The Nativity Ornaments
The Nativity Ornament Characters
The initial Nativity Ornaments Collection included Mary holding Baby Jesus, Joseph, the three Magi, a shepherd, a Peasant Girl, and an Angel. Given that this is one of my cornerstone collections, I have added new ornaments as the years have passed. The latest additions include Baby Jesus in a manger, Mary without Baby Jesus, and finally The Drummer Boy. Reminiscing on our childhood Nativity scenes, I realized that there are so many more figurines that I could add to this collection. With this in mind, watch for new ornaments being added to this collection in the years to come.
My Inspiration for The Nativity Ornaments
My grandma Laura Elena used to have a Nativity set with all sorts of figurines. Starting with Mary and Joseph, to shepherds, villagers, angels, and many farm animals, her set had it all. In addition to these figurines, it also had campfires, village houses, trees, bushes, and flower pots. The interesting thing was that the size of the figurines varied from large to teeny tiny, and everything in between. As a result, we had different sizes to create a good sense of perspective when building our Nativity scenes.
As soon as the crisp cold December weather set in, my siblings and I were busy building the most beautiful nativity scenes you could imagine. In the first place, we used cardboard boxes and crumpled newspapers to shape the mountains. Also, we used my brother Carlos’ green wool blanket to create the grassy fields. We discovered that aluminum foil was perfect to make rivers. Thus, we crinkled foil and added glitter to it for an extra sparkling water effect. Furthermore, we tried our artistic hands to paint big sheets of paper with clouds, stars, and moons, and suns. After this, we taped the sheets of the sky to the walls.
Occasionally, my sister Claudia’s blue hair troll would make it under the village’s bridge. However, my brother Carlos’ HO scale train would always make it into the Nativity scene going up and down the rolling hills. Even more, we never failed to sprinkle Matchbox cars throughout the Nativity scene. As a result, our Nativity scenes were a bit unorthodox, to say the least. However, our Nativity scenes were the reflection of children’s charming imaginations as they await the coming of Baby Jesus.
The Nativity Ornament Dedication
I designed The Nativity Ornaments Collection in honor of my maternal grandmother who collected the most beautiful Nativity figurines I had ever seen. I dedicated this Nativity Ornaments Collection to all my siblings and the creative power of our collective dreams. As we planned the design, our imaginations generated endless ideas to build the most elaborated Nativity scenes. Our time together planning and building the Nativity scenes is one of my fondest Christmas childhood memories.
Frequently Asked Questions about CELIStial Art products
- How can I order customized ornaments and figurines?
Some of our ornaments have been designed with a level of customization in mind. For example, the Bride and Groom ornaments and Wedding Cake Toppers offer a large array of customizable options. These ornaments are not readily in stock since they are hand-crafted to your specifications based on our primary design. You can do your desired customizations and let us know of any specific instructions you might have. We will contact you with any questions we might have and an estimated delivery date. Please allow plenty of time for us to create your customized keepsake.Â
- Can I supply the materials for my custom ornaments and figurines?Certainly! We love making ornaments from materials that have a special meaning to you. We have designed some of our ornaments to be customizable. For example, we can incorporate the leftover clippings from your wedding dress fittings, into your Bride & Groom Wedding Cake topper and Our First Christmas Together ornaments. When ordering a customizable ornament, please indicate that you will be providing some of the materials. We will contact you if we have any questions and we will let you know when we receive the material. It is then when our work will start.
- Are the ornaments made from recycled materials?Yes, all ornaments are mostly made from recycled materials and repurposed materials. The most common recycled materials we used are toilet paper rolls, empty ribbon spools, empty tiny boxes usually from travel size toothpaste, caps from ChapSticks and medicine ointments, old clothing, old linens, old books, leather garments, board game pieces, puzzles, wigs, old jewelry, computer parts, electronics parts, discarded 3D printing filament, pop tabs, etc. As for repurposed materials, we find new uses for ordinary items such as wooden door knobs, wooden pegs, buttons, cocktail decorations, hors d’oeuvres picks, push pins, etc. We also use the gifts of mother nature in our ornaments. So, you will often see nuts, seeds, pinecones, buckeyes, seashells, tree bark, twigs, eggshells, etc. On occasion, I buy unique materials that are needed to enhance and accentuate the character the figurines represent. This is the case of the King Arthur collection in which swords and daggers came from artists suppliers. I usually buy new paint, polyacrylics, glues, fabric stiffener, and decoupage finish. But I also use leftover house paint.
