Vintage by Crystal

Valentine's Day Update!

2012-01-27T11:00:00.010-05:00

Fishing for Hearts - SOLD
Polly Princess - SOLD
Miss Heart Juggler - SOLD

Just a handful of little guys and gals to warm your heart on this chilly, rainy, winter day in the Northeast. :) Happy Valentine's Day!

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 in case 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. 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!

Miss Love Bird - SOLD
My Heart is Yours Bunny -SOLD
Queen of Hearts - SOLD

Red Skunk in Love - SOLD
Sweet Elephant -SOLD

Miss Heavy Heart - SOLD
Happy Haddie (on box) -SOLD
Angel in Love - SOLD

The Fair Flapper Girl - SOLD
Philla on a Pheasant -SOLD

Sweetie the Pink Owl - SOLD
Harmony the Red Owl - SOLD

A Little Sneak Peek!

2012-01-26T18:27:00.001-05:00

A little peek-a-boo at what's in store for tomorrow...11am eastern time sharp! :)

"See" you tomorrow!

Valentine's Day Update Announcement!

2012-01-25T16:32:00.002-05:00

I wasn't sure if I would do one or two Valentine's Day Updates this year...but after the characters from the first one flew away quickly (thank you everyone!), I decided to make a few more pieces for the day of love and still with plenty of time to spare. I've got some all new characters, including a girl who's fishing for hearts, a red striped skunk in love, a spunky Queen of Hearts, and more! They've already captured my heart and I hope they do the same to yours! :)

Blog readers get first dibs on new pieces as usual and if you'd like to be notified about upcoming blog updates and special events, just sign up for my mailing list on the right side of my blog, or leave a comment with your email address.

New one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase on:

Friday, January 27th. Here, the blog. 11:00 am EST.

See you here on Friday! :)

Things in Progress

2012-01-23T10:19:00.002-05:00

I have several projects in the works at once right now. One that I'm especially excited about. Ben and I finally started building the floor to ceiling entertainment center/built-in shelves in our living room! It will have a similar look and feel to the shelves I built in the dining room, but this one has a cabinet base instead of straight up shelving from the floor. It was/is a bit more of a challenge in that respect, but so far so good!

I spent a good chunk of Saturday sitting down to figure out the design, configuration and materials list before heading to the lumber yard. The guy at the lumber yard was patient with me luckily. Really...the hardest part of this whole thing is figuring out ahead of time how many feet of what type and size wood we needed. I think I got it pretty accurate so far, knock on wood we won't run into any shortages (although we could always make another lumber yard trip). There are more sketches where this came from!

And just a little while ago I started working on more mushrooms! This morning I forgot to preheat my studio after the cold weekend, so while I was waiting for the baseboard heating to do it's job upstairs, and spent some time downstairs in the kitchen watching Will and Grace reruns and sculpting mushrooms on the counter. Now it's time to work on some custom orders.... There's lots in progress here! :)

Mom and Me Snow Ball People Collaboration

2012-01-20T11:04:00.004-05:00

A couple of times a year, my mom and I get together and combine our work into one. Last year we did some fabulous Easter pieces and this season we did an amazing series of Snowball people. As usual, she sculpted and I decorated.

Mom can't resist using moms and babies in her work. The mom and baby piece is really something...The way the baby is clinging to her back and the way she is reaching her snow arms back to hold him/her. And the faces are great!! I added 100% wool felt hats (hand sewn, I'm so proud!) and a scarf for mom and a cape for baby.

This cute snowball was originally made as prototype for Dept. 56 before they restructured. The face is so detailed...I added the white holly leaves and mica. It looks lovely hanging in my window and matches the outdoor scenery!

I just listed Little "Jamie" the snowball and Snow Mom and Snow Baby in my Etsy shop. Also feel free to just email me if you'd like to purchase one or both. :)

This funny little pair really gave everyone a good chuckle. I hope she makes a pair like this again! Could you imagine, snowchildren having a snowball fight! They found a home at the SOWA show last month and I just barely got a photo of them before they took off.

Same with this baby and her newborn...complete with acorn cap. So sweet!!

Mom and I are hoping to do another Easter collaboration within the next few months....stay tuned for that! :)

A few Tidbits from Christmas Past

2012-01-19T17:51:00.003-05:00

I've been saving these photos to post ever since Christmas, wanting to take a few more photos of gifts and things before I shared them....but what the heck...why wait any longer. :)

The pretty and very old bird on the mantel is one of my two gifts from Ben. He always knows just what to get me! Last year it was scanner...lol. He also got me a cloth Mother Goose book that's over 100 years old. It's one of those books that were made for babies and toddlers so they couldn't rip the pages and the graphics and softness of the pages are amazing. Thanks Ben!

And this was my gift to Ben. Rubber boots since we live in the country now. I packed them with socks (which he actually asked for), a headlight, a little old bicycle picture frame and some other goodies. I tried to stash the boots behind the tree before he opened everything, but he spotted them immediately! lol

I made this pie for Christmas, but had to put it in the oven to bake at my parent's house on Christmas Eve since we were spending the evening there. My Dad didn't let me save it for the next day unscathed. The apples were really ripe which made it watery...but the flavor was amazing!

Little molassas spice cookies for Grandma. The recipe is here. They were really good and I ate a bunch of them before I packed them up for her!

This was the gift I gave my sister, Suzy. She is 14 and was desperate for a vanity for her room. I bought this one over the summer at the auction for $17. I wish I had taken a before shot, but I didn't think ahead. It was a dark blue and had some missing knobs and some of the drawers were stuck a bit. I painted it fresh white and added some new old knobs and sanded the drawers so they pulled out more smoothly.

I even lined the light blue drawers with beautiful foil wrapping paper. I love how it turned out and she was thrilled to get it. However I have to get a little better at keeping surprises. Before everyone arrived, I covered it with a huge quilt and put it in a separate room, but she spotted it through the window when she came in and claims she knew what it was (and luckily was excited). lol

I had this queen bow from Silver Bella and knew she would be the perfect person to get it!

We didn't take as many people photos as I had wanted to, but my sweet sister Sara is modestly thrilled at her gift from mom...

While Suzy is relaxing after a hard morning of opening presents.

It was a Merry Christmas! I'll share more of my cool gifts as soon as I'm organized enough to photograph them! :)

Valentine's Day Update!

2012-01-18T11:00:00.013-05:00

Little Bobby Balloons - SOLD
Love Kitty - SOLD
Key to Your Heart Angel - SOLD

Love love love! The cold days of winter are instantly warmed when you add some splashes of red and pink! An addition of course to the fragrance of fresh flowers from a loved one, and the indulgence of chocolate...it's ok when it's Valentine's Day. It's not a huge holiday like Christmas or Halloween...but at this time of year, it's just right. Hopefully these guys and gals will help bring some Valentine's cotton-goodness into your home!

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 in case 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. 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!

Charley Cherubim - SOLD
Bundled up Beatrice - SOLD

Little Hattie Heart - SOLD
Bunny Blossom - SOLD
Georgiana - SOLD

Miss Avril - SOLD
Miss Candy Apple - SOLD
Pink Heart Angel - SOLD

Darla and her Doll - SOLD
Petunia with a Present (on heart box) - 32
Ballerina Bunny - SOLD

Lock and Key Bunny - SOLD
Red Pheasant Rider - SOLD
The Girl Who is Loved - SOLD

Red Blossom Girl - SOLD
Pink Blossom Girl - SOLD

Polmina and Pip the Pup - SOLD
Miss Lovesalot - SOLD
Mom and Babe - SOLD

Lilly - SOLD
Lionel - SOLD

Rolland Red Owl - SOLD
Katie Pink Owl - SOLD
Wally White Owl - SOLD

Little Sneak Peek

2012-01-17T18:43:00.002-05:00

A little Valentine's Day looky loo for you.
Click to see bigger and hopefully I'll "see" you here tomorrow! :)

Valentine's Day Update!

2012-01-16T16:03:00.004-05:00

Love is in the air! How do I know? I got a spam email the other day saying "The Pressure of Valentine's Day is upon you". I laughed a little at it's presumptuousness. Ben isn't a huge fan of Valentine's Day and therefore puts no pressure on me to produce a gift for him. But I think it's a fun and colorful holiday for when the gray days of winter might be getting a little drab and it's a good excuse to get myself a little gift instead. There's no pressure in our house on Valentine's Day, but I still can't help but deck out my little white feather tree with heart ornaments and scatter lovey dovey figures, both crafted and vintage, all about. And so I've been creating a whole bunch of red and pink characters that can add some color to your drab winter, or if you are feeling the pressure of Valentine's Day, hopefully help relieve it (I've been told that mothers, sisters, and aunts go gaga over some red and pink cotton!).

Blog readers get first dibs on new pieces as usual and if you'd like to be notified about upcoming blog updates and special events, just sign up for my mailing list on the right side of my blog, or leave a comment with your email address.

New one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase on:

Wednesday, January 18th. Here, the blog. 11:00 am EST.

