Feather Trees & Shiny Brites

I adore vintage feather trees which are made of dyed goose feathers and were the very first artificial Christmas trees made to resemble the white pines in the German forest. The feather tree originated in Germany in the 19th Century, and was first created in an attempt to prevent further deforestation.   

Check out the close up of the goose feathers - imagine that poor person who had to attach them!  

Forget about the workers - what about the poor geese!  Look at them - running for their lives from the crazy pluckers!

One problem with buying the vintage trees - they are prohibitively expensive - some going for upwards of $300!  

What's a vintage, feather tree loving girl to do.  Solution, buy the knock offs!  I have two such faux feather trees and I adore them (is it wrong to feel this way about an inanimate object?).  They even came in their cute little copper pots (thanks Home Goods!).  With some tiny vintage ornaments dangling on them, they look fantastic.  A few more Shiny Brites in the pots and done.  

The wide spacing between branches makes them perfect for showing off favorite ornaments!  

These ornaments came from my father-in-law who had a huge collection that he would display on his tree every year.  These were the ones he wasn't using, probably because they are so small, so he gave them to me!   My favorite is the little pink acorn. 

So if you're ever at a yard sale and you spot an old goose feather tree, grab that puppy before I do!

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