New Old Treasures!

Ben and I have been hitting up sales here and there and getting lots of great stuff.  I'm always looking for great old things to use in my work...like these turkeys and pups.  So vintage, so great.

Not too much Christmas, but my Christmas drawers are getting full, so I won't complain.  I love the little Santa bell...so cute!

Great containers...one for a graveyard, one for a snowy Christmas scene, one to keep things in the studio, and the other...who knows?

 I love old costume jewelry too.  Sometimes things that go into my supply drawer end up getting pinned to my sweater and things in my jewelry box end up being coveted by a little spun cotton girl. 

 I'm a sucker for old egg cups and have sooooo many both around the house and in the studio.  And the mini mug is for Mother's Day next year.  :)

 This vintage ethnic doll is in awesome shape and is a gift for a doll collector friend (who hopefully won't read this post!)  The other interesting thing I think is a pretty handmade fabric trivet.  It's now hanging on the wall in the studio among other pretties.

 Love the gingerbread avon bottles!  And vintage pins for my peacocks.

 I pulled these Easter goodies out of a big box of plastic Easter eggs.  What fun that was!

And the find of the summer....a big box chock full of vintage millinery.  Score!  I'm in love!

Until the next treasure time!  :)

We're Now on Instagram!

At long last....we're on Instagram!  I love blogging and will continue to post as much as I can here on the blog, where I can be long winded and tell lengthy stories, complete with lots of photos, but for those times where we have just a second or don't have much to say, but something to show, Instagram is where it's at!  Click on the photo above or the Instagram icon in the sidebar to check it out.  Ben and I are both posting there often and we hope you'll follow us!
@vintagebycrystal #vintagebycrystal 

Miniature!

I'm a sucker for all things miniature...

Including fruit!  Aren't these strawberries tiny!

These are wild strawberries, growing near our house under our plum trees.  My experience with wild strawberries has always been wistful.  There was a patch on the sandy hill under the 18th century cemetery on my parent's property.  The strawberry plants flourished, and I would be excited to spot three tiny red spheres dangling among the whole patch.  There were never any more.  All those plants and just a small nibble of fruit.  I dreamed of having a wild patch where the berries were numerous and free growing.  Where I could nibble to my heart's content.  I didn't think wild strawberries fruited prolifically ever, and so that dream faded to the back of my mind.  Until this spring.  There have been wild strawberries all over our property since we moved in and they spread like crazy, so I usually yanked them out in favor of flowers, etc.  Sometimes I'd spot a berry or two in the lawn, close to the ground where a flower had managed to escape the mower blades.  But this spring, little strawberry plants emerged in a big patch at the top of the hill in my perennial garden.  I was ready to rototill them under and put down mulch, but I noticed how many flowers there were....tons!  I thought it was unusual and couldn't bring myself to destroy such beauty.  I'd wait til the flowers faded, which they eventually did.  However, on inspection I noticed that just about every faded flower was sporting a tiny green strawberry!  I was skeptical...but I just had to see what would happen!  I thought most likely they would dry and fall off before they ripened.  I went out the other day and low and behold...what a bounty!  They were everywhere!  I spent almost an hour picking all I could find, leaving many more green ones to ripen later.  I got a whole bowl full!

And who says dreams don't come true!!  My child self was elated!!  And my do they taste delicious...nature's candy.  Truly.

To be honest, much better tasting than the conventional strawberries I planted last year. 

Look at the size difference!  But give me that one tiny one over the big one any day!

Yum!

Double yum!

And next up to ripen...the black raspberries!!  The whole edge of our property is bursting with more green berries than ever!!  Pie and jam, here we come!!!

Patriotic Update!

Swinging Sadie (ornament) - SOLD

Making these wonderful patriotic treasures reminds me of how grateful I am to have the freedom and liberties that comes with living in this great country.  These privileges allow me to live my life doing what I love and gives me the opportunity to share my art, expression, and dreams with all of you.  Making these little guys gives me such pleasure and I want to thank you all for sharing this passion with me and making it all possible.   

I hope you Enjoy! :)

As usual, this blog update offers first dibs on our new spun cotton one-of-kind figures. If you see something(s) you love, just email us at crystalandben@vintagebycrystal.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.  If you prefer 1-3 day priority shipping, please let us know (there will be an additional $3 charge).  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!