See you here on Wednesday! :)

Look at what I got!

2012-01-13T14:02:00.004-05:00

It came! It came! My new camera finally came in the mail! The mailman and his truck almost got stuck in the snow on the lawn delivering it, but it was worth it! Ben the tech whiz with the advice of his photographer cousin basically picked this Canon G12 for me to record all of my creative pursuits from here on out. What camera did I have before?

This HP beauty that I'm pretty sure my mom bought on a black Friday sale for $75 ten years ago. Yes, that's a rubber band that's keeping the 4 AA batteries from falling out. And yes, it has three, count them, three settings: flash; zoom; and good, better, best pixel quality. Ugh....now it's just a paper weight! Yippee!!

The new camera has a semi-wide angle lens that let's me capture more of the mess that lingers in my studio...

It captures every little speck...I don't think I even noticed all that dust on my tiny blue bins with my bare eyes!

Color is great...

Did you realize that they made those foil covered Christmas ornaments with Japanese newspaper paper mache? After looking at this photo I know now!

Photos capture the personality of inanimate objects...

I've always loved that blurry, clear, blurry kind of photo...check!

Uncle Sam is looking crisp and clear!

It even takes great photos in darker areas!

And near windows!

Good depth...

Even boring stuff looks interesting!

I love love love my new camera and the best part? It will help in keeping one of my main New Year's resolutions...being a better blogger! Stay tuned for more crisp and clear photos! :)

Work, Work, Work!

2012-01-12T09:41:00.003-05:00

I am work, work, working in my studio this week...cleaning and making, cleaning and making! I've got these little Valentine's Day gals in the mix at the moment and I already have a few done. I'll be having an update soon!

I love working on Valentine's Day goodies...after the holiday rush it's nice to take a little more time dressing each one to make her (or him) just right!

Here's the larger picture and my other current project...my studio! It's messy messy messy and I've actually cleaned it up quite a bit since the holidays if you can believe it. I'm working on doing a major overhaul and now that I've been in the studio for a good amount of time, I know exactly how I need to organize and set things up so my work will become more efficient and a nice flow is established. It will be a major sigh of relief when it's finished (until the next major overhaul that is...), but until then, I do enjoy the therapeutic mindlessness of sorting and sifting.

This is another part of my studio in the works...beautiful no? lol

I have a little room off the back of the studio where I take my photos and store things to sell. I had a series of prefab bookcases there, but there was still so much wasted space and the shelves were so shallow. So yesterday I began to whip up a new set of custom shelves that will fit the entire wall perfectly. Simple ladder construction makes it quick and uncomplicated. I've got lots and lots of old goodies I've been hiding away that I need to post in my Vintage by Crystal shop!

And what exciting news do I have? I'm getting a new camera! I've been using a combination of my cell phone and a terrible old camera from 1999 all this time. Don't ask me why I've put up with inferior technology for so long...I guess I'm a little slow, but finally I'm splurging on something that will allow me to take more detailed shots, more color correct shots, lighter shots, less blurry shots, and shots that I can actually use to show you everything I want to show you when I want to show you, on my blog! It's being delivered here sometimes soon and I can't wait!!!

And on a different note...we woke up to a winter wonderland this morning! We've had almost no snow this season and today is finally a pleasant change in scenery... And since I snapped this photo it's been snowing a mix of giant flakes and rain. My little sister stayed the night last night and had a two hour delay for school this morning. She snuggled herself into our bed like a cold puppy and had an extra little morning snooze!

Happy Snow Day!

Are you drowning in Christmas Wrapping Paper and Don't Know What to DO?

2012-01-05T11:57:00.002-05:00

Have way too much Christmas wrapping paper left over from the holidays? Tired of just throwing that expensive paper in the trash? Are you left wondering what to do? Well, do I have a solution for you!

Ok ok...I guess I'm not exactly doing an infomercial here, but I had a light bulb moment after cleaning up the messy living room after the Christmas onslaught of ferocious present opening: Why not recycle the big garbage bag full of paper into packaging material?!

Ok, so it doesn't take a genius to think of something like this and I'm sure I'm far from the first one who's thought of it, but I decided to put my $2 garage sale paper shredder to work! I keep a giant box near the packaging station in my studio and every time there's a party or a package that comes in the mail or whatever the case may be where I end up with some tissue paper or whatever, I throw it in the box. I buy packing paper in bulk as well...but why not reuse something that's still perfectly good? So I filled my big box to the brim with pretty shredded wrapping paper!

Anyone who's looking forward to my Valentine's Day update in a week or two can also expect to open a box filled with a little piece of Christmas from the Sloane home! (Oh yeah...I forgot to put that on my New Year's resolution list...to change my name already!)

Happy Shredding!

A Year in Review...

2012-01-03T19:32:00.004-05:00

Wow what a year! I can't believe 2011 is gone already! Well, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I sure did and I have some photos from the festivities, gifts, and post-gifts that I'll be posting in the next few days, but first I wanted to do a quick "year in review".

What happened this year? Hmmm, let's see... First off, I made a TON of goodies! I really don't keep count, but I had a blast creating the endless amount of spun cotton sweetness that now lives all over the world!

But a lot of other things happened in 2011 as well...

...in May, we moved from here...

...to here.

And here...

...to here.

The kitties went from this...

...to this.

I built lots of stuff...

And we got married!!!

Wow what a year! And what about 2012? Well...I have some resolutions, starting with:

1- Blog more.
2- Relax more.
3- Get more organized (this one I do every year...
and I do get more organized...perhaps someday
I'll be perfectly organized...but probably not)
4- Update my website - finally.
5- Post our wedding pictures - finally.
6- Make more stuff!

I hope you all had a wonderful 2011 and I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store! :)

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-25T00:12:00.010-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! To celebrate the biggest holiday of the year, I'll finally show you my tree and all of the other goodies I've got hanging around the house!

It was hard to photograph the tree...since it's surrounding by a semi-circle of the windows, but I think this shot captures it fairly well. It's the first time Ben and I have had a real tree...cut down by us and everything! We chose a tall, thin, 9 foot tree and I chocked it full of ornaments. The branches are drooping quite a bit from the weight...but so far it's held up well! I think next year I'll opt for a wider tree so I can fit the rest of my ornaments on.

That funny looking snowman clown thing was one of my earliest crafting projects inspired by vintage holiday. It's made from toilet paper and is as hard as your head! The beautifull quilled snowflake was made by a French Candian customer as a super thoughtful wedding gift (thank you so much Christine!).

Presents! I was busy yesterday finishing up gifts for my family and wrapping them all pretty!

Can't wait 'til they're ripped open!

On the other side of the room I have my other tree. My awesomely amazing antique feather tree. I decorated it with tons of my oldest ornaments (most came with the tree when my mom bought it for me from Germany). On the mantel a crowd of tiny people, Santa's, snowmen, and reindeer line up all ready to watch the present opening from a bird's eye view!

These celluloid animals were made to go under the Christmas tree. So I have herds of farm and zoo animals and flocks of swans (and a fish!), pacing around under the tree.

The Santa tree base is cast iron and very heavy!

This funny little guy is an ornament I made for myself a few months back. It's a copy of an antique cotton ornament that I think was supposed to be a clown riding a sheep. He fits right in on the tree!

Yay!

I forgot to hang the glass garland on the big tree before I added all the ornaments, so I hung as much of it as I could from the mantel. The tiny nails were barely long enough!

A new but very cute octopus ornament and an old tree that was another gift from a very generous customer (thanks Mary!) are good friends and are the only things adorning the awkward nook off to the side. The tree lights up if you put a battery inside. :)

I've collected all of these guys over the years and didn't realize how many I had until I lined them all up! They look splendid and very happy in a group!

My Grandmother's cabinet got a lite Christmas treatment with a strand of glass bead garland and some bottle brush wreaths. I stuck some white lights on top among the cloches and jars...they look lovely at night.

Our other cabinet was as good a spot as any to hang my giant bottle brush wreaths. The feather poinsettia's I found a few years ago at an estate sale. They were jammed in the corner of the floor of a cold, dark, musty basement (we were only allowed down if we had flashlights!). It was all moldy and damp and gross and they gave them to me for free (how couldn't they?). I doused them with vinegar and washed them in the sink with soap and water. I sprayed them with more vinegar from a squirt bottle and laid them outside to dry in the sun. They were clean and beautiful and smelled like sun! And they look less scraggily in real like than they do in the photo.

I paid a little too much for this pretty tin wreath on ebay, but it's so amazing and I just had to have it. It represents all the major holidays and several random animals...it reminded me of all the things I love to make! I hung it for the holidays on an interior door, but I think it will stay there year round.

I love decorating the dining room. It was always the room with the most decorations when we lived in Boston. This year the dining room table has sprouted a forest. It kind of reminds me of sidewalk grass, but with reindeer.

I tucked cardboard putz houses into the shelves in any spot I could.

Little lead people are hanging about too...sure, they're not to scale...but who cares?

