It's the time of year when Christians, Catholics in particular, celebrate post Easter rituals like first communion and confirmation.  And June is known as weddings month!  At Vintages we always have a nice selection of vintage religious items like rosaries, medals of saints and the Holy Family, prayer books and pocket shrines.  Below is a sampling of what is currently available. Rosaries with beads of crystal, sterling silver, olive wood and molded glass.  We even have a few that have reliquaries included. Rosary cases, holy water fonts, little plaques with holy pictures and ecclesiastical sayings. Wonderful old miniature prayer books, first communion mementos, and a new testament bible from the early 1700s. Religious medals, pocket crucifixes and shrines.  In addition, we have a large selection of crosses.

We received a nice write-up in the April issue of Eucalyptus Magazine .  The article was about a staycation in Los Gatos.   Eucalyptus is the San Francisco Bay Area’s resource for green and health-conscious lifestyles.   Check it out .

Our trip to Paris this past September filled us with ideas and inspiration about the old, elegant style of Paris.  We were ecstatic when we found resources at the trade shows in January that reflected that same style.  Add to that our own finds from estates and local artists and we now have a nice selection of Paris Apartment design elements at Vintages.  There's more than what we present here, and more to come... So, what is Paris Apartment style?  It's somewhat hard to define.  It is based on the concept of blending -- blending ages, color tones, textures and scale.  Think Victorian chairs with Baroque tables.  Or Art Deco vanity sets laid out on a Empire dresser.  Or large Paris posters above a pair of Corinthian columns.  Muted silver and pewter tones highlighted with gold gilding.  And Asian horses aside majolica chickens.  Got the picture? We love the style and have chosen quite a number of decorative accessories and accents...

This is Susan's latest creation and they are just wonderful!  Over the past 30 years we have gathered seashells from beaches all along the West Coast and in Hawaii.  Susan is now decoupaging little inspirational words and pieces of old paper into the shells.  The shells are hung from a ribbon or included in a package of sand and smaller shells.  They are perfect as additions to gift bows, hanging on bottles or doors, displayed in a little bowl, or whatever you imagination dreams up!  We also have bookmarks with shells as well.  Each of these is a one-of-a-kind artistic piece and are only available here in the shop -- although we can always send photos to you if you wish.  Take a look ...

Spring seems to bring out a newness and freshness to the world around us.  Fresh flowers, freshly tilled vegie gardens, new growth on the trees.  In the spirit of spring, we refresh our shop with new products each year around this time.  Most of the great things that we ordered back in January have arrived.  We are excited to unveil so many fantastic finds.  There is more to come, but what we have received is really wonderful. With spring and summer the birds are everywhere.  Even here at Vintages. New cotton ribbons, tissue garland, old lace and handmade ribbon flowers. Inspirational signs, plaques and paperweights have always been part of our selection.  Add to that wonderful greeting cards and colorful matchboxes. We have put together some luscious home accents in the Paris Apartment-style.  More on this in a later post, but here are a few images to whet your appetite. Paris guides, old childrens stories and just wonderful old books are ...