Pushing Pins

My handmade ornament obsession started with my mom, Dorothy Prokop Wildman. She worked in a card and gift shop in North Brunswick, NJ where we lived. The shop also had costume jewelry which sometimes fell apart.

Mom started using beads from broken jewelry and supplies purchased at a little Christmas craft shop in New Jersey. Early ornaments were simple. Usually she used plain white styrofoam balls, often with pieces velvet ribbon around them. She pushed hundreds of pins into every ball, attaching beads and sequins.


As time went on the ornaments got more elaborate. She used more colorful satin colored shapes. She also had various shapes of styrofoam that she often covered completely with beads and sequins. 

For years, I have collected kits to make this type of ornament. Some of them are vintage kits I've found on etsy. Others are current kits. This week I made one of those. I don't remember Mom using any tool to push the pins in but I found my fingers couldn't deal with doing the pushing. I guess I'm more of a wimp than she was!