Ice skaters, and people milling about and doing chores. It's takes all kinds to make a village!

This little sledder found himself in a forest of houseplants. And the seashell tree to the right was the first gift Ben ever gave me. It was fifty cents from a garage sale near our college and it was perfect!

Handmade ice skate stocking vs. vintage Santa stocking...

I've got a good sized collection of vintage Christmas glasses that I swap out for my regular glasses. These are just a few. I just love them!

The white shelves sort of make it look like there's snow on the ground in the tiny villages...

On the other side of the table forest lies....

...the land of the enchanted China Cabinet.

On top is the first feather tree I ever made (too wobbily to sell!). Red and white ornaments balance it out so it doesn't tip over! A collection of glass tree toppers nestled in a collection of vintage icicles. The glass trees in front are very nostalgic to me. The large one was my mom's when she was younger and she gave it to me as a kid. I lost all but two of the tiny glass ornaments that went with it. Later on I found a small version of the same tree and they look great together. If only I could find more ornaments for them....

Inside the cabinet lies Santa's German putz farmstead. The fences, stables, and bridge are made from twigs. Santa is plaster, felt, and cotton and the animals are plaster with metal feet. All very old and very cool!

The kitchen was reserved mostly for the cooking...but the windows got a subtle treatment with vintage reflector and glass bead wreaths and little cups with little ornaments inside.

The mantel in the kitchen holds my large putz village collection and giant bottle brush trees. Using glass cake pedestals allowed them to fit better. Oh...and the glorious, glittery reindeer my mom gave me a few years ago! He's cheaply made in China (his antlers keep breaking), but he's so glittery gorgeous!

And lastly, the glass front shelves in my hallway near the bathroom holds my paper mache boot collection and some old plastic reindeer. It's a dark corner, but the red boots catch your eye even in the dim light.

I hope you've enjoyed my little holiday tour! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and many good tidings! :)

From Pine Tree to Pine Wreath!

2011-12-22T17:21:00.004-05:00

The other day I went into the forest near one of my dad's fields and snatched a bunch of bottom branches from some pine trees that looked like they could use a trim. Yesterday I transformed them into a wreath for the front door...

And some garland for the front hall fireplace and banister. Doesn't it look prettty! And Ben had a sniff fest when he got home from work...it's smells so piney in the house!

Of course these results weren't achieved without some sacrifice: a roll of green floral wire, clean wire snippers (for cutting branches) and clean hands. This job quickly got very sticky!

By the time I was finished my hands were black! And pine sap doesn't like to part ways easily. I scrubbed my hands with a scouring pad and got most of it off with some effort.

And this pile of scrap sticks bled onto the floor. I think I need some goo be gone. But it was worth it! I love the real pine garlands and wreath and so does Ben! It makes our home extra Christmas-y!

And here's a little sneak peek of my tree...I snapped a bunch of photos tonight of my decor. Only half came out so I'll snap them again tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to capture almost everything so I can share it with you! Decorating for Christmas for the first time in our new house been tons of fun and I didn't realize how many ornaments and things I had stashed away for just this occasion...I couldn't even use them all! Not this year anyway... Stay tuned for the rest of the decorations...I'm quite proud! :)

New York Finds...

2011-12-20T10:51:00.001-05:00

This past weekend Ben and I went to NYC to visit some friends and then I dragged them around all over the city to do some window shopping...and some shopping shopping. My first stop was at MJ Trimmings. They have floor to ceiling walls of fine ribbons and trims and it's truly a feast for the eyes. I spent maybe a little too much time in there...but came out with the perfect array of silky, chenille-y, lacey trims, perfect for the collection of wedding cake toppers I plan to make this spring. A little celluloid cow from the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market rode with the bag of trims the whole day for protection. She's still in one piece and doesn't seem to want to leave the comfort of fine trims!

The Hell's Kitchen Flea Market was freeeeezing.....shopping outside in the winter requires thicker gloves than I had on...but the numb fingers were worth it. I found this tiny collection of bisque circus animals (and a lead pig) for a song to go with my other bisque circus characters...some of them I think are even from the same series that I already have...yay!

In the morning before breakfast we stopped at a little thrift store which wasn't far from where we were staying in Brooklyn with our friends Heather and Russ (who didn't complain at all whilst I drag them all over town). At the thrift store I found some fantastic old charms...two bucks for the lot! I think I might need a new charm bracelet to fit them all!

Some vintage plastic birdies from Hell's Kitchen. Some with broken legs...but I think I can help them out some how...

A cool old leathery box and Christmas trinkets from the thrift store.

Of course I stopped at Tinsel Trading to say Hi to Marcia and to pick up some "necessities".

Do think these are gross? I thought they were really cool and I'm glad they aren't freshly deceased. The petite antlers make a subtle statement I think.

A happy and successful day!

Last Update of the Year!

2011-12-19T11:00:00.016-05:00

Tori Train - SOLD
Santa Cup Sally - SOLD
Singing Sam - SOLD

Christmas is but one week away and I've managed to finagle some final pieces together for the biggest holiday of the year! I've got some that include vintage pieces I just found in Boston last weekend and some vintage pieces I've been saving for just the right occasion! I hope you can find some spun cotton goodies that tickle your fancy and add some extra cheer to your holiday home this year and many years to come! :)

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. If you'd like priority shipping, just let me know, it's $1.50 extra per order (not per piece). All paid orders will ship out immediately and should arrive in a few days. I'll 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!

Cardinal Carol - SOLD
Pine Tree Paige - SOLD
Pink Snowflake Fairy - SOLD

Father Christmas - 28
Singing Sarah - SOLD

Norma and her Gnome - SOLD
Good Girl - SOLD

Blue Angel - SOLD
Woodsy Santa Gnome - SOLD

Santa Snowball - 35
Miss Silver Snowflake - SOLD
Snow Bunny on a Mushroom - SOLD

Reindeer Rider (orn) - SOLD
Pine Cone Juggling Santa - 28

Sit atop a Pine Cone Girl - SOLD
Holly Santa (orn) - SOLD
Eva and her Elf - SOLD

Icey Hoop Circus Girl - 28
Miss Candy Cane (orn) - SOLD
Pink Santa - SOLD

White Dove Rider (orn) - SOLD
Red Dove Rider (orn) - SOLD

Santa in his Sleigh with Haltered Reindeer - 95

Last Update of the Year!

2011-12-16T15:08:00.006-05:00

Wow! It's hard to believe that Christmas is just about here!! Well...I've managed to squeeze one more update in before the big day! I've got about 25 new pieces finished up and ready to deck your halls! Everything will ship the same day if ordered right away and then after that...it's time for me to get baking, present wrapping and wreath making! Christmas is at my house this year! :)

Blog readers get first dibs on new pieces as usual and if you'd like to be notified about upcoming blog updates and special events, just sign up for my mailing list on the right side of my blog, or leave a comment with your email address.

New one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase on:

Monday, December 19th. Here, the blog. 11:00 am EST (8 am PST).

See you here on Monday! :)

BIG Holiday Update!

2011-12-13T15:00:00.032-05:00

Rolling Up a Snowball Girl box (tiny vintage surprise inside) - SOLD

This just might be my biggest update yet! I've been a busy beaver all month and as a result, there are tons of Christmas, holiday and other goodies to choose from today...I didn't realize how many I had until I took photos of them all! Keep scrolling because it goes on and on! Up top are all the Christmas characters (and perhaps a Hanukkah character as well) in both figure and ornament form and towards the bottom I've listed my new mushrooms, storybook characters and animals. I hope you'll find something that you and/or your loved ones will get just tickled over! :)

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. 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!

Coming Down for Christmas Morning Girl - SOLD
Winter Garden Santa - SOLD
Butterfly Snow Fairy - SOLD

Gayle and her friend the Elf - SOLD
Betsy the Tree Trimmer - SOLD
Timid Tilly - SOLD

Sugar Plum Princess - SOLD
Strawberry Cake Bird Rider - SOLD
Vanilla Cream Fairy - SOLD

Pine and Berries Santa - SOLD
Golden Gift Fairy - SOLD
Santa and the Elf - SOLD

Miss Sunshine - SOLD
Hanukkah Garland Girl - 28
Santa Kitty - SOLD

Snowflake Kitty - SOLD
Wintergreen Santa - SOLD
Bring Home the Tree Boy - SOLD

Gerald Snowman - SOLD
Snowfall Fairy - SOLD
Jeffrey Snowman - SOLD

Snow Child Tree Clip - SOLD
Santa Tree Clip - SOLD

Sledder (orn) - SOLD
Miss Glass Snowball (orn) - SOLD

Miss Pear (orn) - SOLD
Lilly Lemon (orn) - SOLD
Belle (orn) - SOLD

Green Santa Hanging Cone - 45
Ice Child Hanging Cone - SOLD

Pinky Santa - SOLD
Peaches the Pretty Kitty (orn/fig) - SOLD

Miss Choo Choo (orn) - SOLD
Jolly Striped Santa (orn) - SOLD
Miss Festive Christmas (orn) - SOLD

