“The hardest part is not coming up with the ideas; it’s reining them in,” Diane says. “Sometimes it takes days, weeks, or even years to get them just right.”
To get herself into the proper frame of mind to design the 2009 Valentine Victorian Whimsey, for instance, Diane reread Emma, Jane Austen’s classic romantic tale published in 1815. “Dearest You Will Always Be,” the product’s title, is a quote from the novel.
It was almost inevitable that Diane and Beatrice would form D. Blümchen & Company. Diane has been collecting and designing holiday ornaments since childhood, and the two women travel together to Germany frequently to search for companies that can supply treasures from eras past.
“We go for authenticity,” Diane says. “All our decorations, as well as our crafts supplies for do-it-yourself projects, come from the original countries or the original companies.”
Diane rearranges the elements of the new Valentine Victorian Whimsey, and her mother declares it to be exactly right. “It looks as precious as a piece of jewelry,” Beatrice beams.
Text Nancy A. Ruhling
Photography Luciana Pampalone
To learn more about D. Blümchen & Company, read “Fanciful Ephemera from the Heart” on page 78 in the January/February 2009 issue of Victoria.
Utterly amazing ! This brings me back to wonderful times with my mother and grandmother – if only I realized at the time how valuable these memories would become!
Thank you for reminding me of this wonderful 2009 article!
Brandon Hartford
Te Deum Cottage