Heirlooms For Christmas

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 25, 2007 ) Sacramento, CA – It’s Christmas time again and as usual, it’s always easy to purchase gifts for the kids – toys, video games, etc. Dads are also easy to satisfy, especially with colognes, slippers, or even tools. But, what do we get for mom, after all the sacrifices, guidance, and great food they have given us throughout the year?This year, more and more people are getting back to simple, yet durable and collectible items that make gifts memorable, especially if they bring back a time of the American Christmas’ past. “We have taken keepsakes and heirlooms to a different level,” says Mina Contreras, owner of Mina’s Treasures, a business dedicated to keeping vintage gifts alive in today’s throwaway society. “Our pincushions contain the authentic emery and make these hand made gifts become family heirlooms, which creates a bond with past, present and future generations.”Communities throughout America are rediscovering the quality, utility, and value of handcrafted items, like pincushions, broaches, and other whimsical pieces that make a home inviting and memorable. This American tradition has experienced a significant resurgence, helped by the many items made in China and are being recalled.“The methods of making useful items for the home has been brought back as people realize we compromise quality and value when those items are made abroad,” continues Mina. “If we plan to keep America strong, we need to go back and stand behind the phrase of ‘It is Made In The U.S.A.’ and we know how to do this.”Mina displays a set of six different pincushions and reads the labels. Each has a different brand, but all are made in China, including the ever-popular tomato pincushion. She reads the ingredients and we discover that all either contains dirt, sand, cotton or sawdust, which are not healthy for metal pins.“Sawdust will make your pins oily and gummy,” says Mina. “Dirt and sand can carry germs, and also rusts your pins. Cotton retains moister and, after time, weevils make that their home. I have a package here that clearly says ‘Do Not Store Needles and Pins In The Emery.’ If this were really emery, you would be able to store your pins and needles without concern. And they would be clean and sharp all the time.”Mina continues to promote the American quality and value handcrafted items bring to the home. To contact Mina, email her at minastreasures@hotmail.com.###

CalMagazine.com
Adrian Perez

aperez@calmagazine.com