Miss Holly Christmas - SOLD
Jumbo Pinecone Santa (large) - 36
Bird and Bell - SOLD

Jump Rope Santa (orn) - 28
Aviary Girl (orn) - SOLD
Santa on a Swing (orn) - SOLD

Miss Flying Dove (orn) - SOLD
Miss Partridge in a Pear Tree (orn) - SOLD

Snow Boy (orn) - SOLD
Snow Girl (orn) - SOLD

Miss Floating Away (orn) - SOLD
Pink Reindeer Santa (orn) - SOLD
Santa with Doll House (orn) - 28

Little Angel (orn) - SOLD
Stag Boy (orn) - 28
Miss Prism (orn) - SOLD

Girl on Santa Balloon (orn) - SOLD
Miss Red Balloon (orn) - 32
Santa on Blue Balloon (orn) - 32

Stars Bunny - SOLD
Snowy Bunny - SOLD

Mamma and Child - 120
Needle Felted Wool Sculpture Collaboration
Lovingly Made by my Mom and me ~12"

Child Snowball - 65
Needle Felted Wool Sculpture
Lovingly Made by my Mom ~5"

Flying Snowy Owl - 28
Standing Barn Owl - 30

Jumping Frog (orn) - 28
Climbing Sloth (orn) - SOLD
Coiled Snake - 20

Weasel - 28
Koala - 25

Puss in Boots (orn) - SOLD
Humpty Dumpty (orn) - SOLD

Little Bo Peep Lost Her Sheep (orns) - set 50
Sheep - 25
Bo Peep - 28

Hansel and Gretel (orns) - set SOLD
Hansel - SOLD
Gretel - SOLD

Little Red Riding Hood (orns) - set SOLD
Red Riding Hood - SOLD
Big Bad Wold - SOLD

Goldilocks and the Three Bears (orns) - set SOLD
Goldilocks - SOLD
Baby Bear - SOLD
Mamma Bear - SOLD
Papa Bear - SOLD

Spun Cotton and Paper Mache Mushroom and Toadstool Ornaments - SOLD
SOLD- SOLD - SOLD - SOLD - SOLD
SOLD - SOLD - SOLD - SOLD - SOLD

Update Tomorrow!

2011-12-12T16:57:00.004-05:00

Don't forget! My Christmas update is tomorrow! 3pm EST sharp, Dec. 13th! :)

Show this weekend and Next Update Announcement!

2011-12-08T13:40:00.003-05:00

Happy holiday season everyone! I've been hoarding my brand new spun cotton goodies for the last couple of weeks and will finally offer them for sale this Saturday, Dec. 10th at the SOWA Holiday Market in Boston! If you live in or near the area, I hope you'll stop by to scoop up a few goodies for your gift list or your tree. I'll be there from 11-7. I am so looking forward to seeing familiar faces and big smiles all around! The last show I did was this very show last year! Eeek! It's been a while! Go to the website for more details.

And if you don't live anywhere near Boston, as is the case with most of you, never fear! I am scheduling my next blog update for next Tuesday, Dec. 13th at 3pm EST (12 noon PST). I'll be saving my storybook characters, new animals, and some other Christmas goodies just for the update, so there will be lots to choose from! Hope to see you there as well!

I just had to show off my new mushroom ornaments, made from spun cotton and paper mache...I'm so proud of them! (I consulted my mushroom field guide while making them...fun!)

Ok back to work...I've got a few more pieces in the works to finish up...including needle felted snowmen, made by my talented mom!

Hope to see you at the show, update or both!

John Derian and Martha Stewart

2011-12-01T06:46:00.002-05:00

If you've ever been, you'll know that the John Derian Co. is an amazing store. And I don't just say that because I've been lucky enough for them to carry my spun cotton goodies there, but because they have a unique array of things that one would buy strictly for fun. Not to mention you just might get to spot a celebrity shopping there (Rachel Ray bought some of my mom's logs and I got a report that Carolyn Kennedy was scoping out the goods a short time ago). I've yet to visit the store during the holiday season and was bummed to hear that Martha Stewart wasn't having a holiday craft show this year, but these photos just might provoke a holiday trip to the city just to be surrounded by mounds of ornaments and goodies.

Martha Stewart recently did a segment for her holiday special on John Derian's store and posted a collection of shop photos to her website (thanks Heather for letting me know about them!).

I caught a glimpse of these guys...unfortunately all of my holiday pieces are sold out for the season, but there should still be a good selection of animals as always!

Gasp! It's like a messy tree of piles upon piles of glass and glitter!

I love mushrooms just as much as the next person and these pretty figures are inspiring me to make my own variety of fungi.

Glass garland...can never have too much.

Shopping in a Christmas wonderland.... :)

Come see me at the SOWA Holiday show in Boston!

2011-11-30T16:19:00.004-05:00

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! And thank you so much for all the birthday wishes! Does it feel different to be a bit older? Nah! Especially since I've been work, work, working to get ready for the SOWA Holiday show, which is only 10 days away! Eeek! I'll have lots of new goodies and old classics to offer and I really hope that if you're in the area, you'll stop by and say hi. I've literally been cooped up in my studio since last holiday season...this is my very first show of 2011! While I do miss see everyone and watching people get excited over cute pieces of cotton, I don't miss lugging things around and packing and unpacking and most of all...trying to find an unloading space and then a parking spot! But doing it only once this year will be no problem! Plus this will be the first time I'll be back in Boston since the big move! It will be very nice to see all the old buildings and all of my old (but not too old!) friends!

This year SOWA Holiday is only one day (Saturday) and I hope to see you there! :) Here are the details:

The 8th Annual SoWa Holiday Market
Saturday, December 10, 2011, from 11am – 7pm

Cathedral High School, 74 Union Park Street.

Some new cuties for the show!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:02:00.002-05:00

Guess what today is? Well sure, it's Thanksgiving...everyone knows that...but it's also my birthday! And my little sister's birthday....she's turning 14! And me...well I'm turning twice her age. She'll be the exact age I was when she was born! Wow! Time flies when you're having fun! Happy birthday Suzy!

Well...I made a delicious chocolate cake from scratch for the feast today (planned before I realized my birthday fell on the actual holiday this year) and I can't wait to share it! We'll be spending the day in New Jersey with Ben's family and oops...I've still got to frost the cake before we leave!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Estate Sale Amazing-ness

2011-11-23T10:06:00.006-05:00

Gobble gobble! I think this pretty turkey planter (or gravy boat?) is happy to have a new home this Thanksgiving!
My mom and I decided to go to an estate sale last Thursday. We got there a little late and had to wait outside for a half hour with frozen toes (or at least mine were frozen!). But it was well worth the wait. As soon as they let me in, I asked where the Christmas stuff was. In the basement. On my way there I passed through the kitchen and grabbed this turkey like I was on a scavenger hunt game show...no looking and inspecting...just grabbing and tucking under my arm and kept heading for the basement.

When I got there I immediately spotted the Christmas stuff. Mostly newer, eh-type-stuff, surrounding a basket of old old ornaments. A lady was stuffing her arms full of glass bells and then ran off. That's ok...she left the best stuff, including a few more bells and some fantastic glass ornaments. But I couldn't believe she passed this up:

A victorian wire wrapped ornament topped with a flower in wonderful shape. I felt lucky!

When I got home and dug through the basket more, I found three old glass bead garlands. Two short ones and a long one that included many foil wrapped presents. It was broken into several small lengths...I need to sit down one day soon and restring them. They're beautiful!

And these little doodads were in the mix as well except for the giraffe, swan and tiny pin cushion, which I picked up and put in the basket myself.

Under the Christmas table was this massive thing. (Sorry for the blurry shot). It's chock full of "balloon picks" and I'll have many happy spun cotton characters as a result.

There was a room in the basement filled with tools and hardware and such. And what did I find among the nails and spools of wire? This funny little guy! He was made in Germany and reminds me of the paper mache jack o lanterns. This guy had had a fall and was smartly glued back together, mostly in the back...but he's perfect to me!

Also in the tool section among the rusty pliers and wrenches were these five things. I didn't recognize what they were at first, but their shapes and patina caught my eye. They are paper stabbers (I made that term up just now). They would sit on a desk and you would stab receipts or what have you onto them. Someone was smart enough to make them a little safer with corks. These were surprisingly expensive when I asked for the price, but I splurged because I thought Ben would appreciate the manly, utilitarian-ness they would bring to the living room.

This picture is a little blurry too...but a box of toothpicks with great graphics and a little wooden box were easy choices to make. The rat's nest looking thing in the middle was actually packing material that was sticking out of a box of hardware. It's old and old-looking and I see it being very useful and pretty in some future work!

And then of course from the tool and hardware section I found some nice old hardware. Including some brass acorn finials, a coat hook, an eagle finial, a large ceiling hook, really cool numbered brass tacks, a leaf handle and two authentic edison light bulbs. They were so cheap that I felt that they offset the cost of the paper stabbers.

