Give the Gift of a Shopping Spree with Gift Certificates!

I don't know why I didn't think of this before!  If you were hoping to gift someone with something unique and special this Christmas, but was having a hard time deciding, a gift certificate is the way to go!  Purchasing one is easy too...  Just email me with your name, the name of the recipient, the amount, and an address to mail a copy of the certificate to.  Redeeming is easy too...even if the certificate itself is lost..I will have a record of the certificate and the amount remaining.  Certificates are redeemable anywhere I sell (my etsy shop, my vintage etsy shop at vintagefromcrystal.etsy.com, my blog updates, custom orders, shows, etc.).  To redeem, the recipient just emails me with their request.  Shipping can come out of the certificate too.  And the recipient can use the certificate many different times until the amount is used up, or all at once....it never expires!

I've always loved getting gift certificates.  In addition to the joy of receiving something special from someone, you get the joy of browsing and shopping and choosing just the right thing!

If you're interesting in giving a whimsical shopping spree to someone special this Christmas, just email me at vintagebycrystal@yahoo.com!  :)    

Christmas Update!

 Monarch Butterfly Rider (orn) - SOLD

I woke up this morning to a crystallized, frosty world outside.  Everything was covered in a white blanket.  It wasn't snow, but simply the moisture in the air showing itself in a beautiful way.  Luckily it is nice and toasty inside and that wonderful cozy feeling that comes with knowing there's nothing to do outside, no tending to the garden, no mowing the lawn...everything is simply frozen in time, giving me a reprieve.  With the holiday season coming on full force, the studio is getting ever more cheery with snowmen, reindeer, glass bauble ornaments and all sorts of whimsical holiday goodness!   And I have a lot to show for it!  This is biggest update I think I've ever done with almost 70 pieces!  I expect there will be something for everyone.  :)

As usual, blog readers get first dibs on my new spun cotton one-of-kind figures. 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".  Click on photos to enlarge and pieces that can hang as ornaments are marked (orn).

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 within 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!

 

 Woodland Angel - SOLD

Polly Pine Cone (orn) - SOLD

Candle Santa - SOLD

 Golden Angel (orn) - SOLD

Gilded Wreath Girl (orn) - SOLD

Bobby Bunny (orn) - SOLD

 Miss Dingaling (orn) - SOLD

  Miss Bountiful Pine (orn) - SOLD

Miss Mistletoe (orn) - SOLD

 Pinky Snowflake (orn) - SOLD

Miss Shiny Brite (orn) - SOLD

Miss Frozen Tundra (orn) - SOLD

 Miss Elf (orn) - SOLD

Candy Cane Clinger (orn) - SOLD

Santa Jingle Bells (orn) - SOLD

 Judy Snowgirl (orn) - SOLD

  Helen Snowgirl (orn) - SOLD

Kelly Snowgirl (orn) - 35

 Miss Norway Pine (orn) - SOLD

Woodland Santa (orn) - SOLD

Miss Pail of Gifts (orn) - SOLD

 Linda Lightbulb (orn) - SOLD

Pink Fairy (orn) - SOLD

Miss Tropical Tree (orn) - SOLD

Charlie Gingerbread (orn) - SOLD

Mr. Gingerbread (orn) - SOLD

Danny Gingerbread (orn) - SOLD

 Miss Jolly Jumper (orn) - SOLD

Santa Silver Wreath (orn) - SOLD

The Angel's Ring Girl (orn) - SOLD

Red and Green Rocker Rider (orn) - SOLD

 

 Bundled up Bianca (orn) - SOLD

Miss Snowfall (orn) - SOLD
 Frosty Franny (orn) - SOLD

  Red Cardinal Rider (orn) - SOLD

White Dove Rider (orn) - SOLD

  Samson Shoe (orn) - SOLD

Riding with Santa (orn) - SOLD

 

  Retro Reindeer Girl (orn) - SOLD

Celluloid Reindeer Child (orn) - SOLD

Cotton Reindeer Child (orn) - SOLD

 

Miss Winter Pom - SOLD

Baby's First Christmas - SOLD

  Miss Crystallized Butterflies - SOLD

 Miss Santa Bell - SOLD

Snowman Santa - SOLD

Miss Stocking Bell - SOLD

  Santa and the Elf - SOLD

Miss Holly Jolly - SOLD

Sally Santa - SOLD

  Miss Shooting Star Bell - SOLD

The Sugar Plum Fairy - SOLD

 

 Silver Reindeer Rider (large) (orn) - SOLD

  Pure Snow Reindeer Santa (large) (orn) - SOLD

 Basket full of Santa (orn) - 35

Basket full of Christmas Cheer - SOLD

Santa and the Biggest Present - SOLD

Miss Icy Bell (orn) - SOLD

Miss Green Garland - SOLD

 Miss Candy Cane - SOLD

The Cardinal Elf (orn) - SOLD

Pleasant Santa - SOLD

  Miss Goldie - SOLD

Hannah Snowgirl - SOLD

Annie Angel - SOLD

 

 Windy Skier (orn) - SOLD

Ben the Bunny - SOLD

Polar Bear Rider (orn) - SOLD

Christmas Update Announcement!

For the last couple of weeks I've been burning the midnight oil to bring life to new one of a kind cuties for all to enjoy this holiday season.  I can think of few greater joys than to hole myself up in my studio and turn plain cotton into something to be cherished.  This update is going to a very large one with lots and lots of figures and ornaments to choose from and hopefully something for everyone.  I hope to see you all here on Wednesday!  :)

 
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:

Wednesday, November 28th - Here, the blog - 11:00 am EST

See you here on Wednesday! :)

A Super Birthday Weekend!

