Saturday, October 29, 2011

Old old old Halloween!

My sister found these old photos of all of us dressed up and ready to scare! I think I won a prize at the mall for this costume... And I remember that red corduroy skirt being too small and really tight, but they were the only red bottoms I had. I still have those horns and where them almost every Halloween just for fun. Ben wore them when he was a suave devil our first Halloween together! I put red face paint in his ears and I'm still not sure if he's forgiven me! Ah memories!

My dad is a natural when it comes to playing anything that comes from the woods, be it bear, wolf, or werewolf.

My mom didn't dress up that year...hehe. Just kidding Mom!

My brother was obsessed with the terminator and recreated this costume many times later throughout the year and years to come, be it Halloween or not. He mostly used to convince my sister that he was a real cyborg. And no one was allowed to touch his mechanical hand.

And my poor little sister had to live with all of those scary creatures! Luckily she survived. :) Ahhh the 90's....or was it the 80's still?

Friday, October 28, 2011

Spooky Entryway...

I love the feeling of fall...the leaves falling, the wind blowing, the apples red and ready for the picking and Halloween!! Over the last few years my Halloween decor collection as grown quite a bit. I think I had only two or three things five years ago! But with some crafting, some treasure hunting, and the handiwork of others, the mantel in my front entry way was brimming with black and orange!

Ideally I would have liked to have spread my decorations around the house a bit more, but everything is still finding it's place and most of the rooms are still in transition...not a great environment for decorating (I suspect by the time the Christmas decorations come out...there'll be lots of places to put things). Soooo...I pretty much took most of my Halloween goodies and piled them onto the mantel!

I made empty party crackers and surprise balls a couple of years ago. There's no haunting mystery about what's inside vs the guilt of opening them and ruining the handiwork. Although the brightly colored crackers are vintage and have something mysterious hidden inside!

A vintage noise maker, mini blow mold pumpkin, funny paper mache gourd guy and some handmade pieces...

The gourd guys I made out of dried gourds are some of my favorite characters.


The witches are flying again this too. This time you can see them as soon as you walk in the house!

This antique black rocker was a wedding gift from my Aunt Kate and it actually goes quite well with Halloween.

The fireplace in the kitchen has a little stack of blow mold jacks.

The living room holds my vintage "Witchy Board". My superstitious friend wasn't too thrilled that I had it. I'll have to hide it when she comes over again...hehe.

On the second tier of the mantel the vintage crepe witches line up with their black cat and 10 cent honeycomb pumpkins.

I love decorating for Halloween!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Mini Surprise Halloween Update!

Party Penny - SOLD
Ellen - SOLD
Wilma the Witch - SOLD

After my last Halloween update, I had a few half finished pieces that didn't make it into the update. Plus the class sample piece (Miss Witch on her box) from my workshop last weekend. I asked them if they just wanted to hold on until next year, since I didn't get to do another full update this year. Thay said "no!" So here it is, a mini surprise update! It works the same as all the other updates. First come first served. Shipping is $3.50 for one item and $1 per additional item up to $6.50, then additional pieces are free.

There are only 6 pieces, so if you see one you like let me know by emailing me at vintagebycrystal@yahoo.com. :)

Headless Horseman - SOLD
Miss Witch - SOLD
Dressed up Bat Girl - SOLD

Monday, October 24, 2011

Workshop!

The Tinsel Trading Workshop I taught this past Saturday was a blast! It was a really nice change of pace to be creating with a group of fabulous gals in an amazing and inspiring environment. Usually it's just me and the cats. We were there from Tinsel's opening to closing and it went by in a blink!

And thank you Heather for sharing your photos with me...these photos are a mix of hers and mine. :)

All the great girls that spent the day with me. And Mr. Giraffe off to the side in his costume startled me a few times throughout the day... :)

Just a few of the fabulous supplies we worked with... Who can resist such huge tubs of Tinsel's famous glass glitter?!

Lisa, Elena and Robin hard at work...

Me blabbing on and on...

The perfect picture of busy hands...

Click on this photo to enlarge...everyone came away with such different, but equally fabulous pieces!! I loved seeing all the creativity that everyone has! All of my students had different levels of crafting experience and I'm so impressed with each one!

The proud new owners of a great art...and me! From top left clockwise: Robin, Mary, Lisa, Cara, Heather, Me, Elena, Fran, and Melanie. Thank you so much everyone for having such a great time with me! And thanks Marcia and Melanie for organizing everything for Tinsel Trading and for me. :)

Of course I had to share a few snaps of the fabulousness that Tinsel always has on display.

I'm loving Wendy Addison's Fruit Bowls...

And fruit cones. Wendy was in the back of the store the whole day sorting through super old and super amazing beads!! A little jealous I must admit! :) I'll be back to scoop some up at a later date!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Tinsel Trading Workshop is this Weekend!


This weekend is my Halloween workshop! Thank you so much for those of you who snagged a spot at the Tinsel Trading craft table! I've been busy this week preparing and thinking of all the little goodies and details to provide you guys. Tinsel Trading just told me that they're supplying the glitter, trims, acorns, millinery flowers and leaves, dresden, and their famous gold metal thread! I love digging into new materials and am looking forward to sharing as many crafting tips as I can! Plus TT will be providing lunch (is it weird that I'm especially excited about that?)!

It's not too late to sign up if you were thinking about joining us. Sign up is here. I also have a listing on Etsy for the workshop if that's easier. :)

Can't wait to see you on Saturday!

Monday, October 17, 2011

New Old Things on Etsy!

I've been adding new old goodies to my Vintage from Crystal Etsy shop recently and I made a collage of a few to show off. Just extra little trinkets I pick up from my treasure hunting to share with anyone who fancies them just as much as I do! Not to mention the goodies my friend from Germany sends, like the vintage German puzzle blocks, complete with carrying case. All are on Etsy right now! :)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Surprise! A Flock of Owls Just Flew In!

