With summer comes weddings. Vintages has a nice variety of gifts for the bridal party (both groomsmen and ladies-in-waiting), special bridal jewelry (including sparkling engagement rings) and a large collection of vintage wedding cake toppers . Part of the Vintage Bride & Groom Wedding Cake Toppers available at Vintages The nostalgic bride and groom figures that have traditionally adorned wedding cakes can serve a multitude of purposes. Of course there is nothing better to place atop the wedding cake. But these make wonderful gifts for showers and anniversaries. How about having one included in the flower arrangement near the wedding book, or even as part of the table centerpieces? Tie one into the ribbon and bow on the wedding gift. Place one into a wedding basket with champagne or candy. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Click here to see the toppers that are available online.

Father's Day is Sunday, June 19th From the first moments of life, the bond forged between a father and a child is sacred ... Fathers are our first teachers and coaches, mentors and role models.  They push us to succeed, encourage us when we are struggling, and offer unconditional care and support.  Children and adults alike look up to them and learn from their example and perspective.  The journey of fatherhood is both exhilarating and humbling it is an opportunity to model who we want our sons and daughters to become, and to build the foundation upon which they can achieve their dreams. -Excerpt from Barack Obama's Father's Proclamation for 2010 Father's Day is truly a special day. I have always been amazed how much smarter my Dad became as I got older! I guess we have a tendency to take our fathers a bit for granted, not fully appreciating them for all that they are, until later ... especially when we have children of our own. We have a lot of gifts for tha...

They say that good things come in small packages. Well how about this? This is a tiny Swiss made music box pendant that plays a sweet little tune and has a hidden message as well. The musical notes in the decoration are studded with seven precious gemstones. The first letters of the gemstones spell out DEAREST ... Diamond, Emerald, Amethyst, Ruby, E merald, Sapphire, Topaz. This little acrostic was popular in late Victorian jewelry. The box itself is crafted of 14k gold and the tiny musical movement is made by Colibri, one of the finest Swiss makers. Wouldn't this be an absolute delight to wear?

Wine and liquor bottle tags first appeared in the mid-1720s and were known as bottle tickets back then. At that time they replaced the paper tickets, or labels, that were hung on or attached to bottles to identify the contents. While these started off as plain silver rectangles, cartouches or escutcheons, by the end of the 18th century these had become quite ornate at times.  By the beginning of the 1800s these fancier tickets became known as decanter labels to reflect the better quality of the spirits being kept in the bottles as well as the higher degree of design that was exhibited. In 1860, the English made it legal for shops to sell individual bottles of wine and spirits, provided that the bottle had a paper label describing its contents. Bottle tickets disappeared and decanter labels were used only when wine or spirits were decanted and kept in a separate, and usually fancier, container. In the twenties, and again in the forties, every bar had to have its selection of d...

I just thought I would take you on a quickie tour of what's up in the shop. Many of the items from our January shopping at the shows have finally arrived. We have lots of new Paris themed accents, some cool garden accessories, a great set of tin boxes, metal baskets and wicker covered bottles ... and we finally got the large cage Santos in.  Plus we have a few great wall mirrors on display. Recently we acquired a nice batch of Victorian jewelry and antique silver. And for the crafters, we have added some new rubber stamps and crafting doo-dads. Love this bench and pillows. The wicker covered bottles are new too! The vintage watering cans are great for the garden room. The large fleur-de-lys is made from old tin ceiling tiles and reclaimed wood. PARIS • Anytime! Travel journals will just look better in these colorful little notebooks. Outdoor (or indoor) candle holders, a great little birdcage and Alise Sheehan's NEST branch. Beach and garden accents. Birds, f...