 at 01:49 PM
YIKES! That's a lot of mercury! I think I have a temperature!
Posted by: tammy | September 11, 2012 at 01:56 PM
Oooooo, every bit as pretty and shiny as diamonds! Rarely ever see this stuff around here, but when I do, I get quite giddy!
Posted by: Carol @ Old Glory Cottage | September 11, 2012 at 02:29 PM
This collection just zoomed to the top of the charts. And is making me want to sort all my mercury glass beads.
Posted by: Gina @ VintageJunkinMyTrunk | September 11, 2012 at 02:56 PM
I'm wiping the drool off my chin. Seriously beautiful eye candy. Your collections always make me smile.
Posted by: Kim Kenward | September 11, 2012 at 06:14 PM
They are all so wonderful, I can't choose a favorite. My husband told me the other day we don't need any more Christmas or Halloween decorations. I of course think he's mistaken. I do believe I could find some room for some of these.
Sheryl
Posted by: Sheryl Remy | September 12, 2012 at 05:11 AM
Never see those but of course anything that looks like that would be Mardi Gras beads and we're are sooooo sick of them down here (except when we're beating other people off with a stick to catch them at parades). I'm about ready to bring out my Magpie Ethel Halloween spun-head figurines but am wondering if you have some new ones for this year? I'm displaying them at the antique mall but they're NOT for sale!
Posted by: VintageChristine | September 12, 2012 at 07:48 AM
Such a wonderful and so pretty collection!! So many neat colors and shapes. Hope you have a great day! xo Holly
Posted by: Holly | September 12, 2012 at 11:14 AM
Wow, such eye candy! How many do you use to decorate trees with at Christmas??
Posted by: Marci | September 12, 2012 at 07:16 PM