Tomorrow's the Big Day!

I hope to see you here! 2:00 pm EST. :)

Update Announcement!

It's been a couple of weeks since I've had an update, but at long last my last batch of spun cotton Valentine's Day characters will make their debut. I spent more time working on these guys than usual and I can't decide which is my favorite, but I do know that they're excited to meet you all! Plus, they'll make it to your doorstep just in time for Valentine's Day.

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. I can't wait to show you what I've been working on, plus I have a couple of surprises up my sleeves.

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

Tuesday, February 8th. Here, the blog. 2:00 pm EST.

See you here on Tuesday! :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dear old Dad's birthday.

Dad, I hope it's an awesome one!! I love you! :)

New Flea Market Treasures!

Ben and I recently hit an indoor flea market a little south of Boston that I had assumed was defunct. I hadn't been there in over a year and was very pleased to see that they had expanded from one floor to two. However the old industrial building still had little heat and I had to leave my gloves on while sifting through piles of old junk. The best find of the day has to be this collection old metal people. Aren't they amazing?! Some of my best flea market and antique store finds were hiding in inconspicuous boxes, just out of reach. If they had been on display and simply just in sight, they would have long been snatched up. These guys were hiding in an old cardboard cheese box with the lid closed. It actually had "Christmas village" written lightly in pencil on the outside and I completely expected to find cheap plastic houses or something of the like inside. Even after I opened it, it took me a moment to notice the lead figures. They were mixed in with some other junky Christmas stuff. Of course the vendors at this flea market are always wandering around so I had to track down the guy and was crossing my fingers for a good price. Finally I found him...or rather his daughter found him. "Twenty five dollars for this and that". (I had another item you'll see further down in this post). It was an amazing price for just the figures alone, but he seemed kind of mean, so I pushed it, "I'll give you twenty". "How about thirty?" he said. "How about twenty?" I said politely. He relented. I felt bad for bartering when the price was already great, but oh well.

Also in that box were these fancy figures. Bisque, plaster, wood and a little paper mache snowman. Those German stick animals are some of my favorites!

At another booth I spent a fair amount of time sifting through piles of random old junk. I picked out quite a few goodies and bargained a little with the vendor there too, although this time it was necessary as his price was much higher than I had expected.

Those tiny white scissors have a slight curve to them and I've been using them quite a bit in my studio!

I pulled these large pieces from the pile of junk too. Not sure what the wooden thing is, but I imagined putting it somewhere and hanging necklaces or something off of it. The other piece is from an old toy railroad set. Who knows where this will end up.

Also from the pile of junk...baby shoes! I've been meaning to do a project with the shoes I already had, but the idea just has to stick in my brain for longer than three minutes! Baby shoes, baby shoes, baby shoes....

I had a mini mission of finding some new old frames for my collection upon entering the flea market. Three dollars for the metal double frame (it's a reproduction...but oh well) and one dollar for the mirrored art deco frame. Yay! I already put some old family photos inside. I'll show you my collection later.

At long last I found another music book! This will be where all my sheet music paper for my hats and leaves and what not will come from for my spun cotton characters. Several years ago I found a similar book at the local "ghetto" flea market, and haven't been able to find a good one since. My old one only has a few pages left...so the timing is perfect!

I simply can't resist old cake plates...especially if they have lids. I don't know if this is an original pair...but at four smackaroos, it works for me!

This baby is the other piece I bought along with the lead figures. It's square and old and rusty and for some reason I imagined a Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger store using it as an interesting store display piece for gloves or something. I'm not sure if I'll use it for visual display and storage or use it for it's original purpose, which appears to be an oven of sorts. It even has a little tray for coal. Neat!


This display cabinet isn't old, but I had to have it because it has glass sides. I'm a sucker for any kind of cabinet with glass sides. They remind me of apothecary, medicinal storage cases or something. This piece is actually two doll display cases set side by side. I plan to paint it with shiny black lacquer and add glass shelves for an old school looking display case. We'll see how it turns out!

I also wanted to show you my latest ebay acquisitions. Since I haven't been able to go garage saling consistently for a while, I find myself spending waaaay too much sifting ebay, but luckily I don't come out empty handed. These cuties will join my wedding cake topper collection.

And this guy I bought with Ben in mind. He isn't particularly religious or anything, but it's old and fits nicely in with my wedding cake toppers.

So there it is! My brand new old pride and joys! :)

What's Inside?

What's inside? That's exactly what I've been wondering ever since I got this little party cracker at the Brimfield Antique Show a few years ago. I didn't dare ruin it, so I tried to put it out of my mind. Until..... Laurie from Magpie Ethel opened up one of her crackers! Sheesh! The nerve she has opening a sacred vintage party cracker! Well, I figured if she could do it, then so could I! :)

So what's inside this little guy?

Whom whomp....

I was hoping for a cool charm like Laurie got, but instead I got a yucky pink balloon and a sheet of blurry fake "tat-oos". Oh yeah...and a little fortune too. Sigh...at least I was able to put my cracker back together easily and no one would ever be none-the-wiser.

Valentine's Day Update!

Joined at the Hip - $35

There are quite a few spun cotton characters here to choose from today. I hope you find one or two that tickle your fancy! :)

As you probably know by now, 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.

Shipping is $3.50 for one item and $1 per additional item up to $6.50, then additional pieces are free. And of course email me if you have any questions! Happy Shopping!

Romantic Bunny Boy - SOLD
Romantic Bunny Girl - SOLD

Romantic Cat Boy - SOLD
Romantic Cat Girl - SOLD

Girl on a Glass Swing - SOLD
Girl on Nest - SOLD

Sweetie Pie - SOLD
Dapper Young Man - SOLD

Silver Rose Girl - SOLD
Sweet Young Man - SOLD

Sweet Lily - SOLD
Pink Princess - SOLD
Pink Balloon Girl - SOLD

Princess of Hearts - SOLD
Girl on Foil Hat (opens as a box) - $35
Cupid and Candy Girl - SOLD

Key to Your Heart Fairy - SOLD
Skunk - SOLD

Heart Elf - SOLD
Valentine's Day Juggler - $28
Angel- SOLD (my favorite)

Bouncy Ball Cat Girl - SOLD
Heart Head Man (paper mache sculpted head) - SOLD

White Heart Girl - SOLD
Heart Faced Girl - SOLD
Miss. Striped Socks - SOLD

Angel Ballerina - SOLD
Be Mine Girl - SOLD
Miss "V" - SOLD

Update Annoucement!

There's a bunch of new characters that are just about ready to say "hello!"
Blog readers get first dibs and I can't wait to show you what I've been working on. They'll all be available:

Friday, January 21th. Here, the blog. 2:00 pm EST.

See you the day after tomorrow! :)