Christmas Holidays at Vintages of Los Gatos

Happy Holidays!  We have decked the aisles at Vintages with Holiday decorations, filled the shelves with gifts for just about anyone and unveiled our vintage Christmas collection.

The Town of Los Gatos has several Holiday events planned, including the Tree Lighting at the Town Square (Dec 4th) and the Annual Christmas Holiday Parade (Dec 5th).  Carriage Rides along Santa Cruz Avenue have started and the Fantasy of Lights, a drive-through holiday lights display spectacular at Vasona Lake County Park, starts Nov 27th.

Come on in to Vintages and celebrate an Old Fashioned Christmas with us.  Many of our Holiday decorations are handmade.

The Christmas tree wine glasses will be the hit at any Christmas party.  Dogs, cats and hearts make great gifts.  Stocking stuffers are everywhere.  We have a nice selection of vintage Christmas and Holiday decorations, including candy containers, ornaments, silver tinsel, sheet music, tags and more.

Vintage Jewelry

The Holidays are approaching fast. Now is the time to pick up that special holiday piece of jewelry or the one pin that just makes the outfit for the Christmas party. Vintage jewelry makes great gifts as well.

Here at Vintages we have jewelry from mid-1800s Victorian to Art Nouveau to Art Deco to forties-fifties retro and mid-century bling. More recently we have added modernist jewelry. We also have a nice selection of Native American Indian and Mexican silver jewelry.

Some of these pieces are available online along with many others. Or you can contact us to inquire about a piece that you see here or on one of our blogs.

Delicate Victorian gold and enamel pins display a workmanship not seen in modern jewelry.

This is a small selection of the Victorian pins, pendants and lockets we have on display.

These are two fantastic 14k gold cuff bracelets from the 1860s.

Combs used to be a staple in the jewelry case. Here is a large celluloid, faux tortoise mantilla comb from the early 1900s.

Bohemian glass, and later Czech glass, has been used for a century in high end costume jewelry. Here is a selection of pieces from our collection. Cameos have been around for quite some time. These raised images can be found on pins, pendants, earrings and rings. The traditional cameo from Italy is made of shell that has several colored layers. Cameos have been made from a variety of hard stones, glass, ivory and plastic. Above is a small collection of both traditional cameos and art deco celluloid cameos.

Trifari jewelry has been made for decades. Many of the early pieces are magnificent, while the more contemporary pieces are less elaborate, but still of high quality.

Eisenberg, Weiss, Jomaz and other crystal rhinestone jewelry makers provide that glitz for all seasons.

Miriam Haskell and a number of designers that make jewelry in that same motif (Robert, DeMario, Eugene, to name a few) created a classic style of handmade costume jewelry that is loved by collectors world-wide. And then there are beads ....

.... and strands of pearls, chains of gold and silver.

Bracelets of all types are in stock as well.

These are handcrafted Sterling bracelets from Taxco, Mexico, the home of Mexican silver jewelry. The bottom cuff is a Spratling Pyramid bracelet.This is a spectacular Rebajes copper cuff bracelet.

Halloween Tricks & Treats

Vintages of Los Gatos is ready for Halloween
Ghosts & Goblins … Witches & Black Cats … Trick or Treat!

Halloween is just about here and Vintages has a horrifying selection of the creatures and critters that roam the villages on that spooky night.

This large black cat is put together with wood, tin and found objects. His smaller feline buddies are made of papier-mache.

EEEK! Little Miss Muffit here must have spotted this hand coming up from the pile of leaves! But do not fear, it is actually a cast iron wall hook – we have it in two sizes.

Gotta have witches! Right? We've got 'em.Then there are these hand crafted fabric dolls, puppets and crows. Beautiful detail and stitching make these truly special.

And to add to the creepiness there is no lack of skeletons and skulls.This large, glittery white and black pumpkin is perfect to hold all those Halloween treats you’ll be getting (or giving).


On the calmer side, we have some wooden jack-o-lanterns and ceramic serving trays.
These woven wine bags are great for that adult treat of fine wine. We also have silver solder pendants, made by Susan, with Halloween images. And Halloween ribbons as well.
Just to remind us that Thanksgiving is not too far off, we have these magnificent turkeys which would look stunning in your centerpiece for the Thanksgiving feast.
To top things off, we have a small selection of vintage Halloween items.

Decorative and Vintage Paper

Decorative Paper … Vintage Paper … Note Paper … Fun Paper
Vintages has it.

Vintage paper is unique, full of character and wonderful. The old paper, whether blank, written on or printed, makes an excellent background or contrast for creative work of all types. We have cards, tags and notes hand crafted using vintage papers.

We currently have a great selection of old ledgers from the 1880s onward.These not only have great handwriting on them, but the content is equally intriguing. Who paid their dues on time & who didn’t. What did they buy that week in 1888?Some of the pages are blank (just lines and columns), while others have been re-used for scrapbooking, which was as big back then as it is now.Old autograph books are a favorite of ours. These little gems contain some interesting words of wisdom … or not! Beautiful handwriting is being lost in the 21st century. Many of the entries in these books are works of calligraphic art! And the old paper has character, with its brown edges, little spots of foxing and crisp texture.We also have wonderful old music sheets from Victorian time to early 1900s songbooks and mid-20th century sheet music.Old letters, books, maps, prints and photographs are also always in stock. We have a nice selection of old German documents, French vintage books and letters written to and by Charles Crocker in the 1890s.Vintage wallpaper sheets from the 1920s through the 1960s are great paper for crafting.We carry a broad selection of contemporary paper from around the world … Italy, France, Spain, Japan and the good old USA. We have sheets, books, notes and rolls.