- Can you suggest the creation of a collection based on your favorite book?Any suggestions are welcome! We will indeed entertain any suggestions you might have and will let you know if we are going to pursue the idea. Of course, the theme must support our goal of creating figurines that will fuel the imagination of all young at heart. That said, we only create ornaments and figurines based on creative works that are in the public domain. And of course, we create our own make-believe characters from the well of our imagination. To know if a creative work is public domain, the best way is to google it or get the advice from legal counsel specialized in copyrights laws.
- Do you make figurines and ornaments based on Disney, Marvel comics, etc. characters?Most Disney characters are under active copyrights. The same applies to the Marvel comics’ characters and the likes. So, unless the copyright of one of these characters expires, we will not be able to create figurines and ornaments depicting them. For example, Superman won’t be in the public domain until 2033. Now, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will enter public domain on January 1st,2024.
- How can I send you materials I think you could use for your ornaments?We always welcome materials from our fans. You can send us the materials to the address: 156 Webster Park Ave. Columbus, OH. Please address the package in care of Catalina Celis Reasoner. If you are in doubt whether we can use the material, just drop us a line via email describing the materials you have. If by any reason we cannot use the material, we can always find a good home for it. We often get packages in the mail from our customers, and some even bring it to us at art shows. So, we would love to push our imagination with anything you might send our way.
- Are these ornaments and figurines only suitable for the Christmas season?Absolutely not. Our ornaments and figurines are suitable for many holidays. We have ornaments and figurines designed specially for Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, Halloween, the Fourth of July, Easter, and many more. More importantly, our ornaments and figurines are designed for collectors of all ages. So, you can display them all year around, bringing a splash of magic to your home.
- In which ways can these figurines and ornaments be used to decorate?CELIStial Art figurines and ornaments are great to decorate fireplace mantels, shelves, and side tables. Most of CELIStial Art ornaments and figurines have been designed to stand on their own or to be hung, so they are extremely versatile. They are great to create magic table escapes that will be the talk of your parties and holiday gatherings. Some of the ornaments that cannot stand on their own, are perfect as dreamcatchers in front of your favorite window. And of course, they are perfect to decorate your Easter tree, Halloween tree, and Christmas tree.
- Where can I see your work in person?We usually participate in two art shows in the Columbus and Dayton area. These shows are usually towards the end of year during the holiday season. The largest show is the Winterfair, in Columbus Ohio. The second show is the Christkindlmarkt at the Dayton Liderkranz Turner.
- Can children play with these figurines?No, these handmade figurines and ornaments are NOT toys. Adult supervision is required when figurines and ornaments are being handled by children. This applies to products in all collections, including the Stick Puppet Ornaments Collection.
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Contain small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
- How can I take care of my ornaments and figurines?If you keep your ornaments out all year round, you should dust them while you do the rest of your housekeeping. Do not let it go more than two months before dusting, otherwise the dust may get engrain in the fabric and hair, making it more difficult. If you keep them inside your curio cabinet, it is also advisable to dust them from time to time. Use a very soft and round paint brush as your duster. Preferably, a watercolor paint brush. These are usually the softest. Gently, brush off the dust starting from top to bottom. Place it back where it was and continue enjoying its charm.
If you only display your ornaments during the holiday season, dust them as described above. You will be surprised how much dust can the ornaments collect hanging from the Christmas tree or sitting on the mantle. Whether your ornaments came on a white cardboard box or a clear plastic one, it is advisable to wrap them in tissue paper after being dusted and before placing them in their box. Store the ornaments in a dry place with little temperature fluctuations.
Never use water or any other liquid to clean the ornaments.