There are cookbooks for cooking ... and cookbooks for just looking ... and then there are cookbooks that beg to be read! This is one of them. Mary Moore Bremer wrote this long-lived and much-loved New Orleans Recipes collection in 1932. It is filled with recipes from old New Orleans ... done the way "the Negro woman" did it. She reigned in the kitchen and rightly so. I love the dedication … Sounds like a wonderful "recipe" to live by! Here is one of the recipes from Mary Moore Bremer’s New Orleans Recipes cookbook. (You may want to “modernize” it if you see fit.) Saucisses aux Haricots (Red Beans and Sausage) Soak two cups of red beans for five or six hours. Start them in cold water and salt. Cook for two hours and throw away almost all of the water. Add butter and keep beans going over a slow fire. Now grill about ten little pork sausages till pretty and brown, and then...

Just in ... a number of new media and tools for mixed-media artists ... scrapbooks, crafts, collages, altered books, journals and more. These are from Faber-Castell's Design Memory Craft® line of artist products. We used these at the CHA Show for the first time ... and they are super easy to use and create with. I did the card above in minutes! Below is the whole piece which is the cover to a book. Gelatos®, which are the base for this work, are compact acid-free pigment sticks that glide on creamy smooth for vibrant color and coverage.  All Gelatos® blend easily with or without water.  They work equally well on paper, canvas, or wood! 15 pc Gelatos Packs in Pastels, Brights and Metallics ($26.95 per pack) 2pc Gelatos packs in Black & Whte and Gold & Silver ($4.95 each) Texture Luxe™ is an opaque acrylic paste that's designed to create a thick texture with a shimmery metallic finish. You can mix it with Gelatos® for more shimme...

Here at Vintages we love old ephemera ... and old books are right at the top of the list. We carry a really nice selection of all types of books ... from children's books to ponderous tomes ... from beautifully illustrated publications to serious novels and references ... and from individual classics to significant multiple volume works. We specialize in miniature books and old travel guides. We recently acquired a large collection of early 20th century books. These are mostly fine bindings ... leather and multiple volume editions. Some first editions and limited editions as well. Here are some of them. The Real America in Romance • 13 Leather Bound Volumes • c1912 ($149 set) Green's History of the English People • 4 Embossed Cover Volumes • c1893 ($95 set) -- The World's Great Thinkers • 4 Embossed Cover Volumes • c1947 ($69 set) Ridpath's History of the World • 10 Leather Bound Volumes • c1919 ($300 set) Woman of All Ages and All Co...

Old jewelry is something I love to deal in ... I view these as antique miniature art pieces, because they are. This gorgeous 19th century brooch is a double piece of art. It is not only beautifully designed with great form and superb hand chasing, but it has three hand-painted tiny medallions on it. Don't you wonder who they were? It is available in our Los Gatos shop and in our online antique shop as well.

Are you ready for St. Patrick's Day? You aren't if you don't have green rimmed eyeglasses. Check these out! Available in our shop and on our Etsy site ... Lopaka Designs .

With trees and shrubs in full bloom, birds flitting about and the smell of spring in the air, it's time to bring out the bright, colorful spring decor. As usual we have lots of colorful items at Vintages and the birds perched in cages, tree branches and swings are among our favorites. The Colorful Paper Bird on the Swing is just $14.95 Bird Cages range in size from 10" to 16" • Priced at $24.95 to $58.95   Build your own nest, or talk to us about some nests that we have in stock. Colorful Ribbons (Burlap shown) from $3.95 per yard • The Burlap Holder is $43.95 Add another Spring Touch with Festive Votive Candle Holders ($16.95 each) Come on in to see what we have to welcome springtime into your home.