These decorative and vintage papers, along with our selection of new and vintage ribbons, vintage millinery flowers and feathers and other ephemera, make Vintages a must stop for crafters and paper artists.

Ribbons, We've Got 'em ... Vintage, Decorative, Fancy & More

Vintages offers a broad line of decorative paper, ribbon and art elements for crafters, artists and wrapping that special gift. Papers, ribbons and such is the realm of Susan, who at an early age found that she was enthralled with beautiful paper and ribbon. She still is, and that love of decorative ribbons and paper can be found in the wonderful selection of papers and ribbons in our shop.At Vintages we have what is probably the largest inventory of ribbons in the South Bay. Our ribbon selection includes new and vintage ribbons. The new ribbons include hand-dyed silks, satins, velvets, chiffon, ombres, grosgrain, wired and unwired solids, sheers and patterns in a multitude of colors. These come from numerous vendors some as far away as France.We have ribbons with messages and greetings (happy birthday, thank you, congratulations and more), a variety of Paris inspired designs (fleur d’lys, ooh la la, merci) and gorgeous florals. Many of these designs are perfect for craftwork.There are also ribbons in a rainbow of colors and a wide range of textures.

Susan not only seeks fine ribbons and paper from contemporary sources, but also searches and finds wonderful examples from eras past. The selection includes bright mid-century grosgrain, trim and velvet from the early 1900s, along with Victorian ribbons and trim. The vintage selection varies and is of course limited to stock on hand that changes frequently. At this time we have a variety of velvet, embroidered, metallics, seam bindings, grosgrain, satin, lace and more.

Vintage Bride & Groom Wedding Cake Toppers

Vintage bride & groom wedding cake toppers have been, and still are, a fascinating and whimsical collecting field. These little figurines show so many emotions -- some seem so happy, others a bit skeptical, and we have seen a few that look down right scared! Customers love to look at the extensive selection we have in our shop. There's quite a bit of history displayed in the fashions and accessories incorporated into these little works of art. Whether these are bought as gifts for weddings, engagements and anniversaries, to start or add to a collection or just for old times sake, there is a bit of happiness that accompanies every one of them.

Wedding cakes have been around for centuries but cake toppers did not take hold until the 19th century. Bride and groom toppers started appearing in the latter part of the 1800s, with commercial products first advertised in the late 1890s. Early examples were made of molded or sculpted cake icing. Through the years we have seen toppers made from virtually every conceivable material. As cake decorations, bride & groom toppers reached their peak popularity in the 1950s. Our selection stretches across the years from the 1920s to the 1970s.

This little wedding party is a wonderful cake topper set from the 1920s or 1930s. They are made from pipe cleaners all decked out in ribbon and lace. The faces and the flowers are made of celluloid. While this may have been sold as a complete set, I believe these were available as kits that were assembled and personalized by the baker or someone in the wedding party.

Here is another wedding party of little blonde bisque dolls dressed in crepe paper outfits. This style was popular in the 1930s, with or without the crepe decorations.
Another pre-WWII set was this celluloid bride and groom with the minister. This one includes its original box. She's decked out in lace and crepe, as are the groom and the minister. These are small and fragile, as the very thin celluloid was easy to crush or dent and was flammable as well!This trio of more traditional cake toppers are all made of porcelain. The left couple is from the late Art Deco era (c1930). The one on the right is a bit later, probably c1940. The center bride and groom are from the late 1950s or so. Note that the lacy veil they bride in the center is wearing is real. Many mid-century examples have not only real veils and silk flowers, but some have dresses made of fabric, probably from the same fabric that the real bride's wedding dress is made from.Here are a couple of collections that have examples from the 1930s to 1960s. The materials vary from porcelain, to pottery, to plaster and even chalk. Note the lower photo where the flowered arches are included.I love this young couple. They look a bit surprised! This is probably from the 1960s or 1970s. They are made of bisque (unglazed ceramic) and actually stand a bit taller than most of the brides and grooms that we have. Cute!Whether you are looking for bride a & groom cake toppers for gifts, for your collection or to decorate your wedding cake, we always have a great selection.

Summertime is Beach Time!

It’s officially SUMMER! Love it! Beach time … sun tans … outdoor dinners … picnics … long days. We’re set here at Vintages with a variety of beach themed gifts and handcrafted items.

Lemonade, margaritas and dips will taste more delicious when served in these bubble glass sets.

These potholder & towel sets will make the BBQ festive and safe. We have these in several designs. Great host(ess) gift!

And this little hand painted table is a delight in any room, as are the silver-plated sea stars and clamshells.

To give the room a beach feel when decorating, these metal craft fish and shell-decorated sailboats are top of the line. And it you have a boat, you definitely need these carved wood buoys.
For the craft person, we have wonderful shell designed decorative paper, shell bookmarks and shell collections.
Beach boys and beach dolls (Harold & Josie) are among the many hand made items we carry.
To dress up for the beach party, we have pearl, shell and fish jewelry – both hand made by local artists and vintage.
Have a happy summer!