I screwed one of the edison bulbs into my makeshift floor lamp! Perfect! And bright!

These bunnies are just beautiful and were luckily rather cheap at $12 for the set (the bunny in the middle is quite large). However I had to save them from being bought by someone else...who happened to not be very happy about it! I had asked the estate sale lady to set them aside for me and just two minutes later I saw her selling them to someone else! Eeek! I said, oh...you had set those aside for me. The lady made some rude comments and the estate sale lady apologized. Then a few moments later, the lady started looking through my other pile of stuff that I was waiting to have priced...gosh! I felt bad, but oh well! Sometimes estate sales are cut throat! I need to come equipped with a giant box and a sign next time! lol

Luckily I didn't have to fend off anyone to buy these cool straws, which were tucked away in a cabinet. And the only reason I thought to grab them was because of Magpie Ethel's cool straw collection! The paper straws have a really neat quality to them and I think the pack on the right is one of first plastic straws that came on the market. If you look closely, it says "Really Waterproof!" It's funny to think that you had to worry about your straw dissolving before you were finished with your drink! Thanks for the idea Laurie!

And some fun honeycomb pumpkins are always welcome in my home.

I was running low on old birthday candles for my birthday girls to hold...but I just stocked up!

And this old ceramic baby booty has me thinking about nursery decorating. Not just yet though!

And probably my most unusual find...a giant bird's nest! I have a collection going now...

What a fabulous estate sale! Certainly worth the wait and the slapping away of snappy hands! :)

Apple Sauce!

2011-11-22T17:23:00.002-05:00

Here in Saratoga, Ben and I live surrounded by apple orchards. This fall on a warm day we even walked from our back yard into the neighboring orchard (which is huge!) and had ourselves quite an adventure where I even found a pretty milk glass pedestal dish on the side of the road...go figure!
And the orchard on the other side of our driveway was abundant with apples this year, but there was no pest control of any kind so they were filled with worms and black spots and looked rather icky. I was too busy to pick my own at the neighboring orchard this fall, but I was in luck the other day. My dad fixed the cider press in the orchard next to his farm and now that the apple growers are forever indebted to him, he's been showered with apples and cider and happily shared some with me! Aren't they pretty all stacked up in milk glass? Well that was last night....

This is what they look like this morning! For the first time ever...I made yummy applesauce! And I didn't put any onions or garlic in...they just happened to sneak into the photo as a sort of visual garnish... It was easy and fun to do...

Thanks to this little do-hicky! Ben spotted this at a yard sale in Boston and scooped it up for a buck or two a while back. It cores, peels and slices apples in a few quick turns of the knob. We were fighting over who got to use it last night....it was fun watch the apples turn and turn and turn!

Yay for local produce! :) Oh...and if you're wondering, I just used these directions as a guideline and added lots of cinnamon. Yum!

Thanksgiving Update!

2011-11-20T12:00:00.014-05:00

Acorn Aila - SOLD
Miss Turkey Party - SOLD
Celebrating Suzy - SOLD

Gobble gobble gobble! The turkeys are in! And so are their pilgrim friends! I'm getting hungry just thinking about the big feast the whole country is about to have on Thursday and these guys are just the ticket to dress up your table or hutch (as in my mom's case) for Thanksgiving! :)

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!

Pilgrim on a Pumpkin - SOLD

Bring a Pie Pilgrim - SOLD

Miss Poppy - SOLD
Pocahontas - SOLD

Miss Thankful - SOLD
Pretty Polly - SOLD

Harvest Fairy - SOLD
Mrs. Tom Turkey - SOLD

Farmer Phil - SOLD
Leaf Jumper - SOLD

Red Turkeys (4 available) - SOLD

Blue Turkeys (4 available) - SOLD

Thanksgiving Update!

2011-11-18T14:35:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is when?! Well I've created a handful of Thanksgiving goodies just in time for the big feast! A flock of turkeys, pilgrims, Indians and figures who just know how to dress for Thanksgiving. I hope you'll come scope out some goodies to dress up your Thanksgiving table this year! Items will be shipped out immediately. :)

Blog readers get first dibs on new pieces as usual and if you'd like to be notified about upcoming blog updates and special events, just sign up for my mailing list on the right side of my blog, or leave a comment with your email address.

New one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase on:

Sunday, November 20th. Here, the blog. 12:00 pm EST.

See you here on Sunday! :)

Teeny Gifts!

2011-11-18T11:26:00.003-05:00

I'm a lucky girl! So so lucky! I'm so lucky to know so many fabulous and generous people who have extended their skill at crafting and their skill at hunting to me.

These happy/grumpy acorns were sent to me by Heather Donohue, who I met at the Tinsel Trading workshop I taught. I made such a big stink about her stinkin' cute creations that she sent me some! Yippee!! And I think she has more for sale. Check out her website! Thank you so much Heather! They are helping to nurse my baby Christmas cactus back to life with their good/mean vibes, as you can see here in the photo. :)

And this doesn't look like such a teeny gift from the outside....

But once you crack this baby open...teeny cotton chicks! Lisa, who also came to my workshop, went treasure hunting at Hell's Kitchen right before the show and scored some other goodies that she showed off and we drooled over, but she was so kind enough to bring me a find from an earlier hunt. A awesomely gigantic vintage paper mache egg with the most wonderful graphics on the outside. And two oh so adorable chicks inside! I LOVE it! Thank you so much Lisa!

And during the jaunt to NYC for the workshop, we stayed with Ben's mom and stepdad, Ed. Ed had just gone through his mother's house and found some really sweet treasures, which he showed me (it was like a time capsule!). His old boyscout uniform, a sweet book he wrote as a kid and other childhood treasures. Among them was a lead figure of a sledder. I exclaimed that I had a set of the same figures and he so generously insisted that I had his sledder to the set! I love it! Thank you so much Ed!

And this was a gift from today. A teeny chuckle as my not so teeny Sophie squeezed a nap into a teeny box. So cute!

I'm a lucky girl! Oh...and I really need to photograph some amazing gifts from our wedding to show you....so amazing! :)

Christmas Update!

2011-11-15T11:00:00.022-05:00

Miss Matilda Tree - SOLD
Babe in Toyland - SOLD

Fa la la la la.... I'm so happy with all of these brand new spun cotton cuties! I dug deep into my "save for something good" vintage Christmas material stash. Including a homemade craft from years and years ago where someone took a bar of fancy soap and made it into something beautiful (above), and trying my hand at recreating a vintage sleigh. I hope you find some goodies that strike your fancy! :)

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!

Miss Santa Secret - SOLD
Becky Ball - SOLD
Santa Wreath - SOLD

Miss Nut - SOLD
Snowball Bunny - SOLD
Miss Cardinal - SOLD

Reba Ranch - SOLD
Disco Dolly - SOLD
Miss Snowdrop - SOLD

Santa Narwhal Rider - SOLD
My Friend the Bunny (box) - SOLD

Acorn Santa - SOLD
Pink on the Wing (box) - SOLD
Pinky Santa - SOLD

Pink Bird Nest (glass) - SOLD
White Bird Nest - 45

Santa Long Stockings - SOLD
Bill - SOLD
Sally Long Stockings - SOLD

Tinky in a Boot - SOLD
Sweet Susie - SOLD
Red Rider - SOLD

Blue Santa - SOLD
Pinky - 28
White Santa - 28

Santa Snowball - SOLD
Stocking Stella - SOLD
Miss Golden Deer - SOLD

Gift Bearing Bunny - SOLD
Miss Gift Giver - 30
Ice Santa - SOLD

Stand up Squirrel (not ooak) - 23
Skiing Santa - SOLD
Lily White Cat Girl - SOLD

Leather Stocking Santa (rare antique baby boot) - SOLD

Miss Horse - SOLD
Miss Kitty - SOLD
Mr. Pup - SOLD

Miss Earmuffs - SOLD
Darling Doll - SOLD
Angel with a Cake - SOLD

Blue and Red Girl - SOLD
Miss Hanukkah - 28
Happy Boy - SOLD

Scarlett Santa - SOLD
Santa Bell - SOLD
Maude - SOLD

Extra Large Figures (8"):
Poinsettia Pam - SOLD
Santa with Kitten - 40

Santa in Sleigh - SOLD
Reindeer (unattached) - SOLD

First Christmas Update of the Season!

2011-11-11T16:55:00.004-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Everywhere you go! Well even though it's still November...it had been looking a lot like Christmas with the snow we had! And it's been getting me in the mood for fires in the fireplace, stockings, Christmas trees and ice skates. And with those thoughts I've created a bundle of figures and ornaments to help make your home feel more Christmas-y! I hope you'll join me in my first Christmas update of the season! :)

Blog readers get first dibs on new pieces as usual and if you'd like to be notified about upcoming blog updates and special events, just sign up for my mailing list on the right side of my blog, or leave a comment with your email address.

New one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase on:

Tuesday, November 15th. Here, the blog. 11:00 am EST.

