Olive!

Olive is more than three months old now!!  I can't believe it!  And she really is the most precious and wonderful person ever!  Look at that face!!

And this face too!!

And that one!!  With daddy!

And she does tricks too!  Look at her stand!

And she hangs out in the studio with the rest of us.  Life is good.  :)

What's Up.

Thank you everyone who snatched up some goodies during our latest blog sale!  There are a few cuties still looking for someone to love them, but for the most part, all the characters are comfy and cozy in their new homes (or soon will be).  And also I'd like to apologize to anyone who may have gotten frustrated when you emailed us and didn't hear back immediately.  Our email was majorly messed up and at the worst time possible!  Emails were not coming in in the order they were sent and most were coming in much later than they were sent...Eeek!!  We were even getting emails at 4 or 5 in the afternoon that were sent at 11-something.  Horrible.  Anyway...with that we decided to change our email server completely...and sooo....we have a new email address!  From now on, Ben and I can be contacted at crystalandben@vintagebycrystal.com.  Kinda long, but easy to remember I think.  And we'll have a forward on our old email address, so no matter which one you email, the message should reach us.  Phew!  I'm sure Ben will make an official announcement once he changes all of our accounts, etc.

Now...onto more fun things.  What have we been up to lately?  Well...while squeezing in creating things and taking care of Olive...we've been ripping the studio apart!  Literally!!  It's been going on for the past month (waaay too long) and while we're currently at a place in the transformation we can stay at for a little while while I catch up on orders, it's still not done!

 Ben and I (mostly Ben) ripped up the thin osb overlay on the floor to reveal the original pine planks that's considered the subfloor.  Well...this stuff is beautiful and is now the main floor! 

Our studio is the attic of the house that was made into an apartment in the early 80's (I just learned the date from Mike down at the hardware store who is related to the original owners of the house).  It had this hideous and very claustrophobic bathroom that had no running water and was taking up a huge amount of space.  So we ripped it all out!!  This is what I'm building in it's place.  

 

 And this is where our new old sink is going.  I had my handyman tap into our existing water lines from downstairs and Ben and I traveled through three states to pick up a free antique cast iron sink from Craigslist.  

The first section of the studio is almost finished and I worked in it for the first time today!!  It was great!  Now we just need the sink installed and we're onto the second half...phew!

Oh...and what else is up?  I thought I'd share part of my lunch...yummy hard boiled quail eggs from Miss. Quailie who lives in the dining room.  Delish!  :)

Spring And Easter Update!

The Spring Trio - SOLD

Here in upstate New York the snow is still covering the ground and while it doesn't seem very spring like outside, it's sure not the case in our studio.  Our creations are "springing" to life, bursting with colorful pastels.  This collection is chock filled with chicks and eggs and bunnies... oh my! They have been warming our home with their cuteness & charm, and we know they do the same for you. :) 

    As usual, this blog offers first dibs on our new spun cotton one-of-kind figures. If you see something(s) you love, just email us at vintagebycrystal@yahoo.com and we'll let you know if they're still available. First come first served! we'll update item status in this post as often as we 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.

 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 via first class mail and should arrive within a few days.  We send Paypal invoices via email unless you specify that you'd rather pay via check. And of course email us if you have any questions!

Happy Shopping! 

 

Pretty Stroll - SOLD

Bunny Basket - SOLD
Water Can Friends - SOLD

Rona Rabbit - SOLD
Rita Rabbit - SOLD

Miss Pinky - SOLD
Egg Shelly - SOLD
Easter Butterfly Girl - SOLD

Chick One - SOLD
Chick Two - SOLD
Chick Three - SOLD

Little Hopper Ornaments (set of three) - SOLD

Miss April - SOLD
 Marchy - SOLD
June Bug - SOLD
May Flower - SOLD

Purrrcilla - SOLD
Kitty Karl - SOLD

Hareriet (on chalk egg) - SOLD

Miss Jessie (on egg box) - SOLD

Mr. Cottontail - SOLD
Mr. Floppy - SOLD

Egg Walker - SOLD
Chickie Chickita - SOLD

 Easter Ester - SOLD
Classic Rabbit - SOLD

Honey Bunny - SOLD
Babs Bunny - SOLD
Brownie Bunny - SOLD

Miss Peeps - SOLD
Miss Jellybean - SOLD
Miss Cadbury (on bunny box) - SOLD

Bonnie Bonnet - SOLD
Whimsy Wilma - SOLD
Hatchling Heaven - SOLD

Spring And Easter Update Sneak Peek!

