I was born and raised in Hawaii and I still have a close affinity to all things Hawaiian. Love the food, the music, the flowers and the weather. Of course the laid back, stress-free life-style is pretty attractive in this hustle-bustle world we live in. I remember when I was young, my mom had these wonderful carved perfume bottles in the shape of flowers, pineapples, palm trees and fish. These perfume bottles and sets were sold in high-end department stores like Liberty House and in specialty shops like Gump’s and Ming’s in the 1940s through the 1950s. Carved and bottled by such names as John Oya, Hula-Lei and Ka-lae, the perfumes were normally packaged in a hapa-pattern box and contained vials of exotic fragrances like pikake, ginger and plumeria. These perfume bottles were typically carved from milo, koa or monkey pod wood, all exotic woods from the Hawaiian Islands. Milo wood is my favorite. It is one of the tropic woods that has beautiful grain and color that is used to make a ...

We got an original copy of this wonderful little children's book -- The Flying Locomotive -- about Toto No. 2 (who thinks of himself as "The Greatest Locomotive in the World"), who must share a shed with a cow! Preposterous ... and delightful. William Pene du Bois wrote and illustrated this lovely little book. The pictures are the star of this book, so we wanted to share some of them with you. William Pene du Bois was an American author and illustrator of children’s books noted for his comic coterie of peculiar characters. In 1948 he was awarded the Newbery Medal for The Twenty-One Balloons (1947). The Newbery is the most prestigious award in children's literature in the United States. It is given annually to the author of the year's most distinguished book for children. During his long career, he was honoured not only with the coveted Newbery Medal, but also twice with the Caldecott Honor Award (1952 and 1957). The Flying Locomotive was published in 1942.

We just love Spring! Flowers are blooming everywhere ... and perfume is in the air. We have lots of bunnies, chicks and baskets. But Springtime is more than Easter and flowers. We feature an array of fresh products -- vintage and handcrafted. Here are some of our favorites. OK, I needed to show one bunny! He's cute, isn't he? The egg-vase is a nice touch for a vanity or bath or even in a centerpiece. These glitter hearts, shoes and boxes are as bright and cheery as the weather. The vintage bottles in this are decorated with handcrafted pendants, ribbons and feathers. These bright and beautiful pendants are handcrafted using glass, silver solder and ribbon.

We love Paris ... and so do so many of the people who visit our shop in Los Gatos. We just had a visit from Jill Mitchell, a self-described American “French Vintage Addict” living in Provence. She posted some great comments and photos of Vintages on her blog -- Le Trip . Thanks for the kind words Jill. If you are planning a trip to France, check out her site, Jill Mitchell's Le Trip , where she offers tips and trips. Over the years we have picked up some wonderful Parisien post cards. Here are a few of our favorites. This flyer came from an old Victorian era scrapbook. It is from the 1878 Paris Exposition. Susan has made some wonderful Paris themed silver solder pendants, bookmarks and door hangers. These are available in many styles at $18.95 each.

For more information on our decorative paper, journals, notes and other desk accessories, please see our Featured Product page.