See you here next Tuesday! :)

Work in Progress...

2011-11-10T10:49:00.004-05:00

When we first moved into our new home back in May, I promised you guys that I would give you photos and updates about all the makeovers and projects we'd have going on. I can't believe we've already been here six months and I haven't given you a whole lot of peeks into what we've got going on. And mostly it's because what we've got going on is taking much longer than I had hoped!
Now that our wedding is over, we've been concentrating on getting the house up to snuff and in any spare moments we've found, we've been knee deep in paint, hardware, tools, and clutter that has yet to find a place in the house. We've got a couple of rooms that are in progress right now, including the "culture room" as Ben calls it, or the "living room" as my mom calls it (which is different than the gray living room I showed you a few months ago). It was a gold yellow color before...not terrible, just not what we wanted. I painted it a nice warm blue, just one shade darker than our dining room, which is the next room over and it really changed the feel of the space. Here are two before photos:

Not bad...but clashed with our belongings and the other rooms. These photos were taken when we first bought the house...now that I'm looking at it...it looks so good empty!

The first and only vignette I set up in the room so far is on my Grandmother's china cabinet. It has a natural history feel (which I love), that features apothecary jars and cloches with birds nests, a bees nest (plucked from the window when we first moved in), old frames and a deer skull that I bought for ten bucks from a guy on the side of the road who said he found it in an Adirondack stream. I also built a shadow box from an old frame and some wood that I plain to pin insects into for a cool insect collection - found dead of course, I'm not a killer! I even have a really great stag beetle that was inside of a vintage glass pitcher I bought at a garage sale. Call me crazy!

I used several of these vintage cake toppers on our cakes at our wedding...although one bride came home without her groom... :(

And this fabulous piece of furniture I just picked up the other day from Craigslist. I was so excited about it that I overlooked the little worn spot in the middle. It's ok for now but eventually I might get the seat reupholstered in a matching but sturdier fabric. Lots of tufted buttons! I love love love it!

Some pretty candle sconces scooped up at a town wide garage sale for a dollar each. The upholstered bench was from Ben's Great Aunt and Uncle's house. It's so pretty and matches the room perfectly.

This was a thrift store find in Boston. We didn't have room for it in our apartment, but knowing we were moving soon...I scooped it right up! I have a thing for china cabinets. I have four already and had to refrain from buying more beautiful ones at the auction up the street.

I got this standing lamp for a dollar several years ago. Recently I bought one of those shop lights with the long lead cords that mechanics use at a yard sale for another dollar and used the bulb protecting cage as a shade for the lamp. The cord for the mechanic light was so frayed I didn't feel bad throwing it away. Now I just need to get one of those cool old school Edison bulbs to replace the coil bulb to complete the look.

This chair was also from the town wide sale for $4. I rolled that baby away before anyone else could! The cats loved it just as much as I did, so I covered it in tape to train them away from using it as their scratching post. Their new favorite is the new sofa (eeek!!), so I was able to take the ugle tape off the pretty chair. Squirt bottles, a stern voice, and other nearby scratching posts are helping save the couch now.

There's still lots of work to be done on the room...mostly involving fun stuff like adding pictures to the walls and filling the cabinets. But I still need to move my big fish tank, which will be where the new couch goes, and I need to find a pair of matching chairs to make a chess playing area for Ben...oh...and make a chess board table for in between the two chairs. And then I have to deal with this awkward as all heck area:

Ta da! Two out of three fire places are beautiful as is...but this one is a train wreck. The ugly mantel...the huge, deep and super weird cubby space above the mantel, and the single, asymmetrical skinny, shallow cubby next to it. I've got some ideas...stay tuned.
A side note though...if you're painting a room that has no crown molding...I really like to paint a white stripe across the top of the walls. It makes the room look more polished without actually adding real crown...a trick of the eye I guess. :)

Room in progress! I'm not sure when it will be done...we're also working on the kitchen...but hopefully soon and I'll show you DONE photos! :)

Three Little Birdies Sitting on a Pole...

2011-11-06T05:40:00.002-05:00

I couldn't resist sharing! Levi, Sam and Isabella were happy hanging out in the bathroom while I cleaned their cage. :)

Workin' Away!

2011-11-04T08:33:00.003-04:00

Workin' on orders, and...workin' on the first Christmas update! :)

Walking in a Halloween Wonderland...

2011-11-03T17:13:00.003-04:00

This pretty photo looks like it might represent the month of December or January in a picturesque calendar. But alas...this was taken on my lawn last week...just when we were gearing up for Halloween!

However it didn't dampen my Halloween spirits at all. Just look at the pretty moth eaten table cloth that created itself on my outdoor table.

Pretty, no?

We had two snow storms right before Halloween as those of you from the Northeast already know. And these photos are from the lighter one!

Luckily we didn't have to call a plow to clear the driveway either time, but the porch was slippery!

I hope you all had an awesome, wonderful, spooky and most importantly, festive Halloween! While I'm sad to see it go, along with scary movies and all the decorations, I am so so so excited about Christmas and even Thanksgiving! I've got lots of new and old ideas for spun cotton Christmas goodies this year...stay tuned! :)

Old old old Halloween!

2011-10-29T08:59:00.003-04:00

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?

Spooky Entryway...

2011-10-28T08:43:00.004-04:00

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!

Mini Surprise Halloween Update!

2011-10-27T13:26:00.003-04:00

Party Penny - 28
Ellen - 28
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 - 28

Workshop!

2011-10-24T12:31:00.003-04:00

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!

Tinsel Trading Workshop is this Weekend!

2011-10-19T19:22:00.003-04:00

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!

New Old Things on Etsy!

2011-10-17T17:46:00.003-04:00

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! :)

Surprise! A Flock of Owls Just Flew In!

2011-10-14T11:31:00.002-04:00

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!

2011-10-14T09:28:00.003-04:00

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. :)

Spun Cotton Hummingbird

2011-10-10T14:07:00.003-04:00

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!

Halloween Update!

2011-10-07T11:00:00.015-04:00

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

Update Sneak Peek

2011-10-06T19:52:00.003-04:00

Here's a little peek at what's in store for tomorrow! :)
See you here, October 7th at 11am EST sharp!

Halloween Update Announcement!

2011-10-04T15:54:00.002-04:00

It's October now and the air is certainly crisp! Pumpkin stands are popping up all over, farmers are stashing away their winter squash and I'm pretty sure the ghosts in the graveyard down the street from my house are starting to stir... My fingers have been busy and I'm getting ready for my second Halloween update this year. I've got lots of new characters and I've been experimenting with little doodads from around my studio. I hope you'll stop by and take peek at all the new goodies! :) Oh...and I plan to have a little sneak peek ahead of time too....fun!

Blog readers get first dibs on new pieces as usual and if you'd like to be notified about upcoming blog updates and special events, just sign up for my mailing list on the right side of my blog, or leave a comment with your email address.

New one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase on:

Friday, October 7th. Here, the blog. 11:00 am EST.

See you here on Friday! :)

Off to John Derian

2011-10-03T17:54:00.003-04:00

I'm packaging up a bunch of orders today, including a whole slew of one of a kind Halloween characters destined for John Derian Co. in NYC. If you're in the area, you should definitely stop by and have a peek! They have all kinds of fun Halloween goodies to snap up, including these guys! :)

And stay tuned for a new set of Halloween goodies straight from me, I'll be announcing the next update very soon! :)

And the Dress and the Winner Is......

2011-09-29T18:10:00.002-04:00

Three people chose the correct dress for my Shabby Apple giveaway (girls after my own heart, at least fashion-wise). The dress is San Gabriel! And the random number generator chose number 1 out of 3, which is my good friend Laurie of Magpie Ethel! I've been so lucky to receive so many wonderful treats from her and I'm more than glad to send something her way.

Thank you so much everyone for participating! And don't worry, I'll be doing a spun cotton giveaway within the next couple of weeks, so you'll all have another chance to win! :)

My (sort of) Finished Dining Room!

2011-09-29T12:28:00.003-04:00

I am so smitten with the way our our "new" dining room is looking! I completed the shelves (sort of) last weekend and added the crown molding to the whole room. I still need to cut three more shelves and add the baseboard (it was supposed to be delivered to the local lumber place last Friday, but hopefully it will be there tomorrow) and a small strip of molding along one side to hide a gap.

Oh...and these photos aren't the best - I know I say that a lot...but sigh...

Other than those few little things, it's stuff ready! As you can see I couldn't wait to start putting stuff on. I just grabbed a bunch of random stuff I had in the basement and arranged it. It will certainly change and evolve as I get the rest of our possessions organized and put away, but I just had to see what it looked like with some milk glass and shell art bling.

I'd like to add more books...there have been a lot I've been wanting to reference for inspiration that are still boxed up in a big stack downstairs!

So much space to put things! Wasted space transformed...perfect for collectors like me!

And you can sit on the shelves under the window sills. Someday I may make cushions for them, but for now they'll hold plants and the random uncushioned butt.

