Glanzbilder – Scrap Pictures to Collect, Trade and Decorate

Ernst Freihoff may not be a familiar name to many, but to many girls who grew up in, or spent time in Germany in the 60s, 70s and 80s, his company’s Glanzbilder were an essential part of childhood. What are Glanzbilder? You may know them as Scrapbilder, Poesiebilder, Albumbilder, Rosenbilder or even Oblaten. These colorful sets of pictures were printed…

What You Should Know About German Beer Coasters or Bierdeckel

When the server set the beer (and wine) in front of me with a coaster on top of it, a light bulb went off in my head. You see, German Beer Coasters are called Bierdeckel or Beer Lid, and I never quite understood why a coaster would be called a Deckel. Turns out, there’s some interesting history associated with these…

Steinbach Company in Germany- Still Making Erzgebirge Magic for the World

  “We want to bring the Erzgebirge magic into peoples homes all over the world.” While scrolling through Facebook recently, I came across an interesting comment on the Steinbach Nutcracker fan page… it said that the Steinbach Company in Germany had been purchased, and the factory was up and running again. WHAT! I did some digging, and couldn’t find much……

History of Hummel Figurines -Collecting German Hummel Figurines

Many people associate Germany with Hummel Figurines, and presume that we would have loads of them in our home. Actually, while I was growing up, my mother always had just one Hummel Figurine displayed in her Living Room Schrank… a little girl walking with a basket. She told me her aunt gave it to her when she left Germany, so…

German Fairy Tale Wall Art -Colorful Wandfiguren for Children

See what I found while clearing out the closet? Like many German kids in the 1970s, my room was decorated with colorful wooden Fairy Tail wall art, Wandfigur, that depicted some of my favorite Fairy Tales. Made by companies like Mertens Kunst and Ravi Kunst, these bright and cheery wall hangings have become collectible today. Designs all came from fairy…

German Wooden Easter Bunnies from the Erzgebirge

Easter Rabbits bringing Eggs are a very German tradition. The Erzebirge Mountains in Germany are famous for their beautiful seasonal Wood Carvings, so Easter Time, the carvings are of der Osterhase… the Easter Bunny!. The Hand Carved German Wooden Easter Bunnies are made into ornaments, smokers, figurines, candles and pyramids. You will bind the all sorts of beautiful German decorations for your…

Erzgebirge Flower Children-A Sweet Memory of Blumenkinder

 The Flower Children are a messenger that Spring is upon us! Bright colored outfits, little rabbits , sweet smiles, and of course, those giant Flowers. The Erzgebirge Flower children were traditional gifts for birthdays and Christenings. Gisela sent me an email with a memory. Does anyone else collect Angels and Erzgebirge Flower Children? My mom has a set of the…

German Shield Charms – Collect Memories on a Bracelet

Some people collect spoons, other collect patches or post cards; still other people collect beer steins. I don’t know when it began, but somewhere in my childhood I started collecting German Shield Charms for a charm bracelet. These special little charms are all painted with a place name, and then enameled. I fasten mine on to a silver bracelet that I…

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