Surprise! A big flock of black and orange Halloween owls just flew into town and are looking for places to stay. Ten brand new one of a kind owls are over at Etsy waiting to be scooped up and taken care of. Some with blue eyes, some with big eyes, some with tiny beaks, some with lots of freckles... There's an owl for everyone and get your favorite before it's gone! (Do I sound like a used car salesman yet?). :) Get them on Etsy or email me at vintagebycrystal@yahoo.com to claim the one you want!

Fun Treasures!

A few weeks ago Ben and I went a fabulous estate sale where I channeled some Magpie Ethel luck. We went in the afternoon after the crazy crowd was gone and were still able to score some fabulous goodies. Most of what we got was in the garage in the form of a wheelbarrow, tools, and the like. Not too exciting...but I did find some fun vintage things...like the old old celluloid bunny and stork! The stork is all broken in the back where it plugs in as a light bulb (weird), but you can never tell from the front and since it's a display piece, that's all the matters!

This beautiful old German egg isn't completely Easter and can be displayed all year round. I love it!

Lots of great Christmas goodies! Some for crafting, some for selling (in my Vintage from Crystal Etsy shop), and some for keeping!

A whole box of awesome Christmas corsages. Most of them are in somewhat non-perfect shape, which takes the guilt away from taking them apart for using this Christmas as spun cotton accessories. :) Well...except for the pink and silver one...that one's going on my Christmas tree.

Some little trinkets...including a rock collection, cool old pin cushion, and pretty little jewel box.

This was my most unusual find of the sale...A big bin of antique (not vintage...antique!) baby clothes! They are so beautiful...many are handmade, and all were lovingly cared for.

Lots of bonnets and booties. Lots of knitted and crocheted sweaters, including one that was so loved and carefully stitched back together when it began to fall apart. Back then wearing something so repaired was probably looked upon negatively and maybe as a sign of destitution. But I now it see as something loved and taken care of and something that's still around today! Not tossed away at the first tiny hole. I love it! Most of these clothes are too small for my ever-growing nieces and little cousins, plus I think you need a taste for old things to want to put your baby in these, so I'm stashing these away for future babies. We'll see if I can bear to put them on a pooping, puking baby when the time comes! lol But I guess if they stood the test of babies long grown, then they'll be ok for a new little person. :)

Monday, October 10, 2011

Spun Cotton Hummingbird

It seems like it's been a while since I've made brand new animal figures. I love studying the structure of different animals and doing my best to copy them in spun cotton. I'm planning on making a slew of brand new animals whenever I can and making them available for sale on Etsy. This particular hummingbird is a made up species, but most of the animals I make will be modeled after real species and named accordingly. What else do I have coming soon? A sloth, a robin, a new kind of owl, and a weasel. :) For now...this pretty green hummingbird is available in my Etsy shop.

And I also want to thank everyone who picked up a figure or two or three or... the other day during my update. Most everyone found happy new homes, which makes me super happy! There are only a few wishers and wanters left. So thank you thank you thank you!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Halloween Update!

Jack-o-Lantern Jill - SOLD
Lightbulb Lola - 28

The haunted houses are starting to pop up around here and I think I just might live in one of them... with all of these spooks and ghosts living in my studio. Perhaps you can help me excise them? Of course they're not all evil. Lots of little trick-or-treater's and people from the pumpkin patch live here too. But it's getting a bit too crowded for all of these guys to run around willy nilly. So here they are! :)

As usual, blog readers get first dibs on my new spun cotton one-of-kind figures. Click on photos to enlarge. If you see something(s) you love, just email me at vintagebycrystal@yahoo.com and I'll let you know if they're still available. First come first served! I'll update item statuses in this post as often as I can to make it easier for you to know what's available. Items often get scooped up quickly, so make your selection as swiftly as you can, you can always add available pieces to your order later. Also feel free to include second choices if your first choice is unavailable, but make sure you label them "second choice".

Shipping is $3.50 for one item and $1 per additional item up to $6.50, then additional pieces are free. All paid orders will ship out immediately and should arrive in a few days. If you'd prefer priority shipping, which is a little faster, just let me know, it's only $1.50 extra. I send Paypal invoices via email unless you specify that you'd rather pay via check. And of course email me if you have any questions! Happy Shopping!

Black Swan Girl - 28
Goblin Gayle - SOLD
Bird Watching Barbara - SOLD

Take-a-Chance Pumpkin Girl - SOLD
Medusa - SOLD

Smiling Samantha - SOLD
Flickering Francesca - SOLD
Miss Spiderweb - 28

Mr. Cameron Carrot - 36
Polite Polly - 30
Mr. Gumbo Gourd - SOLD

Pam the Pumpkin Puppeteer - SOLD
Golly Gosh Pumpkin Man - SOLD
Woodland Gnome Pumpkin - SOLD

Hitch a Ride on a Hummingbird (ornament) - 28
Billie the Bird Rider - SOLD
Miss Wren (box) - SOLD

Trick-or-Treat Pirate - SOLD
Trick-or-Treat Mummy - SOLD
Trick-or-Treat Skeleton (move arm to reveal cute face) - SOLD

Omar Owl - SOLD
Olly Owl - 23

Kitty Kitten - SOLD
Juggling Kitten - SOLD
Black Birthday Kitten - 23

Olga and her Oriole - SOLD
Thelma Thread - SOLD
Miss Oopsie Orange - SOLD

Mrs Gina Gourd (spun cotton head) - 34
Uma Onion - SOLD
Mr Patrick Pumpkin (spun cotton head) - SOLD

Mr. Illusionist Moon Man - SOLD
The Ghost - SOLD