I even added skinny shelves to the very narrow strip of wall between the window and the wall.

I'm super proud of my crown molding job...it's actually easier than a lot of people make it out to be. And the lumber yard had super cheap finger jointed pre-primed crown...I love it! I'll be crowning out the rest of the house in no time! Which means I'll be holding on to my dad's miter saw for a little while longer...thanks dad!

Can you believe it! The supplies for this whole project cost about $400, which means I saved around $4,000 by doing this job myself! And I did all of this single handedly. Ben held some of the long pieces of crown for me while I nailed, but that's it! If I can do it, anyone can!

Oh, and speaking of Dad, he let me raid his own little lumber yard in the loft of his barn (where Ben and I got married) for wood to build a new dining room table. I found rafter beams that came from the 150 year old two story shed he recently tore down to build my mom's new studio. Those became the legs. The top was cut from two huge and super heavy 3.5" thick boards that my dad had milled from trees from his woods a long time ago. He intended to make furniture from it, but as life goes, never got around to it. I'm more than happy to finish his good intentions. He helped me cut and rip the boards to the proper size (thank goodness...I could barely lift one board by myself!) and I constructed the rest.

Ben and I are trying to decide what finish to put on it. Invisible clear coat to preserve the way it looks now? Black stain to add some masculinity to the room? Dark brown to match the legs? Argh...it's so hard to decide! What would you do?

And late one night I was trying to decide what to put on the walls. I have sooooo many vintage frames and other things to hang, but I couldn't find any "ah ha!" pieces. I had my pile of table numbers from our wedding sitting near the front door (along with other wedding stuff that still needs to be put away), so I thought framing them would add the perfect graphic element! I laid them all out (I'm not sure where number 3 is...?) and they look great! I just need to get some glass cut and add a backing. Can't wait to put it up on the wall!

And lastly, my prized china cabinet has found it's home. Caddy corner in the dining room, ready to show off all my prized goodies! :)

Phew! I've got a few more finishing touches to add to the dining room, including the closet that I'm turning into a reading nook and treatments for the windows, and then it's on to the kitchen!

New Old Things in my Etsy Shop and a bit of a Sale!

2011-09-28T15:39:00.002-04:00

I was doing a little bit of unpacking and much needed cleaning (yes I still have lots of stuff that is still packed up from our move!) in the studio earlier today and I found these forgotten characters. I made these a couple of years ago and I'm not sure why I still have them. Even though I have neglected them, they still smiled up at me in an unconditional love kind of way and I decided that these guys need nice new homes right now!
Soooo...I just listed them all to Etsy at a slightly lower than usual price. If you see one that you'd like, skip over to Etsy to pick it up or you can just email me at vintagebycrystal@yahoo.com and let me know which one put a twinkle in your eye. :)

Oh...and these ones might be even older! I can't remember the last time I needle felted something for Halloween...but the witch and pumpkin are needle felted wool and then hand painted. The sweet kitty is from my chalk pouring days and is quite proper and snooty (and cheap!). :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-09-24T15:36:00.001-04:00

It's my moms birthday today and since I live 10 minutes away from her now, I finally get to see her on her birthday! And this is what I'm giving her...shhhh.... I found it at Brimfield and was attracted to it immediately. I really want to keep it for myself, but I love my mom very much and this will go perfectly in her stork and baby collection. Happy Birthday Mom! Not another year older, but another year wiser! :)

Bridal Hair Pieces

2011-09-23T18:00:00.002-04:00

Having just gotten married, I have a new found appreciation for all things bridal. It's an occasion where it's ok to go all out and think about the finest details, especially what a bride wears when she walks down the aisle. I made the head piece for my own wedding, a burst of glass glitter stars shooting up the side of my head. It was fun to think up and fun to make.
About a week ago, another bride purchased a cake topper and then asked me if I ever made bridal pieces for the hair. Why not? I have tons of wonderful materials to use and I've already practiced on my own wedding.
After giving me some guidelines, I came up with this pretty piece. Just a few different materials come together (including some feathers from Levi, one of my parakeets) to create something so pretty. I love how it came out and just wanted to share it with all of you.

This is my starburst, post wedding after I yanked some of the glitter off with my hair. It looks much better on a head than by itself.

Maybe I'll make some more just for fun. :)

Yay!

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2011-09-22T16:40:00.002-04:00

Summer Break

Yes that's right...I'm having a giveaway! But instead of my usual spun cotton goodies, the lucky winner of this give away will receive a beautiful, gorgeous outfit or dress! And I'm terribly jealous.

Shappy Apple, an amazing online apparel boutique asked me to pick out an outfit or dress from their shop to giveaway on my blog. Well I certainly didn't have to think twice! What better way to reward my fantastic, wonderful, loyal, beautiful readers than with a giveaway like this? They have the most amazing outfits, dresses and my oh my...their bathing suits are to die for!! Very vintage and adorable. Their website is very beautiful too.

But anyway, back to the giveaway...all you need to do to enter is to leave a comment here, on my blog, letting me know which of the Shabby Apple outfits pictured here is your favorite and why. Only one of the outfits is the one that I (secretly) chose to giveaway and out of all the people who choose that particular one as their favorite, I'll pick one winner randomly. That's a fun way to do it, right?

I'll announce the winner (and reveal the giveaway dress or outfit) in one week, next Thursday, September 29th. The winner will give me their size and address and Shabby Apple will ship directly to a US address only (if you live outside the US, you can ship it to me, I could use a new outfit! Just Kidding! Sorta...). No returns or exchanges.

Sounds pretty great right? Ok...now look through all the photos and pick your favorite! :)

San Gabriel

After Class

Co-Ed

With Honors

Spanish Steps

You can "like" Shabby Apple's facebook page and definitely take a peek at their website. Beautiful photos and vintagey designs. They have women's dresses, maternity (is it wrong to have a baby just for the clothes?), vintage style accessories, etc. Ok...enough raving. Good luck! :)

My day...

2011-09-20T16:19:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's going on 5:00 already! The day really sped by. This morning I worked on a few final pieces for a large wholesale order containing hundreds of pieces. Then I added the identification labels and hooks for all the ornaments. Then I spent several hours (wow...hours?) packing it all up safely for it's trip overseas. When I was packing it up I realized I was missing two skiing Santas...so I had to stop and make some, which are drying as we speak.

While working on those Santas, Paige got into a her snuggly mode. She jumps on my lap and drapes herself over my left arm (always the left)...rendering it almost useless. It's so hard to resist her when her smiling kitty face looks into mine in a "I'm so happy right here...in this exact spot...on your arm" kind of way. She slows my progress somewhat for the remainder of her stay.

It's been a while since I've made non-custom wedding cake toppers. It was lots of fun and I pulled out and played around with lots of fancy materials that I rarely use. These toppers are heading off to Japan.

Phew! That's a lot of pieces! No wonder it took so long to pack. I started these pieces months ago and it feels good to be finished with them. Accomplishment!

This sweet little girl is part of a smaller order going to the Taft Museum in Cincinnati. Ok...I better start packing that one up right now! :)

Oh...and my shelves are coming along great! I just need to add the baseboard and the crown molding and then it's done! Yippee! I think I'll have time to make us a dining room table too...tonight I'm going to raid the loft of my dad's barn for some nice old wood.

And Oh yeah...this week I'll be having a give away! Hint...it's really awesome...but probably not what you think! Stay tuned!

Look at what I did this weekend!

2011-09-12T15:20:00.002-04:00

Ok...well maybe it's not so impressive right now, but it's getting there! Ben was away the whole weekend on a camping trip and I spent my time in the dining room listening to the Princess Diaries movies on TV and building shelves!
I've been waiting to have shelves built in the dining room ever since we moved in. I had two carpenters come in to give me quotes on this project and two other smaller carpentry projects (in the kitchen and living room) and both quotes came out to around $11,000! Yikes! Well that was way more than I had in mind, so I thought...hmmmm...maybe I can do it myself! And like a true DYIer, I got to work as soon as I could (which meant after the wedding, and after the honeymoon, and after I got caught up on some of my backed up work in the studio because of the wedding and the honeymoon (now do you see why I wanted to hire a carpenter in the first place? lol).

Our house is full of huge windows, doors, and archways, which leaves little room left for walls. I hate blocking windows with furniture, and without furniture, where can I house my collections? Soooo, I thought it would be great to take some of the most wasted space in the house and turn it into an area of "extreme" use and therefore I decided to add wrap around shelves from floor to ceiling on one and a half walls in the dining room. The wall space I wanted to utilize was split many times by two huge windows and a door, resulting in tall narrow strips of wall. Almost no furniture would fit there and I thought I could do better than simply hanging some pictures. So, to work I went!
A spent the morning at the hardware store and lumber yard down the street and running around the house collecting tools (and a trip to my dad's farm where he has a plethora of tools that he so generously lets me borrow). And after some finagling, some minor redesigns and some practice, I got the hang of it and sort of figured out how to the get those dang shelves cut, installed and in place without taking all the old molding off (and painted too...but that was the easy part). I made the shelves adjustable because I know how helpful that can be and it turns out that getting the holes for the pegs to match up to each other was the hardest part. It's not perfect, but luckily it's not noticeable imperfect either, phew! And the shelves are actually more complete than they look, I just ran out of shelf pegs (I bought all that hardware store had), so most of the shelves are awaiting their pegs. The molding on top and bottom will wait until the rest of the unit is built.

