Honeycomb Heaven!

This blog o'mine has been primarily focused on Patters from my Fine Art Photography and Tones from my Rock n' Roll Photography. But in between these two very distinct genres lives my passions for Honeycomb objects which doesn't quite fit into either category.

None the less, I cannot hold myself back from sharing with you my undying love for all things HONEYCOMB!!! Today my friends is the apex of my collection: the ornaments. These sweet and fragile holiday characters were all made in post war Japan. The mere fact that they are mostly intact and uncrushed is a testament to the love and attention (or complete disregard and delegation to the attic) - how ever you want to look at it, from their former owners.

As my visual Christmas gift to you, I would like to present a slice of my Honeycomb Heaven!

Happy Holidays,

Julie Pavlowski Green
December 6, 2014

Honeycomb ornaments in the shape of Christmas characters really floats my paper boat! This little guy on the left has added paper elements that are quite unique. His red paper hands, black boots and scalloped white beard (sans mustache) is pure 6T's Pop.

The paper mask on the other Santa is quite rare and adds another dimension to his honeycombed structure.

Adding cotton batting on his chin was a great idea for this Santa. Surprisingly, his neatly trimmed beard still holds its form after all these years. It's slightly crushed honeycomb hat wasn't so lucky.

Funny how Santa looks like a clown without his beard!

The word Jolly really does describe the color palate that was assigned to Santa years ago. Adorned in red velvet and white fur, who wouldn't want to sit on his lap? The dusting of glitter has hardened over the years but the sparkle is still there. His buckle adds a sparkling detail to this little elf.

Teeny Santa heads are some of my favorites in this series. Their pristine honeycomb folds are crisp and rarely crushed, probably due to their size. This one is another variation on the beardless Santa theme.

Santa in a hot air balloon! A a rare find that I was thrilled to add to my collection this year. This one is in perfect condition. The Honeycomb ball at the top is adorned with mercury glass beads as well as decorating the "strings" that connect it with the basket. Golden rick rack surrounding the balloon, to me, is  just the perfect accent to this adorable ornament. The bottom is dusted once again with glitter.

I see a stop motion animation project coming on!

These little frosty snowmen in blue and green make me want to whip up a hot cup of coco just looking at them! Their crazy googie eyes are hard to stare at for long periods of time but the hint of a candy cane made me fall immediately in love.

Stovepipe hat, check. Two eyes made out of coal, check. But the unusual hands and feet adorn this little guy helps him to stand up if you don't want to hang him as an onrmanet.

Frosty on the right is missing the standard red nose which looks like a plastic matchstick but I really don't mind. He looks dapper just the same to me.

Hints of green and red for the holidays make these snowmen Holiday ready. I like how the selection of body shapes vary. I'm assuming different companies produced different items without conferring with their competition.

If anyone has any background knowledge on this variation or clues to who the manufacturers were, I'd love to hear from you!

Who can resist this little guy with his sign and shovel? As tiny as the Santa head listed above, this snowman measures 2" in height. Just precious and in pristine condition aside from a missing matchstick nose...

As a rule I don't collect Soldiers or Angels. But these faces melted my heart and I could not bear to leave them out of my collection.

The atomic shape of angle #1 is so groovie that it makes me smile every time I take these ornaments out of the box. His gold scalloped wings flutter with every breeze.

#2 is the perfect Angle. Her Halo sits perfectly on her head and the fabric detail at the bottom reiterates the wonderful paper patter of the Honeycomb. Her wings are embossed which helps to refract the light.

Harkening back to a more Baroque halo is this little one on the left. I don't see this Angle very often and only have 3 in my collection. Here their transformation of the bell shape is apparent.

Although the thought of a naughty angle does appeal to me, especially when their halo is crooked! The blue halo is actually tinsel and an unusual color to use for this iconographic symbol of light.

Here I am breaking my own rules again. This handsome soldier seems very French to me with this pencil mustache and formal military hat. Glittery soldiers are quite a different from the real thing.

Happily, so are these Candles made of paper. Burning candles were originally placed on the first Christmas tree back in the day posing a serious fire hazard! Now I get to hang with care free...

Trees hanging from a tree. I like the continuity of that! One is glittery the other is not. Both make me smile.

Last but certainly not lease is sweet little Rudolph. This rare red nosed reindeer along with all of these honeycomb ornaments will be adorning my child's tree this year. I hope that all of these whimsical characters formed in paper become a pleasant memory for her and that when she reflect on her childhood holidays she thinks of her Honeycomb heaven!