An Amazing Home of Nativity Collections: Meet Judy Grove.

I walked into a gorgeous home the other day.

Have you ever seen a Christmas tree with just nativities on it?

Recently, Judy Grove, a friend through a family member

invited me into her home so that I could share her incredible collection.

 Judy has a tree of nativities.

This is a beautifully painted old glass bulb painted from the inside.

Judy is also a talented artist and has created some of the ornaments herself,

 like this painted gourd,

 and this uniquely shaped ornament.

Judy made this beautiful bulb by putting some paint and glitter into the inside

and swirling it around.

The outside has some sort of glue drizzled all over it to add texture

and then the metal nativity piece was glued in place.

Some of the ornaments on the tree are actually Christmas cards,

cut and made into ornaments.

There has been such variety and beauty in the cards she has found in the past,

she had a hard time getting rid of them,

 so she made them into ornaments for her tree.

This one is a stamped nativity.

Having been an aerobic teacher for many years,

those who got to know this cheerful, sweet lady starting giving nativities to her as gifts.

She has nativities from all over the world.

This intricate piece came from Germany:

the owner of it had left Germany as a child to escape problems going on there

and her relatives send her pieces from Germany.

She parted with this one to give it to Judy.

This was a one of my favorites on her tree.

The gold on it is stunning and the detail is gorgeous.

Judy told me a lady she knew had a daughter that suffered from health problems that eventually

took her young life.  She had painted this using her mouth to create the fine details.

The mother had given it to Judy, knowing her love for nativity pieces

and because Judy had a special place in her heart.

Judy's collection of nativities is spread throughout her home.

 She and her husband love the art of stained glass

and together they have created many beautiful pieces.

 Some of these framed pieces are actually the covers from puzzle boxes.

The puzzles have been completed and a wooden backing added by her husband.

They are beautifully displayed throughout her home as well. 

 

 

A friend gave her a nativity on a glass dish one year...

She loved it so well, her husband created a stained glass frame around it.

The colors are fantastic

Another nativity that took my breath away

was the stained glass set that Judy's husband made for her.

What a labor of love!

 There is a painted glass pane on a shelf,

individually stamped nativity pieces sit in front of a vintage Santa Claus puzzle,

 an ironing board with a very detailed scene,

and, of course, several sets of the nativity scene pieces,

 

like this beautiful set that was her mother's.

 

In the kitchen, I saw one of Judy's first painted nativities,

on a piece of cloth,

 

 another completed puzzle of a children nativity,

an assortment of nativity displays

on a wooden corner cupboard that Judy's husband built for her,

and a shelf lined with little nativity scenes she paints on wood

(similar to the ones that she sells).

 

 Judy's talent is visible everywhere in her home.

 She said this was also one of her first nativities she painted.

As an artist myself, I am always intrigued to see another artist's workspace.

There's just something about seeing somebody else's paints in beautiful random array

and a work in progress,

and it was very clear to me that the woman who holds the paint brush

is just as lovely and inviting as the beautiful collection she displays in her home.

 Judy creates pieces to sell using her paints.

Her home is filled with many other beautiful stained glass pieces,

and I hope to do another visit to her home in the spring and show some of those.

 

Thank you, Judy, for letting me traipse through your home, snapping my camera

and sharing with us your incredible collection of beautiful and meaningful nativities.

If you would like to contact Judy for details and pricing

to create a piece for you,

she can be reached at her email:

Jaggoes(at)Verizon(dot)net

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