Latest News and Items of Interest
January 2023
Carl & Marcia have survived the most difficult year of their long marriage following Marcia's two-stage, very scary spine surgery in December 2021. Marcia had lost the ability to walk due to pressure on her spinal cord. After 15 months of rigorous physical therapy and a painful recovery from surgery, she has progressed to walking with just a cane and looks forward to walking normally again. During her recovery period Carl had to manage all household duties, care for Marcia, and do as much tinsmithing as he could. If your orders have not been fulfilled on a timely basis, please try to be patient and understand what a devastating impact this major health episode has had on our business.
Carl Giordano - Tinsmith has been selected for Early American Life Magazine’s Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen for the years 1996 through 2022.
2013 - Carl Giordano - Tinsmith created set decorations for the Ron Howard production, In the Heart of the Sea, which opened in theaters in 2015.
March 2011 - We created set decorations in the movie Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.
March 2008 - Watch for Giordano tinware in the HBO Miniseries "John Adams", scheduled to run March 16 - April 20.
Winter 2006 - We are honored with a commission to replicate the tinware items in George Washington's camp kitchen trunk for the site of his final headquarters, Rockingham (NJ), at the end of the Revolution. The original camp kitchen box is owned by and on display in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. Among the tin items are nesting camp kettles, plates, platters, tinderbox, and a tea box. See our reproductions of George Washington's kitchen items here at the site of Living History Shop. Living History Shop's owner, artisan Dick Toone, was the project's originator and coordinator.
June 25, 2005 -
The 2005 Yankee Peddler Foundation Crafter/Artist of the Year Award was presented to Carl & Marcia Giordano during an awards dinner at Tangier Restaurant, Akron, OH.
"The Giordano's were recognized both for their craft, tinsmithing, and also for their dedication to the education and the arts and crafts communities. The Yankee Peddler Foundation created the Award to recognize the superlative artistry and handcrafting of this region and to afford greater public knowledge of the many excellent crafters and artists who live and work here. The Crafter/Artist of the Year Award is the only one of its kind in the Midwest." The Giordano’s were selected from a list of ten nominees which was drawn up by professional crafters, artists, and show promoters.
February 2005 - We created a large number of props for the movies Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3. We were pleased to see Johnny Depp use one of our spice shakers to "season" himself with paprika in Pirates 2.
We saw our tin botanist's vasculum actually being used in the movie Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World in a scene shot on the Galapagos Islands. While we have made numerous movie props, this is the first time we have actually seen one of them in use on the big screen. The movie is a "must-see" for history buffs, as there has been a great deal of attention paid to period-correct details.
2003 - The 2003 HGTV holiday special, White House Christmas Memories, was a look back at White House Christmas decor from the past seven years. In the 1999 segment, there was a piece from the 1999 HGTV White House special in which we are featured for our tin and brass cocked hat ornament. This special aired on December 14th and again on Christmas Day 2003.
2002 - We were commissioned in 2002 to provide props for two movies that will open in 2003.
We created a reproduction botanist's specimen case, or vasculum, for Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World that stars Russell Crowe & Paul Bettany. This movie opened on November 14, 2003.
Information about Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/
Pirates of the Caribbean, a Disney Studios production starring Johnny Depp, ordered a number of pieces of our reproduction tinware for their movie opened on July 9, 2003.
Information about Pirates of the Caribbean
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325980/?ref_=nv_sr_2
The NPS commissioned us to make several pieces to be used aboard The Friendship, a new reproduction of an 18th c.sailing ship docked at Salem, MA. Salem Maritime National Historic Site is the permanent home for the vessel which is open to visitors. The items commissioned included a breadbox, a lantern, a tray, and a speaking trumpet.
Our brass angel ornament was selected for the 2002 Ohio Governor's Residence Christmas Treeas part of a program called "Treasures for the Tree." Ohio's First Lady, Hope Taft, began this program in 2000, and it has become an annual event. Fifty to seventy-five ornaments are chosen each year to decorate the Ohio First Family's tree, and the Tafts entertain the craftsmen at a special evening reception at the residence in early December.
The Ohio Governor's Residence is now home to our miniature cocked hat ornament constructed of tin and brass. The ornament was one of 54 selected from among statewide entries by Ohio artists and craftsmen. All selected ornaments were displayed on Governor and Mrs. Taft's 2001 Christmas tree in the Governor's Residence. Craftsmen whose ornaments were selected were invited to a reception in their honor at the Governor's Residence in early December.
Our 18th C. reproduction sidespout coffeepot was featured in the Early American Life magazine's "Side By Side" exhibit at the 2001 Mount Vernon 18th C. Fair held at the estate of George Washington. Our sidespout coffeepot was reproduced from an 18th C. painting by Joseph van Auken. (See photos below)
It was our great pleasure to be invited by President and Mrs. Clinton to create an ornament for the1999 White House Blue Room Christmas Tree. The decorating theme, "Holiday Treasures at the White House," focused on our rich national heritage. We inscribed the following inside the tin & brass ornament--"dedicated to our first heads of state."
Home & Garden TV's White House Christmas 1999, an HGTV Holiday Special, featured a segment showing us re-creating our ornament in our home workshop. The program aired several times between December 19 and December 25, 1999.
We were invited, along with the many other contributing artists and artisans, to a special tour of the White House on December 17. The holiday decorations were exquisite, and we were delighted to see our ornament displayed on the beautiful velvet tree skirt at the base of the Blue Room Tree.
Our work has been featured in Early American Homes magazine's "Side by Side" exhibits at the "Craft Fair at Mount Vernon" in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2001. Our new Mount Vernon lantern was displayed in the EAH booth during the 2000 Craft Fair at Mount Vernon.
We were honored to receive a "Presentation Award" at the first annual Crafts Fair at Mount Vernon in September 1997, held on the grounds of George Washington’s mansion in Virginia.
Carl volunteered as the volunteer tinsmith with the Ohio Historical Society site of Zoar Village for 6 years.
Our love of music brought us together at Bowling Green State University, where we both earned Bachelor of Music degrees in Education. Carl, retired in 1997, taught music in Ohio schools for 30 years.