Honey-Combed and Tissue Papered

We all have obsessions. That little something that makes you weak in the knees. Well for me, vintage paper honeycomb centerpieces excite my imagination and I have been obsessively collecting them with abandon. I'm sure it reminds me of my childhood when Mom would trot out the paper Turkey centerpiece every year to mark Thanksgiving. But it goes further than that, as she really didn't have a collection of these paper constructions in her holiday arsenal.

I think it is my love of all things paper and the sheer delicacy of paper items that gets my knees shaking. Anyone who knows me or has been reading this blog can attest to my fascination with paper. Starting with hand made books at the age of 8, exploring letterpress and stone lithography in college, to being a Fine Art Photographer for the past 25 years, my love for all things paper has grown into this years expression in my series: 

"Fleeting Perspectives: A Paper Ballet".  Of course I'm also very picky when it comes to the era in which they were produced, as well as the design and graphic elements of each object.

In this blog, I will share with you my special occasion collection and will save the big holiday items for another blog entry later this year. From Birthday Parties, Backyard Bar-B-Q's, Tiki Luau's and Graduation Parties to Baby Showers and Floral Arrangements, I have collected items that resonate with my esthetic and visual acumen. No 80's or 90's dye cuts for me. The graphics and inks are in a color palette that does not resonate with me. No, I'm firmly in the 60's and 70's paper collectors camp. 

Specifically, I have become a Hallmarks Plans-A-Party fanatic. The series, which started back in 1960, was a line of "Partyware" created to provide the Hostess with coordinating party decorations. The sets included invitations, plates, drinking cups, napkins, place mates, paper table covers, nut cups, party favors, wrapping paper and of course their amazing centerpieces. The majority of the centerpieces contained the structural element of honeycombed tissue paper. Matching paper dresses to coordinate with your decorations came in the later part of the decade! Now a days, Hallmark has a line of party decorations based on licensed imagery from Disney called Dream Parties. The gender specific princess and car themes are indicative of our culture today. 




Hence my decision to feature the "Little Alice Ann" partyware they made back in the 6T's for my daughters 4th birthday in October. This is the fullest set of decorations that I have in my collection. Edith Ann will be able to enjoy her Paper Doll themed party this year filled with 2 centerpieces, a paper table cloth, nut cups (which I will fill with small toys instead of nuts), and party favors (which are standup paper dolls with honeycomb skirts). I have not been able to find invitations, plates, drinking cups or a coveted paper dress for the occasion but will cut one out for her to wear, as well as construct my own evite from the visuals I have.

The older centerpieces are constructed from sturdier cardboard Honeycomb
construction is actually a very strong structure that is used in a myriad of applications. From home construction to packaging, paper honeycomb is a light and cost saving material that luckily for us, was used in decorative ways. 

By the mid-6T's, Hallmark began to include next to the instructions on how to put your centerpiece together, handy-dandy Party Ideas and Check-lists for the Hostess or Party Planner. The Check Lists of course included all the available "party accessories you need to make entertaining easy, with more fun and less work for you" but it's the Party Ideas I love. Someone, pre-Martha, sat down and came up with crafty ways to enhance each occasion with different activites. 


For example, "Little Alice Ann" Party Ideas included stringing crepe paper from the centerpieces and ending each streamer in a ball attached to each child's place setting filled with trinkets wrapped inside or having the little girls play dress us or play charades by guessing what's inside each present. I know Martha and her staff must have POURED over these suggestions. I do see a revised interpretation of some of Hallmark's suggestions over at MSL every once in awhile. But in the end, who doesn't appropriate from the past, no matter what field you're in!




Hallmark started out using fishtail metal clips to attach the honeycomb structure together but they are small items that tend to get lost very quickly. An imporvment came in the early 60's when metal tabs attached to the structure replaced the clips. The ease of bending the tab to secure the structure and remaining in place when stored, added to the longevity of these otherwise fleeting paper decorations. A paper clip is handy if either the clip or the tab is missing. 

The smell of old paper transports me back in time. My Grandmother's attic and moth balls comes to mind. The stale perfume of decomposed paper is a tonic for me.The organic nature of paper, a combination of pulp, glue and ink, deteriorates overtime and the scent of the off gases are intoxicating! “A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness” is how an international team of chemists describes the unique odor of old books in a study according to Metal Floss. No wonder we all like to "devour" a good book once in awhile - Bon Appetite!

When I open an unused centerpiece for the first time (I can hear the purists groan!), it's like opening a time capsule. The vibrancy of the colored honeycombed tissue paper is thrilling to see it in its pristine glory. Just look at that orange from the "Carmin Miranda" honeycomb I opened just for you! I get to experience the visual excitement those 6T's Hostesses did back in the day. I'm sure all you collectors out there know what I'm talking about. My husband is an avid collector of all things relating to vintage motorcycles and I see his passion when he opens up a pristine piece of literature with amazing graphics. I know I'm not alone...

That said, I'm not particular whether the centerpieces I collect are used or NOS (new old stock). It's really the theme and graphics that matter the most to me; the bright pop colors, black outline and characters are reflective of the time period they were created in. When I do buy a used item, the history of the packaging also tells me an interesting story about its previous owner. How carefully did they punch out each piece or man handled the paper tabs? It says a lot about their temperament. 

You can tell if someone cherished the decoration or didn't bother to open it at all. Sometimes, you can tell how the item was tossed around from garage sale to flee market by the hand scrawled price cuts on the front of the package. Most used centerpieces are carefully opened from the flap at the bottom and then resealed with scotch tape (a paper preservers nightmare!) or paper clipped.

I especially love the graphic elements of an untouched sheet that has yet been punched out. The Sheriff is a good example. His face and mustache laid out with the gun, holster, badge, belt and bandana creates a whole new visual and become a sort of Art onto itself for me. Call me crazy but I get into this stuff!

The fonts used on the packaging also helped to set the atmosphere for each special occasion. For example, "Miss Kitty Kat" has scroll work in the lower case letters to make it look more cat like and girly where "Island Paradise" text has a bit more of an exotic font to it.

Earlier centerpieces appear to have more hand drawn elements incorporated into the overall design. For instance, the untitled little girl dressed up in Mommy's cloths, her hat and purse include hand painted roses with a crayon outline. "Birthday Ballerina" is filled with the artists hand and "The Chef"'s shish kabob is cleverly hand drawn. I also love when they throw in yarn, ribbon, pom-pom balls, tassels or feathers as additional accents. It's these small elements that adds to the overall charm of the individual pieces.

The designers at Paper Source certainly have my attention and I have been squirreling away they amazing seasonal craft and decoration kits. They have a creative vision I appreciate and an aesthetic that is modern and fresh but feels like they are tipping their hat to the designs of the past. Martha Stewart of course is the Queen of crafting and has been paying more attention to paper decorations and paper crafts in the past few years.

I cannot finish this blog without mentioning how delighted I was when I recently attended my friend Karen Finlay's wedding reception. As I walked in, I was thrilled and amazed with delight to see each table was enviably decorated with Honeycomb Bride centerpieces! Bravo...

My obsession with paper is a heathly dose of creative curiosity with a dose of 6T's nostalgia. I will continue to collect to my hearts content and WOW my guests with my decorative centerpieces. 

See you at the next Bar-b-q!

Julie Pavlowski Green
September 14, 2013