Ok...that was the half of a wall...now it's time for the full wall! Stay tuned and wish me luck! :)

And also, I really wanted to thank all of those who snapped up one or more figures from the update on Friday. It was a major success and it makes me feel so good that many of you out there are just as quirky in taste as me! :)

Tinsel Trading Workshop Details

2011-09-10T05:40:00.002-04:00

The details for the Tinsel Trading workshop I'll be teaching are finally all worked out and we're ready for an official announcement. Yippee!

The main thing to take note of is that we changed the date. The original date of October 1st is really just right around the corner and for people who need to plan ahead or for people who are traveling, I thought moving it out a bit would make it much easier. The new date is Saturday, October 22nd from 11-4. And if you want to take the class, but think it's too far of a trip for a single event, I can tell you all about the things that are going on (haunted houses anyone?) and the places I love to go (cool stores and cool hangouts) and you can easily make a fabulous long weekend out of it. :) October and December are my favorite times to visit the city and I hope you'll come take my class and check out New York!
I made the workshop as inexpensive as I could (because that's what I would want if I were taking the class!) and basically for the price of buying the finished piece, you'll be able to make your own, just the way you want and I'll teach you all the tricks and techniques along the way. Most or all of the materials will be provided (bringing small pliers might be helpful as I don't have too many, or we could share) and if you wanted to (but it's not necessary), you can buy extra doodads from the Tinsel Trading shop to add to your creation. You can take a break and walk around (or in my case, snoop around), pick out something awesome and glue it on right then and there...how neat is that? Oh...plus TT is providing a "light lunch". Sounds good to me!
The official class description is below and spaces are limited. If you have any questions at all...just let me know! :)

Learn the basics of spinning cotton in Crystal Hanehan of Vintage by Crystal’s spun cotton Spooky Hollow Treat Box workshop!

For the same price as the finished piece itself, learn how to make your own spun cotton figure on an arbored box from scratch using cotton, wire, crepe paper, old flowers, glitter and other vintage doodads. You’ll learn numerous new tips for crafting and by the end of the class you’ll take home a completely original and one of a kind spun cotton figure along with a decorated box base and arch. Follow the sample piece and make a pretty red witch, or Crystal can help you make a pumpkin person, bat person or anything else your Halloween heart desires.

This class is fun and easy for everyone and allows you to be as creative as you want. Come join Crystal and get your craft on!

Spun Cotton Spooky Hollow Treat Box
Instructor: Crystal Hanehan (Vintage by Crystal)
Saturday, October 22nd, 11am-4pm
Workshop Price: $85

Purchase Here

Halloween Update!

2011-09-09T11:00:00.018-04:00

Happy Halloween Spider - SOLD

I am soooo excited about Halloween this year. And not just Halloween, but fall itself. The leaves falling, the brisk air, apple picking, pumpkin carving, Halloween parties and trick-or-treaters. I just love it all! This little lot of Halloween critters and characters kicks off the season in high spirit and funny fashion. I've created some classic characters, some new characters and a good collection of figures with paper mache sculpted heads. I hope you're just as excited as me!

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!

Norma Melonhead - SOLD

Miss Nibbles - SOLD
Jumping Jack-o-Lantern - SOLD

Scared Stella - SOLD

Haunted Hannah - SOLD

Pammy Pumpkinhead - SOLD

Portia Pumpkin (on box) - 35
Peter Pumpkin and his Halloween Tree - SOLD

Fanning Fanny Pumpkin (with cats on the brain) - SOLD

Cruella the Crow Elf - SOLD
Carmen Carrot Pumpkin (with cats on the brain) - SOLD

Polly Poltergeist - SOLD

Patches the Cat - 23
Penny in her Pumpkin Dress - SOLD

Gabby Gourd - SOLD

Gary Gourd with his Pompous Puppet - SOLD

Odelia Onion - SOLD

Ollie Onion - SOLD

Miss Kitty and her Kitties - SOLD

Boo Butterfly - SOLD
Headstone Holly - SOLD

Party Dress Girls:
Marmalade Mandy - SOLD

Potion Portia - SOLD
Lantern Lilly - SOLD

Party Dress Girls:
Stephanie Strange - SOLD

Hair-raising Helen - SOLD
Happy Haile - SOLD

Long Nosed Owls:
Arachna - SOLD

Chaos - SOLD
Mary - SOLD

Carrie - SOLD

Mr. Murray the Mushroom - SOLD
Beelzebub - SOLD

Melon Family:
Mr. Thomas Melon - SOLD

Mrs. Deborah Melon and Little Tommy Jr. - SOLD

Haunted Forest:

Ghostly Leaves - SOLD
Fall Leaves - SOLD

A Little Sneaky Look

2011-09-08T18:33:00.002-04:00

I snapped this photo (which is slightly blurry in the corners) of most of the pieces I'll be posting tomorrow morning. I thought it might be nice to see ahead of time what pieces might strike your fancy. I'll of course be posting close up photos and prices tomorrow. I kinda like how they look all laid out. Like a big Halloweeny crowd. :) Enjoy the little peek!

Halloween Update Announcement!

2011-09-06T18:04:00.003-04:00

Eeek! It's already September and the fall and spooky Halloween season is almost here! It's my very favorite holiday to create for...there I said it! Sorry Christmas and Easter! To kick off the holiday, I'm having my first Halloween update of the season. Characters will include a party of fancily dressed gals, some paper mache headed critters and creatures from the garden and the graveyard, and many others! I hope you'll stop by to see what I have in store for you!

In the mean time, I'll be posting some "old friends" to Etsy...old favorites, made to order, from past years. Take a peek and see if there's anyone you'd like to get your hands on. Shipping from Etsy can be combined with pieces from the update. :)

Blog readers get first dibs as usual and if you'd like to be notified about upcoming blog updates and special events, just sign up for my mailing list on the right side of my blog, or leave a comment with your email address.

New one-of-a-kind pieces will be available for purchase on:

Friday, September 9th. Here, the blog. 11:00 am EST.

See you here on Friday! :)

At long last I'm teaching a workshop!!

2011-09-05T18:01:00.004-04:00

Many of you have asked over the last few years whether I ever teach workshops, and until now the answer has always been, "unfortunately not" (with a frowny face). But I've finally decided to teach a Halloween workshop in the workshop line up at the fabulous and wonderful Tinsel Trading Company in New York! It's one of my very favorite places to go in the city and where better to work than in a space where you're surrounded by ancient and glittery and inspiring materials? I'm very excited about teaching and can't wait to show my students (pupils?) a whole bunch of tips and techniques for making the things I make.

I'm working on the class sample right now and will post about the details very soon. In the mean time, mark your calendar for October 1st, as that's when the spooky Halloween magic is happening! I really hope to see you in the big apple very soon! :)

All of these gorgeous photos of the Tinsel Trading Company store were taken from the Shopikon website.

Halloween!

2011-09-02T14:04:00.005-04:00

I feel quite behind with Halloween this year. I usually get out my black and orange glitter long before now...like in July! But alas, I am finally working on some fun and fancy Halloween pieces for an update for (I think) next week...soon to be announced.

Halloween could possibly be my very favorite holiday to create for because the possibilities seem more endless than any other occasion...and if something looks a little off and creepy...hey it's Halloween! It's supposed to be creepy! :)
For my first Halloween update of the year I have a couple of loose categories going, including some garden people with sculpted heads, and having just recently been inspired by the old Bogie Books from Dennison (a crepe paper manufacturer from the early days), I have a collection of Halloween gala girls... With slightly fancier than usual crepe outfits.

I'm really enjoying working on them and I can't wait to show you the final results! :)

Arts & Science

2011-09-01T10:06:00.002-04:00

I feel like quite the lucky girl. I have so many amazing and wonderful customers and am just tickled by them (and you) all for so many different reasons. Some of those customers are stores around the country and around the world. A few weeks ago I got a surprise catalog in the mail from a customer in Japan. It was the new Arts & Science catalog and it was gorgeous! Lots of creative and unique clothing and accessories, wonderful baubles and doodads, and as I was flipping through, I discovered my little elephant pictured among the tissue thin pages. He looks so fancy in this context and I was just tickled. Thank you so much for sharing this with me Arts & Science!

Their catalog was so beautiful and detailed....they even had outline illustrations with the description of each item.

This herd of elephants is almost ready to make their venture to Japan! And they have many many friends going along with them. :)

Arts & Science is a wonderfully creative and gorgeous store with locations all over Tokyo. Check out their cool website and all the cool goodies they have! And of course if you ever find yourself in Japan, be sure to check out at least one of their shops!