What a weekend I just had!  A birthday extravaganza weekend to be more precise!  My sister Suzy and I celebrated our birthday's on Saturday (she turned 15, I turned....ahem...29).  And we certainly did make our birth"day" into an entire weekend!

On Friday we all took a hike at Moreau Lake, which Ben and I having been doing with Winnie almost every weekend for the last month and a half.  Suzy and I took a photo at the summit.  Then on Saturday we all hung out at the local Saratoga City Center Holiday show, which was fun and great and lots of cotton goodies found lovely new homes.  When it was time to pack up and haul everything to the car, between my mom and my sister Sara, Suzy and her friend Willow, we only took one trip!  Many hands make light work!  Then we were mall rats for an hour and half before we all filed into the movie theater to see Life of Pi.  An amazing movie to be sure...but too much animal suffering for my taste.  Then we had late night mall Chinese...yum!

Then yesterday Ben took me on a surprise shopping spree at one of my favorite local antique stores (best gift ever!!).  It's a converted house and has room after room of amazing finds!  And what made it even better, we unknowingly went during the holiday open house, where there were sales galore and finger foods in almost every room.  Snacking while shopping?  I was in heaven!  We were going to go to a buffet at the race track, but we ate too much at the antique store (who would have thunk?) so instead we had dinner at a delicious mom and pop restaurant down the road from my dad's farm and ate salads and brick oven pizza.  Then we topped the weekend off indulging in my guiltiest pleasure...watching the last Twilight movie!  There's so much moss and nice music in those movies!  I just love it!  lol

And here's what Ben and I picked out from the antique store:

 This fuzzy vintage mohair bunny was the crowning jewel of my birthday extravaganza weekend.  Ben spotted him first and it was love at first sight (for me that is)!  He's in amazingly good condition and the seller thought he was part of a window display at a store.  He's mine now!  :)

 I was drawn to this small bird pitcher right away...I love the look and it was made in Czechoslovakia, which is where my great grandparent's emigrated from.

 Some wonderful colorful Easter goodies!

 Vintage cotton birdies.

 This little set of bisque figures were meant for aquarium decor back in the day.  Maybe it will inspire me to redecorate my fish tank!

 I'm not a huge doll person, but this pretty little gal was too perfect to pass up.  I love that she's made of wood and her painted face is so so sweet.

 These were a bit of a splurge...but I'm a big sucker for anything made out of crepe paper.

Plus some of them came with tiny celluloid charms!  Amazing and oh so adorable!!

It was the most fun I've had on my birthday in a long long time!!  I am so lucky to have such great people in my life!  :)

Show Schedule (with one this Saturday!)

I have a bunch of shows coming up soon that I thought I might tell you about.  The first is a local one right here in Saratoga!  I remember going to it when I was a kid with my mom.  Never thought I'd be setting up there!  :)  Then in December I'm off to Boston for two weekends.  I can't wait to see all of my Boston friends and collectors!!  Yay!  To see my show schedule at any given time, you can always look on the events page on my website (http://vintagebycrystal.com/Pages/events.html).

And for everyone who can't make it to a show...I'm planning on having an update next week...yay!  I'll be announcing when probably on Monday...stay tuned!  

Here are the details:  

Saratoga Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday, November 24 - 10am-4:30pm
Saratoga Springs City Center
522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY

SOWA Holiday Market
Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8 - 11am-6pm + Dec 9 - 11am-5pm
Benjamin Franklin Institute
41 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 

Bazaar Bizarre Boston
Sunday, December 16 - 12-6pm
BCA Cyclorama
539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA

Pheasant Rider - SOLD

"Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go..."  I think it's safe to say I've been in a singing mood this month!  And with Thanksgiving only a week away, the one Thanksgiving song I know has been running through my head for days!  But boy am I looking forward to eating all of the delectable root vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce and maybe even a little tofurky (I'm a vegetarian!  lol).  I also am looking forward to the most important part of Thanksgiving...which is saying out loud to the people you love, what you're thankful for.  It's nice to let people know how you feel instead of just assuming they know.  And it's just as nice to hear about what your loved ones appreciate and are grateful for. There are so many beautiful things in this world that I could never take for granted...I'm afraid my list would turn into a novel...so I'll do my best to keep it short.  I'm thankful for you.  :)  

I've taken a but of care in naming this bunch.  All of the pilgrims are named after passengers of the Mayflower while the turkeys are all named after real gobblers who were graciously pardoned by the President.

As usual, blog readers get first dibs on my new spun cotton one-of-kind figures. 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 within 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!

 Windy Long Feather - SOLD

Dances on Teepee - SOLD

Samoset - SOLD

 Mary Brewster (with bountiful basket) - SOLD

Elizabeth Hopkins - 28

Katherine Carver - SOLD

 The Autumn Fairy - SOLD

The Foliage Girl - SOLD

Miss Free Bird - SOLD

 Little Hen - SOLD

Clara and her Pilgrim Doll - SOLD

Miss Gobble - SOLD

 Running Bear - SOLD

Ann Tilley - SOLD

 Susanna White - SOLD

Miss Bittersweet - SOLD

Thomas Williams - SOLD

 Alice Rigsdale - SOLD

Rose Standish - SOLD

Little Miss and her Pet Turkey - SOLD

 Priscilla Mullins - SOLD

Joseph Mullins - SOLD

 Turkeys - 36 ea

Flyer - Marshmallow(sold) - Katie - Stripes - May

 Turkeys - 36 ea
Liberty(sold) - Stars - Biscuits(sold) - Apple