Mother's Day is special ... because Mother's are special. Victorian Mother-of-Pearl Pin (One only at $49.00) Vintages has a store full of special gifts for any Mom. Come on in and see for yourself. We will be open on Sunday May 6th as well as on Mother's Day, Sunday May 13th. Great Bookmarks for Mom (just $3.95 each) These Hand Decorated, Made in the USA Journals are perfect for everything from laundry lists to daily notes to a place to jot down intimate thoughts ($18.95 each) Love You Mom ... Little Things Mean a Lot ($9.95 each) Special Decorative Paper for wrapping, crafting or framing ($3.95 to $4.95 per sheet) A Bit of Whimsy for the Queen of the House ($79.95 each) Hand Made in California, these Planters and Bowls from the Teyros Collection would be a beautiful gift for any Mom (from $75.00 each) What Lady would not like a gently scented potpourri of exotic flowers? ($20.95 per bag) Or you can say it with music ... vintage sheet mus...

When you've been collecting stuff for your whole life as I have, you are always learning and finding new things of interest. Still, after all these years, you think you've seen it all! No way! Newly discovered chapbooks from the early 1800s Just the other day I ran across an interesting box containing six little volumes. They looked old and were just barely small enough to be miniatures. I had to have them. A bit of research led me to realize that I had stumbled across a printing genre that I was not familiar with ... Chapbooks . Title pages from three of the chapbooks (prices $95 each) These little booklets were sold door-to-door by country salesmen in the late-18th and early-19th centuries, primarily in England. The format was simple, typically a little smaller than 3" x 4" and 8 to 32 pages. They contained stories, songs, poems, religious or inspirational texts, some new, most plagiarized. Simply printed using old typeset, re-used woodblock prints a...

The Los Gatos Visitors Bureau is sponsoring its 6th Annual Photo Contest. Here's your chance to get your photographic creativity engaged! A panel of local professional photographers will judge the contest and choose the winning entries. Their criteria will be based on technical merit, aesthetics and Los Gatos identity. Plus there will be a People's Choice Award chosen by popular vote at the exhibition on June 21 at the Art Museum of Los Gatos. Submission deadline is May 21st, so grab your camera and start shooting! For more information contact the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce (408) 354-9300, or visit the Chamber website .

The original Old Stone Mill of James Alexander Forbes , was built in 1850, the first permanent commercial building constructed in Los Gatos. In 1880, an addition was built next to the four story mill to store flour and supplies. The Forbes Mill Annex, which today is the only part of the mill still standing, is now the home of the Los Gatos History Museum .  The above postcard shows the mill with the annex under construction. The photo below is the annex today as the History Museum.

Launched in 1901, this French illustrated weekly publication was a forum for speaking out against anything and everything! Each issue during its 11 years of publication was devoted to one topic or illustrated by one artist. According to Lisa Reisman of Lisa M.Reisman et Cie :   Common themes in L'Assiette au Beurre were anti-clerical, antimilitarist, anti-capitalist, anti-civil servant … essentially, anti-everything. L’Assiette au Beurre had a definite anarchistic reputation. Remarkable not only because of the ideas that it expressed, but especially because of the quality of its illustrations, L’Assiette au Beurre was an extraordinary laboratory of graphics, colors, and social commentary. L'Assiette au Beurre literally means "the butter plate", a reference to the upper classes of Paris. The publication attracted some of the finest artists of the Belle Epoque era as contributors. Some issues were extreme in their satire. Ot...

This is a fantastic, large Staret brooch with bright red and clear crystals. It features a beautiful gold-tone orchid trimmed with clear crystals and with three red crystal stamens. Staret was a jewelry company from Chicago in the 1940s known for big, showy pieces -- like this one.  This beauty is available in the shop or online ($350.00)

Have a wonderful and fun Easter.

I thought I would pass along this blog post from The Peak of Chic (aka: Jennifer Boles Dwyer, Atlanta interior designer). I often get asked "What do I do with this?" Or "How do I display something or a collection?" Well here is a classical way of integrating collections into home decor. It does not have to look like a museum or gallery. With a bit of imagination and creativity, you can update these ideas into your own special collector's environment. Having your collections out for you and others to enjoy, or making them part of the ambience of your home, is great! Why stuff your collection in boxes or closets? They cannot be enjoyed if stuck in an over-crowded cabinet or piled on a table. Make them part of your life. Just a thought.