We have stocked an excellent line-up of artist supplies . These are new to Vintages, but you have requested more art supplies, so we now have them in the shop. Artist sets come in a nice travel case, or a smaller size in a nice reusable case. The compact size of these art sets make them easy to store and handy for travel. The reusable clear case opens and closes with a snap and allows the artist to see the contents at a glance. These are available for acrylic painting, sketching and pencil drawing. We also have two wonderful beginner's sets for painting and sketching. Perfect for children and novices. These small kits come with a nice starter set of materials. We also have a few drawing and painting pads, as well as a hardbound sketchbook. These items are available in the Vintages' online store . Along with these pads and kits, we have a variety of other supplies and accessories available in our Los Gatos shop.

WOW! These decorative stamp rollers make it so easy to create borders and rows of multiple images that are perfect for all types of crafts, scrapbooking and card making. It is a two part tool … a universal applicator and a variety of interchangeable rollers. You buy just one applicator and insert the roller cartridge of your choice. Easy as pie! The cartridge is self-inking, so you can roll the applicator with one stroke across your media … cardstock, paper, ribbon and other materials. Use one set of images or multiple designs to create the decorative expression you desire. Great for cards, tags, ribbons and more. Scrapbookers, card makers, mixed media artists and paper crafters of all sorts will all love these! The ink doesn't run when sprayed with water-based inks. The ink stays damp long enough to use embossing powders, but dries quick enough to allow you to move on with multiple layers and effects. * Easily create pattern...

Ever have a problem getting letters of numbers to line up correctly when using rubber stamps? I thought so ... well these Pegz stamps solve the problem. The stamps click together to form self-aligned words and phrases. They have a 1/4-inch tall character height ... the font is known as the Bodoni font. Each package includes 12-36 clickable rubber stamps. We carry four sets ... upper and lower case letters with 36 assorted stamps per set ($23.95 per set) and number and symbol sets with a dozen stamps per set ($10.95 and $16.95 per set). These are the contents of the four different sets we carry. With these stamp sets you can personalize everything from gift packaging, greeting cards and scrapbook pages to place cards, social correspondence, crafting projects and much, much more! Available in our Los Gatos Shop or from Vintages online shop .

Ever need that little something to hold a gift for a friend or piece of jewelry in while traveling? Well ... we got 'em! Small muslin and organza bags are prettier and more practical than the traditional white gift box.  The muslin bags are about 2-3/4 x 4-1/4 inches and are just wonderful! These are hand decorated with images and quotes, making each of them a personal keepsake ... as well as a gift or storage bag. Priced at $2.39 each. The organza bags come in three sizes and a plethora of colors as well. Priced from 69c to 99c each.

Did you miss the Shirlie Montgomery: Picturing San Jose Since 1938 exhibit last year at History San Jose? The folks over at HSJ have reformatted the exhibit into an on-line exhibit through their partnership with Google Cultural Institute. HSJ archivist Cate Mills did a great job. Check it out, you will enjoy it. It includes some unique views of San Jose and the Valley of Hearts Delight from the middle half of the 1900s. Breaking news, politics, local color, celebrities, wrestling ... plus a video of Opening Day at Candlestick Park in 1960 -- SF Giants v St Louis Cardinals You might also like other blog posts about this San Jose icon who passed away in November 2012 at the age of 94 years young.

We just acquired this beautiful Gold and Carnelian Bracelet . It hails from the late Ch'ing Dynasty in China ... late-Victorian times in the Western world. It is made from five lovely carnelian rings linked together with 18K yellow gold hinges. The clasp is a work of art in and of itself. I just listed this on our antique site . Take a look ... listed at just $395.

They don't make 'em like the used to! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

I have taken some of the antique cut steel buckles we have ( see earlier post ) and made wonderful cuff bracelets using them. These are available in our shop in Los G atos and in the new Lopaka Designs Etsy site.  These antique 19th century cut steel shoe buckles were used in Georgian and Victorian for men's shoes and have a place to slide a belt or fabric piece through the bottom. The faceted, cut steel studs are riveted into place onto a steel backing plate. Most of the ones I am using here are French and have a wonderful patina and just a tiny hint of antique rust. The leather straps on the cuffs are 3/4 and 1-1/4 inch wide and have two snaps to fit 7-1/2 and 8-inch wrists. This is a wonderful and unique gift or accessory and are all priced $89.00 each.

  Lopaka Designs: Unique and Timeless Inspiration "Lopaka" is Hawaiian for "Robert." My name is Bob ... aka "Robert" ... I was born in Hawaii ... and though I reside in the fantastic Bay Area, my roots are in the Hawaiian Islands. I love antiques, family history, ephemera and making things. Lopaka Designs is located in Vintages, our shop in Los Gatos, CA. At Vintages we sell handcrafted, Made in America products, vintage treasures from Victorian times to the 1960's, as well as other gift items. I am one of two crafters in the shop ... Susan has been creating wonderful crafts, jewelry, tags and cards for quite some time now. Her designs are available the her Etsy site Pretty Ribbons as well as in our shop. Lopaka Designs is my Etsy site and I am now starting to place some of my own designs on the site. Some of the...

  Victorian cut steel jewelry is made from faceted and polished steel studs that are riveted to a backing plate.  Originally made in Woodstock, England, these became a fashion in France as a replacement for the fine diamond jewelry the French monarchy confiscated to pay for the Seven Years' War in 1759.  The earliest pieces were made from recycled steel nails machined to have up to 15 facets.  Later production was more mechanized, used less facets and ultimately gave way to stamped pieces embellished with a few actual studs. The tendency for early steel to corrode or rust has limited the availability of good quality examples today.     Modern marcasite, or pyrite, jewelry are successors to the cut steel jewelry of the 18th and 19th century.  One easy way to distinguish the old from the new is that, while the old cut steel was riveted to the base plates, the marcasites are set into place using either prongs or glue. ...

We just got back from a relaxing respite on the Hawaiian island of Maui. We had this gorgeous view of the island of Lanai from our balcony. The mood of the island was ever changing as the sun and clouds did their thing. Nature is pretty darn beautiful, I would say!