Long before mass-produced holiday décor filled the stores, Victorian-era families pulled out baskets of old lace, pretty ribbon, and ephemera and gathered to fashion frippery for the newly popularized Christmas tree. One West Coast couple keeps the tradition alive with their one-of-a-kind handwrought adornments.
In 1997, when Gail and Glenn Giaimo left successful careers in software and relocated to a spacious Queen Anne-style home in Ferndale, California, they considered themselves retired. But a search for Christmas baubles befitting their home’s heritage unwittingly paved the way to a new artistic venture. Finding that timeworn decorations from yesteryear often fell apart, the pair amassed a collection of exquisite, nineteenth-century embossed die cuts from Europe called “scraps” and—with a seemingly magical flourish—combined them with glass pieces to create their own decorative accents. “We just started making these things for ourselves,” says Gail.
The hobby soon evolved into a small business christened Dresden Star Ornaments in homage to the intricate pressed-foil papers from Germany. Today, the Giaimos’ daughter, Alicia, also plays a role in production, and the family estimates they have made more than 5,000 unique trimmings—from tree toppers and glass balls to candy containers and cotton creations—each lovingly hand-signed and dated. The keepsakes are fashioned in a workspace on the second floor of a carriage house just steps from home. “It’s brimming with materials that are all from the Victorian era, up to maybe the 1920s or ’30s,” says Gail. Organized by size, shape, and type, trays of antique and vintage glass ornaments line the shelves, while drawers open to reveal an astounding scrap collection.
Amidst this kaleidoscopic assemblage of lovelies, a plume of gold tinsel may transform a mid-century orb into Santa’s rocket, or a rhinestone-studded sphere might be tipped upside down to form a hot air balloon. Exceptional care is lavished upon every facet of construction. Making a singular treasure takes between two and ten hours, the artisans admit. But unlike fragile nineteenth-century discoveries of their early years, Gail notes that the company’s products are designed to endure: “Our customers are passing something on that will last for generations.”
Connect with Dresden Star Ornaments on Instagram and Facebook.
Text Audra Shalles
Photography Stephanie Welbourne Steele
Styling Maghan Armstrong
Discover more handmade delights in our November/December 2025 issue, available on local newsstands or at victoriamag.com.
Amazing talent. An unparalleled talent in the art of Victorian ornament design. Loved the article.
I believe your Christmas issue is the most beautiful of all the past issues by far. I’m writing to ask if the artists who created the German scrap ornament with the girl in a blue coat would be allowed to be pictured in a single art journal booklet that I am creating, as a tribute to my German GG Grandmother and ancestor, Marie Antoinette’s mother and older daughter. Only one journal would be sold with restrictions not to print it again for sale.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Judith Hough
email jmarieal2@yahoo.com