Here’s a little sneak peek at some of what’s in store for tomorrow’s update!  

 Hope to “see” you here at 11:00am EST!

Spring And Easter Update Announcement!

 Happy Spring Everyone!  If you're like us and have not yet felt it's presence, rest assured it's not far away and will be approaching soon.  As the gardens sprout, the flowers blossom, and nature begins to grow anew, so do our wonderful creations.  We have such a beautiful assortment of spring and Easter pieces for this update collection.  You don't want to miss it! :-)

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 our 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, March 25th - here, the blog - 11:00 am EST

 

Studio Renovations!!

 Exciting stuff is happening in the studio right about now!  Ben and I are doing a studio renovation and makeover!  Whoohoo!!

The studio was pretty ok before...but the white osb sheets that were serving as flooring are starting to flake, and they're pretty ugly to boot.  The ceiling of the turret still needs to be painted...a project I started when we first moved in, but didn't have time to finish.  And the big whopper...the old yucky bathroom!!  The third floor of our house, where our studio is, was originally an unheated, open attic when the house was first built in the late 1800's.  Somewhere in the mid-1900's, that space was converted to an apartment (the rest of the house was split into apartments too).  They built an addition that served as a bedroom (now the storage/photo room), and added a closet (which is still handy), a kitchen (where I do all my painting) and a bathroom.  The bathroom was old and extremely outdated and had no water going to it anyway.   It took up a huge chunk of real estate and attracted clutter.  Soooo...out went the bathroom!!

Ben and I shoved a whole bunch of stuff into the little photo room..yikes!

And pulled out the kitchen counter, which I wanted to save for the big island work table I'm making.  Turns out it was more difficult to pull out than first anticipated.  It's all hand built to the space and was nailed to the floor.  Phew!  I hope I can figure out how to put it back together!

Then we started smashing walls!

My dad let us borrow his sawsall and I went to town with it, cutting apart the bathtub and wall studs.

We're half way there!  The handyman is coming today to work on plumbing and electrical and I'll be pulling up floors, Ben will be answering emails, the cats will stay out of the holes between floorboards, and Olive will be sleeping (hopefully!).  Happy demo day!  :)

Saint Patrick's Day Update!

Miss Clara - SOLD

Erin Bragherton - SOLD

"Top O' the mornin to ya." We're dancing an Irish jig in excitement for this update!  If your like us and not getting enough green while looking out your window, then your in luck because we have enough to fill your hearts. :-)  No need to search endlessly through vast fields for those magical four leaf clovers as we made them extremely easy to spot on this fine day!

As usual, this blog offers first dibs on our new spun cotton one-of-kind figures. If you see something(s) you love, just email us at vintagebycrystal@yahoo.com and we'll let you know if they're still available. First come first served! we'll update item status in this post as often as we 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.

  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 via first class mail and should arrive within a few days.  We send Paypal invoices via email unless you specify that you'd rather pay via check. And of course email us if you have any questions!

Happy Shopping!

 Miss Green - SOLD

Mr. Galway - SOLD

Miss Kerry -SOLD

 

Leprechaun Serenade - SOLD

Limerick Lonnie - SOLD
Kinsale Kimmy - SOLD

Guinness Gale - SOLD
Dublin Double - SOLD

Clover Juggler - SOLD
Miss Shamrock - SOLD

Miss Wexford - SOLD
Kenmare Ken - SOLD

Kyle Kells - SOLD

Belfast Bella - SOLD

Little Pat - SOLD

Miss Carrigaline - SOLD
Donna Dooly- SOLD
Brian O'Brian - SOLD

Celticanna -SOLD

Blarney Stone Blair - SOLD

Lucky Wishbone - SOLD

Saint Patrick's Day Update Sneak Peek!

Here’s a little sneak peek at some of what’s in store for tomorrow’s update!  

 Hope to “see” you here at 11:00am EST!

Saint Patrick's Day Update Announcement!

Tiny visitors have arrived with shamrocks and gold on hand, wearing lovely shades of green, and singing & dancing to the beautiful songs of traditional Irish tunes!  This fun loving group of wee lads, lasses and leprechaun's are eager to know which lucky home they will fill with joy and excitement for Saint Patty's Day!  This will be the only update this year for Saint Patrick's Day... We hope to see you here! :)

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 our 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:

Thursday, March 6th - Here, the blog - 11:00 am EST