Party Hardy -SOLD
Festive Fella - SOLD

America Erica - SOLD
USA May - SOLD

Mr. Ross - SOLD
Miss Betsy - SOLD

 Firecracker Jane - SOLD

Shelly Shield (ornament) - SOLD

Miss Yankee - SOLD
Miss Doodle - SOLD
Miss Dandy - SOLD

Miss Nancy - SOLD
Miss Jackie - SOLD

Miss Liberty - SOLD
 Freedom Fran - SOLD

Miss Jefferson - SOLD
Miss Adams - SOLD

Miss Kennedy - SOLD
Proud Prudence - SOLD

Miss Independence - SOLD
Miss Glory - SOLD

Abe Lincoln - SOLD

George Washington - SOLD

Ballerina Beauty - SOLD

Navy Sue - SOLD

 Ribbon Riding Sam (ornament) - SOLD

Star Spangled Twins (ornament) - SOLD

Little Belle (ornament) - SOLD

Blue Base Uncle Sam (11" tall) - SOLD
Silver Base Uncle Sam (11" tall) - SOLD

Patriotic Totem (large box) - SOLD

4th of July Update Sneak Peek!

We hope to see you all at Wednesday's patriotic Update! You don't want to miss this one!

Wednesday, June 18th - here, the blog - 11:00 am EST

4th of July Update Announcement!

In just a few weeks we'll be celebrating the birth of our nation with lots of barbeques, fireworks, friends and all the other wonderful traditions that comes along with the 4th of July!  So why not add a touch of whimsy, charm, and charisma with some wonderful creations with exploding personalities.  This upcoming Wednesday we'll be bringing out the red white and blue with many fun fantastic patriotic pieces that will surely make your Independence Day "one of a kind."  We hope you'll join us in the celebration! :-)        

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

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

Wednesday, June 18th - here, the blog - 11:00 am EST

Just a reminder that our email address is now crystalandben@vintagebycrystal.com

Father Day Figure

 SOLD

Dad's all across the country are getting excited about their day!  A day where they can put up their feet, not worry about yard work or taking out the garbage and just do whatever they want!  And they certainly deserve it!  Father's Day often gets away from us, but not this year...I've had this adorable little rocking chair sitting in one of my cubby shelves for a few years now and it reminded me of when I was little.  I would sit on my dad's lap and he would tell me a story or I'd watch him read the newspaper.  It was nice.  This dad and his little babe are spending a special moment together too.  They sit and rock and also have a hook for hanging.

Cheers to all of those Dad's out there!  :)

Back from Country Living

We're back from Country Living and finally all unpacked and rested up.  What a weekend!  What a show!  There were treasures, straight from the magazine, almost as far as the eye could see!  I highly recommend this event to anyone who loves what's in the magazine...and really...what's not to love!

 

Ben and I had a comfy little booth in one of the many cow barns, which was appropriate.  The smell of fresh pine shavings reminded me of showing cows at the fair as kid...one of the most exciting things of my young life.  My mom came with us to help with Olive, which was a life saver!  

 Lots of goodies to choose from (I'd been working HARD for weeks!)  A big portion of these guys found new homes.  :)

 

Some of these guys will be included in our patriotic update, which we'll be scheduling very soon.

Some of the booths around the fair were actually glamper (glamorous campers)...so fabulous!  This one was filled with handmade clothes.  I got the most amazing and comfy shirt.  

 This barn was one of my favorites.  So many beautiful curated antiques.  And the displayed were to die for.  My mom was looking through some old scrap paper.

More and More Antiques from NYC was selling nests from all different types of birds.  Each one was labelled.  Oh how I want my own nest display now!

Glampers and tents.

There were lots of things I really wanted to bring home...like this guy.  And so I did! 

I really wanted this too, from the same booth....but it was far too expensive for me.  Boohoo.  I think these are Victorian wax flowers.

This potting bench, complete with tiny sink is way cool.  The gears are turning!  

We really loved seeing all of the amazing things this show had to offer and bringing a good portion of it home with us, (including our favorite find, Mr. Coyote).  We loved meeting new friends and seeing old, and of course are so so happy that many of our little cotton friends now have forever homes. 

Yay for Country Living!!!